Vol. 28 No. 4 - September 11, 2023

Truman will celebrate Homecoming on campus Oct. 16-21.

This year’s Homecoming theme is Truman Today in a nod to the University’s long-running campus newsletter. A variety of media-themed events will be announced as Homecoming Week approaches.

For years, student organizations and alumni have used Homecoming as an opportunity to raise money for charity. Proceeds from this year’s fundraising events will go to support NEMO Senior Citizens Services and the Alzheimer’s Association. Last year the Truman community raised more than $17,000 in support of Special Olympics of Northeast Missouri.

A full schedule featuring athletic events, entertainment, team competitions and other opportunities to show Truman Spirit will soon be posted on homecoming.truman.edu and truman.edu/alumni-donors/events/homecoming. Details about Homecoming apparel will also be available soon.

For information as it becomes available, follow @trumanstatehomecoming on Instagram.

Now in its third year, the TRU Self Program has helped more than 50 students prepare for their college experience.

TRU Self offers incoming students from underrepresented groups a chance to get to know each other before the start of classes. TRU Self scholars arrive in town prior to the traditional move-in date and participate in a four-day program that allows them to explore campus and the community, as well as learn about resources to aid in their success at the college level.

This year, 20 incoming students took part, connecting with faculty and staff members from academic departments, the Career Center, Pickler Memorial Library, University Counseling Services and the McNair Program, among other resources. 

“TRU Self gives students an opportunity to get established, make some friends and learn what they need to do to be successful at college,” said Vanessa Alexander, director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. “For many of these students, this is their first time living in a rural area, or in some cases, living among people who come from backgrounds different than their own. After only a few years of sponsoring this program, we can already see it’s helping students on their path to earning a degree.”

In addition to getting acclimated to life on a college campus, TRU Self scholars are enrolled in a year-long mentoring program with upperclassmen.

Qualifying TRU Self scholars apply to be enrolled in the program the summer before their first year at Truman. More information about the program can be found at diversity.truman.edu/tru-self or by contacting the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at 660.785.4142.

Coinciding with Truman Homecoming activities, this family friendly event is hosted in conjunction with Kirksville’s Kraft Heinz facility. The Kirksville plant produces all of the Oscar Mayer bologna packaged and sold in the world.

As part of the festivities, the vintage Oscar Mayer Frankmobile will make an appearance in the Truman Homecoming parade, which begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 21 in downtown Kirksville and runs south on Franklin Street through campus. The Frankmobile will also be on display when Bolognafest kicks off at 3 p.m. in downtown Kirksville. In addition to free bologna and fried bologna sandwiches, there will be booths featuring games, prizes, balloons and face painting.

Kirksville’s Oscar Mayer plant has been part of the community for nearly 40 years. A $250 million expansion of the facility was completed in 2017, and the plant now employs more than 1,000 people in northeast Missouri.

Kirksville’s Bolognafest will precede National Bologna Day, which is recognized Oct. 24.

Student Government is hosting fall elections where students can run for a variety of positions.

Students interested in serving should visit senate.truman.edu/Elections to view the election handbook. In the handbook, potential candidates will find the required forms needed, the timeline of the election and much more. Candidates should also take a look at the official documents available.
 
The filing deadline for students to run is Sept. 22. Voting will take place from 8 a.m. Sept. 25 to 4 p.m. Sept. 29 at vote.truman.edu. Results from the election will be available online and on the StuGov social media. Contact stugovelectionsadmin@truman.edu with any questions.

The 13th annual Communications Disorders conference will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Student Union Building Activities Room.

Hosted by the Truman Communication Disorders Association (CoDA) and the Communication Disorders program, this event is a workshop for speech-language pathologists, general education teachers, special education teachers, reading specialists and anyone interested in learning about phonological processing. This year’s conference will feature alumna Jennie Bjorem M.A., CCC-SLP, speech-language pathologist, childhood apraxia of speech and phonological processing, as the keynote speaker.

Bjorem’s passion and area of expertise is in childhood apraxia of speech. She travels the world speaking on the topic of CAS assessment and intervention. Bjorem has been in private practice for 21 years and continues to carry a small caseload of clients with childhood apraxia of speech. She is the owner of Bjorem Speech and Bjorem Literacy as well as the author of “Bjorem Speech Sound Cues.” She currently lives with her family in the mountains of Colorado.

Bjorem’s first talk of the day from 8:45-10:15 a.m. will focus on “Dynamic Assessment of CAS.” Her second talk will take place from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. on “Target Selection & Goal Writing.” The conference will end with her discussion on “Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches” from 1-3 p.m.

A registration fee of $75 for professionals and $20 for students will be collected at the door. RSVP here or email coda.tsu@gmail.com.

The Education Department is hosting an ice cream social from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 on the quad. The rain site for this event is the Violette Hall commons. All students and faculty are welcome to attend. RSVP here by Sept. 12. An RSVP automatically enters a person’s name into a drawing to win a prize.

Men’s soccer will face Upper Iowa University at 12 p.m. Sept. 17 at Stokes Stadium. At the same time, the softball team will play against Southeastern Iowa Community College at the softball park. The weekend will end with a women’s soccer game versus Upper Iowa University at 2:30 p.m. at Stokes Stadium.

The schedule will continue to be updated. Visit truman.edu/parents-families/family-day for more information.

Accomplished alumni will be honored with Echo 25 and Alumni Fellow awards Sept. 15-16 during Family Day festivities. These alumni have distinguished themselves in their chosen profession, have made significant contributions to their community and have demonstrated integrity in their personal lives. As a part of the awards weekend, each fellow will give a seminar drawing from their personal and professional success.
Drew Giardina (’98) – School of Health Sciences & Education
Marjorie Maas (’02) – School of Arts & Letters     
Jim Nolan (’97) – School of Science & Mathematics
Justin Vail (’05) – School of Social & Cultural Studies

Greg Bellville (’07)
Phillip Campbell (’06)
Brittainy Cavender (’09)
Damian Chavez (’14)
Laura Beth Cleveland (’10)
Bridget Conant (’09, ’11)
Heidi Cook (’07)
Lucas Dowdall (’19)
Shannon Downing (’08)
Tyson Eagen (’06)
Andrew Hasenbeck (’22)
Burgundy Hill (’13)
Kelsey Hudson (’06)
Tim Hudson (’17, ’19)
Kayla Jackson-Williams (’12)
Ross Knight (’12)
Stephanie Mills (’07, ’10)
Amanda Montgomery (’12)
Tyler Patterson (’06)
Donald Rabin (’19)
Nathan Vickers (’11)
Jonathan Vieker (’08)
Steven Wichmer (’06)
Ashley Wiskirchen (’13)    
Jesse Wren (’22, ’23)
Fourth Grade Teacher, Arcadia Valley R-II School District

Delta Sigma Pi is a professional business fraternity open to all business, accounting and economic majors. Members of Delta Sigma Pi have access to events, conferences, resources and connections to build professional skills, leadership ability, management potential and character. To be eligible for membership, pledges must be enrolled in a declared accounting, business administration or economics major.

They will host their recruitment at 7 p.m. Sept. 18-21 in the Student Union Building Activities Room. For more information follow DSP on Instagram or email deltasigmapi@gmail.com.

These committees ultimately decide how the fees students pay are spent. AFAC focuses on the athletic fee which includes varsity and club athletics as well as the recreation center. ESFAC focuses on the Environmental Sustainability Fee and OAF focuses on how fee-based groups such as SAB, StuGov, FAC, AFAC and ESFAC spend money.

There are student-at-large positions open on every committee, as well as more niche roles. Applications close Oct. 15 with interviews taking place the week of Oct. 15 and 22. To apply, visit senate.truman.edu/application.

The University Art Gallery is located in Ophelia Parrish 1114. Reception and events are free and open to the public. For more information visit gallery.arttruman.com.

As completion of the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center moves closer, Truman will celebrate the community service project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony during Homecoming festivities, Oct. 21.

Since 2015, Truman has been working to convert the former elementary school into an interprofessional center designed to provide in-depth, interdisciplinary assessment and intervention for children with autism or suspected autism, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders.

All members of the community are invited to attend the ceremony, hear remarks from key contributors to the project and tour portions of the building. The ribbon-cutting will take place at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 21 at 606 S. Halliburton Street in Kirksville.

With in-person services set to begin later this fall, the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center is currently pre-certifying potential clients. An online form for individuals, family members or guardians of those who may benefit from the center’s services is available at greenwood.truman.edu.

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.

Students can access THSS by using the app, available at the App Store or Google Play Store.

The New York Times membership is free and can be activated online. This membership includes access to archives dating back to 1851, daily 360 content, podcasts, newsletters and nytimes.com/edu which is an education resource website.