Vol. 29 No. 10 - October 21, 2024

 
The annual Homecoming parade will begin at 9 a.m. in downtown Kirksville, following Franklin Street through campus. Attendees watching south of Normal Ave. are encouraged to line up on the east side of the street.

Tailgating will start at 11 a.m. at the parking lot on the corner of Franklin and Patterson streets. There will be a pep rally at 12 p.m. in the tailgating lot. The Bulldog football team will face McKendree University at 2 p.m. at Stokes Stadium. During halftime the Homecoming honorees will be recognized, and the philanthropy check will be presented.

Throughout the week, students will participate in a number of activities to both show their school spirit and raise money for charity. Proceeds from this year’s fundraising events will go to support the Pantry for Adair County. Last year, Truman students raised money for the Alzheimer’s Association and NEMO Senior Citizens Services in the amounts of $6,082.85 and $18,248.61 respectively for a total of more than $24,000.
A full list of Homecoming events and honorees can be found online at truman.edu/alumni-donors/events/homecoming.

Students interested in living on campus during the 2025-2026 school year can now make arrangements to do so.

Living on campus provides students with a built-in community of peers, in addition to offering a variety of amenities. All campus residence halls feature furnished rooms, access to laundry facilities and a meal plan. On-campus residents also have all of their utility costs included in the price of their room. More information about applying to live on campus for the 2025-2026 academic year can be found online here.

“Students who live on campus perform better academically because of the close connections to fellow students that develop,” said Jamie Van Boxel, director of residence life. “It is also more convenient to focus on your academics when you are close to your classrooms, study areas, labs and performance spaces. Having an on-campus meal plan makes it easy to eat a well-balanced meal without taking the time to shop for groceries, prepare meals and do the dishes. When you compare housing options side by side, living on campus has value when it comes to the conveniences, flexibilities and supportive environment offered to residents living on campus. Successful students often find that living on campus was part of their success in college.”

There are many on-campus living options to choose from, including single-, double- and triple-occupancy residence hall rooms and single- and double-occupancy apartments available in Campbell. Upperclass students can select deluxe double residence hall rooms or a deluxe double apartment in Campbell. Deluxe double residence hall rooms offer more living space at the same price as a standard double room. Deluxe double apartments allow each roommate to have their own private bedroom in a shared apartment. Deluxe double spaces are limited and upperclass students who apply for housing and follow the room self-selection timeline outlined on the website will have priority in being able to select deluxe accommodations while supplies last.
 
“Returning students living on campus have more options than a first-year student because returning students self-select their room earlier,” Van Boxel said. “Returning students can group up with their friends to take over a section of a residence hall or a group of apartments in Campbell. Returning students also have the opportunity to live in larger rooms or in an on-campus apartment with more space with a roommate of their choosing.”

The housing portal is open now and can be accessed through TruView. Room selection will take place in the spring semester. Questions about the housing process can be directed to Residence Life at 660.785.4227 or reslife@truman.edu.

Members of 1978-79 men’s basketball conference championship and Hall of Fame team are providing $25,000 as a matching gift challenge to support the men’s basketball program.

The matching gift challenge runs through Dec. 31 and is designed to help generate much needed support for operations, recruitment and scholarships for the program. The challenge applies to all gifts and commitments made to the Men’s Basketball Fund, which provides multipurpose support to meet the rising needs of the program.

All one-time gifts to men’s basketball made by the end of the challenge will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $15,000. For example, a gift of $500 would earn a match of $500, and the program gets $1,000 in total.

If the program has 20 recurring gifts established by Dec. 31, the program will receive a flat amount of $10,000 and the gift amount of the first year of the recurring gift schedule will also be matched dollar-for-dollar.

One-time and recurring gifts can be made at giveonline.truman.edu. Checks, made payable to Truman State University Foundation with “Men’s Basketball” in the memo line, can be sent to: Truman State University, Advancement Office, 100 E. Normal Ave., Kirksville, MO 63501-4221.

Attendees of the men’s and women’s soccer games, Oct. 27 at Stokes Stadium, will receive sunglasses. The men’s team plays at 11:15 a.m., followed by the women at 2 p.m. Stress volleyballs will be handed out at the volleyball match at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 9.

Stress pianos will be distributed at the Wind Symphony and Honor Band performance at 5:15 p.m. Nov. 18 in Baldwin Hall. Magnets will be distributed at the BA and BFA Capstone Exhibition at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6.

MFA is one of the most effective ways to ensure the person logging into a student account is who they say they are. Once the system goes live later this fall, students will be required to identify themselves with a one-time password received via email, text or mobile app each time they log in to their account. If they do not have a security profile, they will be prompted to create one and enroll in MFA.

• Authentication app (preferred): The user gets a time-sensitive code from an app like Google Authentication, Microsoft Authentication or Authy. Authentication apps are the most secure and popular options, especially since many use biometrics to log in for extra security.
• SMS code: The system texts a one-time passcode to the user’s mobile phone.
• Email code: A one-time code is emailed to the user.

Truman recommends creating both a primary and backup profile to receive passcodes.

An email will be sent out to students and authorized users once the system goes live.

The Homecoming Celebration will be at 5 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Student Union Building. The Dogs of Distinction awards are presented as a part of the Truman Alumni Association Homecoming Celebration.

Kick-off Event
6 p.m.
Oct. 21
Quad

“Squirrel Smarts” Trivia
3:30 p.m.
Oct. 22
Student Union Building Georgian Rooms

Campus Chalk Designs
Oct. 23
Organizations will have all day to create their chalk designs on campus. U&I will have chalk for teams starting at 8 a.m. and submissions of final chalking will be due by 11:59 p.m.

Capture the Flag
2:45 p.m.
Oct. 23
Field behind the Student Recreation Center
Teams will compete in a bracket style tournament.

Mini Golf presented by SAB
2-5 p.m.
Oct. 24
Quad

LipSync Competition
7 p.m.
Oct. 24
Baldwin Hall

Geocaching Logbooks
Oct. 25
A list of clues will go live at 8 a.m. are due by 3 p.m. at U&I.

Homecoming Parade
9 a.m.
Oct. 26
Franklin Street, running from downtown Kirksville and through campus.

Tailgate
11 a.m.
Oct. 26
Lot on the corner of Franklin and Patterson streets.

Football vs. McKendree University
2 p.m.
Oct. 26
Stokes Stadium
During halftime the Homecoming honorees will be recognized and the philanthropy check will be presented.

Everyday during the week, a clue will go live at 8 a.m. for students to find homecoming flat spike. The first student to find Spike and return him to the U&I will win a prize and points for their homecoming troop. Penny buckets will available everyday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. outside the Student Union Building by the fountain.

More information can be found at homecoming.truman.edu and truman.edu/alumni-donors/events/homecoming or by following @trumanstatehomecoming on Instagram.

 
In honor of National Arbor Day, there will be a tree-planting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the southwest corner of McClain Hall.
 
Representatives from Truman and the Missouri Department of Conservation will plant a decorative Service Berry tree. Truman typically plants trees on Arbor Day in April. Due to potential damage to spring plantings from cicadas, this year’s ceremony was postponed until the fall semester.
 
Through its cost share program with Missouri Department of Conservation and local forester Yvette Amerman, Truman recently planted 15 other new trees on campus. All totaled, Truman has more than 1,700 trees across campus and has been recognized as a Tree Campus USA and Tree Campus Higher Education school by the Arbor Day Foundation since 2014.
 
This event is free and open to the public.

In honor of World Polio Day, Oct. 24, Global Health students will be tabling to raise money for polio. In 1988, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eradicate polio, creating the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Their mission is to ensure that no child anywhere will ever again be paralyzed by any form of poliovirus.

Students from the HLTH 405 class will be tabling from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Oct. 21, 1-3 p.m. Oct. 22 and 1-3 p.m. Oct. 24 in Magruder Hall. They will have baked goods, stickers and a place to donate to help eradicate polio. All donations will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Donations can also be made via venmo to @aheitzman22.

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 Truman student, or team of students up to three members, enrolled during the fall semester. Additionally, students enrolled in the fall semester at Moberly Area Community College are eligible to participate. Six teams will be selected to attend a live pitch competition Nov. 14 to present their concept to a panel of judges. Submissions can be made here until 10 p.m. Oct. 25.

In conjunction with Bulldog B.I.T.E., an elevator pitch contest for area high school students will take place the same day. Bulldog Pitch Day is open to any high school student or team of students up to three members. The first round is scheduled for the morning of Nov. 14, with the finals taking place later in the day in the Student Union Building. Submissions can be made here until 10 p.m. Oct. 25.

The top three finalists for Bulldog B.I.T.E. will receive financial awards: first place will receive the Amanda Gioia Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award of $3,000, second place will receive $2,000 and third place will receive $1,000. The top three finalists for Bulldog Pitch Day will also receive financial awards: first place will receive $500, second place will receive $300 and third place will receive $200.

 
People who reserved a tailgate spot in advance will be granted early access to the lot and admitted ahead of the post-parade crowd. Those who wish to reserve a spot can register here. Non-reserved space at the tailgate will be first-come, first-served at the event. Those attending should review the Homecoming Tailgate Policies prior to the event.
 
The tailgate begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 1:45 p.m. The Bulldogs will take on McKendree University at 2 p.m. at Stokes Stadium.
 
Questions regarding this event can be directed to bulldogforever@truman.edu. More information about Homecoming activities can be found at homecoming.truman.edu or truman.edu/alumni-donors/events/homecoming.

The 14th annual Communications Disorders conference will take place from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room.

Hosted by the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) 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 Jennifer Brodell as the keynote speaker.

Brodell provides individual and group therapy services to a variety of pediatric clients from birth to young adulthood and serves on the board for the Autism Society of Iowa where she acts as the department’s interprofessional education liaison to the university. Her primary area of clinical focus is pediatric speech and language disorders with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorders. A secondary area of clinical focus is interprofessional practice. She participates in several interdisciplinary diagnostic clinics for autism evaluations and leads an interdisciplinary therapeutic group for parents of young children with autism.

Brodell’s first talk of the day from 8:45-10:15 a.m. will focus on “Models of Effective Outpatient Autism Evaluations.” Her second talk will take place from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. on “Applying Interprofessional to Early Intervention Approaches in Autistic Populations.” The conference will end with her discussion on “Supporting Autistic Kids’, Teens’, and Young Adults’ Access and Participation Through Interprofessional Practice Models” from 1-3 p.m.

A registration fee of $75 for professionals, $20 for graduate students and $15 for undergraduate students will be collected at the door. RSVP here.

Residence Life is looking for students who will create welcoming environments, develop connections with on-campus residents and foster a learning-centered community to apply as resident advisors for the 2025-26 school year. Resident advisors will have their room and meal fees fully covered.

Anyone enrolled in classes, who has lived on campus for at least one semester and maintained a 2.75 GPA, is qualified to apply. The application is open now until Jan. 14. Visit reslife.truman.edu or email reslife@truman.edu for more information.

• a US Citizen
• a resident of the state, or attending a college or university in Missouri (students may not register to vote in both your home state and Missouri)
• 17 ½ years of age to register and 18 years of age by election day registered to vote on or before Oct. 9 to vote in the Nov. 5 election

• Students may register to vote in Adair County (the county where Truman located) and vote in person at their local polling precinct on election day.
• Students may request an absentee ballot in their registered county. Registration for an absentee ballot is usually open six weeks before election day. Ballots are due back to the county clerk’s office before the election. Absentee ballots in Missouri require notary service. There are notaries on campus to assist students in the Business Office in McClain Hall and in the Department of Public Safety in the General Services Building. A picture ID is required for notary service.     
• Students may vote absentee in person in their registered county at the county clerk’s office up to 5 p.m. the night before the election. This is for voters who will not be able to vote in person at their regular precinct the day of the election.

Voters should contact the county clerk’s office in the county in which they are registered if they would like additional information regarding this year’s election. Be sure to allow plenty of time before the election to meet the voting deadlines.  

Students may receive their flu shot and COVID booster vaccination at the Student Health Center. Appointments are preferred to ensure supplies are in stock but walk-ins are welcome. The vaccinations are not free and students should call the health center at 660.785.4182 for more information. The SHC is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday.

AGSC 490 practicum class is working to create a community supported agriculture project for students, faculty and staff at Truman. By subscribing to the CSA, students and Truman affiliates would receive a weekly box of vegetables and herbs which would help support the farm and Truman community. A survey for this project can be completed here.

Truman faculty and staff are being asked to take part in the research study, “Wellness Trends among Truman Faculty and Staff,” that is an IRB-approved study to understand the perceptions that faculty and staff at Truman have regarding the various dimensions of wellness, as well as the factors that influence personal implementation of wellness practices and resources. The information provided will be used to determine how to create better programs and resources to support the wellness of faculty and staff at Truman. Must be a current faculty member or staff to participate.

Foster spiritual and intellectual wellness by attending a creative writing workshop with Jamie D’Agnostino at 12p.m. Oct. 24 in Pickler Memorial Library Innovation Lab.

The Truman State University Board of Governors will meet at 1 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Student Union Building Conference Room.