Vol. 26 No. 16 - December 13, 2021

Eligible students who choose to live on campus and confirm their choice with Residence Life by Dec. 17 will receive a $500 per-semester credit toward next year’s housing. When combined with a meal plan option only available to returning students, the savings could total $1,450. All current students who decide to live on campus next year have the option to select the plan with fewer meals for the 2022-23 academic year to realize a potential savings of $450.

Housing for the 2022-23 academic year officially opens Jan. 18 for returning students. Room selection will take place in February.
 
For the coming school year, additional floors will be made available in Missouri Hall and West Campus Suites. Pet-friendly housing is also being expanded in Dobson Hall, and additional floors will be available in that building for students who may not have a pet of their own, but would like to live near pets. Campbell Apartments will have expanded availability as well.
 
Centennial Hall will be offline for the 2022-23 school year. Earlier this year, the decision was made to reopen the Missouri Hall dining facility. With an anticipated increase in demand for rooms in Missouri Hall, Centennial Hall will be closed for renovations. Renovations to Centennial Hall being considered include new windows and upgrading the building’s electrical capacity to improve HVAC options.  
 
Current students interested in living on campus next year and taking advantage of early-bird pricing should visit truman.edu/residence-life for more details. Questions can be directed to reslife@truman.edu or call 660.785.4227.

Many people start the new year with resolutions regarding their health, and Janes Dreamweaver, director of fitness-wellness, wants everyone to know the Student Recreation Center is a welcoming environment. The Rec offers access to strength and cardio training, as well as a number of programs and services, many of which are free. Intramural sports are also a great way to get in shape and make friends. More information can be found online at recreation.truman.edu.

The event will be hosted at normal capacity, however, pursuant to the University’s current policy, masks will be required by everyone in attendance, including graduates, their guests, employees and the platform party.

Katherine Grace Becker, a Bachelor of Science in statistics and computer science candidate from St. Louis, Missouri, will be the student speaker.

Dr. Danna (Kelly) Herrick, a Truman alumna and decorated runner, will give the commencement address. Herrick was a four-time Academic All-American, earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a minor in Spanish. Following her time at Truman, she graduated with a doctorate in physical therapy from Des Moines University. She practices in the orthopedic setting and specializes as a women’s health and pelvic floor physical therapist. Herrick qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2012, 2016 and 2020. In addition to her medical career, she trained at an elite level with Hansons Brooks Original Distance Project and received sponsorship from Brooks Running from 2016 to 2020.

A total of 276 graduates will be celebrated during the ceremony. For those who cannot attend in person, livestreams will be available on YouTube and Facebook.

Guests are asked to use the main entrance on the west side of the building. Graduates, faculty members and those who need to utilize handicapped parking spaces can use the east entrance. Due to ongoing renovations in parts of Pershing Building, restroom capacity is limited. There are facilities located in the officials’ locker room and the swimming locker room. Guests can also use restrooms on the third floor, or in the adjoining HES Building.

Students from Truman’s Forensics Union competed at the Gateway Swing IE tournament at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, Dec. 4-5.

Team members excelled in their respective events leading to a team victory on both days of the swing tournament, which led to an overall swing team victory. At this tournament, students who entered into at least four speech categories across all three speech genres were entered into a special quadrathon sweepstakes.

Placements on day one of the swing were as follows:
•    Freshman Hannah Spainhour received top novice in prose interpretation
•    Sophomores Jillian Humke and Larissa Wratney earned first place in duo interpretation
•    Wratney also earned second place in dramatic interpretation
•    Sophomore Ella Schnake placed third in dramatic interpretation, second in impromptu speaking and first in prose
•    Sophomore Megan Ford placed sixth in prose, fourth in informative speaking and third in persuasion
•    Junior Maya Krump earned third place in informative speaking, second place in persuasion and third place in quadrathon sweepstakes
•    Senior Kayla Gerlt earned fourth in extemporaneous speaking and dramatic interpretation, third in after dinner speaking and prose, second in informative speaking and was tournament champion in quadrathon sweepstakes
•    The team also received first place overall

University Counseling Services will continue to offer in-person and virtual services during winter interim – available from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 20-Jan. 7, Monday-Friday – with normal semester hours resuming Jan. 10.

The team of counselors and support staff at UCS are committed to being available for current and new clients. Several of the counselors are licensed in additional states and able to provide virtual counseling sessions to students in those states.

To schedule an appointment, call 660.785.4014. For new clients, support staff will conduct an intake in person or over the phone to discuss billing and financial assistance options prior to scheduling an appointment. UCS is operated through a partnership with Complete Family Medicine, a service of Hannibal Regional, a not-for-profit health system. More information about UCS and the Student Health Center is available at truman.cfmcares.com.

Students will also continue to have 24/7 access to care as part of the My Student Support Program (My SSP), a resource from emotional well-being provider LifeWorks and designed specifically for students in higher education. It is offered in a variety of platforms which may feel more natural for college-age students, including live online chats, video counseling and an award-winning app. My SSP provides short-term, solution-focused counseling delivered by degree-qualified clinicians. If a student is in need of additional support, My SSP can help refer them to the proper resource.

Along with on-demand counseling, My SSP offers self-directed resources, including videos and articles on topics such as scholarly stress, combating homesickness and thriving as a student. These materials can be accessed both in the app and online. Self-assessments are also available online, and content is regularly updated according to the time of year.

LifeWorks is a major global provider of mental health services and has partnerships with more than 500 colleges and universities in North America. The company has the resources to provide services in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Services are also offered by appointment in other languages depending on availability. Appointments with counselors who share the student’s lived experiences, such as racial identity, gender fluidity, etc., are available as well. My SSP is accessible via myssp.app or by using the My SSP app, available at the App Store or Google Play Store.

 
The Departments of Music and Theatre will present the Acting for Musical Theatre Class Final Showcase at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 in the James G. Severns Theatre. Admission is free. For more information, visit boxoffice.truman.edu.

Register to win Truman door prizes by updating post-graduation information here. Those graduates who cannot attend the event should stop by the Office of Advancement in McClain Hall 205 to pick up a free Truman alumni t-shirt.

 
Free mugs will be available from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Student Union Building information desk and residence hall desks, as well as 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the alumni pizza party. These mugs are the same bonus give-a-way mugs from Family Day weekend and intended for students who were not able to get one then.

 
Truman’s Upward Bound program is currently accepting applications for spring employment. Influence equity in and access to higher education by joining the Upward Bound team in helping area high school students prepare for college. Interested applicants can access application materials here.

The Institute for Academic Outreach is seeking applications for the following academies:

• Joseph Baldwin Academy (June 8-July 3 and/or July 6-31)
• JBA Junior (July 10-15)
• ATSU-Truman Healthcare Academy (June 9-18)

Each academy is in search of preceptors for programs ranging from one to three weeks during June and July. Stipends vary based in the length of the program and nature of the work.

To be eligible as a preceptor, applicants must be a Truman student or a May 2022 graduate, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and not be enrolled in summer classes while working in the program. Individuals hired for these programs will also be required to complete a criminal background check, pre-academy trainings and pre-academy orientations.
 
Applications are currently being accepted and will continue until the positions are filled. Information about each available position can be accessed at tiacademies.truman.edu/employment or by emailing Michelle Wilson at mwwilson@truman.edu.

 

• Independence: Harry Truman Presidential Library (full-time, 9 credits)
• Kansas City: National World War I Museum (part-time, 4 credits)
• Kirksville: Judicial Archives Project (part-time, 4 credits)
• St. Joseph: St. Joseph Museums (part-time, 4 credits)
• St. Louis: Field House Museum (part-time, 4 credits), Missouri History Museum (part-time, 4 credits), Mercantile Library (part-time, 4 credits)
• Springfield: MSU Special Collections and Archive (part-time, 4 credits)

The summer internships are open to all Truman students, but they are especially relevant for those considering careers in archives, museums and teaching.
 
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.

SS&C, a financial technology company, sponsors the annual Robert L. Gould Scholastic Award to recognize outstanding university students who produce academic papers on topics related to investment management strategies, theories and trends. The concept for this year is related to gamification and investments. As technology is explored in everyday lives, how could gamification impact or encourage appropriate investing behaviors and what are the real or potential positive and negative consequences of using gamification in this environment?  

In addition to the national award, the University will offer cash prizes to the top three papers from Truman students. Locally, first place will earn $250, second place will receive $150 and third place will get $100. All three will be submitted to the SS&C for the national competition.

Papers should be submitted to Chuck Boughton, instructor in business administration, at boughton@truman.edu by Jan. 14. Submissions should be in Word format only. Local awards will be announced after the Jan. 31 submission to the Gould judges. For more information email boughton@truman.edu.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be filed now for the 2022-2023 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 students to taking a loan, but it does allow for more options.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For the 2022-2023 FAFSA students will use their 2020 tax information.

It is strongly recommended to apply or renew before Feb. 1, 2022.

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available Jan. 10.

Hanna Hickey, senior midfielder women’s soccer, has been selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest region second team by coaches following the 2021 season. Hickey was a first team All-GLVC choice for the Bulldogs, who finished the campaign with a 10-4-3 overall record and 9-2-3 conference mark. She played every available minute in the midfield position starting and completing all 17 games played. She scored two goals in a 4-0 win against Davenport (Michigan), and two others while added four assists for 12 total points.

Cody Schrader, football running back, was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He led all of NCAA football in rushing yards (2,074), rushing yards per game (172.8) and rushing touchdowns (25).

Schrader averaged 6.9 yards per carry and had at least one rushing touchdown in each of the 12 games played during the season. He ran for more than 100 yards in 11 of 12 games and more than 200 yards in five games. He busted runs of 20 or more yards 23 times during the season, had eight runs of 40 or more yards and six runs of 60 or more. His longest scamper of the season was 88 yards in the first meeting with Hillsdale, Sept. 18, and his single-game high was 278 against Missouri S&T, Oct. 9.