Vol. 27 No. 6 - September 26, 2022

History was made Sept. 25 when the newly formed Truman esports team participated in its first official competition.

Six students played in a Collegiate Rocket League (CRL) tournament. More than 200 colleges and university participated in the tournament.

“I was overjoyed at how the players were able to stay positive and continue working together,” said Isiah Slater, Truman Rocket League coach. “They shook off any nerves they had between matches and communicated very well to optimize their performance.”

Truman had two teams competing in the tournament, purple and blue. Team purple advanced through three rounds of the double-elimination tournament, while team blue advanced through four rounds.

“Between now and the next qualifier tournament this upcoming Sunday, I am eager to get some practice in for our teams, and to iron out any mechanical issues the players may have,” Slater said.

An esports team has been in the works since last year when a committee of faculty and staff researched the possibility of adding the extracurricular activity. A student survey conducted in the spring semester helped determine some of the initial plans, and a dedicated space was created in Barnett Hall. Tryouts were advertised at the beginning of the school year, and the inaugural team is comprised of 20 members.

The Bulldog esports team will not have to wait long for the second competition. The team will participate in another open-play “Rocket League” tournament Sept. 26. Future competitions should be available to stream on the team’s Twitch. 

Participation in esports is open to all students. More information about Truman esports will soon be available on the team website, esports.truman.edu. Up-to-date information can also be found on the team Instagram and Twitter, @TrumanEsports.

For the first time in two years the Career and Graduate School Expo will take place in person, Sept. 27-29.

The expo is open to students of all majors and academic levels. This event gives students the opportunity to participate in a variety of professional development activities.

The week will begin Sept. 27 with a virtual personal statement workshop hosted by Dave Lusk at 5 p.m., followed by a chance for students to work on resumes and cover letters from 6-8 p.m.

From 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 28 the Graduate School Expo will take place. This is an opportunity for those thinking of pursing graduate studies to connect with their future school.


If an employer would like to arrange a more formal interview after the expo, the Career Center will schedule an interview time to meet in a reserved room on campus. These pre-selected interviews will take place from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 30.

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/career-grad-school-week/schedule-of-events or email the Career Center at careers@truman.edu. These events will be accessed from #HireTruman.

Junior and senior students could win up to $250 from Truman, and $10,000 nationally, through the Robert L. Gould Scholastic Award competition.

There will be an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in Violette Hall 2351 open to any students interested in participating in the competition.

SS&C, a financial technology company, sponsors the annual Robert L. Gould Scholastic Award to recognize outstanding university students who produce academic papers on topics related to investment management strategies, theories and trends.

• As we continue to explore technology in our everyday lives, how do you see technology changing the interactions we have and the types of interactions as it relates to investing?    
• As technology is explored in everyday lives, how could gamification impact or encourage appropriate investing behaviors and what are the real or potential positive and negative consequences of using gamification in this environment?  
• Given the advancements in technology, how is or will investment advice and portfolio construction change in the next 3, 5 and 10 years?
• As a consumer of that future state, what are your expectations surrounding engagement with those financial products and the brands that manufacture them?

In addition to the national award, the University will offer cash prizes to the top three papers from Truman students. Locally, first place will earn $250, second place will receive $150 and third place will get $100. All three will be submitted to the SS&C for the national competition.

Papers should be submitted to Chuck Boughton, instructor in business administration, at boughton@truman.edu. Polished drafts are due by Dec. 9 with final paper submission due Jan. 15. Submissions should be in Word format only. Local awards will be announced after the Jan. 31 submission to the Gould judges. For more information email boughton@truman.edu.

SS&C is a global provider of investment and financial services and software for the financial services and health care industries. Named to Fortune 1,000 list as top U.S. company based on revenue, SS&C is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut, and has 25,000+ employees in more than 100 offices in 40 countries. Some 20,000 financial services and health care organizations, from the world's largest institutions to local firms, manage and account for their investments using SS&C's products and services.

In 2018, SS&C acquired DST Systems, Inc., which was founded and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Gould was president of DST from 1984 until his death in 1987. He had a distinguished career in the financial services industry and was known for his creative and results-oriented style. Prior to joining DST, Gould was president of Fidelity’s Service Company in Boston.

Pickler Memorial Library and the Missouri-Southern Iowa Art Guild (MOSI) are partners in an art exhibition located in the library café.

The Missouri-Southern Iowa Art Guild (MOSI) is a group of working visual artists formed in 2013. MOSI sponsors local art exhibitions, provides recognition and networking opportunities for members, and conducts art workshops for the community. For more information visit mosiartguild.com.

This exhibition runs through Dec. 17 and is free to view for all Truman students, faculty and staff, as well as the community.

Truman Theatre’s first production of the year will be “The Revoluntionists” by Lauren Gunderson and will run nightly at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in the James G. Severns Theatre.

“The Revolutionists” is a play that combines a good bit of hilarity with some high-stakes drama about four real women during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Olympe De Gouge was a playwright who was executed by guillotine for expressing her dissenting opinions.  Charlotte Corday was the young woman who assassinated Jean-Paul Marat, a major player in the worst excesses of The Terror.

Marie Antoinette is the former queen in the play, a big fan of ribbons and has moments when she is oddly prescient. The fourth character is Marianne Angelle, a composite character made up of real women who were revolutionary activists in what is now Haiti. The four women spend their time brainstorming revolutionary plays and attempt to beat back extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. The women are united by their dismay over the way this hopeful people’s revolution is now sinking into hyper-violent and hypocritical male rhetoric.

The performance has a runtime of 90 minutes with content warnings of violent imagery of the guillotine and brief discussion of sexual abuse. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at boxoffice.truman.edu or at the door. For more information, contact the Truman Theatre Box Office at 660.785.4515 between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Truman forensics team will host an informational meeting from 6-6:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in Barnett 1211. The team will briefly discuss events offered, competitions and student experiences. No prior public speaking experience is necessary to join the team. For any questions email Ben Davis, director of forensics, at bdavis@truman.edu.

Information sessions about each graduate program will take place both virtually and on campus. Master’s programs offered are accountancy, athletic training, communication disorders, education, English, leadership, music, counseling (online), data science and analytic storytelling (online) and gifted education (online).
Data Science
2:30-3:15 p.m.
Oct. 12
Zoom and in-person in Violette Hall 1300
Accountancy
3-3:45 p.m.
Nov. 3
Zoom and in-person in Violette Hall 1000

Communications Disorders
All day open house
Nov. 5
Health Sciences Building

Even though a student may not qualify for grants or work-study, all students are considered for the Federal Direct Loan (no co-signer required). Filing the FAFSA does not commit students to taking a loan, but it does allow for more options.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For the 2023-2024 FAFSA students will use their 2021 tax information.