Vol. 23 No. 31 - April 29, 2019

Stephanie Parkhurst will serve as the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. May 11 at Stokes Stadium.

Parkhurst is a software developer at AGCO Corporation, a global agricultural company that produces a variety of farm machinery and equipment. She develops software on the current Electronic Diagnostic Tool. Before working for AGCO, she interned with several organizations including Dairy Farmers of America and Principal Financial Group. She was responsible for implementing continuous integration and developing on the SAP system, while performing business analyst roles as well.

Parkhurst received her Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics from Truman in 2017. While pursuing her education, she served for a year as the Portfolio Office manager at the University.

Apart from technology, Parkhurst also likes to participate in community development. She was a co-FUEL leader at the Baptist Student Union and devoted her time in El Salvador as a vacation Bible school helper. Parkhurst currently lives near Wichita, Kan., and enjoys fellowship with friends and family, exercising, partner dancing and being outdoors.

Family and friends unable to attend the event in person can view the commencement ceremony online.

Details on commencement can be found online or through the Facebook event. Those wishing to share their experiences through social media are encouraged to use #TrumanGraduation, #TrumanGrad or #BulldogForever.

The Truman Greek community recently donated 2,439 pounds of food and raised more than $26,700 to support the Pantry of Adair County.

Greek Week at Truman is the celebration of the Greek Life pillars: scholarship, leadership, integrity and commitment throughout the campus and community. This year festivities ran from March 31-April 5, and the collective philanthropy was the Pantry of Adair County.

Founded in 2014, the Pantry of Adair County provides supplemental food for food insecure residents. Its mission is to help curb the high rates of food insecurity found in the area and to bridge the gap in people’s monthly expenses. The PAC currently feeds around 775 people in the Kirksville community each month.

For more information about the Pantry of Adair County click here.

Members of the forensic union celebrate after the National Forensic Association. Pictured, top row, from left: Macy Cecil, Michael Garrett, Peyton Gilbert, Johnathan Christy, Cami Smith, Tyler Behymer, Jackson Elder and Alexis Cook. Bottom row, from left: Rebecca Walker, Austin Sopko, Audrey Baker and Will Henrickson.

The forensic union placed third in the Lincoln-Douglas debate at the National Forensic Association Championship, hosted in the Santa Ana, Calif., School District, and has once again proven to be a top debate school in the United States.

Twelve students traveled to the competition where Truman was among more than 90 schools competing in both speech and debate activities. Three of Truman’s debaters placed among the top 16 in the nation. Senior Tyler Bahymer, senior Johnathon Christy and sophomore Peyton Gilbert each advanced to the elimination rounds before finishing as national octafinalists.

Truman Forensics continues to engage in service and leadership at the national level. Sophomore Cami Smith was elected as the national Lincoln-Douglas student representative and will serve on the National Forensic Association Lincoln-Douglas committee in the coming year. Additionally, after serving a two-year term from 2017-19, Chris Outzen, director of forensics, was re-elected to another term as an at-large representative on the NFA national council.

Participation in the forensics program is open to any student in good standing, regardless of prior speech and debate experience. For more information on how to get involved visit forensics.truman.edu or contact Outzen or Craig Hennigan, assistant director of forensics. 

Truman Steel will perform in the spring concert at 8 p.m. May 3 in Baldwin Auditorium.

Directed by Michael Bump, director of percussion studies, the program will include several new calypsos and socas from steel pan’s native orgin, Trinidad and Tobago. This performance will feature the new addition of steel pans, which were purchased due to last fall’s successful Bulldogs Giving Crowdfunding Campaign to expand the Truman Steel experience to more students.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Bump.

The Student Run Business Initiative has rescheduled their “Hug a Dog” event for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 1 on the Quad. Students can play with dogs and puppies and get a Polaroid photo with them for $2. This event is a fundraiser to support Field of Dreams, the local pet rescue organization. For more information contact Neer Patel.

The Theatre Department will present the work of nine new directors from the play direction class at 8 p.m. May 1-3 in the James G. Severns Theatre.

Taught by assistant professor David Charles Goyette, the class directs plays from some of the best playwrights from around the country as a final assignment. The plays had to be published within the last 80 years, between 10-30 minutes in length and without heavy science, costume, light or sound effects.

These final productions represent a synthesis of numerous concepts explored in the course of the semester. Students explored composition and picturization techniques, scene analysis, how to develop a directorial approach and methods on how to work with actors.

The play direction course is required of all theatre majors in order to graduate. Admission is free for the one-act plays. For more information, contact Goyette.

May 1
“In The Tank”
By: Rosemary Frisino Toohey
Directed By: Jacque Bischoff
What’s it like to be peered at by hungry humans? Such is the predicament of two lobsters in a tank at a seafood restaurant.

“Brocreation”
By: Ashley Lauren Rogers
Directed By: Kameron McClinton
When Randy finds out his sperm is the catalyst for the future apocalypse and that his friends aren’t who they seem, he has some choices to make and not all of them are good.

“Heat Lightning”
By: Robert F. Carroll
Directed By: Angel Lee
A young woman stumbles into a bus station, late at night and in the pouring rain. She is terrified, and must rely on herself for survival.

May 2
“Sleep”
By: Adam Szymkowicz
Directed By: Molly Garrison
Darla has fallen into a mysterious coma and three of her friends are left alone to wonder what happened and if they are to blame.

“Regina Flector Wins The Science Fair”
By: Marco Ramirez
Directed By: Julia Swank
Middle schoolers Regina, Bradley, Tiffany and Sam compete (somewhat viciously) for first place at their school science fair.

“Captive Audience”
By: David Ives
Directed By: Nicole Dunseith
While watching TV, a couple tries to figure out what to do on a typical Friday night, but they can’t seem to pull their attention from the screen.

May 3
“Becky’s Christmas Wish”
By: Ashley Lauren Rogers
Directed By: Faith Locke
Becky is encountered by a Christmas Elf on the night before Christmas. She gets one wish, but they are surprised with what she wants.

“The Ballad of 423 & 424”
By: Nicholas C. Pappas
Directed By: Lilian Ayers
When a new neighbor moves in next door, Roderick - a recluse - finally gets a chance to make a friend... if he can talk to her!

“Family 2.0”
By: Walter Wykes
Directed By: Sammi Berkelman
A man who is tired of his current life, finds a nice house and starts a new life with a “perfect” family.

The second annual student memorial gathering will be hosted at 4 p.m. May 2 on the Quad (rain location is the Student Union Building Down Under). The event will commemorate senior communication disorders major Abbie Fones, who passed away in October. This event is put on by the Office of Student Affairs in coordination with the Student Government, as well as by friends of Fones. Her family is expected to be in attendance.

The Art Department will display senior capstone exhibitions in the University Art Gallery, April 29-May 3, and will host a closing reception from 6-7:30 p.m. May 3 in Ophelia Parrish.

The works on display are a result of a semester-long project in each studio major’s chosen medium including ceramics, fibers, printmaking, painting and sculpture. The exhibit will celebrate the achievements of this semester’s graduating studio art seniors: Mona Abhari, Shu-Tzu Chen, Tyler Kluges, Madi Page and AJ Weston.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at the reception.

The Final Blowout, sponsored by the Student Activities Board, will take place from 3-7 p.m. May 3 on the Quad. The event will feature Andy’s Frozen Custard, a caricature artist, performances from Khan Queso, tie-dye, canvas painting, yard games and prizes. There will also be an opportunity to meet animals from the Adair County Humane Society and Truman’s herpetarium. In case of rain, the activities will be relocated to the Student Union Building. This event is free for Truman students, and general admission will cost $5 a person.

The annual Graduating Student BBQ will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 8 on the Mall.

All May and August 2019 undergraduate and master’s graduates are invited to attend. The complimentary meal includes burgers, hot dogs, drinks and dessert. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available on request. This will be an opportunity for graduates to pick up their first official alumni T-shirt. Shirts are also available for pick up in the Office of Advancement, McClain Hall 205, after April 29 during regular office hours and at commencement, immediately following the ceremonies.

The Truman Alumni Association is sponsoring this event. For more information, contact Jordan Smith, coordinator of alumni relations, or the Office of Advancement at 800.452.6678.

Musical comedian Jon Raymond Fisher will perform at 7 p.m. May 4 in Baldwin Auditorium.

Fisher can be found on TruTV, YouTube and in commercials nationwide. He has played across the country sharing the stage with Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Iliza Shlesinger and more.

Best described as a mashup between Bo Burnham, Flight of Conchords and Lonely Island, Fisher’s songs cover topics ranging from frustrations of roommates in college, his man crush on Ryan Gosling and his desire to be a motivational DJ. His acoustic, pop and hip-hop comedic stylings combine social commentary with observational humor and pop culture references. His chapter-driven acts promise to give a unique performance.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Greeting Committee, a young Kansas City based indie/alternative band, will be performing at 7:15 p.m. May 3 on the Quad following the Final Blowout Activities. The band recently released their highly anticipated debut album “This is it” after their first single “Hand’s Down” became popular. This event is free and open to the public.

Softball player Christa Reisinger has been named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA DII Player of the Year Top 25 for the third-straight season. Reisinger was also awarded second-team All-American and Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Division II Championship.