Vol. 25 No. 4 - September 7, 2020

Tiffany Winistoerfer gives a treat to her dog Brody, one of the 10 pets living in Dobson Hall. This year Truman is piloting pet-friendly housing options for the first time.

In addition to being the home of the Bulldogs, this fall Truman is also home to cats, hamsters, rabbits and a Chihuahua-Yorkie mix named Brody.

This is the first semester Truman has offered pet-friendly housing. The first floor of Dobson Hall was set aside for any students interested in bringing an animal to campus or living in a dedicated space with pets. Ten students brought furry new roommates, with cats making up the largest population of animals at six, followed by rabbits and hamsters.

Brody is the only dog living in pet-friendly housing this year. He belongs to Tiffany Winistoerfer, who was interested in bringing a pet in order to make campus feel a little more like home.

“I really enjoy being able to come back from hard classes to a happy dog, and doing homework with him cuddling makes it easier as well,” she said. “Having someone who is excited for everything that the day may bring is wonderful. It is great for Brody as well, because he loves getting attention and relaxing. The campus is also a really great place to go on walks.”

Freshman Camilla Wilkerson knew she would be bringing her rabbit, Neptune, to school with her, even before she knew where that might be.

“Pet-friendly housing was always at the top of my list for questions to ask schools,” she said.

Neptune is adjusting nicely to life on campus because she actually has a little more room than she did at home. She has also been instrumental in helping Wilkerson with the transition to college during an odd semester.

“Not only has she made me feel more at home, but she is a great topic of conversation when making new friends,” Wilkerson said. “Especially this year since it’s harder to make friends. She kept me company through the first week or so while I learned how to navigate college and form friendships.”

Dobson has also been opened up to students interested in living in pet-friendly housing, even if they were not bringing pets of their own, and a handful of students requested to live in the hall just for that reason. Nina Simone ended up in Dobson after originally planning to spend the year in Missouri Hall. Although it was not her first choice, it has worked out well.

“It is so much fun living with pets,” Simone said. “If I need a study break I will go to Tiffany’s room and play with her dog. He is so sweet and loving and it just makes my day.”

Every year, Truman Theatre strives to produce a slate of performances filled with passion and honesty. That is still the goal for the 2020-21 schedule, even in the face of a global pandemic.

“Many norms in the Truman Theatre Department have been changed, either slightly or entirely, to make sure that our shows are happening safely,” said David Charles Goyette, Theatre Department chair.

Truman Theatre is choosing to make the most of the coming season and view it as full of opportunity rather than difficulties. The first production of the season will take place on the quad and be performed in the round, with audiences on all sides. In addition to providing a unique experience for current students, it harkens back to days of old. When the quad included a lake, it served as a setting for several opera performances, including a production of the “H.M.S. Pinafore.”

Although the production will take place outdoors, audience members will be seated socially distant from one another and will be expected to wear face coverings. That same approach to safety applies to the cast and crew. Truman Theatre has altered its production so performers maintain a distance of six feet at all times. They are also utilizing Zoom in place of in-person meetings, and incorporating digital forms whenever possible to minimize the need for paper to change hands. Sanitation kits are also placed in all theatre spaces.

“Putting on a production with all of the appropriate safety measures is full of challenges, but we are facing them as a department, and as a team,” Goyette said.

The first performance of the 2020-21 season will be “A Doll’s House, Part 2” by Lucas Hnath. Performances will take place nightly at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23-26. Tickets will be available starting Sept. 14. They can be purchased at the box office in Ophelia Parrish from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by calling 660.785.4515.

While Truman Theatre is taking an old-school approach to its first production, the second of the season fully embraces technology and will be an entirely digital production. “Ghosts in the Machine,” by Eric Cable, will be streamed Nov. 11-14. More information about purchasing tickets will be available closer to the performance.

“Both of our productions for the fall 2020 semester are being delivered through means that are entirely new to this generation of Truman Theatre, and are being taken on as exciting, new challenges,” Goyette said.

Details regarding the spring semester have yet to be finalized. The first production will be determined later this semester. A student-directed lab show will also be chosen later in the semester by a board of student representatives. A production of “The Little Prince” adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupery and directed by Dana Smith is also scheduled for the spring.

Goyette hopes Truman Theatre will be back to using its regular facilities in the spring, but said they will be exploring streaming shows and other methods of delivery in case that is not possible.

As part of Truman’s continuing efforts to limit exposure to and spread of COVID-19 on campus, the number of active cases associated with the University is publicly available at truman.edu/coronavirus/reporting. To fully comprehend the data, it is important to know the distinction between quarantine and isolation.

Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate. For quick association “isolation” and “illness” both begin with “I.” Any students and employees who have tested positive and are currently in isolation are considered an active case associated with the University and are counted on the website.

Quarantine is a precautionary measure. People in quarantine have not tested positive for the virus. There are a variety of reasons individuals may be in quarantine, including: exposure to someone who has tested positive; returning from recent travel; and experiencing symptoms similar to those associated with the coronavirus. Many individuals who quarantine never end up testing positive for COVID-19. Individuals known to be a contact of a positive case are not considered out of quarantine until 14 days have passed, even if they have tested negative during that time. Because the number of individuals who may be quarantining at any one time can fluctuate quickly, it is logistically difficult to regularly report an accurate number.

Any person in quarantine who later tests positive for COVID-19 is required to isolate. Their status is then considered an active case associated with the University and they are counted on the website.    

The Student Health Center maintains the count for cases associated with the University and supervises contact tracing on campus. Close contacts are determined by contact tracers through interviews with the positive COVID individuals. The Student Health Center conducts tests for students who are symptomatic or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. Approximately 20 tests are completed each day. In instances when the Student Health Center is at capacity, or there is a time-sensitive reason for testing, students are advised of the other local available testing facilities, which includes Complete Family Medicine, the local ambulance district or Northeast Regional Medical Center. In conjunction with NCAA guidelines, student-athletes are swabbed on campus by trained personnel and tests are conducted off site.

Another factor to consider while interpreting COVID-19 numbers is many outlets do not differentiate between active and recovered cases. Agencies such as the Adair County Health Department report the cumulative number of cases in the county, but it also distinguishes between active and recovered cases, and it does not report how many individuals may be in quarantine at any given time. Truman makes a similar distinction on its website in the interest of giving the most accurate representation of the active cases on campus and the potential level of exposure to students and employees.

The Adair County Health Department usually reports daily numbers for the county, and it breaks out cases related to higher education. Reports are posted at adair.lphamo.org. Higher education cases can be related to Truman, A.T. Still University or Moberly Area Community College. The health department does not distinguish between individual institutions in its reporting.  

In addition to the reporting page, Truman continues to update the COVID-19 page with relevant information. The Fall 2020 page remains active as well and contains links to information regarding health and wellness and the University’s Face-Covering Policy.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion will host an online panel, “The Impact of Race on Policing,” at 12 p.m. Sept. 8.

A number of students and others in the Truman community have voiced concern about the topic, and the panel was formed in response to events from across the country in recent weeks and throughout the summer.   

Elizabeth Wiles, assistant professor of justice systems, and Bertha Thomas, diversity and inclusion consultant, will serve as moderators. The panel will feature three guest speakers and two student panelists. Each participant will speak for 5-7 minutes. Panelists will also respond to chat box questions as well as to one another’s remarks.

Alumna Danielle (Tolson) Cooper, associate professor of criminal justice and the director of research at the Tow Youth Justice Institute at the University of New Haven, will give keynote remarks focusing on “Police Accountability and Community Engagement.”

Theo Dean, an alumnus and the current Truman’s women’s basketball coach, will reflect on the significance of major league sports team activism in response to the Jacob Blake shooting.


The 60-minute discussion will begin at 12 p.m. Sept. 8 and can be accessed here. The on-campus panelists will broadcast from the Student Union Building Alumni Room. Limited seating will be available on a first-come basis and in accordance with all physical distancing guidelines. For those unable to watch live, the session will be recorded and stored on the CDI website to allow students, faculty and staff to view at a later date.

Truman’s first-ever Entrepreneurship Week will be highlighted by two webinars aimed at helping students focus their passion for business and celebrating women who have blazed their own trails.

Alumnus Doug Villhard will present “The Art of the Side Hustle in Pandemic Times” at 7 p.m. Sept. 22. In this interactive session, participants will learn how to put their passion for entrepreneurship “into practice” while succeeding as a full-time student.

Truman will highlight its commitment to women entrepreneurs by participating in the seventh annual Women Entrepreneurship Week (WEW), a global movement to celebrate and inspire female founders.
 
Through a Zoom webinar platform, participants will have the opportunity to meet and interact with a number of inspirational women about their entrepreneurial journeys. In addition to celebrating their experiences, the panelists will also dive into a Q&A session to discuss challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs, how COVID-19 has created both opportunities and challenges and much more.

Both events are open to all students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Truman.


For additional information and to register for this event, visit truman.edu/events/the-art-of-the-side-hustle-in-pandemic-times.
For additional information and to register for this event, visit truman.edu/events/celebrating-women-entrepreneurs.

In celebration of the Truman community “laboring” together to achieve the goal of completing the semester in-person before Thanksgiving Break, students can stop by the quad Monday between 11 a.m.-1:45 p.m. to receive free gifts including T-shirts, stickers and more.

“Side by side or miles apart, we’ll always be Deltasigs at heart.”

Delta Sigma Pi, the nation’s largest co-ed professional business fraternity, will host fall 2020 recruitment events through Sept. 17. Contact dsprecruitment1978@gmail.com with any questions, and follow DSP on social media @dsptruman.

Information Night No. 1
5 p.m.
Sept. 9
Zoom

Information Night No. 2
7 p.m.
Sept. 10
Zoom

Meet the Chapter Night
7-9 p.m.
Sept. 14
Zoom

Trivia Night
7-9 p.m.
Sept. 15
Zoom

Professional Speaker
7-9 p.m.
Sept. 16
Zoom

Speed Dating
7-9 p.m.
Sept. 17
Student Union Building Georgian Rooms

The Wellness Index located on the Wellness website now features a Mindfulness webpage, with videos, available for use courtesy of campus expert Rebecca Dierking.
 
New to the Wellness website? Check out the Welcome webpage with a video overview of where items are located throughout the site.

Anyone aware of a prospective student whom they feel would be a good fit at Truman can refer them online at truman.edu/request-information. The website also features links to resources for traditional undergraduate and graduate students, non-degree seeking students, any anyone interested in pre-college programs, online courses or professional development opportunities.

Questions about referring a student can be directed to the Office of Admissions at admissions@truman.edu or 660.785.7456.

Phi Delta is a non-Greek service and social sorority that provides women the opportunity to participate in philanthropic events both on campus as well as within the Kirksville community and also provides the opportunity to network with others on Truman’s campus. Rush Week information is listed below. For more information email kmq3428@truman.edu.
1 p.m.
Ryle Commons
Sept. 15
7 p.m.
Student Union Building 3200
Sept. 16
7 p.m.
Student Union Building 2105

For recruitment this year, the Student Run Business Initiative (SRBI) will be playing games online through Zoom. Learn about the organization, play games and get to know current members. SRBI is a business organization that is currently looking to start an online drop shipping business. It also hosts fundraisers, community events and professional development.

Game Night
8 p.m.
Sept. 15
Sign up here.

The main event of this year’s Constitution Day events will be a talk by alumna Franita Tolson (’01) entitled “The Long Shadow of Voter Suppression: Time for a Reckoning?” at 6 p.m. Sept. 17.

Tolson is a professor of law at the University of Southern California. Her talk will be available via livestream with limited seating in Magruder Hall 1000 as well as on Zoom. She has suggested those interested in her talk read this article beforehand. Following Tolson’s presentation there will be a panel discussion with faculty and student contributors.

This year will also feature an essay contest based on this prompt: How could the United States improve participation in national, state or local elections? Essays should be 500 words or less, and must be submitted by before midnight Sept. 13. Up to three winners will be announced at the speaker event. All winners will receive a prize from the Truman Bookstore (an approximately $50 value). The Civic Engagement Committee will review all entries. Essays will be judged based on how well written the essay is in addition to its actionability, creativity and the use of evidence.

Steve Parsons, dean of the School of Arts and Letters, will be the featured guest for the next “Bulldog Break,” a webinar series sponsored by the Office of Advancement.
 
This one-hour webinar will allow attendees to hear about Parson’s past work experiences and what led him to Truman. The session will also allow participants to ask questions to better understand his vision for the school and how he will be working with all constituents to move it forward.
 
The free webinar will take place at 12 p.m. Sept. 22. One hundred spots are available on Zoom. Click here to register.

Truman Nursing was recognized by Colleges of Distinction as one of the top programs in the state. Criteria for inclusion on the list includes: national accreditation; a requirement students engage in residency or clinical work; a high percentage of students who regularly pass standardized exams such as the NCLEX and HESI; high-impact experiences for students; institutional connections that provide students with multifaceted career options; and liberal arts exposure to help ensure students develop their problem solving, critical and out-of-the-box thinking skills, practice leadership and understand a variety of worldviews and perspectives. Only four programs were recognized for Missouri.

Truman was recognized as one of the Best Mid-sized Colleges for Finding a Job according to the career website Zippia. Using information found on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Zippia searched for colleges in each state with an enrollment level between 5,000-19,999. Those schools were cross-referenced with data from College Scorecard to find the highest listed job placement ratings, looking at employment levels 10 years after students graduated. Truman’s rate of 94.30 percent was tops in the category for schools in Missouri.

Janes Dreamweaver, director of fitness-wellness, was recently featured by Campus REC magazine for an article highlighting the Recreation Careers webpage which was created for Bulldogs interested in pursuing the professional field of recreation.