Vol. 13, No. 4 - Sept. 16, 2008

A full schedule of events are planned for this weekend as part of Truman’s annual Family Day. The fun begins on Friday evening with the Women’s Volleyball match at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Kirksville Primary School located at 1815 East Hamilton Street.

The morning of Sept. 20 will begin with parent seminars at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. in the Activities Room of the Student Union Building. In the first session, Lou Ann Gilchrist, dean of student affairs, will discuss “The Value of Out-of-Class Experiences.” Brian Krylowicz, director of University Counseling Services, will follow at 10 a.m. with his presentation, “Common Psychological Issues of College Students.”

Tours of Pickler Memorial Library will take place every 10 minutes from 10 a.m. to noon. Another event starting at 10 a.m. is the Annual Festival Centennial, which runs until 4 p.m. on the Centennial Hall courtyard. It features free food, games, contests and music. At 11 a.m. in Baldwin Auditorium families are invited to hear from President Barbara Dixon and Student Senate President Lizz Esfeld. Franklin Street Singers will also perform.

There will be a break in University-sponsored events until the afternoon, and families are invited to attend the Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival in downtown Kirksville. This year’s event includes the addition of an antiques show, which will take place in the Arts Center at 117 South Franklin Street. University activities will resume at 3 p.m. with Women’s Volleyball at the Primary School.

“The Norman Magic Experience,” sponsored by the Student Activities Board, will take place at 4 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium. Admission is $3. Students with a Truman ID get in free. Tickets may be purchased before the show at the ticket window in Baldwin Hall.

A tailgate barbecue is planned from 5-6:30 p.m. in Red Barn Park. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Cost is $8 per person, however, students with a meal plan will not need to pay if they present their Truman IDs. Tickets can be purchased online at http://store.truman.edu/familyday. Click on Family Day Barbecue Tickets to purchase. Truman accepts MasterCard, Visa and Discover credit cards. Please bring a blanket or lawn chairs for seating.

The Student Union Building will serve as the location in the event of rain. The Office of Greek Life will sponsor the Carnival for the Kids, featuring booths with games and snacks for anyone attending. All proceeds will go to Up 'till Dawn, which supports St. Judes. The Showgirls, Truman State University Cheerleading Squad, Spike and the University "Statesmen" Marching Band will all be making an appearance.

At 7 p.m. the Bulldog football team will take on Northwest Missouri State University in the “Ol’ Hickory Stick Game.” General admission tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children under 12 and senior citizens. Reserved seating is $8. Admission is free to students with a Truman ID. Tickets may be purchased online at http://gobulldogs.truman.edu/store/. For more information contact the Athletics Box Office at 660.785.4235.

Weekend activities will conclude Sept. 21 with a Memory Walk to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s, and a performance by Cantoria Singers, Wind Symphony Band and University Orchestra Concert. Registration for the Memory Walk, sponsored by Sigma Kappa sorority, will take place at noon, with the Walk beginning at 1 p.m. The musical performance will take place at 2 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium. For more information visit http://www.truman.edu/pages/172.asp.

An informational meeting about the Missouri Government Internship Program will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room C. Pizza will be provided.

The Missouri Government Internship Program offers a unique opportunity for students to intern at the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., with a public official, legislator or state agency during the spring 2009 semester. The internship, which is open to all majors, provides an inside look at state government.

Joe Van Amburg, a 2007 legislative intern for House Minority Leader Jeff Harris, said that the internship was one of the best experiences he has had since being at Truman.

“Representative Harris and his staff were fun to work with and they taught me a lot about state government and politics, as well as life in general,” Van Amburg said. “I learned more about myself that semester than any prior semester at Truman.”

The interns live in Jefferson City and receive a stipend of $2,500. Interns may earn up to 15 hours of credit.

All juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply.  Applications are available online at http://career.truman.edu/student/internship/mogov_app.pdf. Completed applications should be returned to McClain Hall 101. A selection committee will review the applications and interviews will be conducted in October for the spring 2009 legislative internships.

Interested students can contact Candy Young at 785.4650 or Heidi Templeton at 785.4016 for more information.

The political music revue, Capitol Steps, will be performing in Baldwin Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 as the first in the series of Kohlenberg Lyceum events to take place this year. Capitol Steps is a Washington-based ensemble of Congressional staffers turned songwriters. They will perform a musical satire designed to keep the audience laughing about events and personalities on Capitol Hill, in the Oval Office, and other centers of power.

Produced and co-written by Elaine Newport, their performance features 20 “stinging” parodies, including “Wouldn’t it be Hillary,” “The Impossible Dean,” “Cheney and the Jets,” “Duke of Oil” and “Kerry Baby.”

Since their inception in 1981, the Capitol Steps have recorded 28 albums, including their latest, “Campaign and Suffering.” They’ve been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS.

Although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, the performers have collectively worked in a total of 18 Congressional offices and represent 62 years of House and Senate staff experience.

Lyceum tickets are free for all Truman students, faculty and staff. Students may pick up their tickets from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Student Activities Board office in the Student Union Building. Faculty and staff may pick up their tickets from 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday at the information desk in the Student Union Building.

General admission tickets will be on sale at Edna Campbell’s and the Truman State University Business Office, McClain Hall 105, for the costs of $7 for adults and $4 for those 18 and under. For more information go online to http://lyceum.truman.edu.

Truman’s new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Troy Paino, will present “The Importance of Scholarship & Creativity at a Liberal Arts College” at the first Faculty Forum of the year at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 in Violette Hall 1000.

Paino will address the topic of scholarship and creativity by describing the essence of what a liberal arts university is: a moral community.

Paino describes a liberal arts college as a place where students, faculty, staff and administrators are searching for Happiness with a capital ‘H,’ which is the profound, meaningful and transcendent kind of Happiness experienced by those living in a community where opportunities to express a better self and see the world from a fresh perspective arise every day.

President Barbara Dixon will introduce Paino, and after his presentation a reception with refreshments will take place upstairs in the Violette Hall Commons. For more information about this forum and upcoming forums through spring 2010, please visit http://forum.truman.edu.

The Truman Faculty Forum continues to be dedicated to enhancing the importance of scholarship and creative endeavors in our institution and to providing opportunities for us to learn about the exciting work being done on our campus.

Truman students will have the opportunity to hear from a representative from the Peace Corps during a video conference at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Career Center.

Clifton Johnson was a volunteer to the Kingdom of Tonga from 2003-2005, and he will be discussing his experiences in the Peace Corps.

Earlier this year Truman was ranked 25th on the Peace Corps’ list of medium-sized schools producing volunteers. Since the organizations inception, 154 alumni have joined its ranks. Truman currently has 20 alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers. The University ranks No. 87 for the number of graduate school alumni participating and is the No. 281 producer of volunteers all-time.

Students who are considering volunteering for the Peace Corps are encouraged to attend. For more information on the video conference contact Polly Matteson at 785.4240 or pollym@truman.edu.   

After the third Week of Truman’s United Way campaign, our faculty, staff, students and retirees have contributed more than $34,000, which means we have reached 62 percent of our goal.  

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this effort.  If you have not returned your pledge form, there is still time to do so. Also, if you have misplaced your pledge form and are in need of a replacement, contact Brad Chambers in Advancement at bchamber@truman.edu or Debra Kerby, professor of accounting, at dkerby@truman.edu.

Please join together to show that Truman faculty, staff, students and retirees Live United in support of education, income and health.

The new nickname for the Student Union Building lounge is “The Hub.”

Twenty-five names were submitted to the Student Union Advisory Committee and were pared down to six. The top six nicknames were then voted upon by students at the open house on Sept. 9.

Libby Piel, a junior biology major from Ballwin, Mo., submitted the winning name. For her effort, Piel will be awarded with $50 to Barnes and Noble provided by the Truman State University Bookstore and the Student Union.

The Truman Theatre Department’s production of “A Shadow in the Dark” will run from Oct. 1-4 in the James G. Severn’s Theatre in Ophelia Parrish.

In “A Shadow in the Dark,” written by Jared Latore, a senior theatre major from O’Fallon, Mo., an influential children’s author, tormented by forces he will never understand, sows a garden of nightmares and heartaches as he descends into madness, dragging the world down with him. Due to strong language and subject matter, “A Shadow in the Dark” is not appropriate for children.

All tickets must be reserved in advance by calling the box office at 785.4515. The box office is open from 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Shows begin at 8 p.m. and last approximately two and half hours.

A new Missouri law, HB 1549, effective Aug. 28, 2008, requires public colleges and universities to verify that recipients of state educational funds are lawfully present in the United States. 

If you have been awarded one of these state programs for the fall semester, you must provide “affirmative proof” of U.S. citizenship, permanent residency or other lawful presence in the U.S.   A valid Missouri driver’s license is sufficient.  If you have completed I-9 clearance for student employment, you have met “affirmative proof” requirements. 

If you have questions, please contact Kathy Elsea at 785.4130 or e-mail finaid@truman.edu.

Activity: Home Run Derby
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Sept. 22
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Sept. 24 & 25

Activity: MLB Playoff Pick'em
Division: Open
Deadline: Oct. 3
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 3

Activity: Frisbee Golf
Division: Open
Deadline: Sept. 29-Oct. 3
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Play on own

Activity: Darts
Division: Open
Deadline: Oct. 6
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 13

Activity: Indoor Soccer
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Oct. 6
Captain's Meeting: Oct. 8
Play Begins: Oct. 13

Activity: Co-Rec Indoor Soccer
Division: Open
Deadline: Oct. 6
Captain's Meeting: Oct. 8
Play Begins: Oct. 13

Activity: Billiards
Division: Open
Deadline: Oct. 13
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 20

Activity: Table Tennis
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Oct. 27
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 1

Activity: Basketball Pentatholon
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Nov. 3
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 10

Activity: Texas Hold'em
Division: Open
Deadline: Nov. 3
Captain's Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 10

Activity: 3 on 3
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: Nov. 10
Captain's Meeting: Nov. 13
Play Begins: Nov. 17

All information, rules and registration requirements are online at http://recreation.truman.edu/intramuralrec.asp, or contact the Intramural Office at 785.4467.

The Bulldog football team is selling "dog tags" for $10. Dog tag holders are entiled to discounts at several area businesses. For more information contact Shannon Currier at 785.4252.

National Constitution Day will be celebrated Sept. 17 in the Student Union Building main walkway. A computerized Constitution trivia match will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Refreshments will be served, an audio recording of a reading of the Constitution will be played and voter registration will also be available. Questions about the event should be directed to Damon Ferlazzo, program coordinator for the Student Union Building at 785.4186 or damonf@truman.edu.

Truman’s Compost Project is seeking students to work for scholarship or work-study hours. These workers will get to choose from a variety of flexible shifts and times. If you are interested, please contact Dan Fister at drf538@truman.edu.

Habitat for Humanity’s annual fall fundraiser and awareness event, Habitat on the Quad, will take place the week of Sept. 15-19. Students, faculty and staff are invited to make a donation, buy Habitat gear, sign a stud that will be used to build a house for $1, decorate a hammer for $10, or get more information about Habitat for Humanity. This year’s theme is “Naked. How would you feel without a home?”

The Faculty Weekly Lunch Series announces two presentations from the Fall Critical Thinking Emphasis series: “How to Improve Student Learning” on Sept. 17 and “Concepts and Tools” on Sept. 24. Both presentations will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Union Spanish Room. For more information contact Linda Davenport at lindadav@truman.edu or 785.4301.

Sigma Chi Delta, a local social sorority, will host an Open Recruitment Night at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Baldwin Hall Little Theater.
Circle K will host an infomational meeting at 8 p.m. Sept. 17 in Baldwin Hall 314. Circle K is a fun, coed, service organization that does projects around the Kirksville community.

Sigma Lambda Gamma, Truman’s only multicultural sorority, will host an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Student Union Building 322.

The Career Center is sponsoring Graduate School Week from Sept. 22-26. For those interested in attending graduate school, the week includes visiting graduate programs, advice from the expert panel, Kaplan test preparation, advice on how to fund graduate school and an underclassmen question and answer session. For a complete schedule of events visit http://career.truman.edu.

Sigma Lambda Gamma presents “Auction Block to Hip Hop,” a play from the producers of Platanos and Collard Greens, at 8 p.m. Sept. 23 in the Student Union Building 2107. This play questions how far one Hip Hop producer will go in selling stereotypes of minority women in his music. This event is co-sponsored by New Student Programs, Residential Life, College of Arts and Sciences, Departments of Language and Literature and the Department of History.

The Missouri Government Internship Program will host an informational meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Student Union Building Geogian Room C. Pizza will be provided.

The Multicultural Affairs Center presents a show by Grupo Atlantico Dance Troupe, an ensemble of folk dancers, at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Student Union Building Down Under. These dancers share their rich heritage of the Caribbean, Colombia and South America through different music, rhythms and percussive instruments. The symbolism of costumes, dance steps and body movements are explained in cultural and ceremonial contexts, with the use of live music, posters, slides and videotapes. For more information contact Laura Bates at lbates@truman.edu or 785.4142.

The Center for Teaching and Learning will host an informational session, “Getting Your Proposal Approved by the IRB the First Time,” at 12 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Student Union Building Alumni Room. Lunch or dinner will be provided at both sessions with RSVP. To register for these classes online, please visit http://tctl.truman.edu/register/classlist.asp.

The Dean of Student Affairs Office has applications for the 2008-2009 “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Award” available for students. Faculty and staff may also nominate students for this prestigious award. Nominations are due by Sept. 26. Completed student applications need to be returned to the Student Affairs Office, located in the Student Union Building 3100, by Oct. 17. For more information visit http://saffairs.truman.edu or call 785.4111. 

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) will meet at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the University Club, 516 E. Patterson. Contact Marc Becker at marc@truman.edu or call 785.603 for more information.

The Fall Career Expo, sponsored by the Career Center, will be on October 22 in the Student Union Building. The Expo is a career fair where Truman students can network with potential employers.  Browse the attending companies and register for the Expo at http://career.truman.edu.