Vol. 28 No. 9 - October 16, 2023

Students with an affinity for business can submit their ideas for the annual Bulldog B.I.T.E. elevator pitch contest until Oct. 27.

An elevator pitch outlines the concept or idea for a product, service or project in a short period of time, typically from 30 seconds to three minutes. The length of the pitch mirrors the time spent waiting for and riding an elevator in a high-rise building. The purpose of the pitch is to spur the interest of a potential investor or financial backer.

Bulldog B.I.T.E., which stands for Building Innovation by Truman Entrepreneurs, is a “Shark Tank”-like competition that allows Truman students to pitch a for-profit or not-for-profit concept for a product, service or project. It is open to any Truman student, or team of students up to three members, enrolled during the fall semester.

Students will submit a concept or idea for a product, service or project in a video pitch no longer than two minutes by 10 p.m. Oct. 27. The video should not include any props, except the product prototype, and should be one continuous shot.

Six teams will be selected to attend a live pitch competition at 2:15 p.m. Nov. 16 to present their concept to a panel of judges. The top three finalists receive financial awards: first place will receive the Amanda Gioia Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award of $3,000, second place will receive $2,000 and third place will receive $1,000.

The Bulldog B.I.T.E. is sponsored by Villhard Growth Partners and is coordinated on campus by the Office of Advancement. For complete details and entry information, visit bulldogbite.truman.edu.

Any Truman student planning to live on campus for the 2024-25 school year can now apply for housing online through the housing portal in TruView.

Living on campus provides students with a built-in community of peers, in addition to offering a variety of amenities. All campus residence halls feature furnished rooms, access to laundry facilities and a meal plan. On-campus residents also have all of their utility costs included in the price of their room. More information about applying to live on campus for the 2024-25 academic year can be found online here.

“Students who live on campus perform better academically because of the close connections to fellow students that develop,” said Jamie Van Boxel, director of Residence Life. “It is also more convenient to focus on your academics when you are close to your classroom, study, lab and performance spaces. Having an on-campus meal plan makes it easy to eat a well-balanced meal without taking the time to shop for groceries, prepare meals and do the dishes. We also have some new choices for the coming year, so when you compare housing options side by side, the convenience of living on campus is very plain to see.”

Along with the current existing room options, Residence Life will be offering more deluxe double rooms in some residence halls. Triple occupancy rooms in Blanton-Nason-Brewer Hall, which were rarely in demand, will be converted to deluxe double rooms. Students will now have the option to secure a deluxe double room for the same price as a standard double. For upper-class students, Campbell Apartments will offer single-occupancy options for the first time in recent history.

“Returning students living on campus have more options than a first-year student because returning students self-select their room earlier,” Van Boxel said. “Returning students can group up with their friends to take over a section of a residence hall or a group of apartments in Campbell. Returning students also have the opportunity to live in larger rooms or in an on-campus apartment with more space with a roommate of their choosing.”

The housing portal is open now and can be accessed through TruView. Room selection will take place in the spring semester. Questions about the housing process can be directed to Residence Life at 660.785.4227 or reslife@truman.edu.

The University Art Gallery will host an opening reception for two new exhibitions from 5-6:30 p.m. Oct. 17.

“I’ll be right here waiting for you to finish” by Emmett Ramstad is a site-specific installation utilizing paper towel dispensers, paper towels and tissue boxes to create an immersive experience for the viewer with familiar bathroom products. It investigates the idea of the bathroom as a place of comforting respite. This installation creates a small, quiet, contemplative space within the larger gallery. Ramstad will deliver an artist talk before the opening reception at 4 p.m. Oct. 17 in the main gallery.

“What We Inherit,” an exhibition by Chicago-based artists Janhavi Khemka, Maddie May and Thuong Hoài Tran, will be open in the Charlyn Gallery. Their practices examine the complexities of memory, familial stories, inherited objects and learned ways of navigating the world around them. Whether painful, lost or cherished, histories shape people’s lives and identities. Each artist’s works question their understanding of identity through artifacts of everyday ephemera, domestic space and family archives. The works presented in this exhibition link to collective memories and the stories they carry through intergenerational histories and differing backgrounds. They will present a virtual artist talk from 6-7 p.m. Nov. 13 via Zoom.

The University Art Gallery is located in Ophelia Parrish 1114. Reception and events are free and open to the public. These two exhibitions will be open from Oct. 17-Dec. 1. For more information visit gallery.arttruman.com.

After crossing the stage and getting her degree, Laura (Zyk) Holloway (’98) did what a lot of new college grads do and hit the highway for a nice, long road trip. What made her experience unique was her ride of choice – a 27-foot hotdog.

The iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is scheduled to appear in the Homecoming parade Oct. 21 and be on display at Bolognafest in downtown Kirksville later that afternoon. Holloway is one of the select few people who know what it’s like to get behind the wheel and drive this piece of moving Americana all over the country. More than just a fun after-college job, Holloway’s time as a “hotdogger” propelled her on a career path in marketing and public communication.

Each year, only about 20 individuals earn the honor to operate the Wienermobile. Holloway’s path to snagging a coveted position came through an experience while earning her degree in communication with a concentration in journalism.

“I decided to write an article for the Truman Detours publication, which gave me the opportunity to meet with and interview current hotdoggers and Oscar Mayer Wienermobile staff, learn more about the position and ultimately apply,” she said.

At the time, Oscar Mayer received more than 1,200 applications annually. Through her research for the Detours piece, Holloway learned it was important to apply in a creative manner, and that hotdoggers are trained to use puns when dealing with the media.

“I tried to make sure my cover letter was franktastic in order to cut the mustard,” she said.

Before being turned loose with the Wienermobile, all new hires attend Hotdog High, a two-week intensive training program to learn skills such as working with media, conducting special events and driving an oversized hotdog. Holloway was hired specifically for a program called Share the Smiles, which worked with local food banks in each visited community. While the skills she learned helped in her role with Oscar Mayer they have also come in handy throughout her career. Holloway has worked in multiple marketing and communications positions, including the Missouri Division of Tourism, the Missouri Department of Transportation and most recently with the Missouri Municipal League. In her current role, she is the editor of Municipal League’s member magazine, and she coordinates communications to assist local elected officials and staff with local government resources, state and federal advocacy, and training/networking events.

“An unexpected bonus was how relaxed job interviews have been over the years. Most employers see this on a resume and it becomes what they are most anxious to discuss,” Holloway said. “The experience prepares you for all aspects of interacting with media, marketing and working with the public. You work with your team of hotdoggers, who are both your co-workers and family, for likely months on end. This means you must be successful at communicating, staying flexible and maintaining a great attitude.”

Sometimes those communication skills might be as simple as waving to a stranger when driving through a new town.

“It was always the most fun to see someone on the street light up, from small children to kids at heart,” Holloway said. “So many people wave and smile while you drive down the road. I remember it seemed strange when I would be in a normal car and no one was waving.”

Holloway has no idea how many miles she logged driving the Wienermobile during her nine-month stint. Most of her travels took place throughout the southeast and Midwest, with some trips are far north as New York. Ironically, her journey across the country ultimately helped her appreciate things closer to home.
 
“While travel is such a great way to gain new perspectives, we should not underestimate how much we can learn in our own communities and how a simple conversation can bring you a new perspective,” Holloway said. “It’s so important to be open to everyday conversations and experiences around you, and just learn to enjoy people for who they are.”

In preparation for National Bologna Day, the city of Kirksville will celebrate Bolognafest from 3-5 p.m. Oct. 21 downtown. In addition to free bologna and fried bologna sandwiches, there will be booths featuring games, prizes, balloons and face painting. A vintage Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, similar to the one Holloway drove, will be on display.

Residence Life, in conjunction with the Residence Hall Association, will sponsor trick-or-treating in the residence halls from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

Kirksville community members are invited and encouraged to bring their families into the residence halls to receive candy from campus residents.

Candy distribution will take place in the West Campus Suites multipurpose room, the Missouri Hall Chariton Room, the BNB first floor south lounge, the Dobson Hall lobby and the Ryle Hall main lounge. For a map of Truman’s campus, click here.

Students who would like to sign up to hand out candy can click here. This will be a great opportunity to come hang out with the residence hall community in the lounges and hand out candy to Kirksville families. Please note, students are responsible for providing their own candy during this event.

West Campus Suites is designated as the allergy-conscious residence hall for this event. Those in West Campus Suites who wish to participate are asked to provide small toys or candy that does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, gluten or soy.

The School of Business will host its second Tru-Biz Forum from 3-4:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in Violette Hall 1000.

The Tru-Biz Forum invites business leaders in a variety of fields to share their expertise and insights. The upcoming forum focuses on business analytics-related topics with renowned experts in the area, including Riley Bonnesen (’19), data analytics manager at JE Dunn Construction; Michael Rejniak (’96), lead information security engineer at Mastercard; Jason Ward (’96), director of data science at H&R Block; and Hannah West (’15), senior data analyst for Climate Corporation. The event moderator will be Truman student Hannah Tucker, accounting and management major.

Bonnesen leads the data analytics team at JE Dunn Construction, where he is responsible for empowering and developing business intelligence, automation and machine learning solutions. A 2019 economics major, Bonnesen was also a member of Delta Sigma Pi and the Bulldog Student Investment Fund.

Rejniak is a lead information security engineer at Mastercard in St. Louis. He is currently responsible for establishing a data-driven approach to network security automation and for management analytics. At Truman, Rejniak earned a degree in business administration and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Interfraternity Council (IFC), Blue Key Honor Society and Financial Management Association.

Ward is director of data science at H&R Block (Machine Learning Lab) in Kansas City. He has been with H&R Block for more than four years. Previously, he was vice president of brand research, strategy and innovation with BrandIQ and had been director of consumer insights with DineEquity, Inc., where he owned the voice of the consumer across the Applebee’s brand and drove data-based decision making in the areas of product development, operations, marketing communications, strategy, retail design and brand positioning. Ward earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology at Truman.

West is senior data analyst on the business analytics team at Climate Corporation in St. Louis. She began her career in 2014 at Monsanto as an IT co-op working on the SharePoint team. She was hired full time at Monsanto in 2015 and spent several years there before moving over to the audit department to start her data analytics career.

All students, faculty, staff and local business people are welcome for inspiration and learning with the renowned speakers. The bridge ceremony and networking will follow the forum.

The Ofstad Reading Series will host scholar Taylor Jones at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 in Baldwin Hall Little Theatre.

In a multicultural, multi-ethnic society like the United States, managers and leaders are confronted with a variety of unique challenges by virtue of leading diverse teams, whether in terms of demographics and federally protected classes, or simply diversity of thought and experience. In this lecture, Jones condenses the communication skills used by effective leaders into a set of skills that anyone can master. Relied on by U.S. military senior leadership, members of the diplomatic corps and multinational business leaders, these skills remove diversity barriers, accelerate performance and reduce interpersonal conflict.

Jones is a lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School where he teaches leadership and high-performance DEI, and he is a principal at CulturePoint, L.L.C.

Registration is now open for trivia and dodgeball homecoming events.

Trivia will take place at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms. Teams can be up to eight members and question categories will resemble sections of a news broadcast such as sports, weather and entertainment. Registration can be found here.

Dodgeball will take place at 2:45 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Student Recreation Center multipurpose gym. Teams can be six-10 members and REC dodgeball guidelines will be used. Registration can be found here.

Anyone with a team is welcome to participate. Links to register are also available in the Homecoming Instagram bio.

Truman’s Sustainability Month is underway with several events taking place throughout the month. Since at least 2018, the Sustainability Office has led events in both fall and spring celebrating the environment and spreading awareness. This is the second time the office has put on a full month of sustainable events for fall semester, rather than just a week. The theme this semester is “Small Actions, Big Impact.” At the end of the month, the office will host an afternoon with organizations from campus and the wider community during Sustainability Fest from 3-5 p.m. Oct. 27 in front of the Student Union Building.

Stargazers Open House
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 16
Farm Observatory

Slacklining
4:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 17
Quad

Slacklining
4:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 19
Quad

Farmer’s Market
7 a.m.-12 p.m.
Oct. 21
Downtown Square

Hike with TruOutdoors
1:30 p.m.
Oct. 22
Meet in rec parking lot to carpool

Stargazers Open House
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23
Farm Observatory

Slacklining
4:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 24
Quad

Slacklining
4:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 26
Quad

Rave to the Grave
10 p.m.
Oct. 27
Phi Lambda Phi Pavilion

Sustainability Fest and Clothing Swap
3-5:30 p.m.
Oct. 27
In front of SUB

Hike with TruOutdoors
1:30 p.m.
Oct. 29
Meet in rec parking lot to carpool

Stargazers Open House
7:30 p.m.
Slacklining
4:30-6 p.m.
Oct. 31
Quad

Pumpkin Composting & Battery Drive
12-4 p.m.
Nov. 4
Centennial Hall parking lot

Short sleeve shirts are $10 ($13 for 2X and 3X)
Long sleeve shirts are $15 ($18 for $2X and $3X)

Orders will be available for pick up from the Union & Involvement Services Office (SUB 2000) starting the week of Oct. 9. Shipped orders will also begin processing that week. Any orders placed after Oct. 16 cannot be guaranteed to arrive by Homecoming Saturday.

Any questions should be directed to homecoming@truman.edu.

An event in the Professional Development Series hosted by the Education Department in partnership with the Regional Professional Development Center will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 via Zoom.

This session will be led by Lori Pinkston and is focused on what has to be learned and accomplished in the first four years of obtaining a teaching certification.

This workshop is open to any current students or alumni. A Zoom link will be sent on the day of the event to those who RSVP by Oct. 24.

Center for International Students is hosting International Education week Oct. 23-27. Students should follow the CIS Instagram page for updated event information. Events are open to all students.

International Dance Class
4:30-7 p.m.
Oct. 23
Student Union Building Georgian Room C

Stories from Around the World
5:30 p.m.
Oct. 25
Location to be determined

Party at the Ihouse
5-7 p.m.
Oct. 27
Ihouse located at 111 East Patterson Street.

International Drinks
Oct. 23-27
2-4 p.m.
Center for International Students Office

The Truman State University Board of Governors is beginning the search for its next student representative.

The Board of Governors is the University’s highest policy making body, charged with the important role of setting policy and providing guidance for the University. The student representative is a non-voting member of the board who voices student interests and opinions relating to issues the board votes on.

Information on how to apply can be found at senate.truman.edu/application, or by reading through the application packet here. All applications will be due electronically to studentgovernment@truman.edu by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 27. Any questions can be directed to Ella Schnake, the current student representative, at ers6535@truman.edu.

Any student with an interest in Chinese language, Asian studies or foreign languages can take CHIN 101 in the spring semester.

This course will be taught by Hui-Chiao “Sally” Wang, an experienced Chinese-language educator from Taiwan and this year’s Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) grantee. With a deep understanding of Chinese culture and extensive experience in language education, Wang is dedicated to enriching students’ learning experiences. Under her guidance students will not only develop essential language skills, but also gain a profound appreciation for Chinese culture.
 
CHIN 101 offers students an excellent chance to develop linguistic and cultural proficiency, preparing them for success in the interconnected world and unlocking numerous career opportunities in their future.

This year’s Homecoming honorees:

• Alumna of the Year: Susan Plassmeyer
• Young Alumna of the Year: Angela Crawford
• Distinguished Services: Marianna Giovannini and Bertha Thomas
• Parade Grand Marshal: President Emeritus Jack Magruder
• Denise L. Smith Volunteer of the Year: Brad L. Borgstede

Truman’s AAUP chapter recently conducted its annual State of the University Survey with additional questions about the new reorganization plan, chair policy and recent technology issues. Complete survey results were emailed to faculty and administration Oct. 16. AAUP is hosting a town hall meeting to discuss the results of the State of the University Survey after the Board of Governors meeting at 3 p.m. Oct. 20 in Violette Hall 1000. For more information, visit aaup.truman.edu.

Get Help: IT Service Center
The IT Service Center has combined the IT Call Center, Help Desk and Telephone Services into a one-stop location to better serve faculty, staff and students. The IT Service Center provides the following services and more:
• Walk-in and call-in technical support for all Truman equipment, software and technology service requests
• Truman Wireless configuration
• Laptop checkout and reservations
• Password reset and user account configuration
• Student personal computer/mobile device support (network connectivity, mapping network drives and printers, etc.)

Submit a Ticket for Help
Call, drop-in at Picker Memorial Library 203, or use the convenient self-service web portal (just log-in with Truman credentials in the upper-right corner, then click “New Ticket” to submit a request for assistance).

Call the IT Service Center
• Call Center – 660.785.4544
• Campus Operator – 660.785.4000

Get Notified About any Service Disruptions
Service Notes are used to notify users when there is a service disruption on campus. Click here to sign up to receive Service Notes automatically via email.

Training Resources Available
The ITS Training Site has training and support information for:
• Technology tools used to help maintain academic integrity (abiding by copyright & FERPA, avoiding plagiarism and other helpful information).
• Tools for Learning Online – Technology and computer skills, as well as other tips, to ensure success.
• Truman licensed and specialty software, as well as education/flex tools, Zoom information, and SMARTBoard resources, among other information.
1. Brightspace maintains a Playlist for Learners on YouTube
2. Brightspace’s documentation website for Learners
3. Brightspace FAQs for Students
Brightspace Resources for Faculty
1. Brightspace Live Chat (available 24/7)
2. Brightspace User Guide/Documentation (text format)
3. Truman’s Brightspace Training Page
Resources for Electronic Mail
• Duo Multi-factor Authentication
• Helpful Tips on Setting up Microsoft 365 Outlook
• Training Resources for Microsoft 365 Outlook
• Frequently Asked Questions about Duo and M365

All students in need of financial assistance are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Federal Student Aid is the largest provider of financial aid for college students in the United States.

Normally, this process opens in October, however, this year the Department of Education is in the process of simplifying the FAFSA. As a result, applications are not expected to open until December 2023 at a date to be determined.

Changes to the 2024-25 FAFSA process will include a reduction in the number of questions, as well as required consent to import tax information. Students should be prepared to complete the FAFSA as soon as it becomes available in order to determine Title IV federal aid eligibility (Pell Grant, SEOG, TEACH, Work Study, Stafford Direct Loans, PLUS Loan). FAFSA results are also needed for some other federal, state, University and private programs.

Details about the FAFSA can be found online at studentaid.gov. The 2024-25 FAFSA will use 2022 tax year information with a priority deadline of Feb. 1 for Missouri residents.

Truman’s Financial Aid Office is currently working on details of when aid offers will be available for students. This year it will most likely be March for incoming freshmen and April for current students.          

For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office at 660.785.4130 or finaid@truman.edu. The Financial Aid Office website also has a variety of helpful resources for students and their families.

The Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Oct. 20 in the Student Union Building Conference Room.