The Index Vol. 109 Issue 2

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Changes recommended to Liberal Studies Program

Photo by Bethany Travis/TMN Committee member Stephen Hudman speaks about proposed changes to Truman’s Liberal Studies Program at the annual Strategic Planning and Assessment Workshop Aug. 18. Action teams have been reviewing the LSP all summer and are now making recommendations to Faculty Senate for long-term changes to the program.

BY BRENTLY SNEAD Managing Editor Truman State University is known for being a prestigious public college specializing in the liberal arts.

In January 2015, former University President Troy Paino said he felt the University had lost its distinction and needed to make a change. Paino challenged faculty and administration to improve the current liberal arts curriculum in an attempt to regain its individuality. Since Paino’s initial challenge, members of the Truman community have been coming together to enhance Truman’s curriculum.

Committee member Kathy Otero presented at the Strategic Planning and Assessment Workshop Aug. 18. The current Liberal Studies Program is about 20 years old and needs to be updated, Otero said.

Otero said the revision of the LSP began with action teams who were looking at specific aspects that needed change. The six action teams reviewed the LSP and created a list of recommendations.

The committee wants to change what are currently known as “modes” in the LSP to “dialogues” in an effort to reflect the idea that discussion should be the basis of a liberal arts education, according to the Bill to Revise Truman’s LSP. The original proposal in Truman’s Faculty Senate, Senate Bill 5516, was presented in spring 2017. The proposal divided the previous modes of inquiry requirements into four “worlds” — natural, social, creative and symbolic systems — and required students to take at least one course from each. In this setup, the essential skills — which included courses like Writing as Critical Thinking and Public Speaking — would remain in place.

This proposal was brought before the faculty senate in spring 2017, but the greatest challenge the committee faced was making it comply to Missouri Senate Bill 997, Otero said.

Missouri SB 997 lists many requirements for public education facilities in the state, according to MO.gov. One particular part of the bill establishes a core curriculum of 42 credits among all universities in the state. The goal of the bill is to allow students to better transfer hours while also creating a standard for students.

Otero said after the previous meeting with Faculty Senate, the committee has worked throughout the summer to address the concerns and recommendations.

Committee member Stephen Hudman presented the latest LSP changes at the Strategic Planning and Assessment Workshop and said the committee discussed their

goals in conjunction with the previously suggested changes. The discussions that happened during the summer ultimately led to the current proposal, Hudman said.

Hudman said the updated proposal now has the LSP, or dialogues, divided into separate perspectives, which includes social, communication skills, STEM, and humanities and aesthetic. The presentation at SPAW explained that with the updated version, students have the opportunity to meet requirements through many different courses rather than having to take three out of four qualitative modes.

A key difference between the current proposal and the first proposal is that the essential skills are now included in the perspectives rather than being considered separate courses.

University President Sue Thomas said the new LSP requirements aren’t drastically different but rather allow the different disciplines to work together better. “[The committee] is breaking out the courses differently than how they have been broken out before,” Thomas said. “What they’re really interested in doing is having them fall together in good conceptual ways.”

Along with revising the LSP, the committee has proposed two new seminars be added to the LSP requirements for incoming students.

Janet Gooch, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, said the two seminars have been proposed to prepare students for the Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar.

Gooch said one of the seminars is currently called the identity seminar and would be a course for all incoming freshman to take their first semester. She said the other seminar is referred to as the ideas and inquiry seminar, and would be taken the following spring semester.

“The idea is for them to be small — as for the number of students in them — in order for it to be very interactive, very conversational in nature,” Gooch said.

“In the identity dialogue, students would explore ideas related to identity and some bigger questions.

Then in the ideas and inquiry seminar, classes would still be small with a lot of dialogue to get at some bigger ideas, bigger questions, using components of the liberal arts to reflect.”

Gooch said the new seminars would incorporate courses such as Public Speaking and Basic Statistics which are currently required for all students.

With that being said, those courses would still be offered and each discipline would still have its own course requirements.

The bill will be further discussed at the Faculty Senate meeting Aug. 24.

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Consultants examine scholarship budget and awards to new students

BY NICOLAS TELEP News Text Editor Truman State University hired consultants from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers to examine how scholarship funds are distributed to incoming students with the long-term goal of reducing the amount of University funds used for scholarships.

The AACRAO consultants visited campus and met with various departments before providing a preliminary report to the administration in early August.

Further reports and findings will be given to and discussed with the administration in the future. The scholarships of current students will not be affected by the consultants’ findings.

Dave Rector, vice president for administration, finance and planning, said the goal was not to alter the scholarships of current students and the earliest class of students who could be affected by the consultant’s recommendations would be freshmen in the fall of 2018.

“It’s more of a long-range thing,” Rector said. “We really don’t know what they’re going to find.”

Rector said the University chose the AACRAO consultants through a bidding process. He also said the AACRAO consultants have expertise and knowledge the University was looking for. Rector said the University thought AACRAO gave the best evaluation and recommendation they could, and did not attempt to sell the University additional products, like solutions or further consulting. The consulting fee was $47,890.

Rector said the consultants spent time on campus and interviewed the university president and others in administration, as well as staff in the financial aid and admissions offices and information technology services. The University then worked with the consultants to compile data to analyze the patterns in which the scholarship money is offered and accepted. This information will be used in the final report as the University compares students who are admitted to students who are enrolled. Rector said one of the goals of the consultation is to avoid awarding scholarships to students who are unlikely to accept them or who don’t need them.

Even though the consultants began their evaluation soon after the University experienced a decrease in funding from the state, Rector said the process began before state funding for Truman was withheld.

“This was really underway before that happened,” Rector said. “But part of it is just the overall financial situation to make sure … we’re efficiently using our scholarship resources.”

Rector said the University is working to raise more scholarship money through donations to the scholarship foundation, and he said any donated money has to be distributed more efficiently.

See SCHOLARSHIPS, page 6

Budget for the 2017-2018 School Year Total Budget $97.3 million Scholarship Budget $21.8 million

About 22% of the total budget

Truman completes renovations while planning more

BY NICOLAS TELEP News Text Editor Multiple buildings on Truman State University’s campus have been or are in the process of being renovated.

Baldwin Hall was closed last year for a full renovation and Stokes Stadium had an extensive renovation of the press box while the playing surface was replaced. BlantonNason-Brewer Hall received attention during summer 2017, and next summer Missouri Hall’s dining hall will get a facelift and some infrastructure improvements.

Photo by Nicolas Telep/TMN The floorplan for the new press box at Stokes Stadium. The previous wooden press box was built in the 1960s and had not been updated since.

VOLUME 109 ISSUE 2 © 2017

Campus Planner Mark Schultz said the construction removed every non-loadbearing wall in Baldwin Hall. There are new doors and walls — some with soundproofing — arranged in a different office and classroom layout. Schultz said the renovations replaced the plumbing, electrical, HVAC and fire suppression systems.

Schultz said Baldwin Hall was built in 1937 — though the auditorium was added in the late 1950s and a stair tower and elevator in the 1980s. The recent renovation cost $14.5 million, and the state provided about half of the money.

“From when we started there a year ago, it’s changed a lot,” Schultz said. “We kept as much of the historic components as we could on the first floor.”

Schultz said the auditorium wasn’t always in the plans to be renovated, but since it was possible, they replaced the house lights and repainted the space.

Schultz said the contractor also had to replace the carpet because it was damaged while completing other work.

Schultz said they used historical documents as the basis of the renovated auditorium. The stage and the back of the house have not been renovated, and Schultz said a standalone project would be necessary to replace the rigging and the lighting.

For the stadium, Schultz said the track and the turf field have both been replaced. He said the track was designed to fit soccer lines on the infield, and there will be a fresh track when Truman hosts a regional track meet in 2019. Construction crews are still working on renovations to the stadium’s press box.

See RENOVATIONS, page 6

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Freshmen move into dorms on campus

Photos by Bethany Travis/TMN

Above: Students carry items to move into Ryle Hall. Ryle is located on the edge of campus next to Dobson Hall and the Health Sciences Building. It is also near Violette Hall, tennis courts, the baseball field and soccer field.

Below: Students help carry in containers for freshmen students. Move in day for freshmen was Aug. 16 while uperclassmen arrived on campus Aug. 19. Students, members of college organizations and Greek affiliates volunteer every year to assist freshmen move in.

Above: Students bring bags into Ryle Hall. Ryle has a student capacity of around 500 people and currently has five floors. Ryle is one of five housing buildings on Truman’s campus. Other halls include Dobson Hall, Missouri Hall, BlantonNason-Brewer Hall, Centennial Hall and West Campus Suites. Ryle is only one of three residence halls that includes a dining hall. The other two are Missouri and Centennial. West Campus and Dobson contain convience stores. All residence halls come with plenty of lounge space and room to study outside of the rooms.

calendar SAB presents welcome back comedian Aug. 25 — 7 p.m.

Men’s soccer vs. Southwest Baptist Sept. 5 — 3 p.m.

Truman hosts Kevin McCaffrey for the annual Welcome Back Co- The Bulldogs men’s soccer team will take on the Southwest Bapmedian event. Admission is free and will be located in the Baldwin tist University Bearcats in their first match of the season.

Auditorium

New work by Truman art faculty Aug. 29 — 5 p.m.

SAB open house Aug. 29 and 30 — 6 p.m.

Students interested in joining the Student Activities Board can go The Truman State University Art Gallery will open for the first to the Center for Student Involvement Complex in the lower level time this semester with a collection of art done by Truman art fac- of the SUB. There will be information on SAB and chances to meet ulty. An open reception will take place at 5pm. The exhibit will be members of the organization. opened from Aug. 29 to Oct. 6.

Community thank you event Residence Hall Association meeting and social Sept. 8 — 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 — 8 p.m.

A community thank you will be hosted in celebration of Truman The Residence Hall Association will hold a meeting and social in Ryle State University’s 150 year anniversary, A.T. Still University’s 125 Hall main lounge. The event will include games and snacks. year anniversary and Kirksville’s 175 year anniversary. Food and entertainment will be provided.

staff Serving the University community since 1909 Adviser Don Krause Editor-in-Chief Seth Wolfmeyer Digital Director Ben Cook Managing Editor Brently Snead News Editor (Text) Nick Telep News Editor (Multimedia) Brea Parnell Features Editor (Text) Rachel Fechter Sports Editor (Text) Rachel Steinhoff Sports Editor (Multimedia) Jeremy Jacob

Copy Chief MacKenna Palazza Assistant Copy Chief Trevor Hamblin Photo Editor Bethany Travis Design Chief Mariah Radle Distribution Manager Jessica Rose Staff Writers Jase Willhite, Ashley

Murphy, Kennedy Martin, Paul Province, Patrick Pardo, Stephanie Hulett, Brooke Bailey, Curt Wichmer, Kayla Perkins, Spencer Foust, Johanna Burns

Copy Editors Katie Puryear, Bethany Spitzmiller, Ellen Thibodeau Cartoonist Annie Kintree, August Davis Designers Clarissa Todd, Lawrence Hu, Emily Mollet, Georgia Gregory Photographers Lawrence Hu, Athena Geldbach, Austin Dellamano, Daniel Degenhardt, Hannah Ahlenius Distribution Representatives Greta Roettechen, Amanda Claywell

The Index

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

UCS exploring new options to improve mental health

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BY SETH WOLFMEYER Editor-in-Chief In the aftermath of the student deaths last year, Truman State University administration continues working to improve its ability to help students with their mental health needs.

Brenda Higgins, University Counseling Services director, said UCS is actively trying to improve its ability to help students get the services they need.

Last year, UCS was able to hire two additional counselors, which Higgins said partially solved some of the wait-list issues it had been experiencing.

This year, Higgins said UCS is adapting a new process to get students to counselors more quickly, and they are attempting to make Truman a JED Campus.

JED Campus is a program by The Jed Foundation which helps schools improve their mental health, suicide prevention and substance abuse prevention programs. As of now, almost 150 universities are recognized as part of JED Campus.

JED Campus includes a comprehensive study called the Healthy Minds study. Higgins said the survey — which UCS hopes to administer before Truman’s Homecoming — will be the start of the multi-year process involved with becoming a JED Campus. The process will include forming a team of students and administrators to oversee the program and cooperate with experts from JED to develop plans to improve the University’s ability to serve student’s mental health needs.

Higgins said the cost of becoming a JED Campus would normally be outside of UCS and the Student Health Center’s budgets, but UCS and the Student Health Center are willing to put up the initial $3,500 for the survey. The Department of Student Affairs will pay $6,500 for the rest of the program. Higgins said the Homecoming Committee plans to give a portion of the funds it raises back to Student Affairs to pay part of this, but the decision to go ahead and pay for the program was important enough not to wait.

In addition to JED, Higgins said UCS will be scrapping the old process they used to take in new students.

She said previously students would make an appointment to come in for a screening and later come in again for an intake. Higgins said these two appointments would help UCS determine a student’s needs and which counselor would work best with the

Photo by Seth Wolfmeyer/TMN The University Counseling Service waiting room provides a sitting area as well as resources for students to grab at any time. UCS Director Brenda Higgins said UCS will be partnering with the Student Health Center to become part of JED Campus. student, but this also made students feel like they were waiting too long for regular appointments.

Higgins said now the first appointment students schedule serves as both the screening and intake, and students are automatically assigned to the counselor they meet with. She said this means students will only see one counselor and will be able to schedule their next appointment. Higgins said this should further decrease the wait time students have before they start working with a counselor. Higgins said situations deemed to be crises will be handled immediately rather than making the student schedule an appointment.

Even with these changes and plans, meeting the mental health needs on campus is still a challenge for UCS. Higgins said while they were able to hire two additional counselors, demand continues to grow every year.

Higgins said the goal of UCS is to see students at least every other week on a short-term basis, but she said services would be expanded if more resources were available.

“It almost seems that no matter how many counselors we had, we would fill the openings,” Higgins said.

Higgins said handling these challenges is even more difficult for Truman given the University’s location.

She said most other campuses have more services available in the community, which can provide long-term support for students who need it. While UCS is intended to be a short-term

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solution, Higgins said it provides support as long as students need them.

Higgins said she thinks the administration understands the struggles students face and the importance of UCS in helping them. She said UCS would love more funding and would use it, but she recognizes it is not always possible.

“I have felt that we have been … as supported as strongly as is all possible with the budgetary restraints,” Higgins said.

One of the challenges that UCS faces is handling the negative public comments about the service it offers.

Higgins said she welcomes criticism and asks any students with concerns to visit her to express them. Higgins said she worries about students only focusing on the negative comments about UCS which could prevent them from seeking help there.

Junior Max Copeland is one student who decided to seek out criticisms of UCS after hearing about bad experiences from several friends. Copeland made a Facebook post several weeks before the start of the school year asking people to contact him about negative experiences they had at UCS. Copeland said he has created a report of what he received and plans to take it to UCS and the University President. Copeland said the most common complaint he received was about the wait time before the first appointment and then between appointments. Copeland said he also was told some students had financial issues in

affording to continue appointments, which cost $10 per session, according to the UCS site.

Copeland said the most common complaint he heard from students or alumni — specific to the actual counseling they received — was that sometimes counselors do not delve deep enough into the issues a student has.

University President Sue Thomas said she is always interested in hearing students’ concerns and what might be helpful in solving issues. Thomas said she wants to work with students to cause change, and she said while venting is healthy, it does not often lead to a productive result.

“I really want to engage in productive conversation,” Thomas said. “Just expressing a complaint doesn’t get us to where we need to be.”

Thomas said it’s important to know the root of students’ complaints and what can be done about them. Thomas said she knows and understands what the complaints are, and the University has been working on ways to better use its resources to have the biggest impact. She said Truman is looking hard at the support systems it offers and how it can make them as good as they can be.

“I want our campus to know that we are taking this outrageously seriously and are spending tons of time and energy in figuring out resources and figuring out partnerships and ways to work with others to provide the very best support possible,” Thomas said.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

[ Our View ] We’re all too accustomed to the first day of class when the professor explains their syllabus and the expectations for the class. One of the most varied expectations set by professors is the attendance policy.

On one end of the spectrum, there are professors who don’t allow any absences, and in contrast, there are professors who say attendance is optional and even reward students with extra credit for simply attending regularly.

We, the Truman Media Network Editorial Board, find it frustrating to deal with inconsistent policies.

It is difficult to be in a class with a professor who does not allow enough sick days for students. In reality, you get sick days when you’re in a career, so why are we not allowed sick days as students?

Professors have sick days and the opportunity to cancel class because of illness, and that affects more people than a single student’s absence.

In the same way, a student should not have to be concerned that they’ll fail a course because of an illness that forces them to miss a class or two. While attendance is important, it shouldn’t be so important that everyone else has to risk their health because someone with an illness is still coming to class.

On the flip side, it is frustrating to have a professor who does not make attendance to their classes a priority. Despite having those sick days available in your career, you’d never miss every day of work and still be successful. We pay for our education, and while we celebrate a canceled class as a break, a class which does not require attendance feels like a waste.

While we think it’s inconvenient to have hundreds of different attendance policies around campus, we also don’t think it’s something to be regulated and set campuswide. It doesn’t make sense for a Tuesday-Thursday class to allow the same number of absences as a Monday-Wednesday-Friday class.

In the same way, it doesn’t make sense for a class that meets once a week to be allowed the same number of absences as the previous two.

Perhaps the answer is having a set of policies professors can choose from based upon what they feel is acceptable and necessary for their class — several choices of attendance policies professors can choose from which would reflect the different needs of each class or professor.

Though, this still may not be good enough for professors who think their class needs to be held to different standards. It might be difficult, but we believe it is important to bring some uniformity to attendance policies at Truman.

Total eclipse result of God’s anger

BY KORBIN KELLER Staff Writer While many people across the nation “enjoyed” the heavenly display of the moon blocking out the sun, what was lost on many people was the apparent fact that this darkness during the daytime is a sign that God is mad at us about something.

While many so-called scientists say this is a perfectly natural phenomenon, the fact that the path of the eclipse cut right through the heart of the United States can only mean that we, as a nation, have done something truly awful to cause the wrath of the almighty.

Do not let naysayers deceive you — history is rife with examples of God’s displeasure resulting in a few minutes of darkness over the country. The solar eclipse in 1918 revealed God’s anger about the United States

participation in World War I, or possibly at the temperance movement, or maybe a show of delayed anger against the passage of the 16th Amendment. The last eclipse to pass over the state of Missouri was in 1869, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Perhaps this means God was angry at the inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant or the founding of the American Museum of Natural History. Or, possibly, God was angry with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad or the temperance movement again. It could be anything.

If this recent solar show tells us anything, it’s that we need to stop whatever it is we are doing right now — unless it was because we were not doing anything that lead to this in the first place, in which case, we need to start doing something. The list of what God could be angry at is exhausting, and to try and name it all would be very difficult.

Almost anything could be construed as God being mad at the United States.

It is a well-known fact that God cares so much about popular culture or policy issues within the United States that he would send some cosmic display of nature to express in not-so-subtle terms his displeasure with whatever it is he is mad about. What is it God could be mad about? I have heard several possible theories, ranging from his rage over multi-gendered bathrooms to the

EDITORIAL POLICY: The Index is published Thursdays during the academic year by students at Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501. The production offices are located in Barnett Hall 1200. 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 The 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 two-thirds majority vote. The Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editor, section editors, copy chief and assistant copy chief. 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.

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recent activities of the alt-right.

Maybe God is mad about the removal and vandalism of certain statues? Or perhaps it’s directed at the social injustice that exists and this is his condemnation on the 1 percent.

In the end, the reason doesn’t matter — God can be angry at whatever it is we say he is angry about. This solar eclipse is just a sign of his righteous fury against whatever political issue I feel I can pigeonhole the all powerful to be mad about.

Our entire culture must repent of our ways immediately, or face 1,000 years of darkness in the near future. Or maybe just another minute or two. I don’t know, it’s hard to tell when it comes to discerning the will of an all-powerful, cosmic being and exactly what is causing his displeasure. So without any explicitly stated reason, I think it’s well within our power to make one up. For me, I discern that God is angry about the unnecessarily high number of Hollywood remakes and reboots — which is obvious in that we have seen an equal increase in both Hollywood reboots and total solar eclipses in recent years — and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. We must repent from our ways, lest we tempt fate again!

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The Index

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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NEWS IN BRIEF GILCHRIST POSTPONES RETIREMENT Lou Ann Gilchrist has postponed her retirement to serve as the vice president of student affairs for the fall 2017 semester after a search for a new vice president in the beginning of the summer yielded no results. A new search will open in the coming weeks.

FOUNDATION LOAN PROGRAM Student loans are available to students who qualify through the Truman State University Foundation loan program. Loans can come in shortterm and long-term forms, as well as cultural forms for students who want to study abroad. This loan program is directly impacted by donations to the Truman State University Foundation.

TRUMAN EARNS HIGHEST RANK TRUMAN ALUMNA SPEAKS TO UNITED NATIONS Truman State University was ranked the No. 1 Missouri school on the college consensus list and was the only public university listed in the top 5. Truman was also included in “The Best 382 Colleges” in The Princeton Review, a guidebook which includes only 15 percent of America’s universities.

BASEBALL EARNS HIGH ACADEMIC MARKS

Truman State University alumna Michaela Hylen spoke at the United Nations this summer after winning an essay contest. Of 2,000 students in 170 countries, Hylen was one of 60 given the opportunity to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in Boston and New York City on an all-expensepaid trip.

TRUMAN SCULPTURE MOVES

The American Baseball Coaches Association honored Head Coach Dan Davis and the Truman State University baseball team with the Team Academic Excellence Award. The Bulldogs were one of 34 Div. II teams to exceed a 3.0 grade point average.

The octopus sculpture created by students in the Introduction to Visual Arts class was recently moved to Ellis-Porter Park in Jefferson City, MO. Class instructor Danielle Yakle worked with junior Brenden Harrison and Jefferson City landscape planner Andy Carroll to situate the sculpture in its new home.

Truman Days opens semester

All photos by Bethany Travis/TMN

Upper left: The Ridiculous Relays team from West Campus Suites celebrates during the Truman Days event.

Truman Days began Wednesday, Aug. 16 with freshman move-in day and continued throughout the rest of the week and during the weekend.

Above: Ridiculous Relays were hosted at the Student Recreation Center instead of their usual location, Stokes Stadium. Teams from each residence hall competed for points in a number of categories throughout Truman Days — the residence hall that scored the most points throughout the week earned the College Cup Left: The team from Blanton-Nason-Brewer Hall performs their lip sync act in Baldwin Auditorium. The BNB team would go on to win the College Cup. Commuter students joined the BNB team.

Bottom: Residence Life Director John Gardener streams a video to Facebook from Baldwin Auditorium. Truman Days culminated with the Big Truman Show in Baldwin Auditorium, which included trivia and lip sync.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

SCHOLARSHIPS | Consultants evaluating RENOVATIONS | Misawards to new students, current student souri Hall and BNB scholarships will not be changed getting upgrades

Photo by Bethany Travis/TMN Dave Rector, vice president for administration, finance and planning, speaks at the Strategic Planning and Assessment Workshop Aug. 18. The state of the scholarship budget was discussed at another workshop.

Continued from page 1 Rector said for this school year, Truman has a scholarship budget of about $21.8 million — which accounts for about 22 percent of the overall University budget. This figure includes academic and athletic scholarships. Rector said Truman has used a significant portion of the budget for student aid for many years.

“Depending on how you look at it, we give back quite a lot of the tuition money in scholarships,” Rector said. “The question is, can you sustain that when you have reduced state revenue?”

Rector said it was too early to tell whether or not the scholarship budget would be cut in the future, though the goal would be to reduce the amount of money the University devotes to scholarships. The consultations are developing a model and report that will show what options are available, and then it will be determined if funds should be distributed differently. Rector said there is a possibility not much can be done to save money.

Regina Morin, vice president of enrollment management, said there are limited scholarship dollars that can be used while trying to maintain Truman’s learning environment. She said the University is always looking at how it more efficiently distribute aid and build more diversity among the student body.

“We are a university that just says, ‘how can we do this better?’” Morin said. “That’s just sort of in the DNA here.”

Morin said ethnic diversity is very important, but diversity in gender, majors and geography is also essential to the liberal arts experience. She said conversations between students who have different perspectives are important to maintain the learning environment at Truman.

Morin said there is a nationwide decrease in high school graduates, especially in the Northeastern states — citing data from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. She said the decrease in Missouri and surrounding states is projected to reach 6-8 percent. This combined with the desire to maintain a diverse learning environments presents new challenges when working to enroll new students. Additionally, Morin said Truman is in a difficult position

because it competes for students with every type of institution, which makes it harder to target marketing at key groups of prospective students.

In light of these factors, Morin said the decision was made to bring in consultants. The consultants’ goal is to distribute the limited scholarship funds so that students are benefiting while the needs of the University are also met.

“That’s really what the whole project was about,” Morin said. “Realizing we only have so many dollars we can leverage — and how do we best do that to help students in the best way, but to also build this student body that helps everyone?”

Morin said the consultants were provided with a lot of information about Truman before they visited campus, including academic and FAFSA details. The goal of this information was to give the consultants a good sense of Truman as an institution.

Morin said it was good to get an unbiased perspective from the consultants. The consultants presented a lot of data during a preliminary meeting Aug. 3, but the final recommendations are not ready. Morin said University President Sue Thomas told the consultants before the process began the University was aiming to stay about the same size as it is now and at the same level of high-quality of education. She said the University also wants to have a diverse and well-rounded student body.

Director of Admission Melody Chambers said the consultants met with upper-level administration and gave recommendations. Going forward, Chambers said, a small group will be formed to consider the recommendations and analyze more data to make decisions about the scholarship programs within the next year.

Chambers said this concept applies to needbased and merit-based aid administered through the financial aid and admissions offices respectively. Chambers also said potential future students would have to be aware of changes that could be made from what is currently on the admissions department’s printed materials.

“In general, there is a desire to ensure that we’re really looking at helping direct resources to where the need is greatest for students,” Chambers said.

Continued from page 1 The original press box was built in the 1960s, and Schultz said it had not been updated since it was built.

The new press box will include hospitality suites, coach’s boxes and media rooms. A new general control room will also be added, as well as lobby space, restrooms and elevators. Schultz said this was a vast improvement over the old, deteriorating, wooden press box.

“The press box was just embarrassing,” Schultz said. “High school press boxes are better equipped than that one was.”

Schultz said the carpet and paint in Baldwin Hall will need to be replaced in about 10 years, while mechanical components will last about 30 years. He said this means no major renovation will be necessary for Baldwin Hall for the next 30 to 40 years. As far as Stokes Stadium goes, Schultz said the lifespan of the turf is about 10 years, and the track will last 15-20 years.

Schultz said the roof of BNB was replaced. He said the Campus Planning Office isn’t planning any more renovations for the near future because the Missouri Hall dining hall renovation would be contracted through Sodexo.

Justin Dreslinski, Sodexo general manager, said the Missouri Hall renovation will include aesthetic and infrastructure upgrades. The process started with a concept presentation and review in June, and the Board of Governors approved the project in early August. Dreslinski said the project would cost $4.3 million, and all the money would come from the dining program.

Dreslinski said the renovations would add a grease trap and HVAC system to the kitchen and would update the drain line and gas service. Outside the kitchen, a salad bar and vegetarian station will be placed in the dining area, and there will be a new “My Kitchen” area, which will be interactive and incorporate seating around the cooking area.

“It needs a facelift — ­ It was time,” Dreslinski said.

“Not only for aesthetics, but for functionality purposes.”

Dreslinski said the project would be done during summer 2018 to be ready for the 2018-2019 school year.

Director of Admission Melody Chambers said when prospective students and families are visiting, they recognize and comment on buildings and maintenance.

She said students like to see a comfortable, well-maintained environment where they can focus on their education, even if not all the buildings are brand new.

“It always is a positive for visiting families to see that the institution is investing in the physical environment of the campus,” Chambers said. “Students are looking at this being their new home.”

Chambers said there is an ongoing movement to maintain positive physical facilities on campus. She said cosmetic updates are very easy to see and often affect how people feel in an environment, but the underlying infrastructure systems can be more expensive to update and less visible.

Chambers said the renovations in the residence halls and upgrades in technology have had a positive impact on the way people perceive the University. She said residence halls tend to have a larger impact because of the effect it has on students’ dayto-day lives.

“Feeling like they’re in a place that’s cared about also conveys that students are cared about,” Chambers said.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Community Looks Further To Expand Autistic Resources

7

BY KIRA HINTZ Staff Writer

Despite a demonstrated need from the Kirksville community for Truman State University’s Greenwood School Autism Center, renovation of the building continues to stall because of a lack of funding from the state.

Janet Gooch, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, said Truman purchased the former elementary school in 1999 and used it as a storage space until former University President Troy Paino proposed to use the space as an autism center. Gooch said the center was going to offer inter-professional approaches for helping individuals eighteen and younger, and their families, with autism and other neurological conditions.

Gooch said Truman has consulted with medical partners like A.T. Still University and Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine about the center as well as the Kirksville R-III school district. Gooch said it was important to get everyone in the community behind the project because there is a significant public need for an autism center in town.

Despite initially receiving $1.5 million for the center, Gooch said Gov. Eric Greitens decided to withhold the remaining funding. Gooch said the new funding plan involved Greitens giving the center an additional $1.5 million, which would be spread out over a time period.

Though funding for the center has been complicated, Gooch said she doesn’t blame Greitens for his decision regarding the project.

“He’s a new governor, and I think he needs to figure out what is necessary for the state,” Gooch said. “Of course, I would have loved to see [the state] come into our community and to assist people in need, but I’m really not qualified to say whether that was a good decision or a bad decision because I really don’t understand the fiscal responsibilities that he needs to complete as governor.

The promise to fund the Greenwood project came from [Nixon], before Greitens, and every governor needs to decide how they’re going to prioritize the state budget.”

Though Paino was successful in obtaining a sum amount of funding from the state, Gooch said the total cost to fund the project amounted to $5.5 million, which the University did not receive. Gooch said the initial $1.5 million the project received was used toward hiring an architectural firm to plan the renovation of Greenwood.

The plans for the building have been finished, Gooch said, but the problem is the project and Truman don’t have the additional funding to start the construction.

Gooch said the $1.5 million went toward remodeling fundamentals in Greenwood like a new heating and cooling system, windows, walls, carpeting, brick work, elevators and handicap-accessible bathrooms. Gooch said the finished building would contain areas for diagnostic work as well as classroom space and smaller clinical rooms for patients to be seen individually.

The center would provide more than diagnostic services, Gooch said, with occupational and physical therapy services as well. Gooch said programs like family therapy, education on autism for the community, and education for professionals who work with autism would also be available.

Gooch said Truman always knew it was possible the money the state promised might not go through. Funding the center is still a possibility, she said, but Truman will just have to find different ways to raise the money. Gooch said some options include seeking private donations and grants and asking Greitens for another appeal.

The need for autism services in Kirksville and Northeast Missouri is high, Gooch said — especially since Columbia, about 90 miles away, is the closest place for autistic services.

“Cost is always a factor,” Gooch said. “There’s a lot of families who really can’t afford a drive to and from Columbia on a routine basis, and it’s a hardship because parents would have to take off work and all that.”

The center has only received positive support from the Kirksville community, Gooch said. Gooch said an autism center is still a feasible idea, and people should not lose hope.

Photos by Austin Dellamano/TMN The old Greenwood Elementary School is on Haliburton Street just northeast of Truman’s campus.

Gov. Eric Greitens withheld funding for renovating the building and make it an autism center.

While the L.I.F.E Ability Center has not been directly involved with the Greenwood school project, its coordinator Kim Baker said LAC is still interested in eventually collaborating with the center because LAC doesn’t provide any clinical therapy. Baker said LAC could offer the center its resources and could help identify clients for them to work with.

While having an autism center has several positive aspects, Baker said one key benefit is it could help change the stigma that sometimes surrounds autism. Baker said all the center would have to do is encourage people with disabilities and people without disabilities to get to know one another. Helping introduce the general public to autism and other disabilities is important, Baker said, as well as promoting inclusiveness, support and awareness.

Baker said one of the most common misconceptions she’s experienced is underestimating the capability of someone with autism and not understanding their behavior.

“I think a lot of times people try to stop self-stimulatory behaviors and other things [autistic] people use to self soothe,” Baker said. “Rather than trying to stop those behaviors, people need to look and see why the person is using that behavior. And that’s not really a bad thing— that’s how they calm themselves down— and it’s not something to be punished [for] or [gotten] rid of.”

Baker said she’s unsure if autistic needs are being met by the community, but the services can always be improved. She said that while Kirksville offers many disability services, its population of people with autism would benefit from services specifically tailored to their needs. Baker said if people aren’t in support of disability education and therapy, then they probably haven’t been exposed to autism yet and haven’t seen the abilities those people have.

Baker said she wants to help those in the community

with autism live their best life, make their own goals and work competitively in the community.

Baker said she and LAC will continue to support the center, and she said having a center would be great because it would offer different resources than LAC. Jaxon Laudwig, a frequent LAC attendee, said he supports the idea of an autism center and the change it could bring. Laudwig said it could be fun for participants at the center, teach the public more about autism, and bring a lot of good to the Kirksville community as well. Laudwig said the center could also teach important lessons of how to interact with autistic people through observation.

Laudwig said living with autism and interacting with people in a small town like Kirksville has mostly been positive.

“It’s had its ups and downs, but it’s been pretty good so far,” Laudwig said. “[At my school] they had private tutoring and some methods of teaching [to] help with certain stressors [and] ways of calming down. There were a few times when people weren’t quite as nice, but there were some other times when more often people were friendly. Sometimes, I feel like the people around here get bullied because they’re different— but hey, it’s our differences that make our world unique— so I think maybe at least a little bit more attention [to autism] is in order.”

One of the biggest things people misunderstand about autism, Laudwig said, is the behaviors and just how complex they are. Laudwig said autistic programming and education should be a priority, especially considering more extreme cases of autism. Laudwig said people miss out on what those with autism have to offer. If people got to know autistic individuals better, Laudwig said people could have the opportunity to see the special talents that people with autism have.

The L.I.F.E Ability Center is located at 1107 Country Club Drive. The Center is intended for community members with varying skill sets, abilities or disabilities to interact with one another.

VOLUME 109

ISSUE 2

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The Index

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Truman community mourns loss of Josh Thomas

BY BRENTLY SNEAD Managing Editor “We didn’t talk much on the way back, but I wish we had,” sophomore Danielle Nahm said.

“We got back at around 2 a.m. and as we headed upstairs to our rooms I told him I’d see him later, not knowing that was the last time I would ever, or anyone would ever, see or talk to him.”

Nahm was a friend of Josh Thomas, a junior business administration major in his first year at Truman who took his own life April 6, 2017. She said though they were not terribly close, she is glad to have been Josh’s friend.

Nahm spent April 5 with Thomas on a trip to St. Louis and said that it was one of the best days of her life. She said she and Thomas sang Panic! at the Disco songs together, and the day had been blissful.

Nahm said Thomas had told her beforehand that one song he really wanted to hear was “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. She said when Panic! at the Disco played it, they both screamed the lyrics with the rest of the crowd.

Nahm said following the concert, they talked about how incredible the night was, and they were feeling happy. She said as they drove back to Kirksville, Josh put on more music and she dozed off.

Nahm said when they returned to campus, she Photo submitted by Michael Thomas and Thomas told each other good night and went their separate ways. She said it was only a few Josh Thomas and father Michael Thomas hold up Truman State University pennants in Josh’s room. Michael said hours later that someone was bangng on her door he was proud to have his son follow in his footsteps and become a Bulldog. to tell her the news.

Nahm said hardly a day goes by without her for just the two of them, Michael said. now, Cluney said. She said he also wanted to let thinking about Josh and how he used to show up Katherine said one memory that stuck out to her know that the hash browns in Centennial Hall at her door with something to say. her was when Josh woke her up at 6 a.m. and told were still awesome.

“I’ll never be able to forget his personality and how her that he couldn’t sleep and that they should Cluney said she remembers when Josh was young, full of life he always was,” Nahm said. “He and she took him to the St. Louis Zoo. was truly like no other, and if you knew him, She said the two of them never left you know exactly what I’m talking about.” the petting zoo because Josh didn’t Thomas graduated in 2016 from Fort want the goats to be lonely.

Zumwalt East in St. Peters, Missouri, and “Josh was sweet, kind and hilarious completed enough college courses to enter and so, so loved by many,” Cluney college as a junior. During high school, said. “He was all that is good and Thomas was part of the football, wrestling, awesome and truly was our ‘Golden volleyball, track and cross country teams One.’ That’s how I’d like for him and was involved in the student council. to be remembered. That’s what I’d Thomas was the son of Michael and want everyone to know.”

Suzanne Thomas, and the older brother One of Josh’s best friends was Rachael to Caleb, 14, and Katherine, 12. Josh Beckerman, who said Josh’s personality followed in his father’s footsteps when he was best described as audacious. chose to be a Bulldog. Michael said Josh’s “Josh had never been afraid to decision to attend Truman was another speak his mind and let his opinion bonding experience for them. be known,” Beckerman said. “He Though many knew Josh as a member was never afraid to make new of Truman’s Alpha Kappa Lambda chapter, friends and face new challenges. it was not the only fraternity he was a part He was never afraid to display a of. When he was 16, Josh became a part of huge personality and be whoever he the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish wanted to be at any given time.”

Catholic fraternity.

Beckerman said prior to “Not wanting [Josh] to go alone, [we] becoming friends with Josh, she joined during his junior year, making him not was a relatively shy person. She just the youngest member in our division, but said that changed after meeting him the youngest member in the state of Missouri,” because he had the ability to break Michael said. “Not content to just being a her shell, and she began mimicking member, Josh jumped in with both feet and his actions. really became involved. He was voted our Beckerman said Josh was always division’s historian and volunteered at the worrying about others and wasn’t Photo submitted by Rachel Beckerman Hibernian’s trivia night and green tie dinner.” afraid to point out when something One of Josh’s proudest moments was Thomas and Beckerman, along with their friend Ethan, pose for a photo taken wasn’t going right. writing and presenting a speech at Calvary before their high school homecoming dance for a mixtape they worked on “Josh was also always a very blunt Cemetery in St. Louis for the 99th Anniversary together. Beckerman said Thomas was never afraid to speak his mind and and honest person,” Beckerman of the Easter Rising in Ireland, Michael helped her break out of her shell when they became friends. said. “He was concerned for his said. Despite the division being full of civic friends, and liked to let people know leaders and older more experienced members, the go to IHOP. Katherine said the two went and had when they could fix something, be helped, or if responsibility fell to Josh, Michael said. breakfast together and just talked. Michael said he could do anything else to improve the lives of Caleb said some of his fondest memories with this was a story he had only recently heard about, those he cared about.”

Josh were what Josh called “Brother Days.” Caleb but it didn’t surprise him because Josh was known said there was one day each year during summer for being spontaneous. vacation when Josh would take him out to a movie Leslie Cluney, Josh’s aunt, who also attended and dinner. Despite being five years apart and Truman, said she was proud to see Josh following having different interests, Caleb always looked up in her footsteps. Josh called her while at school to Josh and thought it was a special time set aside to rub it in that there’s a Starbucks on campus

Photos submitted by Leslie Cluney Left: Josh poses for a photo with his mother, Susan Thomas, after his high school graduation ceremony and his mother’s associate’s degree graduation. Thomas graduated from Fort Zumwalt East High School in St. Peters, Missouri and completed enough college courses to enter college as a junior.

Right: Thomas poses with Stitch from the film “Lilo & Stitch.” Leslie Cluney, Thomas’ aunt, said he adored Stitch.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

The Index

Solar eclipse brings learning opportunities and economic boost to Kirksville

Photo by Austin Dellamano/TMN A solar eclipse with full totality forms in Columbia, Missouri, for about two minutes. The eclipse moved from northwest to southeast across the United States on Aug. 21 and was visible in many locations, which would have included Kirksville had the skies not been cloudy.

BY RACHEL FECHTER Features Text Editor

Truman State University students and Kirksville citizens gathered beneath a gray Kirksville sky at locations across campus and town to view the Great American Eclipse — even if it was only visible for a few short minutes before disappearing behind storm clouds.

Despite the obstruction of the eclipse with 98.5 percent totality that passed over town, it still encouraged the community to pay better attention to outer space, and it brought more people to Kirksville.

The Stargazers Club and The Del And Norma Robison Planetarium worked in conjunction with each other, and placed solar telescopes at Moberly Area Community College, Adair County Public Library, Kirksville elementary school, and on Truman’s campus at The Mall while also opening the observatory at the University Farm for public use to enhance the view of the eclipse. While these telescopes quickly had to be removed as inclimate weather approached, the planetarium was still able to use their facility to run eclipse simulations. They went forward and backward in time as well as changed location to different towns in the path of totality. The planetarium also livestreamed videos of NASA’s nationwide eclipse coverage.

NASA had continuous coverage of the event from start to finish.

All of these activities made the planetarium a “one stop shop for eclipse viewing,” Planetarium Director Jared Young said.

Young, who has been working for the planetarium since 2014, said he hopes the eclipse

will motivate members of Truman and Kirksville communities to have a continued interest in space and what the Stargazers Club and the planetarium are doing.

Young said the eclipse caught the attention of many people across the country because of its rarity.

“It’s a change in the day, and that in itself is exciting,” Young said. “It’s not every day that the sun gets blocked out by another celestial object. When you think about what it takes to make a solar eclipse, this is huge … It’s something that happens in na-

humbling experience, and I think you learn to appreciate nature a little bit more and just everything that’s happening on Earth and everything that lives on Earth.”

In addition to teaching the community more about space, the eclipse also served as a way to boost the Kirksville economy.

Even though Kirksville was not in the line of totality for the eclipse, Kirksville Tourism Director Debi Boughton said the eclipse created a great opportunity to advertise in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Boughton said the tourism office wanted to cater to people in those

Photo by Rachel Fechter/TMN Truman students and Kirksville community members gather on The Mall outside the Student Union Building to try and view the eclipse. Around 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. spectators were able to get glimpses of the eclipse with their glasses before the cloudy skies and stormy weather set in.

ture, and it just so happens it’s pretty neat to look at.”

Stargazers Club President junior Tatsu Akiba said an eclipse is an event everyone can appreciate, and not just those invested in astronomy or physics, because it is a way to view the sun in a way most people are not used to.

“I think non-astronomy people would still be able to appreciate just how pretty the eclipse is,” Akiba said. It’s a

states passing through Kirksville to get to places with full totality like Columbia, St. Louis, or Kansas City or to those wanting to view 98.5 percent totality in Kirksville rather than a lower totality they’d experience in their home towns.

Boughton said all hotel rooms in Kirksville were booked for the night of Aug. 21, and she said her hope was a lot of people driving back north after the eclipse would

9

pass through Kirksville around dinner time and stop to eat.

“I hope as tourism director to have people who want to stay all night here in our hotels,” Boughton said. “Hopefully they’ll stop at our restaurants and spend some money here in town and buy some gasoline on their way back north, so it will be a good economic benefit too. Every time we have an event here, it’s a good opportunity to put Kirksville on the map.”

In addition to the traction the eclipse brought to Kirksville, one conflict rose when it became clear the eclipse was going to happen on the first day of classes for Truman students.

Janet Gooch, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, said Truman administration considered canceling the first day of classes. Truman administration decided to continue the first day of classes as scheduled because they wanted to give students an opportunity to experience the eclipse on campus.

Despite not canceling classes, Gooch said Truman administration encouraged professors to show flexibility toward students wanting to view the eclipse and sent out an email listing ways professors could incorporate the eclipse into their classes if they did not want to cancel class.

“Truman’s motivation was to provide some opportunities for our students on campus while providing some flexibility for students that would want to go see the eclipse in the path of totality,” Gooch said.

“We did consider canceling class, but we wanted to provide some learning opportunities for our own students who were here.”

The next solar eclipses expected to pass through the Kirksville area will include an eclipse in October 2023 with about 50 percent totality and an eclipse in April 2024 with about 90 percent totality, according to Astronomy Professor Vayujeet Gokhale. While Kirksville spectators may have been unsuccessful in viewing the most recent eclipse, in another six or seven years Kirksville spectators will have another chance to see a partial or total eclipse.

Photos by Rachel Fechter/TMN Top Left: Physics and astronomy professor Vayujeet Gokhale helps the Stargazers Club set up telescopes on The Mall. The Stargazers Club also set up telescopes at Moberly Area Community College, Adair County Public Library, Kirksville elementary school and the Truman observatory.

Top Right: Students gather by the fountain with their friends in preparation of the eclipse. In addition to telescopes, there was also juice and moon pies offered to spectators.

Bottom Left: Students take shelter under the side walkway next to Pickler as rain begins to fall. These students, among other spectators, lingered in case the sky cleared up and the eclipse became visible again.

Bottom Right: Student brave the rain and travel across The Mall. While some spectators stayed behind in the hopes of viewing 98.5 percent totality around 1:11 p.m. while others retreated to the planetarium for other eclipse viewing festivities.

The Index

10

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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“I’m looking forward to my animation class. Art has always been a really big part of my life, and I’m trying to absorb as much as I can.”

“Probably a comedian like Will Ferrell just because I think Will Ferrell is a god. He’s hilarious.”

“I came from St. Louis, and people talk about how small [Kirksville] is, but it doesn’t seem small. It feels like there’s stuff to do.”

“My plant taxonomy class.

It sounds boring, but I’m interested in plants and gardening and anxious to learn.”

“I don’t have specific people but I’d like to see political candidates and political thinkers.”

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“I was most surprised by how nice the drivers were here. I’m from Dallas, and the drivers are not nice there. I think it’s a rural thing.”

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“I’m looking forward to my sociology class. I took psych in high school but not sociology.”

“I really like this newer band called The Record Company.

All their songs sound really different which I feel like is a challenge today.”

“I was surprised that there was more town options than I expected. There’s a lot of establishments and restaurants.”

“Structure of History in Romance Languages.

That’s going to be the bomb. I transferred to Truman because they offered linguistics, and it will be my first linguistics class, and I’m excited for it.”

“A hypnotist — a hypnotist came to my other school and it was really cool.”

“I’m from Tennessee, so all the corn, and it’s really small.”

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Multiple Styles Available Now Visit www.gliks.com to find your nearest location

THURSDAY AUGUST 24, 2017

The Index

Truman swims for a cause

BY JEREMY JACOB Sports Multimedia Editor

The Truman State University swimmers are transitioning from the pool to open water for their inaugural participation in the Swim Across America Open Water Swim Aug. 26 in St. Louis at the Innsbrook Resort. All the money swimmers raise leading up to the event will fund the Siteman Cancer Center, located on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis.

Each swimmer is required to raise at least $300 before they jump in the water of Alpine Lake to swim half a mile, 1.2 miles or 2.4 miles. The history of Swim Across America spans back to 1987 — inspired by Run Across America — while the Open Water Swim at Innsbrook Resort is only two years old. Swimmers of all ages have the option of swimming individually or in a team that consists of at least three swimmers, which is what Truman will do to make the experience even more rewarding.

“It is a good team bonding experience before the real season starts,” Head Coach Ed Pretre said.

Pretre said he was convinced that Truman should participate after a conversation he had with his old coach Craig Beardsley — a former Olympian — who is involved with the organization. Pretre said he thought this was a golden opportunity to create awareness for funding cancer research in the St. Louis area.

Pretre said he has been involved in Swim Across America events prior to this year when he was a coach at East Carolina University. He said it will be different this time because his previous school participated in a pool swim while this will be an open water swim.

Pretre said this will be a fun and relaxing experience because they’ll be swimming for a worthy cause. He said because cancer is so common in the world today that it has affected or will affect everyone in some way. Pretre said every dollar each swimmer raises will make a difference in finding a cure.

“If no one on our team has now, they’re going to have to [deal with cancer] eventually,” Pretre said.

Senior captain Jasmine Roghair said while she had not heard about Swim Across America before, she is excited for the opportunity, as the team discussed doing more volunteer work after last semester. Roghair said the team has raised money for the swimming program before, but this will be a new experience that will give back to the community.

Roghair said she does not have personal motivation to swim in this event, but she is cognizant of stories that are out there and has seen afflicted children in the hospital as part of her premed volunteer work.

“Almost everyone knows someone that’s been affected,” Roghair said. “Any change or difference that we can make, I’m excited to be able to do it.”

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“Truman State Swimming” Roghair said she loves open water swimming because of her ability and experience in covering long distances. She said pace and mental commitment are important factors in open water swimming.

She said she and her teammates will have to be aware of the lack of visibility far ahead and below water level that comes with swimming in a lake.

Roghair said the team has reached out to friends and family to reach the $300 minimum and will eventually post a fundraising page on social media. She said collecting the money for cancer research makes this upcoming experience worthwhile, but she also said the event will bring the team even closer together.

Junior Caleb Kruse said he is personally motivated to swim as his mother had breast cancer in 2010. Kruse said Swim Across America donates proceeds from the event to organizations that help people with breast cancer, so he said he wants to give back to prevent other people from enduring a similar situation.

“Every little thing that you can do to help others will make a difference,” Kruse said.

Kruse said he is looking forward to the relaxed and noncompetitive atmosphere of the event and being able to participate in an open water swim. Kruse said he is typically a sprint swimmer, and his races end

much sooner than those of a marathon swimmer.

Kruse said the team has done open water practices before at Thousand Hills State Park, so this will not be unmarked territory for them. He said everyone will have to keep their heads partially above water and stay close to make sure other swimmers do not stray off course.

Kruse said it is impossible to not have fun at an event like this because it is for an important cause, and he will be able to swim with his teammates.

“Our team is extremely close, and we hang out all the time,” Kruse said. “The fact that we’re all doing this together makes it even more special.”

Cross Country teams look to freshmen to replace lost seniors

Submitted by Truman Athletics

The men will bring five freshmen into the fold to complement their standout redshirt senior Brice Pavey, pictured in the middle. The women will go forward this year without their standout senior Laura Tarantino.

BY BROOKE BAILEY Staff Writer Tuman State University men’s cross country looks to top runner and redshirt senior Brice Pavey to lead the team this year.

Junior Keegan Walsh said the team goals for the season are to improve individual times and to place top five in the conference.

“This is the year to do it with Brice Pavey on his last year and the core group at its healthiest and strongest,” Walsh said.

The men graduated two seniors last year, Andrew Gordon and Daniel Aiken, and finished 8th at the GLVC meet and 18th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Head Coach Tim Schwegler is entering his fourth year with the Bulldogs. He said five freshmen are joining the men’s team including Bryan Chac and Branden Schaff. He said they will need some college race exposure, but he said he has high expectations for them to be ready by the conference meet.

Truman women’s cross country looks to have another good season after finishing 5th at the GLVC conference meet and 15th at the NCAA Midwest Regional during

last season. Standout senior Laura Tarantino led the team after taking 5th and 18th place, respectively.

“You don’t replace a Laura Tarantino, but we think we can recreate her with the incoming freshmen we have,” Schwegler said.

Five freshmen joined the team this year — three were at the top of their state in high school. Gemma Saathoff was the 4th best cross country runner in Missouri, Emma Harrelson was the 25th in Illinois, along with Kelly Doerr, who was the 60th in Illinois. In addition to the five new women to campus, redshirt sophomore Taylor Burlis joins the team after solely being a track and field athlete. Schwegler said with the new additions, if the returners step up to the challenge, they could be a good team again this year.

Sophomore Courtney Bakken said the meet to watch is the GLVC conference meet.

This year, Truman is hosting the meet Oct. 21 at the Kirksville Country Club. Bakken said she’s hoping Truman students will come out and cheer them on to another top finish.

The ‘Dogs start their season at the Lindenwood Dual — also known as the “Dog and Cat Fight” on Aug. 31. The winner of the meet brings home the “Dog and Cat Fight Cup” and bragging rights for the season.

12

The Index

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Photo by Rachel Steinhoff/TMN Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jaden Barr hurls a pass over the heads of blocking offensive linemen in Saturday’s open scrimmage. Although the scrimmage was non-tackle, first, second and third string roster members spent about two hours repping situational play in preparation for opening day next week.

Eyes turned to opening week

BY ASHLEY MURPHY STAFF WRITER With September quickly approaching, the anticipation for football is finally coming to an end. Taking its place is the excitement of what a new season will bring as the Truman State University Bulldogs return to the field crowned as the reigning GLVC Champions. The team will lace up for their season opener Thursday, Aug. 31, when they face-off against NCAA regional opponent Michigan Technological University.

The Huskies finished the 2016 season with a record of 4-6, ranked 6th in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll for the 2017 season.

The Truman football team leaves early Wednesday morning to make the nearly 13 hour bus ride north to Houghton, Michigan, returning Friday afternoon after the work is done. When discussing the travel plans, Head Coach Gregg Nesbitt said the weekday game is somewhat of a logistical problem, and he said the real challenge for the men will be getting back in the saddle academically.

While the trip appears daunting, the team is eager to get out onto the field and see what kind of magic it can work this year.

“We’ve got 21 total [practices] before we play,” Nesbitt said. “We are 12 practices in, and our guys could arguably be ready to play in three or four days. We are progressing nicely. They are ready to compete and see where they are at.”

On the defensive side of football, senior defensive back Ben Chaney can attest to the promise the defensive team has been showing during fall camp.

Chaney said the main point of emphasis has been third down defense — an area he said the team has done a phenomenal job of executing thus far.

“I think our big thing is not getting too confident because we feel really good about our defense,” Chaney said. “There is still a lot to work on, so we don’t want to get complacent. We have a week and a half, so we want to continue to get better in every facet of the game.”

Chaney said the team takes small steps in the right direction every day, which are victories in themselves.

Photo by Rachel Steinhoff/TMN Senior wide receiver Jordan Jorgenson elevates over a defender to receive a touchdown pass during redzone practice at Saturday’s scrimmage. Jorgenson tallied 20 catches for 194 yards last season.

Kellen Nesbitt, assistant coach and defensive coordinator, complimented the defense and an arising group of leaders that have emerged throughout fall camp. “[Defensive back] Jordan Brown, on his senior season, is definitely exerting himself as a leader,” Kellen said.

“Linebackers [junior] Justin Mikeworth and [senior] Ben Wellman are doing really good. Certainly [sophomore defensive lineman] Sam Reeves coming off of being player of the year — he’s a real enforcer for us up there — and he’s providing some really good leadership as well.”

These returners have been a driving factor behind an impressive era of Truman defense — a defense

earning national rankings under Kellen’s direction since 2014. The ‘Dogs were 7th in Div. II in redzone last year and ranked in the top 35 nationally in four major categories in 2015 — this year’s leaders having played substantial roles both years.

Kellen also complimented the opposite side of the team, an offense that challenges his defense each day.

Kellen said the offense has quality leaders of their own.

“The quarterback play is an incumbent — a kid coming back — [redshirt sophomore] Jaden Barr, that really gives you hope,” Kellen said. “He’s playing so much faster cognitively, and he’s a really quality athlete. [Redshirt freshman] Dan Zigler, another quarterback, has done a good job. That’s a good place to start on offense.”

Kellen said he sees chemistry in the offensive line, strong young running backs and a great overall focus on both sides of the ball to repeat and perfect everything down to the details.

“Certainly off of a league championship, this group is definitely trying to raise the bar even more,” Kellen said. “They’re talking about another championship, they’re talking about national playoffs and sometimes those little details can make a huge difference.”

In addition to upperclassmen leaders on the field, a few newcomers may have an opportunity to step into impactful roles right away. Kellen mentioned freshmen running back Jaylen Jefferson, cornerback Zavian Hill and defensive tackle Michael Neisler as a few of the newcomers who could be competing for playing time this season.

Barr, 2016 GLVC Freshman of the Year, said the team will begin watching film on Michigan Tech this week and preparing to face off against the regional opponent.

“It’s never about our opponent,” Barr said. “It’s more about us and what we do and how we do it. Obviously, we’re gonna prepare and watch a lot of film, and know how to attack them properly, but at the end of the day it comes down to how we execute and what we can do.”

“They’re talking about another championship, they’re talking about national playoffs...”

- Assistant coach and defensive coordinator Kellen Nesbitt

Photo by Rachel Steinhoff/TMN Sophomore wide receiver Monty Sharpe II and sophmore defensive back Lawrence Woods go one on one down the sideline looking for a pass. The scrimmage was live preparation for opening day, Thursday, Aug. 31.

The Bulldogs hope to come home from Michigan Tech with their first victory of the 2017 season. Barr said establishing the run game will be the ‘Dogs first key on the offensive side. Barr said movement helps open up passing game and makes throwing lanes a lot bigger.

A complete lineup for the season has not been set in stone yet, and this first game will be a great opportunity to see how players respond during high-pressure situations. The ‘Dogs kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, in Houghton, Michigan.

The Index

THURSDAY AUGUST 24, 2017

13

Women’s soccer plays its first competition of year

After a week of practices, the women’s soccer team played its first scrimmage Friday, Aug. 18 against Missouri Valley College. They hope to be ready for their first regular season game a week later at Ashland University.

Senior midfielder Megan Oostendorp and redshirt freshman Hanna Liljegren position the defense. The Bulldogs look to have good defense again.

Photos submitted by Stephanie Hulett/TMN Freshman midfielder Chance Douglass pursues the ball in possession of

a Missouri Valley College player. She and the other freshmen hope to Freshman midfielder Paige Peterson rises for a header attempt. She is qualify for nationals like in previous seasons. one of the seven new freshmen for Head Coach Mike Cannon.

New standard for young squad of reigning GLVC Champions

BY PAUL PROVINCE AND PATRICK PARDO Staff Writers Unexpectedly, 2016 was a championship-winning year for Truman State University volleyball. Entering the season in what experts predicted would be a rebuilding year for the young squad, the team said they knew they would need some of the six freshmen to step into big roles. Because the freshmen did just that, last season’s Bulldogs wrote their own Cinderella story-ending at the GLVC conference tournament.

Having captured their second GLVC championship in three years, the ‘Dogs took a trip to the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament and proved a youthful roster is not always at a disadvantage. This year, the 2017 Bulldog volleyball team now faces the same challenge. With 10 of 15

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squad members being underclassmen, the ‘Dogs will look to find maturity early in the season and repeat last year’s success.

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will need to fill the shoes of graduated seniors Kayla Bastian, Bailey O’Drobinak and Lacey Hill — all starters on last year’s championship team and responsible for many of its kills and blocks.

“Bailey, Lacey and Kayla left a really big impact on us,” senior outside hitter Jasmine Brown said. “They really inspired the people who are here to step up and fill those leadership roles. They left big shoes for us to fill, but as hard as we’ve been working, I think we’ll be able to.”

Junior setter Savvy Hughes, junior middle hitter Natalie Brimeyer, redshirt junior middle hitter Holly Hildebrand and Brown have been appointed to fill vital roles as captains for this season. Brown said the captains feel as though it is their

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job to set the tone and to shape the team’s dynamic for the upcoming season.

With a new season comes integrating yet another class of incoming freshmen into the team’s structure. The new additions to the team this year include middle hitter Ellie Kaat, setter Elise Hardesty and outside hitter Sam Yancy.

Knowing how difficult it can be for a freshman to transition to the speed and power of college athletics, Hughes said she has been impressed with the way the freshmen have molded into Truman’s style of play.

“They’ve adapted well to college volleyball,” Hughes said. “Since the first day, they’ve been ready to go.”

With fewer than two weeks until the debut, the team is currently working through preseason training, which consists of two practices per day and conditioning to prep for the approaching season.

Head Coach Ben Briney said he is pleased with how the team is looking so far and the progress during these opening weeks. He said the team resets its goals and focus at the start of each season, and he said he thinks the fresh outlook is positive for his team. He said the freshmen are able to integrate into the team easier.

With the feelings of championship fresh on their minds from last year, the ‘Dogs set out for a chance to protect their title. Briney said at this point in the season, the focus can’t drift to events so far in the future. He said the team’s mission is to simply get better every day and to focus on what’s happening now. The daily steps are what Briney said he hopes could lead the team to a repeat of 2016.

“We just want to enjoy the process,” Briney said. “If we can look back and say we did everything we could, then we can be happy with the outcome.”

14

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

New year brings new faces to Truman coaching

A summer full of changes saw job openings in the Truman Athletic Department.

Bulldog volleyball and softball found replacements for openings in assistant coach slots while swimming is on the hunt for a new head coach.

Recently hired softball assistant, Ali Brems, familiar with GLVC

Photo Submitted b Truman Athletics Filling the vacancy left by former assistant coach Bailey Wittenauer, Ali Brems joins the Truman softball coaching staff.

BY JASE WILLHITE Staff Writer The 2018 Bulldog softball team will have plenty of time to get acquainted with new Assistant Coach Ali Brems. Brems recently joined the Truman State University Athletics coaching department after former Assistant Coach Bailey Wittenauer accepted a head coaching position at GLVC-competitor Rockhurst University.

Junior outfielder Michaela Mooney said the team liked Wittenauer, particularly the players in her emphasis — pitching, catching and outfield.

“I’m an outfielder, so I got to spend a lot of time with her,” Mooney said. “We loved her and the way she brought fun to every practice. She kept things interesting — and we’re definitely sad — but we knew [Head Coach Erin Brown] would only hire someone who would fill her shoes pretty well.”

The Bulldogs are coming off a strong, winning season with an overall record of 40-23 while going 18-10 in the GLVC and earning a bid to the NCAA National Tournament. Wittenauer was a part of that success and the NCAA selection of 2016, and while she will be missed

by the team, Mooney said there are no hard feelings in the wake of her departure.

“It’s not uncommon for assistant coaches to seek a higher position, especially in the GLVC where they have really good opportunities to further their careers,” Mooney said.

“I think it was a good choice for her.

[Wittenauer] is an amazing coach, and we’ll definitely miss her.”

Mooney said the bittersweet moment of the coaching change soon lent way to the excitement of getting familiar with Coach Brown’s new assistant on the first base line.

As her new assistant makes adjustments and gains familiarity, Brown thinks Brems will bring a lot to the table to help everyone get on track. Entering with offensive and defensive experience, Brown said she is excited to see the teaching Brems can offer the team.

“The unique thing about Ali is that she pitched and hit during her college career,” Brown said. “That isn’t very common. So she has the experience as a hitter and a pitcher to bring to the team.”

Brems was a dual-threat player during her time playing for Lewis University, a fellow GLVC team. She finished with an ERA of 3.43 in over 420 innings pitched, and she also batted a career average of .304 in over 350 at-bats.

While Brems’ playing history alone already gives validity to what she brings to the table, she has had other experiences off the field that will help her coaching abilities.

“Well, I had a great experience at Lewis, and while I was there, I had to have two surgeries,” Brems said.

“This really changed me because I saw the game from a different lens — twice — and having to sit out a year really helped me not take the game for granted. Seeing those different views really helped me as a player and will continue to help me as a coach.”

Brems and the 2017-2018 team starts exhibition play Saturday, Sept. 23, playing four games before the close of fall season Oct. 8.

All games will be hosted in Bulldog Softball Park. The Bulldogs’ spring championship season will be underway beginning Feb. 9.

Truman swimming hunts for head coach

BY CURT WICHMER Staff Writer With just less than a month before the first meet of the year, the Truman State University swim team will need to adapt their efforts to find a new head coach for the 20172018 season.

Junior swimmer Emma Barnett said the team found out around the first week of August that Head Coach Ed Pretre — well-known for coaching the 2015 Bulldogs’ women’s team to its GLVC Championship victory — ended his 6-year term as head coach at Truman. Pretre — who originally began coaching at Truman when the previous swimming coach resigned mid-season — recently accepted the position of assistant swimming coach at Villanova University. Though Barnett said she and the swim team are disappointed to see him go, she said the sentiments felt by the athletes can be better described as bittersweet.

“I think there were a lot of mixed emotions there because we’re happy for him, and it’s a good opportunity for him, and he gets to be closer to his family,” Barnett said. “But we’re obviously sad, too. I think people are really going back and forth between happy and sad.”

Barnett — 2015 GLVC Freshman of the Year — said Pretre did a lot to build up Truman’s swimming program. She said Pretre’s coaching talent even filtered down to an individual level, and he did a great job focusing on each athlete’s individual needs. Barnett said Pretre played a large part in recruiting her for Truman’s swim team, and she said her experience with him as coach has been positive.

To fill his coaching position, Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering said the Truman Athletic Department advertised the open position on the NCAA website, as well as various other athletic networks. Though the application was just posted Friday, Wollmering said several applicants have already responded, and it might be four to eight weeks before the field is significantly narrowed.

“Timing’s never perfect when you lose a coach,” Wollmering said.

“But obviously losing a head coach so close to classes starting creates a challenge of trying to move as quickly as we can as the year begins.”

Senior Kortney Betz said the team is handling Pretre’s move well, and

the freshmen are likely having an easier time because they were expecting an adjustment period with the transition from their high school coach to a collegiate one anyway. She said the whole situation reminded her of several years back when Truman’s coach left partway through the season. She said, in that situation, Truman received Pretre as a great fit, and everything worked out fine — Betz has confidence history will repeat itself in this way.

“Timing’s never perfect when you lose a coach...”

- Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering

“Moving to Villanova was definitely a shock at first, but I know it’s a good school, and we’re all really happy for him and his family,” Betz said. “He has a baby on the way, so we have all been very understanding even when the statement just went out. It may be a little difficult at first, but we’ll work it out.”

The Bulldogs’ season-opening, intersquad alumni meet is just one month away, scheduled for Sept. 23 in Pershing Arena.

Photo submitted by Truman Athletics Former head coach Ed Pretre left Truman after six years for Div. I Villanova University.

Former GLVC standout now molds Truman volleyball as assistant coach

BY KENNEDY MARTIN Staff Writer The GLVC is nationally known across several sports for intense competition and producing gifted athletes year in and year out. Evidently, the strong conference also has a knack for turning those players into coaches as Erin Higgins, former University of Missouri-St. Louis volleyball standout, steps in as Truman volleyball’s new assistant coach.

Higgins joined the staff in May 2017 when former Assistant Coach Megan Wargo-Kearney accepted an assitant coaching position at Div. I University of Arkansas.

Head Coach Ben Briney said he has known his new coaching partner for years and remembers her as the impressive right side playing for UMSL a few years back. As a fouryear starter for the Tritons, Higgins became well-known — racking up all-conference accolades. She was named First-Team All-GLVC in 2009 and Second-Team All-GLVC in 2010 and 2011.

Higgins hung up the Tritons jersey after her senior season in 2011, but soon returned to the game — this time as a coach. In 2014, Higgins acVOLUME 109

ISSUE 2

cepted the head coaching position at Davenport Central High School, close to her hometown of Bettendorf, Iowa. In only three seasons as head coach, the program improved their conference finishes from 8th in 2014 to 5th in 2015 to 4th in 2016. Higgins helped develop 10 All-Conference, three All-Metro and three AllDistrict players.

As impressive of a volleyball player as Higgins was, Briney was even more impressed by her ability to turn around the Davenport Central program, and by her passion for teaching the game of volleyball.

“We’re excited to have Erin here, and we’re excited that she accepted the position,” Briney said. “From the beginning, she has already started being an impact on our program. The things I’ve put her in charge of, she has jumped right in and is willing to learn.

You can’t ask for anything more.”

Briney is not the only one impressed. Junior setter Savvy Hughes and sophomore opposite hitter Emma Berthold both said they enjoy the positive energy and valuable feedback Higgins brings to practice. They said they are learning new ways to improve their game every day in the opening weeks of fall practice. tmn.truman.edu

Berthold said Higgins is already building positive relationships with the players. Berthold said she likes that Higgins is able to relate to and understand what the girls are going through as student athletes because she personally experienced it not so long ago.

Likewise, Higgins said she is pleased with the team and the way her first few weeks as a Bulldog have unfolded.

“I’ve felt so welcomed by everyone since the first day,” Higgins said. “The girls have taken my feedback and the way I coach really well, which is exactly what you want going into your first-year coaching job — especially with a program that has consistently done so well.”

Though Higgins enjoys being around the players, maintaining a professional balance is important to her. Higgins said she thinks there are advantages and disadvantages to being a younger female coach.

She said it was important for her to set the tone early.

Higgins said she will be able to relate to the players because she has been out of the game for only five years. She said she will look to set boundaries and gain respect from them as the season progresses.

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Despite the challenges of taking on a new position, Higgins said she is ready to take them head on and use her recent knowledge and experiences of playing in the GLVC to her advantage.

For now, the team is preparing for its first four-game tournament Sept. 1 and 2 at Ashland University in Ohio.

Photo Submitted by Truman Athletics Volleyball welcomes former All-GLVC hitter Erin Higgins as assistant coach. @TrumanMediaNet

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