Vol. 22 No. 19 - January 29, 2018

The spring study abroad ambassadors from left to right: Aurora Chen, Delani Carani, Leah Baird and Lauren Kammerer.

Four students will serve as the new study abroad ambassadors for the spring 2018 semester.

Aurora Chen, Delani Carani, Leah Baird and Lauren Kammerer will be sharing their experiences as well as helping other students get started on their own study abroad journeys.

To contact the study abroad ambassadors, visit studyabroad.truman.edu/spring-2018. For more information, contact the Center for International Education Abroad at ciea@truman.edu or 660.785.4076.

Truman’s symphony orchestra, conducted by Sam McClure, will be performing in concert at 8 p.m. Feb. 3 in Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall.

The orchestra will be joined by six musicians from Boccherini and Puccini Conservatories in Italy. Puccini Conservatory faculty members Fabrizio Merlini, viola, and Federico Rovini, piano, will perform as soloists in music by Rolla and Chopin. Students and faculty from both Truman and Italy will perform the “Chamber Symphony No. 1” by Arnold Schoenberg. The program will conclude with the “Romanian Rhapsody No. 1” by Enescu. The concert is free and open to the public.

Merlini graduated under the guidance of Piero Farulli with honors. Subsequently, he took specialization courses with Bruno Giuranna and Dino Asciolla in Città di Castello, Portogruaro and at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena where he was awarded with the Diploma of Merit. He has been awarded in numerous national and international competitions including ARAM, Bordeaux and twice in Vittorio Veneto. As a member of the Orion Piano Quartet, Merlini was regularly invited to host concerts and master classes in Japan for many years. Since 2000, he has been part of the string quartet Elisa with whom he has toured in Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United States, Japan and for the main Italian concert companies. He teaches at the Conservatory of La Spezia.

After graduating magna cum laude and with a special mention, Rovini continued his studies with Bruno Canino and Martha del Vecchio at the Chigiana Academy in Siena. During this time, he received his Certificate of Merit for an international improvement course and studied composition with Gaetano Giani-Luporini and Luciano Damarati. As a soloist and a chamber musician, he has played as a guest for the most important musical associations and institutions in Italy. He has taught at the officially recognized Music Institute in Teramo, at the conservatories of Sassari and Cagliari and now is teaching at the La Spezia Conservatory where he became vice director in 2004 and director in 2014.

This performance is sponsored by the University Department of Music.

The Golden Dragon Acrobats will return to Kirksville for the final Kohlenberg Lyceum Series show of the season at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in Baldwin Auditorium.

The Broadway veterans hail from Cangzhou, Hebei province in China and have toured the United States continuously since 1978. Its members are athletes, actors and artists who have studied and trained for their craft since early childhood. Representing a time-honored tradition that began more than 25 centuries ago, the Golden Dragons utilize award-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present a show of breathtaking skill and beauty.

Tickets will be on sale starting Feb. 2 and may be purchased online at lyceum.truman.edu or at Edna Campbells in downtown Kirksville. They will also be available between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Truman cashier’s window, located on the first floor of McClain Hall. All tickets are $5.50 (includes tax).

Questions regarding the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series can be directed to pr@truman.edu or 660.785.4016. More information on the Golden Dragon Acrobats is available at goldendragonacrobats.com.

Truman’s forensic union (speech and debate team) sent two speech competitors to compete at the Iowa Swing tournament, hosted by Simpson College and the University of Northern Iowa during the weekend of Jan. 20-21. Both students made final rounds, and sophomore Austin Sopko earned second place in individual sweepstakes for the whole weekend.  
 
At the Simpson Storm half of the tournament, which took place on day one, Sopko reached finals in all four of his events: dramatic interpretation, impromptu speaking, persuasive speaking and poetry interpretation. He would go on to place sixth in drama, fifth in poetry, fifth in persuasion and second in impromptu speaking. For day one, Sopko was named third in individual sweepstakes.
 
At the Bill Henderson Invitational half of the tournament on day two, first-year Travis Stahlman reached his first final round in college forensics, placing seventh in informative speaking. Sopko continued his streak of success and once again reached finals in all four events, a perfect record for the weekend. He would go on to place fifth in dramatic interpretation, fourth in poetry interpretation, second in impromptu speaking and second in persuasive speaking. Sopko was named second in individual sweepstakes for the day and was shortly after announced as second in individual sweepstakes for the whole two-day tournament.
 
Participation in the forensics program is open to any Truman student in good standing, regardless of prior speech and debate experience.  For more information on how to get involved, visit forensics.truman.edu, contact Christopher Outzen, director of individual events, or Craig Hennigan, assistant director of forensics.

The Ophelia Parrish Building as it appeared in 1929. Originally constructed in 1923, the building received major expansions in 1939 and 2002. Photo courtesy of the Pickler Memorial Library Special Collections Department.

Today, the Ophelia Parrish Building is Truman’s cultural hub, serving as the home of the art, music and theatre programs. One of the oldest edifices on campus, it has served a few distinct roles for the University since its construction, and it continues to honor its namesake more than a century after her passing.

Ophelia Parrish was the first faculty appointment made by University president John R. Kirk when he named her supervisor of the demonstration school. This was an elementary school operated on campus by the faculty as a practice school for its student teachers. In 1903, when the decision was made to consolidate all the departmental libraries into one central college library, the Board of Regents selected Parrish as the first full-time librarian and gave her the assignment of organizing the new facility.

Parrish passed away in 1915, and when a new model school was built in 1923 it was fittingly named in her honor.

By 1939, the building was expanded to include a gymnasium and library, which served it well when it was eventually converted to the local junior high school. Later, Truman conducted classes in “OP” for years before eventually renovating and expanding it again in 2002. Among the additions included with that particular project were the University Art Gallery, the 240-seat James G. Severns Theater and the 500-seat Performance Hall.

A more complete biography for Parrish can be found online at library.truman.edu/archives/biographies/parrish.asp. Details on additional buildings are available at truman.edu/about/our-campus/facilities.

Phi Beta Lambda will be hosting their first open meeting 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 in Violette Hall 1146.

The meeting will offer a workshop on techniques to design business cards. This workshop will include information on content, text placement and color schemes. Attendees will be given time to start designing their own business card and receive feedback from others.

Phi Beta Lambda is the career prep organization on-campus. They assist members in broadening their perspectives on different lines of employment and in gaining skills to pay the bills. For more information, email pbltruman@gmail.com.

The Truman Upward Bound project is currently seeking academic coaches to travel to area high schools and provide tutoring on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. This paid position provides a high-impact learning experience that will help upper level Truman students gain valuable on the job training, build their resume and develop non-cognitive skills necessary for future employment. Applications can be filled out under the employment opportunities link at ub.truman.edu.

Positive Peers is a new mental wellness support group on campus. Facilitators have been trained on how to lead a peer-to-peer support group by Joe Hamilton, University Counseling Services assistant director and counselor.

Positive Peers is a mental wellness support group for Truman State University students seeking increased peer support for their mental health and wellness. Positive Peers welcomes students currently in distress as well as students seeking to prevent distress. Facilitators are not counselors and cannot provide professional advice. Students in need of professional support should contact University Counseling Services at 660.785.4014. Facilitators will serve as discussion-leaders, providing the group with structure, a safe space to support one another, and referrals to outside sources if need-be.

Potential benefits of joining a support group:
 - Reducing stress
 - Feeling less lonely, isolated or judged
 - Gaining a sense of empowerment and control
 - Improving coping skills and sense of adjustment
 - Talking openly and honestly about your feelings
 - Gaining peer advice
 - Increased social connections, both in number and in depth

For more information about Positive Peers: Mental Wellness Support Group, email Alex Frogge at alf6361@truman.edu or attend one of their two informational meetings at 6 p.m. Jan. 31 in Magruder Hall or 6 p.m. Feb. 1 in Magruder Hall 2050.

Slam poet Porsha Olayiwola will perform at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in the Student Union Building Hub.

Olayiwola is the 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam champion and 2015 National Poetry Slam champion. She bested more than 70 of the highest ranked slam poets in the world to earn these titles and is now one of the most sought after spoken word artists on the national circuit.

A native of Chicago, Olayiwola now resides in Boston where she organizes, writes and teaches. She separates herself from the field of issue-based performance poets by applying advanced political analysis to examine injustice while providing perspective on concrete solutions.

The Multicultural Affairs Center will be providing a workshop with Olayiwola following her performance at 8:30 p.m.

Alpha Phi Omega and Beta Beta Beta are co-sponsoring a blood drive Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms. There is an urgent need for all blood types. Donors will receive a free T-shirt. For more information, click here.

A newly established $5,000 bonus will be awarded to current college sophomores who can pass the challenge of attending cadet basic training.

The U.S. Army is looking for the best and brightest college students in the country to lead America’s soldiers as they conduct operations around the world, from relief efforts in Puerto Rico to combat operations in the middle east. They are seeking college sophomores to join the ROTC and attend basic camp in Fort Knox this summer. Upon successful completion of basic camp, students would be contracted and paid a $5,000 signing bonus.

Upon graduation of college, cadets who have successfully completed the military science requirements will receive a position as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. The cadet may elect to be part of the regular Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. The wide range of jobs and occupations within the Army requires it to recruit officers from all degree fields.

Interested college sophomores should contact Truman's Army ROTC department at 660.785.4451. They can visit goarmy.com/rotc or text “ROTCBONUS” to 462769.

Ekklesia Campus Ministry will host a screening of “The Case for Christ” at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 in Baldwin Hall Little Theatre. The film is based on Lee Strobel’s award-winning bestselling book and stars Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway and Robert Forster.

Abstract: A hard-driving journalist, Lee Strobel was exactly where he expected to be at work: on top. His award-winning investigative reporting recently earned him a promotion to legal editor at the Chicago Tribune. However, things weren’t going nearly as well at home where his wife Leslie’s newfound faith in Christ went against everything Lee believed—or didn’t believe—as an avowed atheist. Utilizing his journalistic and legal training, Lee begins a quest to debunk the claims of Christianity in order to save his crumbling marriage. Chasing down the biggest story of his career, Lee comes face-to-face with unexpected results that could change everything he knows to be true.

Junior Paige Becher is the Center for International Education Abroad February student of the month.

During the fall 2017 semester, Becher studied abroad at Bond University in Australia. The university is located on the Gold Coast of Queensland, which is world renowned for its magnificent beaches, parks, rainforests and mountain ranges. Aside from the beautiful location, Becher also loved being abroad because she was able to meet new people from all over the globe.

To learn more about Becher’s program, visit ccisabroad.org/programs/bond-university-australia.

“Quantum Mechanics: What is it Good For?”
Michael Goggin, professor of physics
7 p.m.
Feb. 6
Magruder Hall 1000

Presentation Abstract: Quantum mechanics is notorious for being weird and non-intuitive. It is perhaps surprising then that it is also a powerful tool. A quantum computer has the potential to solve problems that are beyond the capability of any classical computer that could be built. Quantum cryptography is a method for encoding messages in such a way that is, in principle, unbreakable. Both of these technological advances take advantage of the “weirdness” of quantum phenomena.

Truman’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi will again conduct Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sessions in February and March. The VITA program provides free income tax assistance to students and the community. All volunteers are IRS certified, and most returns qualify for electronic filing for a faster return.

This year VITA sessions will be by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled beginning Feb. 2. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, email VITA@truman.edu, call 660.785.6064 or visit vita.truman.edu.

Sessions will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on the following dates in Violette Hall:

Feb. 17

Feb. 24

March 3

March 24

Truman, in partnership with the Wiesbaden School of Business in Germany, offers a unique student exchange program that allows Truman students to take business courses while abroad. Located in the heart of the Rhine-Maine area, one of Europe’s most dynamic business and cultural centers, the Wiesbaden School of Business offers courses in: business administration; international business; accounting and taxation law; and insurance and finance. German language courses at all levels are also available. All business courses are taught in English.

Being an exchange program, students will pay Truman tuition directly to Truman. This makes payment easy and affordable. Students are responsible for paying Wiesbaden University directly for all housing costs. There are two dormitories in Wiesbaden to pick from as well as the option of making private accommodations.

To apply, fill out a Truman online application and send a statement of purpose, official transcripts, a copy of passport and two letters of recommendation to the Study Abroad Office in Baldwin Hall 106.

For more information, contact the Center for International Education Abroad, Baldwin Hall 106, 660.785.4076, ciea@truman.edu.

The University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Student Union Building Conference Room.