The Index Vol. 110 Issue 6

Truman State University tmn.truman.edu

Wrestling meets fundraising goal, will compete this year

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018 tmn.truman.edu

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PHRE proposes Bachelor of Science JESSICA VENVERTLOH Staff Writer

A proposal for a new Bachelor of Science in philosophy and religion was presented to the Undergraduate Council at last month’s meeting. This program has previously only been offered as a Bachelor of Arts.

Chad Mohler, philosophy and religion professor, said he and other faculty within the major have been discussing this proposal for about a year and a half. Mohler was involved in the writing of the initial proposal and recently presented it to the Undergraduate Council. He said they received positive feedback from the council, and overall faculty response has been favorable. Mohler said preliminary approval of the plans will take a minimum of four months. The council still needs to discuss the proposal and vote on it before sending it to Faculty Senate for further discussion and approval.

Mohler said the new program is an attempt to attract more students to the philosophy and religion major, as well as offer more opportunities to current students within the major.

“It’s a degree that, for one, might appeal to our current majors who may be more inclined towards STEM fields,” Mohler said.

Mohler also said this new program would make it easier for students already pursuing a Bachelor of Science to add philosophy and religion as a major.

Undergraduate Council Chair Justin Jarvis said he and the council are always excited for new program proposals that might be beneficial to students.

“I think that all of us are pretty understanding and convinced that a B.S. in philosophy and religion might actually be useful for some students who might either want to have a B.S. or, furthermore, would like to add it as a double major,” said Jarvis.

However, Jarvis said the council also had some concerns with the new proposal.

See PHRE page 3

TRUMAN LOOKING TO HIRE

See page 14

Walston selected as dean of Science and Math RYAN PIVONEY News Editor

Timothy Walston was selected as the dean of the School of Science and Mathematics after serving as interim for the past two years.

Truman State University began an internal search for a dean of the school after two external searches over four years failed. Walston had been serving as interim dean of the School of Science and Mathematics since July 2017.

There are seven departments in the School of Science and Mathematics: agricultural sciences, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and statistics.

The seven departments employ about 100 faculty members.

Janet Gooch, vice president for academic affairs, said the search committee was comprised of people both in and outside the School of Science and Mathematics. She said Walston went through the typical process of an on-campus interview, meeting different constituents on campus and participating in an open forum. Gooch said the committee made the recommendation, and she approved it. Walston officially started Oct. 1.

Gooch said Walston had the leadership experience the committee was looking for because he had been serving as interim dean and served as interim associate dean before that.

Gooch said Walston was the only applicant in the internal search.

Walston said he met with University President Sue Thomas, Gooch, members of the search committee, other school deans and the other science and mathematics chairs. He said he met with more people at the open forum as well.

See WALSTON page 2

Truman State University conducts an extensive process to find and hire individuals to faculty and staff positions. The search process can take several months and results are not guaranteed. Photo by Daniel Degenhardt

Truman has approximately 19 open positions RYAN PIVONEY News Editor

Truman State University is looking to fill up to 19 faculty and staff positions, including six open staff positions, three positions in student affairs and an estimated 10 faculty positions.

Sally Herleth, executive director of human resources, said the six staff positions include two housekeeping jobs, a study abroad adviser, an admissions counselor and more. These job listings are posted outside the human resources office.

Herleth said the turnover rate at Truman has a number of factors, including retirement. The University did not offer a retirement incentive this year, but she said normally they see a higher number of staff and faculty taking advantage of that opportunity when it is available.

Herleth said over the course of a given year, Truman has anywhere from 50-100 positions to refill. She said some of the positions are entry-level, so they expect a higher turnover for those. Herleth said people leave usually for personal reasons.

Herleth said the recent cuts to the budget have been a concern, and the University has chosen not to fill some positions because of budget constraints.

“We take a pretty good look at all staff positions in particular to see [if] we need this, is there a better way we can do this, can other people cover those responsibilities and stuff,” Herleth said. “We’ve become pretty lean and mean, so it gets kind of harder to do after a while.”

Herleth said most searches are external. She said the number of available staff positions and the turnover of this year is fairly typical.

She said usually the University advertises staff positions locally and online.

For higher level positions, the job listing would be posted on larger venues, such as the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, said there are three positions she oversees that are currently vacant. These positions are director of Residence Life, assistant director of the Career Center, and the director of Student Access and Disability Services.

See HIRING page 3

Res Life, Sodexo propose meal plan changes CASSIDY KREWSON Staff Writer

Sodexo and the Office of Residence Life have been working on possible meal plan adjustments that could go into effect as early as the 2019-2020 school year.

Possible changes include allowing meal swipes at Chick-fil-A, opening one dining hall on Sunday nights, bumping the transfer value of a meal up from $3.75 to $4.00, getting rid of prorated weeks and increasing the number of board days to six.

Currently, Sodexo prorates meals during weeks with breaks, because dining halls are not open.

“No matter how many signs we put up, a lot of the students just don’t grasp it or they’re not paying attention,” said Justin Dreslinski, Truman State University Sodexo general manager. “So they’re burning through their meals earlier in the week, and then they don’t have enough meals before they are scheduled to go home.”

Sodexo hopes discarding prorated meals will eliminate student confusion. Six more board days will be added as the prorated meals are cut. When

board days are scheduled, dining services are open for normal operations.

Meal transferability will not work with Mein Bowl because it is a third party subcontractor. The cost of meal plans would increase if Mein Bowl transferability was allowed. Fiscally, it wouldn’t benefit students.

Because meal plans haven’t been changed in at least 5 years, Residence Life approached Sodexo to devise new meal plan options, Dreslinski said.

To form the new plans, Sodexo used data from past meal plan usage and looked at which plans were popular and which weren’t. One prominent issue was the low number of students using the all-access meal plan. Last school year, 70 students had the all-access plan, and that number dropped down to seven students during the spring semester. Because all-access only allows meals to be used in dining halls, and the 75 flex dollars would typically be used for Sunday night dinner because no dining halls are open, many students displayed dissatisfaction with the plan.

See DINING page 2

Meal Plan Changes Current

Meal Plan All Access 20 Meals 14 Meals 10 Meals Block 150

Proposed Meal Plan 21 Meals 18 Meals 15 Meals 12 Meals Block 150

Flex Dollars $75 $100 $125 $100 $200

$ Per Meal $5.04 $4.86 $6.35 $7.78 $7.77

Total Cost $1,661 $1,555 $1,454 $1,264 $1,365

Daily Rate $15.87 $14.86 $13.89 $12.08 $13.04

Flex Dollars $75 $100 $225 $125 $275

$ Per Meal $5.01 $5.45 $5.67 $6.61 $7.83

Total Cost $1,699 $1,639 $1,538 $1,348 $1,449

Daily Rate $15.73 $15.18 $14.24 $12.48 $13.42

Increased the cost of the meal plans to the student by $84 (6 x $14.02)

Information provided by Truman Sodexo

Truman’s 2018 Homecoming, page 7 Homecoming 2018 is centered around the Bulldog effect and has welcomed all organizations to participate.

VOLUME 110 ISSUE 6 © 2018

Truman State University has a culture that continually thrives.

Legacy families help to keep that tradition alive.

The Index

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Politics in Person brings officials and candidates to campus RACHEL BECKER Staff Writer

College Democrats of Truman State University hosted Politics in Person on The Quad late last month.

The event brought elected officials and candidates from all over Missouri to Truman to talk with students about local politicians and to advocate for more students to vote.

Joni Perry, Democratic candidate for Missouri State Representative in District 3, helped organize the Politics in Person event.

“This was a project that was near and dear to my heart, to bring Republicans and Democrats together to talk to students at the same time, at the same place, and people went for it, so we are all in,” Perry said.

Perry said the College Democrats were great to work with, and she invited the College Republicans to participate in the event, but they turned down the offer. Perry said she has been involved on campus quite a bit, as Truman is the only four-year

public university in the district. Perry said she sat down with University President Sue Thomas to get the University’s perspective on what it wants in their next representative.

Perry decided not to publicize or seek major endorsements because she wants to spend time with the people of the district, and the people in the district do not care for the soapbox issues.

The funding behind Perry’s campaign comes almost exclusively from individuals, with one or two local businesses contributing. Perry said the contributions to her campaign have averaged between $25 and $100 at a time.

“It’s tough since it is a drop in the bucket at a time, instead of one $500 donation at a time from large groups, but this is what it’s about to me,” Perry said.

Perry also said she thinks there is a need for campaign finance reform, but that is something she will tackle if she gets elected.

Mark Shahan, a candidate for Adair County Presiding Commission-

Peter Merideth, Missouri State Representative in District 8, talks to senior Jake Gnolfo and sophomore Reece Ellis. Representatives from across the state were invited to attend the event.

Joni Perry, Democratic candidate for Missouri State Representative in District 3, talks to voters on The Quad. Perry and College Democrats of Truman State University organized the event. Photos by Rachel Becker er, said he thinks all voter turnout why events like this are awesome, beis low. He said there was only a 33 cause you get to know us as people percent turnout in the primary and and I think from that sentiment peoroughly 13 percent for the spring ple are excited about voting.”

Quade said she supports getting school board elections.

With the problem of low voter young voters out to vote and particiturnout, Shahan said there is a prob- pate in elections because the number lem with people only voting by party of possible youth voters can impact rather than getting to know the can- the coming elections. Quade said the didates. He said he is focusing on the number of eligible millennial and Genarea around Truman because he wants eration X voters would be a bigger young voters to vote on people they voting block than any other age demographic, and that could change politics know, not purely on party affiliation.

“People are frustrated with parties, if they were more politically involved.

Quade said she is frustrated by the for whatever reason,” Crystal Quade said, a candidate for Missouri State amount of money spent on political Representative in District 132. “They campaigns, so she hopes to advocate may not be happy with what is going for that change from the inside out.

Missouri’s general election is Nov. on at the national level, so they want to get to know their local candidates, 6, 2018. which I think is super important and

DINING| Sodexo and Res Life will like- WALSTON| The School of Science and ly change on-campus meal plans by Mathematics got a new dean Oct. 1 Continued from page 1 in a field related to science and maththe fall 2019 semester Walston said the deans of Truman cre- ematics, and Walston said the comContinued from page 1 Interim Residence Life Director William Nelson said providing value and a better experience for students was a key factor in Residence Life’s decision to alter the meal plans. Residence Life sought to ensure student money was being used in a beneficial way, so they sought out student interaction to receive feedback.

On Sept. 20, Dreslinski and Nelson traveled around campus to propose the possible meal plan changes to students. They compared current plans to possible new ones, explained how

the new meals will be beneficial and responded to student feedback.

If these changes do occur, the cost of meal plans will increase by an average of $84.

“For the minimal amount of dollars that we’re raising the meal plans, [there will be] so many more benefits in the program,” Dreslinski said.

The Board of Governors must approve the raised prices of meal plans and Residence Life must approve meal plan changes before the adjustments can become official.

staff Serving the University community since 1909 Editor-in-Chief: Brently Snead Managing Editor: Nicolas Telep Digital Director: Dana Bartch News Editor: Ryan Pivoney Opinions, Features Editor: Morgan Gervais Sports Editor: Curt Wichmer Copy Chief: Allyson Lotz Photo Editor: Daniel Degenhardt Design Chief: Emmett Divendal Distribution Managers: Dustin Snead, Tyler Hanson Cartoonist: Annie Kintree Designers: Georgia Gregory Photographers: Kara Mackenzie, Mary Van Winkle Copy Editors: Elise Hughes, Cara Quinn, Jenna Faulkner, Jessica Robinson, Emma Gottfried, Katie Puryear, Lindell Sconce Staff Writers: Travis Maiden, Gordon McPherson, Lexi Mueller, Aura Martin, Elisabeth Shirk, Rachel Becker, Jessica Venvertloh, Cassidy Krewson, Elissa May, Allison Maschhoff, Isabelle Cenatiempo Adviser: Don Krause

ated a document that details their responsibilities and how to be a leader in each school. He said these responsibilities include leading the faculty, setting priorities for how students are educated, hiring faculty, helping to raise funding, evaluating faculty and ensuring safety of facilities.

“In general, the dean is not just the leader of their school, though, but a leader of the University, too,” Walston said. “As a member of the dean’s council and a member of the president’s advisory council … we are deciding policy and making decisions that impact the entire University.”

The dean position requires a Ph.D.

mittee was looking for applicants with leadership experience.

Walston said he is excited for the opportunities in the School of Science and Mathematics and for the future.

“I think that there’s some really exciting stuff happening in science and math right now,” Walston said. “We have two new undergraduate degree programs and a graduate certificate program that either has just been launched or will be launched soon, and a whole bunch of new, young faculty that are doing some outstanding things.”

Crime Reports DPS & KPD 9/29 Ambulance emergency reported at Missouri Hall

10/5 Theft reported at the 100 block of South Bradford St.

10/1 Stolen bicycle report- 10/5 Burglary reported at the ed at Centennial Hall 1900 block of South High St. 10/1 Theft reported at the 10/5 Missing person report700 block of West George St. ed at the 700 block of North Osteopathy St. 10/1 Stolen bicycle reported at Violette Hall

10/6 Simple assault reported at the 1300 block of South Baird St.

10/1 Possession of marijuana/ 10/7 Property damage resynthetic cannabinoid of 10 ported at the 1700 block of grams or less reported at the South Porter St. 800 block of South First St. 10/1 Theft reported at the 10/7 Property damage re300 block of West McPher- ported at the 500 block of son St. South Sixth St. 10/2 Sexual assault report- 10/7 Rape reported at the ed at the 2200 block of West 1100 block of Country Club Dr. Gardner St. 10/3 Theft reported at the 600 block of West Fillmore St. 10/4 Theft reported at Grim Pl. 10/4 Theft reported at Ryle Hall

10/8 Theft reported at the 2300 block of North Baltimore St. 10/8 Theft reported at the 2200 block of North Baltimore St.

10/8 Sexual assault report10/4 Theft reported at the ed at the 100 block of East 800 block of East Mill St. McPherson St. 10/4 Theft reported at the 10/8 Theft reported at the 1700 1100 block of South Cottage block of North Centennial Ave. Grove Ave.

The Index

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

PHRE| PHRE proposes B.S. to increase enrollment in major

Continued from page 1 Jarvis said the council was also concerned about the Bachelor of Science requirement courses listed in the proposal major. The council said they did not think they were rigorous enough in terms of math and science. Jarvis said the philosophy and religion department is working to make the necessary changes to the course list and re-submit the proposal to the Undergraduate Council.

Despite concerns, Jarvis said the proposal looks promising moving forward and thinks it fits into Truman’s liberal arts and sciences mission.

One of the main differences between a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts is the foreign language requirement.

A Bachelor of Science requires one year of language while a Bachelor of Arts requires two years. Lucy Lee, Classical and Modern Languages Department chair, said she thinks there will always be philosophy and religion students who will prefer a Bachelor of Arts as opposed to a Bachelor of Science. She said she thinks the Philosophy and Religion Department is doing what they think is best for their department and its students, and she does not think the proposed Bachelor of Science will affect her department.

“This situation already exists in many fields,” Lee said. “With science we have B.A. degrees, with humanities areas we have B.S. degrees already, and it doesn’t take away anything, I think, from the importance of having a language to provide more tools to use in the future, and a deeper cultural as well as linguistic understanding that comes with more language study. It doesn’t come necessarily with just the first year.”

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Community responds to MO Hall TRAVIS MAIDEN Staff Writer Missouri Hall’s received a new dining hall renovation last summer to change the decor and kitchen.

With brand new tables, chairs and food stations, the cafeteria now offers a new dining experience for students and staff like Missouri Hall Director Zac Burden.

Burden said he eats in the dining hall every day and is impressed with how good the new decor looks and how quickly it was all finished. He said one of the best changes was removing the wall separating the service area and dining areas because it was impossible to see what was being served and if there was a line for it.

Burden said he likes the new arrangement of food and the introduction of the new serving area in the middle of the hall.

“I think it made mealtime much more of an exploration,” said Burden. “The idea is that I can go here, go there and keep looking around to take a look at everything. It really creates a better dining experience.”

Burden also said the cafeteria, which opened in 1965, was in dire need of an upgrade. He said several of the fixtures like the salad bar, condiment bar and drinking station dated back to the 1990s, and the wires back in some areas were still running on fuses.

Burden said the Sodexo staff did an excellent job turning the construction site into a functional cafeteria over the span of a couple days.

He said the team always seems to work hard, and it would not have been possible without Missouri Hall dining manager John Dahlman, who has worked on campus since 1986.

Dahlman said the kitchens needed the renovation because the infrastructure was falling apart. He said he is happy with the new appliances behind the counter.

“Copper and cast iron pipes don’t last forever,” Dahlman said. “For example, [it] was February a couple of years ago when the electricity went out. One of our drain lines that’s over the top of the electrical part of the building had rotted through, so the water had ran into the electricity, which wasn’t a good mix.”

Dahlman said it is harder to work because of the new stations around the hall, but his staff can handle the pressure. Now that every area has its own line, it can be difficult to fully staff each area. He said nothing can really be changed because of how expensive stone countertops are.

Dahlman said the hall looks much nicer with a brand new color scheme and furniture. He said he was surprised the old, wooden chairs lasted so long since they were from 1989.

Dahlman said even though the surroundings have changed, the best

thing to him will always be the different faces he gets to see, like Missouri Hall resident junior Alexandra Miller.

Miller said she used to eat at the dining hall everyday during her freshman year. Now she rarely finds herself sitting down in the cafeteria. She said the food was the worst out of the halls last year, but it had the best arrangement of food and seating.

Miller said the cafeteria might look fancier now, but it feels less functional.

“The tables and chairs are too different, and I don’t like the thing in the middle,” Miller said. “I eat a lot of carrots and spinach, so now I have to duck down there and reach far because there’s a glass plate thing right above me. I can only imagine how it’s like for people who are tall to try reaching down there.”

Miller said she liked the Missouri Hall dining area before the renovation because it felt like it was more community-based compared to Ryle and Centennial halls’ restaurant dining experience. She said the other two halls felt like restaurants, which she wasn’t interested in.

Miller said the hall looks much better and the food has improved tremendously compared to how it was before. Miller said she liked how many new options have opened up because of the new serving areas.

news in brief DPS RELEASES ANNUAL SECURITY AND FIRE REPORT

TRUMAN FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

LIBRARY PROJECT MOVES FORWARD

Truman State University’s Department of Public Safety has released the annual security and fire report for 2018. This report includes statistics of crimes and fires occurring on Truman’s campus and public property adjacent to campus over the past three years. The report indicates an increase in the number of rapes, stalkings and liquor law arrests occurring from 2016-17, but a decrease in theft, domestic violence and drug law arrests. Additional information can be found at the DPS website.

Applications for Truman State University’s Foundation scholarships became available early October. Foundation scholarships are established by alumni and Truman donors, and are only available to full-time, currently enrolled Truman Students. The Foundation scholarship applications are due Nov. 1 because these are scholarships that have not been awarded for the 2018-19 school year. A separate application period will open in February for the 2019-20 scholarships. Applications are available online through TruView.

The Pickler Memorial Library is undergoing a sprinkler renovation project, which has forced some areas of the library to be unavailable to students. The project recently moved to the third floor of the library, closing the L-Z portion of General Collections for about three weeks. The third floor multimedia lab and studios, the audiobooks, and juvenile and curriculum sections will also be closed. Students can still request materials in the affected areas by asking library staff at the circulation desk.

HIRING| Truman State University is looking to hire a number of staff and faculty members, conducting multiple searches Continued from page 1 While the search for a director of Student Access and Disability Services is wrapping up, the Res Life director position only recently became available, and the position in the Career Center was recently created.

Stoskopf said the University typically sees some turnover in residence hall directors from year to year, but that is expected because it is seen as an entrylevel higher education position.

Stoskopf said generally position searches go through a process of posting the job listing and creating a search committee — made up of students, stakeholders and faculty selected by the department supervisor — to review candidates and determine the top three to then interview and invite to campus.

Once on campus, Stoskopf said they meet with various groups who give their input to the search committee for consideration. The department supervisor ultimately makes the decision.

Stoskopf said some factors that might turn candidates away are the region Truman is in, personal reasons or a lack of connection to the Truman culture. She said salary is also a factor, and the University is looking to address that problem by increasing salaries across campus, but this has become more difficult with state budget cuts.

Stoskopf said while there are only three open positions she oversees, she is concerned about what positions those are. She said Truman and its students rely on the services each position provides, so it is important to fill them and ensure those responsibilities are being fulfilled.

“It is crucial in all respects,” Stoskopf said. “Quite honestly, when I look at the work we’re doing with the budget issues that we’ve had over the last few years, we have done everything we can — not just us in student affairs, but across the University — to try to identify where there are places where once a position becomes vacant, we don’t have to refill it, [and] we can figure out how we approach it differently … I would say that we have done so much

of that over the course of the last 3-5 years that quite honestly, we’re at what I would consider bare bones staffing.”

Janet Gooch, vice president for academic affairs and provost, said there are just a few faculty positions open right now, but the deans and academic departments are finishing assessing their needs and submitting requests for faculty positions. Gooch said this process of working with the deans helps to keep an eye on the size of Truman’s faculty relative to the curricular needs and size of student body. Gooch said if she had to estimate, she would expect to conduct about 10 faculty searches this year. She said as the University switches to The Dialogues next year, course demand will be more difficult to determine. Gooch said Truman has budgeted for the faculty required and will continue to hire faculty where it is essential to teach the University’s curriculum.

This year, there are about 10 fulltime new faculty members.

Gooch said searches for faculty positions are typically external and take several months. While some departments can find new faculty relatively easily, Gooch said it is harder in some areas because there are fewer Ph.D. candidates or fewer people looking to teach. The search for a dean of the School of Health Sciences and Education, Gooch said, has failed previously and is now on its second attempt. The University has since hired a recruiting firm to help identify potential candidates for the latest search, she said.

Gooch said it is important to find the right candidates for the open positions at Truman.

“It’s about finding the candidate who is going to fit into Truman, but then also that we’re going to be a good fit for the candidate,” Gooch said. “It has to go both ways, and there’s so many factors involved.”

She said hiring the right people is the primary goal of the University and it is the best course of action to keep Truman moving ahead.

Editor goes to class with Highway Patrol NICOLAS TELEP Managing Editor

For the past five Mondays, I have traveled to Macon, Missouri, to the headquarters of Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B to participate in its annual Community Alliance Program.

Each Monday night from 6:30-9 p.m., about a dozen other community members and I listen to lectures, watch demonstrations and ask questions. Troop B covers 16 counties in the northeast part of the state from the Missouri River to the Iowa border. Sgt. Eric Brown, Troop B public information officer, said each of the nine MSHP troops do similar community outreach programs occasionally, but Troop B does one every year. Brown contacted The Index in early September and asked if a reporter would like to participate.

Corporal TJ Adams and Troop B’s police dog, Bady, do a demonstration for the Community Alliance Program.

Photo by Nicolas Telep I have been gathering video and audio of the lectures and workshops, which so far have covered topics ranging from commercial vehicle regulations to undercover narcotics investigations.

So far, I’ve done things I never expected I would do. On the first night, I got to wear a heavy bulletproof vest — known among the troopers as “rifle plates” — used in tac-

tical situations. To demonstrate the effect of residual alcohol on breath tests, one of the Zone Sergeants had me rinse my mouth with mouthwash and then blow into a breathalyzer. I blew .291, more than 3.5 times the legal limit, but 15 minutes later I blew .000 and learned all the alcohol from the mouthwash had dissipated.

Perhaps my most embarrassing moment was a mock traffic stop, where I played the role of a trooper while Corporal TJ Adams sat in plain clothes in a vehicle that, as part of the exercise, I pretended to pull over for having expired tags.

The first part of the traffic stop went fine. I clearly stated my name, told Adams why I had pulled him over, and asked for his driver’s license and proof of insurance.

Adams handed me his license out the window, but then dropped it on the ground.

I decided to help him out and pick it up for him.

When I came back up to the window, Adams was holding a handgun.

“Do you want to see this, too?” Adams said.

Adams later said the point of the exercise was to demonstrate how quickly a situation can turn dangerous. I was embarrassed, but Adams and Trooper Jessie Halley, who was guiding me through the mock traffic stop, said they made errors similar to mine and those of the other participants at some point. They said it takes time and experience to learn and get everything right.

Next week I will be firing a service weapon on a range, and in a few more weeks I will have the opportunity to ride with actual on-duty troopers as they patrol the roads. These aren’t things I ever envisioned myself doing, so they’re sure to make for exciting, if not intimidating, experiences.

I’ll be checking in again throughout the program until the end in late November.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty more stories and perspectives to share before I’m done.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Retired Truman Professor endorses Gray My name is Dr. Tom Marshall. I am a retired teacher from Truman State University. This letter to the editor is written in support of Benjamin J. Gray for the office of Adair County Associate Circuit Judge.

I have known Ben for about twenty years as a Truman student, Truman football player, lawyer, and now friend. Ben is experienced, respectful, hardworking, curious and thoughtful — a good combination for Associate Circuit Judge. Ben grew up in Northeast Missouri, on a farm in Schuyler County near Lancaster, and graduated from Truman State University (Communication with a minor in Ag Business) and the University of Missouri School of Law. He started his career as a lawyer in public service as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. He came home to Northeast Missouri in 2009 and opened his own law practice in Kirksville.

Ben is an experienced courtroom

lawyer in both criminal prosecution and criminal defense. He has been a fierce advocate for clients in public and private practice.

Ben believes that, in order to preserve its integrity, The Constitution must be enforced to protect all citizens equally; its protections should not in any way be lessened as they apply to those who have committed or been accused of committing a crime.

He has often told me that seeking justice would be so much easier if the law was applied fairly and accurately. So Ben is committed to seeking fairness and justice based on fact, without political influence. As a science teacher I value his non-political fact-based approach.

Ben brings integrity, experience, and respect for people and process, as well as the right temperament, to his candidacy for Adair County Associate Circuit Court Judge.

SUBMITTED BY: Tom Marshall

Love is an open door. Literally.

ALLYSON LOTZ Copy Chief Anyone who has ever lived in a Truman State University residence hall knows there are three kinds of doors: green, yellow and red. Residents can enter the green primary entrance doors any time during the school year, and they can enter the yellow doors any time before midnight or after 6 a.m. Red doors, however, are exit only, and there is nothing more frustrating than running up to a residence hall door only to see the little red Bulldog sticker in the window.

What’s the point of those red doors, anyway? In the daytime, all anyone has to do to get past this foolproof security is walk 30 feet to the nearest green or yellow door. At night, the yellow doors will eventually become exit only, but residents can still enter green doors as long as they have their ID or $5 to ring the doorbell. Anyone else who wants to enter the building is out of luck, but they didn’t fare any better at the red door anyway. This means red doors mostly result in petty inconveniences.

If anything, these red doors sound like safety hazards. A resi-

dent fleeing a violent situation is going to run toward the first door they see, and if they slam into a red door, that could prove costly. If they had been at a green or yellow door, they could have swiped their ID and ran inside to safety. Tough luck if they get caught at a red door, though — now they are subject to dog bites, a punch in the face, a stabbing or worse. As drastic as these examples are, they’re the kind of concerns the University needs to consider when implementing security measures, even simple ones like doors.

Why not swap those red Bulldog stickers for some yellow ones? Install ID scanners on each door frame, and voila! Residents have an easier way to safely enter their home. On top of that, it wouldn’t even be that expensive to implement. I couldn’t find Truman-specific numbers on how much our residence hall door security costs, but ID TECH card scanners cost roughly $60 online. If we have six residence halls with about two red doors each, that’s $720 total. Even if the University didn’t want to find that money in its budget, that’s a pretty easy GoFundMe goal to reach.

I recognize I’m talking about a relatively inconsequential issue on our campus. Changing doors might not be nearly as sexy as solving the mental health crisis or increasing parking, but that’s exactly what makes door policy so much easier to change than those higher profile issues. If you, too, are annoyed with these needless exit only doors, talk to your peers in Student Senate or Residence Life about this simple way to improve the Truman experience.

They might just open some new doors for us.

LETTER TO EDITOR| Rabies in Kirksville animal population A few weeks ago, a student from Truman State University was bitten by a bat in his off campus home. The bat was found and tested; officials were shocked to discover that the bat did indeed have rabies, and they rushed to get the student treatment. Although he is doing okay, this could’ve very easily been a tragedy for Truman’s campus.

Rabies is present in the Kirksville animal population, and it is not something to take lightly. Rabies has a nearly 100 percent mortality rate — all but a few people in history have perished from the disease once they develop symptoms.

It’s not something to mess around with.

This does not mean, however, that being bit by a wild animal is a death sentence. If you can get to a hospital within a few days, they can administer a vaccine to prevent the disease from taking hold. If possible, safely capture the animal (or call animal control to capture it for you) so it can be tested for rabies. If you or someone you know was bitten or scratched by an animal, and you aren’t 100 percent sure it has been vaccinated for rabies, get medical attention immediately.

SUBMITTED BY: Carolyn Klamm and Emily Bauer

Stu Gov

Buzz

October busy month for Student Government

Hello Students!

October is going to be a busy one for Student Government! This past week, you might have seen us handing out a plethora of things at Oktoberfest on National Truman Spirit Day and we will be handing out free hot chocolate and hot apple cider at the Homecoming Tailgate along with participating in Trunk or Treat at the end of the month.

In the works, the Environmental Affairs committee has first read a resolution in support of maintaining the green space that was once Fair Apartments and moving the solar powered bench to the plot. The Diversity Committee is planning an international spirit day to celebrate the different countries and culture on campus. Health, Wellness, and Safety Committee is looking into suicide prevention training. External Affairs is planning a service event with the Student Council at the Kirksville High School. The TEDx Ad Hoc Committee is counting down the days until November 3rd, so keep your EDITORIAL POLICY: The Index is published Thursdays during the academic year by students at Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501.

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The production offices are located in Barnett Hall 1200. We can be reached by phone at 660-785-4449. The Index is a designatedofpublic forum, and content The Indexrepresentative is the responsibility of TheofIndex staff.

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eyes out for tickets! AND, as always, Purple Friday is planning monthly events so show your pride and wear your purple!

The body has first read a resolution (meaning it will be voted on at our next meeting 10/14) to move the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee underneath the Health, Wellness, and Safety Committee. Underneath that umbrella, the Sexual Assault Prevention would become a subcommittee and have a representative on the committee solely for the purpose of sexual assault prevention. Ideally, this would allow the newly formed subcommittee all of the resources of the Health, Wellness, and Safety Committee.

As always, our meetings are open door held in the Conference Room on the third floor of the SUB, Sundays at 5 p.m. We would love direct participation and questions from anyone on campus.

SUBMITTED BY: Rachel Holt

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Submit corrections or contact the editor.

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The Index

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

5

Truman enrolls above MoDOT, City consider average number of improvements to BaltiLGBTQ students more Street CASSIDY KREWSON Staff Writer

Truman State University has an above average number of LGBTQ students when compared to other Missouri universities. This year, 20 percent of students at Truman identify as LGBTQ, which is higher than the 10-12 percent other Missouri universities have reported, said Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs.

Stoskopf said Truman has been actively working toward more inclusivity to make students of all identities welcome.

The University’s already welcoming atmosphere for all students could be why Truman’s LGBTQ enrollment is higher, she said.

“It’s a warm, welcoming, accepting, inclusive community as a whole,” Admission Director Melody Chambers said. “The fact that the University’s mission in part values diversity in all respects is something that at least on the surface maybe attracts people to investigating the University.”

Stoskopf said one way Truman has worked toward creating a safer environment for LGBTQ students is through various programs aimed to help students with their concerns.

The Safe Zone Program trains faculty and staff on issues impacting LGBTQ students. Once they complete the training, they can sign a pledge saying they are an ally, and they can place a sticker on their office door indicating they are a safe person to come to with any concerns. This program, as well as student organizations like Prism and TruTrans, have contributed to an overall comfortable environment for LGBTQ students on Truman’s campus, said Stoskopf.

Chambers said during Truman Showcase events, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion has held presentations and open houses for any prospective students interested in diversity issues or available support.

Prospective students are also given a flyer in their folder promoting inclusivity and diversity. Visible support systems and services allow prospective and current LGBTQ students to see a supportive and inclusive community, said Chambers.

“We want all of our students to have an environment where they can feel comfortable focusing their energy on their academics and not on trying to survive,” Stoskopf said. “The University aims to not just tolerate differences, but embrace them.”

Truman LGBTQ students experience discrimination less often than other universities, Stoskopf said. They encounter harassment on a smaller scale, such as microaggressions, whereas at other universities, harassment has been seen on a more blatant level. Truman students might experience more lowkey and unconscious exclusion, where other universities see

bigger disruptions, Stoskopf said.

Within the Kirksville community, LGBTQ students do not experience many problems compared to bigger college towns, junior Prism secretary Leashanna Hughes said. Because Kirksville is a small town, some residents might not be understanding of the LGBTQ community.

To be sure they’re well informed about happenings on campus, admissions staff has update sessions with all of the academic departments and student support service areas annually, Chambers said. One session is with psychology professor Sherri Palmer, and she informs admissions on the LGBTQ community. She helps them understand a variety of needs such as support systems and what admissions can do to be more supportive and inclusive.

Admissions has worked toward being sensitive with students and being sure to use correct names and pronouns, Chambers said. The admission application asks for a student’s biological sex and gender identity separately. Current students can also change their name and pronouns through TruView.

For prospective students, admissions determines what kinds of details are going to be important in selecting colleges. Through conversations with that student, admissions connects them with resources to inform them of opportunities at Truman and whether or not it will be a good fit, Chambers said.

To welcome incoming freshmen, an LGBTQ luncheon is scheduled during Truman Days.

“So many people go to those, and so you just sit there and you see that this is the most LGBT people you’ve ever had in the same room as you,” Hughes said.

Once LGBTQ students are on campus, the Office of Residence Life works with these students to ensure they are living in a safe environment. Former Residence Life Director John Gardner was proactive in the process of gender neutral housing, interim Residence Life Director William Nelson said. Res Life takes concerns and stories from gender non-conforming students into consideration when shaping a comfortable environment for them; students are able to work directly with Residence Life to meet their needs. Student advisers are trained to understand and accommodate different identities, Nelson said.

When Residence Life notices a student’s gender identity differs from their biological sex, they might get in contact with the student and ask them if they would like a gender non-conforming roommate.

Residence Life has yet to implement gender neutral hallways. Most transgender students live in suites to avoid using public bathrooms, said Hughes. The prices of suites at Truman are accessible to students — some universities see high prices for suites.

JESSICA VENVERTLOH Staff Writer

Street improvements in their longterm plan.

“The city’s concerns are that it is unsightly and unsafe,” Young said. “As the main thoroughfare and corridor into our city, it’s an embarrassment.”

However, Kirksville cannot take it upon itself to address these issues.

Unlike Illinois Street, recently repaired by the city using city resources, Baltimore Street is owned by the State of Missouri, Young said. Therefore, repairs are under the jurisdiction of MoDOT. City councilman Zac Burden said state ownership of the street and a lack of state funding have been the primary obstacles. Despite the fact that MoDOT has completed the scoping phase for projects on Baltimore, Burden said he remains only cautiously optimistic until the plan is locked into the STIP in July. There are still other obstacles within this project.

“There is a unique issue coming up here in November — Proposition D — which would be the voters deciding whether or not to increase the tax on gasoline here in the state of Missouri,” Burden said.

Burden said the tax has not increased since 1996, and he said it’s important for citizens to vote in favor of Proposition D to help MoDOT secure much-needed funding for the statewide highway network.

The Missouri Department of Transportation and the City of Kirksville are currently planning improvements for Baltimore Street’s road surfacing, curbing, sidewalks, signals and water drainage issues in a five-year plan.

Amy Crawford, the MoDOT Area Engineer for the counties of Adair, Schuyler, Scotland, Knox, Lewis, and Clark, said Baltimore Street has had problems as long as she has worked with the department. MoDOT was not allowed to look at Baltimore Street for potential projects previously because of its status as a supplementary route.

Crawford said this changed recently, and MoDOT is now permitted to scope these routes, and she said she is excited to see this project move forward.

Crawford said her department has looked at Baltimore Street for potential improvements, the first step in the extensive process of developing roadway projects. Crawford said MoDOT hired consulting firm Bartlett & West to create preliminary plans for Baltimore Street. She said these plans are due at the end of the year.

Crawford said along with these plans, MoDOT will have an estimate for the cost of the project. They will prioritize needs based upon these costs and consult the City of Kirksville to create final plans. She said from here, there will be meetings with committees to dictate which projects the area wishes to add to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

This program looks forward five years at projects the state wants to accomplish.

The proposed projects are then sent to the central office in Jefferson City where they are reviewed by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission and subject to public comment. Finally, the highway commission can approve the new STIP. Crawford said she hopes a Baltimore Street renovation will be on this new STIP, but it is unknown how far in the future it will take place or what it will entail.

Assistant city manager Ashley Young said the city and its Airport and Transportation Commission Baltimore Street might see improvements within the are working with Mo- next five years. Kirksville and MoDOT will work together DOT to get Baltimore to create plans. Photo by Jessica Venvertloh

calendar Midterm Break starts Thursday, Oct. 18, and ends Sunday, Oct. 21 THE SECOND CITY’S IMPROV ALL-STARS OCT. 11 7 TO 8 P.M. BALDWIN AUDITORIUM

CANTORIA FALL CONCERT OCT. 13 7 TO 8 P.M. OPHELIA PARRISH PERFORMANCE HALL

NEMO JOB FAIR OCT. 16 11 A.M. TO 3 P.M. KIRKSVILLE DAYS INN

Student Activities Board is hosting The Second City’s Improv All-Stars as its second comedic act of the semester. The Second City’s Improv group has been producing comedy without the use of scripts or sets for 55 years. Several comedians, such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray, got their start from The Second City’s Improv.

Truman State University’s premier choral ensemble will perform a Homecoming weekend concert. The performance will last about 40 minutes and focus on mental health. The concert will feature songs reflecting on time, life, death and hope.

The North East Missouri Job Fair will host a variety of industries and companies looking to recruit employees from around the area.

The job fair will include employers from industries such as health services, manufacturing, service and retail, communications and education, government, and service agencies.

HARVEST FEST OCT. 16 3 TO 7 P.M. THE QUAD

ART GALLERY OPENING RECEPTION OCT. 16 5 TO 7 P.M. UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

GLOBAL ISSUES COLLOQUIUM OCT. 25 7 TO 9 P.M. BALDWIN HALL LITTLE THEATER

Truman State University’s annual fall event will include pumpkin carving, lawn games and s’mores.

Truman State University’s Art Department will host an opening reception and artist talk for “MicroEcos: Brandon Gellis and Shelby Shadwell.” The exhibit will be on display from Oct. 16 through Nov. 29 and will be free and open to the public.

Robert Kelly, archaeology professor at the University of Wyoming, will give a presentation titled “The Fifth Beginning-What 6 Million Years of Human History Can Tell Us About Our Future.” Kelly will identify four pivotal points in history that have shaped the organization of society and proposes globalization as a fifth.

The Index

6

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Students celebrate fall with Oktoberfest

Top Left: Big Tobacco performed as one of the live acts at Oktoberfest.

Coleman Kuseliauskas was on lead guitar, Christopher Schweissguth performed vocals and rhythm guitar, Max Hansmann played drums and Daniel Young was on bass.

Top Right: Truman State University hosted its annual Oktoberfest Oct. 5. Every year, free mugs of kegged Fitz’s Root Beer are served at Oktoberfest.

Bottom Left: Oktoberfest is a free event that provides live entertainment, games and food. Originally planned for the lot by Barnett Hall, the event was held in its rain location at Pershing Arena.

Bottom Right: Clubs and organizations on campus are invited to table and participate in the event. Many organizations use the opportunity to fundraise and recruit new members. Photos by Daniel Degenhardt

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

a Lleaves DOG EFFECT THE Truman BULTHE L DOGBULEFFECT H O M2018 E Con O M I Nhearts G 2018 HOMECOMING pawprint People decide to come to Truman State University for many different reasons. Of those, a number have to do with family connections to the University. Truman has a myriad of familial networks that tie the community of students, alumni, faculty and staff together. These networks form legacies.

7

BY ELIS ABE Staff WTH SHIRK rit

er

The Kueblers: A Family That Stays Together Senior Jane Kuebler has been coming to Truman almost her entire life. She said her first trip to Truman was just months after she was born.

Jane’s parents are Truman

alumni and frequently come back to visit Truman to be a part of activities on campus. Her brother, who is also a Truman alumnus, often comes back as well to meet up with Jane and their parents.

J ane said she looked at

other programs and even toured another school, but ultimately she knew Truman was an easy choice.

“Every time I came back,

it just felt comfortable and

Junior Claire Benevento has two major connections to Truman: her father, English professor Joe Benevento, and her mother, Truman alumna Carol Benevento.

Claire said cost was a big factor in her choice to go to Truman, but there was also the influence of her family.

She said the transition to college was made easier because she already knew people from the Truman community.

Apart from her studies, Claire is involved with the Catholic Newman Center, a specific connection she shares with her mother.

Carol attended Truman from 1983-1987 for her un-

felt like home,” Jane said. “I knew that there was a support system here.”

Along with her major, Jane is involved in Phi Sigma Pi, Lambda Pi Eta and Public Relations Club. She is also a member of Truman’s cheer squad and said one of her favorite places to be is in Stokes Stadium on the sidelines of a football game.

Jane said she plans to continue coming back to Truman after she graduates, just like her parents have done.

“I know a lot of people who will still be going here,” Jane said. “Having the cheer connection as well, I know I want to come back for a Homecoming.”

dergraduate studies and from 1988-1990 for her graduate studies. As a student, she was a member of the Newman Council, and the Newman Center was her favorite place to hang out.

“The Newman Center used to be on Dodson Street, and it was probably just a house,” Carol said. “It was very small, a lot smaller than it is now.”

Carol said she is still friends with some of the people she met when she was a student.

When she graduated with

Jane’s mom, Bonnie, said she was a student at Truman from 1983-1987 and studied history and pre-law. She was also part of the Student Senate and the Student Activities Board, where she met her husband Kevin.

Kevin was an accounting

major at Truman from 19861990. He said he chose to go to Truman in part because of the full-ride scholarship he received as a General John J. Pershing Scholar.

“Kevin was a new [SAB]

member, and we were more [like] big sister and little brother for a while, and then friendship turned into dating and dating turned into a relationship,”

her bachelor’s degree, Carol met Joe through a mutual friend. Joe has been teaching at Truman for 35 years.

Bonnie said.

Bonnie said she

and her husband still get together with friends they met during their time on the Student Activities Board.

In nearly 30 years, Kevin said proudly, he and his wife have only missed one Truman Homecoming.

“We enjoy the downtown, we enjoy the community, but it’s Truman that brings us back,” Kevin said.

The Beneventos: A Truman Triad

He said he talked Carol into getting her graduate degree in English before he left Truman for a leave of absence. When he came back, she was in her second year of

graduate school.

Even though Joe is from New York City, he said he likes that Truman is in a small town.

“I enjoy having my kids in a small, relatively safe town,” Joe said.

Joe and his wife Carol have four kids — two who have graduated from college, one who is currently in college, and one who is not college age yet. He said Claire is the first of his kids to go to Truman.

“I would have been happy

and, at the time, Truman was relatively close to his parents and parents-in-law.

In addition to teaching, Self is the faculty adviser for Lambda Pi Eta and Up Chuckles, as well as the director of the Truman in Washington program.

Self said one of the things he likes about Truman is the quality of the students.

“Students are engaged, and they’re really trying to learn as compared to other places I have taught,” said Self.

Self said he truly believes in the liberal arts program.

He said it is his job to educate citizens and prepare students for the working world.

Self has two sons, one who is in high school and another, Jon, who is a junior at Truman. He said he and his wife have tried to persuade their sons to go to Truman.

“We told [Jon] that he should look at any college he wants to go to,” Self said.

“We would make trips to colleges and look at those and see what kind of programs they had, but he had to look at Truman as well.”

“I would have been happy if she went somewhere else, but I’m much happier that she’s here.”

-English professor Joe Benevento

The Selfs: A Father-Son Connection Communication Department Chair Jay Self began teaching at Truman in the spring of 1997, but his time at Truman has not been continuous.

Self said he left Truman at the end of May 2000 to pursue a doctoral degree, taught at James Madison University for one year, then came back to Truman in fall 2005.

Self said he decided to come back to Truman when he was offered a tenure-track position

if she went somewhere else, but I’m much happier that she’s here,” Joe said.

Along with his own family connections to Truman, Joe has witnessed a number of other family connections. He said there are people who are currently attending Truman whose parents were his students.

It is not only in Kirksville that Joe sees his connections with the Truman community. He said when he gives a reading of his writing in St. Louis, he might have 20 of his former students show up.

“I love my job, I love teaching and this is a particularly nice place to teach,” Joe said.

Self said he and his wife will do the same thing for their younger son.

Having his son attend the same college he teaches at, Self said, is like having a child at a different college in a different town.

“Occasionally he’ll call me and say, ‘Hey, let’s get lunch,’ or he’ll stop by [my] office if he happens to be in Barnett [Hall], but he’s a college student just like everyone else,” Self said.

THE BUL L DOG EFFECT HOMECOMING 2018

BY ELISSA MAY and ISABELLE CENATIEMPO

Staff Writer

Homecoming at Truman State University has been a festive tradition since 1939, when it was started by the Blue Key Honor Society and featured many of the activities still present today.

This year, Homecoming promises to be bigger than ever before. Homecoming activities are usually limited to fraternities and sororities, but Truman is making an effort to make this year’s event campus-wide. The week aims to provides an opportunity for alumni from across the country to return to Truman to participate in the celebration.

Each year, the different organizations compete to see which group can raise the most money for their chosen philanthropy. This year, all of the proceeds will go to Oasis and I Think I Can Foundation. I Think I Can Foundation says its mission is to VOLUME 110

ISSUE 6

provide local children with necessities like bookbags, clothes, food and hygiene products that will help them be more successful in school.

According to its website, Oasis’s mission is to promote healthy and active lifestyles for people over the age of 50 with lifelong learning and volunteer engagement.

One organization new to the Homecoming competition is Cardinal Key. Senior Clarissa Fennessey described Cardinal Key as an organization of 25 women with high academic standards and a love for service. Fennessey one of the cochairs for their Homecoming committee, talked about her excitement for the week.

“It’s changing to be more of a campus-wide activity instead of just a Greek activity like it’s been in the past,” Fennessey said. “I want people who aren’t necessarily involved in Greek Life to get out and get involved in Homecoming this year because it’s a really good way to tmn.truman.edu

get to know people, but also to get involved in your campus community. Celebrating Truman is what we all have in common. It’s just a really fun way to go out and celebrate the school and you.”

Tau Lambda Sigma, a social service sorority on campus, has been a part of the Homecoming for many years.

Some of their fundraising events included selling walking tacos and Oreo balls. They have also created a Facebook page to encourage family and friends to donate to I Think I Can Foundation and Oasis.

TLS will also be competing in the Lip Sync competition.

Junior Madison Bailey, a member of TLS, talked about the behind the scenes work that goes into Homecoming. As a Lip Sync liaison, Bailey was responsible for writing a script, selecting and cutting the music, choreographing, organizing costumes, making props, and running rehearsals. She said Lip Sync is only one aspect of the

Homecoming celebration. Bailey emphasized the hard work and planning that goes into the whole week of activities.

The Association of Black Collegians will be participating in the Homecoming competitions for the first time.

This organization is unique to the Homecoming experience because it is not considered a fraternity.

“This week was kind of hectic because we got a late start on rehearsals and were kind of lost at first,” said junior Chetanae Ellison, a member of the Association of Black Collegians. “A lot goes into preparing, especially on the organizational side. I’m excited to see the step show and also how Lip Sync turns out after all of the hard work that was put in.”

www.facebook.com/TrumanMediaNetwork

Events are scheduled throughout the week to celebrate Truman. The Student Activities Board has organized a performance by The Second City’s Improv All-Stars 7 p.m. tonight. Lip Sync is tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium. The Homecoming Parade is 9 a.m. Saturday for everyone to attend. The pep rally and football are game this Saturday, with festivities beginning at 12:30 p.m. At 8 a.m. Saturday will be the Bulldog Forever Homecoming 5K.

@TrumanMediaNet

© 2018

The Index

8

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Small office makes big difference for STEM students

BY ELISABETH SHIRK

Staff Writer

In a small corner of the third floor of Magruder Hall, you might hear laughter, the low hum of chatter or maybe the silence of studying. There sits the STEM Talent Expansion Programs Office. In this office you’ll find STEP scholars and Missouri Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation students.

The STEP office supports students majoring in a science or mathematics program. There are 20 students in MoLSAMP and 24 in STEP. STEP Director Barbara Kramer said the office started in 2005 and is almost exclusively funded by National Science Foundation grants. She said the office currently has two active NSF grants.

“NSF scholarships in STEM support students who have high academic talent in the sciences but have financial need,” Kramer said. “We also have the MoLSAMP program which aims at increasing graduation rates for students from traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences.”

The MoLSAMP program specifically looks at African-American, Latinx, Native American, Native Pacific Islander and Native Alaskan students, while the STEP program focuses on students who have financial need.

There are two academic advisers in the office, one for each program.

MoLSAMP academic adviser Ryan Miller said while STEP and MoLSAMP both serve science majors, MoLSAMP also serves students in mathematics, statistics and computer science.

“The MoLSAMP program only serves underrepresented minority students,” Miller said. “While they may come from rural or low income backgrounds, they have to fit into certain classifications that the National Science Foundation has identified to categorize them as underrepresented.”

The MoLSAMP Program helps underrepresented STEM majors to gain success.

Students are able to visit other schools which bring the statewide program together. Submitted photo Although women are nationally un- possibly at a graduate school you’re inderrepresented in STEM, Miller ex- terested in, and you’re getting exposure plained, the grants that fund STEP and to research techniques that you might not MoLSAMP do not include “female” as a be able to get here at Truman, or that you qualification for acceptance. However, might not be able to fit into your academic the majority of students who participate year,” Miller said. in MoLSAMP are women.

Miller has been inspired by her experiThe MoLSAMP program does not of- ence with her husband, a chemistry profer scholarships, but program affiliates are fessor at Truman. currently looking for external funders to When she and her husband were stuoffer scholarships or stipends in the future. dents at Truman before they were marMiller said that is in the very early stages ried, they had planned out their life for of discussion with Truman State Univer- after graduation. However, her husband sity’s Office of Advancement. got involved in research that changed his “We do have very amazing opportuni- perspective on science. ties during the summer for our students, “There was a switch inside of him that which I like to tell them is very much like even I could see,” Miller exclaimed. “[He a scholarship,” Miller said. realized] science is more than just sitting Students in the MoLSAMP program in a classroom and writing down all of have the opportunity to do funded sum- these equations and whether or not your mer research at the University of Missouri reaction worked in lab. It’s solving the big or Washington University in St. Louis. The questions that are still to be answered.” students would be working 40 hours each Miller said she sees this same phenomweek, gaining experience and possibly enon with the students she works with, getting a research credit. Students would and she enjoys watching that light bulb also receive a food stipend and have their come on in their heads. housing costs covered.

Senior Katy Martz, a biology major and “You’re getting your foot in the door a STEP scholar, had a similar experience

things about fall

TOP(5)

As told by Gordon McPherson and Morgan Gervais fall experts

1 All things spooky

Pumpkin patches, haunted houses and scary movies, yes please! Fall is the socially acceptable time to curl up under a warm blanket and do nothing and everything all at once. It’s fall! Take a nap and watch a movie, or stay up all night and go to haunted houses.

2 Anything pumpkin spice

It’s back! It’s the season of pumpkin spice lattes. They are a magical experience no matter if you drink it hot or iced. Oh, and don’t forget about pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice pancakes! Yum!

— she said the program made her reconsider what she wanted to do after graduating from Truman.

“When I first got here — and years before I wanted to go to med school — and the STEP program made me consider research,” Martz said.

One of the other things Martz likes about the program is the availability of tutors. Her tutoring sessions have been oneon-one for the most part. Martz said she and her tutor met almost 8 hours a week during one semester.

“I would have never passed organic chemistry if it wasn’t for my tutor,” Martz said.

The program, however, is not always so serious and rigorous. Martz recalls one of her favorite memories while in the program as being quite silly and fun.

At the end of the semester, STEP had a big meeting, and the members decided on going to Colton’s for this meeting.

“My friend who is in the program with me stood next to the wrong minivan and ended up getting left at the restaurant,” Martz said.

Martz said because their party took two separate vehicles, people in each vehicle assumed her friend was with the others.

Martz ended up having to drive back to the restaurant herself to pick up her friend.

Many of the students have the opportunity to create these lifelong memories and friendships in the STEP office environment.

“We have this drop-in space here, so we have kids who just come in to eat lunch, visit, work, study or meet with their tutors and advisers,” said STEP academic adviser Karin Wheeler.

Miller and Wheeler both have couches in their offices, which are located in the STEP office, giving a cozy element to their meetings so students have a safe, comfortable environment to deal with the daily challenges of college life and accomplish their goals.

3 Crunchy leaves

There are leaves everywhere, and they’re oh so marvelously crunchy. Walking around has never sounded so satisfying. Too bad the leaves aren’t edible.

4 Fall clothing

Time to bring out the hats and hoodies, folks. We’re inally done with T-shirts and tank tops, most likely. We don’t know what the Missouri weather will bring, though.

5 MLB World Series

With fall comes the end of Major League Baseball season and the beginning of the postseason. The suspense of who is going to earn the World Series title is so thrilling.

The Cardinals and Royals might not have made the playoffs this year, and it won’t be a Red October, but we can appreciate a good baseball game.

Prairie dog expert speaks at Truman

BY AURA MARTIN

Staff Writer

John Hoogland, biology professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, had a busy couple of days before he arrived at Truman State University. Specifically, Hoogland needed to liquidate 800 traps and 11 observation towers, among other things, from his prairie dog field research assets.

“I am not going to be spending 6-7 months each year out there in the field watching prairie dogs,” Hoogland said.

“So I stopped watching, and now I’ll start writing.”

Before returning home to begin his writing project, Hoogland gave a presentation at Truman, showcasing 45 years of prairie dog research to a packed lecture room Oct. 2 in Magruder Hall.

“I was really delighted that so many people came,” said Laura Fielden, biology professor and event organizer.

“I think that students learned that Dr. John Hoogland is a world authority on

John Hoogland gave a presentation at Truman State University Oct. 2.

Hoogland presented on his 45 years of prairie dog research. Submitted photo

prairie dogs, and he provided a wonderful introduction about the scientific process and what a field biologist does.”

Senior Bethany Travis invited Hoogland to speak at Truman. She said that Hoogland, who happens to be her uncle, is confidently himself and encourages other people to be themselves. He is also very passionate about what he does.

“It’s cool to Google his name and see him pop up in science journals,” Travis said. “I just think, ‘Oh, my uncle wrote that!’ Some of the stuff discovered through his research is new stuff, and it’s really exciting.”

Hoogland’s presentation highlighted some of his major findings over decades of prairie dog research including polyandry, infanticide and alarm calls. He conducted his research by catching, marking and watching prairie dogs.

The first major prairie dog discovery was polyandry. Hoogland said females were engaged in polyandry because it gives them clear advantages such as a higher likelihood of conceiving, producing and weaning a larger litter than if a female remained with one partner.

“The implication was that these results could not only apply to prairie dogs, but also to many other animals,” Hoogland said. “I can tap into over 40 years of data, so I’m able to test predictions with rigor.”

Hoogland then turned his attention to another big mystery: infanticide. He said prairie dogs were killing each other’s babies, specifically the offspring of close relatives.

Hoogland said he does not have a definitive answer for why this is happening because sample sizes are still relatively small, but he does have some ideas. Prairie dogs live in colonies where competition is extreme, especially in winter when food is scarce.

Prairie dogs are usually herbivores, but killings occur when it is cold and there isn’t much plant material to consume. Surprisingly, the mothers do the

John Hoogland spent about 6-7 months researching prairie dogs. Hoogland needed to liquidate 800 traps and 11 observation towers. Submitted photo killing because they are lactating and need protein, so they go into the burrows of other female prairie dogs and eat their babies.

“They get a good meal of protein, minerals, vitamins and maybe other kinds of rare elements that they might not get easily when they’re waiting for grass,” Hoogland said. “So then their babies have a slightly better chance of making it, but they’ll have to kill other prairie dog babies to get it.”

Observing prairie dogs also yielded another important discovery: alarm calls. Hoogland said alarm calls provide an advantage to group living because they can warn each other of predators such as badgers, bobcats, hawks, eagles and coyotes. Nonetheless, prairie dogs are their own worst enemy. Thirty-nine percent of all litters are killed, as noted with black-tailed prairie dogs, he said.

“So it really is a dog-eat-dog world,” Hoogland said with a laugh.

Hoogland’s research led him all over the western portion of the Unit-

ed States. He spent 15 years studying black-tailed prairie dogs in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, 13 years with the Gunnison’s prairie dogs in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, 10 years with the Utah prairie dogs at Bryce Canyon National Park and seven years with the white-tailed prairie dogs at the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado.

He said that he was lucky enough to wake up in beautiful places every morning to study prairie dog colonies and have the opportunity to see all kinds of other wildlife. Now, leaving field research after 45 years, he is looking forward to writing his magnum opus while still being physically and mentally sharp.

“I am fortunate and I had a wonderful run,” Hoogland said. “Most people don’t get to do what they want for 45 years. I did and I’m grateful for it. I’m excited to start working on a book now to summarize my time with prairie dogs.”

The Index

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

9

“Hold the Dark” is a convoluted mess

BY GORDON MCPHERSON

Staff Writer

The Netflix original “Hold the Dark” is a deeply atmospheric film that won’t hold casual viewers’ attention for more than 15 minutes.

The film stars the puzzled-looking Jeffrey Wright as Russell Core, a writer and wolf aficionado contacted by a monotonal woman named Medora Sloane, played by Riley Keough, to find her missing son in an isolated village deep in the Alaskan mountains. Medora, deeply disturbed, thinks wolves abducted her son. Core, discombobulated by the Alaskan day-night cycle, goes about trying to find her son, but soon gets in way over his head. Meanwhile, Medora’s husband Vernon, played by Alexander Skarsgård, returns from military service in Iraq, but he has dark secrets and motivations of his own brought to forefront through his son’s disappearance.

What follows is a bizarre, often shockingly violent noir tale. I pay attention to movies while I watch them — I have to write these reviews after all — but “Hold the Dark” left me utterly confused by the time the credits rolled.

Director Jeremy Saulnier and writer Macon Blair, who previously collaborated on the bloodsoaked films “Blue Ruin” and “Green Room,” devised a plot way too convoluted for its own good, making the so-called “revelations,” or lack thereof, feel disappointing, hollow, and undeserving of the haunting atmosphere, soundtrack and spellbinding cinematography that framed them.

Saulnier favors ambiguity over clear-cut answers, but the kind of ambiguity that infuriates rather than entertains. Cryptic dialogue, poorly linked side-plots and a head-scratching ending left me feeling cheated. Upon doing online research after the viewing, I still didn’t understand. What’s the point in making this story so complicated?

Even so, Saulnier has clumsily built in intriguing themes –– including the psychological effects of isolation, sacrifice, revenge, redemption and the inner wolf brewing within us all –– that are admirable in their ambitious scope. It’s a real shame these existential themes aren’t served by more developed characters or storytelling.

The lack of emotionally rich characters can also be attributed to the script and acting. The bulk of the dialogue favors mumbled, abrupt phrases and supposedly dramatic pauses that only serve to draw out certain scenes far longer than they

should have been.

While I’m a fan of Wright’s acting in “Westworld” on HBO, his character here –– along with all the other characters –– is so emotionally stunted he appears more like a malfunctioning robot than an actual relatable human being. Core moves as slow as a glacier and speaks in frustrated grumbles, perhaps illustrating Wright’s disinterest in the character. Skarsgård seems to channel his horrendous performance from “Mute” earlier this year, but he’s at least a bit more compelling this time around. This could all be intentional with the movie’s frigidly effective atmosphere, but it isn’t necessary to make the characters speak in a way that implies their bodies are literally 90 percent frozen.

Where “Hold the Dark” fails in story and character, it excels in building foreboding, malevolent dread that flows out of the screen into viewers’ psyches. Saulnier photographs the isolating mountain range as an overwhelming presence, often brilliantly making the characters appear as insignificant specks in comparison to the untamed wilderness behind them. Many shots reminded me of the films “The Revenant” and “Wind River” in their awe-inspiring compositions.

The sound design is also great, emphasizing tactile sounds, such as a fireplace crackling or a boot sinking in snow, that make viewers feel physically connected with the characters.

There are also certain scenes of practically unbearable suspense –– a staredown between Core and an alpha wolf immediately comes to mind –– that would satisfy most viewers. They just have to slog through the gunk to get there.

The violence is also nauseating, frankly, and feels tangible and grounded in reality. One specific shootout in particular stands out through Saulnier’s unflinching depiction of death and killing. I had a similar reaction to Saulnier’s previous film “Green Room,” which featured violence that made me sick to my stomach.

“Hold the Dark” is a difficult film to review. On one hand, the cryptic plot severely hinders the film’s intellectual themes and will leave most viewers in confusion-induced rage. On the other hand, for cinephiles who can nevertheless appreciate the film’s menacing style, “Hold the Dark” might be worth a watch. If, however, viewers have a choice between this and “Wind River,” definitely watch the latter instead.

What is this? It is Part Two of a story. Not a story about Truman, nor a story of real people, but a work of fiction. A short story from the brain of a person with too much going on inside her head. And this is only the beginning of it. Each edition will bring you a new piece of the story until it has been fully told. Then, perhaps, I’ll tell you a new story. For now, welcome to the world of five teenagers living in Finder’s Point, Washington, a town that one of them describes as a “hideout for the lifeless.” This is the story of the creative, passionate, and animated living among the dreary, dull, and almost dead. This is the story of a group of friends whose own parents didn’t know what to do with them. A group of friends committed to staying alive. To catch up on Part One of The Testimony of the Living, check out tmn.truman.edu.

The Testimony of the Living, Part Two

BY ALLISON MASCHHOFF

Staff Writer

My friends were alive because they saw an ordinary world in an extraordinary way. They didn’t see the fading world of the shadows; they saw the thriving world of the living.

Asher saw the world in color. To him, yellow was not merely yellow; it was so much more. It was gold, or lemon, or xanthous. It was a color, but it was also everything that made up a color: a visual, a feeling, a memory.

And his love for these colors kept him from falling into the monochrome world of the shadows.

Autumn saw the world as words to be organized into sentences. The world outside her window was abstract and dramatic and filled with stories. She did not see a compass factory at the center of town, but “a gathering place for shadows hidden amongst the living, where they assembled a tool that, ironically, had yet to point them back toward the land of the living.” Her words helped her to see truths that most people overlooked, and these truths emancipated her from the reign of the shadows.

Easton saw the world through a lens and a flash; he never let go of his camera. He loved how it gave him the ability to not only capture moments, but also to change how things looked.

He could make the world brighter and warmer and clearer; he could turn

darkness into light. Amidst the gloom of our world, this ability to see light in any situation is what kept him alive.

Jonah saw the world through actions. This is why he thought my parents were lucky. My parents went through life believing they had all they needed; their actions reflected happiness to the uninformed viewer.

The other shadows in Finder’s Point remembered happiness, remembered life... and their actions showed it.

They were the deeds of shadows who had given up fighting for something more. They held no conviction, no purpose. Because my parents’ actions didn’t fit that mold, Jonah misread them as being genuine. Yet my parents’ happiness was no more than a façade of contentedness that was held up by feelings that proved to be incredibly empty, if one looked a little closer. Meanwhile Jonah’s actions always showed his feelings; he revealed everything his soul contained without embarrassment.

He believed deeply in individuality and open expression, and his determination to be unique kept him from melting into the uniformity of the shadow population.

All these personal, unique and beautiful things kept my friends alive.

It made them more than flesh and bones living out a predetermined destiny. While the rest of Finder’s Point remained stagnant and suffocating, they were each a breath of fresh air.

They stayed alive by seeing a dreary

world in a beautiful way, by seeing what was beyond the shadows and embracing it.

My name is Greyson. I am not like them.

We lived in a gray world. I think that’s why my parents named me what they did. They were newly transformed shadows moving into a shadow town and maybe they were aware of it. Maybe they saw the grayness enveloping them and knew exactly what I was being born into. I can’t help wondering what changed them. I remember when I was nine years old and I asked my parents where they came from. They responded with a story of falling in love, of wanting to see the world, of eloping and of choosing each other over everyone else in their lives. And then that story ended in a small, lifeless town on the West Coast that would not be able to handle such people. Even then, I felt a disconnect — a hole in the plot. How could that be the whole story? How could two people like that have come here without shocking Finder’s Point back to life? Their spiritedness, their love of life… it would have electrocuted this place. No, they could not have come here that way. Something had to have happened before; something must have killed their spark.

That was the only time I’d heard their story. Even when telling it, they didn’t seem to mourn how their lives had turned out. These were just

facts. The fact that they had eloped was delivered with the same amount of emotion as the fact that it was raining. Whatever had been filled within them back then, seemed to be empty now.

I wonder if finding that missing link would explain why I seemed to be so naturally aware of the fact that shadows surrounded me at all times.

Maybe it was transfused into my DNA; maybe the little baby that came of their love was the last ounce of vitality within them, expelled for fear of being swallowed by the grayness that had devoured all other life within them.

My friends stayed alive by seeing the beauty. The colors, words, pictures and actions that made up a world meant for life to thrive in. I stayed alive by seeing the shadows, by knowing that I never wanted to be one. Life was not naturally bubbling up within me through some artistic or abstract passion. I was clinging onto it with everything in me. Somewhere in my DNA were all the beautiful things that drove my parents down a path that, in another story, may have ended somewhere beautiful, and I believed that I could find it. I was searching constantly, gasping for it like oxygen. So I clung to Asher, Autumn, Easton and Jonah; I surrounded myself with as much fresh air as possible. I chose to create a living world within the shadowy one we were stuck in, before I fell into the abyss and never made it back out.

International students add diversity to campus

BY MICHAEL ZHANG

Contributing Writer

Truman State University has a total of 395 international students from 48 different countries and regions, according to the Center for International Students. International students are a part of the campus culture at Truman. Their presence allows American students to experience a more diverse culture and crowd, and also lets many students from other countries experience life in the United States, particularly in the Midwest.

Junior Angie Yang, chairwoman of Society of Sino-American Studies, said there are many international students who face a lot of challenges when they first arrive. Almost all international students are from nonEnglish speaking countries, which

means they often face many language difficulties.

CIS Director Melanee Crist said Truman is committed to the development of a multicultural campus, and there is an international student organization to help international students receive a better education and experience at Truman. “[The CIS is] the admissions office for international students, so we process approximately 1,000 applications each year for international students, and we welcome over 100 new students each fall and over 50 each spring,” Crist said.

When most international students come to Truman, there’s an adjustment period regarding American culture and lifestyle, Crist said. The CIS provides many free services, such as campus tours and even an English conversation partner to talk with each

week to help international students practice their English.

In daily life, the CIS also provides free transportation to Walmart for international students and holds largescale networking events.

Crist said the CIS also helps with academics, providing practical services like tutoring. Every international freshman meets with a tutor weekly to help them with their study arrangements and any difficulties they might encounter.

Many international have trouble planning and adjusting to a stressful academic schedule.

“I have no idea how to schedule my time in past two years,” Yang said.

When she first came to Truman, Yang said she didn’t understand how to balance studying and having time for herself. The CIS taught her how to communicate with people and

taught her a lot of practical experience. Yang said she didn’t arrange her course schedule reasonably before, but now she can easily complete each of her courses.

“When I first started here, I just needed a scholarship job,” said senior Ryan Stoeckel, CIS student support coordinator. “But now I’d really like to be part of the international students community.

Specifically [because of] orientation.

Orientation for international students is just a lot of fun. And you get to know students very well. So whenever you walk to campus and you meet some international students from orientation or just [those] coming in to the office, and saying ‘hi.’ I really love this.”

Stoeckel also said having many international students at Truman is a good thing, and it enriches the campus culture and allows him to meet new friends from all over the world.

The Index

10

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

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Megan Neveau, senior

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Carter Templeton, senior

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Abby Naumann, sophomore

Question 1: What are you doing for Homecoming weekend?

“I’m on the Student Activities Board, so on Thursday we’re having our event and Saturday we’re having our tailgate with a bunch of SAB alum. I’m also part of Sigma Kappa, so I participate in Homecoming events with them, as well.”

“I am planning on going to the parade with my family and then hoping to go to the football game afterwards. I don’t know what the weather is like, but hopefully it’ll be good.”

“Most likely going to Lip Sync. Honestly, I have no idea. I’m not much of a planner, and I’m a part of ASG. All I know is Lip Sync.”

Question 2: What do you think is the biggest difference between college and high school Homecoming?

“They’re very different. I think in high school it is all about the dance and the other stuff is kind of around it. I think here it’s more all about, I don’t know, getting involved, bringing the alumni back and celebrating the University.”

“In college, there’s a lot of focus on giving back to people. In my high school, it was more focused on building floats and just the football game itself, but in college it pulls everyone together, and I think it’s a better outlook on Homecoming.”

“I guess college Homecoming is a lot more about raising money for good causes while high school is just about having a good time. College is looking more outside yourself and donating to really good causes for each organization.”

Question 3: What’s your favorite part about fall?

“I think I just like that you can kind of exist without the heat or the air. You can save some money and open your window and kind of sleep very comfortably.”

“Definitely the temperature. I hate the summer and, yeah, the temperature is great, but recently it’s still been 80 degrees, so it hasn’t been great. In the spring, we didn’t have a spring. It was like from winter to summer, so I’m hoping we actually have a fall.”

“My birthday is in fall!”

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The Index

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

11

Stokes reno viewed a success one year later ZACH RICHARDSON Contributing Writer

Last year, the Truman State University Athletics Department decided to give Stokes Stadium a new look. During the renovations, Stokes received a new track, new turf and an updated press box.

Athletic Director Jerry Wollmering said three years ago the department concluded that Stokes needed an update. Wollmering said that after joining the GLVC, Truman entered the rotation to host the Outdoor Track and Field Championship, which will be hosted the first weekend in May 2019.

“The track was the main concern, but the original turf on the football field was put down in 2009, which made it nearly nine years old,” Wollmering said.

With all of the planning for a new track and new turf, the department was still raising money for a new press box.

Wollmering said that they only wanted to deal with construction one time, so they decided to do all of the work at the same time.

Construction for the major project began almost immediately after the 2016 football season. During the winter of 2016, everything was torn down.

“The biggest concerns coming in were the weather, staying on time, having it ready for the fall season and the press box being finished by the first game,” Wollmering said.

“We were hoping to have everything finished before the football preseason.”

The cost of the project was roughly $4 million, including the track, the turf and the press box. The track and the turf cost about $3 million, and student fees covered around $2 million of the cost.

“What put us over the edge with the press box was an alum who gave $400,000,” Wollmering said. “That kind of sealed the deal to finish the press box.”

Wollmering said that instead of trying to bid for each separate part of the project, the improvements were bid as one large project. Wollmering said Truman worked with one contractor who had subcontractors, and each subcontractor worked on different aspects of the project, which he said worked well.

Athletics Communication Director Kevin White has been working in the press box for more than 20 years, and he said he was excited about the changes.

“The old press box was a trailer on a concrete slab, suspended three stories up,” White said. “It was fly-infested, disgusting and small.”

White described the new press box as luxurious compared to what was there before, and he said there are more things that can be done up there now. White said with more room up there, it is easier to entertain donors and the new press box improves video streaming of live games.

“We’ve gone from being the worst press box in the MIAA to probably the best press box in the GLVC,” White said. “I love showing it off now.”

Something White said he enjoys about the new press box is that it isn’t just being used on game days anymore — it is used throughout the year. It also takes strain off of the classrooms now that the football team is able to use it as a media room for meetings.

Junior quarterback Jaden Barr said he was very excited about this project and the new options available to the team.

“Meeting in the press box is quite a bit different,” Barr said. “I like it more because of the big TVs we watch film on rather than projectors we use in classrooms.”

Students usually associate Stokes with football and track. An outsider might think that the stadium is only used for those collegiate sports, but it isn’t just used by the track team and the football team. Wollmering explained that with the student fees that are paid, anyone can reserve the field as long as an intercollegiate sport doesn’t need it. Club teams, intramurals, sororities and the ROTC program use Stokes quite often.

“If you break down the total usage, our football program probably uses it about 25 percent of the time,” Wollmering said. “These club teams seem to practice more than our NCAA teams.”

The new look at Stokes is what Wollmering said he had envisioned. He said when he first got here 20 years ago, Truman had a grass field and no lights. Over time, he has been able to see the stadium improve little by little.

The players are also enjoying the new stadium.

“The field and the press box are a huge start,” Barr said. “I’m very thankful I have the opportunity to play on it for my last two seasons.”

Wollmering said the next goal is to install a video scoreboard. He would also like to redo the kennels, the locker rooms that are between the stadium and Pershing.

Truman State University football players practice on the new turf at Stokes Stadium in 2017. The press box was also replaced. Photo provided by TMN Archives

WRESTLING| After being cut, the team has fundraised enough to compete in the 2018 season Continued from page 14 “It had a pretty negative effect on all of us,” Mutuwa said. “[The athletes] raised money by selling shirts, donations — those are really the main things they did. In my last week at Truman, I was so consumed with a few things — saying goodbye to my best friends and trying to see if there were alternatives to keep wrestling going at Truman. On top of that, the recruiting process for other schools was wrapping up, so they needed to

make decisions on where I was going very fast, so I took it very hard.”

To help grow the wrestling program back to the way it was, Schutter said starting a summer wrestling camp would be helpful, especially considering he might not be able to coach the team much longer. Schutter said his age is catching up to him, mentioning surgeries needed on his hip and knee, and the team will soon need a younger coach to replace him.

To match the new staff needed,

Schutter said the team needs new athletes, and revitalizing the team with newly recruited freshmen would help both the team and the dipping rate of freshman enrollment at Truman.

“We need students at Truman — our enrollment’s down 17 percent,” Schutter said. “We could easily reach 30-35 students here for wrestling … wrestling is very popular right now. Several high schools in Missouri are even establishing varsity women’s teams. It wouldn’t be too difficult for the AD to

encourage new students to join wrestling — we don’t have many scholarships like the other departments do.”

Schutter said even though the team has met its funding goal and will compete this season, the Bulldogs’ schedule needs to be fine-tuned and released. The schedule for the team is still unknown, but Schutter said it is only a matter of time before the team gets things started.

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The Index

12

COLUMN| Community sponsorships could benefit Truman sports

NICOLAS TELEP Managing Editor I bounced around youth baseball leagues when I was younger, and the names of most of the teams I played on were pretty standard. I struck out as a member of the Bandits, the Yankees and the Phillies in the McKinney Little League. But there was one team I played for in Florida that was a little different — we were the Professional Concrete.

No, this wasn’t a goofy publicity stunt to get people to buy middle school baseball jerseys — it was the name of our sponsor. We had the sponsor’s logo on the front of our jerseys and, in exchange, the company footed the bill for many of the team’s expenses.

Now I’m not proposing we rename our sports teams the Truman State University Doritos, nor am I saying we should plaster our sports teams’ uniforms with ads like teams in NASCAR and the Kontinental Hockey League do. However, I’m sure there are some sports teams here at Truman that could benefit from a little extra cash — men’s wrestling and tennis come to mind — and seeing that Truman’s athletic fee is already the most expensive student fee, they might have to look other places for that cash.

It might be time for University athletic teams to consider uniform sponsors.

There’s an immediate problem with this proposal, however. The NCAA currently prohibits such practices. That being said, I believe the organization should reconsider that rule because Truman — and I’m sure many other schools like it — could really benefit from such sponsorships.

This isn’t to say Truman should go soliciting Coca-Cola and ExxonMobil to put little patches on the front of Bulldog uniforms. Instead, there are several locally owned businesses in Kirksville’s growing community that I am sure would be happy to chip in for uniforms

and other expenses for our college sports teams. If, say, Joe’s Garage were to put up the money for some uniforms for the baseball team, that’s one expense the department doesn’t have to worry about. On top of that, Joe’s Garage definitely has an incentive to get people out to baseball games, so they might hang a poster in their establishment or tweet out that the Bulldogs are playing tomorrow. This, at least, has the chance to get more fans in the stands, which is always exciting. Having a community connection adds some authenticity and a layer of civic pride to a jersey sponsorship, and it can be a mutually beneficial relationship.

I know jersey sponsors can get ugly fast. Just look at some of the European soccer and hockey leagues that use them.

They can easily take over the uniform and make the sponsor a principal focus point, like Professional Concrete on my middle school baseball jerseys. However, in North America, there has been a recent experiment with this in the National Basketball Association. They’ve mastered minimalist, classy sponsor patches.

For the most part, the patches are only two-tone, to match the other colors on the uniforms, and are small enough that they do not overtake the team’s primary branding. Additionally, a lot of the teams have sponsorships from businesses headquartered in their home region. A purple and white patch with a local business’ logo on a Bulldogs jersey could look quite nice, and it has the potential to bridge some of the ever-present gaps of understanding between the University and the Kirksville community.

We should not let too much corporate sponsorship infiltrate our lives — let’s always have Stokes Stadium be Stokes Stadium and never take the Baldwin name off our auditorium. That being said, some of our University sports teams are hurting for money, and this is one way for them to raise a little extra. The NCAA should allow this. We already display the manufacturer’s logo prominently on a lot of Bulldogs jerseys.

It couldn’t hurt to add some Kirksville flavor on there as well. If done correctly, jersey sponsorship patches have the potential to look good, relieve a financial burden, and strengthen the relationship between our college and our town.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

GOLF| Bulldogs aim to improve after falling short Continued from page 14 Fitzpatrick said he thinks the course at the Dan Salisbury Memorial tournament was easier and the Bulldogs worked hard between tournaments to correct any issues they might have been facing.

“The first tournament of the year we sometimes have some jitters, and by the second tournament we’re settled in and ready to go,” Fitzpatrick said. “Since we’re a fairly young team, it was nice for them to get the first one under their belt, and they did well. I was happy for them.”

Fitzpatrick said between tournaments the team worked out different issues from the feel of the green to keeping the ball in the fairway, which he said is a big problem for the team.

He said the goal going into the second tournament was to improve. He said the team’s target is to consistently score in the 330s, which the Bulldogs were able to accomplish by the second day of the tournament.

“Everybody on the team did well,” Fitzpatrick said. “So the most exciting

thing for us was because we played two days, everybody either shot the same score or improved from day one to day two.”

Fitzpatrick said Ducaji was helpful in providing the team local course knowledge because the tournament was held at her home course. He said the rest of the team was new to the course.

The team held a qualifying competition last weekend to determine who the top five are and who will be competing in the next tournament. Fitzpatrick said the top three spots are pretty consistent, but there are about 4-5 golfers battling for the fourth and fifth spots, making them pretty competitive. So far, there are only two members on the team that have not gone to a tournament this year.

The Bulldogs will compete in the Lady Panther Fall Invitational at Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar, Missouri. Fitzpatrick said the team’s goal for the next competition is to place higher than they did in the last tournament and score the lowest two-day total of the year.

VOLLEYBALL| Kaat, Smith

among leaders on, off court

Continued from page 14 Kaat said the team as a unit has progressed as well. She said everyone engages in self-care on and off the court, holds each other to a high standard, and focuses on their own side of the net.

Kaat said she has room to grow, too.

She said she wants to work on her blocks to help the Bulldog defenders, as well as her serves. Kaat thinks confidence is also the key to perfecting her serve.

“All of us can put that ball over the net like it’s nothing,” Kaat said. “It’s not a physical job. It’s more of a mental thing.”

Kaat faced a new challenge, however, when she and the ’Dogs faced the University of Missouri-St. Louis three days after defeating Missouri Western. Four kills into the first set, Kaat landed on her ankle the wrong way. The injury left her in a boot and off the court for about a week, during which the team’s lone freshman, outside hitter Morgan Smith, took her time to shine.

“It was hard to see Ellie go down because she loves the game so much,” Smith said. “But I knew I needed to step up and

basically keep doing what she had been doing all season.”

Smith scored at least 10 kills in each of the three matches she played while Kaat recovered, her strongest performance this season. She said she felt good about her work and enjoyed the high energy on the court, though she thinks her future playing time might vary week to week.

Smith said she and Kaat have become close teammates. Smith spent a lot of time with Kaat during the preseason, so they got to know each other well. She also said they are very similar players on the court in that they’re very strategic, always looking for the best way to score the next point.

Kaat, Smith and the rest of the Bulldogs will compete in the 2018 Midwest Region Crossover this weekend in Indianapolis. Tomorrow they will face No. 25 Michigan Technological University at 10:30 a.m. and Saginaw Valley State University at 4:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday match against Tiffin University at noon.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

The Index

Women’s tennis struggles through season

13

Upcoming Events

12 Friday

BY LEXI MUELLER Staff Writer

Volleyball 10:30 a.m. in Indianapolis, IN vs Michigan Tech at 2018 Midwest Region Crossover 4:30 p.m. in Indianapolis, IN vs Saginaw Valley State University at 2018 Midwest Region Crossover Women’s Soccer Noon in Kirksville, MO vs University of Indianapolis Men’s Soccer 2:30 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs University of Indianapolis

The Truman State University women’s tennis struggled at the University of Missouri-St. Louis this weekend. The team dropped all doubles matches and all but one singles match to Lindenwood University, Maryville University and UMSL. However, assistant coach Steve Smith said the start of the season is showing positive signs. He said the team is made up of strong competitors, and the top 5 players all had lots of playing time the previous year. Smith said his main goal as a coach is to encourage growth with the team, and he wants them to gain respect for the game.

Senior Marua Dunn, who has been playing tennis since she was 8 years old, said the season looks promising despite the losses in the beginning because the team is trying to adjust to the new dynamics of the team from the loss and gain of members. Dunn said something important for their team is how well they get along and their focus on communication.

The team plays their last match of the fall season this Sunday.

13 Saturday Photos by Kara Mackenzie

Volleyball Noon in Indianapolis, IN vs Tiffin University at 2018 Midwest Region Crossover Swimming Noon in Kirksville, MO vs UMSL and Maryville University Football 2 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs Lincoln University Cross Country TBA in St. Louis, MO at Cowbell Classic – Principia College

14 Sunday Women’s Soccer Noon in Kirksville, MO vs Bellarmine University Men’s Soccer 2:30 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs Bellarmine University Softball 1p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs Culver Stockton College Golf TBA in Bolivar, MO at Lady Panther Fall Invitational

ATHLETE of the week

Since the beginning of the semester, sophomore outside hitter Ellie Kaat has been an offensive force for the Bulldogs, posting a total of 216 kills so far this season, with a high of 24 against Missouri Western State University. Kaat routinely plays three or more sets for the Bulldogs, with the sole exception of one set against University of Missouri-Saint Louis. Kaat led the team with 11 kills in Friday’s loss to Rockhurst, landing among Truman’s top three for kills in Truman’s most recent win over William Jewell College.

Ellie Kaat

14

WRESTLING CLEARS $75,000 BARRIER

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Redshirt junior Caleb Osborn facing an opponent from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in a February meet. Ater being told in May that their team would no longer receive funding from the Athletics Department, extensive fundraising by students, family and alumni alike was able to give Bulldog wrestling a chance to compete in the 2018-19 season. Photo provided by TMN Archives

After being cut, wrestling raised enough to compete this season CURT WICHMER Sports Editor Since Truman State University’s wrestling team faced a total withdrawal of their funding in late spring 2018, Bulldog wrestlers have fought tooth and nail to raise the funds necessary to participate in the 2018-19 season.

With less than a week remaining before their Oct. 10 deadline, Truman wrestling reached the $75,000 fundraising goal set by the Truman Athletics Department and got a chance to compete in a season many athletes thought wouldn’t happen.

Head wrestling coach David Schut-

ter said the fundraising effort was supported by family, friends and fans, but the majority of contributions to the season’s funding came from the generous alumni of Truman wrestling.

“Wrestling’s been here since 1965, and we have a very strong alumni base,” Schutter said. “We’ve been in the [Athletics Department’s] top five in alumni giving for the past five years, so I’m not sure why they’d cut off that alumni base if they donate so much. Even when they first cut the program, they were saying, ‘Where’s the alumni been?’ They’ve been right here … that really got the alumni fired up.”

Schutter said the athletes made an effort on their own to ask family, friends and hometown wrestling organizations for donations, and those donations all played a part in reaching the fundraising goal. However, Schutter said the timing of the program’s cut damaged the program considerably.

He said several athletes either left the team or transferred to different universities as a result of Truman’s budget cuts, and numerous freshmen did not join because the program looked like it was certain to be cut.

Among the players that transferred to continue wrestling at different schools is junior Ashton Mutuwa, who

transferred to Campbellsville University. He said the timing of the Athletics Department’s announcement to cut wrestling came at a critical point in the spring semester — right before finals week. With the stress of classes and finals already on the table, Mutuwa said the process of organizing his transfer and applying to housing made the ordeal even worse and the sheer amount of work made it that much more difficult to preserve Truman’s wrestling program.

See WRESTLING page 11

Golf looks to improve Young outside hitters as end of season looms take court by storm ALLYSON LOTZ Copy Chief

Truman State University competed at the Dan Salisbury Memorial in Springfield, Illinois, last month. Though the team did better scorewise, they fell in the standings. Photo provided by Truman Athletics RYAN PIVONEY News Editor

Truman State University’s golf team finished eighth out of nine teams in their second tournament of the season at Dan Salisbury Memorial in Springfield, Illinois, at the end of last month.

Senior Brooke Kelley led the team with a score of 22-over-par 166, placing 17th in the tournament. Junior Lindsey Repp tied for 22nd with a score of 25-over 169. Freshman Emily Ducaji VOLUME 110

ISSUE 6

scored a 27-over 171, sophomore Katie Gastrau got a 28-over 172 and freshman Maya Schnable scored a 39-over 183 in her first tournament. Senior Madison Weilbacher was also able to compete as an individual and scored a 37-over 181.

Head golf coach Clint Fitzpatrick said the team scored better than it did at the previous tournament, but it faced tougher competition and finished worse.

See GOLF page 12 tmn.truman.edu

In the middle of the fourth set against Missouri Western State University, sophomore outside hitter Ellie Kaat made her personal record-breaking 20th kill of the match. She didn’t stop there — by the end of the night, Kaat racked up 24 kills, the most from any Bulldog in one match since 2013.

Truman State University’s volleyball team is winning matches with a young force of outside hitters led by Kaat. Currently she averages 3.66 kills per set, well past last year’s 1.13 kills per set and within striking range of Truman’s record book.

Kaat hasn’t always been an outside hitter, though. Head coach Ben Briney said he originally recruited her as a middle hitter, so most of her freshman year statistics are from that position. He moved her to the outside late last spring because he was afraid of wearing out the team’s other two outside hitters at the time, and he said Kaat has embraced the role ever since.

Kaat highlighted her confidence as an important contributor to her success this season.

“Coming in as a freshman, it was just kind of intimidating,” Kaat said. “I didn’t really have my bearings about me when I came in. This year I came back in, and I felt comfortable on the court again, which is something that I really missed, and I think that was just the biggest missing piece.”

Sophomore Ellie Kaat didn’t have plans to be an outside hitter yet has dominated the court in said position.

See VOLLEYBALL page 12 Photo by Kara Mackenzie

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