Vol. 18 No. 24 - March 17, 2014

The Minnesota Ballet will close out the 2013-2014 Kohlenberg Lyceum Series with two performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” March 22.

There will be a matinee performance at 2 p.m. and an evening performance at 7:30 p.m., both in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.

Tickets are available now. Students can pick up their free ticket at the Student Activities Board Office, while faculty and staff can pick up free tickets at the information desk, both located in the Student Union Building. General admittance tickets are $7 and can be picked up at Edna Campbells or the Truman cashier window located in McClain Hall. They can also be purchased online through Friday afternoon at lyceum.truman.edu.

Witness the ballet's performance of a comic tale of star-crossed characters. This play features a fun-loving cast, such as the mischievous Puck, who gives a love potion to the wrong person, Bottom, the tailor/actor who is turned into a donkey and Tatiana, the beautiful fairy who falls under a spelled love for Bottom. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a true romantic comedy.

The Truman State University Bookstore is a platinum level sponsor of the Series and the officially recognized sponsor of this event. For more information, call 660.785.4016 or visit lyceum.truman.edu.

The Department of Public Safety is offering the second self-defense demonstration class this semester to students. The program combines a hands-on approach to learning effective techniques with information about crime prevention. Designed for both female and male audiences, the class incorporates simple strategies for escaping potentially dangerous situations.

The next demonstration will take place from 2-4 p.m. March 22 at the Student Recreation Center. The class can accommodate 30 students. Those who complete the class will receive a specially designed safety whistle. To sign up, email pr@truman.edu with your name and cell phone number. 

Students interested in additional self-defense instruction should also consider taking ES 199 RAD: Rape Aggression Defense in the fall.

Flimmaker and author Lucas Bessire, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Oklahoma, will give the Early-Vreeland lecture at 7 p.m. March 27 in the Student Union Building Activities Room.

Bessier will discuss “Culture Against Life: Ayoreo in the Gran Chaco.” In 2004, one of the world’s last “isolated” bands of hunter-gatherers left the forest in Northern Paraguay, fleeing rancher’s bulldozers. In their new home, they were subjugated by already-acculturated relatives and tormented by a host of moral, social and physical challenges: deforestation, tradition-seeking anthropologists, soul-collecting missionaries, global humanitarians, genocidal violence, neoliberal economic policies and new forms of addiction and madness. To survive, these Ayoreo resisted imposed notions of indigenous culture and instead followed their principles of “becoming-through-negation.”

The Ayoreo effort to find a path between the politics of life and the politics of culture suggests ways to reimagine the political anthropology of indigeneity in South America. The talk is being co-sponsored by the Global Issues Colloquium and the Anthropology Student Association. The Association will also be screening Bessire’s film, “From Honey to Ashes,” at 7 p.m. March 20 in Barnett 2226. His book, “Behold the Black Caiman: A Chronicle of Ayoreo Life,” will be published by the University of Chicago Press in October 2014.

Acclaimed poet Cornelius Eady will give a performance of his writing at 7:30 p.m. March 18, as the second event in the Clayton B. Ofstad Readings Series.

The reading will take place in the University Art Gallery in Ophelia Parrish Hall. It is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
 
Eady is a Pulitzer Prize Nominee, National Book Award Finalist and co-founder of the Cave Canem Foundation. He currently holds the Miller Chair in poetry at the University of Missouri. He has published many volumes of poetry, including “The Autobiography of a Jukebox,” “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” “Victims of the Latest Dance Craze,” “Brutal Imagination” and “Hardheaded Weather: New and Selected Poems.” For information on Eady and his work is available at poetryfoundation.org/bio/cornelius-eady, blueflowerarts.com/booking/cornelius-eady and poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/56.

Funding for this event is provided by The Clayton B. Ofstad Endowed Chair in English, the first-ever endowed faculty chair at Truman, honoring Clayton B. Ofstad, who joined Truman’s Language and Literature Department in 1967 and taught at the university for several decades. Additional funding for this event is provided by Truman’s Multicultural Affairs Center.

The Student Activities Board will host the 2014 spring concert featuring musical artist Hoodie Allen at 8:30 p.m. March 29 in Pershing Arena.  

Doors will open at 8 p.m. The event is free for students and $5 for general admission. Tickets may be purchased or picked up with a Truman ID at the SAB office from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. A ticket for students, staff and general admission is needed for entry into the concert.

Hoodie Allen, a clean-cut college graduate, brings classic hip-hop rhythms that are graced with polished hooks that bring listeners back for more. His albums and EPS have graced the charts numerous times including 2012’s “All American,” which debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in the U.S. and Canada, as well as No. 10 overall on Billboard Top 200. In February 2013 he released his most recent mix tape Crew Cuts, which was downloaded off of his website more than 200,000 times. Never one to keep his fans waiting too long, Hoodie has been intensely preparing for his debut full length set to drop this spring.

For more information regarding this event, contact the Student Activities Board or visit their website sab.truman.edu.

For the third time this year, Truman has received national attention as one of the nation’s best college values.

The editors of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranked Truman at No. 3 on their list of “25 Best College Values Under $30,000 a Year” for 2014. Truman was also ranked No. 3 on their “30 Best College Values in the Midwest” for 2014. Truman was the only Missouri school on the list, which was recently published online at kiplinger.com. In the eight states that border Missouri, only five schools made the list.

Truman comes in well below the $30,000 threshold established for the list. The average annual tuition at Truman is $7,096 for in-state students and $12,968 for out-of-state students.

This is the second time this year representatives from Kiplinger’s have put a national spotlight on Truman. In January, Truman was recognized as one of the nation’s best values in public education, coming in at No. 12 on the magazine’s list of 100 “Best Values in Public Colleges.” Truman was the highest-rated Missouri school on that list, and the only university in the state to be included in the top 65.

During 2013, Truman graduates were among the top performers on the Uniform CPA Examination.

Truman’s first-time pass rate of 75.9 percent ranked 33rd in the nation among all institutions with 10 or more candidates. Truman’s first-time candidates were 11th in the nation for medium sized institutions (21-60 candidates). Both rankings place Truman in the top 4 percent of institutional performance nationally. Truman had 53 first-time candidates sitting for the CPA.  

Nationally, the first-time pass rate for CPA examination sections was 54.6 percent. Overall, Missouri ranked fourth in the nation for candidates passing all CPA exam sections attempted (both first-time and re-exam).

The International Student Affairs Office recently welcomed a new international student advisor Bri Rhodes to the staff.
 
Rhodes has more than 10 years of experience in international education both in the U.S. and abroad. She served with the Peace Corps in Cambodia for two years, working with ESL students in a rural high school, living with Cambodian families and mentoring young women. She has also spent time working in Kunming, China, providing support to English language learners, and has traveled extensively in other countries.


In her most recent position at Western Illinois University, Rhodes was responsible for managing all aspects of international student life, including orientation, academic and non-academic advising, program planning and other responsibilities.

Rhodes has a master’s degree in political science from Western Illinois University. She is looking forward to working with the international students, faculty and staff at Truman. She will be taking the place of former international student advisor Randee Rae Phelps.

Emmy award-winning actor Bill Oberst Jr. will share his surprising secrets to success in a free talk, titled “Still Waiting for my Closeup: How I Made 100 Movies Without Really Trying,” at 7 p.m. March 18 in Baldwin Auditorium.

Oberst, also called “Hollywood’s B-Movie King,” has performed starring roles in “Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies,” “Take This Lollipop,” and more. CNN calls him an, “emerging horror icon,” and Famous Monsters magazine says he is, “the Kevin Bacon of horror.”

The funny, inspirational talk mixes Oberst’s hilarious stories of a working actor’s life in the Hollywood trenches with clips from his starring roles. Through it all, Oberst teaches the audience how to build their own personal brand and the secrets of relentless self-promotion.

For more information, call 660.988.9099 or email toddkuhns@gmail.com.

The Center for Student Involvement is accepting Leadership Recognition Program nominations through March 18. They can be made online or by picking up a nomination packet in the CSI Office located in the Student Union Building 2000.

The School of Business and New Student Programs are accepting applications for academic peer mentor scholarship positions for the 2014-2015 academic year.
 
Academic peer mentors support the professional and faculty advising staff by providing an academic outreach program to first-year students who are pre-business/pre-accounting majors or who are considering these majors. These positions are limited to School of Business majors who will be at junior or senior status in the 2014-2015 academic year.
 
Position descriptions, applications and recommendation forms can be obtained at the Business Academic Advising Center located in Voilette Hall 2413. Applications are due March 17.
 
For more information contact Billi Gordy, business academic advisor, at bgordy@truman.edu or Mark Weidner, head academic advisor, Center for Academic Excellence, at mweidner@truman.edu.

Registration for the Big Event is open now until March 19. If students would like to participate as individuals, they can register themselves. If students would like to participate with an organization, their organization will be in charge of registering the group. Registration will be online. Any questions can be directed to serve@truman.edu.

Would you like an opportunity to help first-year students transition from high school to life at Truman? Would you like to spend two weeks in August getting to know students, teaching them about Truman and its multitude of resources as well as creating lasting friendships between them? Sound interesting?
 
Apply today at see.truman.edu/CounselorApplicationInfo.asp. Applications are due by 5 p.m. March 21. Questions regarding this position can be directed to Emmanuel Camarillo at emmanuelc@truman.edu.

The first Disability Awareness Week at Truman begins March 23 and continues through March 28. Monday through Friday there will be a table in the Student Union Building from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. advocating for Knocking Out the ‘R’ Word. Pay attention to Facebook and posters around campus for details about events and to sign up for the Goal Ball Tournament and hearing screenings.

Goal Ball Tournament
4-6 p.m.
March 23
Student Recreation Center
A game simulating visual impairments. Participants will get a free pizza dinner at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Building Down Under.

Orthopedic Disability Day
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
March 24
Student Union Building Alumni Room
Wheelchairs will be available for participants to test.

Hearing Impairment Day
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
March 25
Student Union Building 3201
Free hearing screenings will be available.

Sign Language Clinic
7:30 p.m.
March 25
Magruder Hall 2050

Visual Impairments Table
March 26
Student Union Building
There will be impairment goggles, braille alphabets and information regarding visual impairments.

Speaker: David Wohlers
6 p.m.
Magruder Hall 2001
Professor Wohlers will be discuss the occupational challenges he faces with his visual impairment.

Learning Disabilities Day
March 27
Student Union Building
During the day there will be activities focusing on ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and more at a table in the Student Union Building.

Student Panel
7 p.m.
March 27
Magruder 2001
Truman students will speak about their own learning disabilities and Jennifer Hurst, associate professor of health and exercise sciences, will lead the panel as a faculty member with a learning disability (auditory processing disorder).

Autism Awareness
12 p.m.
Student Union Building
There will be activities throughout the day and a presentation to be determined at 12 p.m.

Alpha Phi Omega will sponsor “Tru’s Line is it Anyway?” a competition based on the show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”. All proceeds from the event will go to Alpha Phi Omega’s philanthropy Campfire USA, a non-profit organization located in Kansas City with the mission of inspiring and developing leaders in youth and young adults.

Each team will compete for the chance to win prizes such as gift cards. The cost per team of four members is $20, and general admission will be $2. Teams can pay at the event, at tables in the Student Union Building and Missouri Hall the week of March 24 or through the link below. The link to sign up will be open until 12 p.m. March 28.

docs.google.com/a/truman.edu/forms/d/12VNSoTkVwwifPPQKV_gKFUztcFvdaUTjQtK-_TZiomo/viewform

The Truman Writing Center is hiring consultants for the 2014-2015 academic year. Compensation is available via scholarship hours, institutional or work-study. Candidates should have a strong understanding of academic writing; have great interpersonal skills (listen well, have friendly demeanor, consistently try to extend conversation instead of trying to terminate it); and are motivated toward helping people learn. Apply at writingcenter.truman.edu/apply.

Basic Life Support (BLS) courses, taught by Liz Jorn and Jana Arabas of the Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, are designed to help people recognize and respond to several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED and relieve choking in a safe, timely and effective manner.

The course includes the following for an adult, child and infant:

* Critical concepts of high-quality CPR
* The American Heart Association Chain of Survival
* Differences between rescue techniques
* 1-Rescuer CPR and AED
* 2-Rescuer CPR and AED
* Bag-mask techniques
* Rescue breathing
* Relief of choking

Cost: $60 – Includes all instruction, materials and 2-year certification with the American Heart Association

Payment: Participants can pay their registration fee with a check (made out to Truman State University) or cash at the Truman State University cashier window on the first floor of McClain Hall.

Upcoming Session Dates:
March 30
1-6 p.m.

April 7
5-10 p.m.

April 14
5-10 p.m.

April 15
5-10 p.m.

April 24
5-10 p.m.

For more information, contact institute@truman.edu or call 660.785.5384.

Remember to file the 2014-2015 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) located at fafsa.gov to determine Title IV federal aid eligibility (Pell Grant, SEOG, Perkins Loan, Work Study, Stafford Direct Loans, PLUS Loans). FAFSA results are also needed for some other federal, state, University and private programs. The state’s FAFSA filing deadline for the Access Missouri Grant Program is April 1. Do not delay due to late tax filing-the FAFSA allows the use of estimated information–just update the FAFSA record after the 2013 income tax figures are finalized. Later FAFSA filing may result in more limited funding options. For questions, contact the Financial Aid Office, McClain Hall 103, or 660.785.4130.

The Learning Technologies Team's spring semester lineup includes workshops for faculty focused on a variety of teaching with technology topics. All sessions will take place at 12:30 p.m. in Pickler Memorial Library 103 unless otherwise stated.

March 19
How to Become a Transformed Twitter Teacher in a Flash!
Twitter is becoming an integral part of many digital lives and personal and professional learning networks. This introductory course explains how to use Twitter as an educational tool for professional development purposes. Demonstration of how to sign up, send and read Twitter updates (also called ‘Tweets’), and build your own PLN (Personal/Professional Learning Network) of friends will be showcased.

April 2
Constructing Effective Assignments, Problem Sets & Exam Questions
This session highlights ways in which exams, problem sets and homework assignments can be designed to best support student learning and understanding. In this hands-on workshop, participants will spend time creating effective problem sets and questions using the Blackboard Tests and Pools functions for a class of their choosing.

April 16
Analog to Digital-How to Transform your Materials into 21st Century Learning Objects (VHS to DVD)
At the end of 2014, all VHS players will be removed from the classroom. Do you have course materials still on VHS that you just can’t bear to part with? If so, this workshop is for you. Join the Learning Technologies Team for a hands-on tutorial on how to transform your analog VHS recordings into a digital format, and learn about potential issues with copyright you may need to consider before making the switch.
 
April 30
Conducting Effective Online Meetings
Would you like to facilitate web-conferences with colleagues, group meetings with students or hold office hours online? Are you interested in the many options available to facilitate web-based, real-time collaborative experiences? In this workshop, the Learning Technologies Team discusses web conferencing options, how to set up a meeting space, the meeting space layout and the many options available. Specifically explore Zoom and Big Blue Button. By the end of the workshop, you will know how to set up the meeting space with Zoom and Big Blue Button, facilitate an online meeting and take away a few best practices concerning online real-time collaboration.  

To view a list of future workshop topics and dates, visit apd.truman.edu/home/upcoming-events.

Mike Carlson, a senior men’s basketball player, was named as the Player of the Year for the Great Lakes Valley Conference. He is the first conference player of the year in school history, and shares the honor with Aaron Nelson of Southern Indiana. The award is determined by a vote of all 16 conference coaches. Additionally, Carlson was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection and was an all-defensive team honoree. During the season he was twice selected as the GLVC Player of the Week and ranked third overall in the league with 21.3 points per game. He netted a program-high and conference season-high 48 points against Missouri S&T in late January and finished the year with a league-best total of six games scoring 30 points or more.

Taner Edis, professor of physics, together with Maarten Boudry, published “Beyond Physics? On the Prospects of Finding a Meaningful Oracle,” in Foundations of Science, 2014, DOI: 10.1007/s10699-014-9349-z.

Luis Viquez, a Master of Arts in Music student, has been named a recipient of the 2014 Robert Fountain Memorial Award from the Macro Analysis Creative Research Organization. The $1,000 honorarium is presented by MACRO to an outstanding music major in the area of performance, in memory of the University of Wisconsin’s Dr. Robert Fountain, an internationally recognized musician, instructor and conductor. MACRO is an international music organization dedicated to the promotion of musical understanding through a practical synthesis of analysis, performance, pedagogy, composition and informed listening. Viquez is completing a double major in clarinet performance and conducting.

TSUnami ultimate frisbee team is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in Division-III after going 8-0 in two recent tournaments. They will be attending more tournaments later this month and in April. Complete rankings can be found here.

The Graduate Office will present part two of the Graduate Student Professional Development Series at 4 p.m. March 20 in Violette Hall 1010. Katherine Jackson, associate professor of finance, will present “Get a Financial Life!” She will discuss helpful strategies for students looking to gain control of their money and make a plan for the future. The target audience is graduate students, but all are welcome.

The Office of Admission will host a University Showcase Event March 22. The event is geared primarily for high school seniors, but potential students of all ages and their families are welcome. For more information visit truman.edu/admission-cost/visit-truman/showcases.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Sessions will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. March 22 and March 29 in Violette Hall 1424. Beta Alpha Psi is sponsoring the free tax return preparation and electronic filing program. Taxpayers should be sure to bring proof of identity; copies of all W-2, 1098, 1099 forms and any other tax forms received in the mail; social security cards for all individuals listed on the tax return; and banking information if a direct deposit is desired. For more information, call 660.785.4378.

A.T. Still University is seeking volunteers for a disaster preparedness drill. Anyone who would be interested in wearing “Walking Dead”-style makeup and participating in the drill can visit atsudart.com for more information. The event will take place from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 29.

Deloitte On-Campus Interviews
March 17
Career Center

Peace Corps Presentation
3 p.m.
March 19
Student Union Building Georgian Room C

Edward Jones Mocktail Reception
7-8:30 p.m.
March 19
Student Union Building Alumni Room

Edward Jones Information Table
March 20
Student Union Building

Ernst & Young On-Campus Interviews
March 26
Career Center

KPMG Summer Leadership Program On-Campus Interviews
March 27
Career Center

Alumni Mock Interview Day
9-11 a.m.
April 11
Career Center

Student Research Conference
April 15

Graduation Fair
April 16

Paging All Doctors
April 22

Through a generous gift from Lloyd and Lois Elmore, a trust has been established to make scholarships of approximately $1,000 per semester (depending on need) available annually. Scholarship recipients must be active in a Southern Baptist Church or in a Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ). The scholarship recipients must attend Truman State University. Lloyd and Lois (Trower) Elmore operated a family farm in the Gibbs, Mo., community for 50 years before moving to La Plata, Mo., in 1968. Lloyd was a member of the Christian Church in Gibbs and La Plata. Lois was the daughter of a Baptist minister and attended the Southern Baptist Church in La Plata. She was also a member of the Loyal Bereans Class of the La Plata Christian Church. The Elmore’s established the trust fund to provide an educational opportunity for students in the northeast Missouri area who are actively involved in their church. Eligibility criteria: high school graduate from northeast Missouri; current Missouri resident; active involvement in a Southern Baptist Church or Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ); financial need; and acceptance to Truman State University. Selection criteria: completed application form; evidence of financial need; proof of acceptance to Truman State University; written letter of recommendation from the local clergy; and receipt of all the above by the application deadline, May 30. Renewal criteria: student must maintain a 2.50 grade point average; complete at least 24 credit hours in previous 12 months; evidence of continued active involvement in a Southern Baptist or Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ); and maximum renewal of three times. To apply, click here.

The Missouri Insurance Education Foundation will award scholarships to deserving students attending Missouri colleges or universities in a program that could lead to positions in the insurance industry in Missouri. The C. Lawrence Leggett Scholarship in the amount of  $2,500 is to be awarded to a junior or senior Missouri resident majoring in insurance or a related area of study in a Missouri college or university. In addition to the Leggett Scholarship the foundation has made an additional scholarship available in the amount of $2,000. Application forms are available at mief.org and are due by March 31.

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is a non-profit organization that provides access to higher education to St. Louis area students through interest free loans. The program assists students with financial need. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average, demonstrate good character and must be a permanent resident of: St. Louis City; St. Louis County; the Missouri counties of Franklin, Lincoln, Jefferson, St. Charles, Warren or Washington; or the Illinois counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe or St. Clair. Applications are due April 15. For more information, call 314.725.7990 or email info@sfstl.org.

Marketing EDGE is offering nine different marketing scholarships for the 2014 academic year. For more information or to apply, visit marketingedge.org/students/marketing-scholarships. Deadline for application is May 9.

The Jack J. Isgur Foundation will award 15–30 scholarships to students majoring in education at four-year colleges who have indicated a desire to teach humanities at the elementary and middle school levels, particularly in a rural district in Missouri. Scholarships can be as much as $2,000 and are available to juniors and seniors in undergraduate college, as well as to graduate students. For more information and to obtain an application for this scholarship, go to isgur.org. Deadline is May 15.
 
The Rural Students Scholarship Essay Contest is now available to all high school seniors and full-time college students in the U.S. with a 3.0 grade point average. Sponsored by Blaze Wifi, this scholarship worth $500 is designed to promote digital literacy and higher education in underdeveloped and potentially at-risk rural areas of the U.S. Full scholarship guidelines are available at blazewifi.com/scholarship. Deadline to apply is May 30.

The BigSun Organization is offering a $500 scholarship to help a student athlete succeed in academic pursuits. All student athletes are eligible, regardless of which sport they are participating in. Visit bigsunathletics.com to learn how to apply. Deadline for submission is June 20.

AES Engineers is offering $500 scholarships to students on the basis of character across a wide spectrum of fields of study. Students are not required to be taking Engineering courses. This award is available to high school seniors and all students attending a post secondary education facility. To be eligible, students must answer the essay question at aesengineers.com. Deadline to apply is Oct. 6.