The Index Vol. 110 Issue 5

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

The Index

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

TSU recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Week RACHEL BECKER Staff Writer

Sexual Assault Awareness Week was last week.

There were teal ribbons handed out to support victims of sexual assault, a vigil held in the sunken garden, a march to raise awareness and more.

There were five rapes committed on campus in 2017, all in the residence halls, according to the Annual Security and Fire Report. Earlier this month, the Department of Public Safety sent out an email to all students about a sexual assault occurring in the residence halls.

Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, said when a sexual assault occurs the student affairs office first ensures the victim is given medical and emotional support resources.

Currently, Stoskopf’s office is the place to report sexual assault on campus, but it will soon be the institutional compliance office’s position to receive reports, Stoskopf said.

The Title IX office provides protection and services to all parties involved in a sexual assault, Stoskopf said. The office can help change class schedules to prevent confrontation, get new housing options and more, depending on the case. Stoskopf said the resources are not all victim-driven, and that there are protections for the accused in place.

“The concern about having to consistently see the other person is taken out of the picture for both parties,” Stoskopf said.

Stoskopf said in her office they make it a point not to judge. She said they will not deny services to anyone relating to academics, like working with a student’s professors if someone involved asks for that service.

There are two main steps a complainant could take after telling Title IX — they could report with the Title IX office or DPS. Title IX goes through the University, and DPS initiates a criminal investigation. The reporter has the option to go through both. Stoskopf said how there are many options for victims, but they are not forced to do anything.

Stoskopf said the accused party will be sent a letter stating what policies they are accused of violating. Then both parties are interviewed separately.

She said the next step is to gather all the information, and an investigator writes a report analyzing all the

evidence. The investigator decides if someone is in violation on the grounds of “more than likely not.”

The report then gets sent to an administrative panel, where they either agree or disagree with the initial finding as a final ruling.

Stoskopf said either party can appeal the final decision made.

While this is the process in which a reporter can go through the Title IX office, DPS has their own process.

DPS Director Sara Holzmeier said she starts her investigation by asking for the specifics of the case. If it occurred on Truman property, then DPS can handle the case. If it was off campus, then they turn it over to the Kirksville police. The reporter is given a victim advocate or someone who can be there as emotional support through the process.

Holzmeier said she urges a rape kit be completed as soon as possible, and evidence is preserved whether or not the victim wants to press charges. Then DPS goes into the investigative process talking to the victim, witnesses and, lastly, the accused.

The process can seem intimidating, Holzmeier said, and there are people who say they don’t want to ruin anyone’s life, and in that case, Holzmeier encourages them to go through the Title IX process at the University instead of the criminal system. Holzmeier said they keep evidence and never turn it over to anyone except the court for prosecution.

“It’s definitely the victim’s decision,” Holzmeier said. “I would still encourage people to report it even if they’re not sure they are going to file criminal charges.”

In Holzmeier’s safety speech to students in August, she said someone deeply under the influence of drugs or alcohol cannot give consent. However, she also said there is a gray area when it comes to whether someone should report a sexual assault when they were breaking the law, like underage drinking or using illicit drugs.

Holzmeier said her first priority would be reporting a sexual assault rather than getting the complainant in trouble for drugs or alcohol charges.

“Our job as law enforcement is to help people and keep people safe, and the safety of the students is of the utmost importance to us,” Holzmeier said. “Yes, we are here to enforce the law also, but that is a secondary thought. The first and foremost is we want them safe, we want them to be safe in their environment.”

Truman State University recognized Sexual Assault Awareness Week with multiple events. One of the events was creating T-shirts, many of which had encouraging messages to victims. Photo by Rachel Becker

The Title IX office and DPS have made statements about what is defined as consent, and someone under the influence cannot give consent.

Holzmeier said if someone is sexually assaulted while in those conditions, she will stand behind anyone who wants to report that.

“If you happen to be a victim, report it as soon as possible,” Holzmeier said. “If you are not sure about pressing charges let us know. DPS’s stance and [the Kirksville Police Department’s] stance is always going to say report. We want people to report it. We don’t want that happening in our community and on our campus.”

However, Holzmeier said she understands why it can be difficult for someone to report sexual assault.

Because it is such a personal crime, there can be guilt on the victim even when there shouldn’t be.

“We take sexual assault very seriously here at Truman, and that we will support you any way possible and get you the community resources and help you through the process of filing criminal procedures,” Holzmeier said. “So please don’t be afraid to come in and report to us or the Kirksville Police Department.”

AQUADOME| After its final GARDNER| Res Life Director John Gardner has event Wednesday night, the resigned from his position to become the Title IX Aquadome will close coordinator at A.T. Still University Continued from page 1 “Everybody knows about the Aquadome,” Melter said. “Whoever plays at the Aquadome gets more attention just because it’s the place to be.”

Melter said there are a lot of people who regularly attend shows at the Aquadome and help to spread the word about local bands. He said this is especially helpful because if a band tries to promote itself on social media, that band still needs followers and promoters to build a profile. He said the audience at the Aquadome is community-centered and very supportive.

Melter said as a student, it’s refreshing to know there’s a place like the Aquadome where music and the arts are encouraged, especially during stressful times.

“It’s nice to know that there’s a place to go where you can just enjoy yourself and enjoy the arts,” Melter said.

Continued from page 1 “It has been a lot of different things, but it has been a real pleasure working with all the wonderful people here at Truman,” Gardner said.

Gardner said some of his best memories were working with student leaders and student staff. He also said the things he has done in this role have been really fun, but the connections across campus and the relationships he built will last forever.

Gardner will become Title IX coordinator for A.T. Still, which he said is a good fit for his Ph.D. dissertation.

“I am working on completing my Ph.D. in higher education leadership, and the focus of my dissertation is on Title IX, and this is sort of the professional direction that I think I am headed in,” Gardner said. “This is a great opportunity to do

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 Staff Writers: Travis Maiden, Gordon McPherson, Lexi Mueller, Aura Martin, Elisabeth Shirk, Rachel Becker, Jessica Venvertloh, Maddie Robertson, Cassidy Krewson, Elissa May, Allison Maschhoff, Isabelle Cenatiempo Adviser: Don Krause

that. I have been doing this for nine years. It really has been great.”

With connections to his dissertation and a new opportunity on a different campus, Gardner said he is excited for the new adventures ahead of him and the new challenges he might face.

However, he said he is thankful for the time he had at Truman. “[I am] very appreciative of all the wonderful staff and faculty and students here at Truman that I have had the opportunity to work with over the past 10 years, and I hope to stay in contact with many of them, and it just has been a wonderful, wonderful time,” Gardner said.

Crime Reports DPS & KPD

9/15 Minor visibly intoxicated reported at Ryle Hall

9/22 Theft reported at the 2200 block of North Baltimore St.

9/17 Possession of marijuana/ 9/22 Stolen property reported synthetic cannabinoid of 10 at the 900 block of East Line St. grams or less reported at Missouri Hall 9/18 Scam reported at the 21000 block of Potter Rd.

9/23 Third degree assault reported at the 2100 block of Westbury Ln.

9/18 Burglary reported at the 300 block of East Hickory St.

9/23 Fight reported at the 300 block of West McPherson St.

9/20 Driving while intoxicated 9/23 Vandalism reported at reported at the 700 block of the 1000 block of East CotEast Harrison St. tonwood St. 9/20 Harassment reported at the 700 block of West George St.

9/23 Burglary reported at the 2100 block of South Marion St.

9/20 Theft reported at the 1000 block of South Davis St.

9/23 Vandalism reported at the 1300 block of South Cottage Grove Ave.

9/22 Dumpster fire reported at East Filmore St.

9/24 Second degree assault reported at the 2500 block of North Industrial Rd.

9/22 Second degree property 9/24 Hit-and-run reportdamage reported at the 1300 ed at the 300 block of East block of South Baltimore St. Hickory St.

The Index

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Student Government election results in empty seats JESSICA VENVERTLOH Staff Writer

Truman State University’s Student Government elections resulted in two open seats that will remain vacant.

In the fall election there were a total of seven positions available: four Incoming Senate seats reserved for freshmen and three Voting Senate seats open to all students.

The elected Incoming Senators are freshmen Shania Montufar, Kai Brewer, Hyun Joon Bang and Lizzie Cremer. One of the Voting Senate seats will be filled by sophomore Austin Derbak. The last day to apply to be on the ballot was Sept. 14, and a total of eight students appeared on the ballot. Seven of the eight candidates ran for the freshman seats, while Derbak ran unopposed for one voting seat.

Student Government President Keaton Leppanen said he could not give a reason for the empty seats, beyond an imbalance with more students running for the incoming seats. Leppanen said he has reached out to those who were not elected and offered them a chance to interview for those empty seats, however, he is also looking around campus to fill the vacancies.

“It’s definitely a philosophy of mine that the more people you can have on student government, the better representation of campus you have, and honestly the more people to help you do work and projects, so the more you can accomplish,” Leppanen said.

Student Government Vice President Deanna Schmidt also attributed the open seats to the imbalance of candidates running for incoming and voting positions. Despite the vacancies, Schmidt said she thinks interest in Student Government has actually increased from prior years.

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“Last year, we made a big push to actually be present at the Activities Fair and at Truman Days, and at a lot of freshman events,” said Schmidt. “So, we were really trying to recruit incoming freshmen.”

Schmidt said Student Government allocated funds to advertise this year as well, and as a result, they received a lot of interest from freshmen.

Sophomore Adam Barker, Student Government speaker and election administrator, said he is not discouraged by these empty seats. Barker said he is enthusiastic moving forward from this election. He is excited to see new faces and hear the new ideas they bring with them.

“I’m really hoping to see them come in, bring their new ideas to the table and really just promote those and go after them, and all of us who are already on the body are really going to support them in that,” Barker said.

Clean Missouri expresses support for Amendment 1 RYAN PIVONEY News Editor

Clean Missouri hosted a rally in support of Amendment 1 with Kirksville community leaders Sept. 17.

The speakers included Nancy Copenhaver from League of Women Voters of Missouri, Rev. Anders Edstrom, James Harmon, a military veteran and rotarian, Jessica Parks, a small business owner and homestead farmer, and Emma Iffrig, a Truman State University student.

The hour-long rally consisted of community leaders giving speeches to share their support for Amendment 1, which will appear on the ballot Nov. 4. Following the speeches, Benjamin Singer from Clean Missouri answered questions regarding the amendment.

The goal of Amendment 1 is to lower campaign contribution limits for Missouri state legislative candidates, eliminate lobbyist gifts over $5, require legislative records to be open to the public, require politicians to wait at least

two years before acting as a lobbyist, and ensure that no single political party is given an unfair advantage when voting maps are redrawn after the 2020 census.

The amendment has endorsements from both Democratic and Republican politicians and political groups. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Washington Missourian and Columbia Daily Tribune have all endorsed the amendment as well.

There is also opposition to the amendment coming from Republican lawmakers who believe the amendment is an effort to instill more power in the state auditor, a seat currently held by Democrat Nicole Galloway. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also opposed to the amendment and filed a lawsuit to stop the measure from appearing on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Cole County Judge Daniel Green ruled the measure unconstitutional Sept. 14, but after a unanimous decision by the Western District Court of Appeals, that decision was reversed.

James Harmon, veteran and Rotarian, gave a speech in support of Amendment 1. The amendment will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. Photo by Morgan Gervais

news in brief LYCEUM SERIES SCHEDULE RELEASED

RNC HOSTS YOUTH ENGAGEMENT ROUNDTABLE IN KIRKSVILLE

REP. WALKER RECEIVES 2018 LEGISLATIVE CHAMPION AWARD

The Kohlenberg Lyceum Series has four events scheduled for the 2018-2019 season. The planned performances include “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” m-pact, “Steel Magnolias” and the Havana Cuba All-Stars. Each performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium. Tickets for Lyceum events go on sale for $10 three weeks before each performance. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” will kickoff the season Nov. 13.

The Republican National Committee hosted a roundtable discussion last Monday on encouraging young people to vote and get involved in Missouri elections. The event lasted about half an hour. The roundtable was part of the RNC’s March to a Million effort, a statewide grassroots campaign to contact 1 million voters by the end of September.

State Rep. Nate Walker received the 2018 Legislative Champion Award from the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

Walker, a Republican who represents Kirksville, was granted the award for his support of the bipartisan bill that modified the law relating to retirement plans for public employees. The Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys gave the award to Walker and 13th District Sen. Gina Walsh at their sixth annual awards banquet.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Head to Head Taking a knee is taking a stand

BY RACHEL FECHTER

Detours Executive Editor I worry the line between patriotism and chauvinism in the United States is dangerously blurring. If I had it my way, national borders would no longer exist, and no person would ever be dubbed as illegal or denied certain opportunities because they lost out in the birth lottery. But if we’re having a conversation about United States patriotism and how it should be expressed, I have some thoughts.

I not only vehemently support those who choose to exercise their First Amendment right to kneel during the national anthem and break the United States Flag Code, but I encourage it. I believe patriotism should mean holding your country accountable for its past and current human rights abuses and indifferences to the suffering of marginalized groups. And for those who claim the United States is the greatest nation on earth, that the racism in this country no longer exists, and that the systemic inequalities we see among our people are really the fault of individual merit and laziness — I encourage you to take a closer look.

The United States government and military have been responsible for numerous atrocities and have inflicted pain upon countless lives, starting from its very founding.

This country has profited off of the exploitation of Native Americans and African-American slaves while still having the audacity to call itself “the land of the free.”

The United States has also killed over 20 million people in 37 developing nations since World War II, according to the Centre for Research on Globalization. This death toll has resulted from wars waged by the United States, support of dictators to stop the spread of communism, imperialist intervention in nations to exploit their resources, and embargoes placed on countries that deny people access to certain medicines and other life-saving products.

Even without looking at the immense suffering this country has caused people in other countries, there’s also plenty of suffering on United States soil that happens today.

The United States incarcerates more of its people than any other developed nation by a long shot and imprisons the largest percentage of its ethnic minorities out of

any country in the world, according to “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander.

In addition, 12.3 percent of the American population — 39.7 million people — live in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2017. And it’s also worth noting the poverty line is set at an extremely low $28,290 for a family of four, and there are millions more people whose household earnings exceed the poverty line but are still living paycheck to paycheck.

The U.S. has also committed a large number of domestic human rights abuses with its attack on undocumented immigrants and refugees, its apathy toward the resurgence of white nationalism, its lack of healthcare funding, its racial disparities within the criminal justice system, and its growing inequalities between the poor and the wealthy, according to the Human Rights Watch 2018 World Report.

I could keep discussing the many data points on every last shameful inequality and atrocity the United States has committed, but I think my point has been made.

There are people in this country who feel forgotten and excluded from the freedoms it claims to guarantee all of its people. Racial minority groups, the LGBTQ community, working class citizens, refugees, immigrants, people unable to afford healthcare or a quality education, all feel betrayed by this country.

Insisting everyone romanticize our nation without question also promotes complacency in a system with many flaws, and it invalidates the oppression many people in this country face by suggesting everything is fine and dandy in the grand ole USA. Just like Rosa Parks sitting in the front of the bus was never really about a bus seat, Colin Kaepernick and other athletes choosing to kneel during the national anthem was never really about the American flag. It’s making a greater, symbolic statement that this country is not providing equal treatment and opportunity to all those who live here, and it’s calling for these injustices to be acknowledged and addressed.

By not standing for the flag, those oppressed by the system are taking a stand against injustice in this nation, and to me, there’s nothing more patriotic than that.

Nike’s recent ad campaign using Colin Kaepernick as the spokesperson reignites the debate on kneeling during the National Anthem.

Work is not a place to protest

BY ISAAC HAMPTON

TSU College Republicans Chairman The United States of America has done more for democracy and the freeness of people than any other nation, except maybe the British. We should respect this great nation and what it has done for peoples everywhere. However, before emotional arguments are let loose, the United States Flag Code demands a disclaimer.

Respecting the American flag is about more than just following the rules put forth under Flag Code.

It might confuse some to learn that Flag Code is not law. It’s not something that Americans have to follow, and breaking these “laws” yield no punishment or fine by the United States government. Proof enough are the hundreds of flagburning videos you can find on the internet — all protected acts under our citizens’ First Amendment rights, namely their right to free speech. While some people take issue with any disrespect shown toward the American flag, I do not. The same Americans who fought and died for the honor of that flag died to also protect your right to disrespect it.

I believe the right to free speech is just one of the many reasons why respecting our flag should be a non-issue. Many of us forget that these rights weren’t always afforded to men and women throughout history, and that it was our predecessors who structured and built a government that helped protect these rights. While it is true that for much of our country’s history these rights have not been afforded to everyone, the progress toward greater equality has been real in the United States.

We are a proud nation of immigrants because of the opportunity we offer people of every creed. To see the missteps of our past and the hard, unjust realities of much of American history as a reason to

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act belligerently and sow dissent is a fool’s errand. It diminishes historical context and the efforts of Americans who fought to extend those rights. The right to life, liberty and property — as well as the privilege to easy and cheap access to water, food and other conveniences — is a testament to American greatness.

In regard to the ongoing protests in sports, my view is more nuanced than your average conservative’s.

These players have every right to protest perceived injustices in our country, and in fact, soldiers died for that right. However, the ball field is not the place to do it unless you are willing to deal with the backlash.

These games are a business, and the protests have hurt the NFL’s ratings.

As a private business, the NFL is exercising its rights to require players to stand for the anthem. When you go to work, you do not get to do whatever you want. Companies have company policies, and workers who violate those policies face consequences. If these players were protesting in a non-work environment, that would be a different issue, and I stand firm defending their right to protest outside the workplace.

It is detestable how Flag Code has been used as ammunition in the battles we see playing out in American sports, most notably the NFL. Both sides use it as a way of discrediting the other side, trying to claim some moral high ground and entirely missing its purpose.

The purpose of Flag Code is, like I have said, not a legal one, but rather to present a guideline. If we took it seriously, your average citizen, who keeps the flag out on his porch, would be fined if he didn’t properly light it at night.

Flag Code has even been used to exclude the American flag from an otherwise inclusive international flag display here on Truman State University’s campus. Respect doesn’t come from adhering to a guide. It comes from the feelings in one’s own heart.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Opinions

Stu Gov

5

Buzz

Student Government updates students

Curriculm needs to be thought through After more than two decades, Truman State University will begin phasing out the Liberal Studies Program next year. The new curriculum, dubbed The Dialogues, strives to maintain Truman’s reputation as one of the premier universities in the region. One element of this new curriculum, the Truman Symposium, is being pilot tested this semester with a group of 220 freshmen living in Ryle Hall. This, as well as the Self and Society Seminar, will make up the required first-year classes for all new students beginning next academic year. After several years of planning and at least one major shift in vision, the new Truman Symposium pilot has seen approximately 90 of the 220 freshmen participating drop during the first few weeks of school.

We, The Index Editorial Board, believe this program is being rushed and encourage Truman faculty and administration to take a close, hard look at it before implementing it next fall. The number of students dropping the Symposium should be a major red flag.

Another worrisome aspect of the new program is the reliance on student advisers as discussion leaders for freshman seminars. Even though many student advisers take their jobs seriously and are well-suited to take on this responsibility, some student advisers will inevitably take on these extra duties grudgingly. The idea that student-to-student conversation is better than a conversation dominated by a professor or lecturer is worth exploring, but adding this responsibility to student advisers’ slates will result in a widely varied quality of experiences.

There are several other groups of people on campus who could benefit from the experience of leading a group discussion. Education majors and students who wish to become counselors, for example, would be well-served by this hands-on experience. Leaders should be selected on a volunteer basis instead of just adding to the duties of student advisers.

Additionally, the requirements set out for several tenets of the seminars are general and vague. Professors should be well-trained in what they are teaching, especially if they are teaching interdisciplinary courses, and students should have a clear vision of what they will be learning and why it will be beneficial.

Updating the old curriculum is a process that a lot of time and effort has been devoted to at Truman. There have been several bumps in the road throughout the last three and a half years while this new program has been developed, up to and including a change in president and a major loss of state funding, but this idea needs time to be perfected. If The Dialogues program is to be implemented in fall 2019, the University community must work diligently to find and address the shortcomings of the program so no unforeseen issues arise and affect the University for years to come.

Top 5 Movies of 2018

By Gordon McPherson, ... So Far The Index movie reviewer #5: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

The action sequences in “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” are spectacular to behold, eliciting pure adrenaline like no other film in 2018 has. Ethan Hunt, played by legendary Scientologist Tom Cruise, and his gang of idiosyncratic Impossible Missions Force operatives have really outdone themselves. They shouldn’t ever try to one-up this film. I’m concerned for their safety.

#4: BlacKkKlansman

Based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a black man who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s, “BlacKkKlansman” is a socially relevant thriller that leaves a profoundly emotional impression.

With the close of elections and the welcoming of five new voting members to the body this past week, the Student Government 2018-2019 session is in full swing.

Just over a month into the school year, the body has already started making headway into a number of projects that we’re very excited about for this year.

Firstly, this past summer, Truman passed an amnesty policy that allows students to be reprieved of conduct charges on a one-time basis for intoxication if medical assistance is called. Student Senate has advocated for such a policy since 2015 and is very thankful to the administration and Board of Governors for prioritizing this issue. We are now looking to advocate for interpretations of the policy which will result in the best for students’ well-being, and will be discussing a resolution on the topic at our upcoming meeting at 5 p.m. on September 30.

We’ve also officially implemented an organizational liaison program, which last year existed in a pilot form. Every organization

on campus has an official point of contact with Student Government via one of the existing committees, and presidents have received or soon will receive communication from Student Government members establishing contact.

Student Government is also extremely excited to be hosting the first-ever TEDx Truman State University conference this coming November. Twelve speakers will be presenting the afternoon of Nov. 4 in the Georgian Rooms, including five students, five faculty, and two outside speakers. Topics will be varied and come from members of our own community, making for an exciting day for our University.

This is just a small sampling of projects the body has started working towards on behalf of the student body. We are excited to serve Truman and always welcome input.

Student Government meetings are open to the public and take place on Sundays at 5 p.m. in the SUB 3000 conference. We encourage you to come by!

Submitted by: Joe Slama

#3: Blindspotting

“Blindspotting” centers around a black man named Collin — played by Daveed Diggs of “Hamilton” fame — and his white best friend Miles — played by Rafael Casal — who face the realities of racism, police brutality, gentrification and America’s corrupt justice system in modern-day Oakland, California.

#2: Sorry to Bother You

“Sorry to Bother You” is one of the most bizarre films I’ve ever watched. Cassius Green, played by Lakeith Stanfield, rises through the ranks of a telemarketing company by using his “white voice,” confronting the horrors of corporate greed, racism and code-switching along the way.

#1: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

The beautiful documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” centers around Fred Rogers, host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” on PBS. The film emphasizes the importance of love and kindness, which couldn’t be more important in today’s politically divided world.

The Index

6

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

United Speakers help community immigrants

BY TRAVIS MAIDEN

Staff Writer

Imagine joining a culture you know nothing about. The language is strange, the food is bizarre and the rules are different. This is a reality for several immigrants coming into the Kirksville community. United Speakers, an organization determined to help immigrants integrate into our culture, will be receiving a $500 grant from the Foreign Language Association of Missouri to help provide educational supplies and teach English to our growing diverse community.

United Speakers President junior Grace Miller said the organization will be using the grant money to provide transportation to their class in Milan and buy new textbooks to use for English lessons. Miller said United Speakers never had a lot of supplies at their disposal, so being able to buy textbooks and pencils will enhance their lessons.

“I went through our house and found any old ACT books that I could find and collected all the pencils and pens,” Miller said. “So we had this little makeshift box that we were keeping all of our supplies in. Now that we will have pencils and pens and different things like that, it will just be nicer and it won’t be as difficult.”

Miller said United Speakers is a student-led organization focused on bettering the relationship between the immigrant and native populations. Miller said the organization assists immigrants like the large influx of Congolese people by holding English as a second language classes in Kirksville and Milan.

Miller is the new acting president of United Speakers after senior Megan Kraus left to study abroad. Miller said she wanted the position because no one seemed interested and she wanted the club to continue building a relationship with immigrants. She said

Spanish professor Stacy Davis teaches workshops to United Speakers. United Speakers work with immigrants in the community to help integrate them into U.S. culture. Submitted photo volunteering will help her learn and is a step in the right direction for her future in healthcare.

Miller said she and other United Speakers members stayed up several nights during finals week last semester to write the grant. She said the grant couldn’t have been successful without the help of the many staff members volunteering to support United Speakers, like French professor Audrey Viguier, who has been acting as an adviser to the organization.

Viguier said the grant is important to United Speakers because they lacked funding. Viguier said this grant is only the beginning, and United Speakers will attempt to apply for a larger grant once they prove they can use the grant money responsibly.

Viguier is an immigrant from France, so she knows how hard it is to be part of a new culture.

“Many of the Congolese, they’ve never seen winter,” Viguier said. “They don’t know what ice skating means.

Last year, in one of the classes, they didn’t even know the word in French because they’ve never seen ice skating or ice in general.”

The grant writing took a while but was important to staff and United Speakers alike. Viguier said French professor Timothy Farley worked diligently on the grant even while he was on sabbatical last year.

Farley said this is his first year officially working with United Speakers as an adviser. He said it is an amazing organization that supports students with the desire to help immigrants learn English without much faculty input.

Farley has been working at Truman since 1990 and is the longest serving member of the education faculty. He said it’s a profession that he simply was not successful in quitting because he found passion in teaching and helping others learn language. Farley enjoyed his time in France so much that he decided to go back by getting his master’s degree in French.

Farley said the impact the workshops have had on students is tremendous and it was difficult for students to teach without the proper training. Farley said his wife is a retired linguistics professor who has given workshops for United Speakers, and the students showed appreciation for all the guidance they could receive.

United Speakers will have to return to FLAM next year to give a presentation on how they used the grant. Several staff members and United Speakers volunteers worked hard to earn these funds, and according to Farley, it is amazing to see the dedication students and faculty put into volunteer work. Farley said it’s just the beginning of what United Speakers can do.

“I think the grant is going to help,” Farley said. “I mean, it’s a small grant, you know, but it’s hard to come by money for anything, and this is purely a volunteer effort. I think a little bit of money goes a long way, so I expect it’s going to have a significant impact.”

Farley said United Speakers has come a long way in the past year with the curriculum they teach during their English lessons with immigrants. He said Spanish professor Stacy Davis had helped United Speakers by offering teaching lessons to the volunteers.

Davis said she worked with students in a workshop last February on her birthday to understand how to educate in a target language and design creative activities to teach real world skills. She said it’s interesting and exciting to work with students so passionate and receptive about learning the material to help others.

Davis said representatives from United Speakers and Truman will be attending the Kansas World Language Association and Foreign Language Association of Missouri joint conference Oct. 26 to accept the grant. Davis said it is amazing to see Truman represented at such a huge conference.

TEDx coming to Truman campus

BY ISABELLE CENATIEMPO

Staff Writer

This year is the inaugural year of TEDx talks at Truman State University.

Whether in class or at home, most people have watched a TEDx talk. The mission of the TED organization is to spread ideas and spark conversation, a mission that Truman students are not foreign to.

The idea was first proposed by current sophomore Katie Alexander, who gained inspiration from watching TEDx videos filmed at other universities. She proposed her idea of bringing TEDx to Truman to last year’s Student Government president, Kyra Cooper, and current vice president junior Deanna Schmidt.

“We ended up passing it onto an ad hoc committee,” said Alexander. “So we created a whole committee just to plan the conference. I was appointed the chair of the committee, and that’s how the whole ball got rolling.”

The eight-person committee is made up of students from all across campus, not just in student government. Junior committee member Kathleen Placke spoke about what drew her to join in the TEDx creation process.

“I wanted to have other people see these great ideas and people — professors and students — that we have at Truman,” said Placke.

Laura Bates, director of the Student Union and campus activities, and Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, assisted with the application process for TEDx at Truman to get the idea off of the ground. Truman was accepted into the program after one application.

“A lot of people don’t recognize the amazing ideas that we’re producing here and all the experiences that we’re generating, and to have a big organization like TEDx actually recognize that and want to give us a platform to actually promote those ideas was really humbling and exciting,” Schmidt said when she was asked what this meant to her.

Alexander said Student Government and the TEDx planning committee are overjoyed for students to see the TEDx talks very soon. Students interested in viewing the talks can buy tickets from the Student Government office the week before the conference. Around 60 tickets are available to those wishing to attend. The conference will also be livestreamed from Baldwin Hall Little Theater, and around 100 tickets are available for that.

“I want as many students to be able to experience it as possible,” Alexander said. “The community of students is something that we’re really going for.”

All videos from the conference will be available on YouTube for everyone to enjoy. Though the identity of who is giving the talks has not been revealed, Alexander said there will be TEDx talks from students, faculty and alumni.

Speaker reveals are happening in the upcoming weeks on the committee’s Facebook page. Placke said she thinks students will be excited when they see who the committee chose as speakers.

Schmidt also gave a preview about what the talks will contain.

“One thing I want students to know is that it’s going to be a really diverse array of talks about a lot of different topics that they’re going to be able to get a lot from,” she said.

calendar First block classes end on Tuesday, Oct. 9 — second block classes begin Wednesday, Oct. 10 GLOBAL ISSUES COLLOQUIUM SEPT. 27 7 TO 9 P.M. BALDWIN HALL LITTLE THEATER

RED BARN ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL SEPT. 29 9 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M. DOWNTOWN KIRKSVILLE

ANNUAL SPAGHETTI DINNER FUNDRAISER SEPT. 29 11 A.M. TO 2 P.M. KIRKSVILLE MASONIC TEMPLE

Tal Simmons, a forensic anthropologist and professor in the Department of Forensics Science at Virginia Commonwealth University, will be the latest speaker in the Global Issues Colloquium series. Simmons has worked in identification of the dead and identification of trauma in victims of human rights abuse.

She has worked with Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and others in areas such as Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Kosovo and Bosnia.

The Kirksville Arts Association is hosting the annual Red Barn Arts & Crafts Festival. The festival offers art, awards, food and entertainment. Historically the event has over 9,000 visitors and 100 art booths. The festival is the hallmark program of the Kirksville Arts Association.

The Kirksville Masonic Temple Association is hosting its annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser alongside the Red Barn Arts & Crafts Festival. All-you-can-eat spaghetti, bread, salad and dessert will be available for $7 for adults and $4 for children under 10. All proceeds raised at this event will go toward repairs and maintenance of the Masonic Temple.

CHICAGO BOYZ SEPT. 29 4 TO 5 P.M. BALDWIN AUDITORIUM

GLOW STICK IT TO CANCER ADVENTURE SCRAMBLE OCT. 4 5:30 TO 9:15 P.M. VENUES AROUND KIRKSVILLE

YOGA ON THE QUAD OCT. 5 10:30 A.M. TO 2:15 P.M. THE QUAD

The Student Activities Board has invited Chicago Boyz to perform as its Family Day event. Chicago Boyz is a professional acrobat and gymnastics team. The group’s performance includes acrobatic stunts, tumbling routines, and tricks with jump ropes and mini trampolines. The Chicago Boyz were featured in season eight of “America’s Got Talent.”

The second annual Glow Stick It to Cancer Adventure Scramble will take place throughout Kirksville in October. In this race-style event, teams of four compete to complete the most activities at designated locations throughout the city. The registration fee of $60 per team grants an appetizer basket and one T-shirt per contestant. Participants can register online.

Students can join a series of yoga classes, suitable for all levels, on The Quad. The four classes are 45 minutes long with a 15-minute intermission in between. Yoga mats are available if needed, and beginners are encouraged to attend. The rain location for the event is the Student Recreation Center.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

The Index

7

City decides to demolish old high school MADDIE ROBERTSON Staff Writer After 104 years of existence, Kirksville’s first high school building is set to be demolished.

The city is currently putting together bid documents for demolition companies interested in taking down the vacant building. After reviewing the bids, the city council will review and approve a company, then sign a contract.

Although there is no definitive timeline for the demolition, the $350,000 project is expected to be finished within a year.

Despite the loss of the historic site, Kirksville plans to make the most out of the available land.

“The city would like to make a park,” Kirksville city manager Mari Macomber said about the soon-to-be-cleared space.

“A park for reflection, for relaxation.”

Located at the corner of McPherson and Mulanix streets, the building served as Kirksville’s main high school from 1914-1960. After serving as a meeting place for Kirksville’s Board of Education until 1978, the building was passed from owner to owner and slowly began to deteriorate.

Macomber said neighbors in the area were concerned about the safety of children in the area because of the failing exterior of the building.

“Kids and people were getting into the building,” Macomber said. “There was a

growing concern about liability. Pieces of the building were coming down.”

There were only two possible fates for the building leading up to the City Council’s July 15 decision on what to do with the hazardous site. She said the city could either find a developer to renovate the building or it would have to be demolished.

Bill Hart, executive director of the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation, said the old high school’s demolition is a sad occurrence. The organization advocated for the preservation of the high school for the past few years.

Hart said a Kirksville resident nominated the building for the organization’s Places in Peril campaign. This

campaign is dedicated to calling attention to historic structures in danger of being shut down or demolished.

The high school building was the only building in Kirksville to make both the 2016 and 2017 lists.

“We helped the city try to market it for a few years,” Hart said. “It started a media campaign. When that didn’t work, we tried convincing one developer to come up.”

In spite of their efforts, Missouri Preservation and the City of Kirksville could not find a developer to save the building. Hart said the building could have been an opportunity for student housing, but developers were not interested in doing that.

JED| The University has enlisted the SYMPOSIUM| The committee that created help of the Jed Foundation to address the Truman Symposium is not concerned the declining mental health on campus about the drop in pilot enrollment Continued from page 1 or broken bones,” Slama said. “You’re goTo address mental health while main- ing to focus on getting everyone healthy. taining academic excellence, Bird and Not everyone may be sick per se, but evHiggins said they hope to view all aspects eryone’s health can improve.” of Truman’s culture holistically. Higgins To promote positive mental health and Bird said they plan to address policies to students, faculty are encouraged such as the drug and alcohol amnesty pol- to become role models by changing icy and mandatory leave of absence policy, the ways in which they present themas well as reach out to new students who selves, Slama said. have disclosed a history of mental health As JED takes everything on campus issues. They will also analyze the general into account, faculty are expected to attitude of students, classroom practices, provide support for not only students, heavy workloads before finals and the but also themselves. physical design in buildings where stu“Faculty have mental health issues, dents could commit suicide. too,” Bird said. “It’s stressful to work on According to the JED Campus Execu- this campus with reduced faculty memtive Summary for Truman, JED will at- bers. We’re trying to help faculty memtempt to express a positive, equal balance bers with their self care, which will trickle between student workload and leisure. down to the students.”

To execute this, the committee of Truman As a part of the strategic plan, JED faculty and students seeks to change the gave suggestions on how the commitperspective of a typical Truman student by tee can train staff to focus on self care, encouraging self care, and discouraging such as having a designated time to reunhealthy behaviors, like doing course- spond to emails and not assigning big work for an extended amount of time. projects or papers to students the week “College students are under a lot before finals. Faculty will be trained to of stress across the country,” Higgins both identify students under mental said. “Part of what distress and feel comwe hope to do is fortable speaking with normalize and them, Bird said. The change the percepgoal is for students to tion of the typical see that faculty have Increa s help-s e Truman student.” boundaries with their eeking behavio E IV To avoid health work and are able to S r N REHE COMP ROACH problems, the comexemplify good self APP mittee aims to alcare, which will in Identify ter how everyone return allow them to l cia ote so students at Prom tedness on campus views realize a balance berisk c conne mental health and tween work and leiFollo wellness. Senior Joe sure is accessible. w cris Develo mana is p g Slama, Student GovHiggins said various e m life en proc edur t skills ernment’s health, ideas and plans such as es wellness, and safety advertising with posters, al s ment nce magnets, stickers and s e e committee chair, has c id c ict a Prov d substa Restr tential been working with pins have been created es h an to po eans healt se servic u m l b the committee to to promote health and a a leth provide a student’s wellness. If everything perspective. goes as planned next “If you want to semester, a marketing STRATEGIC improve physical professor might have PLANNING health, you’re not their class find the best just going to treat advertising approach people with cancer for this plan.

JED

Continued from page 1 “This is a learning process for all of us,” Mohler said. “I think it is commendable that [Alberts], along with the other committee members, decided that it would be best to try out this trial, to experiment on different things, to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Mohler said he did not believe students dropped the symposium course because they did not enjoy it, but simply because other time commitments arose and students became much more involved in other activities.

Krystal Jones, a Ryle freshman, is one of the students still enrolled in the symposium. Jones said she and other students feel as if they are beginning to understand Truman’s liberal arts philosophy better even though the lectures appear to be slightly unrelated at times.

Jones said each presentation lasts an hour, and then students gather in small discussion groups with a Ryle SA. In these small groups, they discuss the lecture and go through a series of discussion questions.

“I think it’s more relatable [this] way because I feel like if it was a teacher, it’d feel more like a class, but with what they want us to talk about, I feel like having a student there with

us is more beneficial to our conversation,” Jones said.

At the beginning of the semester, Jones said she intended on dropping the symposium course because she thought it was unfair that the University had only chosen Ryle students to participate in the pilot test, but she chose to stay because the lectures and presentations caught her interest and she did not want to lose the credit.

Sophomore Ryle SA Kerstin Peterson said from an SA’s point of view, the lectures are intriguing both for her and for the students. Peterson said while all students have differing opinions on the Truman Symposium, it has been an opportunity for SAs to build relationships within their communities and for students to learn from a wide variety of professors across campus.

“Some things that I look at is maybe getting it to slightly more of a freshman level, “Peterson said. “It’s really, really great for us as SAs [and older students]. Having been here for awhile, these big ideas and things are things we have thought about for a while, but maybe taking it down a little bit like at the beginning of the lecture and building up. They’re working on it, and I think every time they have a lecture, it’s been getting better.”

The Truman Symposium is conducting a pilot test with freshman students living in Ryle Hall. Ninety students have dropped the course this semester. The symposium will replace Truman Days in fall 2019. Photo by Mary Van Winkle

The FLATS half marathon is scheduled for Oct. 6 RYAN PIVONEY News Editor

The eighth annual FLATS Trail Half Marathon will be held Oct. 6, starting at Thousand Hills State Park marina and ending at the West Winery at Jackson Stables.

The half marathon race is on a single track trail through Thousand Hills State Park. Participants can register for the event through Oct. 3 for a $50 entry fee.

The money raised from the race benefits the Forest Area Trail System.

Race co-directors Royce Kallerud and Dan Martin said they started working on the FLATS Trail, an effort to get a paved trail between the town and Thousand Hills State Park, about 10 years ago. Kallerud said a few years after they started that project, race founder Ivy Koger created the half marathon race to support the trail. Kallerud said the race raised about $5,000 for the FLATS Trail last year. The FLATS project is now on phase 3.1, which involves building a trail starting at the corner of Osteopathy and Missouri streets and travel west for 0.7 miles.

Koger said he created the race because there were many runners in Kirksville

who were seeking out the best places in the area for a scenic run. He said about 75 people attended the race in its first year, and since then it has grown.

Koger said he is excited the half marathon has grown so much and more people are getting to experience the trail. He also said he is happy the event is growing to provide real help to the FLATS Trail.

Koger said one of his goals during his time in Kirksville was to leave a lasting positive impact before he moved out of the city.

“That race, for me, is like one of the very few things in my whole life that I built that I can say I take a lot of pride in,” Koger said. “I’m really thrilled it worked out, and I am really happy they still have it, and I hope it lasts forever.”

While building the FLATS Trail is important, Martin said one of the main goals of the race is to get people out to the park to experience the trail.

Kallerud said almost all of the half marathon is on dirt trails, which is not common. The first mile and a half are on pavement, as is the last half mile. The 11 miles in between are on the dirt trail.

He said the race is attractive to runners

The FLATS Trail Half Marathon will be held Oct. 6. Funds raised from the race go to benefit the construction of the FLATS Trail. Photos submitted by John McMurry

because of its stunning scenery and the adventurous terrain.

“If you look at state parks in Missouri, almost no one has this,” Kallerud said. “Certainly not as well maintained as we have, and it’s volunteers that get it maintained.”

He said while it is still challenging for experienced runners, the FLATS Trail half marathon is a good fit for beginning runners as well.

Kallerud said the race maintains a balance between local runners in the city and people from across the state and country participating in the half marathon.

“Really, we want to make it the best trail half marathon in the Midwest,” Kallerud said. “We have people from 12 states coming this year already, and I expect we will pick up a couple more.”

Last year there were 176 race finishers — about 50 of which were students from Truman State University and A.T. Still University — which was the highest the race had ever seen. The race is capped at 200 participants to avoid environmental damage to the trial and prevent traffic throughout the race. Martin said aid stations are two and a half miles apart and have to be put in by boat, so they needed to determine a manageable number of participants.

Martin said the trail has varying terrain and obstacles, making it more challenging for runners.

“It’s got all these little nuances that I think that’s almost like the idea of adventure,” Martin said. “That seems to be what people want, and that’s why it’s popular.”

Kallerud said there will be a celebration with live music, an awards ceremony and free food at the end of the half marathon. Soft tissue massages will be available in addition to doughnuts from Scotland Clark Project charity, ale from Kirksville Guild of Brewers, free samples from Smoothie King and merchandise from Running Wild, a running store in Quincy, Illinois.

Kirksville Tourism Director Debi Boughton said the half marathon brings in a lot of runners from out-

The half marathon race is a single track through varying terrain.

This unique race draws runners to Kirksville each year. side of Kirksville. She said one of the goals of the volunteers is to be as hospitable as possible so people will come back every year and bring their friends as well.

“This started out as, ‘Let’s have a fundraiser so that we can build this trail,’ but it has developed,” Boughton said. “It has become a tourism event in and of itself.”

She said Kirksville has a lot of tourism niches, so this event in particular is popular among long distance runners.

Junior Taylor Hessian ran the half marathon last year and said he is eager to run the trail again. He said he had a positive trail experience because of the nice weather and exciting forest landscape, even though the course was challenging.

He said the FLATS Trail half marathon was his first half marathon.

“Overall, it was a good experience last year,” Hessian said. “So I was like, I want to do this again and get the full effect of all the stuff.”

The Index

8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Truman hosts events around campus The Truman State University Music Department hosted a guest artist alumni recital Sept. 16. Joel Gordon’s Happy Habitat was the featured alumni artist. The free event displayed the talents of Joel Gordon, Tim AuBuchon, Seth Lee and Brian Steever. Photos by Daniel Degenhardt

Seniors Mackenzie Matthews and Drake Law perform Hollow by Tori Kelly at TruTalent. The Student Activities Board hosted the student talent show Sept. 12 on The Quad.

Lourdes Nicholls presented “The Other December 7th” to Truman students and faculty Sept. 17. Nicholls was selected as the 2018 Constitution Day speaker, and the event was part of the MAE Diversity series.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

9

Welcome Truman Families!

Compiled by Elissa May, Staff Writer

Friday

saturday

Observatory: 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Centennial Festival: 1-4 p.m.

German Film Series: 7 p.m.

Cup Stacking: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Jazz Band: 8 p.m.

SAB: 4 p.m.

Theater Production: 8 p.m.

Barbecue: 5-6:30 p.m.

Theater Production: 8 p.m.

amily Day is this weekend for families and students to reF connect and have fun here at Truman State University. The entire weekend is packed with various activities that show students’ families how amazing this school and the students are. A tremendous amount of work goes into planning this weekend.

“We work with the entire Truman campus community to pull together a full schedule that highlights the numerous talented student performers and athletes as well as working with SAB, the Centennial Hall, Planetarium and Observatory staff, to schedule a lot of family friendly events.” said Public Relations Director Heidi Templeton.

Here is a list of the events going on during Family Day

Observatory: There is an open house tomorrow night at the Observatory, so bring your family and stargaze for awhile. The Observatory is located at the University Farm, 1816 S. Boundary St.

German Film Series: The Baldwin Hall Little Theater is hosting a German film series titled “Germany Between Worlds.”

They will be showing “Die Vermessung der Welt,” or “Measuring the World,” directed by Detlev Buck. The film will start at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

Jazz Band: Later tomorrow night in the Baldwin Auditorium, the Jazz Lab Band will be hosting a concert featuring different jazz ensembles.

Theater Production: In the James G. Severns Theatre in Ophelia Parrish, there will be a production of “In-Laws, Outlaws,

and Other People (That Should be Shot).” This comedy is about two “outlaws” who crash a Christmas dinner to hide from the police after robbing a local store. This humorous show starts at 8 p.m. tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. Admission is $5.

Planetarium Shows: The Del & Norma Robison Planetarium in Magruder Hall is hosting shows all day Saturday. Admission is $5 per person at the door.

Centennial: Centennial Hall is hosting its annual Parents Weekend Festival from 1-4 p.m. in the courtyard. There will be games and activities for all ages.

Cup Stacking: Senior Elijah Farrales has mastered the art of cup

stacking. He will be demonstrating his skills from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Saturday in the SUB Hub. Then he will demolish his work at 6 p.m.

SAB: SAB is hosting a performance from the Chicago Boyz at 4

p.m. Saturday in the Baldwin Auditorium. The Chicago Boyz is an acrobatic team based out of Chicago that made the semifinals on Season 8 of America’s Got Talent.

Planetarium Shows 11 a.m. - From Earth to the Universe 12 p.m. - Ice Worlds 1 p.m. - Phantom of the Universe 2 p.m. - Seven Wonders 3 p.m. - From Earth to the Universe 4 p.m. - Wonders of the Universe 5 p.m. - Phantom of the Universe

B a r b e c ue : There will be a barbecue for families and students to at-

tend from 5-6:30 p.m. Saturday on the Student Union Mall. Tickets are $9 and discounted to $5 for kids 8 and under. Tickets must be purchased in advance. They can be purchased online or in McClain Hall room 202.

The Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival The Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival will be taking place Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Kirksville Arts Associations has hosted Red Barn since 1974 as a way to promote interest in arts and crafts. The event includes venders, exhibitors and food trucks to service the community. The event also includes live performances from local musicians and dance groups.

Don’t forget to enter TMN’s giftcard giveaway!

VOLUME 110

ISSUE 5

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The Index

10

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Fiction author returns to his roots

BY AURA MARTIN

Staff Writer

Prajwal Parajuly, fiction writer and Truman State University alumnus, doesn’t have one place he calls home.

The concept of living in one place never really appealed to him, so he divides his time between New York City, London and Kolkata, India. Then, every three years, Parajuly returns to Truman to teach a fiction workshop.

“I like coming back to teach and see my professors,” Parajuly said. “Truman has been a big part of my writing life, and it’s a place that’s very close to my heart.”

Parajuly first started writing fiction while he was a student at Truman over a decade ago. He took classes

Parajuly released his novel, “Land Where I Flee”, in 2013. Parajuly graduated from Truman over 10 years ago and has recently returned to lead a fiction workshop. Submitted photo.

with former English professor Evelyn Carlson, and it was in her creative writing class that he wrote his first story. Parajuly said he felt his story was immature and ridiculous, but Carlson liked it and encouraged him to continue writing; however, Parajuly did not pursue writing fiction seriously until long after graduation.

After working for several years in advertising in New York City and travel blogging in India, Parajuly wrote a story. Then he wrote another and kept going. Those short stories ended up in his first published collection called “The Gurkha’s Daughter.” The first story, “The Cleft,” opened with a scene of a servant girl plucking lice from her mistress’ head, which Parajuly said was a revised version of the first story he ever wrote at Truman.

Parajuly does not follow a writing routine. He will stay up till the wee hours of the morning rereading his students’ stories from both Truman and elsewhere, but cannot bring himself to do that with his own work. Parajuly has been writing long enough to be confident that when a burst of inspiration strikes, he won’t lose it. When he feels that he is about to get into the zone, he cancels appointments and dinners and sits down to write. He has worked 17-hour blocks for weeks at a time, breaking only to eat, sleep and shower. He was struck with inspiration last April, and in a small hill town in India he wrote nonstop for an entire month, which resulted in a big chunk of his third book.

“I have a lot of respect for people who write every day,” Parajuly said. “I tried that and it just doesn’t work for me. I think life is too short to force yourself to do something, and so far it’s worked out for me.”

In his fiction workshop at Truman,

Truman State University alumnus and fiction writer Prajwal Parajuly has lived in New York City and India since he left Kirksville, but has recently returned to teach. He has written novels and short stories. Submitted photo.

Parajuly emphasizes important aspects of writing such as creating compelling characters and plot. He also stresses the importance of clarity and the proper use of grammar and punctuation. He says writers do not need to write grammatically correct sentences if it serves the story, but they do need to know what is right and wrong.

Parajuly feels that editing is a painful process and thinks every one of his stories has undergone at least 50 revisions.

He writes fast and edits slow. After finishing a draft, he prints it and then works with pen and paper, mercilessly slashing sentences and paragraphs. He says that is how the majority of his writing gets done.

Parajuly advises students to read a lot and read mindfully. He suggests they read like a writer and allow their own natural qualities to enhance their

work. College is also a good time to assemble a dependable group of readers whose opinions are trustworthy.

Two individuals from Truman are among Parajuly’s first readers, including a former classmate, Whitney McFerron, and Carlson. No matter where he is in the world, writing or teaching, he can trust his first readers to give him honest feedback.

Parajuly is Oxford-educated. His opinion pieces have been published in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, the BBC, and the New Statesman. His travel pieces have also appeared in the BBC and various Indian publications including The Hindu. He will read selections from “The Gurkha’s Daughter” and “Land Where I Flee” at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 in Baldwin Hall Little Theater as part of The Clayton B. Ofstad Reading Series.

Gamma Chis important to recruitment

BY ADRIENNE COMPTON

Contributing Writer

In the middle of Truman State University’s sorority recruitment, there is a sisterhood specially designed for sorority recruitment: Gamma Chi. Gamma Chis are responsible for the recruitment experience of a small group of women. Because Truman’s sorority selection process is value-based, a Gamma Chi is there to help the potential new members meet girls from every sorority and help match them to the sorority that shares their values. A common exercise is a visual of girls stuck on an island and they have to pick five values they would want to be surrounded by.

“The Gamma Chi experience is an experience all Greek members should have,” said senior Mollie Dougherty, 2018 Gamma Chi member.

Being a Gamma Chi lets members from different sororities join together as one sorority for a month to help new members find their right home.

Recruitment is completely different when going through it and seeing it in a different lens, said recruitment event coordinator senior Taylor Mekus. This allows a year rushing as a freshman, a year recruiting for their own sorority, a year in Gamma Chi and a year potentially on Executive Board.

“This past month was amazing but emotionally draining,” Dougherty said.

Each Gamma Chi works with a small group of potential members. The Gamma Chis’ only fairytale wish is to help their girls find their perfect fit.

Submitted photo

Dougherty said Gamma Chi members are expected to disaffiliate — temporarily leaving — from their sorority, change their names on social media and not talk to any girls outside of Greek Life or in their sorority. This is so the new members do not feel pressured to choose a sorority based off a Gamma Chi’s affiliation.

Gamma Chi coordinator and junior Sophie Moran said when Gamma Chis talk to the potential new members, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They want to help, but can’t give too much help. New members often get nervous when it comes to deciding on a sorority, Moran said.

“Our main piece of advice is ‘just go with your gut,’” Dougherty said.

“If a Gamma Chi tells a new member any advice that may persuade or push them to a certain sorority, it is considered biased and could get the Gamma Chi kicked out of Greek Life and fined a large amount of money.”

Mekus said there are different types of new members.

“There’s the excited ones, the ones who know exactly what they want and some that know absolutely nothing about the process or how it works,” Mekus said.

Mekus said a Gamma Chi is expected to know how to handle each and every one of these new members. Gamma Chis are trained in many new member scenarios, helping them to prepare for any and every situation they might have to take on.

The Gamma Chi recruitment team say their last goodbyes before joining their sisters again. Submitted photo Moran said with recruitment comes a lot of stress, so one of the training classes teaches Gamma Chis how to deal with a new member undergoing mental stress. The wellbeing of each girl is the primary focus of each Gamma Chi. A Gamma Chi is not expected to be mean to the girls, decide for the girls or tell the girls what to do, Moran said.

“The girls are essentially little ducklings following their mother duck, aka their Gamma Chi,” Mekus said.

Mekus said this year’s group of Gamma Chis was smaller than normal, and each member had fewer girls because there were fewer students rushing. Mekus said this easily could have been a direct correlation to the lower student enrollment at Truman.

Lutheran Campus Center home for students

BY LIZ LOVESEE

Contributing Writer The Lutheran Campus Center, located behind Ryle Hall, is currently home to 14 Truman State University students and strives to provide a safe, faith-based place for students on campus.

Lutheran Student Fellowship is the Christian organization housed within the walls of the Campus Center. LSF President senior Lauren Buerck said to join LSF, all students have to do is regularly show up to events or church services. There are no fees, membership requirements or Lutheran affiliation involved. LSF takes great pride in providing a welcoming and loving environment for any Truman student, no matter their religious beliefs, according to the LSF’s website.

The house has eight bedrooms, five bathrooms, four kitchens and several multipurpose living spaces for students to use. Living at the house is open to anyone who is regularly involved with the group by application.

“I just think LSF is a really good group of people,” Buerck explained.

“They’re pretty dedicated to their faith, which is awesome, fun to be around, and I really valued my time with these people. Some of my best memories of college have definitely [involved] this group.”

On any given day, Lutheran students are hanging out at the house, and more

Lutheran Campus Center is located at 1307 S. Florence St. It is a faith-based place home to 14 Truman State University students and provides a place for members to fellowship. Submitted photo often than not, they aren’t even resi- that share the same beliefs and values dents. For those who don’t live at the is very beneficial when in college, and house, like senior Danielle Wohlstadter, she said she thinks the organization extheir sense of belonging still lingers emplifies just that. within them.

“One of the coolest things is how “LSF was an important community close I’ve gotten with people,” said juto join when I came to Truman,” Wohl- nior Kara Mackenzie, a current resident stadter said. “It was a community that of the house. “It was cool to come here shared my values and kept me ground- and make a bunch of really good friends ed when coming to a public university that I can count on all the time, and when all my life I’ve [had a] private they’re always there when I need them.”

Christian education.”

Mackenzie has held two executive Buerck said she recognizes that hav- board positions with LSF and is curing a strong support system of people rently its director of events. LSF hosts

many events at the house during the week such as Bible studies for men and women, and a midweek service called “Te Deum,” the Latin term for “we praise Thee, oh God.” Mackenzie said these events are not limited to members, but are open to anyone looking to study the Scripture or join in worship. Members also attend church together every Sunday at Faith Lutheran Church, which is located along South Baltimore Street.

LSF also hosts Sunday night dinners.

At 5:30 p.m., students can have a meal for $3 and join in fellowship before the next school week starts. A group usually volunteers to make a meal and a dessert for the rest of their peers.

Mackenzie said another event that draws a lot of participation and is a favorite of many members is the annual “Chopped” cooking competition.

Teams compete to create the best dishes out of the random ingredients found in the house.

Like many other groups on campus, LSF also takes an annual Spring Break trip to a city somewhere around the country. The group stays at a host Lutheran church in or near the city they are serving in for the week and helps out wherever necessary around the church.

“I really love Spring Break,” Mackenzie said. “It’s an awesome time. We get to drive hours away to a different city, and it’s really cheap. We have so many fun memories of car troubles or getting to serve.”

The Index

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

“Mandy” is Nicolas Cage bliss

BY GORDON MCPHERSON

11

This movie gets 5/5 bees.

Staff Writer

It’s evident from the very first frame of “Mandy” that viewers are entering a wholly unique vision –– the likes of which they won’t encounter in any other film. Starring the perfectly cast Nicolas Cage, the film is a disturbing, blood-splattered and nightmarishly beautiful take on the revenge genre that ranks among 2018’s best.

The year is 1983. Red, played by Cage, and his wife Mandy, played by Andrea Riseborough, live a peaceful, tranquil existence in the Pacific Northwest, blanketed by the trees and star-speckled sky surrounding them. Unfortunately, the deplorable Jeremiah Sand, the leader of a sadistic cult played by Linus Roache, takes a liking to Mandy and wants her for himself. What follows is Red’s fantastical, hallucinatory revenge quest to vanquish his literal demons who wronged him and his dearly beloved.

As with “Sorry to Bother You,” “Mandy” is a difficult film to describe and do complete justice. While the central revenge plot isn’t necessarily novel, the overarching themes of toxic masculinity and the male ego, combined with director Panos Cosmatos’ relentless vision will forever be etched into my memory. There are numerous stylistic sequences throughout, such as one in which two characters’ faces seemingly blend into one another in a psychological battle, that are incredible.

Bold, menacing colors, with a definite emphasis on red, seep off the screen in nearly every scene. Through this, Cosmatos conveys emotions such as fear, rage, love and innocence without relying on dialogue. The propulsive, awe-inspiring soundtrack, composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, perfectly compliments Cosmatos’ style. Indeed, “Mandy” is a prime example of visual storytelling and how cinema is, unquestionably, an art form of the highest regard.

The film’s structure is also wildly different from most modern films. Much like films from the 1970s, “Mandy” spends almost half its runtime developing the characters, primarily Red, Mandy and the disgusting villains.

There are several prolonged, deliberately paced scenes in the first half that help establish the passionate bond between Mandy and Red. Amplified by great chemistry between Cage and Riseborough, these scenes are necessary to justify the ridiculousness of the second half. However, they will also prove polarizing for certain impatient viewers who just want to see Cage killing psychos with huge weapons.

The sequence that ignites Red’s fiery spirit is uncomfortably long, proving hard to watch and swerving into unnerving horror territory that will leave faint-hearted viewers in complete shock.

Despite the film’s preference for character development and emotional storytelling, Cage’s performance still delivers the madcap gusto viewers expect.

“Mandy” features several hilarious Cage freakouts that will go down in history among his best. But, surprisingly, there’s scenes of intense sadness, grief and hopelessness that he fully commits to. Cage demonstrates passionate dramatic range that makes viewers empathize with Red’s grandiose plight and root for him as he embarks on his blood-soaked quest.

And mon dieu, is it brutal. “Mandy” will end up being one of the most violent films of the decade, no question. There are several creative kills that caused me to gasp, and that’s saying a lot. Some moments in the second half are so over-the-top I couldn’t take them seriously, and I absolutely loved that.

While the methodical pace, fleshed-out characters and in-your-face style might prove off-putting for viewers wanting a ridiculous action film, “Mandy” is an unforgettable cinematic experience that needs to be seen to be believed.

Storytime with

Allison

What is this? This is the beginning 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.

The Testimony of the Living, Part One

BY ALLISON MASCHHOFF

Staff Writer

All my life, I had only four friends.

I say that as if they were somehow not enough. I had only four friends, but they were more than most can hope for.

They were truly kindred spirits. And as I embarked upon the journey that was the sixteenth year of my life, they appeared to be the only other human beings I knew that were alive.

Everyone else was a sort of shadow.

Reminders of what human beings were, but not actually as remarkable as the real thing. My parents were the type of shadow that had forgotten how alive they had once been. They had forgotten that there was anything more than what they were now. Jonah once argued that this was the best type of shadow to be. He said that, at the very least, they could enjoy their current reality rather than dwell

on what they no longer were. But when Jonah said that, he’d never really seen that type of shadow. Not the way I had. I had watched my parents every day of my life. I knew how they lived, how they felt; I knew how little they felt. And I knew Jonah was very, very wrong.

The shadow that believed it lived its life to the fullest, that believed it was happy… it was not the best type of shadow.

It was the worst.

The other type of shadow that surrounded us was the type of shadow that remembered. The type of shadow that knew deep in their hearts that they were not the same, that they were not what they were supposed to be. They didn’t do much more than survive, but at least they didn’t live a lie.

Finder’s Point, Washington, was full of those shadows. It was full of people who remembered being alive, but

couldn’t find a way to come back from the dead. My parents were different from the rest. They were the fading remainders of two eighteen-year-olds that ran away with so much hope inside them that they thought their hearts would burst. Two eighteen-year-olds that thought they were running toward a life filled with adventure and love and excitement, but ended up in a small town where 90 percent of people worked in the same factory and everything was an emotionless black and white haze. They moved into their new home with their brand new baby boy and somehow as I grew they slowly faded away, trapped by the stagnant lifestyle of Finder’s Point.

They met new people, other shadows who were also too young to be the way they were, with babies that were so much livelier than they were. Everyone got along and, in the background,

the five of us kids grew up. And as we became increasingly more aware of the world around us, we began to understand that Finder’s Point, Washington, was a shadow of a town that we were much too alive for.

We met in April, two days after my parents began their life in Finder’s Point, while rain trickled from the clouds above and our parents chattered to its rhythm.

At that time, we knew nothing other than shadows. It was Friday the thirteenth, a fitting day for a gathering of shadows.

Sixteen years later, on the thirteenth of April, while rain trickled from the clouds above, we gathered around a kitchen table and admitted the truths we still weren’t quite sure how to handle: we lived amongst shadows of people.

And we vowed to never become like the shadows that had raised us, educated us and surrounded us our whole lives.

We vowed to stay alive.

Drop by the

Truman Bookstore For everything you need for class (and some things you don’t) Monday 8AM-5:30PM Tuesday 8AM-5:30PM Wednesday 8AM-5:30PM Thursday 8AM-5:30PM Friday 8AM-5PM Saturday 10AM-4PM Closed Sunday

The Index

12

Ouestions ?

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Riley Majzun, freshman

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

the

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Isaac Julius, senior

Sam Pritchard, junior

Question 1: What do you want to do after graduation?

“I actually want to work as a nurse in Sri Lanka.”

“I actually want to go to dental school, so I am in the midst of my application right now. I already got some letters of [recommendation] lined up. I am in the middle of the process of applications. Busy, busy, busy.”

“I want to work with an [agriculture] company, preferably a chemical company that probably develops livestock nutrients or seed.”

Question 2: What was your favorite TV show growing up? “‘Hannah Montana.’ I hate to be that person, but I didn’t watch that much TV, I was a nerd and read a lot, but ‘Hannah Montana’ was my favorite.”

“I had so many. I will go with the first one that came in my head, ‘Supernatural.’ I watched it every Thursday at 9. The reason I know the time is because I would watch it with my brothers, and originally it was Thursdays at eight o’clock, and my bedtime was always 9 or 9:30, so I couldn’t watch the whole episode. I could only watch the first half and I hated it.”

“I loved ‘Dragon Tales’ and Mr. Rogers.

That was my stuff. Also Teletubbies, but now people think they are creepy and I’m like, ‘Okay, thanks for calling me creepy.’

My teenage [favorites] would be ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘Ghost Whisperer.’ I would watch CBS shows all the time and they were either creepy ones or criminal ones.”

Question 3: What is something people will find nostalgic in the future?

“I feel like reading a book. A paper, hard copy of a book. I feel like people don’t really make time [to read], and a lot of them are now online. You just need the feel of a good book.”

“I think physical sports. I believe we are going to get more into the virtual stuff. It may not be very soon, but I definitely think it will start winning out over sports, especially on TV with esports getting big and them being on TV now and how huge that is overseas already. I feel like actual sports are going to take a back seat in the future.”

“I’m thinking movies. Last night I watched a 2000s movie, and I had to explain to people that Amanda Bynes is our 2000s movie person.

So, I think the movies that we watch will come back because those always come back. Like ‘Hocus Pocus’ came back, and no one ever watched that, but I watched that when I was little, and when we are all married and settled down or whatever in our 30s or 40s, I think our movies will start coming back.”

Use this to cheer on the Bulldogs against Missouri S&T Saturday, September 16 at 7 p.m.

Listen live at 88.7 Get post-game coverage every Thursday

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The Index

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Rec should reconsider shoe policy

13

TSU golf brings home second

LEXI MUELLER Staff Writer Have you ever wanted to go to the Student Recreation Center for a workout after or between classes? Then, when you get there and you realize you don’t have an extra pair of shoes, you have to go back to your on or off campus housing to get your shoes.

Don’t worry — you are not the only one having this issue. In fact, many other students relate to your issues.

While the rec services are an amazing part of Truman State University’s services, there is a problem of needing an extra pair of shoes that is highly inconvenient for everyone who wants to use the rec and the services there. One of these problems is that we are college students, therefore we don’t have extra money to go and spend on extra pairs of shoes to wear solely for working out a few times each week.

Something for Truman to consider is that tennis shoes hardly smell good, and students might not want to bring them to clean.

If we put these issues aside, there’s still the issue of having to have an extra pair of shoes with you any time you want to take advantage of this awesome service in which we are already paying for.

The main reason for this rule is to keep the facility clean for all students.

The reason for bringing shoes in is to keep the facility clean from water and mud when it rains and spills that happen in the dining halls. We, as a student body, have to argue that there are other ways to keep them clean besides making people bring an extra pair of shoes. For example, they could put shoe covers out, there could be an option to wash your shoes when you walk in, or they could offer shoes that you can borrow and a multitude of other possibilities.

Another thing to consider is that students should have a say in the rule as we are the ones that pay for the operation with our tuition. Therefore, when making policies, the University should consider the students’ ideals.

It has been shown they have listened to students in the past.

An example of this is the tank top policy they used to have in the weightroom where you used to have to wear at least short sleeves, and now you can wear tank tops as long as they cover your midriff. Therefore, the University does listen to the students and their wants, so it could just be about making a bigger deal about having to carry in shoes.

Truman’s top five golfers pose after claiming second place at the Evangel Fall Invitational. The youngest Bulldog golfer sent to the event, freshman Emily Ducaji, led the charge for the Bulldogs, posting a score of 30-over-par 174.

Photo provided by Truman Athletics

The golf team competed in its first of four tournaments Saturday RYAN PIVONEY News Editor Truman State University’s golf team opened the season with a second place finish out of eight teams competing in the Evangel Fall Invitational. The Bulldogs lost only to Park University.

The top five Bulldog golfers competed in the first of four tournaments in the fall slate. Freshman Emily Ducaji placed highest among the Bulldog golfers, playing in her first tournament ever and tying for fifth place in the tournament with a score of 30-over-par 174. Senior Brooke Kelley earned the seventh top spot with a score of 31-over 175.

Junior Lindsey Repp, sophomore Katie Gastrau and senior Peyton Sandfort also competed and earned scores of 41-over 185, 45-over 189 and 47-over 191, respectively.

Head golf coach Clint Fitzpatrick said this year’s team consists of nine women, including three freshmen. He said the top five players, determined through average practice and tournament scores, are the ones who compete in this season’s tournaments.

“We can only take five to a tournament, so it’s really competitive on trying to figure out who those top five are,” Fitzpatrick said. “Those top five can change tournament to tournament, week to week, depending on how they are playing beforehand.”

Fitzpatrick said the golf team lost their top three players after last season, making this year’s team younger and less experienced. He said this changes the team’s goals — whereas last year the team strived to be one of the top teams in the region, this year the team is focusing on getting

the players more exposure to competition.

Fitzpatrick said he does not expect this year’s scores to be as high as last year’s, but instead hopes to see improvement and development throughout the season as the golfers get better acquainted with college play.

“This will be an interesting year because anybody in the top, any of our nine players have a chance to travel to a tournament, and it hasn’t always been that way,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve always had our clear top players and then some have been kind of stuck near the bottom, but there’s nobody really stuck in the bottom now. It’s exciting that everybody has a chance to earn a spot to go play.”

The golf team will compete next in the Dan Salisbury Memorial Collegiate this weekend at the Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois.

Junior Montana George sending a ball down the fairway back in November 2017. Truman golf dropped several upperclassmen since their last season, including George. Photo provided

by TMN Archives

VOLLEYBALL| Bulldogs on five-game tear

Continued from page 16 “We’ve started an upward trend,” Briney said. “One of the things we’ve been really good at the last several years is really peaking and playing our best ball toward the end of the year, and it looks like right now we’re on that path.”

Redshirt senior Holly Hildebrand, co-captain middle hitter, had a different perspective on the court. She said the team only looks back on matches to find the important takeaways before moving on to the next game.

“We don’t like to use the past as a precursor for what’s going to happen in the future because every day we’re just going to keep putting in the work, and that’s what’s going to encourage us in the future,” Hildebrand said.

Right now, the ’Dogs are wrapping up a short break between matches.

The team beat Missouri Western State University 3-1 Tuesday night, featuring Hughes’ season-high 53 assists and sophomore outside hitter Ellie Kaat’s career-high 24 kills. The Bulldogs play two more matches this weekend against University of Missouri-St. Lou-

is and Maryville University.

Briney said this batch of face-offs will help prepare the team for the postseason, during which teams have to play three matches in three days.

While this weekend’s setup isn’t parallel to that, Briney said it still mimics the experience, especially when considering the Missouri Western Griffons made the NCAA Div. II central region semifinals last year.

Truman will continue their homestand at 7 p.m. tomorrow against the UMSL Tritons, followed by the Maryville Saints match at 1 p.m. Saturday.

1304 Rook Dr., Kirksville All bills paid, one-bedroom, study room, internet, cable, TV, washer/dryer, $250, no smoking, no pets.

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The Index

14

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Men’s soccer looking for first conference win LEXI MUELLER Staff Writer

UMSL enters tomorrow’s match with a 3-4 record, while Maryville is 3-2-2 and will face Rockhurst tomorrow before coming to Kirksville.

The Truman State University men’s soccer team has started off the season with a 2-23 record.

The team is averaging 13 shots per game and 1.71 goals scored and has accumulated 12 total penalties. This is an improvement so far over the numbers from last year, when the team averaged 10.5 shots per game and 1.06 goals scored with 33 total penalties en route to a 4-12-1 record.

The team’s Friday game against the Rockhurst University Hawks resulted in its first loss of the season. The Bulldogs put three shots on goal, but the Hawks shut out the ’Dogs 3-0.

The team also failed to score Sunday against the Quincy University Hawks, putting four shots on goal but again falling 4-0.

Senior forward Trevor Kaufmann said not executing on details caused the team to underperform this weekend. However, he said he has full confidence the team will make the conference tournament this season.

Kaufmann said the team’s philosophy is to put the team above the individuals.

“We’re only as strong as our weakest link,” Kaufmann said.

The Bulldogs look for their first conference victory this weekend as they head to St. Louis tomorrow to face the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons and then come home to take on the Maryville University Saints Sunday.

Truman men’s soccer passing the ball during a September practice. The Bulldogs currently hold a 2-0-1 non-conference record and a record of 2-2-3 overall. Photo by Daniel Degenhardt

Truman’s GLVC Standings: September 27 Sport

GLVC Rank

Conference Record

Overall Record

Volleyball

6th/14

4-2

12-3

Women’s Soccer

8th/14

2-2

6-2

Football

6th/8

0-0

1-3

Men’s Soccer

11th/14

0-2-2

2-2-3

Paw prints added to Stadium Drive roadway ZACH RICHARDSON Contributing Writer

Behind Stokes Stadium, there are 50 large, purple pawprints that decorate the street. No, there aren’t giant dogs wandering around, but rather it is a part of a tradition at Truman State University. The paw prints behind Stokes Stadium might have faded, but over the summer, they were repainted in hopes of boosting school spirit.

The paw prints have been a tradition for many years; however, the old pawprints were faded and needed to be repainted. During the summer of 2016, Public Relations bought paint to redo the paw prints, but because of a rainy summer, the project was never completed. Then in summer 2017, there was no way to get the paw prints down during the Stokes renovation, making this summer the best time to get the project done.

Senior Marina Fanning and junior Anna Livingston, both members of Truman’s Showgirls Dance Team, were the two who tackled this difficult task.

“It was a long project,” Fanning said.

“The heat made it more difficult.”

Fanning and Livingston made the long project a little easier with some Shot of Stadium Drive. The south side of campus is home to Stokes Stadium, as well as the baseball and soccer fields. music and friendly fun. The project endThanks to the efforts of two students, got an extra dose of school spirit. Photo by Daniel Degenhardt ed up taking them six and a half hours.

“A pop of purple is exactly what this campus needed,” Fanning said.

“The funny part is, they only wanted us to paint the three of them on the sidewalk, but we thought they wanted them on Between the three gallons of paint and the brushes, the project cost less than $100. Templeton said it was a fun, cheap way to show school spirit. She also said it the road, so instead of painting three we painted 50,” Livingston said.

The two girls started painting at 9 a.m. They took a few breaks throughout the needed to be done to keep the Bulldog spirit tradition going.

Templeton said repainting the paw prints and participating in Purple Fridays enday for lunch and water.

“I never imagined they’d paint that many,” Public Relations Director Heidi Tem- courages students to express their school spirit. Purple Fridays started on Dec. 11, pleton said. “Marina deserves so much credit. I never imagined [Marina and Anna] 2009, as an idea from a former Truman athlete. Sarah Seberger came up with the idea while she was the vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. would paint that many that day.”

The location of the paw prints is no coincidence. Stadium Drive is the street near During a meeting, the committee discussed finding ways to increase school spirit on the football, baseball, softball and soccer fields, and it is a place most fans will come campus, and that is when Seberger thought of the idea to designate one day out of across at least a few times while attending a game. Templeton said Stadium Drive is the week to wear purple. The group encouraged students, faculty and staff to wear the color purple every Friday. Eventually, they had student gatherings on Fridays a very spirited location.

When visitors come to watch their teams play Truman, they see Truman’s where they gave out prizes to those showing their Truman spirit.

Even after graduating in 2010, Seberger, now practicing law, still tries to wear school spirit.

The paw prints catch the attention of many home fans and visitors. One of the purple every Friday. It was easy for her in law school, but now actually practicing biggest fans of the paw prints is Univeristy President Susan Thomas, who emailed law makes it a little more difficult.

“Wearing purple is actually a great way to bump into Truman alumni or people Fanning thanking the duo for their hard work.

The paw prints made their rounds on social media, and for Fanning, it gave her a familiar with the school who want to talk about it,” Seberger said. sense of accomplishment.

CROSS COUNTRY| Team prepares for Rim Rock Classic Continued from page 16 Schwegler stressed the importance of athletes getting a reasonable amount of rest the day before a meet, and he said the team had a close call the night before with hotel reservation issues but was ultimately able to get enough rest to perform on the course.

Schwegler’s approach to balancing hard work with a healthy amount of downtime for athletes is showcased in the team’s practice schedule. Two weeks between each meet, Schwegler said the students will run about 6570 miles in the first week off, then take things down to 45-50 miles in the week leading up to Saturday’s meet. He said the primary goal of the

cooldown week is to leave runners in prime condition for competition, but it is also important for preventing injuries caused by overexertion.

Schwegler said being fresh for a race is especially important considering how crucial the starting period of each meet is. He said the team made a couple tactical mistakes early on at Missouri Southern that made it difficult for the Bulldogs to push forward through the hundreds of opponents on the course. Schwegler said a good start on the course can mean a difference of up to 15 places in a runner’s finishing time.

Saathoff echoed Schwegler’s view on the importance of a solid start.

“Getting a good start is extremely

important, especially at really big meets where it’s easy to get boxed in,” Saathoff said. “I myself have a really hard time getting out fast because my first priority is saving enough energy for the latter half of the race… Although some runners prefer to start out slowly and work their way up as the race continues, I definitely think getting out quickly initially is important.”

Building up to the University of Kansas’ Rim Rock Classic meet on Saturday, Saathoff talked about the flow of Truman’s two weeks of preparation and the team’s goal of staying in a good shape to compete. In particular, Saathoff mentioned how much of an effect the course at KU would have on

the athletes’ preparation.

“Since our meet at Rim Rock Farm next week is notorious for its difficult hills, we’ve also been doing hill workouts and sprint drills that focus on the correct form and drive,” Saathoff said. “I think the balance between hard and easy days, along with opportunities to cross train every other Wednesday and rest on Sundays are all going to help us perform to the best of our ability at the upcoming meet and eventually for conference.”

Truman cross country travels again on Saturday to Lawrence, Kansas, to compete in the Jayhawks event. The Rim Rock Classic will be the second to last meet for the Bulldogs before the GLVC Championships in November.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

The Index

Bulldogs rout Crusaders 34-20 NICOLAS TELEP Managing Editor The Truman State University football team picked up their first victory of the season in their last game before entering GLVC play last Saturday.

The Bulldogs snapped their three-game losing streak against the Div. I Valparaiso University Crusaders in Indiana by a score of 34-20 in a game nationally televised on ESPN3. The Bulldogs handed the winless Crusaders their third loss of the season. Redshirt sophomore kick returner Lawrence Woods won the GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week award after returning a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, extending Truman’s lead to two touchdowns.

“It’s very astounding,” Woods said. “It’s fun to be out there coming off of a bad season, so I’m very happy.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Jaden Barr completed five of 17 pass attempts for 122 yards but starred as part of the running game. He averaged more than nine yards in 13 rushing attempts, including one rushing touchdown. On defense, redshirt junior lineman Sam Reeves executed the lone Bulldog sack of the game.

Truman begins their GLVC schedule this Saturday in a Family Day home game against the 0-3 William Jewell College Cardinals, who are coming off a 41-14 conference loss to the University of Indianapolis.

“I feel like this game, we came together as a team,” Woods said. “We’re feeling really confident for our first game with William Jewell. We’re coming in ready to go.”

15

Upcoming Events 28 Friday

Women’s Soccer

5 p.m. in St. Louis, MO vs. UMSC

Volleyball

7 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs. UMSL

Men’s Soccer

7:30 p.m. in St. Louis, MO vs. UMSL

Men’s Tennis

TBA in Quincy, IL at Quincy Men’s Tournament

29 Saturday

Volleyball

1 p.m. Kirksville, MO vs. Maryville University

Football

7 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs. William Jewell

Cross Country Athletes lining up to run goal-line offensive and defensive drills at Tuesday’s practice. Redshirt junior quarterback Jaden Barr personally grabbed a red-zone TD against Valparaiso, a 13-yard rush to give the Bulldogs another 6 points in their 3420 win Saturday.

TBA in Lawrence, KS at Rim Rock Classic University of Kansas

Golf

TBA in Springfield, IL at University of Illinois-Springfield’s Dan Salisbury Memorial Collegiate

30 Sunday

Women’s Soccer

12 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs. Maryville University

Men’s Soccer

2:30 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs. Maryville University

Softball

1 p.m. in Kirksville, MO vs. William Penn University

Bulldogs line up on the 40-yard line during Tuesday’s scrimmages. Truman’s win on Saturday marked the last non-conference game of the Bulldogs’ season. The Purple and White face their first GLVC opponent of the season, the winless William Jewell College, on Saturday. Photos

by Daniel Degenhardt

16

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

BULLDOGS ENDURE AT MISSOURI SOUTHERN

Senior Ben Wingo (right) pursuing a runner from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Truman men’s cross country finished 21st out of 27 Div. I and Div. II teams at Saturday’s meet, while the women’s team finished 15th out of 34 teams. Photo provided by Truman Athletics

Men’s, women’s cross country compete at Stampede in summer heat CURT WICHMER Sports Editor

On Friday, Truman State University cross country made the five-hour drive down to Joplin, Missouri, for the Missouri Southern State University Stampede meet. The event saw Div. I and Div. II schools face off in the Missouri humidity, and at the end

of the day, Truman came back with 15th and 21st places for the women’s and men’s teams, respectively.

Of the 302 total women’s runners who ran the 5K, sophomore Gemma Saathoff placed 40th overall, the highest spot grabbed by a Bulldog over the weekend, with a time of 18:51.

Senior Mike Grasing snagged the top spot for the men’s team, placing 99th

of 277 runners. Grasing finished his 8 kilometers with a time of 27:38.

The Sept. 15 meet happened right at the tail end of the summer, and head coach Tim Schwegler said every athlete on the course felt the heat.

“It was a lot of hot and humid conditions,” Schwegler said. “I think the lowest it got in the early morning hours was 83 or so. I know for a

fact most athletes prefer the colder conditions. Some may take it better than others, but very, very few prefer it being that warm. I guess it’s about being tougher mentally when it’s hotter... Majority of the team will tell you it wasn’t the heat. It was the humidity.”

See CROSS COUNTRY page 14

Purple and White hold onto winning streak ALLYSON LOTZ Copy Chief

Truman State University’s volleyball team is on a five-game winning streak after a weekend road trip sweep and a Tuesday victory against an out-of-conference NCAA regional semifinalist.

The Bulldogs first visited the University of Southern Indiana over the weekend and swept the Screaming Eagles with a dominant final set where Truman kept a minimum 7-point lead the entire time. The team then traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, and beat Bellarmine University despite losing the first set.

The successful weekend launched the ’Dogs to No. 6 in the GLVC as they brought their conference record to a winning 4-2. Head coach Ben Briney said the weekend success felt rewarding.

“Any time you get a chance to get a win on the road, it’s a big deal in this conference,” Briney said. “The opportunity to go and get two wins, especially in two tough environments, are great things.”

The Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since facing the University of Indianapolis in the team’s first and only five-set match of the season so far. Briney said the team reflected on the loss afterward, learned from it and went right back to winning matches.

Senior co-captain setter Savvy Hughes said the team primarily focused on playing as a team rather than as individuals following the UIndy loss. She said the loss has turned into a team advantage because they now have a better grip on getting out of adversity.

With 12 GLVC matchups left this semester, the Bulldogs have wrapped up a third of the volleyball season, and Briney said things are looking up.

See VOLLEYBALL page 13

Sophomore outside hitter Sam Yancy sets the ball for a return from the Bulldogs Sept. 15. Yancy and the rest of her teammates handily beat Quincy three sets to none in what was the second game of Truman’s winning streak.

Redshirt junior defensive specialist Elle Renault prepares to knock up a shot from the opposing team Sept. 15th. Renault posted four spikes and 12 digs in the team’s latest match against Missouri Western State University.

VOLUME 110

ISSUE 5

tmn.truman.edu

Junior defensive specialist Meghan Gasper setting the ball for a spike against Quincy University. Truman’s win on Tuesday marks the fifth consecutive win for the Bulldogs this season. Photos by Kara Mackenzie

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