Vol. 19 No. 11 - Nov. 3, 2014

Rhonda Vincent, bluegrass artist and five-time Grammy nominee, will perform during the second event of the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 in Baldwin Auditorium.  

Since releasing her first solo album in 1988, Vincent has gone on to produce more than 15 others. Additionally, she has collaborated with many popular names in the industry including Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Faith Hill and Willie Nelson. Vincent’s distinguished career has earned her the unofficial title of “Queen of Bluegrass.”

Vincent has been selected as the Female Vocalist of the Year seven times by the International Bluegrass Music Association and was also named Entertainer of the Year in 2001. The Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 2014. Vincent and her band have received multiple awards and honors throughout the years.

Tickets will be available from Nov. 7-12. Due to the popularity of this artist locally, starting Nov. 13 tickets not picked up will be available for the community to purchase. Students can pick up their free ticket by presenting a Truman ID at the Student Activities Board Box Office, located in the lower level of the Student Union Building. Faculty and staff can receive their free tickets by showing their Truman ID at the Information Center in the Student Union Building. General admission tickets cost $10 and can be purchased downtown at Edna Campbell’s, the Truman Cashier’s Window in McClain Hall or online at lyceum.truman.edu.

The Truman Bookstore—Follett Higher Education Group is a platinum-level sponsor of this event.

Josie Foley, senior agricultural science major, combined her interest in horses and her interest in doing research to develop a project focusing on horse temperament. The goal of her research project “Development of an Objective On-Farm Equine Temperament Scoring System,” was to find a way to show the personality of a horse so that they are more likely to be adopted.

Under the supervision of Kelly Walter, assistant professor of agriculture science, Foley has developed and tested two different scoring scales for horses. The first, the “tie test,” grades a horse’s temperament on a one to six scoring system based off behaviors it displays while being tied in an enclosed area for a period of ten minutes. The second, the “obstacle test,” assigns a score of one to six based off the amount of time it takes a horse to cross a new and unfamiliar obstacle of a chute made using a plastic tarp with raised sides.

Foley, a native of Nevada, Mo., transferred to Truman after earning two associate degrees at Cottey College in her hometown. She is a McNair Scholar and was one of 26 students selected to participate in the 2013 TruScholar Undergraduate Research Program. Through the TruScholar program, Foley presented her project at the 2013 Summer Research Symposium. She also presented at the 2014 Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, the American Dairy Science Association and the Canadian Society of Animal Science.

After graduating, Foley plans on pursing her master’s and Ph.D. with a focus on animal nutrition in poultry science.

Thanks to an agreement between Truman and the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Truman students have the opportunity to apply for two summer internship positions.

The museum is seeking individuals with strong written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational skills, the ability to work independently on multiple tasks and knowledge of basic computer skills.

Once selected, students can be assigned to a variety of areas based off interest and skill level, including archives, public relations, marketing, educational programming, museum development or visitor services.

The eight-week, 20-hour per week internship will coincide with the University’s eight-week summer session. Although positions are unpaid, students can earn between three to five credit hours. Selected individuals will need to enroll for academic internship credit with an eligible department. The Department of History will approve credit, but students should verify with a departmental head or advisor if interested in other credit.

For more information or to get an application, contact Jeff Gall at 660.785.7747 or jgall@truman.edu. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the Department of Society and Environment and SOAN 297, Introduction to Indigenous Americas, are sponsoring the lecture “Stealing Indians: The American Indian Boarding School Experience in the United States and Canada” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in Magruder Hall Room 2001.

The lecture will feature Dr. John Smelcer, an enrolled member of the Ahtna Tribe of Alaska, where he served as the tribally appointed executive director of the Ahtna Heritage Foundation. Among the last speakers of Ahtna and neighboring Alutiiq, Smelcer has written dictionaries for both endangered languages. He has interviewed hundreds of Indian elders from across America and Canada, collecting their witness accounts.

From 1889 until 1960, the United States and Canada tried to assimilate Indian children by removing them from their families and sending them to distant boarding schools. The stated policy of these institutions was to transform Indian children and to eradicate their cultural identity, so they could “fit in” with the mainstream. At its height, there were 153 of these schools. Generations of children were sent to the schools, including Smelcer’s father, grandmother and many second cousins.

Students enrolled in the PHRE Islam course, taught by Mark Appold, recently took part in an all-day field trip to the Daar-ul-Islam Masjid in St. Louis.

The mosque is the largest in the St. Louis area and includes a day school for elementary-level children. After lunch in the Pakistan Saffron Restaurant, students toured the main area of the mosque and noted characteristic architectural features of the building. The field trip continued with an observation of the noon prayer service and a two-hour question and answer discussion with Sister Maysa, visitation coordinator.


Al-Salam Day School principal Mudir Abdul-Mun’im Jitmoud also gave the students a tour of his building. Both he and his wife were Truman alumni from the early 1980s and former students of Appold.


For more information about the Islam course, contact Appold at mappold@truman.edu.

A celebration of Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife management, will take place at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 14 in Baldwin Hall 176. The event will feature Dr. Susan Flader, Aldo Scholar and professor of history at the University of Missouri.

Excerpts from Leopold’s book “A Sand County Almanac”
1:30 p.m.

“Whither Missouri?” by Dr. Susan Flader
2:30 p.m.

Showing of the documentary “Green Fire”
3:30 p.m.

Question and answer period with Dr. Flader
4:45 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jason Luscier, assistant professor of biology, at jluscier@truman.edu.

In Business Insider’s 2014 school rankings, “The 100 Smartest Public Colleges in America,” Truman was recognized as the 30th smartest public university in the nation.

Truman was one of three Missouri schools to be featured on the list. In order to determine a school’s overall smarts, researchers analyzed the standardized test scores that schools report to the U.S. News.
 
“The 100 Smartest Public Colleges in America” is a spinoff of Business Insider’s original list “The 600 Smartest Colleges in America,” where Truman also ranked in the top 25 percent.

View the complete list of recognized schools here.

The Student Union Reservation Office will accept Spring 2015 event and meeting reservation requests from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 3-6. The Reservation Office will only accept paper requests.
 
Paper lottery forms can be found here. Organizations and departments may print and complete forms, but may not submit completed forms until room lottery begins Nov. 3. The Reservation Office will not accept early requests.
 
Confirmations will be mailed to campus offices and delivered to student organizations mailboxes in the lower level of the Student Union Building during the last week of classes. They will not be emailed.
 
Any submissions received by the Reservation Office after Nov. 6 will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis once all lottery requests have been processed.

Delta Sigma Pi, Phi Sigma Pi and Phi Delta are working together to host several “Be the Match” bone marrow donor registration drives Nov. 11-12. Individuals interested in being on the national bone marrow registry will have the options to register from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Student Union Building Down Under or from 5:30-8 p.m. on the first floor of Missouri Hall, Nov. 11 and Ryle Hall, Nov. 12.

What is bone marrow donation?
Donated blood marrow is used to treat patients suffering from blood cancers and diseases. Patients often require chemotherapy and radiation, which destroys their diseased marrow. During the process, healthy blood forming cells donated by members of the marrow registry are given directly to patients through the blood stream. Once accepted by the body, the healthy cells will begin to multiply and function as patient’s cells.

What are the requirements?
To join the registry, individuals must be 18-44 years old, have no major allergies, be in generally good health and have a willingness to commit to going through the donor process if they are found to be a match. There is no cost to register between these ages. Individuals 45-60 can join the registry with a $100 tax-deductible payment. However, research shows that cells from younger donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success.

How long does it take to register and what is involved?
The registration process takes 15 minutes and involves answering a short list of health questions and collecting a cheek cell sample. It is important to remember that the cheek cell sample is used to find potential matches and is not a donation.

What it means to join the registry
After joining the registry, samples are stored and compared to those of patients suffering from blood cancers and diseases. Matches are made based on the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), which is a marker cell that lets the body know what cells belong to it. Similar HLA cells are needed so that the body will accept the donation. Finding a match can be hard because HLA cells differ greatly, even among family members. 70 percent of those diagnosed with blood cancers will not match a relative and must rely on the registry.  

You’re a match, now what?
If matched with a patient, the potential donor will complete further testing to verify the match. There are two different methods for donation. The most common method of extracting blood-creating cells is peripheral blood cell (PBSC). This is a process that removes the blood from the donors, separates the cells and returns the blood back into the donor. The donor will also be required to take a series of five shots over a five-day period prior to the donation to increase the number of blood forming cells. Using the PBSC process, 90 percent of donors are done after one session.  

Donors may also be asked to complete a bone marrow donation, which is done through a surgical procedure in which bone marrow is extracted directly from the hipbone. This procedure can be done with general or local anesthesia and usually is an outpatient procedure.

Both forms of donation have minimal side effects. A PBSC donation could result in tingling sensation in mouth, fingers and toes. Mild flu-like symptoms can result from the shots leading up to the PBSC procedure. While bone marrow donation could result in pain within the withdrawal site, it is comparable to an aching back or a pulled muscle. While donors are more likely to be asked to complete a PBSC than a bone marrow donation, the physician of the patient will determine the type of donation and neither procedure is guaranteed.

Donors will never be asked to cover the costs of donating and are never paid for donating. All medical costs and travel expenses are covered by the "Be The Match" registry or by the patient’s medical insurance.

Why donate
Every new potential donor that registers increases the likelihood that a patient will find a match. For many patients, finding a match can be the difference between life and death. Students play a larger role because younger donors increase the chance that the transplant will be successful.

Donate cord blood
Typically, the umbilical cord and placenta are discarded after a baby is born, unless the parents decide otherwise. A donor can choose to have the cord blood collected and donated to a public cord blood bank, stored in a family (private) cord blood bank, or saved for a biological sibling who has a diagnosed medical need.

Know the commitment
While joining the registry is a quick and easy process, it is not the end of the donor’s commitment. It is vital that all potential donors realize the responsibilities that joining the registry has before completing the initial steps. A potential donor will be responsible for keeping their contact and health information up to date. By joining the registry a potential donor is committing to donate to any patient with whom they may match. While every potential donor has the right to refuse, the fundamental purpose of the registry is to save lives through donation. Once joining the registry, samples will be kept until the donor reaches the age of 61 or requests to be removed.

Alpha Kappa Psi is selling seven of Panera’s best bagel flavors from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 5-6 in Violette Hall for $2.50 each. Cream cheese is included. Flavors include blueberry, cinnamon crunch, cinnamon swirl, asiago cheese, everything and chocolate chip.

Those students who are interested in a paid spring internship opportunity still have an opportunity to apply for the Missouri Government Internship program. This internship gives students the opportunity to gain real, meaningful experience in the fast-paced world of state politics. If selected, interns will be working full time alongside staffers in the office of a state legislator, state agency or state executive. Through interning at the Capitol, students will expand their knowledge of the workings of state government and build a tight-knit and diverse professional network.

Interns are eligible to receive up to 15 hours of credit for their work at the capitol and also will be compensated for moving and living expenses with a $2,500 stipend.

Daily tasks vary depending on the office, but interns can expect to attend public hearings and complete legislative research. Other duties may include writing and editing published materials, preparing for hearings, tracking legislation, constituent relations, attending fundraising events, writing speeches and assisting with basic office work.

In order to participate in the Missouri Government Internship, students must have completed at least 60 hours and spent a minimum of two semesters at Truman. Students will only be considered with a GPA of 2.75 and higher.

All majors are eligible and encouraged to apply. While there is no required coursework prior to the internship, applicants must be hard working, motivated, professional and eager to learn.

Interviews are currently being conducted. More information and applications are available online here.

For more information, contact Candy Young or Heidi Templeton.

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) Information Session
4-4:30 p.m.
Nov. 5
Health Sciences Building 3205
     
After completing a bachelor’s degree and the specified pre-requisite courses, admitted students may finish a BSN degree in 15 months of study. For additional information, email nursing@truman.edu or call 660.785.4557. The nursing website includes information about the curriculum.

Those planning to attend the information session should RSVP by sending an email to kmcdaniel@truman.edu. 

The Master of Arts in Education program is sponsoring a screening of the documentary “TEACH” by Davis Guggenheim from 7-9 pm. Nov. 5 in Baldwin Little Theater.

The film follows the struggles and triumphs of America’s education system through the eyes, minds and hearts of its most essential resource, teachers. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Pete Kelly at pkelly@truman.edu.

6-7:30 p.m.
Nov. 5
Student Union Building Alumni Room

Amy Voiles and Michelle Stockwell from Preferred Family Healthcare will speak about addiction and what it takes to get help for others.

Biblioburro: The Donkey Library
6-7:30 p.m.
Nov. 7
Baldwin Hall 176

The event is a collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

“Two Spirits”
7 p.m.
Nov. 5
Violette Hall Room 1010

The documentary “Two Spirits” interweaves the tragic story of a mother’s loss of her son with a revealing look at a time when many Native American cultures held places of honor for people of integrated genders.
 
Fred Martinez was a male-bodied person with a feminine nature, a special gift according to his ancient Navajo culture. But the place where discrimination meets is a dangerous place to live, and Fred became one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at 16. Between tradition and controversy, sex and spirit, and freedom and fear, lives the truth.

This event is sponsored by the Multicultural Affairs Center.

The Truman Communication Disorders (CMDS) Department will host a Graduate Student Open House from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Health Sciences Building 2203.

All prospective students interested in pursuing a master’s degree in communication disorders from Truman are invited to attend. Information regarding the CMDS graduate program, the profession, employment opportunities and funding for graduate school will be provided along with the opportunity to meet faculty, alumni and students of the program. RSVP to Connie Ikerd, secretary.

The Department of Music will host its annual Percussion Fall Sampler Concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 in Baldwin Auditorium. Directed by Michael Bump, professor of music, the concert will feature the Truman Concert Percussion Ensemble I and the Statesmen Marching Percussion Ensemble. The ensembles will perform a wide variety of music written expressly for percussion ensemble, as well as music from this fall’s Statesmen Marching Band show. There is no cost to attend. For more information, contact Bump at 660.785.4052 or mbump@truman.edu.

James McKean, poet and essayist, will read from his book of essays “Home Stand: Growing Up in Sports” and his recent collection of poetry “We Are the Bus” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in Violette Hall Room 1010.

McKean has published three books of poems and a book of essays. His essays have appeared in an edition of “Best American Sports Writing” and received a Pushcart Prize. “We Are the Bus” also recently was awarded the X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize. McKean teaches for the low-residency Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., the Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival in Iowa City, Iowa.  

The reading is sponsored by the Department of English and Linguistics and is open to the public. There is no cost to attend.

Abstract: In the 1940s, the FBI ran a little-known political surveillance operation in Latin America called the Special Intelligence Service (SIS). In January, Marc Becker tripped across documents in the United States National Archives that reveal the extent of its penetration into Latin America. The original justification for sending hundreds of FBI agents, many of them undercover, was to combat German Nazi influence in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. But the mission did not stop there. The agency placed 45 agents in Ecuador, a small country that never was the target of German espionage networks. With the decline of the Nazi threat by 1943, the FBI shifted its entire intelligence apparatus to focus on FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s primary obsession with communism. As a result, historians are left with a rich source of documentation of the history of Latin America left during the 1940s.

Student Activities Board will host comedic duo Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 in Baldwin Auditorium.

“Broad City” is a comedy show that centers around Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. They started out as a cult hit web series in 2009 on YouTube where Glazer and Jacobson found humor in their day to day lives as two twenty-something women living in New York City. The web series continued until early 2014 with their debut on Comedy Central as a television show with executive producer Amy Poehler. The show has been featured in the New York Times, MTV and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” It also was nominated for the 2014 Critics’ Choice Television Awards: Best Comedy Series. “Broad City” has been renewed for a second season on Comedy Central that will start in January 2015.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The event is free for students with a Truman ID and $5 for general admission. Tickets are available in the Student Activities Office, located on the lower level of the Student Union Building.

For more information regarding upcoming SAB events, visit sab.truman.edu or call 660.785.4722.

Auditions for spring placement in Cantoria or Women’s Chamber Ensemble will take place Nov. 17 and 18 in Ophelia Parrish and by appointment. Tenors and basses are especially encouraged to audition.

If interested, email Mark Jennings at mdj@truman.edu to schedule an audition time. Students can also sign up for Cantoria, MUSI 149, or Chamber Choir, MUSI 147 section 6, when registering for classes.

For more information, email Jennings at mdj@truman.edu or Victoria Meeks, Cantoria president, at vm1567@truman.edu.

Interested in studying abroad for the Spring 2015 semester? Look for CCIS programs that have moved back their application deadlines.  

The program in Shanghai, China is low-cost and features new course options. There are opportunities to study business, culture and language. The deadline is Dec. 1. For more information, visit the program’s website here.

The School of Business is looking for eligible participants for the Gould Scholastic Award, sponsored by DST Systems, Inc., in Kansas City, Mo.

The award represents Robert Gould’s legacy of effective utilization of operations management and information technology to advance the financial services industry. It recognizes outstanding university students who compose exceptional academic papers on topics related to investment management strategies, theories and trends.

Winners are awarded grants in the amounts of $10,000, $7,500 and $5,000 for first, second and third place, respectively, and are celebrated at a special ceremony in Kansas City. The School of Business will additionally award local grants in the amounts of $500, $300 and $150 for first, second and third place, respectively.

In order to be considered, individuals or groups must complete a research paper and bibliography that addresses the future of financial decision-making and its impact on financial services companies. Paper guidelines are available here. Students must be a junior, a senior or an Honors program student. Graduate students are not eligible to participate.

The University may only submit three student papers to DST Systems, Inc., for review. Papers are reviewed locally first, and the top three Truman papers are forwarded to the next level. Submit papers to the School of Business at sbdean@truman.edu by Dec. 15.

DAAD, a German Academic Exchange Service, is accepting applications until Dec. 15 for the University Summer Grant and the Intensive Language Course Grant. The exchange service is also offering an opportunity for undergraduates to apply for a scholarship funding study, senior thesis research and/or internships in Germany. The deadline to apply is Jan. 15.

For more information about these opportunities, visit daad.org.

“The Art of the Printed Book Through the Centuries,” a traveling exhibit sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Missouri Center for the Book and the St. Louis Mercantile Library, will be on display through Jan. 12 at Pickler Memorial Library.
 
This collection of artifacts presents the history of the printed book through the last five centuries. It documents the origins of fine printing, how it developed to a very high level in England in the 19th century and America in the 20th century and how it has now become a worldwide art form.
 
Guided tours of the exhibit are available upon request. For more information, contact Amanda Langendoerfer at 660.785.7546.

Boren scholarships, for undergraduate students, and fellowships, for graduate students, provide a unique funding opportunity for students to study world regions critical to U.S. interests. Regions include Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are excluded. Boren scholars are awarded up to $20,000 for an academic year and Boren fellows up to $30,000.

Recipients commit to working in the federal government for a minimum of one year in exchange for funding. Additional information on preferred geographic regions, languages and fields of study and application procedures can be found at borenawards.org.

For more information, contact Maria Di Stefano at mdistefa@truman.edu. The campus deadline to apply for both scholarships and fellowships is Jan. 14.

Truman will celebrate donations to the University Nov. 14 by tagging items made possible by private gifts to the University.

Nov. 14 is National Philanthropy Day, a great day to celebrate the generosity of Truman’s donors. The Annual Fund will also be hosting a table 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Building to give people the chance to sign a larger than life thank you card to Truman donors.

The Staff Council’s Staff Development & Recognition Committee has enacted new policies surrounding the Points of Excellence and Bulldog awards. The new policies will apply for the 2014-2015 award year.

The award policy changes are the following:

• Annual submissions begin July 1 and end June 30.
• Awards are announced during the Fall Opening Assembly.
• Six Points of Excellence nominees are selected per award year.
• Two Bulldog Award nominees are selected per award year.

These changes will provide a more consistent award process and provide nominators with plenty of time to gather examples about why their nominee deserves the award.

To nominate a staff member, students, staff or faculty must complete a nomination form. Nomination forms are located in the Human Resources Office and online. On the website, select either the Points of Excellence link or the Bulldog Award link and look under the Nominations section for the form.

For more information, visit the website at hr.truman.edu/recognition.

Academic classroom VCR support will end in approximately eight weeks. Any remaining classroom VCRs will be removed at that time.

VCR/VHS based materials will need to be updated to a newer format immediately. The Pickler Media Library has been replacing many of the educational and feature film VHS titles with DVD format media. To replace VCR/VHS based materials contact Sharon Hackney at 660.785.7366 or shackney@truman.edu.

The ITS Service Center and the Learning Technologies staff can also provide guidance to anyone needing to make their VCR based academic materials available in DVD format. There are many issues present when dealing with copyrighted materials, including copyright law, the TEACH Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. ITS and the Learning Technologies staff can provide the best legal solution for existing VCR based materials.

After winter break, a VCR player will be available in the Pickler Library classroom, PML 103, as a group media viewing room. This room can be reserved to play VHS tapes.

For questions, contact the ITS Service Center at 660.785.4544.

The Quincy Symphony Orchestra will premiere “A Psalm of Life” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Salem Evangelical UCC in Quincy, Ill. Admission is free for faculty, staff and students with a Truman ID.

The Learning Technologies Team is kicking off its Fall 2014 semester lineup of workshops and presentations with a focus on a wide array of teaching with technology topics.
 
Monday Mentor Sessions
11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Mondays
Student Union Building 3000
 
Wednesday Lunch & Learns
12:30-1:20 p.m.
Wednesdays
Pickler Memorial Library 103
Join the Learning Technologies Team for these brown-bag lunch sessions on popular topics in instructional technology. While attendees eat, staff members will share information about apps and tools that can help provide better feedback, connect with out-of-town experts, get access to specialized training and much more.
 
First Thursdays are Blackboard Thursdays!
9:30-11:30 a.m.
First Thursday of Every Month
McClain Hall 215
Blackboard Systems Admin, Sherry Dare, hosts open hours for those seeking Blackboard support and instruction. Sherry will be available in the McClain Hall 215 computer lab during this time to answer questions about using Truman’s learning management system, Blackboard Learn.
 
Additional Programming
Times/Dates/Locations – TBA

Learning Technologies Team – End-of-Semester Open House
This is an opportunity to drink some hot apple cider and visit with the Learning Technologies Team about instructional technology-related projects, ideas, successes or challenges. The Learning Technologies Team is also interested in ideas regarding future workshop topics.
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dec. 3
Pickler Memorial Library 205

Learning Technologies Team – Finals Week Open Office Hours for NEW Faculty
Stop in for hot apple cider and take a look at the extensive resources the Learning Technologies Team has available. The Learning Technologies Team will be available for questions after reflecting on the fall semester and in preparation for the spring.
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dec. 9-11
Pickler Memorial Library 205

Hunter/Gatherer: Food and Conservation in Northeast Missouri Art Exhibition
Oct. 14-Nov. 14
Public reception at 6 p.m. Oct. 14, University Art Gallery

“The Drowsy Chaperone”- a musical with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music/lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
8 p.m.
Nov. 12-15
James G. Severns Theatre
A modest admission fee will be charged.

Middle Earth: Midwest Regional Ceramics Invitational Art Exhibition and R. Mertens: Digital/Fibers/Audio Exhibition
Jan. 22-Feb. 20
Public reception at 6 p.m. Jan. 27, University Art Gallery

“Translations” by Brian Friel- mainstage theatre production
8 p.m.
Feb. 18-21
James G. Severns Theatre
A modest admission fee will be charged.

David Mazure: Amputees Wallpaper Art Exhibition
March 3-April 14
Public reception at 6 p.m. March 3, University Art Gallery

"She Kills Monsters" by Qui Nguyen- mainstage theatre production
8 p.m.
April 15-18
James G. Severns Theatre
A model admission fee will be charged.

For more information about any of these events please call 660.785.4417.

Art Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Noon-4:30 p.m.

Closed in between exhibitions and during University holidays.

As students begin applying for summer internships, research opportunities or post-graduation positions, the Career Center has a few words of wisdom about discerning credible internships and job opportunities. While the majority of companies have genuine, quality opportunities, here are a few things to keep in mind when selecting companies to apply to and consider before accepting any offers.

1. Be diligent and research potential employers.
Students should take an active role in their future by researching the companies and specific opportunities in which they are interested. Check the legitimacy of the website. A lot can be learned by the way a company presents itself online. If a company seems illegitimate, go ahead and Google “Company Name + Scam.” Students can also check with organizations like the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission. If anything found seems like a red flag, encourage students to redirect their time and energy towards a different employer. Students should try to contact individuals who have participated in the program before. The best way to understand what would be expected of an employee in that role is to talk to others who have done it. Utilize online forums and review sites to see what others are saying about the company.

2. Trust your instincts.
If a company, or the promises it is making, makes you feel uneasy or uncomfortable, it’s probably because it’s a sketchy company. Your gut reaction towards a situation is often the best judgment. Students should not put themselves in situations where they feel uncomfortable with the individuals with whom they would be working or with the duties that would be expected. Reputable employers will want the best and brightest new hires, so if a company offers a position without requesting any sort of reference list or background check, one can assume they’re not quite as legitimate as they claim to be. If an interviewer can’t clearly articulate what the job duties will be or can’t offer a clear definition of what employee success looks like then students could find themselves working in limbo. Students work hard to be an asset to an organization and should not sell themselves short by accepting a position at an unorganized establishment.

3. All that glitters isn’t gold.
Truth be told, there are some shady companies out there who prey on college students. They’ll try and reel students in with bells and whistles: a too-good-to-be-true starting salary, competitive benefits, and promises of quick career growth. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

5. Not all employers are looking out for students’ best interests. Look for warning signs.
If a request for more information or asking valid questions about a company or open position and their response is “let me get back to you,” or “I’ll email you the details,” this should be a red flag. Legitimate companies will have no problem giving out information regarding the training or job duties employees would be expected to perform. If they are reluctant to give this information out, it might be because the truth will deter students from applying.

With these helpful tips, students can find success in securing relevant jobs and internships for their life after Truman.

Scholarships are now available through Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc., for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Two selected students will be submitted to Central Region as an applicant and to National Garden Clubs Inc., as a Missouri applicant to compete for a Central Region and National Scholarship.

The scholarship application is available on the website. The deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2015.