Vol. 25 No. 21 - February 15, 2021

Truman students will soon have access to expanded physical and mental health care services thanks to a new partnership with a local provider.

Starting March 8, Complete Family Medicine will oversee operations of both the Student Health Center and University Counseling Services. As a subsidiary of Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, a non-profit agency, Complete Family Medicine has the capacity to offer additional resources to students including expanded hours, increased access to a physician and access to off-site providers when needed.

“Physical and mental well-being are cornerstones of a successful student experience,” said University President Sue Thomas. “By partnering with a professional, non-profit health care provider, we will be able to offer enhanced services to support our students’ needs.”

The Student Health Center and University Counseling Services will remain housed in the McKinney Center. All current employees will be retained, and by partnering with Complete Family Medicine both services will have access to additional personnel when needed.

Services will be accessible year around. During the school year, new hours of operation will be from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Dr. Jordan Palmer will be the medical director overseeing both clinics and will provide office hours in the Student Health Center. As an alumnus of Truman and A.T. Still University, he brings an understanding of the campus and local community.

“Being an alumnus, I know the culture at Truman. I know the environment that the faculty and staff and students work to create so that we can have students go on to do great things when they’re done with their education,” Palmer said. “All of that knowledge will make this effort even more successful, and it’s going to make for a great partnership.”

Equitable care is a priority of the arrangement. In the early stages of this new collaborative effort Truman will subsidize care, and students will not see any increase in the cost of services. Because Complete Family Medicine is part of a larger network with experience in multiple facets of health care, they can provide services on a sliding scale. Their experience with medical billing, referrals and insurance providers will streamline services.

“We’re a non-profit. We’re not here to squeeze out every penny, either from the University or the students who come to see us,” Palmer said. “The goal is to be a premiere student health center and student counseling center that other universities look to because we’ve implemented models and processes of care that are making our students as healthy as possible so they can be successful in and out of the classroom.”

Students seeking services through the Student Health Center or University Counseling Services will have the option to handle their care through private insurance, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs benefits or private payments. By providing students more initial access, they should benefit in the long term.

“We want students to come and see us early on so we can tackle small problems before they become big problems,” Palmer said.

All contact information for both clinics will remain the same. Students can contact the Student Health Center at 660.785.4182 and UCS at 660.785.7444 or ucs@truman.edu. More information regarding Complete Family Medicine can be found at cfmcares.com.

To start off the festivities, the Career Center will host an all-virtual Expo Bootcamp, Feb. 23. A professional statement workshop will take place from 5-6 p.m. From 6-8 p.m., there will be a resume workshop, a presentation to register for the Career Fair and a presentation on how to do a successful interview.

The next event will be the Virtual Graduate and Professional School Expo where students will get a chance to speak with recruiters from grad schools and learn about opportunities in their field. This will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 24. To finish the week off, the Virtual Career and Internship expo will take place 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Feb. 25.

To learn more or to register for these events, go to hiretruman.truman.edu then to Student/Alumni Login followed by events, career fairs and select career fair of choice. Click on attend in the upper right corner of the page to formally sign up. With any questions regarding times or function of the event, go to career.truman.edu or email the Career Center at ucc3@truman.edu. These events will be accessed from #HireTruman.

 
Students with an affinity for business can submit their ideas for the sixth-annual Bulldog B.I.T.E. elevator pitch contest until March 5.

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 Business Innovation by Truman Entrepreneurs, is open to any student or team of students — up to three members — enrolled during the 2021 spring semester. A student or team may submit only one pitch concept for the contest. Participants may pitch a for-profit or not-for-profit concept.

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. March 5. The video should not include any props, except the product prototype, and should be one continuous shot. Students must also include an executive summary of their concept. The executive summary must contain: name of the individual or team members; problem or issue being addressed by the concept; product description; target market; competitive advantage of the concept; value creation; and expected future use of prize money.

Judges will select six teams to virtually attend the live pitch competition from 4-6 p.m. April 9 to present their product to a panel. The top three finalists will receive cash awards: the cash prize for first place is $3,000; second place is $2,000; and third place is $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.

This year Dr. Spencer Baker, assistant professor of piano at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will judge the scholarship auditions virtually.  The master class and Feb. 20 auditions will not be open to the public.

The Federal TRIO programs are designed to foster greater educational equity through their work with qualified students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education. This year for National TRIO Day, Truman’s programs will focus on sharing the impact they both have on and off campus. In McNair, they will concentrate on recruitment for the Pre-McNair Fellows program during the week of Feb. 22-26. Current McNair scholars will take over the programs Instagram to share what TRIO means to them and how to get involved. They will also discuss Pre-McNair and the history of TRIO on KTRM radio at 6 p.m. Feb. 24. Upward Bound will be doing a social media campaign to highlight National TRIO Day and join McNair during the radio show.

The McNair program supports students from historically underrepresented groups who are interested in pursuing graduate education, especially doctoral degrees. The Pre-McNair Fellows program is open to any McNair-eligible freshmen or sophomores who want to get a sense of the services offered and do career and grad school exploration with one of the certified senior peer mentors. Interested students can find out if they are eligible and get more information about Pre-McNair by completing this form found on the program’s website.  

Through Upward Bound, Truman students help high school students in six northeast Missouri counties prepare and apply for college. Even during the pandemic, they are able to take necessary precautions and conduct in-person meetings at area high schools. Teams of Truman students – both undergrads and MAE – travel to high schools each week to provide tutoring, mentoring, encouragement and assistance with college exploration and application.

TRIO programs exemplify the mission and vision of Truman “to open opportunity, promote access and social mobility, foster excellence, recognize merit and do all things that urge our students to make themselves productive, free and equal.” Both programs must submit new funding proposals through a competitive federal grant application process every five years. Truman’s Upward Bound Project has been continuously funded since 1966 and McNair program has been continuously funded since 1992.

Junior Macy Cecil competed in the double octofinals in Lincoln-Douglas debate, earning her a qualification on her first tournament of the season. On the speech side, senior Audrey Baker took fifth place in prose interpretation and fourth place in persuasive speaking. Junior Jackson Elder earned an excellence award for impromptu speaking, placing him in the top 20% of a field of more than 80 speakers. He also received the fourth-place prize in extemporaneous speaking.

Freshmen Jillian Humke and Larissa Wratney received third place in duo interpretation. Humke also earned an excellence award in after-dinner speaking and Wratney earned third place and top novice honors in after-dinner speaking. Lastly, freshman Ella Schnake earned a top novice award in poetry and impromptu speaking, as well as an excellence award in poetry and a fourth-place finish in impromptu speaking.

The team earned fourth place overall in the speech sweepstakes points categories, their highest finish at the Gorlock Gala in many years. Truman will also receive the Traveling Gorlok Award for the year, for accruing cumulative points over a period of time.

For more information on how to get involved, visit forensics.truman.edu or contact Craig Hennigan at chennigan@truman.edu.

Truman students, faculty and staff now have a new app option to assist with communication and safety efforts.

Rave Guardian is a reliable way to communicate effectively, utilizing multiple channels to enhance full dissemination. In addition to its use in emergency situations, the Rave Guardian app has many everyday, non-emergency uses. The app has contact information for offices that students use most frequently – including Financial Aid, the Student Health Center, the University Counseling Center and the Recreation Center – as well as maps and resource information.

Enhanced safety features include immediate and on-demand panic buttons, two-way texting, anonymous tip reporting of suspicious behavior and a unique “virtual walk” escort that utilizes GPS tracking.  

Rave Guardian can be downloaded for free at the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android.

As more infectious variants of COVID-19 reach the Midwest, people need to be more vigilant than ever to prevent exposure to and spread of the virus.

Members of the Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group, Nancy Daley-Moore, Scott Alberts and Christine Harker, recently discussed the University’s numbers for the week of Feb. 9. While the number of cases decreased, the group continued to encourage everyone on campus to take precautions. Small risks, such as meeting with people in close quarters or going out to a restaurant, can still lead to active cases, especially as new strains of the virus become more prevalent. Also, because long-term effects of the virus are still unknown, even minor risks have potential long-term repercussions.
    
The group also noted the vaccine alone will not return things to normal. It is unclear whether or not vaccinated individuals can spread the virus. Until herd immunity is reached through mass vaccinations, everyone – even those who have been vaccinated – should continue to wear a mask, wash their hands regularly and maintain social distance.

A recording of the Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group conversation can be found here.

Phi Sigma Pi will host its spring recruitment from Feb. 15-19. RSVP here to receive the Zoom link for the first three events of the week. The rest of the week is invitation only, invitees will receive details after attending the open events.

Information Night
7 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 15
Zoom

Scholarship Night
8:30 p.m.
Feb. 16
Zoom

Fellowship Night
8:30 p.m.
Feb. 17
Zoom

Invite Only Event
Feb. 18
Zoom

Invite Only Event
Feb. 19
Zoom

Violette Hall parking lot will be closed through Feb. 17. This is to allow for delivery of heating oil.

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is hosting an online informational session at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18. This event is open to any student who is interested in joining or learning more about the organization. Topics including fundraising for Active Minds and the Alzheimer’s Association, as well as community service and networking opportunities for future careers, will be discussed. All prospective members must have a 3.0 GPA or above. Questions can be directed to Hannah Fortner at trumans.nscs@gmail.com.

Feb. 18
7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting ID: 959 9447 1110
Zoom Meeting Password: Pursue

Todd Welscott
2 p.m.
Feb. 19
Student Union Building Alumni Room/Zoom

The Student Recreation Center is offering free body composition testing from 5-7 p.m. Feb. 24 and 2-4:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in room 218. Participants are eligible for a blood pressure reading, body mass index and three-site skinfold measurements. Participants can sign up for a 15-minute appointment at the weight room desk or by emailing dreamweaver@truman.edu.

The 2021 Student Research Conference will take place April 22 as a hybrid event. Asynchronous virtual oral, poster, performance art and studio art presentations, as well as a limited number of face-to-face oral presentations, will be facilitated. This conference is a University-wide celebration of student research, scholarship and creative achievement. Both undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit abstracts.

Complete abstract guidelines can be found on the Office of Student Research website. All abstracts need to be sponsored by a Truman faculty or staff member. Students should work with their faculty mentor before submitting the abstract. For any questions about the Student Research Conference email osr@truman.edu.

Michael Ashcraft, professor of philosophy and religion, gave a presentation Feb. 5 at the Religion and Academia Reframed: Connecting Religion, Science, and Society in the Long Sixties conference sponsored by the University of Bern, Switzerland and the Institute for the Science of Religion. His paper was entitled “Robert N. Bellah, J. Gordon Melton and the New Religious Consciousness.”

Jack Magruder, president emeritus and professor emeritus of chemistry, received the Governor Mel Carnahan Public Service Award for Education, Feb. 11. Presented by the University of Missouri’s Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs, the awards recognize outstanding Missourians for their contributions to public service through their professional or volunteer activities.

Thomas Bindbeutel and Gracie Trokey are one of four teams to advance to the finals of the IARFC National Financial Plan Competition. Normally only three teams are selected, but for the first time in the history of the competition, the board selected four teams to advance. The selected teams will virtually present their final presentations April 22. This competition is sponsored by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. It is open to undergraduate university students who are enrolled in a financial services curriculum. From a fictional case narrative, the students are requested to craft a financial plan to present throughout the competition.

The regional COVID-19 vaccine event originally scheduled for Feb. 10 has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at The Crossing, 810 E. Shepherd Ave., in Kirksville.

The Adair County Health Department, local and regional health care and community partners, and the Missouri National Guard will be coordinating the mass vaccination and directing traffic at The Crossing.

Those who registered for the Feb. 10 event should keep the same scheduled appointment time. Due to cancellations, there are some appointments still available, so registration has been reopened to fill them. Visit the Adair County Health Department website and click on the registration link on the homepage to register. Those who do not have internet service can call 660.730.6100 and 660.730.6200 to register.

This regional event is primarily for adults age 65 and older and high-risk individuals including adults age 18 and older with cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart conditions, weakened immune system due to organ transplant, severe obesity (BMI >40), sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, pregnant women or individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome. Any remaining long-term and residential care workers, hospital and health care workers, emergency workers, including first responders, ambulance, law enforcement, fire, corrections and juvenile corrections, emergency management and public works may also register. Anyone who does not fall into these groups is not eligible for the Feb. 18 vaccine.

The Moderna vaccine will be administered Feb. 18. All participants should bring their signed consent form with them. Those forms are available on the Adair County Health Department’s website under the “Forms” tab or may be picked up at the Adair County Health Department’s clinic entrance.

Frigid weather has forced the vaccine to be administered at a walk-in clinic at The Crossing. Masks are required, and social distancing will be practiced to the extent possible. Anyone with a health condition that makes walking difficult should park in the blue handicap-designated spaces in front of The Crossing and wait for assistance. Participants will check in with their consent forms at the registration area, proceed to the vaccine area, then sit in a waiting area for 15 minutes where they will be monitored for any adverse reactions to the vaccine before being released to return to their vehicles.

Those receiving the Moderna vaccine Feb. 18 will receive the second dose of the same vaccine March 18 at the same scheduled time.

Northeast Regional Medical Center will be receiving weekly COVID-19 vaccine allocations through the month of February to assist with public vaccination efforts.

• Phone voice message: 660.785.1829 (660.785.1VAX)
• Email: 0166_CI_NRMC1VAX@chs.net
• The hospital operator is not able to accept registrations.

Future clinic dates are being scheduled through February. NRMC has not yet been told the number of doses that will be received in the coming weeks. Updates will be provided as additional vaccine is made available.

Those who received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine at the Jan. 27 drive-through should return Wednesday, Feb. 17, for their second dose. The Adair County Health Department has scheduled a walk-in clinic at The Crossing, 810 East Shepherd Ave., in Kirksville to administer the crucial second dose.

This clinic is not for the general public.

Frigid winter weather has forced the vaccine efforts indoors, requiring vaccine recipients to walk into the building. However, the health department will attempt to accommodate individuals who have health issues that make walking difficult with curbside administration of their second dose Feb. 17 as resources permit.

As more infectious variants of COVID-19 reach the Midwest, people need to be more vigilant than ever to prevent exposure to and spread of the virus.

Members of the Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group, Nancy Daley-Moore, Scott Alberts and Christine Harker, recently discussed the University’s numbers for the week of Feb. 9. While the number of cases decreased, the group continued to encourage everyone on campus to take precautions. Small risks, such as meeting with people in close quarters or going out to a restaurant, can still lead to active cases, especially as new strains of the virus become more prevalent. Also, because long-term effects of the virus are still unknown, even minor risks have potential long-term repercussions.
    
The group also noted the vaccine alone will not return things to normal. It is unclear whether or not vaccinated individuals can spread the virus. Until herd immunity is reached through mass vaccinations, everyone – even those who have been vaccinated – should continue to wear a mask, wash their hands regularly and maintain social distance.

A recording of the Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group conversation can be found here.

In December, the group began its weekly recognition program to highlight the work of those in the community committed to making a positive impact. Each week, three “champions” – one for the medical field, the education sector and the community at large – are acknowledged for their efforts. Nominations are ongoing and can be made here.

The Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation will offer the Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship, named in honor of Allan Walker Purdy.

Purdy was born in 1914 on a farm near Macon and was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He worked in the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture before becoming the campus’s first director of scholarships and student financial aid.

The scholarship is designed to provide merit-based scholarships to emerging leaders who are outstanding students and have a need for additional resources for higher education. The scholarship amount can vary based on an applicant’s circumstances. The general range will be $1,000-$5,000 based on expected family contribution (EFC), unmet need and other factors.

Applicants must be a Missouri resident, typically a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA, a U.S. Citizen, and a sophomore, junior or senior attending a Missouri public four-year university or the State Technical College of Missouri. Deadline to apply is June 30, 2021. Applications should be submitted online through Scholarship Central at moslf.org. To access more information about this scholarship, click here, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 660.785.4130.