Vol. 25 No. 10 - October 19, 2020

 
While many of the traditional Homecoming events were cancelled this year, there will still be a combination of socially distanced and virtual events so students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends can show their Bulldog pride no matter where they are.
 
The Top Dog Challenge has been underway since Oct. 5, and Truman has until Oct. 23 to solicit enough donations to beat the Greyhounds of the University of Indianapolis. All donations made on Truman’s behalf will go to support The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri and the Adair County Humane Society. Donations can be made online at involvement.truman.edu/shop.
 
Everyday throughout the week there will be tabling from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the mall including giveaway items, apparel pick up and sales and donations for philanthropy. Check @trumanstatehomecoming each day in case of weather
 
The Penny Bucket Challenge, Chalk Competition and Door Decorating Contest all start Oct. 19, and SAB will sponsor balloon sculptures in the Student Union Building Hub. Penny buckets are at the tables, all other events are around campus. Sign ups are required for door decorating.
 
Mask decorating will take place from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Oct. 20 on the mall or in the Student Union Building Down Under in the event of rain. There will also be take-home kits available at the tables.
 
A Homecoming photobooth will be set up from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Oct. 21. The Bulldog Battle will take place that day as well. Sign up is required. The photo scavenger hunt will take place from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 22.
 
The 24-hour Service Challenge sponsored by Blue Key will begin at 2 p.m. Oct. 23. Sign up can be completed here. That same day, the TikTok Competition winners will be announced.
 
A virtual 5K, sponsored by the Advancement Office, will take place Oct. 24. There will be a pep rally at 3 p.m. in Stokes Stadium where the results of the Top Dog Challenge will be revealed. The event will also be livestreamed.  
 
During the week, several schools and departments will also host Homecoming-themed events.
 
The School of Business is connecting alumni and current students through its “Bulldogs Helping Bulldogs Professional Development Day,” Oct. 23. Students can sign up for one-on-one mentoring, career advice, resume review and mock interviews with alumni.
 
Pickler Memorial Library will host “Bulldog Books” from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 22-23. This free book giveaway will take place near the library entrance. Mystery books will be available to unwrap, and everyone is encouraged to take a selfie near the Bulldog statue and post it to the library’s Facebook page with the hashtag #BulldogBook.
 
A more detailed schedule of events can be found online at homecoming.truman.edu/schedule-events.

Graduate Education Week, taking place Oct. 19-23, provides an opportunity to learn about the variety of programs Truman offers.

For the past several years, the University has continued to expand and improve its graduate programs, choosing to focus on the needs of students and the demands of the current job market. At present, Truman offers advanced degrees in seven programs, soon to be 10. In addition to accountancy, athletic training, communication disorders, education, English, leadership and music, the University will offer a master’s degree in data science and two options in counseling.

The Master of Science in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling is a further continuation of Truman’s existing data science certificate program. This one-of-a-kind program combines the software and problem-solving skills of a data science degree with critical analytic, presentation and visualization skills representing the best of Truman’s liberal arts tradition. Analytic storytellers go beyond organizing and interpreting big sets of data. They synthesize critical conclusions for the lay person, help visualize those conclusions for information consumers and adapt it to varied audiences.

“Data science is an emerging field that is ripe with career opportunities,” said Jeanne Harding, director of the Institute for Academic Outreach. “Truman’s program is a very manageable option, either for working adults considering a career change or for new graduates seeking entry to a lucrative career field.”

Truman’s other new programs are also a response to market demands and strive to equip caring, committed, competent and culturally aware individuals with the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to become professional counselors in school and community settings. The Master of Arts in Counseling: School Counseling program is geared toward meeting the academic, career and personal/social needs of culturally diverse students in elementary, middle and secondary schools as certified and licensed school counselors. The Master of Arts in Counseling: Mental Health Counseling program specializes in community-based work as licensed professional counselors. Both programs will launch in fall 2021.

In an effort to accommodate the needs of students and working professionals, both the data science and counseling programs are offered online. An existing program has also recently embraced the virtual realm.

The Master of Arts in English now features an online option. Alongside the traditional in-person offerings, the online path makes an advanced degree in English a viable option for teachers and anyone seeking professional or personal development.

“By taking an open-minded approach to some of our existing programs, we are able to offer more opportunities to people who might not otherwise have the chance to continue their education and earn an advanced degree,” Harding said. “In-person education certainly has its advantages, but it isn’t always an option for everyone or every program. Our faculty have completed training in online teaching and are well prepared to deliver the excellence Truman is known for as a part of their online courses.”

Detailed information about all of Truman’s programs, including cost, application information and program descriptions, can be found at gradstudies.truman.edu. The Graduate Office can be contacted directly at 660.785.4109 or gradinfo@truman.edu.

The Great Lakes Valley Conference recently released plans for the return of volleyball, soccer and football in the spring semester.

Volleyball will play a conference-only schedule for the spring, consisting of 18 matches played over 13 competition dates. This season the GLVC will split the conference into three divisions of five teams, with Truman in the central division. The Bulldogs will be joined by Maryville, Lindenwood, UMSL and Quincy and will see each division opponent twice. Each of the other teams in the conference will be played once.

On five different competition dates the Bulldogs will take on two opponents as three teams meet at one site for a round robin. The qualifying procedure for the GLVC Tournament will be announced at a later date, as will the times of each match.

Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams will play a 14-match round robin, seeing all other teams in the conference once during the regular season. There will be no NCAA championships for the sport, but there will be a conference tournament after the regular season with the qualifying procedures to be announced at a later date.

The unique football season will open with a scrimmage March 27 and then three divisional games followed by a cross-division “championship” week April 24. Game times and actual game dates may fluctuate due to other events on campus, and spectator guidelines and limitations will be announced at a later date.

The Bulldogs will host a controlled scrimmage against McKendree then play at Southwest Baptist on the weekend of April 3. Truman will host William Jewell on the next weekend and then travel to Missouri S&T for the final game.

The championship weekend will pit the teams across division lines based on standings with west top seed traveling to the east for a championship game, the east second seed going west for a third-place game and so forth. The west division will be comprised of Truman, Missouri S&T, William Jewell and Southwest Baptist while the east will feature Quincy, McKendree, Indianapolis and Lindenwood.

Volleyball Spring Schedule
Jan. 29 @ Maryville
Jan .30 @ Lindenwood
Feb. 5 Quincy
Feb. 13 UMSL
Feb. 20 Missouri S&T, Illinois Springfield hosted by UIS
Feb. 27 Drury, Lewis hosted by Truman
March 6 UINDY, William Jewell hosted by WJC
March 13 Southwest Baptist, Southern Indiana hosted SIU
March 20 McKendree, Rockhust hosted by Truman
March 27 @ UMSL
April 3 @ Quincy
April 9 Lindenwood
April 10 Maryville
April 15-17: GLVC Tournament

Soccer Spring Schedule
Feb. 26 Missouri S&T
Feb. 28 @ Maryville
March 5 Lindenwood
March 7 UMSL
March 12 @ McKendree
March 14 @ Southern Indiana
March 19 Indianapolis
March 21 Lewis
March 26 @ Illinois Springfield
March 28 @ Quincy
April 3 @ William Jewell
April 9 Rockhurst
April 11 Southwest Baptist (Senior Day)
April 16 @ Drury
April 19 GLVC Quarterfinals
April 23-25 GLVC Semifinals and Championship Games (hosted by Lindenwood)

Football Spring Schedule
March 27 McKendree (scrimmage)
April 3 @ Southwest Baptist
April 10 William Jewell
April 17 @ Missouri S&T
April 24 Championship Week

The Office of Student Research is accepting applications for Grants-in-Aid of Scholarship and Research (GIASR) as well as Conference Travel Scholarships.

GIASR applications are for research and creative scholarship conducted in spring 2021. Grant applications may request up to $750 and can cover student stipends, supplies and travel to conduct research.

A virtual GIASR proposal writing workshop for students will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. Oct. 26. Register here by Oct. 25 to attend.
 
Conference Travel Scholarships are for students presenting the results of their research or creative scholarship at a conference between January and June 2021. Students must have completed or be currently involved in a faculty-mentored research experience and plan on presenting at the conference.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the spring 2021 Conference Travel Scholarship will only cover student registration to attend a virtual conference.
 
Complete guidelines for the GIASR and Conference Travel Scholarship applications can be found at the Office of Student Research website. Applications for both opportunities are due by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 11. Questions can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

The Truman Forensics Union competed virtually at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. This massive tournament had 70 schools represented, and while competition was tight, Truman had great success earning two new qualifications to the national tournament.

Freshman Elijah Baum took fourth place speaker in the junior division Lincoln-Douglas debate and advanced to the octofinal round.

Freshman Jackson Boeck earned a seventh place speaker award and advanced all the way to the final round in the junior division of Lincoln-Douglas debate. This qualifies Boeck to appear at the national tournament later this year.

Junior Michael Garret earned ninth place speaker in the open division of Lincoln-Douglas debate and was an octofinalist. This win also earns Garret his national qualification.

And after winning the junior division at the Western Kentucky tournament, nobody informed freshman Alicia Stout that the open division was supposed to be more difficult. She advanced to semifinals in the open division and took the top speaker award for Lincoln-Douglas debate.

The Truman Forensics Union is a co-curricular group building skills in speech and debate and representing the school across the country. For more information about the team, contact Craig Hennigan, interim director of forensics, at chennigan@truman.edu.

Truman will conduct a test of the emergency notification system at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 5.

Students, faculty and staff who have signed up to receive Truman emergency alert text notifications will get a TruAlert text and email message letting them know it is a test. Those that have not signed up for emergency text messaging can do so through TruView.

To sign up, sign in to TruView and click on the “Truman” tab. Click the “Update Emergency Text Messaging Information” under “Update and View My Personal Information” (lower right screen). A maximum of three phones can be registered to receive texts. Confirm information in the same manner.

An emergency alert will be displayed on all Truman computer systems where the Alertus software has been installed. This should include nearly all workstations on campus. There will also be alerts sent to digital signs in Violette Hall, Magruder Hall, Ophelia Parrish and Health Sciences, to the Truman channel on the cable televisions in residence halls and to classrooms with the Truman touch-pad control system installed.

The campus is also encouraged to review the emergency procedures. It is important the entire community is familiar with these procedures in order to understand how to respond appropriately in a number of emergency situations.

The Top Dog Challenge between Truman and the University of Indianapolis will run through Oct. 23. The GLVC foes are each soliciting donations to support local nonprofit organizations. All gifts made on Truman’s behalf will go to support The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, as well as the Adair County Humane Society. Donations can be made directly online at involvement.truman.edu/shop.

In their analysis of the Truman case numbers for the week of Oct. 13, the Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group, composed of Nancy Daley-Moore, Scott Alberts and Christine Harker, discussed the need for everyone to maintain vigilance in order to prevent spread. The number of active cases ticked up for the second week in a row, and may be due in part to Truman having low numbers earlier in the semester. When numbers are low, people tend to let down their guards, but spread of the virus is still a real concern. The more positive habits campus observes – wearing masks, physically distancing, washing hands, avoiding large gatherings – the more likely everyone is to stay safe. The group also encouraged students to have a plan for returning home at Thanksgiving, whether it be self-quarantining before returning, or doing so when they arrive home. A recording of their conversation can be found here.

In honor of Homecoming week, apparel is now available through the U&I. Short-sleeve T-shirts are available in purple and blue. Long-sleeve shirts are available in navy, and there is a short-sleeve T-shirt celebrating the Top Dog Challenge against the University of Indianapolis.

The Jewish Student Union is selling buttons, stickers and bracelets with the phrase “shalom y’all” on them. Each item is $3 and $1 of each item sold will go to AM Housing, a charity in Kirksville which is raising funds to build a homeless shelter to serve the northeast Missouri region. To order, email JSUatTruman@gmail.com or fill out this form.

A new yoga class has been added for the last five weeks of the semester. Yoga with Isabel will begin at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Student Recreation Center Room 208. All levels welcome, mask required. Maximum capacity for the room is 14.

Beta Theta Pi is fundraising for the Forest Lake Area Trail System (FLATS). Specifically, the organization is raising money for phase 3.1 of the project in which a trailhead will be constructed by the woods near W. Missouri St. The trailhead will contain an innovative nature playscape, accessible parking, benches and shelters. Eventually, the trail will span from Kirksville to Thousand Hills State Park. Click here to donate. One hundred percent of all donations will go toward the Kirksville FLATS program.

Matthew Zwolinski, professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego and founder and director of the school’s Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy, will present “The Case for a Universal Basic Income” at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 via Zoom.

The idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) gained national attention with the presidential campaign of Andrew Yang. But where did the idea come from? And does it really make economic or moral sense? In this presentation, Zwolinski will talk about the history of the UBI, the main arguments for and against it, and why it is gaining appeal not only on the political left, but among certain conservatives and libertarians as well.

Students and employees can watch the event in Baldwin Hall Auditorium while seated socially distant and wearing masks. Zwolinski’s presentation will also be available virtually via Zoom, with details to be announced closer to the presentation.

The Truman Public Relations Office is now accepting applications for the spring 2021 internship.

Interns work approximately 32 hours per week and can choose to receive between six to nine credit hours. To maintain full-time student status, interns take two three-credit classes in addition to the internship credit hours. A small stipend is also included.

Primary responsibilities of the intern will include writing copy for and editing pages on the University website. Other duties include creating content for the University’s online weekly newsletter as well as assisting with writing and editing press releases. Interns may also help with projects related to social media or video production in addition to other office tasks.

Applicants should have a strong background in writing and editing. Communication majors are encouraged to apply, with special consideration given to candidates with knowledge of Associated Press Style. Applicants must have the flexibility to work 32 hours a week.

To apply, send a resume, an advising transcript, two writing samples and contact information for two on-campus references to pr@truman.edu or mail to the Public Relations Office, McClain Hall 202 no later than Nov. 6.

Applications are now being received for summer internships at the following locations in Missouri:
 

• Independence: Harry Truman Presidential Library (full-time, 9 credits)
• Kansas City: National World War I Museum (part-time, 3 credits)
• Kirksville: Judicial Archives Project (part-time, 3 credits)
• St. Joseph: St. Joseph Museums (part-time, 3 credits)
• St. Louis: Field House Museum (part-time, 3 credits), Missouri History Museum (part-time, 3 credits), Mercantile Library (part-time, 3 credits)
• Springfield: MSU Special Collections and Archive (part-time, 3 credits)

 
The summer internships are open to all Truman students, but they are especially relevant for those considering careers in archives, museums, teaching, and law.
 
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until all positions are filled.
 
To find out what the internships entail and how to apply, direct enquiries to: Jason McDonald, Baldwin Hall 226, 660.785.7575, jasonmcd@truman.edu.

The Student Recreation Center will be holding two recruitment meetings for students interested in teaching a fitness class or related program for the Campus Recreation Department spring schedule. Attend either informational meeting to learn the necessary steps to apply and what to expect if selected to interview/audition. Applications will be provided at the recruitment meetings only.

The Truman Compost Project will accept bagged leaves and grass clippings from the public this fall. Material must be in a paper yard bag or, if brought in a plastic bag or other container, the person must dump the leaves and take the plastic bag with them. Brush and tree branches cannot be accepted. Leaves may be dropped off at the University Farm Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Oct. 24 through Nov. 14.

The Compost Project also has limited quantities of finished compost available for sale. Bulk compost is priced at $45/cubic yard, loaded onto your truck or trailer at the University Farm. Delivery is also available in the Kirksville area. Contact compostproject@truman.edu for more information. Learn more about the Compost Project at compost.truman.edu or on Facebook or Instagram, @TrumanCompostProject.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be filed now for the 2021-2022 school year at studentaid.gov.

Even though a student may not qualify for grants or work study, all students are considered for the Federal Direct Loan (no co-signer required). Filing the FAFSA does not commit you to taking a loan, but it does allow you more options.

The 2021-2022 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For the 2021-2022 FAFSA students will use their 2019 tax information.

It is strongly recommended to apply or renew before Feb. 1, 2021.

The Truman State University Film Festival was created in response to this interest in student filmmaking, and is intended to be a creative outlet and platform for undergraduates in the state of Missouri and beyond to share their work.

This year’s film festival will take place in a virtual format the weekend of Nov. 5-8. Starting at 12 p.m. Nov. 5, introductions go live, along with a Vincent Price film. Tune in anytime until the end of the festival. At 12 p.m. Nov. 8 judging decisions will be available and winners announced.

For more information visit filmfest.truman.edu.

The Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms A and B.