Vol. 23 No. 17 - Jan. 14, 2019

Rich Rose

The Kohlenberg Lyceum Series will present a live radio theatre-style production of “Steel Magnolias” at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 in Baldwin Auditorium.

Performed by L.A. Theatre Works (LATW), this unique rendition will feature the actors directing their dialogue to the audience and include costumes, live sound effects and small sets that create an intimate experience.

Strong as steel, delicate as magnolias, the six women of Chinquapin, La., face life’s ups and downs together in this beloved comedy/drama based upon Robert Harlings’ play written in 1987. Audiences will be pulled into the walls of Truvy’s beauty shop in the deep Bayou of Louisiana and will find a tightly knit band of friends confronting grief, loss, life’s unforeseen tragedies and heartaches with what they do best: gossiping and sharing. At turns both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, “Steel Magnolias” reveals the strength of the human condition and the shared need for companionship.

For more than 25 years, LATW has been the foremost radio company in the United States. It is broadcast on NPR, internationally on the BBC and on The Beijing Radio Network. For more, visit latw.org.

Tickets for “Steel Magnolias” are $10 each, including tax. They can be purchased at the cashier window in McClain Hall, at Edna Campbells in downtown Kirksville or online at lyceum.truman.edu. If tickets are still available on the day of the performance, they can be purchased at Baldwin Hall Auditorium 30 minutes before the start of the show. For more information, call 660.785.4016.

Students who received a grade point average of 3.5 or better during the fall semester can now find their honor roll information posted online.

The President’s List, for students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, can be accessed at truman.edu/honors/fall-2018-presidents-list. The Vice President for Academic Affairs’ List, featuring students with a grade point average between 3.50-3.99, can be found at truman.edu/honors/fall-2018-vice-president-for-academic-affairs-list. To qualify for either list, a student must be an undergraduate and complete at least 12 hours of credit during the semester.

Social media buttons on both pages make it easy for students and parents to share this accomplishment with friends and family.

Students who have requested a directory hold on their information will not be included on a list. Any questions regarding student eligibility for either list can be directed to the Academic Affairs Office at 660.785.4105.

The University Observatory will host a special open house starting at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 20 for the lunar eclipse.

The eclipse should begin around 9:33 p.m., but the moon will be completely eclipsed only around 10.41 p.m. The total eclipse ends around 11.43 p.m., with the partial eclipse ending at 12:50 a.m.

Weather permitting, the special open house will start at 8:30 p.m. and last through midnight at the Observatory located at the University Farm. The Stargazers astronomy club will set up telescopes and binoculars at the Observatory. Apart from looking at the moon, they will point the scope to other interesting objects in the sky such as star clusters and nebulae.

Attendees are encouraged to bring coats, sweaters and blankets.

Eighteen new scholars were officially inducted into the Truman McNair Program, Dec. 9. The prestigious program is funded through the U.S. Department of Education with the goal of removing barriers to graduate degree attainment. The inductees are: Noah Anderson, physics; Kyiah Bell, health science; Ulysses Butler, computer science; Sierra Clark, political science; Jeremy Freese, psychology; McKenzie Garner, French and linguistics; Sadeja Harper, health science; Lydia Helfrich, psychology; Kay McNeary, biology; Madison Miller, physics; Abby Moreno, studio art; Elva Moreno Del Rio, English; Jayla Simms, psychology; Alyssa Soles, biology; Alyssa Tipler, biochemistry; Tori Tyler, music education; Shannon Washington, psychology; and Tre’Andice Williams, biology.


The program also celebrated two McNair Scholars who graduated in December 2018. Marquita Cooper, psychology, (above left) and Maha Mohamed, health science, have both have completed applications for graduate study and are waiting for news from the programs in the spring.

Truman has published the names of students who graduated during December commencement.

The University conducted graduation ceremonies Dec. 15. The names of the graduates can be found online at truman.edu/honors/fall-2018-graduation-list.

Students who graduated with honors will have that distinction noted by their names. Cum laude recognizes those who earned a grade point average between 3.50-3.74. Magna cum laude is for graduates with a grade point average between 3.75-3.89. Summa cum laude honors graduates with a grade point average above 3.9.

Master’s degree recipients will have that distinction noted by their names.

The list is organized by state and hometown. Hometowns are based upon the permanent address given to the University by the student. Students who have requested a directory hold on their information will not be included on the list. Any questions regarding student eligibility for inclusion on the list can be directed to the Registrar’s Office at 660.785.4143.

Justin Jarvis (left) and Sarah Mohler (center) accept their Academic Innovation Awards from Janet Gooch, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Justin Jarvis, assistant professor of economics, and Sarah Mohler, assistant professor of English, each earned the fall 2018 Academic Innovation Award.

Jarvis was recognized for, Collective Communism in the Classroom, which helps students visualize the inner workings of the free market by participating in a simulation economy in the classroom. The simulation did not rely on the typical supply and demand market processes; rather, students had to collectively decide on quantities and thus learned firsthand how difficult that procedure was.

Mohler won for, Fostering Emotional Well-Being and Deeper Literary Analysis Through Script Theory. By teaching students to recognize the cognitive scripts that led to happiness or unhappiness in the lives of fictional characters it can help not only improve their analysis of literature but also help them recognize and analyze the scripts that might be contributing to their own happiness or unhappiness in real life. When paired with an assignment asking students to implement one of seven scripts psychological studies have associated with increased happiness, it can foster greater emotional well-being that may have an impact well beyond the course.

Huping Ling, professor of history, has been awarded a Center of Missouri Studies Fellowship from the State Historical Society of Missouri to study how the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act affected Missourians.

The 1965 act changed U.S. immigration policy by replacing the National Origins Formula, a protocol introduced in 1921 which created a quota system based on national origin, with the current system based on family relationships and work skills.

Ling’s proposed study, “The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and the Formation of Cultural Community in St. Louis, Missouri,” will focus on the development since the 1960s of a St. Louis Chinese American community that, unlike older immigrant communities, has not formed its identity from living together in a close physical neighborhood, but is unified by a sense of shared cultural heritage despite being spread throughout the metropolitan area.

“These new immigration criteria drastically impacted the landscape of American immigration everywhere, and in St. Louis, Missouri, the new law contributed to the rise of a ‘cultural community,’” Ling said. “Its members dwell throughout the city and its suburban municipalities, and there are no substantial business and residential concentrations or clusters to constitute a ‘Chinatown’ or even a ‘suburban Chinatown.’ Nevertheless, the Chinese St. Louisans have formed their community through various cultural activities organized by community organizations and cultural institutions of Chinese-language schools, churches and other cultural agencies.”

Ling will hold her appointment for the 2019 calendar year. She will write a scholarly essay for possible publication in the Missouri Historical Review, the quarterly journal of the State Historical Society of Missouri, and may also make a public presentation of her work. Each fellowship award includes a stipend of $5,000. New topics for the fellowships are introduced each year.

The Center for Missouri Studies is the State Historical Society’s vehicle for carrying out its mission to promote and disseminate study and teaching of the state’s past. In addition to the fellowship program, the Center’s initiatives include publications, such as the Review; educational programs like National History Day in Missouri; and lecture series such as The African American Experience in Missouri, a partnership with the University of Missouri Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity that is co-sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council.

 
The Office of Admission is looking for enthusiastic student leaders with a passion for sharing their positive Truman experience.
 
Applications are open for student ambassadors for the 2019-20 academic year. Student ambassadors guide visiting students and their families on campus tours, assist in the recruitment of prospective students and positively represent the University.

Scholarship, work-study and volunteer opportunities are available. Institutional positions are available, but limited. Applications can be found online and are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 23. Questions should be directed to Shari Fieser, student ambassador adviser.

Students who have excellent communication skills on and off the phone, an outgoing personality, a reliable and dependable work ethic and a willingness to ask parents and alumni for financial support are needed. There are nightly incentives (prizes, food, etc.), and students will be paid the new minimum hourly wage.
 
Apply here. Questions regarding Tel-Alumni can be directed to Dylan Phillips at 660.785.4103, dphillips@truman.edu or in McClain Hall 205. The application deadline is Jan. 22.

Students should file the 2019-20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) located at fafsa.gov as soon as possible to determine aid eligibility. Although some students may not qualify for grants or work study, all are considered for the federal direct loan (no co-signer or collateral required). Filing the FAFSA does not commit a student to taking a loan, but it does allow more options. The 2019-20 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from 2017. It is recommended that students should apply before Feb. 1, 2019.

For questions, contact the Financial Aid Office, McClain Hall 103, or call 660.785.4130.

The Student Union Building will now be open during the following hours.

Monday-Friday
7 a.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday
8 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Sunday

From Jan. 14-18, when loading $100 Bonus Bucks, receive an additional $20. Come by the dining office, call 660.785.4194 or go online to truman.sodexomyway.com. Student Bonus Bucks do not expire until May 31, 2019. Faculty and staff Bonus Bucks do not expire.

This is a required class to drive Truman fleet full-size vans. Student drivers must also complete Waiver of Vehicle Usage Policy form available at police.truman.edu. Classes take place at the Department of Public Safety in the General Services Building. Attendees must sign up in advance to reserve a space and should allow two to three hours for the class. For more information, call 660.785.4177 or email joycecook@truman.edu.

Jan. 29
2:30 p.m.

Jan. 30
2:30 p.m.

Feb. 5
2:30 p.m.

Feb. 6

Tom Capuano, professor emeritus of foreign language, had his dictionary of medieval Spanish plant names, Diccionario herbario, reviewed in the Revista de Lexicografia of the Universidade da Coruña, Spain, in volume 23 (2017). Capuano worked on the project for more than 20 years at Truman with the help of numerous undergraduate students and support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Meg Edwards, assistant professor of political science, led 25 students from her Model United Nations course to participate in the American Model United Nations (AMUN) Conference in Chicago. Truman students represented Bhutan and Ethiopia in the four-day conference, alongside approximately 1,500 participants from 97 universities. Truman was recognized with an Outstanding Delegation Award for Exceptional Representation of Ethiopia on the Security Council. Caroline Goldsby and Austin Green served as the representatives for this delegation.

Mitch Nichols, football, was voted to the Google Cloud Academic All-America football second team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. He was previously named a first team Academic All-District selection. Nichols was second on the team in receiving yards this season with 207 on 12 catches. A senior health science major with a 4.0 grade point average, Nichols hails from Hannibal, Mo. Truman has had 116 Academic All-Americans, which is among the top 30 of all four-year and two-year schools and second among NCAA Division II schools.

The application period for 2019 Study Abroad Foundation Scholarships is open until Jan. 31.

The available scholarships are for students studying abroad through a Truman State University-sponsored program in 2019 or the spring of 2020. Click here to apply in TruView or log in to TruView, go to the Student Tab, Student Finances, Foundation Scholarship Application. Scholarships will be applied just prior to study abroad trip.

These scholarships are established by generous alumni and friends of Truman State University.