Vol. 12 No. 23 - March 4, 2008

On March 6, guest steel pan artist Rick Kurasz will perform a concert in Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall. The concert begins at 8 p.m. and admission is free. The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Music and the Truman Percussion Society.

Kurasz is currently director of percussion studies at Western Illinois University. He received his B.M. in music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his M.M. from the University of Akron, and his D.M.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In addition to teaching, Kurasz has performed in numerous orchestras including the Akron Symphony, Sinfonia da Camera, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Idaho State Civic Symphony, Peoria Symphony, Knox-Galesburg Symphony and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Kurasz is also a performer of contemporary music and continues to commission and perform new works.

As an active member of the Percussive Arts Society, Kurasz serves as Illinois chapter vice president and as a member of the New Music Research Committee. He has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention as soloist and as an ensemble member. Kurasz is also a clinician and adjudicator for percussion and steelband throughout Illinois.

Kurasz is a composer/arranger in the genre of steel band and is published by Pan Ramajay productions and Panyard Publications. Before coming to Western Illinois University, Kurasz directed the University of Akron Steel Band, the University of Illinois Steel Band, I-Pan Steel Groove, the Idaho State University Steel Band, and his own combo, Panak. He has twice traveled to Trinidad to perform in the national Panorama festival with the bands Potential Symphony and Starlift. He has shared the stage with pan artists such as Ray Holman, Cliff Alexis, Liam Teague, Robert Grenidge, Ken “Professor” Philmore, Tom Miller, Andy Narell, Pan Ramajay and calypso legend, David Rudder.

Safe Brake is a highway safety awareness campaign that Truman State University’s Eta Sigma Gamma (ESG) Health Science Honorary sponsors to promote safe driving, particularly during midterm break. This year Safe Brake will take place from 10 a.m. March 3 through 5 p.m. March 7. Additionally, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 6 Truman’s Flame to the Second Century will be lit to commemorate lives lost on the road and is open to anyone who wants to place flowers there in memory of a loved one. There will be a poster adjacent to the flame with the names of those Truman students who died on local highways. An information table will be set up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 4-5 in the Student Union Building.

“Safe Brake is an important prevention strategy aimed at making Truman students more conscious of their choices and consequences while driving,” said Weslee Chew, ESG vice president and head of Safe Brake. “We honor our Truman classmates who lost their lives on the road by educating others and preventing more tragedy.”

Since 1995, Truman State University has lost a total of 11 students to automobile-related crashes, averaging two per year. In 2007, not one student’s life was lost on the road. Eta Sigma Gamma asks people to take an active role and stop by the Student Union Building to see what they can do.
Eta Sigma Gamma is a National Professional Health Science Honorary since 1967. Truman’s Gamma Rho Chapter was established nationally in 1995.

There will be an informational meeting at 5 p.m. March 6 in Violette Hall 1320 for students who will be taking the spring interim class ED 393 Clinical Experiences in Teaching. At that time students will be completing background screening forms and providing suggested grade levels for the field component of the course.

Meeting times for the course include two mandatory Saturday sessions from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. March 29 and April 10. The regular meeting dates will be May 12-23 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Students should sign up in the Department of Education office in Violette Hall 2310. If there are questions, contact Sheila Berkowitz at sberko@truman.edu or Peter Kelly at pkelly@truman.edu.

Student In Free Enterprise (SIFE) presented a Consumer Advisory Project that reached out to Truman students, educating them about the common scams in which they may become victims and providing helpful prevention tips. The student-tailored presentation covered topics from online shopping scams, identity theft, scholarship scams, e-mail scams, phishing, online job scams, and credit card scams. Most topics revolved around the Internet as online commerce increases.

During the last week of February, SIFE joined four hall senates (Ryle, Dobson, Grim and Missouri) during their weekly meetings to deliver the presentation. SIFE also made a presentation during an Alpha Sigma Alpha meeting.

For additional information about SIFE or the scams discussed above, please e-mail Megan McLaughlin at mem145@truman.edu, or Helen Pham at hkp587@truman.edu.

For the first time, a Faculty/Staff Wellness Fair is being presented by members of the Truman State University faculty and staff for Truman faculty and staff. It will take place March 19 in the Student Union Building. There are concurrent sessions scheduled form 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in Student Union Building Rooms 319 and 320. Morning sessions will be repeated in the afternoon.
 
To register, go to the Human Resources Web site and click on Program Registration or go to http://hr.truman.edu/register/classlist.asp.
 
Faculty and staff are encouraged to complete a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) as part of the Wellness Fair. Laptop computers and assistance for interested faculty and staff to complete the HRA will be available between 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in Student Union Building Room 322.

The schedule is available online at http://trumantoday.truman.edu/
FSWellnessFairSchedule08.doc. The session descriptions are available online at http://trumantoday.truman.edu/
FSWellnessFairDescriptions08.doc. Contact Michael Bird at mbird@truman.edu, Curt Devan at devanc@truman.edu, or Janice Young at jcyoung@truman.edu for more information.

Janice Grow-Maienza, professor of education, has been awarded a $176,000 Improving Teacher Quality grant by the Missouri Department of Higher Education from federal “No Child Left Behind” funds.
 
Grow will conduct a Teacher Institute Aug. 4-15 to introduce 50 k-12 teachers to “gecKo mathematics,” adapted from the NSF-funded English translations of the 6th National Primary Mathematics Curriculum of Korea.
 
The Northeast Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) is collaborating in this project, as is the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Todd Hammond, professor of mathematics; Scott Alberts, associate professor of mathematicsl and Hyun-Joo Kim, associate professor of mathematics; will help facilitate the Institute and the assessment of teachers and their students in the academic year 2008-2009, as will staff from the RPDC. A fourth collaborator in the “gecKo mathematics” project is Sungard Higher Education whose staff is preparing “gecKo mathematics” for online Web access for all teachers, parents and students. Ryan Herriman, a senior linguistics major from Lee’s Summit, Mo.; Stephen Emlund, a senior art major from Fredericktown, Mo.; and Garry Polley, a sophomore mathematics major from Imperial, Mo.; have designed and prepared adaptations for the Web site.
 
Grow attributes her success in writing a winning proposal to Judy Lundberg, director of grants and sponsored programs, and the assistance she received from the Grants and Foundation Relations office at Truman and the support of Sam Minner, dean of the school of health sciences and education, and Darl Davis, director of the regional professional development center.

The University Art Gallery at Truman State University is pleased to present the Annual Juried Student Exhibition, a collection of works from the finest student artists of the Truman community. The Gallery invites everyone to attend a reception at 6 p.m. March 4 to view this exhibit of emerging artistic talent. The show will be on display until April 11.

The juror for this exhibition is Janell Olah, a Philadelphia-based artist who uses a variety of media and appreciates artistic merit in many forms.

The University Art Gallery at Truman is located on the ground floor of Ophelia Parrish. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from noon-4:30 p.m. Gallery exhibits, talks and most other events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Emily Booth, the interim gallery director, at 785.5386 or ebooth@truman.edu.

Students from all majors are invited to apply for positions as writing consultants. Consultants may choose to receive a stipend or apply their work toward scholarship hours. Stop by The Writing Center, MC 303 for an application or visit the Web site http://writingcenter.truman.edu. For more information call 785.4484.

Students in the Program Implementation and Evaluation health class will be giving different health and fitness presentations to faculty and staff members.

Quick Cheap, Healthy Meals
1:30-2:30 p.m. • March 4 • PML 103

Fast Food and Restaurants
11 a.m.-noon • March 17
SRC Conference Room

Deskercize
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. • March 25
PML 103

Graded Bag Lunch
1:30-2:30 p.m.• April 1
SUB Georgian Room B

Stress Management
10-11 a.m. •  April 7
Student Recreation Center Conference Room

Smart Snacks
10:30-11:30 a.m. •  April 14 • Student Recreation Center Conference Room

For more information, contact Rebecca Verhaeghe at rnv051@truman.edu.

A call for papers, presentations and art.

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about possible topics and presentations and creating art for the Environmental Studies Conference and the ARTSEnvironmental Gallery Show.

Consider designing school research or art projects to fit into an environmental studies topic. Papers and presentations from all disciplines and backgrounds will be accepted since environmental studies is an interdisciplinary topic.

Earth Week is April 20-26 and conference presentations will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 22-23. Following the presentations, keynote speaker Michael Shuman will close the conference with a speech at 7:30 p.m. in the Baldwin Auditorium.

To submit a proposal, e-mail a concise abstract to blw456@truman.edu. Proposals will be accepted through March 31. Conference and Art Show submissions are open to students, faculty and Kirksville community members. For more information about Earth Week events, go to http://earth.truman.edu.

Pickler Memorial Library
March 7 • 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
March 8-9 • Closed
March 10-14 • 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
March 15 • Closed
March 16 • Regular hours resume

Student Recreation Center
March 7 • 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
March 8-9 • Closed
March 10-14 • 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
March 15 • Closed
March 16 • 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
March 17 • Regular hours resume

The Department of Public Safety will be providing a shuttle service for students at 9 a.m. March 8 from the Department of Public Safety Building to the Amtrak station in LaPlata.

The cost of the shuttle service is $5, and payment is due by March 6. The fee can be paid at the Public Safety Building.

The shuttle will pick students up in LaPlata at the train station for return to the Public Safety Building at 7 p.m. March 16.

Contact Joyce at 785.4177 for more information or to make reservations.

Choose from titles including: “Anne Frank’s Diary,” “Our Bodies Ourselves,” “The Feminine Mystique” and more.

For more information, call 785.4211.

Kohlenberg Lyceum Series presents “Rock”
performed by the Missouri Contemporary Ballet

7:30 p.m. • April 4
Baldwin Auditorium

There will be no Truman Today published during the week of March 10 due to midterm break. The Truman Today will resume the week of March 17.

Pickler Memorial Library provides a variety of services to help you create quality documents and presentations. Laminate your posters or documents for only 50 cents per foot. Use the color copier and the presentation binder to create a professional look. Make colorful cut-outs with the die-cut press for a poster or bulletin board. Come check out these services at the library.

8 a.m.-5 p.m. • March 10-14

The Truman Bookstore will be sending back books from this semester to prepare for inventory. Stop in before midterm break if you still need to pick up a book.

Activity: March Madness Pickem
Division: Open
Deadline: March 7
*Captains’ Meeting: N/A
Play Begins: N/A

Activity: Outdoor Soccer
Division: Open/Org/Greek
Deadline: March 19
*Captains’ Meeting: March 20
Play Begins: March 26

Entry forms and information sheets may be picked up at the Student Recreation Center (lobby area). Entry forms are to be deposited into the metal box located at the Member Services Desk in the Student Recreation Center. The entry deadline for each sport will be 11 p.m. on the date posted above. Online registration is available.

*Captains’ Meetings for each sport will take place on the Thursday evening following the entry deadline (unless otherwise noted) at 4:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Student Recreation Center. Official rules for each sport are available online at http://recreation.truman.edu.

Stephen Allen, professor of business administration, and Daniel Tracy of the University of South Dakota have an article titled “An Unbiased Look at Automotive Quality,” published in the forthcoming May 2008 issue of the Regional Business Review.

Brent Buckner, professor of biology; Diane Janick-Buckner, professor of biology; and Kayleigh Swaggart, a senior biology major from Belton, Mo.; had their article titled “Expression and Nucleotide Diversity of the Maize RIK Gene” accepted for publication in the Journal of Heredity. Co-authors on this article include Truman State University alumni Cheryl Wong, Kelsey Aurand and Heath Smith. The manuscript describes research that was supported by the following NSF grants: “Functional Analyses of Genes Involved in Meristem Organization and Leaf Initiation” and “High-density Genetic Map of Maize Transcripts.”

Emily Dahmer, a senior art major from St. Louis, has had work selected for two regional juried shows that will be on display in Columbia, Mo., in the month of March. Her “Plum Blossoms” teapot was selected for the Access Arts Teapot Exhibition sponsored by the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs. Her sculptural piece, a bust titled “Five Ginko Trees Which Survived the Atomic Blast at Hiroshima,” was selected for the Women in the Arts exhibit sponsored by the Craft Studio Gallery at the University of Missouri.

Two original musical compositions by Warren Gooch, professor of music, have been selected for performance at the 2008 Region VI Society of Composers Incorporated Conference, to take place on the campus of Sam Houston University. The compositions, titled “Light of Shadow” for solo timpani and “Prayer of David” for tuba, will be performed April 18. Both compositions were selected through a juried process involving a large pool of submissions from composers across the United States.

Daniel Mandell, associate professor of history, participated in a forum on “Engaging Indigenous Critiques: Reconsidering ‘Race,’ Gender and Politics in New England Native History,” at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, on Feb. 12.

At the Write to Learn conference Feb. 15 in Osage Beach, Mo., Barbara Price, associate professor of English, gave a presentation focused on online resources for teaching and learning. Also attending the conference were Joel Anderson, an English graduate student; Bob Becker, a senior English major from St. Louis; Deana Judah, a senior psychology major from St. Joseph, Mo.; and Emily Murdock, a senior English major from Spring Hill, Kan. Recent Truman MAE graduates Kara Burns, Nick Kremer, Chris Marino, Mary Beth Nakai and Jackie Paulson also attended the conference. Marino was a workshop presenter, with a colleague from Oakville High School where he currently teaches, on the topic “Working and Reflecting Together.” The Missouri Association of Teachers of English presented the 2008 Robert J. Greef awards to outstanding pre-service teachers at the conference; Anderson was the Truman recipient.

The Missouri National Education Association Student Program (MNEA-SP)-Truman State University was awarded Outstanding Chapter at the Missouri NEA Student and Future Educators Association Conference Feb. 16 at the Lodge of Four Seasons, Lake Ozark. Amanda Balk, a junior psychology major from Jefferson City, Mo., served on the MNEA Student Advisory Committee which was responsible for coordinating the conference. Melody Jennings, instructor of health and exercise science, presented a workshop on “Rainy Day Activities” and Sally Carter, NASA Education Specialist (Northeast RPDC), presented “To Infinity and Beyond.” Student members in attendance were Balk; Beth Rudder, a senior English major from Centertown, Mo.; Renee Stites, a junior English major from O’Fallon, Ill.; Ava Cichock, a freshman English major from Lakewood, Ill.; Bethany Goldammer, a sophomore history major from Kansas City, Mo.; Emi Griess, a senior English and psychology double major from Nevada, Mo.; Stephanie Hiatt, a sophomore psychology major from St. Peters, Mo.; Rachel Hix, a senior English major from Kirksville; Katie Johnson, a junior English major from Overland Park, Kan.; Kristina Rieman, a senior English major from Fenton, Mo.; and Cassandra Runge, a graduate English student from O’Fallon, Mo. The adviser for Truman’s MNEA-SP chapter is Bev Perrachione, assistant professor of education.

SAB presents Step Afrika! from 8-9:15 p.m. March 4 in the Baldwin Auditorium. Step Afrika! is a high-energy professional dance troupe that will perform and showcase various step routines as well as explore traditional West African dance origins. Tickets are now available in the Student Activities Board office and are free with Truman ID and $2 for general admission. No photography or recordings are allowed. SAB reserves the right to release unoccupied seats to non-ticket holders five minutes before showtime. For more information, contact Erin Palmer at esp132@truman.edu.

The SERVE Center is sponsoring a Girl Scout Cookie Booth in partnership with Kirksville Junior Troop 9169. The booth will be open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 5 in the Violette Hall lobby area. Cookies are $3 per box. Proceeds go to support the troop’s activities all year long. Cookie varieties may be viewed at http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/ or http://www.myspace.com/girlscoutcookiesale.

The Weekly Lunch Series will meet from 12:30-1:30 p.m. March 5 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room A. This week’s session will feature a joint session sponsored by the Undergraduate Council (UGC) and the Curriculum Commission titled “Critical Thinking and the Curriculum.”

There will be a Physics Colloquium at 4:30 p.m. March 5 in Magruder Hall 1096 featuring Wayne Polyzou from the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa. The topic to be discussed is “Few-body Nuclear Physics: Working Towards the Transition Region.” Snacks will be provided 10 minutes before the talk. For more information about the colloquium series and upcoming talks, visit http://physics.truman.edu/colloquia/mainstage.asp.

Students may attend a viewing of the Disney College Program E-Presentation at 7 p.m. March 5 and 25 in Student Union Building Room 319. Students will be able to learn more about this internship from Truman students who are alumni of the program. Contact Jessica Berger at tsudisneyreps@aol.com for more information.

Rep. Rebecca McClanahan presents the second annual photography contest, “Seasons of Tourism.” There will be a reception with a presentation of awards from 5-8 p.m. March 6 at the Kirksville Arts Center.

The Association of Black Collegians is hosting a Feminine Mystique night from 7-9 p.m. March 6 in the Student Union Building Activities Room. There will be free food, self-defense instruction, an open mic and a hot topic panel. Contact Kierra Mosby at ktm4347@truman.edu for more information.

IT Services invites faculty, staff and students to TechBreak at 1:30 p.m. March 6 in Violette Hall 1300. The topic of this week’s discussion is “TruTube” - video upload tool.  A web application designed by Truman’s Web Services department to facilitate the uploading and display of video in Blackboard and other University Web sites by faculty and staff.

Funds Allotment Council (FAC) funding applications are due by 4 p.m. March 7 in the Center for Student Involvement office. Applications are now available in the FAC office in the Student Union Building lower level. Contact Jenny Dix at jld534@truman.edu with questions.

The Truman State University Recycling Center will be closed March 8 and 15 due to midterm break but will be open March 10-14. The center will also be closed March 24 for spring break.

The Women’s Resource Center presents the Red Dress Project March 17-21 in Pickler Memorial Library and the residence halls. Red dresses and information about sexual violence against women will be displayed in the locations. For more information, contact Rebecca Reddin at rjr2368@truman.edu.

Truman’s Sierra Student Coalition is sponsoring a Renewable Energy Panel from 7-9 p.m. March 18 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room B. Students are invited to learn about the availability and impact of renewable energy solutions. The manager of Wind Farm Operations (of the Wind Capital Group) and an AmerenUE (Truman’s energy provider) representative will be speaking about Truman’s and Missouri’s current energy state and how it might be improved. For more information, contact Hannah Hemmelgarn at hlh833@truman.edu.

SIMS applications are now available via the Student Affairs Web site and in hard copy form in the Center for Student Involvement and the Student Affairs office. Applications must be returned by March 28 to the Center for Student Involvement. Any problems, contact Student Affairs at 785.4111 or stuaff@truman.edu.

Beta Alpha Psi will be sponsoring Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. March 29 and April 5 in Violette Hall 1424. The members will give income tax assistance to students and the community and file their tax return electronically for free. Additional information is available at http://bap.truman.edu/eventsVITA.htm.

Financial Aid Reminder: April 1 is the filing deadline for Access Missouri funds. Apply soon for all available federal (including work-study, Perkins Loan, and SEOG) and state aid. The 2008-2009 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Contact the Financial Aid Office, McClain Hall 103, 785.4130, if you have any questions.

Phi Epsilon Kappa, exercise science fraternity, is sponsoring Glow Stick it to Cancer at 9 p.m. April 15 at Stokes Stadium Gardner Track. Glow Stick it to Cancer is a two-mile run/walk at night with glow sticks. All proceeds will benefit the Adair County Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society. Glow sticks, bracelets and necklaces will be provided to all participants. Refreshments will be provided and there will be attendance prizes. Pre-registration prices are $5 for glow sticks only and $15 for glow sticks and glow in the dark T-shirt. Participants can pre-register by March 18. Day of registration will be available beginning at 8:45 p.m. April 15 at the gate. Day of registration prices are $7 for glow sticks only and $20 for glow sticks and glow in the dark T-shirt while supplies last. Registration forms are available online at http://www2.truman.edu/~sdd209. Contact Sam Dutrow at sdd209@truman.edu for more information.