March 30, 2017

Features

Opinions

Minor Detail takes to stage to raise funds for new album

Trevor Hamblin argues why characters must retain their key traits

Sports

Truman rugby focuses on mentality

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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

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The intersection of Illinois St. and US-63 in Kirksville near NEMO Fairgrounds, the site of eight car accidents in 2016. The flashing light above the stop sign and the “cross traffic does not stop” sign below were put in place when the intersection was built in an effort to make it safer.

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Photo by Nicolas Telep/TMN

KPD and MoDOT investigate rising accident rates on US-63

By Nicolas Telep Staff Writer

As the intersection of Illinois Street and US-63 in Kirksville gains a reputation as the most dangerous intersection in town, officials are working to determine what is happening and find the best way to respond.

The intersection, located near the NEMO Fairgrounds, saw a noticeable increase in accidents in 2016. Some residents took note, as did the Kirksville Police Department and the Missouri Department of Transportation. The KPD has analyzed data and hypothesized what could be the cause of an uptick in accidents not only at the Illinois St. intersection, but also along the entire Kirksville stretch of US-63, sometimes called the “alternate route.” Additional police patrols have been present along the five-year-old stretch of highway, which has seen a slight decrease in accidents over the past weeks.

Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes said there were some concerns from the public when the road was first built, but until recently, there had been no data to support or reject the claim that the road was abnormally dangerous. Hughes said it is not practical to make a perfectly safe roadway.

“There’s not been a single road that’s been built that doesn’t have a question regarding safety,” Hughes said, citing a number of factors that influence the safety of any stretch of road. “You’re always

looking at what can be built ... that will be as safe as you can make it with the money and the engineering capabilities that are available.”

Hughes said the full accident data from all five years of the road’s existence had not been analyzed, but the department noticed more accidents than usual on the alternate route in late 2015 and 2016. KPD has read and analyzed accident reports in an effort to determine a cause of the increase, and information is being shared with MoDOT. Preliminary analysis done

by Hughes shows of the 29 accidents reported on US-63 in 2016, only 16 were related to intersections. This includes eight accidents at Illinois St., six at Shepherd Ave., and one accident at both Benton Way and Highway P. Hughes also noted while the intersection at Illinois has gained the title of “most dangerous intersection” — and indeed has the highest number of accidents — the Shepherd intersection has a higher rate of injury accidents at five out of six, as compared to three out of eight at Illinois. Hughes said when he did the analysis several weeks ago, the trend of increased accidents had continued into early 2017 according to anecdotal evidence, but there was nothing to say rates had continued increasing in late February and March.

There has been increased police patrol on the alternate route, but Hughes said it is not possible now — and might never be possible — to know if the extra patrol makes a significant difference. Increased patrol, Hughes explained, is not only for

the purpose of more enforcement, but so officers can be on the lookout for factors that might be making the highway more accident prone.

“We’re trying to see if we can identify some kind of objective reason why we see what we believe is an increase in the accidents,” Hughes said. “But, as we know, this could be just a bad run of luck, this could just be an anomaly.”

KPD has been collaborating with MoDOT to identify a problem and, if necessary, find a solution. Hughes asked the police department for input, and said he is open to input from the public. A number of theories have been proposed, including one plausible theory from a member of the public. For the time being, Hughes said caution is key on the roadway.

“It’s the old look left, look right, look left again, look right, repeat that five times thing,” Hughes said. “It’s just personal responsibility, just being more aware. I think, certainly, that would help.”

Amy Crawford, area engineer for the Northern part of the Northeast District of MoDOT, which includes Kirksville, said safety was a consideration in the design and implementation of the alternate route project. Several safety features including rumble strips, flashing lights above stop signs and extra signs reading “cross traffic does not stop” were put in place to assure safety at intersections along US-63. Crawford said intersections were observed and drivers were interviewed when the road was new. MoDOT is working with KPD

to keep track of accidents along the alternate route.

“We are brainstorming and working on some ideas to improve safety at that intersection” Crawford said.

Crawford said a citizens’ advisory group is being assembled to address the problem.

The board will include a representative group of citizens from Kirksville and Adair County in an effort to find possible solutions to the problem.

“We’re also working with our traffic staff in the district and with our statewide traffic staff to come up with ideas to alleviate some of the problems that we’ve had there,” Crawford said. “We’ll converse with this group and work on those brainstormed ideas.”

Crawford said right-of-way was purchased during construction of the alternate route around the Illinois intersection and would allow an interchange to be built eventually. Additionally, excess fill from the construction project was placed around the intersection so it could be used in possible interchange construction. However, Crawford said with the current level of funding within the district and the state, it is unlikely that such a project could be funded.

“Would an interchange fix things? Yes,” Crawford said. “We would not have … those types of crashes if we had an interchange, but an interchange is a very expensive project.”

City Council hosts candidate forum

By Maddie McDermott Staff Writer

There are two seats up for election this year for the Kirksville City Council and three candidates running — incumbent Jerry Mills, incumbent Rick Steele and Kevin Alm. The election will take place April 4.

Mills was born and raised in Kirksville and is currently an owner at Northeast Missouri Properties and a property management company. He was first elected to City Council in 2011, reelected in 2014 and is currently serving as Kirksville mayor.

Rick Steele is also an incumbent, first elected to serve as a Kirksville councilman in 2014. Steele is a fourth generation native of the area and attended Kirksville High School and Truman State University. He is an active member of the Northeastern Missouri Resource Conservation and Development Council and serves as the city representative for the Affordable Housing Board. He has served as director of security for Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and Kirksville Osteopathic Hospital and for Grim-Smith Hospital, president of the Thousand Hills Rotary Club and chairman of the Adair County Jail Committee, member of the YMCA board and member of the Forest Lake Area Trail System committee. Steele has also worked as a stockbroker for The Principal Financial Group. For the last 17 years, he has worked with the Chariton Valley association.

Kevin Alm is currently unemployed, but has previously done mechanic work. Alm said he has run for city council 18 times but has never been elected.

At the candidate forum hosted by the Kirksville Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee March 21, Steele and Alm answered questions concerning the condition of streets, maintenance of economic growth and the new half cent tax proposal which would be put toward benefiting the Kirksville Parks and Recreation department.

Mills was unable to attend the meeting.

At the forum, Steele said in his opening statement he thinks he should have a second term because of his involvement with Kirksville schools from elementary school through college and his involvement with the Thousand Hills Rotary Club and Chariton Valley cell phone service.

Alm said in his opening statement he has lived in Kirksville since he was 15 years old.

At the forum, it was stated that streets are a popular concern and the candidates were asked their opinions regarding those concerns.

“The streets need fixing,” Steele said. “The city has done a comprehensive study of VOLUME 108

ISSUE 21

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the streets ... we know all the conditions of the streets. We also did a study to see what’s under the streets, so when we fix them it will last.”

The candidates were also asked how they would maintain and sustain economic growth within the Kirksville economy.

“More and more things are coming to Kirksville,” Steele said. “It is going to be a great time for us, and we are going to keep pushing.”

Alm said he likes seeing small and independent businesses, and wants to better uphold regulations concerning in-house businesses.

As stated in a city of Kirksville Parks and Recreation pamphlet in ballot terms, “Shall the city of Kirksville, Missouri impose a sales tax of one-half of one percent, for fifteen years, for the purpose of funding City parks and recreation? The city intends to use this sales tax solely for local parks of the City, in order to construct, maintain, improve and manage parks, trails, playgrounds, park parking lots, bathrooms, aquatic facilities, cemeteries and other natural lands and facilities primarily used for recreational purposes.”

Currently, Kirksville’s Parks and Recreation budget is only $60,000 a year and the needs, excluding the aquatic center, are $2,860,020.

The forum members inquired about the candidates’ opinion regarding this sales tax.

“I want to see how the voters react,” Alm said. “I am against it. We’re paying so much [taxes] and we need to slow down on the taxes,” Steele said he is supportive of the tax.

“We could really improve our parks,” Steele said. “We need a new pool badly. We need money to attract people, we’re losing people. We could refurbish the old pool ... there are several things I personally would like to live to see in the Parks and Recreation department. For example, we need a toilet at the kid’s ballpark. Right now, we are using PortaPotties. A universal pool would be a great thing. [It would be nice to have] swim meets in Kirksville, adding money to the city.”

In closing, Steele and Alm each thanked everyone who attended. Steele said he would like to hear comments and opinions from the community. Alm said Kirksville is going through a lot, and he is listening to others in the community.

Mills said in an interview with the Kirksville Daily Express if he gets reelected, he will see to it that the city’s economic growth continues, and he hopes Kirksville will expand and will put an emphasis upon fixing up the streets.

The municipal election will take place April 4 and will include voting for the next city school board, the half cent tax and city council members.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

UpChuckles charity show features Truman State faculty and staff

CORRECTIONS In last week’s issue in “Four new businesses set to open in Kirksville within the year” on page 1, the story said 50 people are staying at a hotel in Macon on April 20 when they are actually staying at the hotel on May 20.

STUDENT SENATE IN BRIEF

Senate election campaigning will begin next week and posters are being finalized.

This week, the Senate is hosting Diversity Week.

Photo by Rachel Fechter/TMN

Photo by Rachel Fechter/TMN

Top: English professor Christine Harker does an impersonation of President Donald Trump as part of her comedy bit. Similar to Harker’s comedic style, many faculty comedians made political jokes and commentary in their comedy sketches.

Left: Dylan Phillips, annual fund officer for the Office of Advancement, holds up his trophy triumphantly after being declared the funniest comedian of the night. Before the winning comedian was announced by Jay Self, adviser of UpChuckles and MC for the night, the stand-up comedy organization raised over $650 in ticket sales which went to Central and Northeast Missouri Food Bank.

Bottom: Communication professor Chris Outzen, UpChuckles President Lisa Simms and UpChuckles secretary Leine Jakel served as judges for the UpChuckles comedy show.

Vice President of the Student Association senior Christy Crouse and University President Sue Thomas took a campus tour March 28 to select a location for the international flag display.

The Senate had a first read for an environmental sustainability fee accountability committee slate.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Health organizations to offer free vaccinations The Student Health Center and The Adair County Health Department will be offering 400 free measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 30 in Student Union Building Georgian Room B. Students do not need to make an appointment but will be asked to bring their student IDs to confirm their student status. According to an email sent out by Brenda Higgins, Student Health Center Director, there have been 20 known cases of mumps at Truman. Higgins said students should direct their questions to the Student Health Center at 660-785-4182.

Stargazers Club to host eclipse workshop

Photo by Rachel Fechter/TMN

Members of the Stargazers astronomy club are hosting an informational workshop about eclipses to prepare the community for the total solar eclipse taking place Aug. 21. The workshop will take place 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 1 in Magruder Hall 2005. For those who plan to attend, RSVP to physics assistant professor Vayujeet Gokhale by March 31 at gokhale@truman.edu.

CRIME REPORTS DPS & KPD

Serving the University community since 1909

Staff Editor-in-Chief Austin Hornbostel Managing Editor Johanna Burns News Editor (Text) Rachel Fechter Lifestyle Editor (Text) Austin Hornbostel Lifestyle Editor (Multimedia) Brently Snead Sports Editor (Text) Rachel Steinhoff Sports Editor (Multimedia) Seth Wolfmeyer Opinions Editor Will Chaney Copy Chief Megan Robison Assistant Copy Chief Molly Thal Design Chief Samantha Nielsen Staff Writers Stephanie Hulett, Brooke Bailey, Curt Wichmer, Chris Burk, Lesley Reno, Mercy Tee, Kayla Perkins, Nicolas Telep, Kira Hintz, Spencer Foust, Morgan Alexander, Jeremy Jacob, Jessica Shultz, Maddie McDermott, Zackary Irvin Columnists Trevor Hamblin, Korbin Keller, Eboni Miller, Jared Roberts, Trista Sullivan, Ben Wallis Cartoonist Annie Kintree, August Davis Copy Editors Julianna Foster, Megan Gibbons, Trevor Hamblin, Katie Puryear, Ian Madden, Bethany Spitzmiller, MacKenna Palazza, Sarah deVeer Designers Clarissa Todd, Lawrence Hu, Mariah Radle, Emily Mollet Photo Editor Damian Soane Photographers Athena Geldbach, Austin Dellamano, Hannah Conner, Hudson Taylor Distribution Manager Kain Kneib Distribution Representatives Jessica Rose, Taylor Libbert Adviser Don Krause

3/28 Fraud reported at the 1700 block of N. Baltimore St.

3/26 Domestic disturbance reported at the 1000 block of E. Washington St.

3/28 Harassment reported at the 2100 3/26 Trespassing and refusal to leave block of N. Baltimore St. reported at the 800 block of E. Harrison St. 3/28 Domestic disturbance reported at the 3/26 Shoplifting reported at the 3000 block 500 block of W. Hickory St. of N. Baltimore St. 3/27 Theft reported at the 100 block of 3/26 Assault reported at the 400 block of E. Valley Forge Dr. Cottonwood St. 3/27 Trespassing reported at the 400 block of S. Baltimore St.

3/26 Harassment reported at the 400 block of N. Marion St.

3/27 Theft reported at the 700 block of W. 3/26 Theft reported at the 1100 block of E. Michigan St. Highland Ave.

Mark your calendar “A World Not Ours” Documentary 7-9 p.m.

March 30 SUB Activities Room

Students for Middle East Peace will host an event where students can watch a documentary entitled “A World Not Ours,” which follows a family’s struggles living at Ain el-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

Diversity Workshop 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

March 31 SUB Alumni Room

The Department of Education will host a workshop about identifying racism and cultural proficiency. Two guest speakers from the Clayton School District, Ben McCallister and Paya Rhodes, will speak about tools and strategies to challenge racism in our schools and communities.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

[Our View] The signs appear every spring like clockwork.

Popping up in yards right alongside the daffodils and tulips that usher in the new season, campaign signs remind us that Kirksville’s municipal elections are just around the corner.

In an interview with Truman Media Network reporters last fall, Adair County Clerk Sandy Collop commented on the increasing number of registered student voters in Adair County. This increase can be attributed to the fervor of a national election. But the excitement shouldn’t stop with national politics.

Unlike national or state elections, which generate extended media coverage, local elections can be lost in the hubbub of daily life. The sad fact is many people don’t prioritize city elections, when the reality is that municipal elections can have just as profound an impact on your daily life as national politics do, if not more.

We, the Truman Media Network Editorial Board, urge you to vote in the municipal elections next week. Municipal elections this year are April 4 and include such topics as a half cent sales tax for the Parks and Recreation department, two open seats for the city council and three for the school board.

It’s easy to speed past the yard signs with unfamiliar names written across them and ignore what’s happening in this community. However, a majority of Truman students are here nine months out of the year, if not more, meaning dismissal of Kirksville elections is allowing the community most of us spend a majority of our time in to make sweeping changes that might impact our daily lives without our input. That is a concerning amount of power for the Truman State University student body to turn their backs on.

In addition to casting a vote in local Kirksville elections, we, the TMN Editorial Board, encourage Truman students to make sure they are informed on the issues before going to cast their ballots because many of them could have lasting implications in the city.

For example, according to the Kirksville Daily Express, if the Parks and Recreation sales tax goes through, it could potentially add around $1.2 million to the Parks and Recreation budget. This money could go toward maintenance of locations in town such as the Kirksville Aquatic Center which, according to the Kirksville Daily Express, could be looking at $20,000 to $7 million improvements on the facility. The passage or failure of this tax could impact the future of facilities many people around the community use.

Also, according to the Kirksville Daily Express, there are three open seats in this municipal election for the Kirksville School Board which could potentially get filled by three brand new people with brand new changes, ideas and visions. It is important for voters in the community to learn more about these candidates, which one can do by going on the Kirksville Daily Express website. Board members often have a lot of say about different programs offered, where funding should and should not be spent and other big reforms within the public school system that could either help or hinder the community.

Complacency in voting or assuming a certain proposition or person will or will not get approved is something we, the Truman Media Network Editorial Board, advocate against.

The potholes in the road Truman students might complain about, the local organizations such as Lyceum, Kirksville Arts Association, Kirksville Community Chorus, Curtain Call Theatre and other organizations Truman students might be involved with and the local businesses some Truman students enjoy visiting could be impacted by the people we elect into positions of power in our community and the different expenses and propositions we approve or decline.

We urge Truman students to know what’s going on in the city of Kirksville and to take a stance in these upcoming local elections by making an informed vote.

Characters must retain their key traits Trevor Hamblin Fiction doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s created by the world it’s created in, as you could learn in any English class. People put a lot of heart and soul into the things they make, and they often have an important intent to their works. This isn’t to say the author is the final word on something, but when you’re turning Captain America into a Nazi, you’ve clearly taken a wrong turn into Don’ts-ville.

That isn’t a superlative, folks. The superhero symbol of America created by a Jewish man specifically to punch Hitler in the face was turned into a Nazi. Specifically, he was “revealed” as a secret member of Hydra, an in-universe Nazi-born organization, in “Steve Rogers: Captain America #1.” Nick Spencer, a Marvel writer since 2014, even went so far as to explain in an “Entertainment Weekly” article that this wasn’t a product of mind control, an imposter or someone acting through Captain America.

This was quickly backtracked in the next issue revealing no, someone just messed with his memories. Which apparently isn’t mind control. Go figure.

You’d think Marvel would have learned their lesson from this debacle, except now Magneto is also teaming up with Hydra. I’ll say that again — Marvel’s most famous Auschwitz survivor is now teaming up with Marvel’s most famous Nazi organization.

Look, I understand that when writers take someone else’s work, they will change and tweak and adjust things to fit their sensibilities, vision and sense of style.

Sometimes, they even change important parts of the plot or character. For example, Raven in the Teen Titans cartoon was a very powerful magician, compared to the comic’s Raven who could astrally project. But these changes respect something about the original work. For example, Raven’s position on the team is strengthened in the action-packed cartoon because she can fight with everyone else using her cool shadow magic.

But taking characters made by and for Jewish people and aligning them with actual Nazis, with actual people who actually want them dead, you are actively spitting on everything that made that character possible. It isn’t even good for shock value or the scandal — you’re saying you care more about how your edgy twist will shake

Kirksville municipal election: April 4th City Council:

Kevin Alm Incumbent Rick Steele Incumbent Jerry Mills

School Board: Incumbent Nan Davis Kathy Hoppe Tarasa Gardner Matthew Copeland Adam Moore Jeremy Houser

Source: Kirksville Daily Express

Vote for Rick and Kev in the most important election next month!

Readers of last calendar year’s all-too then somnolent Index “Letters to the Editor” page were hopefully woken up from likely apathetic post spring break stupors — by an outspokenly critical effusion against The Index by a history professor TSU English born, compatriot of mine, Sally West. In course of which she bemoaned the almost complete coverage paucity galore of the local city contest in which her liberal capitalist councilman husband lost his seat. She was and is not isolated in her plaintiveness, since I, the then campaign manager for his rival radical socialist Sanders’ woman candidate present 3 citycommissions member, TSU French Professor Betty Louise McLane-Iles had to take a KTVO TV news editor. He wholly arbitrarily refused to give Betty the customary his stations local candidate equal interview time that, sole woman such candidate, campus local TV debate properly gave her! Such omissions not only reflect exclusionary disaster for more than just Moritz and Iles. But too for the dead set apathy against you that the local realtor elites and their well-to-do envelop, co-coon with all ultra-conservatively this vital Kirksville City Council election process — which in its pathetic outcome, falsely thereby, prides itself “ratified” if, only, merely even 15 per cent of you vote at all!!

How can you if you aren’t informed?

Now here’s why you should vote, especially as many of you who artfully, necessitiously, are either students or low-income people who probably don’t even realize you likely are eligible to April vote for either Councilman Rick Steele or realty-challenger, veteran skilled labourer Kevin Alm for the 2 vacancies.

This early April up for election grabs, for several good reasons of issues vital.

One, your voter registration here still stands if you did transfer it to take part in the last years’ presidential

things up than about the character, their creator or your audience. You’re saying patting yourself on the back for your “creative twist” is more important than the negative impact your work will make on the world.

Because these changes say something about those characters and what they represent. Having the embodiment of justice and everything good about America sympathize with fascists says something about how you view justice and America. Having a Jewish character — one whose motivations and worldview have been shaped by their time in a concentration camp — align themselves with Nazis says you don’t think that experience was hurtful or powerful enough to make them anti-Nazi. It says you don’t think the effects of the Holocaust were bad enough or lasting enough to have seriously impacted the people who lived through it.

It isn’t even just Marvel’s comics making these poor adaptational decisions. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Magneto’s children — better known as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver — caught hot water for their adaptations in Age of Ultron. In the comics, they are the children of Magneto and a Romani woman he met in Auschwitz, and their roots as Jewish and Romani heavily affect their outlooks on life. So when their characters were made Hydra test subjects in the movie and their Jewish and Romani heritage was erased, they are saying that backstory wasn’t important enough to adapt. Sure, in the comics it’s a huge part of why they feel like outcasts and why they view the world the way they do, but it’s not important enough to make it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

They’re saying that their being Jewish and Romani was less important than Peter Parker living with Aunt May or Bruce Banner’s magic expanding pants.

And let’s address the elephant in the room. Hydra is, and always has been, a Nazi organization. It was created in the comics as part of the Nazi party, participated in the Holocaust and held the same ideals as the Nazi party.

It has its own agenda, but even in the latest Captain America movies, that agenda has been one of fascism and eugenics. The racial part of their ideology doesn’t come up in the same way, but they were created in the 1940s as a Nazi stand-in for Captain America to fight in his comics — as a separate entity from the real fight of the soldiers. Put another way, Hydra is to the Nazis what Captain America is to America.

It’s not hard to respect your characters’ origins and intentions. Good guy or bad guy, characters can grow and change without sacrificing the things that make them that character. And if you want to tell a different story, just tell a different story.

And stop making characters Nazis.

Trevor Hamblin is a junior English and communication major from Moberly, Mo. contest, so why in 2017 not make it count in a mere 5 man misrun council? Where your vote can, literally, determine whether council officers are to be held Budget and KPD even slightly answerable to your wishes in their city ordinances and daily impact on your minutiate lives. An impact greater than Trumps’!

Two, the powerful realtor capitalist male councilmen who do otherwise control this town, with its nearly totally alienated myths are saying you should “not vote” because you are either too poor and ignorant, or are usually not, if students, living here, well that should make every civic Index reader annoyed!

Rick Steele, despite the highest local vote of all time, has for instance persistently been kept out of the mayor’s office due him in earned position. Because, unlike at least 3 councilmen, he is always researching issues and challenges the others’ “free enterprise,” council-officers-are-always-right dogmas.

Finally, and thirdly, why you should vote is honestly due to the town hall tradition whose roots of healthy participation precede even 1776 and nominal independence USA thereby. Since the seventeenth century my native New Englanders the various quarrelsome Puritan immigrants and arguably native American squaw-influenced councils of their tribal own, your so-called colonial government, involvement At the local level in heritage is your birthright! If you detest, as I do, the current US president then surely you want to make sure that KPD captain Hughes is instructed by your elected councilman Steele or Alm not to “enforce” by bribery/grants as Trump is proposing and Texas countries have done, Nazi/Vichi-style 1940-1944 “round ups” of local immigrant families. Likewise, if you clash as some of us have predicament needless done with very controversial units like the TSU DPS over your lack of parking or poor sidewalk injuries sustained, or interfered demonstrations, would it not local resident be better? To have an articulate Rick or a Kevin on your side to represent, in help your lawyer/advocate?

So vote for KCC and uphold a local tradition deep in US history where power and money can still be overturned by yourselves. Indeed, so many great things have happened in your US’ original public housing and mass transit thanks to its once Socialist elected councilmen, or New York’s fabulous rent control due to its elected Progressive Independents.

Make your own posters now! Vote, vote in record numbers, and all 4 campus studentry. Its our town!

-Larry Iles

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. 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.

Contact Submit corrections or contact the editor. index.editor@gmail.com

LETTER POLICY: The Index welcomes letters to the editor from the University community. Letters to the editor are due by noon the Monday

before publication and become property of the Index. Submissions are subject to editing, must contain a well-developed theme and cannot exceed 500 words except at the discretion of the Editorial Board. Letters containing personal attacks will not be published. All letters to the editor must be typed and submitted by e-mail to index.opinionseditor@gmail.com or at http://tmn.truman.edu/theindex. Include the words “letter to the editor” in the subject line of the e-mail. The Index does not publish anonymous letters to the editor. No individual may submit more than one letter per week.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Student Government prepares for elections

By Spencer Foust Staff Writer

April will be a busy month for student government as election season kicks off April 3. Packets will become available that day, and before three weeks are up, we will have newly elected student government members.

The process begins with petitions. These petitions contain some basic prerequisites of running for office and the guidelines for campaigning on campus. Before they can begin campaigning, there’s an informational meeting that takes place April 7.

Sophomore Brett Combs, the speaker of the Truman State University Student Senate, said this meeting is a general purpose Q&A that’s meant to explain what student government is and what it means to be a part of it.

April 10, students can begin campaigning at 7:30 a.m. April 10. Guidelines are outlined in the petitions. The rules cover a wide range of restrictions on how and where they can and cannot campaign — megaphones and bathroom signs are not allowed — as well as other more niche limitations that have been added and updated with each election, such as not being able to write campaign announcements on chalkboards or whiteboards in classrooms.

As part of his duties as speaker, Combs is also the ethics justice pro tempore, which means he will be facilitating ethics hearings in case any of these rules are broken. Last year was a busy one for ethics violations, Combs said, explaining that the spring elections are typically a lot more contentious because of the presidential races. Combs said one of the newest adjustments they’ve made revolved around ethics violations via Snapchat.

The next meeting is April 12. This meeting, Combs said, is where interested students can ask questions about the different possible forms of campaigning that might not be adequately expressed in the rules. If there’s something that isn’t made clear in the rules, this is the meeting to clarify those ideas.

Candidates must submit the petitions to the Center for Student Involvement by 5 p.m. April 13. April 18, elections go live from 8 a.m. to April 20 at 6 p.m. Results are announced at 8 p.m.

The one real prerequisite for running is attending at least one student government meeting — at least, that’s for the 12 other senator positions besides the two senior spots that require at least two semesters of service.

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Photo by Spencer Foust/TMN Student Government members make preparations for upcoming Student Government elections. Those on the ballot will be campaigning starting April 10 and will be restricted on where and how they can campaign.

Vista Heights Apartments

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Heritage House

“A lot of people think it’s only for political science majors, but we actually have an incredibly diverse student body represented by these senators,” Combs said. “Biology actually has more than political science. Our president is an exercise science major, our vice president is a political science and Spanish double major.”

Combs said elected senators end up on a committee, of which there are more than nine, not counting the sub-committees. The committees decide on things like the athletic fee and how glass recycling will be re-implemented on campus, to name some examples.

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Ophelia Parish Performance Hall Saturday, April 1 at 8:00 PM Hear Vivaldi and Paradisi Admission is free With Professor Brian Kubin and the Truman Chamber Orchestra

Photo courtesy of Gary Payne

“I can attest from personal knowledge, it’s something that every serious student or lover [of] the mandolin in America should experience!” (Joseph Brent, Mandolin Café)

5

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Minor Detail takes to the stage to raise funds for new album

BY JOHANNA BURNS Managing Editor

Truman State University female a capella group Minor Detail is hoping to hit the recording studio after a 10-year absence.

The group is currently working toward a fundraising goal of $2,500 by hosting a concert 8 p.m. April 1 in Violette Hall 1000.

Entrance to the concert is $3, but the group encourages donations larger than the $3 minimum. The singers also have a GoFundMe page. To incentivize large donations, the group is offering rewards for certain monetary levels.

Senior Noelle Kellerman, Minor Detail co-music director and treasurer, said the group hasn’t recorded an album since 2006, so none of the group’s current members have experienced the recording process. Kellerman said during her time in Minor Detail, the group has grown.

“It’s such a difference from where it was, it’d be such a shame if it couldn’t be recorded,” Kellerman said.

Kellerman said the group is still in the process of researching recording studios. She said there are different ways to record a capella songs. Kellerman said the cleanest way to record is to have each member on an individual microphone. This means a lot of time needs to be invested in recording, but this technique allows the producers to edit each individual voice. The entire recording process could take up to 20 hours.

“I just want to make memories and make a nice CD,” Kellerman said.

Kellerman said it can be difficult to keep a positive morale while preparing for performances because Truman is a difficult university and trying to work collaboratively, while everyone is struggling with different stressors, presents challenges. She said she’s always so proud of the group after they perform because of how hard everyone works.

Kellerman said the process of singing and rehearsing can be stressful, but sharing the experience of performance brings the group together. She said the group knows they have to get things done, but once they’ve figured out what it takes to make the songs sound and look good they share a feeling of accomplishment.

“Music really does bring people together,” Kellerman said.

While the group is currently contacting different studios to explain what they would like to do and explore their different recording options, they won’t be able to choose a studio until they have a final budget.

“There are really nice owners of recording studios that want to work with a capella and that have in the past,” Kellerman said. “There’s owners out there that want to work with us.”

Kellerman said originally the group wanted to record an album of 10 songs but through their research they discovered that to be able to produce everything in one weekend and have the songs up to the standards they want, they can’t do that many songs. Kellerman said the group doesn’t want to record less than five songs.

Kellerman said the goal of the concert is to raise enough money to produce the CD without going into debt. Once the CD is recorded, the profits from the sales will go toward recording another CD, Kellerman said.

Kellerman said Saturday’s concert will feature a variety of crowdpleasing favorites and some newer numbers the group has put together, including a Maroon 5 medley.

Junior Brianna Mann, Minor Detail co-music director, said the group will sing eight or nine songs together during Saturday’s concert but will also perform in duets and trios for a few songs. The goal of this is to feature everyone’s voice.

“We all have very unique voices and they work together very well,” Mann said. “But not everyone has a solo so it’s just nice for everyone to show off their voices because there’s a lot of really good and unique voices in the group.”

Mann said out of the 14 group members, only three are music majors.

Everyone on the team comes from diverse backgrounds but share a common love and talent, Mann said. She said while some people might think this could cause a competitive environment, it doesn’t.

Mann said the women of Minor Detail are her best friends, and the group is aware of what each individual brings to the group. Gigs and rehearsals are energy boosters, Mann said, because she gets excited to go and sing with everyone.

“It’s a family, and we all know our different strengths,” Mann said.

“We really work with that.”

As part of the group’s increased public relations efforts to promote the GoFundMe, freshman alto singer Seleen Hubbert produced a video to promote the concert. The video has garnered over 3,000 views since it was published on the group’s Facebook page.

Senior Melissa Janney, Minor Detail president, said the video has helped spread the word about the group’s talents. Janney said since the video was posted, the group has seen an increase in the number of requests for Minor Detail to perform.

“It’s so fun to make, and it’s a really good bonding experience for all of our members,” Janney said.

Janney said the whole group understands their differences and are sensitive to those aspects of their personalities. Because they spend so much of their time together, the group uses their differences to their advantage to make the group stronger.

Janney said it can be challenging for the group to balance working hard and keeping a fun atmosphere, but she said going to rehearsals isn’t a chore, it’s a time the women look forward to.

“It’s probably the reason we’ve grown so much as group, and that we are as good of a group as we are now, is because of how close we are,” Janney said.

Minor Detail does guest performances throughout the year and takes on as many gigs as possible to show off the group’s talents.

The singing group hopes to be finished fundraising by the end of the semester so they can record this summer.

Submitted Photos Right: Minor Detail members group together after a rehearsal. The women practice 5 hours a week. Above: Minor Detail performs during the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella performance.

- Junior Brianna Mann

VOLUME 108

ISSUE 21

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© 2017

6

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

BY AUSTIN HORNBOSTEL

REACTING TO MUSIC

Editor-in-chief index.editor@gmail.com

Index EIC reacts to Drake’s new “More Life” playlist.

I’ll admit it, I’m a total Drake fan boy.

One might even call me a stan — a term coined by fellow rapper Eminem in a 2000 song of the same name that refers to huge, borderline obsessive, fans. The guy Eminem’s talking about in that song is kind of creepy though, so I’ll just say I’m a big fan.

Drake’s “Take Care” has always been one of my favorite rap/R&B hybrid albums of all time, but his new project has easily beaten it in my book. “More Life” released March 18, and I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve listened to it all the way through. It’s currently entrenched at the top of my queue basically any time I need something to listen to while doing homework or walking to class. In fact, I’m listening to it as I write this. Go figure, huh?

I actively struggle to find a song on it that I don’t really care for — besides the Young Thug feature on “Ice Melts” because I can’t stand his goofy, unintelligible autotune rap. In fact, I struggle to even make a top five list of my favorite tracks from the project since there are so many songs I enjoy. It’s difficult enough for me that when I was discussing it with my friend, and fellow Drake stan, the other

day I had to divide my favorites into lists of the best rap tracks, R&B tracks, and rap/R&B fusion tracks — with honorable mentions, of course — which basically makes up the entire 22 song tracklist.

You might notice I’ve refused to call this an album up to this point. That’s because it isn’t one — Drake’s calling this a playlist. Placing “More Life” in that category implies that the listener would be hearing a lot of songs from a lot of artists, at least that’s what I was expecting when he announced the project. He’s technically correct in applying that label since every track on “More Life” sounds different than the last and the project spans multiple styles, but most of the tracks are just Drake songs with or without features.

There are only two songs in the entire tracklist that don’t feature any trace of Drake — “4422,” a track sung by frequent collaborator Sampha, and “Skepta Interlude,” commandeered by British grime rapper Skepta.

So wouldn’t it be more accurate to call this project an album, not a playlist?

I think so, but the beauty of the whole thing for Drake is it really doesn’t matter what he calls it, for two key reasons.

He’s already shattering streaming records with the project and has topped the Billboard albums chart even with the playlist moniker, so it’s not like that label is holding him back in any way. In fact, I think my second key reason here is where the genius lies in the whole thing — you know, beyond the whole record-breaking success part.

Calling “More Life” a playlist allows Drake to experiment with whatever styles he sees fit from start to finish, something he’s gotten flack for in the past. A lot of people see his loose experimentation with dancehall music on his last album, “Views,” as hit or miss, or even an appropriation of style. People are poking fun at him with “More Life,” because he’s adopted a lot of British slang — like substituting “ting” for thing — that he falls in and out of throughout the project, and he continues his recent habit of exploring dancehall music without really diving into that genre completely.

Even further back in his career, I think some listeners might not be as keen on the two distinct sides of Drake as I and other fans might be. There’s the Drake who brags about success and raps about being the best rapper alive, and there’s the sad Drake who sings about his feelings and women from his past that he wishes he could be with. Maybe that’s a cause for some to view his past albums as less cohesive from start to finish.

“More Life” allows him to do all of that without having to make the project totally cohesive, which we usually expect is a given for albums. He can continue to be the same old, two-sided Drake — tough rapper and sad singer — and also allow the songs on “More Life” to hover toward the influences of grime rap and dancehall in his typical not-actually-that-genre fashion. Sure, his adoption of Jamaican and British slang throughout the project is incredibly corny and almost out of char-

acter in a way, but I think that’s one thing that draws me to Drake so much. I’m a pretty big fan of artists who can embrace sounding corny and make it entertaining because they know exactly what they’re doing. Fellow rapper Lil Yachty is another recent example of this.

Drake’s just like everyone else in that he obviously has some key influences guiding his work right now, and that shows on “More Life.” It reminds me of kids imitating the things they think are cool — my friends in elementary school and I would always pretend to be our favorite characters from action shows or quote lines from cartoons just because we all found it so entertaining. I don’t see any of it as an appropriation of slang or musical styles, I see it as an artist celebrating and sharing his influences. It simultaneously makes him an imitator and an innovator, in a good way, and I don’t think there are a lot of other artists that could pull off something like this.

When it comes down to it, my favorite thing about “More Life” is that none of the songs sound too similar. From the hilarious but somehow fitting flute in the background of “Portland” to the beautifully sampled Jennifer Lopez song “If You Had My Love,” included on “Teenage Fever,” it’s hard for me to leave this project alone for more than a few hours of my day. That’ll be the case for a long time to come — maybe until 2018, when Drake raps at the end of the closing track, “Do Not Disturb,” that he’ll be back for more.

The other stans and I will be waiting.

Marxian economist shares capitalism critique

BY KAYLA PERKINS Staff Writer

American Marxian economist Richard Wolff came to Truman State University March 23 to give a talk on capitalism and the Marxian tradition of critiquing capitalism.

Wolff began by telling the story of Karl Marx, who longed for liberty, equality and fraternity. Marx found refuge in France during the German revolution, and believed capitalism would bring those things about. When it didn’t, Marx began to wonder why. Wolff went on to explain feudalism and capitalism and said the two are not different enough.

Throughout the presentation, Wolff criticized capitalism and explained Marxian thinking, ending with the statement that he believes capitalism has done what it was meant to do and is now over.

He illustrated this point with a story of feral dogs in Detroit, Michigan. He said Detroit was once the capital of capitalism but is now occupied by feral dogs who have taken over abandoned homes and wreak havoc in the streets. He said he believes this is a sign that capitalism is over, and it might take a while, but it’s done.

After his presentation, Wolff stayed and talked to members of the audience more about capitalism.

He said he became interested in Marxism when riding the train with his father as a child. When passing by a poor neighborhood, he asked his father why it was that way, and his father explained some people have more than they need and others have less.

“Ever since, I’ve been horrified by inequality and the fairness of it all," Wolff said. "I’ve always been upset by the fundamental injustice of it all, and I still am.”

Wolff went on to talk about studying Marxism, the fight for social equality, the political unrest in this country and making the topic of Marxism less taboo in this country.

For example, Wolff discussed countries particularly in Western Europe, like Italy, France and Germany which have taken steps to limit capitalism and the greed, corporate corruption and socio-economic inequality he said he believes it causes. Some of these steps, Wolff said, have included plans implementing free healthcare and higher education as well as more of an emphasis on worker cooperatives, or systems where companies are owned and managed by all workers.

He said he wanted people to walk away from his talk with a better understanding of what Marxism is and for them to be talking and thinking about things outside of what they are told to be thinking about.

History professor Marc Becker, who serves as chair of Global Issues Colloquium and faculty advisor for Students for a Democratic Society, organizations which had a hand in bringing Wolff to Truman, echoed this sentiment.

“Students in Students for a Democratic Society wanted to bring him here to expose Truman students to perspectives that most students don’t get in the classroom, particularly a Marxian perspective of the current economic crisis,” Becker said.

Becker said that he thought the event was successful in attaining that goal and was pleasantly surprised at the turnout of the event.

PRESENTS

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Tickets

St. Louis Brass

A limit of four tickets, per person, may be purchased for $5 each (includes tax) at: • University cashier window located in McClain Hall • Edna Campbells on the Kirksville Downtown Square • Online at lyceum.truman.edu

7:30 p.m.

Monday, April 3, 2017 Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall*

* The Kohlenberg Lyceum Series St. Louis Brass performance will take place in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall due to the renovation of Baldwin Hall. The Performance Hall provides a wonderful venue for the performances, however, it has a smaller seating capacity, with 450 seats compared to 1,395 seats in Baldwin Auditorium.

Brass Quintet adds zaniness to its talents. Diverse material combined with imaginative presentation marked the engaging concert.

— The Kansas City Star concert review

lyceum.truman.edu

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7

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

EVENTS ATSU Wellness Run 9 a.m. April 1 A.T. Still University Thompson Campus Center

TOP

A.T. Still University is hosting a wellness run to benefit the ATSU student emergency fund. There will be 5k and 10k age divisions.

Registration is $20.

1 2

Mean Tweets: How to Get A Snapshot of Mental Wellness 5-9 p.m. April 3 Offended 6-8 p.m. April 4 SUB Alumni Room

SUB 3202

The Interfaith Center will share its take on Jimmy Kimmel’s “Mean Tweets,” followed by a panel discussion on how to get offended tastefully.

“A Snapshot of Mental Wellness” is a Photovoice Project that researches student perceptions of mental wellness through photo submissions. The project will be on display in a walk-through gallery.

Pop Culture Remixes Shakespeare’s Star Wars. This sixbook series by Ian Doescher tells the familiar stories of a galaxy far, far away in Shakespeare’s style.

For those looking to enjoy the “Star Wars” franchise in a new way, translations such as “Thou man of scruffy looks, thou who herd’st nerfs!” will provide endless delight.

Jane Steele. “Reader, I murdered him.” So begins Lyndsay Faye’s gunslinging adaptation of “Jane Eyre,” where Jane is a serial murderer on top of maintaining her responsibilities as governess and winning the heart of her mysterious employer.

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Asimov’s Foundation Series. This book series by Isaac Asimov rewrites Edward Gibbon’s “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” as a space opera, with future historians narrating the collapse of the great and powerful Galactic Empire.

Shakespeare Re-Told. This miniseries updates four of Shakespeare’s plays into modern settings. “Much Ado About Nothing” follows the interpersonal drama among anchors at a news station, while “Macbeth” is reimagined as a bloodthirsty sous chef who dreams of running the kitchen.

Selfie. “Pygmalion” might be more known for inspiring the musical “My Fair Lady,” but “Selfie” updates the story. Karen Gillan plays Eliza Dooley, a woman obsessed with finding internet fame. John Cho plays the image pundit she enlists to improve her social media fluency.

Downtown, TSU and ATSU. Michelle Lawrence, Realtor at Century 21 Whitney Agency. 660.665.5678 or 660.341.7070 www.kirksvillehomes.com Rent: Heritage House Rentals has 1, 2, & 3 bedroom apts, duplexes & townhouses well maintained available now for 201718 year. Close to TSU. Pet friendly. Call Heritage House Rentals, LLC 660-6652787 or visit heritagehouserentalsllc.com Rent: Vista Heights has 1 & 2 bedroom apts well maintained available now for 2017-18 year. Located close to TSU. Water & trash provided. Pet friendly.

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8

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Truman swept by Quincy in GLVC opener

Photos submitted by Truman Athletics Sophomore outfielder Mason King finds the ball as he rounds third base in a game earlier this season. The ‘Dogs struggled to send baserunners past the third base mark last weekend in their GLVC opener against Quincy University. The Hawks outscored Truman 39-11 in the four game series.

BY CURT WICHMER Staff Writer

Forced to deal with injuries prior to and during their four games over the weekend, the Bulldogs began conference play with four straight losses to the Quincy University Hawks.

In the first game of the weekend, Truman opened the first inning with an RBI by senior third baseman Chris Lliopoulos, sending junior outfielder Josh Abegg home. Quincy would tie it up in the fourth and take the lead 2-1 in the seventh. Senior catcher Wyatt Fones and sophomore outfielder Mason King reached bases in the eighth and the bases were loaded after a wild pitch

by Quincy took Abegg out of the game.

However, Quincy managed to get out of the inning without giving up a run after getting outs on the next three Bulldogs in the lineup. Quincy closed the game with a final score of 2-1.

After the first game on Saturday, the Bulldogs dropped the following three matches — 14-1, 6-2 and 17-7.

Head Coach Dan Davis said the weekend came at an unfortunate time for the team. He said sophomore first baseman Charlie Kreh and freshman

shortstop Evan Kayser were out for the weekend with injuries and the hit Abegg took in game one will likely keep him out for the season. Davis said he could tell team morale suffered after Abegg’s injury, but he said issues like these are part of running a team. Davis said he admired how the teammates look out for one another – especially in light of the injuries the team has sustained. He said cohesion will be a major asset for the Bulldogs going into the games at Drury.

“We have great teammates — it’s great that you can bring 37, 38 guys together and see them mesh so well,” Davis said. “We have good guys, guys who can hit a bit … This new field we’re playing Drury at is going to play pretty conducive to our playstyle — we hit a lot of line drives and singles. Bottom line is, we’re going to play our best and not worry who we’re up against.”

Senior first baseman Nick Gambino said teams can easily get overwhelmed if they worry about the season as a whole, and he stressed the importance of taking things one step at a time. Gambino said rather than taking in the pressures of the

season all at once, the Bulldogs are going to proceed “one inning, one pitch” at a time.

“I think we need to slow everything down, take things one pitch at a time, find the importance of every play, and I think we’ve got incredible opportunity this season,” Gambino said. “Cohesiveness is also something we’ll focus on, especially at practice this week, and working together. I think if we can do that we should be set for Drury this weekend.”

Senior shortstop Nick Agliolo said in the past Drury has been one of the top competitors in the league, and said they were “pretty solid armswise,” but will not pitch anything the Bulldogs cannot handle. Agliolo said Truman’s hitting has been a little stagnant as of late, but said with practice he and the rest of the team will break out of it and put up runs to give their pitchers a break.

“The game of baseball is a grind every day,” Agliolo said. “No matter what the circumstance or injury is thrown at you, you’re going to have to keep playing every day … Anyone can potentially overpower you, it just matters whether you show up or not.”

GLVC

BASEBALL STANDINGS GLVC West Quincy 4-0 Drury 3-1 William Jewell 3-1 Maryville 2-2 UMSL 2-2 Rockhurst 1-3 Missouri S&T 1-3 Truman State 0-4

COLUMN | Index writer Stephanie Hulett shares her father’s role in reaching her athletic goals Continued from page 10 Not many can say their dad is a professional golfer, and the opportunities he has created for me are a dream come true. I will be eternally grateful for all he has provided for me in the world of golf. Not many can say their dad has been their coach their whole life, either.

One thing is for sure — besides inheriting his golf swing, I inherited his stubborn ways, too. Starting out in high school, I was a hot-head on the course and thought I knew it all. Any time my dad would try and coach me, I would just shake my head. “Yeah, okay I know, DAD,” I would say. Bless his heart. Trying to coach his teenage daughter … I know I did not make it easy on him. After I started realizing I could go somewhere in golf, I realized I didn’t know it all, and I could not do it on my own. I would study the way he practiced, the way he approached tough shots, and the way he always turned a bad shot into an “opportunity to hit a good one.” Every little thing he did, I noticed. I watched in awe of the wisdom and skill he demonstrated in every aspect of his golf game.

Sometimes it would get a little frustrating having your dad as your coach. Whatever happened at the golf course didn’t stay at the golf course.

It would tag along to dinner after our round, it would find its way into the show we were watching on TV, and it would even find its way into lunch the next day before our range session. Whether it’s examining my swing on his phone from earlier, practicing my putting stroke across the rug or going in the backyard to rehearse my chipping swing a few times, it was always there. I couldn’t just leave the course and leave it behind too. But in the end, how amazing is it that I had my biggest fan and my biggest critic all wrapped in one? I am able to bring up my concerns at any time. I am

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able to have free advice at any given time. I am still able to have all these things while I am competing at the collegiate level. Having trouble on the range? Easy — send a video of my swing to my coach ... I mean Dad. He is always there. He has always been there, cheering for me and pushing me to be the best I can be.

Yeah, he thinks I am pretty darn awesome, but he never lets me think that for too long. There is always room for improvement. My dad has instilled such a strong mental game in me — which, of course, still needs work because golf isn’t a game of perfection. My dad has been there since day one and always knows how to pick me back up after a bad round. I still call him after every single round if he wasn’t there to watch. I always look forward to sharing the details with him — no matter how good or how bad it was on the course that day.

Ever since I was little I would sit in the golf cart watching him give lessons to other golfers. I have watched way too many to count. Not only has he changed my golf game, but he has touched so many others through this beautiful game. Because of this I know all the little drills and that the key to success is through the fundamentals. Tempo, tension, balance — always go back to the basics.

My dad has been there through it all. Through my stubbornness, my whole picking the wrong sport in college — ha, sorry Dad — the highs, the lows, the everything in between. He has given me such amazing opportunities, unlimited advice and wisdom, and endless love and support. I would not be half the golfer I am without his help along the way. Sometimes I think we are a little crazy for picking such an infuriating sport, but it is still such a beautiful game. To my coach, my dad, my best friend — thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Seeing past the ponytail

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

BY RACHEL STEINHOFF

Sports Text Editor index.sportseditor@gmail.com

Photo submitted by Matt Yancey Senior Matt Yancey moves the rugby ball down the pitch in a match earlier this season. Yancey and the Bulls are trying to rebuild the team after several tough years of inconsistent participation.

RUGBY | With a constant fluctutation in the roster, Truman Bulls’ rugby aims to create a committed, positive team culture Continued from page 10 “Regardless of the number on your back, you need to pick up the position that is necessary at that moment in time,” Sit said.

Like Sexton, Sit said he has noticed the difficulty of maintaining a stable team chemistry as players have come and gone every semester. This happened during Sit’s sophomore year as the core they established during his freshman year graduated. Sit said chemistry takes several years to start to develop on a team.

Senior captain Brendan Thomas said creating chemistry has been difficult this season because they might not have the same roster for any given game.

Players with commitments to other organizations might have to miss games. Despite this, he said the team has still developed a good base.

“For the most part, there is a solid group of nine or ten that are always there together,” Thomas said.

Thomas said they recruit various players that are committed to other organizations like ROTC and the National Guard.

Many recruits gained interest in fitness and athletics through their other organizations, but have no prior experience with rugby itself. Thomas said he describes rugby to new players as a game with the nonstop pace of soccer and the physicality of football. Before the team can develop chemistry and culture, he said they also need to get accustomed to the level of conditioning needed in rugby.

Now that it has played in two games and has more experience, Thomas said the team is ready for the challenges the rest of its schedule presents.

“They’re starting to figure out what their role is on the field,” Thomas said.

The Bulls rest up this week and return to the pitch Sunday, April 2 to play Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

VOLLEYBALL | Wargo-Kearney moves on to University of Arkansas after devoting eight years to Truman.

Continued from page 10 While Arkansas is a larger school, Wargo-Kearney said the program is still run the right way, by building strong relationships with their athletes and understanding the balance of coaches in personal and professional life.

Wargo-Kearney said the decision wasn’t easy to leave Truman and the incredible relationships she built here. The girls took it well according to WargoKearney, although there were plenty of tears to go around because the girls hold such a special place in her heart. WargoKearney said Truman Head Coach Ben Briney understood her decision and she knows their friendship will continue.

Briney said Wargo-Kearney will obviously be missed and that it was a blessing to have the opportunity to work with her for eight years. Briney said he has already begun the search for a new assistant — looking to fill big shoes left by Wargo-Kearney, with a passion for teaching volleyball and a willingness to put the work in to get better every day.

Junior Jasmine Brown said there were a lot of mixed feelings about Wargo-Kearney leaving, between being sad she is leaving, but also happy this opportunity was presented to her. Brown said what she will miss most about Wargo-Kearney is her “get things done” attitude, which constantly made the team better every day.

30

Women’s basketball jokes. Ha ha — those never get old, right?

I hope the sarcasm comes across on a newspaper page as strongly as it’s brewing in my mind. As a women’s basketball player, I’ve heard it all. It’s not a “real sport.” Why would anyone watch it? It’s not nearly as entertaining as the men’s game. It’s too slow. Not enough action. Not enough athleticism. Just a totally different sport from men’s basketball — and not in a good way. I mean, women’s sports just aren’t as impressive, right?

Sometimes, those comments sting.

Sometimes, as a female athlete, it takes a lot of self control to not tell that person off. But other times, like recently, when women’s basketball players have been accomplishing incredible feats, well then, it’s not so bad. Times like this are simply laughable reminders of ignorance and society’s continuing struggle with gender discrimination.

A few weeks ago, Washington University senior guard Kelsey Plum became the NCAA women’s all-time career leading scorer with 3,460 points. That puts her at second in the entire history of college basketball, and yes, that list includes men. Yes, that includes Larry Bird, Steph Curry, Tyler Hansbrough and other NBA greats of the past and present. Plum is second only to Pete Maravich. She averaged 31.7 points per game on 53 percent shooting in her four years as a Husky.

But here’s the sad part. Not everyone can recognize her greatness, and for some reason many people chose to take digs at all that she has accomplished. When she broke the scoring record two weeks back and started closing the gap on Maravich’s point total, it was not all sunshine and congratulations on the news. In fact, Twitter trolls had a hayday with this. The days following her record-breaking night were hard to watch as a female athlete. Don’t get me wrong, there was a fair share of congratulations, but searching social media brought about just as many negative comments.

There were those who attacked her personal life — ‘She looks like a man, she must be a lesbian’ — I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s how it works, and I don’t think that’s related to the fact that she is a phenomenal basketball player. There were others too, attacking the sport in general — ‘Anyone

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could do that in women’s basketball.’

‘It’s easy to score so much when girls don’t know how to play defense.’

Right, I’m sure it had nothing to do with the countless hours she spent perfecting her shot. Nothing to do with sacrificing weekends and summers to drill out reps in an empty gym — it’s only logical that she is so successful because other women are not. I don’t think so.

There were also those that gave her credit, but the compliments were laughable. ‘Wow, she plays like a man.’ ‘She resembles James Harden.’

Seriously, why? She is a woman, and she is Kelsey Plum. Why does being good at something mean you are doing it “like a man?” Why does is it even have to be a comparison?

So yes, that got under my skin a bit, but it was fine. I forgot my frustrations. Until, one week later, the situation repeated itself. Katie Lou Samuelson, a sophomore shooting guard for the University of Connecticut, had a historical night when she went 10-for-10 from the three-point line — without even playing in the fourth quarter. If you’re familiar at all with basketball, you’ll know that going 10-for-10 from three is not just an amazing shooting night for a woman, it’s a rare, once-in-a-lifetime performance for any basketball player — a performance that many of even the biggest names will never have on their record.

But the Twitter know-it-alls were back at it again. Who are these people? Do they play sports? Is masculinity actually that fragile? It’s mindboggling that people can’t recognize greatness because they can’t see past the fact that the player has a ponytail.

‘She travels before every shot.

Women’s basketball is a joke.’ ‘This makes me hungry for a sandwich.’

Yikes, right? I’d like to see any of her haters make 10 straight threes in an empty gym, much less make them in a Div. I basketball game. I’d guarantee Samuelson lived at the three point line to find that consistency in her shot. I’d bet she’d spend days shooting until her wrist hurt and until someone turned off the lights in the gym. It irks me that people can be so hateful, and it’s hard to watch people downplay a feat, having no idea of the work it took to make it possible.

What do you say we stop drawing comparisons? Women’s basketball is not the same as men’s basketball, and that is okay. Women are not physically built to get down the court in three long strides or make a SportsCenter slam dunk. But the little things — the more important things like hard work, dreams and sacrifice — those are all the same.

Making 10 three’s in a game and scoring 30 points a night are remarkable feats, no matter who you are. We compare on the basis of gender — on the basis of the uncontrollable — and it’s unfair to the sport. Give credit where credit is due. Male and female athletes are doing amazing things every single day as the product of years and years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Don’t be too ignorant to recognize greatness.

Now accepting scholarship applications for 2017-18 Application deadline May 5

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SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

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Rugby mentality: focus on culture, winning will follow

Photo submitted by Matt Yancey The Truman State University men’s rugby team, also known as the Bulls, gather in a scrum during a match against Oklahoma State University last weekend. The Bulls dropped their first two matches over the weekend, but beat OSU by a score of 62-19, despite struggling to maintain a steady roster the last few seasons.

BY JEREMY JACOB Staff Writer The Truman State University men’s rugby team is facing the annual challenge of incorporating new faces in with the committed returners as the spring schedule heats up.

The team lost 17-13 to University of Central Missouri and 76-0 to University of Missouri, but beat Oklahoma State University 62-19 Saturday. Head Coach William Sexton said the last three to four years have been particularly difficult on the team because they’ve been trying to correct a variety of issues while dealing with a heap of roster turnover throughout the season — the Bulls have lost as many as seven members of their starting lineup in recent seasons. Many of these issues were noticeable to him in their first two games.

“You can’t [rebuild a team] all at once,” Sexton said.

In the game against the University of Missouri, Sexton said the issues ranged from turnovers caused

by the offense not flowing well enough to bad tackling caused by a weak defense. He said making sure the team’s fundamentals are solid is the way to address the team’s issues.

However, there has been an underlying problem that, if fixed, will allow the team to thrive even with an ever changing roster.

Sexton said in January 2016, he attended the National Developmental Summit in San Francisco with USA Rugby. The team was coming off a bad season, and as the coach, Sexton said he became frustrated. A negative vibe during the team’s practices led to the game not being as fun, despite his belief that the Bulls could be one of the best eight teams in the country.

Sexton said he attended multiple talks during the summit including Michael Cheika, the Australian national rugby coach who was coming off a second place finish at the Rugby World Cup, Darryl Suasua, the New Zealand women’s national rugby coach who won back-to-back world cups, and Jack Clark, the University

of California rugby coach. Sexton said he found a common thread in their talks that success wasn’t about strategy but rather team culture. After some thinking, he said this had to be the source of his team’s problems and reported his findings back to the team. The Bulls have made team unity a focus ever since.

“Regardless of how hard we work, it’s a game and is supposed to be fun,” Sexton said.

Sexton said winning shouldn’t be the primary focus for their team. He said winning will follow if they’re able to execute the fundamental aspects of the game and create a tightknit culture among a diversity of work ethics. Sexton said a few of the people that have shown a great work ethic this year have been junior Eann Diller, senior Michael Sit and senior Matt Yancey.

Sit is the team’s president, along with his duties associated with being a scrum half — a halfback position that links the team’s eight forwards and six other backs. He said he was the team’s recruiting chair a couple

My dad, my coach, my best friend

BY STEPHANIE HULETT Staff Writer My dad has been there since day one at all of my games. Many athletes are fortunate enough to have their fathers as a huge support system in their respective sports.

Whether it was playing catch with me, taking me to the batting cages, playing one on one basketball at the gym, or letting me tag along at the driving range, I knew he would always be there. Whatever sport it was, whenever I wanted to do it he was there, and I could not be more blessed to have that consistent support in my life.

The summer before high school I became serious about golf. I told my dad, and he about fell out of his chair he was so excited. My dad has been my swing coach ever since, and while it hasn’t always been rainbows and sunshine, I would not trade it for a single thing.

First, let me tell you about my dad. He is an incredible athlete and an even more incredible human being. He played just about every sport you can think of, and played football in college at a junior college, Colorado Mesa University, before going to play for the University of Missouri. Unfortunately, he injured his knee beyond repair in practice — he never even got to see the field. So, a few years after college, he picked up golf at age 28 because it was a sport that he could manage on his bad knee.

“I have played every sport and usually excelled quick at them,” my dad said. “I started playing golf and was so frustrated I wasn’t good at it and it was the hardest sport to pick up. So, I told myself I will play this sport until I figure it out.”

Well, it’s safe to say he did. Three years later he could call himself a professional golfer.

See COLUMN, page 8

Photo submitted by Stephanie Hulett

Sophomore Morgan McMahan batted as the weekend, going 7-13 over four games. Her hot streak included a four hit game against McKendree University, hitting three doubles and

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Six NCAA Tournament appearances and two GLVC titles later, assistant volleyball coach Megan Wargo-Kearney is leaving Truman to pursue an assistant coaching position at Div. I, University of Arkansas. Wargo-Kearney will be assisting Head Coach Jason Watson and will serve the demanding role of recruiting coordinator.

Wargo-Kearney said that she knows Watson through mutual coaching friends, and has known the assistant head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar for many years. He reached out to her about the position, and Kearney made a tough decision to leave a team she had come to love during her eight years in Kirksville.

“I always said that the only way I would leave Truman was if I could get on a staff that I trusted and my beliefs and values were the same as what theirs were,” Wargo-Kearney said. “I found this in Arkansas.”

See VOLLEYBALL, page 10

ATHLETE

designated player for the Bulldogs over the

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Wargo-Kearney says farwell

BY BROOKE BAILEY Staff Writer

Morgan McMahan

knocking in three RBIs.

years ago and proposed the idea of reaching outside their friend groups to find recruits. He said the team is open to any new recruits, emphasizing the importance of hard work, effort and toughness rather than purely skill.

Sit said he was one of those players two and a half years ago when he found the rugby club at the Activities Fair. Just like the new recruits, he had to learn the game’s fundamentals of passing and the concept of always being behind your teammates to receive the ball because rugby doesn’t allow forward passes.

Afterwards, they learn how to tackle safely and how to position oneself during the game.

Sit said the fact that the backs of players’ jerseys have only the number that corresponds to their position, and display no individual name, speaks volumes to the selfless nature of rugby. He said being there for your teammates and not harping on yourself is usually the hardest part to learn.

See RUGBY, page 9

of the

WEEK

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