Vol. 27 No. 19 - January 30, 2023

In honor of National Pizza Day, Feb. 9, students are invited to attend Spike's Annual Pizza Bowl for free pizza and a chance to vote for the best pizza in town.

Pizza Bowl will pit local pizza makers in competition for the students’ choice of the best overall pizza in Kirksville. From 2-4 p.m. in the Student Union Building Georgian Room, students can stop by for free samples from all participating local vendors. Voting will take place on Truman’s Instagram, and students will be eligible for prizes. Other giveaways, including Spike’s Annual Pizza Bowl stickers, will also be available at the event.      

Vendors will be confirmed at a later date. The winner will receive a pizza trophy. Follow Truman’s Instagram, @trumanstate, for updates and information on how to vote.

Ali has starred in Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” Marvel’s “WandaVision,” Netflix’s “Bojack Horseman,” “Don’t Worry Darling” and much more. His stand-up has been featured on Comedy Central, Netflix and FOX. Ty Clay will perform as the opening act.

The event is free and no tickets are required. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and all bags will be checked.

A computer science and graphic design double major, Slater was instrumental in establishing the University’s esports program, which began competition in the fall. In addition to being a member of the team, he also coaches the “Rocket League” squad that qualified for National Association of Collegiate Esports playoffs.

Slater discussed how the pandemic led to an interest in livestreaming. On his Twitch channel, Awesopossum, he covers everything from video games, to art and 3D modeling. During the episode, Slater also mentioned his love of baking and his entry of Krabby Patties in his family’s annual contest. The entire podcast conversation can be found on the Truman Spotify channel. The complete video is also posted on the Truman YouTube channel.

Throughout the school year, President Thomas will welcome guests for one-on-one chats that shine a light on the people and things that make Truman the special place it is. New episodes will be announced in the Truman Today as they become available. Guests for “Tea Time with Sue” can be nominated at truman.edu/teatime. Follow Truman on social media for video excerpts from “Tea Time with Sue.”

Susana Mendoza (’94) will speak at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 in Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall as part of the Holman Family Distinguished Speaker Series.

No tickets are required for this event. For additional information, visit lyceum.truman.edu, call 660.785.4133 or email lyceumseries@truman.edu.

Beta Alpha Psi will host Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) sessions from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 11, Feb. 25 and March 25 in Violette Hall 1424.

Clients who come to VITA should bring: social security cards for spouses and dependents; bank routing numbers and bank account numbers for direct deposit; wage and earnings statements such as W-2, 1098T and 1099; and a copy of last year’s federal and state tax returns if available. VITA services will be completed by IRS-certified volunteers and will also offer free electronic filing to receive a faster return.

Appointments are required. Call 660.785.6064 to schedule. For more information, visit bap.truman.edu/vita.

Students interested in living on campus during the 2023-2024 school year can now make arrangements to do so.

Living on campus provides easy access to campus amenities, as well as built-in fun and friendship. Researchers have found living on campus improves the likelihood a student will persist in college and go on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Residence Life has several options for students who want to live on campus including single residence hall rooms, apartments and suites for up to four roommates.

Housing renewal applications are currently open on TruView. Under the “Student” tab, click on “Student Housing/Residence Life.” There, students will be able to complete their application to prepare for room self-selection in February. Students will need to have a completed housing application and deposit on file before they can self-select a room. For questions about the housing renewal process visit truman.edu/residence-life or contact Residence Life at 660.785.4227 or reslife@truman.edu.

Joanna Hubbard, assistant professor of biology, and Elizabeth Naranjo Hayes, assistant professor of Spanish, were the fall 2022 winners of the Truman Academic Innovation Award.

Hubbard was recognized for using “Not-Exams” to engage and assess students. She implemented “Not Exams” in place of traditional exams to promote higher-order thinking and science communication skills in her 500-level BIOL electives. Students were asked to complete a creative project that communicated a concept from the three-week unit which allowed students to engage more deeply with a topic of their choosing and practice communicating scientific concepts to a broad audience.

Hayes was recognized for building intercultural competence through proficiency-based projects. This proficiency-based assessment is one of five that she uses in her lower-division language classes, where she gives students a real-world scenario and they use all the course content to that point to complete the task. In this project, students were Mexican ROOMGO agents who set up clients with shared living spaces worldwide based on their needs. Students presented their clients, roommates and lodging they selected, with classmates voting for the most creative presentation and best client/lodging fit.

During winter break, several technology upgrades and maintenance were completed.
ITS is currently testing a change to the Truman website search bar. If testing goes as planned, it will be converted to a new search engine. This change should provide a more cohesive interface with the Google search engine and its available features. The intention is that the updated search bar will provide the same result set whether the search was done from the Truman website or from the Google website.

The ITS Service Center offers many technical resources and assistance. Anyone having technical difficulties or needing additional technological services can call 660.785.4544 to contact the Help Desk, submit an online work request or visit the IT Service Center located in Pickler Memorial Library 203. Visit its.truman.edu/get-help for more information.

Feb. 28
President Sue Thomas will give an address at 3 p.m., followed by Mini Strategic Planning and Assessment Workshop (SPAW) session. Additional details will be provided within the next few weeks.

Info Night
6 p.m.
Feb. 6
Student Union Building Down Under 1101

Service and Sisterhood Night
6 p.m.
Feb. 7
Baldwin Hall 114

Interview Night 1
6 p.m.
Feb. 8
Violette Hall 1400s wing

Invite Only Event
6 p.m.
Feb. 9
Follow TLS on Instagram for more information.

University Counseling Services and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion are continuing their collaboration this semester.

These offices recognize some students might be hesitant to schedule an appointment and visit the counseling center so they wanted to offer an alternative. “Safe Spaces in New Places” will allow students the chance to speak with a counselor in a neutral location without a formal appointment. The hope is students who would otherwise be reluctant, can feel more comfortable coming in to ask questions, vent and just chat about whatever it is they need.

“Safe Spaces in New Places” will take place 12-1 p.m. every Tuesday in the Interfaith Center located in Baldwin Hall 113. There is no appointment necessary and everyone is welcome.

The Environmental Sustainability Fee Accountability Committee is currently seeking proposals for improving sustainability and environmentalism on campus. Any member of the Truman community can propose a project idea to the committee for consideration. In the past they have funded projects such as updated compost equipment, bee houses, solar power for the University Farm and reusable water bottle fillers. Proposals can be completed using this form. The deadline for proposal submission is Jan. 31. Any questions can be emailed to dwa8863@truman.edu.

The Office of Student Research is accepting TruScholars proposals for research and creative scholarship conducted during the eight-week summer term, June 5-July 28.

During the program, students should devote full-time effort to their project and faculty mentors should be continuously available for consultation and collaboration. Grant applications may request up to a maximum value of $5,750, including a $3,500 max student stipend and $1,750 max mentor stipend.

Complete guidelines for the TruScholars applications can be found at the Office of Student Research website. Applications are due Feb. 15. Questions can be directed to osr@truman.edu.

The deadline to submit a nomination form is Feb. 24. Email sab5631@truman.edu with any questions.

Applications are now being accepted for summer internships at the following locations in Missouri:

•    Independence: Harry Truman Presidential Library (full-time)
•    Kansas City: National World War I Museum (part-time)
•    St. Joseph: St. Joseph Museums (part-time)
•    St. Louis: Field House Museum (part-time), Missouri History Museum (part-time), Mercantile Library (part-time)
•    Springfield: MSU Special Collections and Archive (part-time)

The summer internships are open to all Truman students and are especially relevant for those considering careers in archives, museums and teaching. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until all positions are filled. Email jasonmcd@truman.edu to find out what the internships entail and how to apply.

Foundation loans can come in the form of short-term loans, long-term loans, access loans and cultural loans. Applications go through the Financial Aid Office and are repaid directly to the University. Banks and outside lenders are not involved in the process.

To be eligible for a Foundation loan students must be enrolled on a full-time basis and be in good academic standing. Students also need to demonstrate an ability to repay the loan in a timely manner. Deferments of up to five years are available for cultural and long-term loans, provided the student is enrolled on a full-time basis.

In addition to scholarship assistance, the loan program is an example of the immediate impact of donations to the Truman State University Foundation. Gifts from alumni and friends allow Truman to provide assistance directly to students as they pursue their education.

For more information on the Foundation loan program, contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@truman.edu, at 660.785.4130 or in person at McClain Hall 103.

The ATSU Area Health Education Center is hosting a Living a Healthy Life event every Monday night at 6 p.m. starting Feb. 6 through March 6 via Zoom. This free workshop is ideal for people with ongoing health conditions or who care for someone with an ongoing condition. Participants will receive a “Living a Health Life with Chronic Conditions” book and a “Relaxation for the Mind and Body” CD. Register by calling 660.626.2887 or by emailing cht@atsu.edu. A workshop Zoom link will be emailed upon registration.

Zoom Cloud recording maintenance will take place the week of Jan. 30. Any recordings made between Jan. 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022 and recorded to the Zoom Cloud will be deleted Feb. 3. For future planning be aware the maintenance schedule is to delete six-month blocks at a time, with a six-month buffer zone between the current active/recording zone and the deletion zone.  

To review recordings, log in to zoom.us, on the left-hand menu select the “Recordings” link, click “Advanced Search” option then enter the dates “01/01/2022 - 06/30/2022” and click search. This will provide a list of all recordings found in that time frame. By clicking the three dots option at the end of each listing there will be the option to either download or delete the recording.

For more information, visit Zoom Cloud Storage Issue Guide.

Accountancy
3 p.m.
Feb. 2
Zoom or Violette Hall 1000
Counseling
1 p.m.
Feb. 3
Zoom
Data Science
3:30 p.m.
Feb. 6
Zoom and in-person in Violette Hall 1300
Gifted Education
3:30 p.m.
March 30
Register here.

To help with the transition from Blackboard to the new platform Brightspace, training webinars will be available for everyone to attend. These webinars are open seating.
 
The webinars scheduled so far are listed below:

Instructor Essentials
8:30-10:30 p.m.
Feb. 8

Training Immersion: Grades (points)
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Feb. 14

Instructor Essentials
12:30-2:30 p.m.
Feb. 21

Training Immersion: ABCs of Content
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Feb. 27

Training Immersion: Grades (weighted)
1:30-2:30 p.m.
March 2

Training Immersion: Grades (weighted)
12:30-1:30 p.m.
March 6

Question and answer session
12:30-1:30 p.m.
March 23

For Zoom links, additional training information and all things Brightspace training-related, visit the Brightspace training webpage.

The University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 4 in the Student Union Building Conference Room.

Every Friday there will be free testing available for Covid-19, RSV and Influenza available on campus. A drive-through clinic will be sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services in the parking lot at the corner of S. First and W. Randolph streets from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Testing is provided free of charge and is open to all. For more information, contact the Adair County Health Department at 660.665.8491.

The COPLAC Board of Directors, in memory of the contributions of David J. Prior to the advancement of the consortium and to student success in the public liberal arts sector, are sponsoring the second annual student essay prize in his name.

The David J. Prior COPLAC Award recognizes two senior-level undergraduates whose academic careers and future goals have been shaped by the transformative power of the liberal arts and sciences experience at a COPLAC institution. Each student’s reflective personal essay will highlight one or more of the following features of COPLAC’s student-centered approach to teaching: emphasis on active learning; ethical reasoning; interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge; community engagement; critical and reflective skills; and connections between liberal learning and informed, active citizenship. Essays should focus on the value of a public liberal arts education and avoid multiple references to the particular virtues of one’s home institution.  

David Prior’s career-long commitment to superior undergraduate teaching, his desire as a consortium leader to make the outcomes of an education at our public liberal arts institutions widely recognized, and his deep concern that all students, regardless of financial circumstances, have equal access to a high-quality education anchored in the liberal arts and sciences, will be reflected in each of the prize-winning essays.

All submissions should be sent via email attachment to bailey@coplac.com no later than March 1.