Vol. 23 No. 8 - Oct. 8, 2018

 
Truman has launched an updated virtual tour of campus at tour.truman.edu.
 
Prospective students, alumni and friends of the University are encouraged to explore the guided virtual tour of Truman’s campus. A series of videos by current students, faculty and staff lead the visitor through a guided tour of the University, showcasing different elements of the campus and community on each stop. The narrations are coupled with photographs showing activities that students engage in at each location and 360-degree photographs of the spaces.
 
In addition to the tour, visitors can find buttons to share tour stops on social media and request further information about the University.
The Office of Admission and the Public Relations Office would like the following people who provided their time to assist in the launch of this project.

Shari Fieser, Ruth W. Towne Museum and Visitors Center
Janes Dreamweaver, Student Recreation Center
Marina Fanning, McClain Hall
Randy Bame, Baldwin Hall
Maha Mohammad, Diversity and Inclusion
Camila Leiva, International Education
Ally Holloway, Ophelia Parrish
Zac Burden, Residence Halls
AJ DeVecchi, Campus Dining
Ted Frushour, Kirk Building
Dan Borelli, Quad
Mae Kinkade, Pickler Memorial Library
Ray Stewart, Student Union
Dave Lusk, Internship and Career Preparation
Jack Carnduff, Magruder Hall
Alice Davis, McKinney Center
Remy McClain, Violette Hall
Bhavana Yerragunta, Pershing Building
Emily Alves, Health Sciences
Kayla Carroll-Seuferling, Barnett Hall
Bobby Campbell, Athletics
Morgan Britnell, University Farm
Monica Hunter, Kirksville Community
Greg Marshall, Web Development
Richie Howell, Video Production
Ryan Ball, Video Production
Tim Barcus, Video Production

This year, Homecoming will bring together students, families, friends and the community to celebrate inclusion.

The Homecoming kick-off celebration will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 10 on the quad, complete with a cornhole tournament, free food and live music provided by American Basswood, Khan Queso, and Wobbly Goats. The rest of the week will be filled with events including Second City Improv All-Stars, Bulldog Scavenger Hunt, lipsync and skit, 5k, parade, pep rally and football game.

The theme of this year’s Homecoming is “The Bulldog Effect,” derived from the butterfly effect. At Truman, it is believed that small changes make a difference. This year’s theme was created to make Homecoming the most inclusive to date, changing from the traditional team structure to tiers of involvement. This year’s philanthropies – the I Think I Can Foundation and the Oasis Program through United Way – also support the idea of the Bulldog Effect.

The I Think I Can Foundation mission is to provide basic needs and opportunities to the children in the Kirksville R-III School District who otherwise cannot provide for themselves. The program allows students to bring home meals regardless the time of year. Over long school breaks, students are given a grocery store gift card so that no child will be hungry. The foundation has also given students the opportunity to purchase a book at book fairs and to pick out birthday treats from the school pantry to bring to their classmates.

The Oasis Program through United Way utilizes volunteers to read to children in addition to providing one-on-one help. Volunteers commit one hour of their week to students who need the extra help. Community members can volunteer to help students who are enrolled in the program. While it already exists in the Kirksville area, the Oasis Program is looking to expand to the rest of the Adair County school districts.

A list of student homecoming events can be found here.

In addition to the following honorees, banquet ceremonies will also include recognition of the Alumni Chapter of the Year and the Golden Alumni. For more information on the alumni being highlighted during the banquet, visit the Homecoming Honorees website.

Distinguished Service Award
Doug Villhard (’94)
Villhard is a successful St. Louis entrepreneur, founder, investor and philanthropist who actively manages, invests and serves on the boards of for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations. Villhard has offered his passion and skills as an “entrepreneurial thinker” to Truman in recent years by founding the Bulldog B.I.T.E. Business Pitch Competition, encouraging a continual commitment to innovation while serving on the President’s Advisory Council and teaching a new course this spring entitled “The Art (and Science) of Entrepreneurial Thinking,” which includes a field trip for students to visit the local startup community in St. Louis. In his college days, Villhard was the first inductee to Truman’s Student Hall of Fame. His accomplishments as a student included being selected to serve on the Student Activities Board, elected to the executive council of Lambda Chi Alpha, selected as chairman of Greek Week, working as a weekly columnist for the Index, being hired as executive producer of the student-run television station, serving as a student ambassador and being voted the Journalism Student of the Year by faculty in 1994. He met his wife Diane (’95) at Truman during this time as well. In 1995, Villhard started his career at Disney at the dawn of the Internet age. He took those skills and has since started and sold several technology companies, including MaxPreps.com (a high school sports site now owned by CBS). Villhard is currently the co-founder and CEO of Second Street whose “Engagement Platform” (contests, promotions, interactive content and email) is licensed by more than 3,000 media companies across the United States, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, FOX, CBS and Disney. In recent years, Villhard founded a private equity firm, Villhard Growth Partners, through which to acquire technology and media companies including Digital Dental, and he is a recent investor in St. Louis Magazine. In addition to his undergraduate communication degree at Truman, Villhard has a master’s degree from Boston University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. The Villhard’s live in the St. Louis area with their four children. They are proud to have given back to their local community by founding Father McGivney Catholic High School, which is now in its seventh year and has graduated three classes of seniors with generations more to follow.

Naomal “Vid” Vidyasagara (’92)
Vidyasagara works as an IT manager, specializing in cyber security, at Honeywell. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Truman and attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where he obtained a Master of Business Administration. While at Truman, Vidyasagara represented Israel, Cote d’Ivoire and Iran as a member of Truman’s three winning U.N. delegations at the Midwest Model United Nations. He was president of the International Club, elected to the Student Senate to represent the class of graduating seniors, a resident advisor in Missouri Hall and also worked for the University’s Upward Bound program as an academic counselor and mathematics tutor. After serving a six-year term on Truman’s Alumni Board, Vidyasagara remains an advocate of the University as the president of the Arizona Alumni Chapter. He met his wife Pasanthi at Truman, and they now reside in Phoenix.

Auditions for the Fall Directors’ Showcase will take place at 5 p.m. Oct. 8 in the Black Box Theatre, Ophelia Parrish 2302.

Nine new directors will be looking for actors for the showcase, which runs Dec. 6-8 in the Severns Theatre. Actors should prepare 60 seconds of material that shows how they move and talk. Examples include: reciting a list of their best jokes, doing a dramatic reading of a Drake song, performing a monologue, doing yoga while reciting a roommate’s annoying morning routine, etc. Ultimately, interested actors need to do something that will grab the directors’ attention and make them remember the actor’s performance.

On each night of the final performances, the directing class presents a different set of one act plays written by some of the best playwrights from around the country. The following plays will be featured:  

“The Man Who Couldn’t Dance”
By: Jason Katims
Directed By: Julie Amuedo
Eric, Gail’s old boyfriend, visits for dinner and meets Gail’s baby. What ensues is a discussion about their past relationship, how they’ve come to where they are now, and why Eric can’t dance.

“Space”
By: Laura Jacqmin
Directed By: Natalie Cohen
A couple fights to be together when more than just space separates them.

“Feeding the Moonfish”
By: Barbara Wiechmann
Directed By: Nick Frost
Two co-workers form an unlikely bond amid tragedy, hope and the talking fish.

“Dog Park or Sexual Perversity in Magnuson”
By: Dennis Schebetta
Directed By: Cat McMahan
It’s a dog eat dog world. Four dogs living life in Magnuson.

“Still Life”
By: Seth Kramer
Directed By: Amanda Morris
One year after a fire injures Michelle’s hands and destroys her artwork, David tries to help her cope and adjust.

“Please Have a Seat and Someone Will Be With You Shortly”
By: Garth Wingfield
Directed By: Julie Noringriis
Two almost strangers initiate an awkward conversation in their psychologist’s waiting room.

“The Future is in Your Tiny Hands”
By: Jonathan Rand
Directed By: Rachel Seabaugh
Kaitlyn Parker and Eddie Grantwood square off for the political debate of the century: student president of their elementary school.

“Medea”
By: Christopher Durang
Directed By: Cameron Smith
In an Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Broadway production of “The Trojan Women,” the cast become confused and find their way into actually performing the ancient story of Medea.

“On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning”
By: Alex Dremann
Directed By: Joel Wilper
A mother and daughter sit on their porch sipping coffee, but shortly disclose that they are both actually assassins, and each has been hired to kill the other.

This festival is a result of Truman’s Play Direction course and is required of all theatre majors in order to graduate. As the final assignment each student is required to direct a one-act play. The plays had to be published within the last 80 years, between 10 and 30 minutes in length and without heavy scenic, costume, light or sound effects. These final productions represent a synthesis of numerous concepts explored in the course of the semester. Students explored composition and picturization techniques, scene analysis, how to develop a directorial approach, methods on how to work with actors, etc. For more information, contact David Charles Goyette, assistant professor of theatre.

Orders can be placed online or on campus at the Center for Student Involvement in the Student Union Building. Contact homecoming@truman.edu with any questions.

Bulldog fans are invited to attend the Homecoming Tailgate from 11 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Oct. 13 in lots 23 and 34. Review the Homecoming Tailgate Policies prior to the event.

Those with reservations will be allowed in the lot after 9 a.m. Bulldog fans without reservations will be allowed access following the Homecoming Parade, around 11 a.m. Non-reserved space at the tailgate will be first-come, first-served. In the event of inclement weather, the rain site will be the Student Union Building.

For any questions contact Jordan Smith, coordinator of alumni relations, or the Office of Advancement, 660.785.4167.

The School of Arts and Letters will host the Missouri Egyptological Symposium from 6-8:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in Ophelia Parrish 2210. Students from Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Kansas, Missouri State University, the Kansas City Art Institute and Truman will present papers regarding their current research on ancient Egypt. It will be a chance to explore the variety of approaches scholars take in their study of a fascinating culture. There will be art historians, archaeologists, historians, and language specialists among the presenters. For more information, contact Sara Orel.

The History Department and Pickler Memorial Library will be co-hosting Christopher Alan Gordon on “A Dramatic Turning Point: St. Louis 1849” Oct. 11 in Baldwin Hall 201. Gordon is director of library and collections for the Missouri Historical Society and his lecture will examine the impact the cholera epidemic and Great Fire of 1849 had on the inhabitants of St. Louis and the future of the city. Gordon’s recently-published book, “Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis, 1849,” will be on sale at the lecture and he will be available to sign copies.

Barbara Carle will present “Poetry Between Languages,” a reading and explication of poetry published bilingually in English and Italian, at 5 p.m. Oct. 11 in Magruder Hall 1090. Carle, professor of Italian at the University of California Sacramento, is an award-winning poet and translator of poetry. This event is sponsored by the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and the Department of English.

The honorary fraternity Pi Delta Phi will host a reception for potential new members from 3:30-5 p.m. Oct. 11 in Baldwin Hall 308. The French faculty of Truman will be there for French majors and interested potential majors to answer any questions and gain interest in the organization. Contact Betty McLane-Iles for more information.

The National Education Association will host a Trunk or Treat event from 3:30-6 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Patterson event parking lot.

Trunk or treat events provide a safe, efficient way for individuals to get candy, saving trick-or-treaters (mostly young children and adults with special needs) from going door-to-door in the dark and knocking on the doors of strangers.

This event is open to both student organizations and academic departments. Participants will decorate the trunk of a vehicle and pass out candy to trick-or-treaters. A prize will be given to the fan-favorite trunk. Vehicle trunks can be decorated based on the organization or department, the Halloween holiday or any other family friendly ideas.

Registration is due by Oct. 13. Click here to register.

The Truman chapter of the Association of American University Professors will host a meeting at 3 p.m. Oct. 15 in Baldwin Hall 100. For more information, visit the website, Facebook page or contact chapter president Marc Rice. The meeting will be open to all faculty members.

The informational meeting Cookies and Cognitive Science will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 in Violette Hall 1208 for students and faculty who are interested in the minor. Students and faculty will learn about classes that count towards the minor, what spring 2019 classes are offered and answer any questions that may be had. This event is open to the Truman community.

Antonio Scuderi and Carlo Annelli, professors of Italian, will host a media-rich presentation at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in Baldwin Hall 256 on the artistry of one of Italy’s most iconic filmmakers, Federico Fellini.

The film series “Germany Between Worlds” will continue at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 in Baldwin Hall 102. Sponsored by the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, the series shows the global impact that people have regardless of nationality. The films show and promote intercultural connections and understanding through discovery, conflict and outreach. The remaining films will feature a group of German soldiers in Afghanistan, “Between Worlds,” and a young German woman visiting Japan, “Greetings from Fukushima.” The series is open to the Truman community. All films are in German and will have English subtitles.

First Gen United will be hosting informational and social events geared toward helping first-generation students. The meetings will feature a variety of departments to speak at the informationals. All of the events will be open to both first-generation supporters and first-generation students themselves.

Sweet Home Alabama: Let’s Talk About Going Home
7 p.m.
Oct. 24
Centennial Hall Conference Room

How To Finals! Road to Success and the Pit Stops
Nov. 14
7 p.m.
Centennial Hall Conference Room

Holiday Festivities/Secret Santa
Dec. 5
7 p.m.
Centennial Hall Conference Room

The University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Student Union Building Conference Room.

A total of 11 Bulldog softball players received the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Easton Scholar-Athlete Honors for the 2017-18 academic year. The athlete-scholars include Adrienne Compton, Riley Cook, Jamie Fowle, Alyssa Hajduk, Morgan McMahan, Michaela Mooney, Ashley Murph, Kadie Orenstein, Kayla Quanstrum, Christa Reisinger and Alyssa Rivera. Truman softball student-athletes were part of 129 total honorees from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).

H. David Wohlers, professor of emeritus, traveled to Princeton University to attend the Inclusion in Science, Learning a New Direction (ISLAND 2018) conference, where he presented “Teaching Introductory Chemistry Laboratory Courses to Blind Students at Truman State University,” Sept. 15.


H. David Wohlers presented “Teaching Introductory Chemistry Laboratory Courses to Blind Students at Truman State University" at Princeton University.

The Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships are now accepting applications through Dec. 5. This program recognizes and rewards students ages 5-25 who have made a significant impact in the fight against hunger in the United States. Winners receive a $5,000 scholarship plus a $5,000 grant for their hunger-related charity of choice. Visit HelpStopHunger.org for application details. Each national scholarship recipient is recognized at the annual Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Dinner in June in Washington, D.C.