Truman State University tmn.truman.edu THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 tmn.truman.edu
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JED, University develop strategic plan CASSIDY KREWSON Staff Writer
The Jed Foundation has created a strategic health and wellness plan for Truman State University set to be released online in the next few weeks. JED has collaborated with a group of Truman faculty and students to create a strategic health and wellness plan to be implemented over the next few
Head of Res Life resigns
years. The nonprofit organization exists to preserve emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults. The comprehensive approach JED brings to college campuses consists of teaching students life skills, promoting social connectedness, identifying students at risk, increasing help-seeking behavior, providing mental health and substance abuse services and restricting access to
potentially lethal means. The campaign’s goal is to reimagine what the typical Truman student is like and build upon existing mental health. Last year’s homecoming committee dedicated funds on a plan or organization that would promote a healthier campus for years to come. University Counseling Services received the money and partnered with JED.
Because a third of the student body responded to the Healthy Minds Study last school year, faculty understood that students considered mental health a big concern. Brenda Higgins, Student Health Center and UCS director, said the committee considered the increase in student suicides over the past few years and the overall decline of mental health at Truman, when it began to form the four-year plan.
Higgins and health and exercise science instructor Evonne Bird are co-chairs of the health committee. They sought out an environmental approach to Truman’s mental health plan. This comprehensive approach will consider everything on campus, including the health of students and faculty and how classroom activities affect mental health. See JED page 7
FRESHMEN DROP PILOT SEMINAR
RACHEL BECKER Staff Writer
Residence Life Director John Gardner left his position Sept. 26 and will begin working at A. T. Still University in October. Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, said William Nelsen, a Res Life coordinator, will take over as interim Res Life director until the position is filled. However, Stoskopf said the University has just started putting together documentation for advertising the position. Stoskopf said there will be a search committee assembled to find a new director, and that committee will include faculty and students. Stoskopf said she hopes to fill the position permanently early in the spring semester. “John has been a wonderful addition to Truman’s campus for the 10 years that he has been here,” Stoskopf said. “He has made tremendous contributions, and while I am very sad to see him leave Truman and leave his position, I am very excited for him to take the next step in his career, and I know he will do great things, and we will find a really great individual to take on that role, to pick up where he left off and to continue building the department.” Gardner said the position can be complicated because there are a lot of different activities he coordinated as the Res Life director. Gardner made plans for student housing, oversaw the renovations of residence halls, worked with multicultural affairs, leadership development and more. See GARDNER page 2
Over 40 percent of the 220 freshmen originally enrolled in the pilot Truman Symposium have dropped the course. The students from Ryle Hall still in the course will receive credit for completing the one-hour symposium and discussing the content in group discussions led by Ryle Hall SAs. Photo by Mary Van Winkle
90 freshmen drop Truman Symposium, committee not concerned DANA BARTCH Digital Director
Enrollment for the Truman Symposium pilot test has dropped from 220 freshman students to 130, a decrease of 41 percent. In an effort to restructure the freshman experience, professors from across Truman State University’s campus came together and designed the Truman Symposium, a semester-long course that will replace Truman Days. This semester, the symposium is being tested with Ryle Hall freshmen and it will become a campuswide requirement in fall 2019. Since the start of the symposium trial in August, about
90 freshmen have dropped the course. Scott Alberts, chair of the Truman Symposium committee, said because this is a pilot test, it is not required for this year’s freshmen to complete it. However, this one-credit course will be a graduation requirement for freshman students starting fall 2019. “The fact that half stayed, I’m pretty excited about that,” Alberts said. “In fact, we didn’t even ask them to enroll. Everybody from Ryle was put in a section, and then they show up the first day, and I sort of say, ‘Welcome, you don’t have to be here.’ Especially a lot of freshmen who are stressed out and they
have other things going on and they think about dropping a class anyways, so this makes sense to be the [one].” Alberts said the 130 students still enrolled in the symposium are taking the course as a bonus credit. The credit is earned by attending a weekly hour-long lecture and presentation series every Tuesday evening, followed by an hourlong discussion group led by Ryle student advisers, and by completing an online assignment. Students complete the online assignment by building a web page to promote increased digital fluency among Truman students. Philosophy and religion professor Chad Mohler host-
ed the first session of the Truman Symposium in August. Mohler said he and four other professors came together to host a presentation on beauty as a way to showcase the idea of liberal arts through small lectures from a wide variety of departments. Mohler said the presentation, while a great collective idea, turned out to be more ambitious than the five professors expected. He said the session lasted about 65 minutes, and because it consisted of five small lectures on diverse topics, it might have been too long for the designated time frame. See SYMPOSIUM page 7
Aquadome closes doors on Main Street NICOLAS TELEP Managing Editor
After Wednesday night’s show at the Aquadome, attendees walked out the doors of the Main Street venue for the last time. The student-led arts and music organization announced earlier this month it would close the space it has operated at 120 S.
Main St. since 2015. The 15-yearold organization will continue to put on art shows and concerts, but other venues will host these events. The organization attributes the closing to an increase in rent at the current location. Aquadome secretary senior Sarah Connolly said the organization might host future concerts and art nights at people’s houses
The Aquadome had its final open mic event, “One Last Open Mic,” Sept. 20. The Aquadome was a venue to promote art, music, expression and community. Photo by Daniel Degenhardt
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 5 © 2018
and public parks. She said this is not the first time in the Aquadome’s history these events will have a change of scenery. “It’s been a while, but the Aquadome has been through a lot of iterations,” Connolly said. “There have been times in the past where there’s been no physical location of the Aquadome.” Connolly said the Aquadome has to rent out its space to meet its rent and utility obligation of about $650 per month, which was set to go up by another $125. She said the financial obligations of the organization were distracting from the primary mission of the Aquadome. She said letting go of that financial stress will give the Aquadome more opportunities. Even though the organization is without a physical location for now, Connolly said they are actively looking for a new
space and saving money for a deposit and rent. “We’ll always be supporting all our local musicians and artists,” Connolly said. “That’s very important, really, essential to what the Aquadome is.” Jon Gooch, lead singer of Conman Economy, said his band has been playing at the 120 S. Main St. venue since it opened and even played some shows at the Aquadome’s previous space, which was located behind Downtown Cinema 8. He said the organization and the venue have been important to Conman Economy developing their fanbase. Gooch said the Aquadome is an organization before it is a physical space, and he hopes it will continue to be a safe place free of damaging behaviors and drugs for people to express themselves.
“It just has a vibe,” Gooch said. “We’ve really worked to cultivate that uplifting energy.” Gooch said one of his favorite memories at the Aquadome was his band’s CD release party last year. He said it was surreal to see the space filled with fans singing along with him to songs the band had just released. Gooch said he and Conman Economy would be open to playing Aquadome events in the future. He said the Aquadome needs to find the right spaces for the type of music being presented, especially when it comes to punk and metal. Junior Kevin Melter, guitarist for Khan Queso, said he and his band have played at the Aquadome six times since they formed in 2016. He said the Aquadome has helped his band and other newer groups build an audience.
See AQUADOME page 2