April 9, 2015

oPInIons

FEaTurEs

sPorTs

Columnist advocates for wetlands in urban ecosystems

Truman State community continues to rally support in time of loss see page 7

Truman State celebrates 100 years with Spike the Bulldog

see page 5

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

EXCELLENCE SINCE 1909

see page 14

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-PRODUCED NEWSPAPER

Biston Wins City Council Seat Johanna Burns/Index Newly elected City council member Phillip Biston, center, stands with Kirksville Mayor Pro Tem, Richard Detweiler,

Phillip Biston Race Winner 41.65%

By Johanna Burns Staff Reporter

First-time candidate Phillip Biston won the April 7 City Council election. The election results were released at the Adair County courthouse Tuesday night.

Biston ran for the open City Council seat against candidates Betty Louise McLane-Iles, Kevin A. Alm and incumbent Bob Russell. Biston won with 41.65 percent of votes and Russell came in second with 32.91 percent of 1,258 votes.

Following the release of the results, Biston said he was surprised and was trying to let everything sink in. Biston said he ran for City Council as the next step in his civic career. His first move as a council member will be to become familiar with the inner workings of the city council, he said.

“I’ve been in other city committees, and commissions and things like that, and some civic organizations, and it was kind of the next, natural step to run for City Council and see what I can do there,” Biston said. “First, I think I will have to learn all the ins and outs and what’s going on to get up to

Out of 1258 voters

Robert “Bob” Russell – 32.92%

tmn.truman.edu

Admin. discuss managing risk & mental health

By TayLor Lay Staff Reporter

Following a recent Truman State alumnus’ death, campus organizations and administration are starting conversations about mental health awareness and proactive risk management practices to help ensure students’ safety. tal health — 88 percent of Truman students initially go to friends and peers on campus for help with personal concerns, according to the Missouri College Health Behavior Survey. Truman students are more likely to seek initial assistance with mental health concerns from friends and family than students at other Missouri public and private universities, according to the survey. In the survey, Truman students said personal information in their decision to make positive life changes. see rIsK, page 6

Betty L. McLane-Iles – 22.66% Kevin A. Alm – 1.75%

Faculty vote against plus-minus grading

Write-in – 1.03% speed with what’s going on with the city, and go from there.”

Biston has been a resident of Kirksville since 1989 and is a member of the Kirksville Downtown Improvement Committee and the Kirksville Historic Preservation Commission.

Un-elected candidate McLane-Iles said if she had been elected, her first steps as a city council member would have been to expand areas of tourism, specifically agricultural tourism, by working with area farmers. McLane-Iles said she would have worked on providing funding support to small businesses. She said as a council member, she would have worked out ways for the city and Truman State to work together and collaborate.

“I feel that I am qualified and that I want to make a further contribution to the city,” McLane-Iles said.

“I want specifically to help the job situation … I feel that I can make substantial contributions to the welfare of the city.”

Candidates Alm and Russell were not present to comment at the courthouse during the release of the election results.

By CLayTon BErry Staff Reporter

The plus-minus grading proposal failed during a faculty-wide referendum last week.

The Truman State University Faculty Senate announced the Nov. 20 Plus-Minus Grading Proposal failed by a majority vote. The Plus-Minus Grading Proposal would have changed the way Truman students’ grade point averages would be calculated by including A through F letter grades. Because the proposal was controversial, Faculty Senate decided a faculty-wide vote would provide more accurate representation on the matter.

Faculty Senate President Vaughan Pultz said because the referendum did not pass, it is his understanding there will not be a plus-minus grading scale implemented at Truman. He said Truabout the matter, but they rarely go against the vote of faculty referendums.

“Faculty Senate wanted to give the entire faculty a sense of buy-in to this decision, rather than it just being something that faculty governance decided,” Pultz said. see GraDInG, page 3

Source: Adair County Clerkʼs Office

KPD offers closer look at law enforcement

By Johanna Burns Staff Reporter

Citizens attending the third annual Citizen’s Police Academy in Kirksville situations and other current event topics have been added to the curriculum.

The Kirksville Citizens’ Police Academy will start Aug. 11 and end Nov. 10. The academy will explore different areas of law enforcement including communications, internal affairs, criminal investigations, patrol functions and S.W.A.T., and will include a jail tour. A new session will instruct participants about what to do during an active shooter situation and the academy will address issues surrounding current events, such as the conflict in Ferguson, Missouri.

Police Chief Jim Hughes said the academy will address misconceptions about how law enforcement works. He said the academy aims to accomplish this by allowing citizens a chance to see firsthand what law enforcement does.

“An important piece of that is not only what we do, but why we do it,” Hughes said. “The ‘why’ is actually as important, sometimes, as the ‘what.’

Almost everything that we do, we have some kind of rational reason behind it.”

Hughes said the instructors encourage questions and are dedicated to being transparent about their procedures.

He said the Citizens Academy provides an opportunity to develop a relationship between the police and the comVOLUME 106

ISSUE 25

Citizens Police Academy Curriculum Internal Affairs

Communications

Active shooter situations

Patrol Functions

S.W.A.T

Conflict in Ferguson, Mo

Background Check will be required to partcipate

Source: Kirksville Police Department munity where the citizens can feel comfortable approaching the police.

There will be a variety of instructors present to address all areas of law enforcement. Adair County Sheriff Robert Hardwick will speak about law enforcement from a county perspective.

Hardwick said the work of the Sheriff ’s Office is distinct from that of the Police Department. He said KPD is responsible for matters regarding municipal laws and ordinances while the Sheriff ’s Office has jurisdiction tmn.truman.edu

regarding state laws and oversees operations at the local jail.

Hardwick said the class will inform participants about how the Adair County jail is operated and how many inmates they house. He said he aims to give participants an idea of the cost of running a jail, the personnel involved, and the procedures for processing and holding someone in the jail.

Hardwick said he will discuss how many inmates the jail currently houses and how many are repeat offenders or

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from other counties. He said he will also give the participants a tour of the jail.

Hardwick said this year he will discuss replacing old surveillance cameras and adding new cameras, and touch screens for electronic doors to provide up-to-date security.

Brenda Kelsey, from the Police Departone interested in enrolling in the academy should pick up an enrollment packet at the Kirksville Police Department. see PoLICE, page 3 @trumanindex

© 2015

2

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

Voters cast ballots in SUB

NEWS IN BRIEF

School district awarded grant for playground

Robert Overmann/Index

From left to right, supervisory judges Linda Buckallew and Donna O’Brien supervise voting in the Student Union Building during city council elections. The city council election took place April 7.

The Kirksville R-III School District was awarded a $75,000 grant for a handicapped-accessible playground that recently has been promoted by the Northeast Missouri Inclusion Project.

The reimbursement grant was awarded to the school district by the Department of Natural Resources’ Land and Water Conservation Fund for playground equipment. The new public playground will be located across the street from the Kirksville R-III campus and northwest of the Adair County Family YMCA. The playground will be considered part of the Kirksville R-III campus and the National Park system, but all maintenance and insurance will be provided by the YMCA. The playground will be free and open to the public. It is designed to allow people of all abilities to play together.

The Kirksville School Board voted to approve the submission of the application by former superintendent Pat Williams last June, and current superintendent Damon Kizzire will accept the grant on behalf of the school district.

Faculty accept awards at annual banquet Truman professors and departments were recognized for excellence at the 2015 Accolades of Academics banquet March 31.

Communication professor Don Krause was awarded Educator of the Year, psychology professor Sal Costa was awarded Research Mentor of the Year and the Communication Disorders department was recognized as Department of the Year.

Students have the opportunity to nominate instructors for these awards each year at senate.truman.edu.

STUDENT SENATE IN BRIEF

The Senate heard a first read of changes to the “Athletic Fee Accountability Operating Procedures.”

Robert Overmann/Index

Left: A sign directs voters to the Student Union Building where voting booths were set up. Results of the election were announced Tuesday evening.

Right: A ballot counting machine indicates the number of voters who participated in the election at this particular voting site. Only nine participants had voted on the location Robert Overmann/Index at Truman’s campus as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Senate heard a first read of a resolution to raise the athletic fee.

The Senate read “A Resolution in Recognition, Support and Celebration of 100 Years with the Bulldog as the Campus’ Mascot.”

The Senate read “A Resolution to Establish a Semi-Annual Battery Recycling Program.”

CRIME REPORTS DPS & KPD

Serving the University community since 1909

Staff Editor-in-Chief Robert Overmann Managing Editor Anna Grace News Editor Bethany Boyle Assistant News Editor Austin Hornbostel Features Editor Grace Bueckendorf Assistant Features Editor Katey Stoetzel Sports Editor Devin Gillespie Assistant Sports Editor Emily Wichmer Opinions Editor Megan Archer Copy Chief Rose vonHatten Assistant Copy Chief Megan Robison Design Chief Joe Wright News Staff Clayton Berry, Keaton Robertson, Lucas Meyrer, Johanna Burns, Taylor Lay, Bene Clear, Drew Orscheln Features Staff Courtney Kauffman, Emily Ploch Sports Staff Henry Janssen, Sam Stewart, Sarah Hicks, Courtney Strait, Giang Lanh Cartoonist Megan Archer Copy Editors Alex Reiser, Jessica Williams, Madeline Kaleel, MacKenna Palazza, Holly Fisher, Julianna Foster, Catherine O’Mara, Lauren Beasley Designers Noah Dayson, Clarissa Todd, Connor Frazier, Trevor Stark Photo Editor Trevor Stark Photographers Trung Vo, Deja Bolton, Athena Geldbach, Gabriel Gowen, Claire Nipper, Marissa Billmeyer, MacKenna Palazza Marketing Manager Josh Gilmore Marketing Representatives Drake Gens, Emily Fitzgerald, Amanda Atwell Adviser Don Krause

4/6 Theft reported at the 100 block of Revere Rd.

4/3 Domestic disturbance reported at the 1300 block of S. Baltimore St.

4/5 Trespassing reported at the 1100 block of N. Osteopathy St.

4/3 Sex offense reported at the 100 block of E. McPherson St.

4/4 Theft reported at the 1000 block of N. Luther St.

4/2 Theft reported at the 500 block of N. Baltimore St.

4/3 Burglary reported at the 800 block of 4/2 Sex offense reported at the 100 block Hildreth St. of E. McPherson St. 4/3 Hit and run reported at the 2200 4/1 Assault reported at the 1300 block of block of N. Baltimore St. N. New Pl. 4/3 Fraud reported at the 500 block of E. Pierce St.

3/31 Burglary reported at the 700 block of W. Elizabeth St.

Mark your calendar Global Issues Colloquium

Spring Brush and Limb Pickup

Student Research Conference

The last official Global Issues Colloquium of the academic year will be about global independence movements in Crimea, Taiwan, Scotland and Catalunya. Four speakers who are experts about each movement will present at the event. For more information about the event, visit globalissues.truman.edu.

The City of Kirksville will conduct a brush and limb pickup during the second full week of April. Limbs accepted must be no longer than 10 feet in length and no wider than 18 inches in diameter. Citizens should pile brush by curbsides before 7 a.m. to ensure it is hauled away. For more information, contact Public Works at 660-627-1291.

Truman’s annual Student Research Conference is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present the research they have conducted with the guidance of Truman faculty. Students of all academic levels will present their scholarly work at the conference. The Student Research Conference website, src.truman.edu, provides a full program and abstracts.

7-9 p.m.

April 9 Magruder Hall 2001

7 a.m.

April 13

April 14

3

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

GRADING | Plus-minus grading resolution failed to pass during faculty referendum Continued from page 1 Pultz said the referendum was available to those with at least one-third teaching load or faculty status, as these were the cent 2010 referendum. He said the 408 faculty members who met those criteria were allowed to vote. He said 295 of the 408 faculty members responded to the vote — a 72 percent participation rate — with 135 voting for the referendum and 160 voting against. Pultz said about 20 percent of those invited did not participate and he said he thought this was because they the referendum or might not have minded whether the referendum passed or failed.

Pultz said there were indications of differing opinions among academic departments before the referendum was sent out. For example, he said the math department was reported to be divided in thirds between those favoring a plus-minus system, those opposing a plusminus system and those with no preference. He said about 60 percent of the chemistry faculty reportedly favored a plus-minus grading scale, about 20 percent opposed it and about 20 percent had no preference. Pultz said most of the nursing professors reportedly were against plusminus grading.

Pultz said Faculty Senate has a history of allowing facultywide referenda. He said the most recent referendum was approved after the April 22, 2010 Faculty Senate meeting, where he said the “Bill to Reduce the Size of the LSP” was approved. He said the 2010 referendum passed by majority vote among faculty.

Nursing department chair Stephanie Powelson said her faculty and nursing student representatives have had several meetings about recent University changes including the proposed plus-minus grading policy. After talking about the policy, Powelson said her sense was most nursing students were not in favor of the change. She said the nursing program has stricter grading requirements and a higher grading scale than most Truman departments al-

ready, so the referendum would have made its grading scale more complicated.

Powelson said a nursing board frequently reviews and accredits the department’s policies and she said the department’s current grading structure has been in place and agreed upon for several decades since she 1996. After hearing University President Troy Paino’s “State of the University Address,” she said she thinks there are changes that need to be made in terms of students’ educational experiences, but she said the plus-minus policy might not have been the best way for the University to direct those efforts.

“It’s a lot of effort to change Truman’s system,” Powelson said. “We want to make sure we are putting our efforts in the right place in terms of making a real difference towards student learning.”

Statistics department chair Jason Shaw said he proposed the grading scale change about two years ago to allow faculty to better assess student grades by distinguishing between higher and lower letter grades. He said the proposal would make grading more fair because, for example, a student who works really hard to get a high B letter grade shouldn’t get the same GPA as a student who barely gets by with a much lower B grade.

Shaw said there is little to no research suggesting that a plus-minus grading system would have impacted levels of student stress, amount of comthe contrary, he said increasing the amount of grade borderlines would motivate students to achieve the next highest grade and reduce the stress of having such a large grade gap between two letter grades.

“Having more of these lines would actually smooth grade borderlines instead of making them more drastic,” Shaw said.

He said he thought some of the faculty might have opposed the referendum out of resistance to changing the current system.

He said if the grading system would have changed, the students and the University would have been better off in the long

run. He said the new system ultimately would have led to students focusing more on learning and less on large grading gaps as well as giving the faculty more freedom to decide how to grade students. Shaw said this is his last semester at Truman and if it had passed, he could have left with plus-minus grading as one of his positive legacies. However, he said he still is happy he tried and the faculty had a voice in the matter.

POLICE | Kirksville Police Dept. will offer new classes as part of the Citizen’s Police Academy Continued from page 1 She said the academy needs to have a certain number of people apply to be able to have the academy take place.

Kelsey said all participants must undergo a background check before they are accepted. Those interested must apwhether or not the academy has enough people enrolled.

Kelsey said the academy has a class size limit of 25 participacket as soon as possible.

Students gather to oppose residence hall closing

Trevor Stark/Index

Students gather in the third floor lounge of Grim Hall last week to discuss the upcoming closing of the residence hall at the end of the semester. Residence Life announced Grim Hall will be closing because of excess space, few residents registered to live in the building and maintenance concerns, among other issues with the structure.

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4

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

Listen to more live music

Community engagement solves issues Two months after University President Troy Paino warned that the University community was too focused on the plus-minus grading debate, the issue finally has been laid to rest. The Senate voted last week against the measure with 135 in favor and 160 opposed.

While we, the Index Editorial Board, are pleased by the outcome of the vote, we agree wholeheartedly with Paino that the issue received far more attention than it deserved considering the wide range of issues currently affecting the University. We also wish to applaud the University’s faculty for listening closely to student opinions about the issue.

We understand why students and faculty were so concerned about the issue — changing Truman’s grading structure to include pluses and minuses inspired lively debate because it could fundamentally have hindered students’ abilities to retain scholarships and achieve a high grade point average. For professors, it would have meant revising syllabi, altering curricula and more.

But, we at the newspaper know this issue was hardly alone in having great implications for the future of the University and its students. Genderneutral housing, declining state funding, the University’s reaccreditation and more were at least as significant to this University’s future as the plusminus grading issue.

We urge students, faculty and staff alike not to get fixated on a single issue. We implore them to understand each issue will be resolved in due time through appropriate channels with ample input from all involved.

We were haunted by Paino’s comment that this University has been pursued and caught — and we cannot help but think it is, in part, because of a lack of students’ engagement with the many different issues that concern the University. We all should be debating how to remedy and cope with funding shortages, and we should be discussing how Truman can regain its competitive edge. To us, these are much more dire than the plus-minus grading issue. While it is tempting to be concerned only with one’s grades and scholarships, the future of this University depends on students, faculty and staff being invested in the issues the wider University community faces.

Although we think this single issue commanded too much of the spotlight during the past few months, we applaud the faculty for listening to students’ opinions about how they would be affected by the change.

We think the enactment of plus-minus grading would have created more difficulties for students than it would have for faculty. Many of us heard faculty asking students what they thought about the issue and listening earnestly to these students’ ideas.

Our success as a community depends on us taking each others’ opinions and ideas into account.

Furthermore, we think the vote showed an important deference to the expertise of the faculty.

Surely the Board of Governors could have acted on the issue or the University’s administration could have stepped in.

However, the vote symbolizes an important recognition by University administrators and the Board of Governors that the classroom is a sacred place — faculty cannot educate, mentor and mold students when they do not have the freedom to teach, grade and evaluate as a faculty body. Professors are experts in their fields and as educators. This decision, made by any other body, would not have carried the weight and legitimacy that it does when decided by faculty members themselves. To have taken the decision away from faculty would have been a symbolic undercutting of their professional expertise and good judgment.

If there is a lesson to be taken from this drawnout debate about plus-minus grading, it is that University community members ought to make their voices heard in a vocal but respectful manner.

It is our responsibility as independent student journalists to empower students, faculty and staff with information about the state of affairs at the University. In our news coverage, we strive to be impartial stewards of information to allow the University community to make its own judgments about issues concerning us all.

We disseminate this information in hopes that community members will form their own opinions and take action about issues that concern them. If we, as a community, discussed all issues concerning this University as vehemently as we did with plus-minus grading, we think only progress could come from such community engagement.

Editorial Policy

The Index is published Thursdays during the academic year by students at Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501.

The first copy is free, and additional copies cost 50 cents each.

The production offices are located in Barnett Hall. We can be reached by phone at 660-785-4449. The Index is a designated public forum, and content of the Index is the responsibility of the Index staff. The editor-in-chief consults with the staff and adviser but ultimately is responsible for all decisions. Opinions of Index columnists are not necessarily representative of the opinions of the staff or the newspaper. Our View editorials represent the view of the Editorial Board through a majority vote. The Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editor and opinions editor.

The Index reserves the right to edit submitted material because of space limitations, repetitive subject matter, libelous content or any other reason the editor-in-chief deems appropriate. Submitted material includes advertisements and letters to the editor.

Will Chaney The way we listen to music dramatically has changed during the past 30 years. We now have an iTunes library and headphone sets in place of record collections and speakers. We no longer hang out at a friend’s house to share our latest LP or make trips to the record store. Headphones and their isolating powers are available at any convenience store for $0.99.

This shift has made jammin’ out a less social and more personal activity, leaving us to listen in solitude. I propose we break out of our comfort zone and make a conscious effort to enjoy more live music, increasing our bonds with other people and allowing us to appreciate musicians at a new depth.

People form special bonds when they listen to the same music. Religions, social movements and even college students all have connected through a shared set list. When Matt and Kim came to campus, many students attended the event together and were given a common experience. While I am not an indie-pop fan, the concert still was fun because I shared it with

friends. Students who attended the concert have the memory of running chaotic circles through Pershing’s gym, Kim standing on her drum set yelling profanities into the microphone and their ears ringing at the end of the concert. Having common memories like these can break down many social barriers simply by providing a conversation topic.

When music is performed live, the listener clearly can see how the artist feels when he or she is performing. By glancing through our iTunes libraries, we easily forget behind every song is another human being.

I once was given the opportunity to see the Count Basie Big Band, one of America’s most influential jazz ensembles, perform live. By listening to a recording of the band, one can tell they have good timing, tone and rhythmic accuracy.

But by watching them perform live, the music gains emotional depth. The members of the band interact with each other, the listener can visualize the pulse of the tune and the overall experience is much more powerful. In addition, musicians seem to have more fun when they perform live, which rubs off on the audience. These kinds of feelings are not transmitted through headphones, and cannot be experienced as intensely alone.

While we are attending college, we should take advantage of the live music Truman has to offer. Whether it’s a popular artist, student concert or jazz trombone player, live music offers a shared experience that is powerful, exciting and just plain fun.

Will Chaney is a freshman economics major from Bridgeton, Mo.

Guest Column

Educate yourself about mental health

Brenda Higgins The media unfortunately has focused a lot of attention on the psychiatric problems potentially faced by the co-pilot who tragically and intentionally crashed a Germanwings jet into the Alps, killing 149 innocent passengers on board. Sadly, the spotlight on depression, anxiety or other mental health issues experienced by the pilot is a panicked reaction to an inexplicable tragedy the world is desperate to make sense of.

However, the evidence is clear that individuals with mental health issues are much more likely to be victimized than to victimize others. Individuals suffering from depression and anxiety have no higher risk of committing murder or other violent crimes than does the general population. Unfortunately, the media attention serves to further stigmatize a group of individuals already facing stigmatization in our society, rather than taking the opportunity to discuss the impact of stress and heighten support for individuals in the home, school and workplace.

Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental illnesses, respectively affecting 6.8 and 19.1 percent of U.S. adults each year. According to the spring 2015 National College Health Assessment Survey, 8.5 percent of Truman State students surveyed reported having been diagnosed or treated for a psychiatric condition. Perhaps even more significantly, 24 percent and 14.8 percent respectively reported anxiety and depression adversely had impacted their academic performance at Truman. Stress was reported to have

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Letters containing personal attacks will not be published.

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negatively impacted 32.7 percent of Truman students’ academic success.

Fortunately, Truman invests in the mental health of its students. University Counseling Services provides low-cost counseling options — individual, group and couples — and free consultation services with fulltime licensed counselors experienced in caring for college students. A consulting psychiatrist is available on a regular basis for students with complex mental health issues. The Student Health Center’s consulting physician and nurse practitioners provide diagnoses and pharmacologic treatment of students with mental health concerns, and collaborate with the counselors to coordinate care for shared clients. Qualified instructors provide training for students in mental health first aid with a one-credit course offered each semester.

Many Truman students regularly take advantage of the mental health services provided on campus.

Students seek services not only for depression and anxiety, but also for assistance with stress reduction, relationship issues, academic and career concerns, eating disorders, gender identity issues, trauma and abuse, and many other individualized concerns.

Professional counselors understand principles of human development, psychology, mental health and change theories, and they establish effective helping relationships with people from diverse cultures. Counselors are skilled at the assessing people and situations, and in the application of cognitive, affective, behavioral and systemic strategies to facilitate change. They provide a non-judgmental ear for students and assist students with developing strategies for success, coping and increased happiness.

I sincerely hope media exploitation of recent tragic events does not contribute to those in need of mental help assistance failing to seek it. We know recovery from mental illness is possible and the earlier assistance is sought, the quicker the road to recovery.

Brenda Higgins is the Director of University Counseling Services and a family nurse practitioner.

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Protect urban wetlands

5

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

Benefits of wetlands Provide critical wildlife habitats

Cleaner water outflow Bacteria breaks down contaminants and filters water Source: missouriconservation.gov

Conor Gearin Forest Park in St. Louis was not always a park — it was once a swampy floodplain which supported abundant wildlife.

Wetlands in urban St. Louis and small-town Kirksville are valuable habitats, and we should work to preserve and restore them.

Before the expansion of St. Louis, the area Forest Park now occupies was part of the River Des Peres wetland system. French explorers complained of the mosquito-filled swamps in the area during the 1700s, according to a 2010 essay by Michael Allen, an American cultural studies professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

But those mosquitoes were a sign of a highly productive wetland system. Riparian zones, the belts of vegetation on either side of a river or stream, are the “aorta of the ecosystem” because of the way they preserve resources and allow wildlife to move through landscapes humans have fragmented, according to a 1994 study in “Conservation Biology.”

However, ecologists and city planners did not understand the importance of wetland ecosystems until recent decades. When St. Louis needed a sewer to meet the demands of its growing population, the nearby River Des Peres seemed like a good solution, according to Allen’s essay. The river became a large open sewer during the late 1800s. This degraded the water quality and sur-

rounding vegetation, and caused a smell far worse than a stinking natural wetland.

Things did not improve soon, however. When St. Louis hosted the 1904 World’s Fair, the fair’s architects used wooden boards to enclose the river, according to Allen’s essay. This allowed them to control the smell and eliminate the swampy floodplains so the architects could build elaborate structures and fairgrounds that became the current Forest Park.

Now that we better understand the beauty and importance of wetlands, the Forest Park habitat is experiencing a new life. If you visit the east end of the park today, you likely will see red-winged blackbirds — a wetland species — calling loudly from cattail plants, and long grasses growing from the banks of ponds and streams. I also have seen migratory waterfowl taking a break from their long journey in the ponds there.

The restored area gives a tantalizing glimpse of what the Des Peres floodplain once was — a healthy wetland. Although Forest Park’s wetland area is not very large, it helps visitors better understand how wildlife makes use of urban habitats. Furthermore, the River Des Peres Watershed Coalition hopes to continue larger-scale improvements of the river throughout St. Louis, according to Allen’s essay.

On Truman State’s campus, an effort led by seniors biology major August Kersten and environmental science major Michele Woolbright has been working to restore another urban wetland — the riparian zone of Bear Creek, according to

an April 2 Index article. Kersten and Woolbright will supervise tree planting along Bear Creek April 18-19 and 25-26, beginning at 11 a.m. at West Campus Suites, according to the same article.

During the past year, I have been studying the effects of the restoration project on the bird species that migrate through our campus. I have concluded that the no-mow zone on either side of the creek provided a quality habitat for wetland bird species during the fall 2014 bird migration.

When I compared Bear Creek to an unrestored stretch of stream in Kirksville’s Rotary Park, I found Bear Creek’s bird community had a significantly larger proportion of wetland-associated bird species than the Rotary Park stream.

Furthermore, the Bear Creek bird community had a similar proportion of wetland bird species as Big Creek Conservation Area, a restored habitat with a forested riparian zone on the outskirts of Kirksville.

Although it will take years to restore a healthy tree community to Bear Creek’s banks, even small improvements to the plant community can have real benefits for migratory birds. I encourage students to consider helping with the restoration effort, or at least to keep an eye out for wildlife using the urban wetlands all around us.

Conor Gearin is a senior biology and English major from St. Louis, Mo.

Retrain your brain with phonemes

UmmeKulsoom Arif Learning a foreign language is difficult. Most Truman students will choose to study a language that has an alphabet based in Latin lettering — also known as the Roman alphabet because the pronunciation of the letters is similar among the Romance languages. With the exception of some sounds and extra characters not found in English, it’s not as difficult to learn Spanish or French as it is to learn, for example, Arabic or Hindi.

However, despite the difficulty, learning a language with a non-Latin alphabet like Arabic or Hindi is far more beneficial than learning Spanish or French because you’ll develop a larger range of phonemes to learn even more languages.

Phonemes are the smallest unit of intelligible sound in a language.

Standard English contains about 40 phonemes, according to the Stanford Phonology Archive, consisting of 27 consonant sounds and 13 vowel sounds. Similarly, Standard French also

contains 40 phonemes, according to the SPA. French and English share a majority of their phonemes, but there are some differences. For example, French doesn’t have a distinct “th” sound like English does and English doesn’t have the same diversity in vowel sounds as French does. Nonetheless, the many similarities between French and English make French a far easier language to learn for English-speakers than a language not based in Latin.

But non-Latin based languages often contain dozens more phonemes than English.

Take English and Hindi, for example. Hindi contains more than twice the number of phonemes — a whopping 94 — as English, according to the Stanford Phonology Archive. Its alphabet — as agreed on by the Indian Government — consists of 11 vowels and 35 consonants, according to a BBC factsheet on Hindi. Although Hindi and English use many of the same words — English has adopted the use of Hindi words such as guru, cheetah, thug and looting while Hindi adopted English words such as doctor, hospital and railway, among many others — the languages are vastly different.

Unless you’re within the critical period for language learning, forming 54 or more new phonemes is a challenge.

Anyone who’s taken a class in psychology or dealt with language development probably is familiar with the babbling stage. From birth to about seven months — maybe even a

year in some children — a baby is in the babbling stage of language development. During this stage, a baby has the ability to form any of the hundreds of phonemes used in the languages of peoples throughout the world.

As a baby grows, however, it loses the ability to form phonemes not regularly used by the language it hears every day. Eventually, the ability to form these phonemes is mostly lost and language acquisition becomes exponentially more difficult. By the time adulthood rolls around, the ability to learn a new language with entirely different phonemes almost completely is gone.

This is why, for most Truman students, studying a Romance language instead of Russian, Arabic or Chinese is the easiest choice. The phonemes are similar enough that mispronunciations because of the inability to form certain sounds easily are skipped over.

Study Arabic instead, and suddenly pronouncing words exponentially is more confusing. Especially when, to an English speaker, some of the sounds are exactly the same. Arabic, for example, has about three “z” sounds that are, to a native speaker, perfectly distinct from one another.

Challenging as it is, it’s best to learn a foreign language that entirely is distinct from your first language. Not only will you gain new appreciation for a culture you’ve probably never been completely exposed to, you’ll have an easier time picking up a third

or fourth language if the whim strikes you. By learning a foreign language with a new alphabet and phoneme set, you can reteach your brain. Dedicated pronunciation of new phonemes can recreate the lost connections you had as a child during the babbling stage.

Take a look back at English and Hindi. Even if you assume that 40 of Hindi’s 94 phonemes are identical to English, you’re still left with 54 completely foreign phonemes. That means you will know 50 more phonemes than someone who only studied a Romance language. To top it off, Hindi is derived from Sanskrit. Much like Latin, which influenced the Romance languages, many languages in India and the Middle East are derived from Sanskrit. By learning Hindi, you will be able to learn Urdu, Nepalese, Bengali and Gujrati with greater ease, according to the BBC factsheet.

It’ll be difficult, there’s no doubt about that, but before you write it off as too much work, think about the rewards. Think about the job opportunities and studying abroad. European culture is all well and good, but there is so much more to the world than just Europe and the Romance languages.

Also, you eventually will learn how to say, “I have a flaming cat in my pants” in so many languages, and that is definitely a plus.

UmmeKulsoom Arif is a junior justice systems major from St. Louis, Mo.

Are there any languages Truman doesn’t offer that you’d like to learn?

I would like to learn Korean, because my boyfriend is from Korea.

No. I’m in Spanish right now.

I’d love to get a course in Arabic that isn’t taught via Skype.

Yes. I would like to learn as many foreign languages as I can.

Lucy Li Senior

Sara Forward Freshman

Nathan Schellenberg Sophomore

Carrie Leach Freshman

6

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

RISK MANAGEMENT AND MENTAL ILLNESS

[Risk management aims to improve many aspects of students’ well-being]

88%

of students confide in peers before seeking institutional or professional help with personal concerns.

Source: Missouri College Health and Behavior Survey

Aims of CSI Risk Management Procedures

Photo Illustration by Trevor Stark

• alcohol prevention • health and well-being - emotional - mental - physical • facility safety

Source: csi.truman.edu

Student Support Services Offered

by University Counseling Services • suicide prevention training • bystander training • health and wellness classes

Source: ucs.truman.edu

RISK | Truman administration and staff discuss risk management and preventing mental health issues in the wake of a recent alumnus’ death Continued from page 1 According to csi.truman.edu, the purpose of risk management is to identify the potential risks involved in events an organization is coordinating or in which an individual is participating, and then developing a reasonable plan to eliminate and minimize risks. According to the website, risk management commonly is known as alcohol-related risk prevention, but it extends to facility safety measures and ensuring emotional, mental and physical well-being. According to the website, organizational risk management policies are created by organizations themselves, whether stemming from local chapters or national programs.

Lou Ann Gilchrist, Dean of Student Affairs, said awareness of mental health issues is a significant factor for organizational efforts in helping with them. The Student Affairs office collaborates with the University Counseling Center and Student Health Center to coordinate Wellness Wednesdays, mental health first aid classes every semester, awareness weeks and mental health screenings.

Gilchrist said when she worked at the health center, there were programs to help students identify early signs of mental illness, strategies to intervene and information about where to go

for assistance. Gilchrist said organiza- level risk training session. Each CSI ortions can inform members about the ganization is required to appoint a risk services offered by University Coun- management officer to discuss common seling Services, risks, as well as prebut it is up to vention measures. students to de- “I think it’s important “I think it’s imcide whether portant to think to think about the they are willing about the kind of to take advanconversations we kind of conversations tage of them. are having withwe are having within “ [ Tr u m a n ] in our chapters,� definitely has a Bates said. “We [orour chapters. We safety net, but ganizations] need [organizations] need the more eyes to consider the type you have on of healthy commuto consider the type of campus the more nity we want to be healthy community we caring of a comand what type of munity we crewant to be and what type support system we ate, the more want for members.� of support system we want likely we don’t Bates said a have people go lot of risk manfor members.� unnoticed,� Gilagement is very —Laura Bates, Director of Student christ said. reactionary — orLaura Bates, Involvement and Assistant Student ganizations have Director of Stulimited ability to be Union Building Director dent Involveproactive. She said ment and Assistant Student Union Build- she tries to have as many risk conversaing Director, works closely with Greek tions in advance as possible, but circumLife organizations and communicates stances sometimes are unforeseeable. with organizations’ national headquarJoe Hamilton, Assistant Director of ters about risk management. Bates said University Counseling Services, said the all Center for Student Involvement orga- responsibility should not entirely rely nizations are required to undergo a basic on organizations for prevention. Hamil-

ton said students still turn to their peers as initial sources of help. “That’s why we try to do training for students,� Hamilton said. “We offer suicide prevention training, online programs, bystander training and health and wellness classes. Our goal is to have a high number of students that are trained in prevention.�

Hamilton said mental health awareness and prevention should be something that is a part of the Truman curriculum. He said every student should learn first aid and be able to identify warning signs that students in trouble often display, and should be able to help their peers when necessary.

Editor’s note: Students concerned about their or other students’ mental health can contact University Counseling Services at 660-785-4014 or stop by in person to make an appointment to discuss their concerns.

All counselors are prohibited by law from disclosing any information from patients unless they believe an imminent threat exists to the life of the student or others.

The first appointment is free, but subsequent appointments cost $10 per appointment. Fee waivers are available to those in financial hardship.

THE HOLMAN FAMILY DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES presents

Dr. Charlie Miller

The War on Hackers and How it Hurts Computer Security

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nown as the first person to remotely hack the iPhone in 2007, Truman alumnus Dr. Charlie Miller has earned a reputation as one of the world’s best hackers. Fortunately, Miller is one of the good guys who reports software vulnerabilities to the manufacturers so hackers can’t take advantage of them.

Miller serves on the Application Security Team at Twitter. Previously, he worked as a computer security consultant for seven years, and spent five years as a global network exploitation analyst for the National Security Agency. During this time, he identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in computer networks and executed numerous successful computer network exploitations against foreign targets. He sought and discovered vulnerabilities against security critical network code, including web servers and web applications.

A four-time winner of the prestigious CanSecWest Pwn2Own hacking competition, MIller has hacked cars, batteries, Second Life and iOS codesigning. Miller has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes and Wired, and has appeared on CNBC, NPR and the Today Show. He is the author of three information security books.

Miller graduated magna cum laude from Truman in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in math and a minor in philosophy. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

Tickets for Miller’s presentation are free and can be picked up in the Student Union Building at either the Student Activities Board Office or the Information Desk. Tickets can also be picked up in the Public Relations Office, McClain Hall 202, or at Edna Campbells in downtown Kirksville. For more information, contact pr@truman.edu or call 660.785.4016.

The Holman Family Distinguished Speaker Series is named in honor of Squire Paul and Meeda (Daniel) Holman by their children to honor their parents’ long association with Truman and is funded through an endowment with the Truman State University Foundation.

5am-6pm Monday - Saturday 5am-4pm Sunday

7

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

University president to teach new JINS course

BY JENNA HOLZER TMN Reporter

Katey Stoetzel/Index Above: Truman State students and Kirksville community members wait in line at the Bellacino’s fundraiser event for alumnus Casey Davis’ family.

Left: Members of the Greek Life community wait outside Bellacino’s to collect additional donations for the Davis family.

Fifteen percent of Bellacinos’ profits from the event went to assist Davis’ family financially and possibly to other charitable organizations as yet to be determined.

TSU community continues outreach in wake of death

BY GRACE BUECKENDORF

Features Editor index.featureseditor@gmail.com

In the wake of alumnus Casey Davis’ death March 29, the Truman State community came together to support one another. The community reached out to Davis’ friends and family and raised more than $2,700 at a fundraiser Monday.

The Truman administration has reached out to the Davis family as well as those affected by the loss.

University President Paino attended the open house gathering at the AGR chapter house March 30 and Lou Ann Gilchrist, Dean of Student Affairs, has also extended her sympathies.

Gilchrist said grief, especially when sudden, is difficult to cope with. She said the Truman community’s focus should not be on the death of the student, but on supporting the survivors.

“I think the support that we can give each other in any loss is a wonderful thing — good causes for philanthropies and supporting families,” Gilchrist said.

Word of the former member of Alpha Gamma Rho’s death immediately reached his friends at Truman.

Friends of Davis and those wanting to support AGR came to the AGR chapter house to mourn the loss, AGR president junior Chase Wrisinger said. Among those at the house were Paino and members of professional agricultural sorority Sigma Alpha.

Junior SA president Miranda Biddle said many members of SA are close to members of AGR because of their mutual interest in agriculture and all the events the two organizations host together. For example, they host recruitment events, barbecues and other professional events together, Biddle said.

Biddle said immediately after getting the news of Davis’ death March 30, the SA executive board

gathered to decide how best to sup- money is going and then also try and port the brothers of AGR. make [the Bellacino’s event] a little “Right away, we got together and bigger than what it was for them.” decided we’d get them a card and Moore said he created a Facebook flowers, but then as the executive event, “In Loving Memory: Casey board was talking, we decided we Davis,” for the Bellacino’s fundalso wanted to make them dinner raiser, and more than 1,300 people that night, as we knew it was going were invited. Fifteen percent of Belto be a really hard day for them, just lacino’s profits from the event will finding out that news,” Biddle said. go to assist Davis’ family financially Biddle said many juniors and and possibly to other charitable orseniors in AGR and SA knew Da- ganizations as yet to be determined, vis personally.

Moore said.

Originally it was “Essentially we just going to be the “I was just really impressed made the event on a executive board whim for their benwith how everyone came making dinner efit,” Moore said. “It’s together in honor of for the fraterfor those guys that Casey [Davis].” nity, but AGR inare in need — I know vited the whole they’ll appreciate it. I -Junior Miranda Biddle, SA sorority to know the family will president of Sigma Alpha the house beappreciate it. It puts cause Wrisinger a face on where the said they all money is going instead were impacted by the death. of just to a charity organization.”

Biddle said she thought coming Many of the people who attended together that night to eat and mourn the Bellacino’s fundraiser said they together boosted both groups’ spir- heard about it through the Faceits, as both organizations especially book event Moore created. were affected by Davis’ death.

Junior Charmaine Bunch, service “We provided them with a meal, sorority Tau Lambda Sigma and Delta but then they also provided us with Phi Epsilon member, said TLS used support,” Biddle said. “And I was just the fundraiser as a sisterhood event to really impressed with how everyone encourage its members to attend and came together in honor of Casey.” extend their support. She said both orWithin the Greek community, ganizations shared the event on Facemany organizations have shown book and encouraged their members their support of AGR and the Davis to attend. family during the past week.

Bunch said she thought the support Upon hearing the news, junior the Greek community extended this Bryan Moore, Beta Theta Pi broth- week is representative of the Greek erhood chair, said he saw a Greek family as a whole. organization in need and took ac“[BTP] just completely changed tion. BTP had a brotherhood and [the Bellacino’s event to support AGR] philanthropy event already sched- and threw out their own profits for it uled for April 6 at Bellacino’s and just to help a Greek family in need, so were planning to use the proceeds it’s really awesome,” Bunch said. of the event for alcohol abuse preFor those wanting to financially supvention, Moore said. port the Davis family at this time, mon“I was friends with some of the etary donations can be sent to the Beta AGRs and [knew] that [AGR] was in Iota chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho. need,” Moore said. “It just seemed Editor’s note: Staff Reporter Tayfitting that we changed where the lor Lay contributed to this story.

Truman State students can expect a new face in the classroom next semester. University President Troy Paino will teach “Issues in Democratic Institutions: Higher Education,” a junior interdisciplinary seminar, this fall.

Truman students know Paino as University President — however, he has an interdisciplinary background with degrees in law, history, philosophy and American studies. He said he has wanted to teach a JINS course since he was hired as the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost during 2008. Paino said he decided to teach the course next semester because he misses the classroom experience and interacting with students.

“I also want to put my actions where my talk is,” Paino said. “I talk a lot about being engaged in students’ lives … I want to be actively involved.”

Paino said he intends to use his experience in higher education administration to enhance class discussion and give real-world examples of the topics discussed. Students enrolled in the course can expect class discussion to range from the historical, sociological and economic roles of higher education in our society, to the way higher education is portrayed in our culture based on newspapers, films, music and television, he said. He said he hopes to make the class a rich and engaging experience for the students.

Scott Alberts, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies, said the process for a new JINS class offering can be extensive and involves the dean and chair of the respective department.

There are approximately 80 JINS courses in total and only 25 are offered during any given semester, Alberts said. The course “Issues in Democratic Institutions: Higher Education” has not been offered since education professor Janice Grow retired during 2013. Alberts said he has worked closely with Paino to plan the structure of the JINS course. He said Paino has shown great enthusiasm throughout the process about teaching the course.

“He wants to teach a class, he wants to interact with students … He really has this bigger purpose, this broader sense about democracy,” Alberts said. “He really thinks the next generation of leaders are going to be students like ours.”

Assistant education professor John Jones is teaching a JINS course about a topic related to Paino’s course.

Jones will teach “Issues in Democratic Institutions: K-12 Education,” that will focus on the foundations of public education and the responsibility of the public to support democracy through education.

“The fact that [Paino] is willing to step in and participate in the curriculum instead of just presiding from on high says a lot about his willingness to be involved in the process,” Jones said.

Computer specialist hacks his way back to Truman

BY EMILY PLOCH

“It’s more of a craft than something you just learn by reading a book,” Miller said. “You really have to go

out and do it.”

Hacking has been around since the dawn of the Miller said as part of his presentation, he intends to computer age. Now, with greater advancements in emphasize how hacking is different from its portrayal developing technology, the sophistication of com- by conventional media. He said he hopes to let people puter skills also has to be refined. For alumnus Char- know what real computer hacking is like and the legal lie Miller, his career relies on the changing field of consequences of it. computer science.

Miller said because computer security is such a speMiller will present “The War on Hackers and How it cialized area that often is not outsourced and cannot Hurts Computer Security” easily be automated, the field of as part of the Holman Famethical hacking is becoming an imily Distinguished Speaker “The dependence [of] our portant area of computer science.

Series 8 p.m. April 11 in In addition to his public presensociety on technology Baldwin Auditorium. His tation Saturday, he also will present presentation will emphathe class “Computer Security.” He creates more challenges.” to size computer security, exsaid there he will discuss the techplain what hackers do and nical aspect of hacking and how to -Jon Beck, computer science discuss recent changes in start a career in the field. He said department chair laws that target hackers for this job field, there is a large emand make their work more phasis on practical work rather than difficult. just classroom learning.

Miller said he describes himself as an ethical hacker Jon Beck, computer science department chair, said — someone who is paid to break into websites and having Miller speak to the class and to the public will computer systems. He said he then reports to the cli- provide an interesting perspective to students and ent how he was able to break in and helps make hack- faculty alike. ing more difficult for those intending to break in for “Even though Truman faculty are experts in their the wrong reasons. field, having a fresh point of view always adds an Since his graduation from Truman State 20 years ago, interesting perspective to the course material,” Miller said he has become an expert in his field, gaining Beck said. experience ranging from experience with the National Beck said Miller’s freelance experience exempliSecurity Agency to his current job with Twitter. fies opportunities and possibilities associated with Staff Reporter

VOLUME 106

ISSUE 25

tmn.truman.edu

www.facebook.com/TrumanIndex

computer science in addition to what students learn in the classroom.

Looking at the field of computer science from a larger perspective, Beck said he does not think the field is new by any means, but it is constantly changing with the advancements in technology.

“The dependence [of] our society on technology creates more challenges,” Beck said.

Beck said the only technology that could be hacked in the past was a computer, but now with the advancement of technology people can hack a number of different things, such as smart refrigerators — refrigerators with internet capabilities — and smart cars. With the dependency on technology, it creates more challenges in that more technology can be hacked that affect peoples’ lives more deeply than just a computer, he said.

Beck said he knows of several Truman students who enjoy the skills associated with the field and have the capacity to pursue freelance careers like Miller, though it is not a typical career path for computer science majors.

Junior Brandon Merkel, a computer science major with an interest in hacking, said the field of computer security is extremely important. He said hacking is viewed as an invasion of privacy when in reality it is much more than that.

“When people hear the word hacking, they pretty much assume that it’s people getting in and stealing information without other people knowing about it, which isn’t necessarily true,” Merkel said.

Merkel said he thinks Truman is preparing him for the real world with its variety of courses. He said he looks forward to hearing Miller’s presentation. @trumanindex

© 2015

Forensics team prepares for national competition 8

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

BY COURTNEY KAUFFMAN Staff Reporter

Passions are high and practices long as Truman State’s forensics team prepares for the National Forensics Association Championship Tournament April 14-21 in Athens, Ohio.

The forensics team is a comprehensive program that contains speech and debate elements. Although the team has been adjusting to a new director this year, the members have been successful, bringing home awards in many categories. The speech-related events are broken up into events such as performance, interpretation of literature, public address and limited preparation. Truman’s team focuses on a type of debate called Lincoln-Douglas that involes a 1-on-1 policy debate.

Communication professor Christopher Outzen, acting director of forensics, said he has been transitioning into his new position as director throughout the year.

A typical team meeting breaks down into handling business — such as organizing campus events — preparing for upcoming tournaments and practicing, Outzen said. The debaters often will run practice debates against each other or do research, he said, while the speech side is a lot of individual practice with some performance workshopping.

Outzen said this will be his first time traveling with the team to a national tournament. He said he looks forward to seeing how the team handles the atmosphere.

Outzen said he has traveled with Truman to smaller competitions and primarily judged the individual events speech section. Normally, Truman attends weekend-only tournaments in the Midwest, he said. “[Nationals] is a marathon, [that’s] the way I think of it,” Outzen said. “We are traveling on April 14 and come back April 21, a total of eight days. In between there it’s all either practice near the site or the actual tournament, [which] runs for five days.”

Outzen said he likes to tell the team members the tournament is all about pacing. It can be difficult for the team not to put all the energy into day one, he said, and become exhausted as a result, but then the members are out of energy for the rest of tournament. He said his goal is to remind the students why they are there — not just to compete but to compete in events they are passionate about.

The team has been performing well this year compared to other teams in the Midwest, Outzen said. The speakers consistently have performed well and the debaters often are in the top elimination rounds of local tournaments, he said. Although Outzen said he is unsure how Truman will rank against schools they have yet to compete against, he said he thinks Truman’s long history of excellence in debate will garner Truman a top position.

“I try not to focus too much on the competitive head-to-head stuff,” Outzen said. “I want our students to feel like they walk away from every tournament, and especially every national tournament, feeling like ‘I did better — I improved and learned a lot and I feel like I can do even better next year.’”

Outzen said he is impressed with this young team. He said one of his favorite parts of the job is getting to see the new members who join each year improve.

He said he would love to get Truman back to the top 10 nationally in speech as well as debate. He said his primary goal is to rebuild the team on the speech side and get the team to the point where it brings home trophies.

The team’s passion is a key asset Outzen said. Forensics stands for passion, advocacy and action, and the team is open to anyone who thinks they can represent these qualities and be a good team member, he said.

Freshman Collin O’Connell, Missouri state champion in novice parliamentary debate, said he joined the team after attending a few of the practices.

O’Connell said he participates in Lincoln-Douglas debates for the Truman team.

This type of debate is a policy form of debate where one debater argues in favor of a specific plan for change while an opponent argues to counter, he said.

“It helps me critically think better,” O’Connell said. “You have to think about how different arguments interact with one another and what strategy you’re going to use — it prepares me for complex decisions later in life.”

O’Connell said Truman’s team is different than his high school’s debate team because it is more polished and experienced.

Freshman Brian Kantanka, novice nationals dramatic interpretation winner, said he competed in high school and had an affinity for it that led him to join Truman’s team.

Submitted Photo Truman’s Forensics Team celebrates the end of the Gorlock Gala, one of the bigger tournaments of the team’s competiton season. The team is preparing for Nationals April 14-21.

“It’s a cool feeling, people actually want to hear what you’re going to have to say [and] they are hanging on every word — that’s what I love about this activity,” Kantanka said.

Kantanka said the topic for dramatic interpretation is chosen by the student and makes finding a piece the most difficult part of preparing. He said he spends 12 hours per week practicing — it takes a lot of practice to know what your message is and how you want to deliver it. There is a huge physical aspect to delivery and every movement is rehearsed, he said. Though team members put a large amount of time into practice, it isn’t difficult for them to balance with effective time management skills, Kantanka said.

Kantanka said this will be his first national competition with the University forensics team and he said he is very excited.

Truman has a good debate reputation that sets them apart, he said. “[The competitions are] a lot more professional in college,” Kantanka said. “It’s fun, but everyone is there for a reason, not like in high school when some people were just there to hang out and not necessarily to compete.”

Freshman Kelsey Barnes, a LincolnDouglas debater and novice nationals

champion, said she got involved with the team after being a part of the debate team during high school.

“It’s pretty awesome to represent Truman as a school,” Barnes said. “For me, I chose to go to school here and I’m showing people the kind of person a Truman student is — the kind of person who shows up to win awards and is recognized as a solid competitor.”

Barnes said the competition requires a lot of practice and research, which includes two weekly practices and individual coaching. Outside of practice, she said she spends three to five hours researching and preparing. Barnes said practices normally consist of refining the details of the argument with each member debating each other or going through drills.

The competitions put a strong emphasis on education and communication, Barnes said. She said as a communication and psychology double major that these qualities fit well with her future plans.

“There’s such a good future we’re building right now,” Barnes said, “This is just the beginning.”

For more information on the team or how to join, contact Outzen at coutzen@truman.edu.

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Tuesday, Tue April 21, 2015 11am to 4pm

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Area job seekers are encouraged to attend and meet with hiring staff from numerous area employers in all types of industry and complete applications on-site.

For more information, contact: The Missouri Career Center 660-785-2400 or The Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce 660-665-3766

Sponsored by: The Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce, MO Career Center–Kirksville, K-REDI, Missouri Employer Committee, and Missouri Department of Economic Development Division of Workforce Development

This event recognizes the Show-Me Heroes Program.

Veterans are strongly urged to attend.

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Sunday Brunch Buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.sebrees.com Check us out on Facebook for our daily specials.

Reservations required for parties of 8 or more.

9

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

TA S T E

OF

T RUMAN

with Anna Grace

Tired of microwaveable pizzas and boxes of mac and cheese?

Do you wish you could make delicious and easy home-cooked meals but don’t know where to start? You’re in luck.

As a student, I understand how busy your schedule can be, and I’m here to serve as your guide to a better culinary experience. In Taste of Truman, I’ll provide you with simple and low cost recipes that will taste great and impress.

Mrs. Coburn’s Dead Rabbit Cookies

BY ANNA GRACE

Cooking Instructions:

Mrs. Coburn was my high school math teacher and a baking MVP. Every winter holiday, she would bake dozens of different cookies for “Cookie Day,” where students got to pick an assortment of cookies as their holiday present from her. Memories of this day are clear in every one of her students’ heads, as is the similar care she showed in the classroom.

One of my favorite cookie recipes from Mrs. Coburn, however, is most effective during the post-Easter holiday season. Whether you got too much chocolate in your Easter basket or want to take advantage of discounted candy, chopped up Easter bunnies taste great in these cookies — which have a shocking enough name to keep your roommate from eating them all. It should be obvious, but no real rabbits were hurt in the making of these cookies.

Rabbit chips — Use a large knife to chop up leftover chocolate bunnies. Any flavor but caramel-filled will do, and smaller rabbits are easier to cut up.

Managing Editor

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes per tray Cool Time: 10 minutes per tray Ingredients: •

2 cups room temperature butter

•

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

•

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

•

2 tsp. vanilla

•

4 eggs

•

4 1/2 cups flour

•

1 tsp. salt

•

2 tsp. baking soda

•

Chocolate bunnies

Cookies — Cream the first three ingredients, then add the vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking soda.

Combine with the sugar and butter mixture, then add the rabbit chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up later.

10

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

“Functional Flair”

Don’t let the rain ruin your outfit — there always are ways to make

practical look cute!

Get junior Victoria Sells’ look!

Convert your key into a simple necklace for some useful jewelry.

Throw on a pair of animal print rain boots to keep your feet dry and add a spark of color.

Tired of your hair falling in your face? Tie it back with an easy braid for a cute finish to a comfortable outfit.

picks week OF THE

m o v i e s

Snowpiercer “Snowpiercer” was one of my favorite movies from last year and it’s a shame it didn’t get any recognition at the Oscars this year. Chris Evans stars as Curtis, who leads a revolution to the front of the train that houses the rest of humanity after a man-made ice age. The train setting works as the perfect microcosom for class dynamics and the set designs of each train car are amazing. Tilda Swinton turns in one of her best performances yet as an authoritarian leader who gives speeches and freezes arms off of people.

TV

Arrested Development

HIT or

Welcome to the Picks of the Week, where we update you about anything ranging from special events, movies, music and entertainment taking place around campus and Kirksville.

Kill Me Three Times Simon Pegg’s “Kill Me Three Times” will hit theaters tomorrow. Pegg plays a professional hit-man named Charlie Wolfe who finds himself in the middle of three murder plots that involve revenge and blackmail after an assignment gone wrong. “Hot Fuzz” this movie is not, at least according to the trailers. While it looks like Pegg’s character provides some comic relief amongst the terrible people who live in the town where the film is set, he’s still a contract killer who is not afraid to double-cross his clients.

During an interview with “The BS Report,” “Arrested Development” executive producer Brian Grazer announced an additional 17 episodes of the cult comedy are in the works and will release on Netflix. Cue viral videos of chicken dances everywhere.

events April 12

April 14

Fuller House

The Index has scoured the Internet and gone deep into the recesses of Netflix to find the things you have yet to discover. We lie in wait for new entertainment to hit the web or the shelves. We do the heavy lifting when it comes to all things entertainment, and for your sake, we deem them a hit or a miss.

Isla’s Wish to Walk Spaghetti Dinner 5-8 p.m. in Ryle Hall cafeteria Alpha Sigma Gamma will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to raise money for Isla, a 3-year-old girl born with cerebral palsy. She will undergo a major surgery that will give her the ability to walk.

Yoga on The Quad 3-4 p.m. on The Quad behind Baldwin Hall If you need a study break or want an excuse to enjoy the weather, come join Yin yoga led by a recreation center instructor. Yoga mats or towels are recommended but will not be provided nor required.

Netflix is planning a revival of “Full House.” Necessary? Probably not.

The show will focus on DJ Tanner and her best friend Kimmy Gibbler, with original cast members.

“Furious 7”

HIT miss An action blockbuster to make you cry

BY KATEY STOETZEL

Assistant Features Editor

I’m not ashamed to admit I got a little teary during “Furious 7,” the latest “Fast and Furious” installment from director James Wan. For awhile, Paul Walker’s death halted filming and speculation arose about how his death would be handled for the rest of the film. Killing off Walker’s character, former FBI agent Brian O’Conner, felt tacky and sending him off on his own mission the way they did during the sixth film would have been repetitive.

Turns out, there was no need to worry — the film works around Walker’s death perfectly.

Bordering on fourth wall breaks, Dom Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, narrates the ending of the film over a montage of Walker in previous “Fast and Furious” films, saying O’Conner officially retires from the gravity-defying car stunts and races to be with his family. It’s a respectful sendoff and keeps with the series’ theme of family.

Who knew an action blockbuster could move people to tears?

As the seventh movie in the franchise, however, it’s no surprise “Furious 7” doesn’t live up to some of the better installments, such as “Fast Five” or “Fast & Furious 6” — except maybe in special effects and car stunts.

There are some issues that make this film inferior to the last two movies. The story struggles

to find footing and doesn’t live up to the previous film’s end credit scene, when Jason Statham connects the dots between “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the third film of the series and the rest of the films that follow. Statham plays Deckard Shaw, the brother of Owen Shaw — the bad guy Toretto’s team put in a coma at the end of “Fast & Furious 6” — who is targeting the members of Toretto’s family for revenge. It’s set up like a revenge movie, but kind of fails to give us the revenge part of the “revenge movie.”

Statham is awesome, though, even if his character feels under-used.

The use of CGI and Walker’s two brothers as stand-ins allowed for Walker’s character to be in the entire film. Walker’s death haunts the rest of the film, but where in previous films O’Conner has been in the spotlight — the first film, “The Fast and the Furious,” focused on O’Conner going undercover with an underground street-racing group — “Furious 7” often has O’Conner standing to the side. Toretto hardly ever conferred with anyone besides O’Conner, Letty, his long time girlfriend, and his sister, Mia, during earlier films, but aside from a couple of scenes, O’Conner and Toretto’s interactions are absent.

The film focuses heavily on Toretto and it’s difficult to tell whether or not that’s a side effect from rewriting after Walker’s death. But I’m not sure how potential future films will handle that

is a...

focus. Toretto’s story is connected to Letty’s, played by Michelle Rodriguez, from the sixth movie. At the beginning of the seventh movie, Letty still has amnesia, but her memories are slowly returning to her. Amnesia stories are not my favorite and I’ve been anti-Rodriguez since “Lost.” I’m not sure how I feel about this franchise moving in that direction since the franchise not only lost Walker and in turn O’Conner and the characters Gisele and Han were killed during the last movie.

The film introduced a new character named Ramsey, a computer hacker whose hacking invention was the the main plot of this film, but the character wasn’t all that intriguing. However future films deal with the loss of some of the main characters, it won’t be as fulfilling as the previous ones. Toretto’s family is dwindling right along with interesting plot lines.

That’s not to say this film isn’t entertaining — it certainly is entertaining. Wan gave the film his own touch, with action set pieces and aerial car stunts that somehow top the other films. With cars parachuting out of airplanes and jumping between three tall buildings, Wan clearly proves he knows how to direct an action movie.

Fans of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise no doubt will enjoy the film, and it definitely is better than the film most fans consider the black sheep of the franchise, 2009’s “Fast & Furious.”

SPORTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

@trumanathletics

tmn.truman.edu

11

Seeking out the schedule

SARAH HICKS

Mending our ‘Dogs Athletic training students prepare for certification with hands-on experience

BY COURTNEY STRAIT Staff Reporter

For the student athletic trainers at Truman State, the major is more than a degree at graduation — it’s a full-time commitment. From prepping athletes and filling water bottles to applying training methods and assessing injuries, trainers devote their time and effort to our student athletes.

The student trainers on campus have to handle strict schedules to fulfill the graduation requirement. Each student trainer is required to complete a total of 120 hours of clinical work per semester, which is spent in the athletic training office in Pershing Building.

Senior athletic trainer Jill Pohlman said combining athletic training classes, clinical hours and time for other homework keeps her busy.

“We get our classes done early in the morning so that we have time for our clinical hours,” Pohlman said. “We are at every practice and game too.”

Senior Austin Stephenson said although the workload is challenging, it is worth it.

“I finish all my classes early, by at least 1:30 every day,” Stephenson said. “It’s difficult, but I like helping athletes get back to playing the sports they love.”

The process to become a student athletic trainer at Truman is not an easy one.

Classwork becomes more rigorous as students advance in the program and clinical hours become more time-consuming. By the time Truman’s athletic training majors are juniors and seniors, class sizes become very small. Another senior on staff this year is Kelci Besand. Her class is comprised of only seven students who all have shown what it takes to graduate with an athletic training degree.

“The [selection] process has been good for me as an individual,” Besand said. “I’ve gotten to know my classmates better, and the smaller class size has really helped us grow.”

Pohlman, Besand and Stephenson said they agree the small class sizes positively have impacted their learning and helped them improve as trainers. Since the class size this year is only seven students, each person has access to hands-on experience. Stephenson said through his major, he has created many friendships.

Stephenson said the athletic training program is like a family.

“One of my favorite parts about the program is creating a bond with my classmates,” Pohlman added. “I have many friendships because of it.”

Pohlman said a student’s freshman year usually determines whether or not they want to be a student trainer. During the application process, which students com-

Photos by Devin Gillespie/Index Top: Junior Kevin Madden helps junior football player A.J. Hartfield stretch during an athletic training session. Above: Sophomore Rebekah Roessler assists hurdler B.J. Smith in a stretch. Below: Roessler uses training techniques to stretch senior pole vaulter Laura Stark’s muscles. Athletic training majors work in the athletic training room to gain hands-on experience on a regular basis.

plete during their freshmen years, potential athletic training students sit in on Truman athletics practices.

“We go to the clinics, and we go to the practices,” Pohlman said. “We are always observing. Classes start out really big and dwindle down when they realize how much of a time commitment [the major] is.”

Athletic training majors have the ability to apply what they learn to a variety of real life situations, Pohlman said. Training majors are required to take classes such as first aid, lower body evaluation and upper body evaluation, and they apply skills learned from these classes to Truman athletes, she said.

“My favorite class was human anatomy,” Pohlman said. “As hard as it was, and

even though it isn’t specifically for athletic training majors, it is interesting to use my knowledge when I evaluate athletes.”

Although their daily routine is somewhat similar, no two clinical days are exactly the same for athletic training majors.

Most clinical hours are spent prepping athletes for practice and games.

“We evaluate injured players every day and help them through their rehabilitation,” Besand said. “From there, we observe practice and apply ice to the athletes after they play.”

Along with prepping for performance, athletic training majors help evaluate new patients and diagnose injuries.

All three students said they were inSee TRAINING, page 12

Senior first baseman Paul Trenhaile broke the Truman State all-time hit record this weekend with a total of 199 hits during his Truman career. The Hannibal, Mo. native has a 2015 season batting average of .409.

ISSUE 25

tmn.truman.edu

Truman State is known for its academics more than its athletics, but this does not mean athletics are less important.

As a transfer from Missouri State University, I am new to the dynamics of Truman and how the campus responds to the success of varsity and club athletics. However, it was clear early during my college career here that many underclassmen do not attend sporting events.

At MSU, being at a large school meant the soccer field stands were flooded on Tuesday nights, the basketball arena was the place to be on Fridays and many students were involved with intramurals. In addition, if there was a home football game on Saturday, all week the underclassmen would look forward to tailgating and socializing.

At Truman, I realized students on campus are more focused on other activities during the week, and look forward to other events during the weekends because athletics are not as popular. However, lack of interest can be changed, as it seems underclassmen are not attentive because students are not informed of when athletic events take place.

I think the lack of interest stems from students being too busy during the week to put basketball games or tennis matches into their schedule because of the hefty amount of homework Truman students have.

I think more students would make the time to support the Bulldogs if homework loads were lighter every now and then.

However, I think the simple solution to this issue is communication. I hear many excuses from underclassmen about why they do not attend athletic events, but the top excuse is because they are not informed about the events.

If more students were aware of athletic events, more students would attend and school spirit would increase on campus. I have heard underclassmen say they would prefer posters, emails or social media as ways to target athletic information to those who are not plugged into Truman sports.

While some might worry taking more time to appreciate our sports teams could take away from the strong academic focus the University has, I think it would create a well-rounded environment that would liven campus.

As a Bulldog, I love Truman and want to support the successes of my fellow students. As a sports writer for the Index, I realize how important the sports teams are to campus, and wish other underclassmen would be informed and attend home games.

As a TMN employee, I think student media should do its part to inform underclassmen about dates of sporting events if we want to increase turnout at games.

PLAYER

Paul Trenhaile

VOLUME 106

Student media should help underclassmen be more involved in athletics

of the

WEEK

www.facebook.com/TrumanIndex

@trumanindex

© 2015

12

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

Softball team stumbles in St. Louis

BY SAM STEWART

Staff Reporter

While students left for break last weekend, the Truman State softball team stayed behind to win two games against conference rival Maryville University on Saturday, but lost two games against nationally ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday. The Bulldogs started off the weekend with a twogame sweep of the Saints as junior pitcher Kelsea Dorsey threw an 11-strikeout game, allowing only one hit.

During game one, the Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the board early as senior second baseman Andrea Klipsch smacked her 11th home run of the season, scoring freshman shortstop Jamie Fowle for an early 2-0 Bulldog lead. During the third inning, the ‘Dogs tacked on three more runs during the bottom half. Dorsey’s one hit allowed was a two-run home run with a runner on base because of a fielding error, but Dorsey still managed to earn the win for an 11-1 record this year.

The second game Saturday was a more offensive game for the Bulldogs, as they beat the Saints 9-1 in six innings.

Maryville jumped ahead during the first inning, but Truman came right back with four runs of its own during the bottom half. Senior first baseman Liz Leath added a solo home run during the fourth.

The Bulldogs finished the game with RBI singles from sophomore utility Haley Wells, which stopped the game via the run-rule. Junior pitcher Kindra Henze allowed only six hits and struck out five as she improved to 12-4 on the season.

“Up to this point in the season I feel very confident in our team,” sophomore catcher Devin Gudehus said. “We are dedicated to the process and are ready to win some more ball games.”

SOFTBALL STREAK The Bulldogs ended an eightgame winning streak Sunday MARCH 25 VS. LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

MARCH 29 VS.

MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MARCH 30 VS. DRURY UNIVERSITY

W 6-4 W 6-2 W 3-2 W 7-1

W 5-2 APRIL 4 VS. MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY W 9-1

APRIL 5 VS.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - ST. LOUIS

The Bulldogs then traveled to No. 3 nationally ranked UMSL. The Bulldogs

TRAINING l Athletic training majors play a vital role in the day-to-day operations of Truman athletics Continued from page 11 inspired to become trainers through personal experience. While playing sports during high school, Besan, Stephenson and Pohlman all suffered major injuries.

Through the support and assistance of their respective athletic trainers, the three were influenced to pursue athletic training for themselves.

“My athletic trainer was so helpful,” Pohlman said. “He was a great role model and support system for me. I wanted to be just like him.”

Besan said she became interested in

W 10-1 W 10-2

the area of study through her work in high school. She said she shadowed a physical therapist and was influenced by the therapist’s concern for athletes.

“She was just wonderful,” Besan said. “She really cared about her patients, and she genuinely wanted to see me get better. That sparked my interest in athletic training.”

Students who finish the athletic training program at Truman use the major as a stepping stone for future careers in the field. Alumni can be found around the country, working at colleges such as

WWW.TRUMANRENTALS.COM Providing affordable student housing for more than 25 years

L 6-4 L 8-1

walked away from these two games winless against the GLVC rival. The

“The amount that we have all adapted and grown through this process is amazing.

Everything we do has a reason, and I feel like I have a purpose.”

- Senior Jill Pohlman athletic training major

Purdue University and even professional teams like the St. Louis Rams.

Besan and Pohlman said they plan to pursue athletic training at the college level,

first game started off hot for the ‘Dogs as they maintained a 3-0 lead until the sixth. The Tritons then fought back for the tie and earned the eventual win. A two-run homer from the Tritons would put the game out of reach for Truman as the Tritons won the first game 6-4.

Dorsey started the game pitching 4.1 innings and striking out seven, with Henze pitching 1.2 innings of relief.

Game two showed an UMSL team fully powered as they took the Bulldogs by storm with an 8-1 victory. The Tritons came out swinging as they hammered in five home runs along with an 18-strikeout performance to Truman’s one run. Fowle hit a home run during the third inning, while Klipsch recorded the team’s only other hit of the game.

Henze started and pitched 4.1 innings, striking out four, with Dorsey pitching relief during the rest of the game and striking out two.

“We need to respond and take this as a learning experience and grow as a team,” senior outfielder Ally McReynolds said. “We have to continue to focus on our goals.”

With Truman currently third in the GLVC rankings, the ‘Dogs will look to bounce back as they return home to host three conference opponents.

“I am feeling fine after a tough weekend,” Henze said. “It’s not the first time we’ve lost a few games. We’re a tough team and don’t get brought down by a couple of losses. Looking forward, we just need to keep playing our game and continue to improve on the things that we work on all season.”

The Bulldogs will play William Jewell College Saturday and Rockhurst University Sunday for doubleheaders. Games both days are set to begin at noon and 2 p.m. at Bulldog Softball Park.

and Stephenson said he wants to be on a professional baseball team’s staff someday.

Besan said the clinical hours let her take what she’s learned in the classroom and affect someone’s life with it.

“Being able to create a rehab plan or successfully diagnose someone is really rewarding to me,” Besan said.

Stephenson said the most fulfilling part about being a student trainer is the ability to interact with the athletes and be a part of their recovery. Pohlman said seeing herself improve as a trainer has reinforced her passion for helping athletes return to their sports.

“The amount that we have all adapted and grown through this process is amazing,” Pohlman said. “Everything we do has a reason, and I feel like I have a purpose.”

I don’t always advertise, but when I do, I use The Truman Media Network. email us at

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13

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

Dogs poised for record season The Bulldogs could finish with a record above .500 this season

BY HENRY JANSSEN

Staff Reporter

The Truman State baseball team officially is more than halfway through its season with a 19-9 record. The Bulldogs have 20 games remaining during the regular season, and are in prime position to finish with the first season above .500 throughout program history.

Last week, the ‘Dogs split a doubleheader with Quincy University and an extended 4-game weekend series with Rockhurst University, finishing the week with a 3-3 record. All six games were played in Kirksville.

The Wednesday games against Quincy showcased two different styles and paces, as the two teams combined for 36 hits and the ‘Dogs lost 10-6 during the 9-inning game. The second, a 7-inning game, was 1-1 going into the bottom of the seventh when the Bulldogs walked off on senior outfielder Jarod Hahn’s safety squeeze. The Bulldogs’ win dur-

ing the latter half of the double- man was able to pick up a 5-4 header snapped a 12-game win victory during the bottom of the streak for Quincy and gave senior ninth inning when Hahn once pitcher Cody Gardner his fifth win again squeezed in the winning of the year. Gardner hurled 83 run. During the second game, the pitches before being pulled dur- ‘Dogs let one slip away. Truman ing the sixth inning. led 6-1 going into the sixth inning, Gardner said it was difficult but 10 runs for Rockhurst durto find a way to pull ahead dur- ing the sixth and seventh innings ing the game against Quincy. He gave the Hawks an 11-6 lead they said the extra effort Truman put never relinquished. forth will help during postseason “We knew they were going to games by inbe a good team,” Larcreasing their kin said. “They beat stamina and “It’s always nice us last year, three out endurance. of four. We walked off to walk off “[Gardagain, the exact same on somebody, ner] came thing happened, in and gave Hahn threw down a always a good us a change bunt. We were feelfeeling.” of pace and ing good after the threw really game one win think - Senior shortstop well,” senior ing ‘Hey, we’re in the Zak Larkin shortstop Zak driver’s seat, we got a Larkin said. chance to take the se“Quincy threw ries.’ We weren’t able a guy out there who wasn’t too to shut the door on them [during shabby himself ...We ended up giv- game two].” ing him that one run that he needThe Bulldogs split the next two ed. It’s always nice to walk off on games with Rockhurst Saturday, somebody, always a good feeling.” losing the first game 4-2 before Two days later, the Bulldogs winning 10-5 during the fourth closed out the first game of a and final game of the series. Rock4-game series against Rockhurst hurst currently is 14-16. in a nearly identical fashion. Tru- See BASEBALL, page 14

Athena Geldbach/Index Top: The Truman State baseball team watches from the dugout.

Above: Senior shortstop Zak Larkin prepares to bat. The Bulldogs faced the Rockhurst University Hawks last weekend.

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14

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

100 Years of spike on one occasion began growling and wanting to chase the ball when it rolled toward his corner of the Despite Spike’s youthful glow, court during a game, which caused Truman State’s faithful bulldog mas- a member of the opposing team to cot is older than some might think. back off and stop following the ball, This spring, the University is cel- according to the publication.

The first appearance of a cheerebrating the 100th anniversary of the bulldog as its mascot. To honor leader in a bulldog costume was this momentous occasion, the Index during the 1979 homecoming game took a look back at the history of against Central Missouri State University, according to “Founding the Truman’s most famous canine.

Throughout the years the Uni- Future.” The idea came from a stuversity’s mascot has taken many dent, alumnus Don McCollum, who shapes and forms — from live bull- had seen a costumed mascot at a dogs on the sidelines of games to Kansas State University basketball the costumed mascot now seen at game, according to the book. The first costume was sewn by Jo Newevents across campus.

Alumnus Winston Vanderhoof, man, wife of then-Director of FinanPublications Office senior graphic cial Aid Wayne Newman, and worn artist, said bulldogs first were by alumnus Rich Smith, according to referenced in regards to the First “Founding the Future.”

“Smith was known for his antics District Normal School’s football players during 1908 by coach O.C. at games, which included sliding on Bell. But Vanderhoof said there his stomach across the basketball wasn’t much mention of bulldogs floor during halftime, chasing young again until 1915 when a commit- fans around the court and lifting tee was formed to figure out ways his leg at referees and opponents,” to revive school spirit after a win- according to the publication. “His one rule was less football never to interseason during fere with the 1914. Students “The bulldog does game — a rule and faculty not quit even his canine prewere polled to decessor never though the going pick a mascot learned.” and Vanderhoof gets tough ...”

Newman said he thinks

- Alumnus Winston said when Mcthe bulldog likeCollum asked ly was a com Vanderhoof her to sew the mon answer. costume, she “[The] bullnever had done dog is tenacious, his ability to hold on and fight des- anything similar before — she said perately until the end … The bull- she’d only made Halloween cosdog does not quit even though the tumes for her kids. Newman said going gets tough and dangerous,” she used an old army helmet as the Vanderhoof said. “I kind of always foundation of the head, and although the body of the costume was easy to liked that.”

The baseball team adopted the make it took several weeks to get the mascot during 1915, followed by head right. Even then, she said she the football team the year after, Van- wasn’t completely happy with the derhoof said. Live, privately owned result and thought the head looked mascots were seen for years at more like a bear than a bulldog, but she said McCollum was pleased. sporting events, he said.

The first female to act as our One famous live mascot was Sixty, a gift to the 1956 freshmen costumed mascot was alumna Julie class, who named him after their Preisack during 1984, according to anticipated graduation year, accord- “Founding the Future.” Preisack was ing to “Founding the Future: A His- a member of the cheerleading team tory of Truman State University,” and Jane Davis, then-Northeast Misby alumnus David Clifford Nichols. souri State University cheerleading Sixty loved chasing basketballs, and adviser, said it didn’t matter wheth-

BY ROSE VONHATTEN

Copy Chief

Submitted by University Archives

er a man or a woman was in the suit because you couldn’t tell the difference once the head was on, according to “Founding the Future.”

Previously, there have been female versions of Truman’s mascot, including “Simone” during 1993, according to “Founding the Future.”

Another version was “Spikette,” according to a photo caption in the 1991 Echo Yearbook. The name “Spike” also appears in the photo caption and this might have been the first year the costumed mascot was given a name, according to “Founding the Future.”

Senior Sydney Slavin, the Student Activities Board member who spearheaded the 100th anniversary celebration efforts, said she discovered the anniversary while looking up dates SAB might want to celebrate with an event.

She said she thought it would be an interesting piece of history to celebrate and said getting to work with the football team, cheerleaders and other organizations has been a highlight for her.

“I think it’s just a testament to how much everybody really loves Truman and how much we love Spike, and how active and excited we are to get involved in this,” Slavin said.

As for the future of our mascot, Slavin and Vanderhoof said they think Spike still will be around for the next 100 years of Truman State University.

Rose vonHatten/Index Above left: a 1920 illustration shows a Bulldog competing in different sports. Top: a party in the Student Union Building May 1 featured a cake version of Spike. Below: Spike poses with Truman State students at his 100th birthday party in the SUB. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Bulldog as Truman’s mascot.

BASEBALL l The Truman State Bulldogs sit 19-9 in the GLVC regular season for 2015 Continued from page 13

Athena Geldbach/Index Senior second baseman Zak Larkin takes a swing during Saturday’s game against Rockhurst University. The Bulldogs split the weekend against the Hawks.

Senior first baseman Paul Trenhaile made Bulldog history during the sixth inning of game one last Saturday, earning his 198th career hit — becoming the top hitter in University history. Trenhaile passed alumnus Devon Myers for the honor. Myers’ last season for the Bulldogs was during 2012.

“All my hard work these four years has paid off,” Trenhaile said. “I’m always thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given. It’s been a long ride, definitely a lot of ups and downs, so it’s an honor to be able to do something like this. I’m not a person who cares a whole lot about records, I just want us to have success as a team. Hopefully we can do that this year.”

While Trenhaile’s name will be etched in the Bulldog record books, he and several teammates are near the top of the GLVC for the 2015 season in a number of individual statistical categories. Sophomore outfielder Dave Gambino and Trenhaile are third and fourth in the conference in batting average, respectively, among all eligible players. Hahn and Larkin are first and second for number of total runs scored, sitting at a respective 29 and 28. Trenhaile is second in the league

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with 32 runs batted in and Hahn is tied for a league-best seven home runs thus far this season.

This weekend, the ‘Dogs will square off against Drury University for a 4-game series. Threnhaile said Truman has struggled with the Panthers since Truman was admitted into the GLVC, and Truman will have to bring its best stuff in order to take the series. Drury swept the ‘Dogs during a 2014 4-game weekend series. The Panthers defeated the Bulldogs twice during postseason GLVC play last season, including ousting Truman during the conference semifinals.

“I think Drury’s a really important series for us to go in there and take care of our business,” Trenhaile said.

“It’s definitely important that we stay focused. We’re going to have these long series every weekend and we’ll usually have a day off after. We have to play well against [Missouri Western University] to build some confidence going into this weekend.”

The ‘Dogs will face Drury University this weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Springfield, Missouri. The ‘Dogs will then face Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois, Tuesday, April 14.

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