The Index, Vol. 113 Issue 5

A new take on a classic

Drag queens rule the stage,

page 7

Thanksgiving Day for a sports fanatic, page 14 Senior foward leads the way for men’s basketball, page 15

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Truman State University tmn.truman.edu THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

tmn.truman.edu

STUGOV BACKS LGBTQ+CENTER

@TrumanIndex

@TrumanIndex

New graduate programs in session MATT FRANK Staff Writer

A student presents their opinion to Student Government about the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. This topic has been worked on since 2010, although Kennedy Cooper made the current resolution. Photo by Emily Collins

The resolution passed Student Government after years of planning

Truman State University has begun three new completely online graduate programs this semester.

The programs consist of two counseling tracks, data science and analytic storytelling, and gifted education.

These programs being completely online is new to Truman. Before these programs, only two graduate programs had online options, which students could choose either online or on-campus. Those programs are English and accountancy.

Truman’s graduate programs usually have about 150200 students in them, across all of the programs, according to Liz McLain, assistant director of admission for graduates & transfers.

The decision to add these new programs is because of growing interest and industries for the areas of study, McLain said. Another important point is that these programs can all be completed online, which is a big sell now according to McLain.

“I feel like we’re going to see even more graduate programs — that’s the eventuality, and, I’m guessing, we’ll start to see more online programs,” McLain said. “We’re not going to be a for-profit University or anything, but because of more and more people who have had the online experience because of COVID, [education is] moving in that direction.”

The counseling program, one of the three new programs, has about 21 students this semester. The program is currently accepting applications for the spring as well. Fall 2022 applications are also being reviewed and accepted at this time, said Karl Witt, counseling program chair and associate professor of counseling. The program is a fully online 60-hour Master of Arts in counseling.

See PROGRAMS page 3

GENEVIEVE TLUSTOS, RACHEL BECKER Features and Opinions editor, Editor in Chief During the Nov. 7 Student Government meeting, many students gathered to voice support either for or against the resolution proposing an LGBTQ+ Resource Center on Truman State University’s campus.

The resolution ultimately passed, with the final vote being 17-3. The number of signatures on a petition in support of the resolution had reached 1,007 by the meeting, meaning that 23% of the student body supported the resolution, according to Kennedy Cooper, Student Government diversity and inclusion chair and author of the resolution.

Cooper created the resolution and the petition in support of it. Student Government has been working on this project since at least 2010 when they first placed the idea of an LGBTQ+ resource center in their vision document, Cooper said. No progress was made until the 2015-16 academic year when Student Government passed a couple of resolutions about the project. After those resolutions were passed, there was some administrative turnover in the makeup of Student Government. “[Administration and the Student Government body] got a lot more conservative really quickly, and so it got put on hold,” Cooper said. “It’s being brought into the spotlight again.”

Cooper said a resolution on this topic by Brad Turnbull, former program coordinator, was passed through Student Government last year. Cooper said she thought it was time to bring the idea back to the floor again.

Last year’s proposal included finances, lot placement, safe zone training, lavender graduation, national coming out day and a transgender day remembrance program, Cooper said. It was to organize all of the resources currently provided at the University under one umbrella and add things like a lending library and peer support and mentoring.

Since Turnbull left and Saint Rice, director for diversity and inclusion, took over the position, Cooper said it would be good to pass it again to solidify that this is important to Student Government.

“The resolution last year was in support of Turnbull’s specific proposal,” Cooper said. “This year the resolution is more in support of just having a center in general.”

See RESOLUTION page 5

Students enter Pickler Memorial Library. Unlike Truman’s other graduate programs, these three new programs are all online. Photo by Rachel Becker

Construction on Courthouse continues SETH JARVIS Staff Writer Renovations are continuing at the Adair County Courthouse. The 122-year-old structure has been receiving major updates to ensure its continued use.

This is not the first time the building has had major changes made on it. In 1949 a tower was removed from the building to prevent the roof from failing.

“This was causing stress on the roof, and they were afraid it would collapse it,” said Blytha Ellis, a member of the Adair County Historical Society. “They used the same limestone and the real heavy stuff for the tower, and of course, it was very very heavy.”

See COURTHOUSE page 6

VOLUME 113 ISSUE 5 © 2021

The Adair County Courthouse roof continues to be under construction. Many elements of the Courthouse are being updated, including the interior and the exterior. Photo by Rachel Becker

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The Index

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

A new take on a classic Left: Senior Emily Kemp, playing Benedick, mocks the romance of Claudio and Hero. The comedy by William Shakespeare was reimagined by the Truman State University theatre department to take place in 1918 New Orleans. Photos by Rachel Becker Below: Watchmen Kaitlyn Kelly and Tatianna Ray take Meredith GrimmHowell and Gael Jenks prisoner. The director, Dana Smith has been teaching at Truman since 1999 and this is her 22nd show with the department.

Above: During act 1, Don Pedro, played by Alex Pohlman, and Leonato, played by Me Crouch, have a conversation about Hero. Hero was played by Anna Markiewicz, she has also been casted in “Dog Sees God” and “Vanya and Sonia,” and has been part of the crew for “A Doll’s House Part 2” and “Vanya and Sonia”.

Left: Claudio, played by senior Hank Geers, hits the ground as Dogberry, played by Courtney Kopp, and Verges, played by Michael Emfinger, look on.

Geers has been part of two shows at Truman.

The Index

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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PROGRAMS| Three new online graduate programs at Truman State University Continued from page 1 There are two degrees within the program. One of the degrees is a Master of Arts in counseling with an emphasis in school counseling, while the other has an emphasis in mental health counseling.

With the program being completely online, students who do not live near Kirksville can utilize the program. There are already some students in the program who are outside Missouri, Witt said.

Some of the farther states students have come from are Texas, Arizona and Delaware.

The counseling program takes about seven semesters to complete, including fall, spring and summer. This will take a little over two calendar years to complete a degree in the program, Witt said.

There is also a part-time version of the program, in which students take only two classes a semester. This version of the program would take 10 semesters, or a bit over three calendar years to complete a degree, Witt said.

At the moment, most students are choosing the full-time version. It’s estimated that the first group will complete the program in December 2023.

“This program is not only for fresh graduates from undergraduate school. It is also for those who are out there having been working for 10 or 20 years.”

- Hyun-Joo Kim, program diretor of data science

Witt said counseling jobs are increasing greatly. Witt said since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have become aware of mental health which has been creating more jobs for people with degrees in counseling.

The school counseling degree path is focused on training people to work in schools with students from grades pre-k through 12 on personal, social and academic levels, as well as career development.

The mental health degree path is training students to become licensed professional counselors, who may work at an agency or open up a private practice.

With the way the program is set up, there is some overlap between degree paths that allow for picking up both degrees. It will, however, take some extra time and classes. The two degree paths are the same degree, just applied to different settings, Witt said.

The data science and analytic storytelling program is different, because there is both a graduate certificate and a master’s program. The graduate certificate has been offered by Truman before the master’s program was introduced this semester.

There are around 40-50 students in the program right now. The certificate requires about five classes, while the masters program requires five additional classes.

When the master’s program launched, many of the students who had already received the certificate returned to the program to receive the master’s degree, according to Hyun-Joo Kim, program director of data science.

Kim said for the certificate, the first five classes are about the technique in data science, as well as programming and big data management.

The master’s degree, the second half of the program, is also about how to communicate data science findings.

The data science and analytic storytelling program is not just for statistics students, but is for students of nearly any career path. While there are many statistics students in the program, there are also a lot of business and accounting students as well.

There are even English majors in the program, Kim said. There is also a chemist who is currently working for a pharmaceutical company in the program.

“This program is not only for fresh graduates from undergraduate school,” Kim said. “It is also for those who are out there having been working for 10 or 20 years.”

The gifted education program came out of the education program, with an emphasis on working at a more personal level with gifted students. The program is for existing teachers to better understand what is different about gifted students and how teaching them is different, McLain said.

To enroll in the gifted education program, a student must be certified in education or have the ability to become certified, McLain said.

Graphic by Cee Spiller

staff

Crime Reports DPS & KPD

Serving the University community since 1909 Editor-in-Chief: Rachel Becker Managing Editor: Anakin Bush Features, Opinions Editor: Genevieve Tlustos Assistant Features Editor: Alyssa Rzany Sports Editor: Steven Findley Jr. Copy Chief: Sami Harris Assistant Copy Chief: Brooke Barnes Designers: Heather Beard, Cee Spiller, Izzy Juan, Jinyu Li Podcast Editor: Trevor Grandin Photo Editor: Emily Collins Photographer: Oliver Malone Copy Editors: Quinn Sloan, Gillian Burks, Jessica Robinson, Leighya McNeely, Aidan Grantham, Joshua Guiot, Emily Giannoti Staff Writers: Seth Jarvis Savannah Kluesner, Jack Ratliff, Andrew Holder, Cory Price, Matt Frank, Gabe Smith, Kennedy Cooper, Joey Dougherty, Sydney Ellison

Adviser: David Price

11/3 Trespassing reported at the 3300 block of North Baltimore St.

11/7 Domestic disturbance reported at 1200 S. Ann St.

11/3 Theft reported at the 2200 block of Baltimore St.

11/7 Domestic disturbance reported at the 500 block of N. Baltimore St.

11/3 Assault reported at the 1500 block of South Cottage Grove Ave.

11/7 Theft reported at the 1700 block of S. Baltimore St.

11/4 Theft reported at the 1300 block of South Baltimore St.

11/7 Theft reported at the 500 block of S. Franklin St.

11/4 Domestic disturbance reported at the 400 block of South High St.

11/7 Suspicious activity reported at the 900 block of E. LaHarpe St.

11/5 Vandalism reported at the 300 block of West Hickory St.

11/8 Theft reported at the 2100 block of Somerset Dr.

11/5 Theft reported at the 1700 block of N. Centennial Ave.

11/8 Theft reported at the 400 block of E. Northtown Rd.

11/5 Theft reported at the 300 block of S. Baltimore St.

11/8 Burglary reported at the 1400 block of W. Potter Ave.

11/5 Trespassing reported at the 800 block of S. Sixth St.

11/8 Theft reported at the 1600 block of S. Osteopath St.

11/5 Suspicious activity reported at the 2400 block of N. Baltimore St.

11/8 Property damage reported at the 2000 block of N. Florence Pl.

11/6 Suspicious activity reported at the 300 block of S. Osteopathy St.

11/8 Theft reported at the 1700 block of S. Baltimore St.

11/6 Theft reported at 1600 E. Normal Ave.

11/8 Suspicious activity reported at the 1000 block of S. Orchard St.

11/6 Theft reported at the 1300 block of E. McPherson St.

11/8 Theft reported at the 1000 block of W. Martha St.

11/9 Suspicious activity reported at the 500 block of S. Franklin St.

11/7 Theft reported at the 2200 block of N. Baltimore St.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

The importance of fine arts With COVID-19 turning people’s lives upside down, many have learned what is most important to them and hold it close to their hearts. One thing many have continued to value is the fine arts.

Because of COVID-19, dance classes went virtual, choirs found bigger masks and bands spread out. We, the Index Editorial Board, think the fine arts have been crucial to the revival of normalcy during a time of uncertainty and hope it continues to flourish.

Truman State University is a liberal arts school and allows its students to enrich themselves in the fine arts community. There are nearly 80 options of fine arts classes ranging from Art 101 to colorguard, and over 15 clubs specifically dedicated to fine arts. All of these have the opportunity to promote elevated critical thinking and cultural exposure.

During 2020, many of these classes and clubs had to find a different way to function, but that didn’t stop them from continuing to promote the arts. Some had to go virtual while others had to find a way to space themselves out on the Quad, but they always found a way.

Several members of the editorial board have had classes either cancelled or delayed to other semesters because of the inability to perform in a virtual format. The dedication to finding alternative ways of teaching fine arts shows they have real value.

After a year of socially distanced performances, Truman’s theatre students

have excitedly prepared for their performances, such as the upcoming “Much Ado about Nothing,’’ covered by staff writer Kennedy Cooper, read more at tmn.truman.edu.

Along with this, The Society of Dance Arts performed Nov. 13 and 14 and staff writer Sydney Ellison wrote an exciting preview of the performance at tmn.truman.edu. Apart from dance, there are also band concerts, art gallery exhibits, choir concerts and more happening this month.

All of these fine arts provide the opportunity for indulgence in an irreplaceable experience for students, faculty and staff. Those who participate get the opportunity to learn about cultural differences and creativity while those in attendance view many types of artistic expression.

We feel that without the ability to express creativity through fine arts, students would lack appreciation for diversity. Being involved in the fine arts can cause students to learn a lot of things they otherwise wouldn’t have had access to.

Involvement in the fine arts is easy to come by. There are choirs you don’t have to audition for, art classes you can take at any time and technological arts for those who don’t want to be on stage.

Any experience you want to gain from the fine arts, you will find.

It is a learning lab where mistakes are encouraged and where all people are welcome.

Stu Gov

Buzz Hello Bulldogs!

We at Student Government have been working diligently over the past few weeks, touching on several topics that hit close to home for many on campus.

During October, the body reaffirmed its support for a vaccine mandate. We discussed our views on a continued mask mandate, a policy which the University extended through the end of the semester Friday, Nov. 5. Finally, during a marathon meeting that lasted over two hours on Nov. 7, the body reaffirmed their support for the creation of a Gender and Sexual Diversity Center on campus, which Student Government has supported for nearly five years.

If you’d like to come and voice your opinion during these discussions, we’d love to have you at our meetings! Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us. Our meetings take place every Sunday at 5 p.m. in the SUB Conference Room on the third floor, and you can access the agenda for our meetings to see what business we’ll be discussing by going to senate.truman.edu/meeting-information/.

Beyond these hard-hitting issues, we also took part in the Homecoming festivities during the week of Oct. 17.

We tabled on the Quad during the cornhole tournament and participated

in the Homecoming Parade, with External Affairs Committee Chair Mike Owsley volunteering his truck to serve as our float. We watched as the Bulldogs skillfully took the win over William Jewell College at the Homecoming football game, and then weathered the heavy thunderstorms that caused us to take shelter — in the middle of our meeting — the next night.

If you have any questions or concerns about campus policies or anything else, please reach out to us. Our office, in the CSI Complex in room 1103 on the first floor of the SUB, is routinely staffed by senators who can listen to your concerns and talk about what we can do for you.

Our president and vice president also have weekly meetings with University President Sue Thomas and can take your concerns directly to her if need be.

Thank you, and have a great week!

Submitted by Owen Smith, speaker of the student senate

Hikers and bikers: The tension on campus sidewalks

SAVANNAH KLUESNER Staff Writer It’s no secret that Truman State University’s sidewalks are crowded, and between classes they get particularly congested as walkers, bikers and skateboarders alike rush to class on time. In all of this confusion, it is understandable that students who choose to use wheels to get to classes, such as bicycles or skateboards, might be moving quickly. However, having witnessed my fair share of

near-collisions, it’s high time we slowed down a bit and discussed the rights of pedestrians on Truman’s sidewalks.

In an ideal world, the sidewalks of our campus would be wide enough to accommodate students on bicycles or skateboards and students on foot. However, given Truman’s tight budget, this upgrade will likely take some time. In the meantime, several students could be seriously injured by a biker or skateboarder going too fast while weaving between walking students. I cannot count the number of times I have had to stop and grit my teeth as I have watched bikers going at least 15 miles per hour almost mow down students walking to class.

Often, by the time the student who is walking is aware a bicyclist is coming, their action of turning or trying to avoid the bicyclist will put them in the way of the rider, causing the bicyclist to make dangerous maneuvers to avoid hitting pedestrians. Although bicycles and skateboards are not motorized

vehicles, they can move much faster than a person on foot. For the safety of both groups, it is necessary that students using wheels to get to class ride at a safe speed, one that will allow them to easily avoid walkers without cutting too close and alarming the person.

There is also something to be said for respect between groups. Walkers should respect bicyclists and try to be aware at all times that a vehicle may pass them on campus. Likewise, bicyclists and skateboarders should be aware that walking students have the same right to get to class as their riding counterparts and should allow walking students to cross or get into buildings without feeling the need to run or duck out of the way.

As a personal anecdote, I have almost been hit by a skateboarder who hadn’t even begun riding yet, as I could not get into the door of the building due to a stream of exiting students. Instead of waiting for me to pass, the skateboarder instead began riding away from the

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building and expected me to get out of their way, coming within centimeters of hitting me. Although they were going at a slow enough speed that I could react, this was an unnecessary and disrespectful show of dominance by the skateboarding student, and the issue could have easily been avoided by waiting just a few more seconds for me to get into the building.

I am not suggesting that students who ride to class should stop doing so. Bicycling and skateboarding are efficient ways to arrive to class on time, and having a variety of transportation methods at our disposal is a feature of Truman’s campus that is both beneficial and supportive of student needs. However, everyone, pedestrian or rider, should take the proper precautions to prevent the threat of injury and accident. If our goal as a University is to make sure that all students feel safe enough on campus to come to class, this goal should be reflected in every aspect of our demeanor, including our behavior on the sidewalks.

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The Index

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

RESOLUTION| Students voice opinions on the creation of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center Continued from page 1 Cooper said Student Government resolutions are more general because their organization does not have the authority to actually establish a center – that would be up to the administration on campus.

The resolution on the resource center would be Student Government officially standing in support of it and showing a vested interest in the project. However, Cooper said she expected the proposal to be opposed by certain members of Student Government.

“There are people on the body that have already stated that they’re opposed to anything that supports the LGBTQ community,” Cooper said.

Truman community members gathered outside the Catholic Newman Center to protest a petition against the LGBTQ+ Resource Center shared by a student member of the Center.

A screenshot from a GroupMe for Catholic students showed senior Tristin Newton sharing a petition to stop the resolution for an LGBTQ+ Resource Center on Truman’s campus.

The message from Newton stated, “As Catholics, we are bound to discourage the general acceptance and promotion of an institution whose main ideas run contrary to church teaching.”

The screenshot circulated social media, causing outrage in the Truman community. On Instagram, users left comments criticizing the Catholic Newman Center for disabling comments and not clarifying their stance in the center’s latest post.

The Catholic Newman Center posted a response to the Tsunewman Instagram account Nov. 2.

“The group chat is not officially affiliated with the Catholic Newman Center,” the statement said. “This petition was also not created by the Catholic Newman Center, nor does it reflect the stance of the Catholic Newman Center.”

Director of the Catholic Newman Center, Chris Korte, said he and the student leadership at the center have since been meeting with members of Student Government, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and PRISM. “As director of campus ministry at the Newman Center, our intention is to accompany people, to offer a place for friendship, to offer a place to deepen in faith, and to offer a place [where] people can grow in their potential, their abilities,” Korte said. “Our mission, if you will, is really about how to accompany and support students on campus and to be a source of support for that.”

The student protestors called for the Catholic Newman Center to publicly apologize for the student’s actions and

promote Cooper’s petition calling for the LGBTQ+ Resource Center on campus.

Korte said, “I do apologize for the hurt that it has caused. I apologize for not being able to respond as quickly, as it would [have been] helpful. I just want you to know I am trying — I am listening.”

Newton said she is an official member of the Catholic Church and has tried to portray the Catholic standing on the issue.

While Newton did not create the petition, she did share it in GroupMe. She said she shared the petition with the group chat because many members have deep religious convictions.

However, Newton said she was not opposed to providing resources to the LGBTQ+ community as long as it’s in a Catholic way.

“I do not think we should deny them resources, I think that is what I should say,” Newton said. “I think there’s just been a lot of hurt in that regard, but I know that some friends have said the perception is that I want to deny resources to people I disagree with, and that’s not very Christian.”

“I have personally experienced discrimination ... this center would have given me somewhere to go and somebody to talk to.”

- Ryley Wilson, President of the Jewish Student Union Newton said she did not expect the amount of frustration and anger the counter-petition caused on social media. However, Newton said most of the people she has talked to have given her positive feedback offline.

Newton said she wants to be able to talk about the resource center and its specifics calmly and respectfully with everyone — to be able to reach a better understanding on both sides.

“It’s just a very loud minority that made a lot of noise this time around,” Cooper said. “It’s the same people that got mad last year, but this year they just did a lot better job at getting mad about it.”

Cooper said she did not expect a petition opposed to her resolution would

Chris Korte talks to protestors gathered outside the Catholic Newman Center. A petition against the LGBTQ+ Center was shared by a member of the Newman Center.

Photos by Rachel Becker be created. However, the petition that Cooper created in support of her resolution tripled the number of signatures in a week. The goal was to get 1,000 signatures and they hit 1,007 before the Student Government meeting.

Cooper said she thinks there was a lot more awareness of her petition because of the controversy surrounding the opposing petition. When the petition was first happening, it was posted on a few social media accounts, but after the antipetition gained awareness, it was shared in a lot of places she didn’t expect.

Cooper said funding has been a point of contention with some students outside Student Government. The resolution doesn’t state where the funding comes from because that’s not something Student Government can do.

Cooper started the Student Government meeting with a statement clarifying that the organization does not have the authority to decide how the Resource Center would be funded, but that funding would likely come from general University revenue. This would mean a small portion of the funding would come from student tuition, Cooper said.

Next, Cooper addressed the idea some had brought up requesting an opt-out option to be included in the petition against the Center, which would have meant individual students could opt-out of their tuition money funding the center if it went against their religious beliefs.

“I will not be adding [the opt-out option] to the resolution because I disagree

Members of the Truman community protest in front of the Catholic Newman Center in support of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. The petition supporting the Center received over 1,000 signatures after the Student Government meeting.

OUR 2021-2022 WAITLIST IS NOW OPEN!

with it, but also because that would be a logistical nightmare and probably impossible,” Cooper said.

Shania Montufar, president of Student Government, Ethan Kershaw, vice president of Student Government and many other members of Student Government voiced their support for the resolution.

Many members of the LGBTQ+ community shared their experiences with discrimination on Truman’s campus and how a resource center would have helped them.

“In the past calendar year, I have personally experienced discrimination from members on this campus twice,” said Ryley Wilson, president of the Jewish Student Union. “I just want to say this center would have given me somewhere to go and somebody to talk to.”

In the resolution, Student Government included that they wanted to be included in the process going forward.

Cooper said this was because she’s noticed that with past resolutions, sometimes they get passed and then die off, but she would like to see the center established as soon as possible.

As of now, Cooper said there could be an opening of the center by the spring semester.

Janet Gooch, vice president for Academic Affairs, said she met with Montufar and Kershaw to talk about establishing the center. Though the University has been working on establishing a center since an inclusive excellence report recommended one several years ago, the Student Government resolution has expedited the process.

Right now administration is working on finding a space in Baldwin Hall for the center, which could be established as early as next semester, Gooch said. She said the center would be a space for LGBTQ+ students to socialize, have meetings and feel welcome. The center would likely be under the Center for Diversity and Inclusion similar to the interfaith center.

Gooch said that so far no funding has been requested from the University for the center, just the physical space itself.

As far as the conversations occurring on campus around various LGBTQ+ issues, Gooch said Truman is the kind of campus that invites those conversations as long as they are positive and in the spirit of understanding, which is what she has seen so far.

“I think they’re important conversations, I think that they’re conversations that we have to have, you know any time you’re talking about diversity and inclusion, there’s a certain element of emotion that goes along with it, and that emotion can be good and it can be not good, depending on how it is used,” Gooch said.

Cooper said she is excited about the future of the resolution, as this is her first large-scale Student Government project.

The Index

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

College Republicans petition against LGBTQ+ Resource Center funding GENEVIEVE TLUSTOS AND ANAS ALHASSANI Features and Opinions Editor, Contributing Writer

Nov. 6, College Republicans posted a petition on their social media pages.

The petition addressed the proposed Student Government resolution supporting the creation of an LGBTQ+ Resource Center and said it would be funded by students, forcing some of them to violate deeply held religious convictions. The petition was in support of having religious exemptions be available for students who did not want their funding to go to a center that would violate their beliefs.

The College Republicans’ petition came after a different student created one and shared it in a Catholic Newman Center group chat. Kyle Farrell, chairman of College Republicans, said he saw the ensuing backlash to the petition, so he changed some of the wording in order to be more clear about their goal regarding the funding of the center.

While the original petition had also suggested the idea of religious exemptions, the specific question asked by the petition was whether or not readers supported the overall creation of the center, Farrell said. The question included in the College Republicans’ petition was concerning a potential opt-out system where students who do not wish to fund the center are able to opt-out of doing so.

Farrell said their focus was on protecting religious liberties, but they are aware not everyone shares those values.

“If that’s what a majority of students

A student voices their opinion about the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. The funding of the Center has been a topic of debate.

want to do with their funds, they’re free to do so,” Farrell said. “But at the same time, we think it would be really important to recognize minority rights and allow religious students who have religious convictions that would prevent them or violate their conscience to fund such a thing to opt-out of that.”

Kennedy Cooper, diversity and inclusion chair and the original writer of the resource center proposal, said she disagrees with the College Republicans’ petition, but respects their rights to create and share it. Ultimately, she didn’t think the petition would have much impact because not many would sign it.

Cooper said the resource center would not infringe on religious liberty.

The College Republicans said the first amendment protected their desire not to fund the center as it would prohibit their free exercise of religion by forcing them to pay for something against their beliefs. However, Cooper said the center would not be prohibiting their free exercise of religion, and there isn’t any basis for such an argument.

Abby Kranz, executive director of College Republicans, said the organization has not taken a clear stance against the center in the past at Truman. However, other College Republican groups have done so at other universities.

Farrell said the difference this year is that they are more aware of the issue, and the current leadership is more willing to take a strong stance.

Farrell said the number of signatures is below 50, but that the low number of signatures could actually help their case because it means the amount of students who don’t want to fund the center is small. If there was an opt-out option, there likely wouldn’t be many students who would opt-out, Farrell said.

Farrell said he wasn’t sure if Student Government typically attaches funding suggestions to their resolutions.

Kranz said even if that’s not something they typically do, it should still be done in this case, so the administration at least considers an opt-out option.

Though the amount of tuition ultimately going to fund the center would be small according to Cooper, Kranz said it still matters.

“I would say yeah it’s still important, no matter how much money it is, it could be a dime, you’re still going against your religious convictions, and we want to protect that for all students who want that protection,” Kranz said.

Farrell said the ideal system he advocates for is one where students can opt out of paying for whatever services they don’t think they would use. If a student is not using a resource, they shouldn’t

Kyle Farrell, chairman of College Republicans, speaks to Student Government about the Center. College Republicans created a petition in resposne to the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. Photos by Emily Collins have to pay for it, he said.

“Seeing as how [the idea of ] that [system is] pretty impractical of actually getting put in place, we see this as a current issue that we can change, and there’s systems that have already been in place about funding, and we can’t readily change those,” Farrell said. “But this is something new that’s still evolving and could be put into place, and so we thought that this was an issue that we had a more legitimate chance of effectuating change.”

Janet Gooch, vice president for Academic Affairs, also said such an opt-out system would be impractical.

“That doesn’t really work because the cost of tuition is for everything that we have here.” Gooch said. “We can’t pick and choose like off of a menu what you want to take advantage of. You know, we understand on average what it costs to educate a student and to keep them healthy through the health center and provide a recreation center and all of the amenities that come with the University.”

Gooch compared it to paying insurance or joining a health club in that you may not be taking advantage of every resource, but you still pay because that’s what it costs to be a part of something. If you are going to be a part of the system, you have to pay to help keep it running.

Kranz said she didn’t think an optout system would be near impossible, and just because it would be difficult, didn’t mean it wasn’t worth pursuing.

Gooch also said the administration isn’t sure if the resource center will re-

quire any University funding at all. She said the university is providing a space, but so far no other funding or resources have been requested.

Several members of College Republicans both within Student Government and outside voiced their concerns during the Student Government meeting on Nov. 7. However, they were not able to stop the resolution from getting passed, with the final vote 17-3.

Cooper said the meeting and comments made didn’t surprise her.

“I mean, it kind of went exactly how I expected it to,” Cooper said. “I knew there’d be some people that were going to say some stuff that would hurt a lot of people’s feelings, and that’s kind of what happened.”

Cooper did say some good came out of the meeting — they were able to hear from the perspective of various queer students on campus, and that ultimately what mattered was that the resolution passed.

Though many at the meeting disagreed with the proposed opt-out system, Kranz said it is important to keep pushing for religious freedoms, even if it makes people dislike you.

“I’m also proud of our members, of sticking to their guts and to their principles,” Farrell said. “Even when it is far from the most popular thing on campus to advocate for these kinds of religious protections, and so yeah I’m very proud of how our members have presented themselves and have remained calm and cordial throughout this whole discussion.”

COURTHOUSE| The Adair County Courthouse renovations progress has been limited by global supply chain issues Continued from page 1 From the tower, the statue of Lady Justice was preserved and eventually placed back onto the top of the structure.

In the modern era, the building faced serious issues that required it to receive the current renovations.

The renovation project began last January, when an assessment was completed on the structure to determine what work was needed for the building.

The renovations themselves began this July when work started on installing a geothermal unit for heating and cooling.

Commissioner Mark Shahan described how the project has been divided into two phases.

“The first phase is all the exterior, to get that done before the weather gets bad and get the heat back on,” Shahan said. “The first phase was $3.9 million, and it entailed the roof, the windows, tuck pointing, the main entrance doors … and the geothermal unit which was $1.9 million.”

Shahan stated that they are on track to reach that end as they have all 34 wells drilled for the geothermal heating along with a loop in the courthouse yard connecting them.

This has been connected to the building and boilers have been installed as well. The plan is to have heat back on by the end of the month.

The courthouse is not the most efficiently designed building, so geothermal systems will help reduce the costs it takes to heat and cool the building.

“This will be totally new, and we have guaranteed savings from our main contractor on this project,” Shahan said.

Supply chain issues have also impacted the progress of this project. Shahan said it has been difficult at times to know when exactly materials might arrive.

They are still waiting on module units to go into rooms for the heating and cooling, but Shahan said he believes they will be here by the end of the month. Despite these challenges, the project has still managed to run well.

The tuck-pointing on the exterior and the damaged roof has been completed.

As of Nov. 1, the courthouse has been closed to public use because of construction efforts. Because of this, offices within the building have moved to a variety of different locations.

They have mainly moved to locations on the Kirksville Square. Only the circuit court remains active there, and they are waiting to be moved to another building once it receives proper fiberoptic support as required by the state.

Shahan said he expects phase one to be completed in February. Currently, they are attempting to figure out the scale of work required for phase two.

Phase two’s focus will be interior aspects like the electrical system, plumbing and plaster.

Right now, six months is the targetdate, but the availability of products will ultimately determine its length.

However, Shahan expects it to be a smoother process than phase one.

Shahan said that he hopes phase two does not exceed $8 million. Work is still being done to determine the final price of it.

A temporary sales tax that was passed by voters in the county is funding this project.

The sales tax will be used to pay off a loan that was taken out to fund the renovations. Shahan said they will not exceed the loan, and it will be closed out once the undertaking is completed.

A crane is utilized for the renovations being done to the Courthouse roof. The exterior work is part of phase one, which cost $3.9 million. Photos by Emily Collins

Construction crew members work on the roof of the Courthouse. The interior of the building has been closed since Nov. 1 because of the renovations.

7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Drag queens rule the stage

GENEVIEVE TLUSTOS Features and Opinions Editor

Students filled the Baldwin Hall Auditorium Friday night to see two drag queens, Crystal Methyd and Rock M. Sakura, perform.

The queens lip-synced and danced three songs each and answered questions during the Q&A segment. The event was free for students, and the Student Activities Board sponsored the event.

Both queens were on Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Methyd, who is from Springfield, Missouri, said growing up in an area where drag performances were uncommon meant she could develop her own style of drag without outside competition and influence.

“You know there wasn’t a lot of venues to perform back home that wasn’t like, dominated by a pageant scene,” Methyd said. “And so after I got kicked out from a local bar, being the little rebel that I am, I started going out to all the straight bars, and then eventually … all my drag shows were in typically straight venues, and then, I feel like that just really helped my town be more open minded and progressive, and since I’ve been on the show, there’s even more drag going on back home.”

Methyd said she was inspired when she was a kid by an art teacher who would dress in a very colorful and fun way. Methyd hopes to inspire others in the same way she was inspired.

Sakura, who is from San Francisco, California, said there was a lot more pressure to become a different type of drag queen than she wanted to be.

Both of the queens gave advice to the students in attendance. Methyd said students should be authentic and true to themselves.

“If I have any advice for any of you guys that either want to do drag or want to perform or anything that sticks out like YouTube or TikTok,” Sakura said. “Whatever thing, do the stuff that you want to do, and the people who love and admire the things that you like as well will find you.”

Sakura said she realizes not everyone is in a situation to come out, whether at home, school or work. “...save up every bit of wonderful, amazing, fabulousness, or just like hope or joy or ambitions you have for the future, save it up. Keep it with you,” Sakura said. “Let it well up inside you and just let it drive you to your next endeavor, to your goals, to your dreams, let it manifest in your heart, let it manifest in the way that you treat others every single day, let it manifest in the way that you meet other queer poeple and you interact with others, really live with empathy and just share your joy with other people.”

“I’ve had a lot, a lot, a lot of dark times in my life, a lot of times where I haven’t been able to be myself, haven’t been able to like, eat everyday, sustain myself, be in a safe place,” Sakura said. “And now that I’m here right now, the only thing I ever want to do is spread that joy and positivity wherever I go.”

Junior Jonathan Lee, who was in attendance, said the performance was a great experience, “I personally want to do drag at one point in my life. I like doing makeup, so like, I want to get to that point at some time. I thought it was really cool and a good experience.”

Sophomore Valentina Bostick, also in attendance, said the environment was very friendly and welcoming, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Though she wasn’t familiar with drag performances before, she was pleasantly surprised by the show, and her expectations were met without fail. Her favorite part was when Sakura came out in a blue dress, she said that particular number was funny, and the outfit was beautiful.

“I thought it was really entertaining, it was really fun. The drag queens were very good at hyping up the crowd and making sure it was a very fun and lovely experience,” Bostick said.

Top right: Rock M. Sakura does a kick during her second number.

Sakura appeared on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Top Left: Crystal Methyd performs her first number in a muppet-themed costume. Methyd also appeared on Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Sakura is from San Francisco, California, and Methyd is from Springfield, Missouri. Bottom left: Sakura performs her second number. She and Methyd answered questions asked by a moderator. Bottom right: Sakura performs her third number.

Sakura’s name was inspired by the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em robots.

Photos by Rachel Becker Graphics by Jinyu Li

Students watch the drag performance. Several students said it was the first drag show they had seen. Photos by Rachel Becker VOLUME 113

ISSUE 5

tmn.truman.edu

Crystal Methyd and Rock M. Sakura answer questions on stage. The queens gave advice to students. @TrumanIndex

@TrumanIndex

© 2021

The Index

8

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

What we’ve been

watching

Villeneuve’s “Dune” is the perfect adaptation JOEY DOUGHERTY Staff Writer Perhaps the most pivotal work of science fiction literature to date, Frank Herbert’s epic novel “Dune” captured the hearts and minds of readers around the world when it hit bookshelves during 1965. Years later, visionary filmmaker David Lynch released the first for-thescreen adaptation of Herbert’s novel. His 1984 version met mixed reactions, the best from Film Threat’s Alan Ng calling it “a straightforward adventure,” the worst from The Washington Post’s Rita Kempley “disastrous” and “myopic.”

Overall, critics deemed Lynch’s effort an ambitious fumble. No surprise, either, given the novel’s expansive use of inuniverse jargon, fleshed-out histories and diverse cast of characters, each with their own personal stake in the drama. Realizing that Herbert’s vision was perhaps too much for one film, Denis Villeneuve, award-winning director of “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049,” released the first part of his own adaptation to theaters and HBO Max Oct. 22.

Set thousands of years in the future, “Dune: Part One,” marketed simply as “Dune,” tells the story of Paul Atreides, heir to the seat of his house and his father’s dukedom. When House Atreides, out of the blue, is tasked with assuming control of desert planet Arrakis from a clan of vicious warriors known as the Harkonnens, Paul and his family must abruptly leave their homeworld of Caladan and set off for the most dangerous world in the galaxy.

Arrakis, home of the desert-wandering Fremen tribes, is the cradle of an exceedingly rare spice known as melange that is capable of prolonging life and allowing interstellar travel. Total control of the spice allowed the Harkonnens to become the wealthiest house in the cosmos — wealthier than even the emperor — making the Atreides’ inheritance momentous indeed. Duke Leto, Paul’s father, desires to take advan-

tage of the transition of power and improve relations with the nomadic Fremen following the oppressive reign of House Harkonnen. Lady Jessica, Paul’s mother, wants her son to come into his own as heir to a lowly house rising in power and find his voice as the possible answer to an ancient prophecy.

Paul himself must face the changes in his life with the grace of the future duke and the openness his father desires.

Alongside his impending inheritance, Paul must balance haunting dreams of a Fremen warrior calling out his name in the desert; the Fremen belief that he could be Muad’Dib, the prophesied messiah of their people; and a growing psychic power known as The Voice that he barely understands.

Upon arrival on Arrakis, everything seems to be going as planned until the vengeful Harkonnens, led by the vile Baron Vladimir, attack, forcing Paul and his mother to flee into the desert and deep into Fremen territory.

There, Paul must come face to face with his fears and test his true leadership abilities.

Keeping up? No doubt, Herbert’s story proves a daunting task in adapting for the screen, and this summary just scratches the surface. Villeneuve, fortunately, handles this task with all the directorial grace and filmmaking expertise he has shown in past projects. A veneer of passion for the source material glazes each and every moment. Not a moment is wasted — indeed, there’s no room for dawdling — and yet, “Dune” takes its time, managing to naturally fit so much into one cohesive narrative. Moreover, the unfolding events

are never breakneck. “Dune” is a drama before it is an action film. Its meticulous creation epitomizes a labor of love.

This labor is also visible in the film’s technical aspects. The visual effects artists strike the perfect balance between special and practical — the former never overstated, the latter never obtrusive. Because of this balance, each location feels grounded and lived-in. Cinematographer Greig Fraser’s eye for scope and Villeneuve’s eye for framing make for moments of visual grandeur.

Take, for example, a moment in one of the film’s opening scenes when an imperial starship descends to the surface of Caladan to make official the handing over of Arrakis. In the foreground, the whole of House Atreides, a crowd of thousands, stands dwarfed before the vessel as it touches down. Partially out of frame sits a castle, dwarfed still. In the background, a mountain range barely overtakes the vessel’s height. The gargantuan trees of a surrounding forest are like twigs at its feet. Fraser and Villeneuve constantly do this — grounding the shot with a massive object, of which the audience knows the size, and dwarfing it with another.

Hans Zimmer’s score is everything it needs to be and more. Zimmer, who has been a fan of “Dune” since reading the novel as a teen, reportedly turned down working on 2020’s “Tenet” with longtime professional partner Christopher Nolan for the chance to score Villeneuve’s adaptation. His passion for the material is

“‘Dune’ is a drama

before it is an action film. Its meticulous

creation epitomizes a labor of love.”

obvious. Each track appropriately underscores the on-screen action. The Atreides’ time on Caladan as they prepare to leave is met with melancholic flute work and dreamy but foreboding vocals. The Harkonnens’ attack is loud and overbearing with its use of brass instruments, hastening drumbeats and a lowly chanting choir.

Zimmer has a keen ear for the musical potential of each moment and satisfies that potential to the fullest.

While a hallmark of the genre, the original story occasionally falls victim to Herbert’s own writing style: constantly changing perspectives, melodramatic dialogue and long-winded prose — to name a few quirks. Screenwriters Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth have largely filtered out these issues, limiting the film’s perspective to Paul alone, tightening up the dialogue and translating Herbert’s lengthy descriptions to brief character interactions or purely visual storytelling.

Finally, the cast. “Dune” is starstudded, featuring Timothée Chalamet as Paul; Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica; Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto; Zendaya as Chani, the illusive Fremen warrior of Paul’s dreams; and many more. While many may be wary of such lineups, each actor fulfills their role with the required caliber, however main or brief that role.

Particular standouts include Paul and his mother Jessica, played by Chalamet and Ferguson, respectively. Their mother-son dynamic is well realized, as are their individual arcs as each grapples with the immense responsibilities placed upon them.

In the end, Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part One” is a triumphant success in adaptation. In an era of film where so many stories are butchered by such a process, Villeneuve and his talented crew, like an oasis after days in the desert, offer a refreshing turn for the better. Is “Dune” a perfect film? Such a designation should await the release of Villenueve’s second part. For now, it can be decidedly said that “Dune” is the perfect adaptation.

“Dune” gets 5/5 sandworms

Graphic by Heather Beard

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

The Index

9

More than one way to find hope ALYSSA RZANY Assistant Features and Opinions Editor It’s the time of year where the sun rises late, it gets dark earlier and students feel the difficulty of the season. We all need a hand to hold during this time, and Sarah Berke, a professor of biology here at Truman State University, is a professor who will walk students through the hardships they experience.

After starting college as a music and German major, Berke switched tracks after attending a liberal arts school and received her bachelor’s in biology and psychology from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. She then continued her education at the University of Iowa, where she got her doctoral degree in neuroscience.

Most of her doctoral research centered around six years of research on a newly discovered protein, ataxin-3. “[What] I was trying to do was understand what the role of ataxin-3 was, and I thought it was really fun,” said Berke. “It is a very strong commitment.”

Once her doctoral research ended, Berke lived in Connecticut for 11 years doing informal science education, running her own education consulting business and working at other higher education institutions.

She then got her job at Truman. She teaches BIO 100 as well as a science class for students in the pre-MAE program.

Over the six years she’s been educating Truman students, she said she has found great joy and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with the students she teaches.

“I’m very lucky from that standpoint, that I get to teach something I really enjoy,” said Berke.

When Berke is not educating students, she does Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research which involves the study of science anxiety, science motivation and science attitude. She said she also does a tremendous amount of education and advocacy for mental health.

As someone who has a mental health condition herself, Berke said she has the opportunity to run peer support groups for those who have similar conditions. She primarily does this through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where she sits as a board member. She also hosts educational classes for those in recovery, and for caregivers of loved ones with mental health conditions.

“I help them along in the recovery and teach them about resources and different techniques that are available,” said Berke.

Berke also speaks for those in recovery through the educational program NAMI “In Our Own Voice,” which she said allows those who have mental health conditions to speak to different audiences about what it’s like to have one.

Berke said this is a lot of work on top of being a full time professor and she sometimes overcommits herself but said she is careful to space out her work.

Her NAMI classes are usually at night time because that’s when parents are available and others are off of work, Berke said.

Not only is she an advocate for those with mental health conditions, but Berke also incorporates her outside work into her classes. She makes itemized lists of her weekly expectations, has mental health prompts and even makes her deadlines early.

“All of my deadlines are 9 p.m.,” said Berke. “That’s because I don’t want [my students] up in the night working on my assignment. I want them to be able to get good sleep.”

This semester, Berke met with each student in all of her classes to ask them questions about their lives and help them manage their stress. She found that students would often say they don’t have enough time to work on mental health strategies, so she would help them come up with

Sarah Berke, biology professor, working on her laptop. Berke has adorned her laptop with mental health related stickers.

Freshman Mary Roth listens attentively to Sarah Berke, biology professor’s, lecture. Berke was explaining how to perform a lab on the germination rate of pea seeds. Photos by Rachel Becker different ways to take care of themselves.

She was understanding of each student’s situation and provided ways for them to cope with the difficulties they were facing. She used an example of practicing small habits and how that can be beneficial for one’s mental health.

“I’m very lucky from that standpoint, that I get to teach something I really enjoy.”

-Sarah Berke, biology professor

“If I have to walk from here to OP, I can check my emails and worry … or I can stop, and on my way to OP, look and find five things that are beautiful, or three things that I think are really pretty, or something that’s really funny,” said Berke. “And when I get to OP, my frame of mind is a very different place than when I left Magruder, and it didn’t take any extra time.”

Resources such as this are what Berke teaches not only to her students, but to those in NAMI as well.

Another way that she cares for her student’s mental health is by supporting them outside of the classroom.

In the aforementioned meetings, Berke will ask her students what they are involved in, and she said she will do her best to attend all of the mentioned events.

“I want to support [students] inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom … so that’s been really fun, because I’ve gotten to go see a lot of things that I didn’t know about, or I probably wouldn’t have done, but I went because I was supporting my students,” said Berke.

Berke said she has noticed a decline in mental health at Truman, especially because of COVID-19, so she tries to help out in any way she can. She said she thinks advocacy for mental health education on campus is crucial to helping students’ overall health.

As a professor, Berke said she tries to teach her students many things, but one of the most important lessons she wants them to learn is to do what you love.

She said she feels strongly that

you should follow what makes you happy because that’s what matters in the long term.

She also mentioned it’s okay to fail and make mistakes and said it won’t define your future.

“I mean, obviously, if you have oodles and oodles [of mistakes], maybe it will in your immediate future, but you know, in general, having failures or making mistakes, it’s not the end of the world,” said Berke.

As for the future, Berke said she hopes to work on education and advocacy for mental health on campus.

She also said she wants to become more involved in mental health advocacy across the state and continue to grow in it.

Berke said one quote that has motivated her to pursue the work she does with mental health comes from John Green: “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”

“I really find that a very powerful quote. Because I know for me, at a point in time, when I was really struggling with my recovery, my brain lost the ability to see hope,” Berke said. “But, you know, through a lot of hard work, and determination, I found my hope again. And so I guess I would just like to say, there’s more than one way to find that hope. My message is never give up searching for it.”

Graphics by Cee Spiller

10

The Index

Jamming

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

with Jack

Greta Van Fleet’s new album disappoints JACK RATLIFF Staff Writer In recent years, Gene Simmons of Kiss has famously remarked, “Rock and roll is dead.” While he is right that rock is no longer the defining sound of pop culture, the rock and roll spirit and music is still alive and kicking.

For several years, it seemed as though the band Greta Van Fleet would carry the banner of uptempo hard rock reminiscent of the glory days of the Sunset Strip.

Their 2017 EP “From the Fires” was great, showcasing the band’s musical chops as well as introducing the world to their classic rock sound.

While their debut EP was excellent, their second full length album, 2021’s “The Battle at Garden’s Gate,” left much to be desired.

With each progressive album, Greta Van Fleet’s sound has gotten softer, taking a more pop rock approach to their music. Now with their newest album, they are just the latest example of a rock band starting off strong and then softening their sound to gain more radio airplay.

Unfortunately, this attempt at increased radio airplay dampens the band’s energy and strips them of what makes them stand out.

Simply put, there is little to no authenticity in the album, and it feels like a hollow shell of what the band has proven itself capable of. The lyrics are forgettable and phoned in, and singer Josh Kiszka’s vocals are still painfully derivative. While the rest of the band has shifted their sound away from sounding too much like Zeppelin, Josh Kiszka’s voice still feels like a cheap Robert Plant or Geddy Lee impersonation.

It works well on some songs, but grows stale over the album’s one hour runtime.

Rock and roll ballads are hard to pull off, and unfortunately, Greta Van Fleet falls flat when it comes to their ballads.

These shortcomings are particularly disheartening because of the high hopes heaped upon this band as the “saviors of modern rock and roll,” only to see them go more commercial and give up what made them so special.

Luckily, not the entire album is terrible. Jake Kiszka’s guitar work is exceptional as he showcases his skills playing classic blues-based rock.

His solos make the long melodramatic ballads tolerable, and his riffs will have you nodding your head along with music.

“Built by Nations” is solid rock and roll, a throwback to what made the band famous in the first place.

Other standouts on the album include “Age of Machine,” “Stardust Chords” and “Caravel.”

Unfortunately, the shortcomings overshadow the strengths of the album. Singer Josh Kiszka’s voice is uncannily similar to Zeppelin’s own singer Robert Plant. While the band’s classic rock sound worked well for a short EP, it is too derivative and contributes nothing new.

Unfortunately, the days of arena rock giants are over, and attempting to recreate the glory days without putting anything new into it just feels stale.

Admittedly, the album does have some hard hitting rock and roll tracks, but they are only a minority of the album’s overall composition.

“The Battle of the Garden” is the kind of album that one can enjoy with friends if it’s already playing, but it is unlikely to be requested.

Greta Van Fleet’s album will satisfy some, but will disappoint those hoping for a double dose of the raw rock and roll power present on their first EP.

Graphic by Heather Beard

“The Battle at garden’s gate” gets 2.5/5 stars

Graphic by Jinyu Li

The Index

11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Top 5 historical books JACK RATLIFF Avid reader

5.“A People’s History of the United States”

by Howard Zinn

4.“Maus”

by Art Spiegelman

It’s no secret that much of American history has been whitewashed. Mistreatment of minority groups is merely glossed over in many textbooks causing students to know only part of American history. Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” tackles this issue head on, offering a different perspective on American history. Many historians focus on the big players, whereas Zinn focuses on the underrepresented masses in historical events. Zinn tells the story of Christopher Columbus from the eyes of the indigenous people murdered by the explorer, the Industrial Revolution through the eyes of the labor force and much more. For those wishing to expand their knowledge of authentic American history, this book is for you.

Few books are as captivating as they are emotionally taxing. Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” is one such book. This graphic novel explores the Holocaust from a primary source, the writer’s father, and examines the aftermath and effects of the Holocaust on those that survived. By jumping back and forth between the modern day and the 1940s, the book manages to artfully tell the horrific story of the Holocaust, as well as the story of reconciliation between the author and his father.

3. “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland”

by Patrick Radden

2.“A Promised Land”

by Barack Obama

1.“Fear” and “Rage”

by Bob Woodward

The Irish Troubles, a period of conflict between the British government in Northern Ireland and the separatist group the Irish Republican Army, lasted from the 1960s until the 1990s. This book examines the history of the conflict through the lens of those that experienced it firsthand. He uses the murder of one particular resident in Northern Ireland as the unifying thread that connects the conflict as well as its aftermath. This book was a page turner — part history, part war novel and part true crime thriller. It was impossible to put this book down, and is definitely a must-read.

The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, has written numerous books, yet this one stands out above the rest. The first of a two part series of personal memoirs, the former president reflects on his early life, his career in Congress and the first term of his presidency. Obama’s account is remarkably candid, showcasing a side of the man and his office that is not often seen.

This book dives deep into the daily struggles in the office of the presidency, with issues such as the 2008 financial crisis, the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the killing of Osama Bin Laden. This book is easily one of the best autobiographies of the year, lifting the curtain covering the highest office in the land.

This series covers the first two thirds of Donald Trump’s presidency. By conducting numerous interviews with those closest to the president during his administration, Woodward paints a terrifyingly candid picture of the White House. This book was particularly interesting because most of the events occur within recent memory, particularly the coverage of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in “Rage.” Trump declined to be interviewed for the first book, “Fear,” although he did conduct 17 interviews with the author for “Rage.” For anyone interested in insider political accounts, this book is a must read. The third installment in the series, “Peril” is in stores now.

Graphics by Jinyu Lee

Ode to novel writing in November A celebration of national novel writing month

SAVANNAH KLUESNER Staff Writer Words on a page can melt your brain, But celebrating them can revive it.

You, in your espresso-induced haze, Who knows what you may have written?

November, resplendently dressed in final exams and Ten-page term papers. Whoever thought you were the month For all those novels that won’t write themselves must have Had a death wish. But then, I must have one too, Or the challenge wouldn’t beckon me each year With long nights of sleep-gummed eyes and painstakingly Updated word counts outstretched. Fork over some more Cash for a latte — you’ll be parked at this scratched library desk For quite a while longer. If your hand doesn’t ache too badly, Perhaps you can get a few more sentences of chicken scribble in yet.

At the very least, clack some keys and scrunch your brows Until something resembling a coherent thought appears.

Fifty thousand words, And none of them can appear in your term papers.

Nanowrimo, here I come.

Graphics by Jinyu Lee

The Index

12

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The Index

13

Men’s basketball team prepares to defend title ANDREW HOLDER Staff Writer The Truman State University men’s basketball team enters the 202122 season on the heels of their campaign last year. Last season the Bulldogs finished with a winning record of 20-3, with only one of the losses coming in the regular season. They proceeded to make the Elite Eight in the NCAA Div. II championship tournament, ultimately falling short of the national championship in a one-point loss to Flagler College out of St. Augustine, Florida.

Some new names took the floor last Friday when the Bulldogs kicked their season off against Cedarville University in a 87-80 victory. The Truman basketball program welcomed a large freshman class this off-season. Many seniors graduated, most notably Turner Scott and Alex McQuinn, both praised by their teammates for their leadership ability on and off the court.

“Turner and Alex were both big vocal leaders on the team but Cade McKnight has stepped up as a leader on the team,” said Dylan Peeters, junior forward.

Peeters stepped up statistically last season, putting up career highs in points and rebounds, being named Academic All GLVC and earning his first GLVC player of the week.

Peeters started in 22 of 23 games and was second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game, only behind senior forward, McKnight, who received All-American honors last season. In addition, Peeters led the GLVC in rebounds per game with 9.4, adding a different level to an already strong Bulldogs frontcourt.

Peeters said he is still looking to improve and add new facets to his game and has been working tirelessly during the offseason.

“In the offseason I really worked on my perimeter game, especially shooting the three-pointer. I think that will really help my game because defenses will have to come out and guard me and allow me Junior forward Dylan Peeters closes out on defense against the offensive player. Peeters led the to use my speed to get to the rim,” Peeters said.

While Peeters looks to make another leap this season, he also mentioned team last year with 24 blocks. Photos by Oliver Malone the future of the team and some standout performers in the freshman class. who has looked incredible in practice, and I’m really excited for this team and our future.”

“Coming in as a freshman is hard, and especially after the season we had last The Bulldogs’ recent success is not to be praised without mentioning Head Coach year there’s a lot of expectations on them and they’ve all played well. I think Trey Jeff Horner, who prepares to enter his fourth season with this Truman program. Since Shearer has stood out and has the potential to play decent minutes for us as a arriving at Truman, Horner has amassed a winning 56-26 record and his impact on the backup guard,” Peeters said. program is appreciated by players like Nissen.

Trey Shearer was a star point guard for four years at Montezuma Community High “Horner gets the best out of us, he’s intense, energetic and brings a defensive culture School, averaging 25 points, five assists and five rebounds over his highschool career. He here along with a really positive culture,” said Nissen. won the state championship in 2021 and is set to contribute to a national championship The Truman men’s basketball team started their season 2-0 over the weekend with run with this Bulldogs team. victories over Cedarville University and the University of Findlay. Their next game of There are heavy expectations placed on this Bulldogs team, especially following the season will come this Friday, Nov. 19 as they face off against Pittsburg State Unithe impressive run last season. The team appears ready to meet these expectations, and versity in Joplin, Missouri. Their first home game will come later down the road Dec. 2 then some — players are confident this team can compete for a national championship when they play the University of Missouri-St. Louis in Pershing Arena. like years prior.

When asked if he thought this Truman basketball program could compete for a national championship again this year, junior guard Sam Nissen said, “Yes, I do believe so, I think we have so many pieces returning and obviously we have our All-American, Cade McKnight,

Sophomore Masen Miller guards the opposing point-guard on defense. Miller was Senior guard Hunter Strait looks to attack the defense against Southwest Bapnamed to the GLVC All-Defensive team last season. tist University. Strait shot 44% from the field last season.

The Index

14

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

SOCCER| Women’s soccer finishes with winning record Cannon said the winning streak helped them get further up in the conference and secured the home game Sunday.

Cannon said this season has been the first closeto-normal season since the pandemic started. Cannon said fall 2020 was more like their normal spring season, for which they usually have more of a practice season where they have scrimmages, except they didn’t actually play any other teams.

During the spring season, they played conference only, Cannon said that was challenging.

This fall season has been more enjoyable, Cannon said, since the team was able to play non-conference teams and COVID-19 restrictions have loosened up, though some players were worried about playing again after a more heavy season in the spring than usual. This season they’ve been more healthy and had less injuries than in the spring and have overall had a good season so far.

The team had a few simple goals going into this season, most of which they have achieved, Cannon said.

Cannon said several older players on the team came back for an extra season in addition to other seniors on the team. These players helped the team on the field and helped show the younger players how to play for Truman.

Hickey said it’s been helpful that many of the returning players were starters, so they were able to pick up where they left off. The new freshmen have also been beneficial in reaching success, Hickey said.

Both Branson and Hickey said the regular season went better than they expected.

“We definitely had high expectations because we had a lot of returning starters,” Hickey said. “... but I think this season has exceeded our expectations and how we placed in the conference.”

Overall, Cannon said he thinks the girls have enjoyed the season and had fun playing. Cannon, Midfielder Jessica Kozol dribbles along the side- who has been coaching the team for 29 years, said line. Kozol played the entire match against Mis- he was pretty happy with how the season went souri S&T. Photo by Oliver Malone overall, which is partially because the seasons the Continued from page 16 Hickey said they played many of the better teams in the conference initially but came out of those matches stronger and have been resilient overall despite a few injuries and rough games.

past two years haven’t been typical.

“I think our team’s had a good season, fun season. I think the girls have grown a lot, grown a lot closer too,” Cannon said. “We’re just having fun at this point, just trying to enjoy because obviously, the season ends for everyone here pretty soon, but we’re just going to do everything we can to kind of prolong it as long as we can when it comes to our games hopefully.”

“I think we’ve been very cohesive this year,” Branson said. “This is definitely one of our strongest defenses as well, our defense has let in, like, the second least goals in the conference this season, so it’s just been really consistent, and then we’ve had just so many people score, so we’ve had just really good team performance overall.”

End of Season Notes • Scored 21 goals as a team this season • Finished in the top three in the GLVC standings at the end of the season • Six members of the team received AllConference honors • Won five games in a row to close out the regular season • Averaged 11.6 shots per game

Thanksgiving Day for a sports fanatic

STEVEN FINDLEY JR. Sports Editor

I love about Thanksgiving.

When this issue of the coveted Truman State Uni Starting during 2006, the NFL implemented a versity student newspaper The Index comes out on three-game Thanksgiving schedule. The Detroit Lions Thursday, it will be a week until Thanksgiving Day. host a game each year, as well as the Dallas CowI hope everybody can return home safely to enjoy it boys. The third game is up for grabs between division with their family. rivals and is featured in a special prime time slot.

For me, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and sim Here’s some quick hitting points to impress any NFL mer down before the end of semester blitz. Projects, fan this Thanksgiving. The only value in the Detroit finals and applications galore await many of the Lions and Chicago Bears game is Bear’s quarterback student body as we approach the end of this semester. Justin Fields, their rookie who is supposed to save the Let me break down the Thanksgiving Day routine franchise. Check it out on Fox kicking off at noon. that I personally partake in. This is probably very Looking at the Dallas Cowboys versus the Las similar to what some people experience.

Vegas Raiders game, expect big plays from Cowboy’s The night before Thanksgiving I often stay up relacornerback Trevon Diggs, who leads the NFL in tively late with my family for the prep. This includes interceptions with eight. You can catch this game at preparing the turkey, maybe some pies and other goodies. 3:25 p.m. on CBS. Luckily for a sports fan like me, the NBA has a The night cap will be a cross-conference matchup full plate of games to watch for most of the night. between the Buffalo Bills and the New Orleans Saints.

After all, who doesn’t love watching Steph Curry Both teams are actually pretty similar to each other in of the Golden State Warriors shoot logo threes with terms of record and team personnel, so this might be the throwback R&B music playing from the kitchen? best game of the day. Kickoff is at 7:20 p.m. on NBC. Thanksgiving Day is a hustle and bustle of bodies Even for those who aren’t sports fans, something sperotating in and out of the kitchen. I am tasked with cial is in the air when there’s a big turkey on the table and making the mac and cheese each year, and let me say, the sports fans in your life are yelling at the television.

I make a great mac and cheese.

For me the post meal nap is always a welcome addition.

We eat the actual meal during a variety of times.

The deadly post-meal Thanksgiving Day nap Sometimes we eat by 11 comes in a variety of ways. It starts when I briefly a.m., and sometimes rest my eyes to try to digest all the food I’ve just we eat between eaten. But then, I must forget to open my eyes back 4 and 5 p.m. up because I usually wake up about three hours later Either way, to a primetime NFL game. there is an Waking up from that turkey coma to the football other thing game revitalizes me and might even be enough for me besides to get another small plate of Thanksgiving fixings. good food Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and being going on thankful for all the little things. I’m thankful for that everyone that reads The Index and the editorial staff that I get to work alongside. Happy Thanksgiving to all and enjoy that well-deserved break from school!

Graphic by Jinyu Li

OUR 2021-2022 WAITLIST IS NOW OPEN!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

The Index

15

Senior foward leads the way for Bulldog men’s basketball CORY PRICE Staff Writer

Forward Cade McKnight shoots a free throw against Southwest Baptist University.

McKnight shot 84% from the free throw line last season. Photos by Oliver Malone

Cade McKnight, after a thrilling 2020-21 season, was named GLVC Player of the Year. He led the Bulldogs in scoring with an average of 18.1, which was ninth in the GLVC. During the previous season, McKnight was able to score a career high of 34 points against Flagler, recorded three double-doubles — he made 27 three pointers and had a free throw percentage of nearly 84%.

Cade has earned other accolades in previous years such as Second team All-GLVC during 2019-20, and was named GLVC Freshman of the Year during 2018-19.

“I just try to approach every day with consistent work — a lot of people today want instant success,” McKnight said. “I redshirted my freshman year and consistently worked to get better and better each year.”

McKnight said he is a motivational leader on and off the court, someone who sees himself as a “jack of all trades.”

“I just try to show the younger guys the right way. I try to be the solid guy people can rely on in any situation,” McKnight said.

Truman State University’s men’s basketball team finished last season with a record of 20 wins and three losses.

McKnight highlighted the team’s success and gave acknowledgement to his teammates.

“This is one of the hardest working groups of guys I’ve been with,” McKnight said. I think we’ve bought into holding ourselves to a certain standard.”

After Jeff Horner took over as head basketball coach in 2018, McKnight said the team shifted towards a defensive mindset and play style rather than offensive.

Coach Horner, having a majority of success since he’s taken over as head coach, has brought in a winning culture to Truman, McKnight said.

“I think the recruiting and talent level he’s brought into the program has been terrific,” McKnight said.

Horner’s coaching has created a positive sense of team comradery, McKnight said.

“As cliche as it sounds, we really have a team, family environment,” McKnight said. “Most of us live with teammates, we are always around each other, and we always enjoy being with/learning from each other.”

In an attempt to follow up success with success, McKnight said the biggest thing last year was that the team bought into the team concept.

“Last year we had a star player, and we kinda let him do his own thing, last year we spread the ball out alot. This year it’s the same kinda mentality, it’s just going to be the next man up.”

“I just try to show the younger guys the right way. I try to be the solid guy people can rely on in any situation,”

-Cade McKnight, senior foward

Cade McKnight guards the offensive player after a pass. McKnight averaged one steal a game for the Bulldogs.

Graphic by Rachel Becker

ATHLETE of the week

Sophomore guard Masen Miller started 21 games last season out of the 22 that he played for the men’s basketball team. Miller was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and earned a selection onto the GLVC All-Defensive team. The sophomore averaged 11 points on 44% shooting from the field and led the team in three-point makes with 62.

Masen Miller

16

SOCCER PUTS ANOTHER SEASON IN THE BOOKS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Defender Kathleen Kenny passes the ball along the pitch. Kenny played in two matches for the Bulldogs last season.

Graphic

by Jinyu Li

Forward Faith Branson makes a challenge on the ball against a McKendree defender. Branson started in all 17 of the Bulldogs matches this season. Photos by Oliver Malone

GENEVIEVE TLUSTOS Features and Opinions Editor

Head Coach Mike Cannon said the team was aiming to go far in the conference tournament, though it wouldn’t be easy since all the teams are pretty strong. Overall though, he thinks the tournament The Truman State University women’s soccer team posted a could have been anyone’s game. strong regular season campaign this fall, and had lots of momen“There’s no one team in the conference that you’re like, ‘They’re tum heading into the GLVC tournament. better than everyone, they probably will win it,’” said Cannon.

The first game of the postseason was Sunday, Nov. 5, against the “Anybody can beat anybody on any given day, which is good and Missouri S&T Miners, who the Bulldogs tied bad, I guess. If you’re the lower seed, you’re like, earlier in the season. Going into the game, the ‘Ok cool we got a chance,’ but if you’re the higher team was excited to have another shot at vicseed you could lose.” tory, senior forward Faith Branson said.

Branson also said all the teams in the conference The team went into the game knowing the “I think our team’s had a are good since it’s such a competitive conference.

Miner’s playing style, which is very direct, and good season, fun season. I The Bulldogs had worked hard to ensure a home hoped the game being a home game would help game for the first game of the GLVC tournament. as well, since the Miner’s field surface caused think the girls have grown a Hickey said their recent regular season winning lot, grown a lot closer too,” some issues for the Bulldogs, Branson said. streak of five straight games before the tournament Hanna Hickey, a graduate student midfieldgame against the Miners, which at the time was the er, said the team was better equipped to face longest active streak in the GLVC, has given the -Mike Cannon, team a lot of momentum going into the postseason, the Miners after gaining a lot of practice and experience throughout the regular season. head coach which she hopes they can keep going.

Ultimately the Bulldogs were not able to “There’s been so many people, like many difreach victory, with the Miners winning 2-0. The ferent people who’ve scored and that’s just been Bulldogs had a shot to continue to the NCAA amazing, so as long as we keep winning, I’m hapDiv. II Tournament, but were not awarded an py,” Branson said. at large bid.

See SOCCER page 14

Midfielder Hanna Hickey shields the ball from a defender. Hickey had five shot attempts against the Miners.

Defender Kate Peterson clears the ball out of the back-half of the field. Peterson had two shots on goal against Missouri S&T. VOLUME 113

ISSUE 5

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