Truman student talks marimba, percussion
Benefit concert raises money for homeless shelter, page 5 Gender by the numbers, page 7 Track and field bring home success, page 14
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Truman State University tmn.truman.edu THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019
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GREEK WEEK BREAKS RECORD
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StuGov gears up for elections RYAN PIVONEY Managing Editor
Sheila Swafford, Pantry for Adair County operations manager, holds the check given to her by the Greek Week Committee. Swafford said an additional $120 was given to the pantry after she was awarded the check, bringing the grand total to $26,820. Photo by Ryan Pivoney
Greek Week breaks fundraising record, raises $26,820 RYAN PIVONEY Managing Editor Greek Week 2019 broke yet another fundraising record, raising $26,820 for Pantry for Adair County. Last year, Greek Week raised $24,500 for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which broke the record at the time. With fewer students involved in Greek Life at Truman State University this year, the group still managed to raise a record amount in donations and collected over 2,400 pounds of food. Delta Zeta raised the most per person and overall, bringing in $6,000. Greek Life team lead Audrey Tomlinson said the fact that the fundraiser was for a local cause might be part of the reason why the organization was able
to raise so much money. She served as one of the Greek Week directors. “Something about this year seemed like people had an extra push,” Tomlinson said. “I think part of it was the local organization that it went to Pantry for Adair County. That really motivates people to see it impact the people around them.” She said there was a lot of positive energy throughout the week of events and fundraising, which also served to motivate the Greek community. Greek Week members participated in Big Pink Volleyball to support breast cancer awareness, a scavenger hunt, an obstacle course, a series of smaller events and a closing ceremony. Greek Week philanthropy chairs suggested Pantry for Adair County, but it was selected through the larger committee. She said the group unanimously agreed
Jenna Fischer returns to Truman RYAN PIVONEY Managing Editor
After nearly 20 years, Emmy-nominated actress Jenna Fischer returned to her alma mater to speak in this year’s Holman Family Distinguished Speaker Series. Fischer graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in 1995, the year before it was renamed Truman State University. Originally enrolling as a pre-law history major, Fischer changed directions her junior year and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and a minor in journalism. As part of her return, Fischer created a scholarship in the name of theater professor Ron Rybkowski, who is retiring after 31 years. Rybkowski was one of Fischer’s professors, but he ultimately served more as a mentor. He
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even paid $100 to get Fischer out of jail when she was arrested for not paying a traffic ticket. “Ron was that teacher who teaches the whole student,” Fischer said. “So he doesn’t just teach you the class and information — he teaches you what you specifically need. So if you need to be challenged, he challenged you. If you need a break, he gives a break. He knows how to keep you interested and engaged as a student and helps you grow and mature as a person. So he was really special to me.” She said when she heard he was retiring, she wanted to help set up a scholarship in his name to give more students the opportunity to study theater at Truman. See FISCHER page 6
that they wanted this year’s focus to be on something local again because it would have a larger impact. Last year’s philanthropy brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Adair County. One of the reason’s Tomlinson said they stuck with the Pantry for Adair County was because it is a newer organization, and a large donation might be able to help it jumpstart its service. “I just think that we have a lot of people that are really motivated to do something, like that’s what makes Truman Greek Life so special,” Tomlinson said. “We are really dedicated people, and we’re not here just to be in a club. We’re here to make a difference.” She said philanthropy is something that gives Greek Life purpose and something they can all get behind to support. See GREEK WEEK page 5
Candidates running for a seat on Student Government have until tomorrow to turn in applications, but campaigning has already begun. There are 12 voting senator positions, three senior senators, the vice president and president, and multiple Funds Allotment Council positions open on the ballot. FAC is not a part of Student Government, but because they are both fee-based organizations, they are appearing on the same ballot. Hannah Wissler, Student Government election administrator, said election filings are going well and there were about 12 candidate packets out as of Tuesday. As of Tuesday, there was only one president/vice president ticket that had been filed. “I would definitely say some of the success of last spring’s election was the fact that we had three presidential tickets on there, we had 13 senators campaigning for 12 spots, and no one wanted to be that one person [not elected],” Wissler said. She said she is hoping for high voter turnout in this election, but the organization has a lower budget for advertising this year and found it harder to generate involvement without this semester’s activities fair. “Our PR director has been doing an awesome job publicizing things on social media, and our posters are up and around, so we’re hoping that’s enough to get people to turn out,” Wissler said. “Then all of the candidates are campaigning, so that will help get the word out, too.” She said there are enough eligible people to fill all the open positions, so that is the goal. If students are concerned about what is happening on campus, Wissler said it is important to vote and get involved with Student Government. Voting will be done completely online, and polls open Monday, April 15 and close Thursday, April 18. The results will be announced on The Mall outside the Student Union Building the same day polls close. Wissler said the past two elections conducted by Student Government were contested, which means involvement in the organization seems to be on the rise. Additionally, there are a number of new associate members of Student Government this year, which means they were appointed, but some are running for election this time around.
Local unemployment down but steady JESSICA VENVERTLOH Staff Writer
The unemployment rate in Adair County has decreased slightly, but remains stable overall. Carolyn Chrisman, executive director for Kirksville Regional Economic Development Inc., said that as of February 2019, the unemployment rate in Adair County was 3.9%, which is 421 residents. This is a decrease from February 2018, when the rate was 4.1%. The rate for the Northeast Missouri region sits at 4.1%, and the overall unemployment rate for the entire state is 3.2%. “We look at our labor shed,” Chrisman said. “It’s not just people in Kirksville who work in Kirksville, but really a lot of the surrounding
counties like Schuyler County, a lot of those folks come to Kirksville for work. We really try to keep tabs not only on Adair County’s unemployment level but then those around us.” She said unemployment tends to increase in the winter months because of less work for outdoor occupations like construction and landscaping, as well as over the summer when schools do not have as many people on staff. The Kraft Heinz Company is the top employer in Kirksville, employing around 925 people. The company underwent an expansion in the past year, and Chrisman said this led to a decrease in the unemployment rate. See UNEMPLOYMENT page 5