Vol. 24 No. 28 - April 6, 2020

The 2019-20 academic year marks the 10th anniversary of Purple Fridays, and in light of the current situation, it might be the most important year of the tradition.

Purple Fridays have never been confined to campus. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends have always been encouraged to show their support for the University by wearing Truman apparel on Fridays. While in-person classes may be suspended, all members of the Truman community are reminded the spirit of Purple Fridays lives on, no matter where they are.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Purple Fridays, and to show Truman solidarity in these uncertain times, anyone who participates in Purple Friday is encouraged to demonstrate their University pride by sharing a photo. Submissions can be sent here or by tagging Truman in photos on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. All submissions are eligible to be included on the University website, social media accounts and/or in future publications.  

The idea for Purple Fridays was born in the fall of 2009 when members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee proposed a designated day of the week for wearing Truman apparel. They reached out to other Truman groups on campus to get input. This informal group brainstormed and ended up with the foundation for Truman’s Purple Fridays, with the ultimate goal to encourage campus pride. Later that semester, Student Government voted on a resolution deeming the first Purple Friday as Dec. 11, 2009. Check out more information on this Truman tradition.

Truman Information Technology Services would like to remind students about some resources they can use to remain successful while taking classes remotely this semester.

The TruAlert website has tips and a student checklist for how to find internet solutions, how to access campus software while off-campus, and how to get help if needed. Truman is posting any updated information to this website, so students should check for details if they have questions. Some frequently asked technology questions can also be found here.

Students who need technical assistance while working remotely can visit its.truman.edu/get-help to browse ITS’ self-help information, request service or submit a help ticket. Students can also call 660.785.4544 for assistance and a staff member will respond as quickly as possible.

The Student Research Conference, scheduled for April 16, will proceed in an asynchronous, virtual form.

Since this is a challenging time, the Office of Student Research is not requiring students with accepted abstracts to present. Those students with a previously accepted abstract who would not like to participate do not need to take any action. Their abstract will remain published on the SRC website.

The Virtual SRC will be an asynchronous conference, meaning presentations will be recorded before the conference date and made available to the campus community starting April 16.  

General guidelines are listed below. Details on submissions, along with some frequently asked questions, are available on the Virtual SRC website. Questions can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

Oral Presentations
Oral presentation recordings are allotted a maximum time of 15 minutes. If students have accompanying slides or materials, these should be shared by recording the screen. For those who are able, SRC organizers would appreciate seeing a video of the student while presenting.

Performances
Performance recordings are allotted a maximum time of 15 minutes and should include a video of the performance.

Poster Presentations
Poster presentation recordings are allotted a maximum time of five minutes. Posters should be captured through a recording of the screen and include a verbal explanation of the poster. For those who are able, SRC organizers would appreciate seeing a video of the student while presenting.

Art Exhibits
Art exhibit recordings are allotted a maximum time of five minutes and should include a video of the piece as well as a verbal explanation of it.

In response to the coronavirus situation, the Admissions Office has been conducting live virtual visits since the week of March 16. 
For a multitude of reasons, college admissions staffs across the country have had a difficult job in recent years, and closures related to COVID-19 drastically changed many plans already in place. Like so many others on campus, the Truman admissions staff made immediate changes in an attempt to move forward and be prepared for life after the coronavirus.

“Spring is a busy time for recruitment. When the University took the needed precautions in response to COVID-19, the admissions staff canceled remaining showcase and visit events,” said Tara M. Hart, director of admission. “After personally notifying registered students and families, we quickly developed a way to share Truman’s campus and story with prospective students.”

Admissions staff members reached out to student ambassadors and faculty volunteers for panel discussions that were livestreamed daily. Live events have been a fixture of the Truman admissions process since the week of March 16.

After initially working with a number of campus offices to bring the events together quickly, the Admissions Office has since made the change to livestreaming through its customer relationship management software. Using the current CRM software allows the staff to incorporate screen-sharing capabilities and a chat option for visitors with questions.

The admissions staff also made an eight-minute campus tour available online, and they are currently developing plans for multiple virtual admitted student events planned throughout the month of April.

While technology is helpful in the current situation, some old-school methods are also proving useful. Members of the staff are working to alter and strengthen Truman’s communication efforts through email, text, mail and handwritten notes.

“Like so many aspects of a college experience, there is something special about in-person interactions, and that’s also the best way to show off the beauty of our campus,” Hart said. “This current situation is not ideal, but all things considered, we have adjusted quite well.”

Prospective students and families interested in learning more about Truman can find information at visit.truman.edu or by contacting the Office of Admission at admissions@truman.edu or 660.785.4114.

Following the suspension of in-person classes, Truman faculty members put together video messages of support to students. Now students have the chance to do the same. Any student who would like to record a short video, up to 15 seconds, can do so here. Messages can be directed to faculty, staff, fellow students, prospective students or the general community. Topics might include words of encouragement, what the students miss about Kirksville or what they are looking forward to when in-person classes resume. Videos may be shared through the Truman Today or the University’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

 
Printing Services is still able to print orders for individuals, including students. With library and residence hall computer labs offline, anyone in need of printed material can contact the office. Completed orders can be delivered on campus or picked up in Barnett Hall. For details on how to submit and pay for orders, contact Cindy Bryant or Cathy Sherrow at trumanprintingservices@gmail.com or 660.785.4161.

The deadline for Leadership Recognition Program nominations has been extended to 11:59 p.m. April 15.

The Leadership Recognition Program is designed to honor Truman students, advisers and organizations for their dedication to their peers, campus and Kirksville community through various leadership roles during the academic year.

For more information about the awards, click here. To make a nomination online, click here.  Questions can be directed to the U&I at 660.785.4222 or by email at csilrp@gmail.com.

The University Bookstore is offering options to supplement and support student efforts this semester.

Free Online Shipping
Visit the campus store website, shoptruman.com, for free shipping on all items with no minimum purchase. This includes various formats of course materials, supplies, art supplies, apparel, new Truman logo items, technology and more.

Access to eBooks at No Additional Charge
Visit the campus store website, shoptruman.com to gain access to eBooks at no additional charge with a truman.edu email address. Students can access up to seven eBooks for the designated period free of charge. Click on the COVID-19 banner at the top of the page for information. The availability of a book depends on the rights the publisher has allowed. Not all textbooks are available but many have been made accessible through this site.

Free Shipping on Textbook Rental Returns and Deadline Extensions
The bookstore is offering free shipping return labels and is also extending the non-return period without penalty to assist with increased returns by mail. Click the COVID-19 message on the homepage of the bookstore website, shoptruman.com. The rental due date is May 8, however a 15-day grace period has been allowed for this deadline. The new deadline is May 23.

Graduation
Congratulations to the class of 2020! With the ceremony being postponed to Aug. 1 the bookstore has extended the deadline on the Herff Jones site to place an order for graduation apparel to June 15. Herff Jones has also set up ship to home for all orders. Click here to place an order for commencement, or go to shoptruman.com.
 
For questions regarding Truman Bookstore services, contact bookstore@truman.edu or visit shoptruman.com for updates.

The Office of Student Research is now accepting applications for conference travel as well as grants-in-aid scholarship and research (GIASR) for summer 2020.

Conference travel scholarship applications are for students presenting the results of their research or creative scholarship at a conference taking place July-December 2020. Students must have completed or be currently involved in a faculty-mentored research experience and plan on presenting at the conference. The scholarship will cover up to $500 of conference registration, lodging and travel expenses.
 
GIASR applications are available for research and creative scholarship conducted in summer 2020. Grant applications may request up to $750 and can cover student stipends, supplies and travel to conduct research.
 
Complete guidelines for the conference travel scholarship and GIASR applications can be found at the Office of Student Research website. Applications for both funding opportunities are due by 11:59 p.m. April 9. Questions regarding the applications can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

In accordance with Missouri’s stay-at-home order, and for the safety and security of those employees who remain on campus, all buildings are now locked and will remain so through the duration of the stay-at-home order. The west side of the Student Union Building will remain open during meal distribution for on-campus students.

All in-person student services will continue to be offered in alternative delivery formats. Information regarding phone numbers and email addresses for various offices (Registrar, Financial Aid, Business Office, etc.) is available via the online directory. Personnel will be available 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Daniel Mandell, professor of history, has published “The Lost Tradition of Economic Equality in America, 1600-1870.” In it, he shows how the United States was originally deeply influenced by the belief that maintaining a “rough” or relative equality of wealth was essential to the cultivation of a successful republican government. He explores the origins of this ideal in 17th century England, and its evolution in the early Republic as Americans sought ways to maintain their beloved “rough” equality against the danger of individuals amassing excessive wealth. Mandell also examines how, after 1800, this tradition was increasingly marginalized by the growth of the liberal ideal of individual property ownership without limits. One result, he shows, is that during Reconstruction, despite some prominent Republicans calls to redistribute rebel-owned plantation lands to the former slaves who had worked it, Congress insisted instead that freedmen required only civil and political rights.

One reviewer of the book, Danielle Allen, professor of government at Harvard University and director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and author of “Our Declaration,” noted that “this sweeping and magisterial history of egalitarian economic ideas and policies in the American tradition teaches us how tightly bound Americans once understood political equality and economic egalitarianism to be… . As Americans now wrestle collectively with how to tackle historically high levels of wealth and income inequality, Mandell’s book opens a vista into a vast and inspiring array of conceptual frameworks in stark contrast to those that have dominated recent decades of economic thought.” Another reviewer, Richard Brown, professor of history at the University of Connecticut, commented that “This deeply researched story of the interplay between America’s Revolutionary commitment to upholding individual rights and creating a society of equals supplies the foundation for grasping the nation’s current turmoil over economic and political inequality.”

Each year Truman nominates students for national fellowship opportunities who have shown outstanding academic performance and exceptional service accomplishments. The application process is very rigorous and highly competitive, but the University provides support as students prepare for and then apply to these prestigious scholarships.
 
Listed below are several of the major national fellowships and their websites. More information about these fellowships is available at www.truman.edu/majors-programs/more-learning-opportunities/fellowships.

For Graduate Studies
Fulbright Grants
Research grants and teaching assistantships for a year abroad

Rhodes Scholarships
Grants for two years of study at Oxford University

Marshall Scholarships
Awards for two years of study in any British university

Mitchell Scholarships
One year of graduate study or research in Ireland or Northern Ireland

Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Awards for an advanced degree or second bachelor’s degree at the University of Cambridge

 
For Undergraduate Studies
Goldwater Scholarships
Up to $7,500 annually for tuition, fees, books, room and board for science and mathematics majors

Harry S. Truman Scholarships
For senior year and post-graduate study leading to a career in public service

Udall Scholarships
For students interested in careers related to environmental issues or for Native Americans and Alaskans interested in careers related to health care and tribal public policy

Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowships
For students interested in international affairs to work as research assistants to the Endowment’s senior associates in Washington, D.C. for a full year

Boren Scholarships
To study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests

The Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation will offer the Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship, named in honor of Allan Walker Purdy.

Purdy was born in 1914 on a farm near Macon and was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He worked in the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture before becoming the campus’s first director of scholarships and student financial aid.

The scholarship is designed to provide merit-based scholarships to emerging leaders who are outstanding students and who have a need for additional resources for higher education. The scholarship amount can vary based on an applicant’s circumstances. The general range will be $1,000-$5,000 based on expected family contribution (EFC), unmet need and other factors.

Applicants must be a Missouri resident, typically a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA, a U.S. Citizen, attending a Missouri public four-year university or the State Technical College of Missouri, and be a sophomore, junior or senior in college. Deadline to apply is June 30, 2020. Applications should be submitted online through Scholarship Central at moslf.org. To access more information about this scholarship, click here, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 660.785.4130.