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Vol. 113, Issue 14 • March 28, 2019

See Inside PAGE 4

MO legislators aim to tackle deferred maintenance PAGE 6

Photo by Erin Wides / Features Editor Jill Szoo Wilson interviews John Hess, former UCM biology professor, at her in-home studio to discuss Hess’ purpose.

Former teacher finds purpose podcasting Erin Wides Features Editor

Once a small bedroom, now transformed into a welcoming space for people to share their stories. A chalkboard wall, slowly filling with quotes, stands behind Jill Szoo Wilson and her guests. Szoo Wilson is the producer and host of the podcast, “Small Town. Big Stories.” The tagline — “Finding purpose wherever you are.” It has been a journey for Szoo Wilson to get to where she is now.

In 2006, she graduated with her Master of Fine Arts in theatre and soon began a professional career on stage as an actress, in front of the camera as an on-air spokesperson for Price Chopper and at UCM as a communication instructor. Szoo Wilson’s 12-year position at UCM ended in spring of 2017 as a result of statewide budget cuts. One day she asked herself what her dream job would be. She applied for it just to see what would happen. “I got an offer to be a tour guide at the Grand Canyon with this company called, ‘Pink Jeep Tour,’” Szoo Wilson said. “I

love the Grand Canyon and outdoor adventures. Then they hired me and I was like, ‘Wait a second.’” Even with the support from her family, she ended up turning the job down because she didn’t want to be away from them. She then started to explore different aspects of her own personality, passions, desires and different things she’s always wanted to try. “I decided to try law enforcement,” Szoo Wilson said. “I spent about 10 months doing ride alongs, sitting with people and having conversations over coffee about WILSON, continued on Page 7

UCM superhero to many moves on to her next challenge PAGE 8

Sobaski, Saporito shine in Jennies second straight win

NEWS

March 28 - April 10

Blaine Whitworth Foundation gives back to community Kaitlin Brothers News Editor

The Blaine Whitworth Foundation raises money for the community of Warrensburg through a 5K run every year to award scholarships and donate to community projects. Dianne Whitworth, foundation member, said the next 5K run will be full of things to do such as a pancake breakfast, a raffle, a country store, a silent auction and entertainment. The run will be April 6 in downtown Warrensburg. Whitworth said the 5K run helps raise up to $30,000 for the Blaine Whitworth Foundation. She said they receive funds through the silent auction, raffle, country store, ticket sales and the sponsorship. She said they do one run per year with about 300-400 runners. “We encourage anyone and everyone to come out to run or walk, or just come as a supporter to the participants and shop,” she said. “We are unique, as most 5K’s do not offer all of the things we do.” The funds raised are for the “Go Big or Go Home” community service scholarships, scholarships to UCM entrepreneurship students and donations to the community. “The foundation was established to honor the memory of our son Blaine Whitworth, who was murdered in Warrensburg Sept. 1, 2012. Our family had to establish a way to deal with our grief, and so we decided that establishing a foundation in his memory would be a good way to help other people,” she said. “He had a big heart and big dreams and his motto was ‘Making a difference in the community.’” Whitworth said Blaine had owned businesses in downtown Warrensburg, such as Bodies and the former Molly’s. “He was working hard to make downtown Warrensburg a safe environment,” she said. “He wanted it to be a safe but fun entertainment district.” Whitworth said Blaine enjoyed working with UCM, members of Maine Street, local law enforcement and Whiteman Air Force

Base to make downtown Warrensburg a safer place. “He was kind of able to bring them (the other bar owners) together when they were working to make good decisions to make it safe but fun,” she said.

“He had a big heart and big dreams and his motto was ‘Making a difference in the community.’” -Dianne Whitworth

Whitworth said the foundation has three main goals when raising funds. “We basically have three missions we focus on with the funds we raise, and those are helping aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their dream,” she said. Whitworth said they give scholarships to one student a year with a focus in entrepreneurship at UCM for $1,000 and they established a speaker series for those students to listen to successful business owners. The next speaker series is from 4-5:50 p.m.on April 17 in Ward Edwards and she said everyone is welcome to come. It is free and open to the public and the room number is to be announced. The foundation also awards four community service scholarships to Greek Life members and four to members of student organizations for $250 per person. “Our second mission is to promote youth sports, parks and recreation,” she said. “Our latest project in that area was donating toward the all-inclusive playground that was open last year at Cave Hollow. Blaine was very much involved in sports and intramurals and recreation and fitness.” Whitworth said their third mission is to lend a hand to those less fortunate. She said one way they have accomplished that is by establishing an emergency fund through the UCM Military and Veterans Services. “Last summer we paid for a student vet-

Photos courtesy of Blaine Whitworth Foundation A group of runners from 2017 celebrate finishing the 5K.

A 5K runner from 2017 sports a T-shirt remembering Blaine Whitworth. eran in need,” she said. “We helped a single mother that was a student veteran.” Tess Bauman, events marketing intern for the foundation, said she has learned a lot about the business world as an intern and has learned about what the foundation does for the community. “I like being part of something so much bigger than me and seeing that my work is making a difference in people’s lives. Overall, the foundation is all about helping the community improve all around.”

The 5k is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. April 6 in downtown Warrensburg. People can register as an individual for $30, run as a team of eight or as a relay team for $25. She said people can also register to volunteer. Registration begins April 6 at 7 a.m. at 106 W. Pine St. For more information about the Blaine Whitworth Go Big or Go Home Foundation and the 5k run, go to www.BlaineWhitworthFoundation.com.

NEWS 3 Digital media program adding sports concentration The Muleskinner

J.B. Mowe

For the Muleskinner The University of Central Missouri digital media production program recently approved a proposal to add a new concentration to the major, sports broadcasting and reporting. Carol Atkinson, professor of communication and digital media, said the concentration has been approved and will be available in fall 2019. Joe Moore, DMP program coordinator and professor, said no classes will be added to support the new concentration. “There won’t be anything added, and that was one of the things we wanted to make sure of was that we weren’t adding classes,” he said. “When you start adding classes you really start thinning out your faculty and what we can offer and offer well.” The concentration will have five required courses and the student’s choice

of two electives. The required classes will include sports reporting, intro to sports broadcasting, advanced sports broadcasting, and multicam studio production. Moore said this could be used for recruiting purposes in the future. “Given the interest I’ve heard from students and schools around the state that are adding sports broadcasting, the only schools that are adding it are private schools, and we can recruit to it,” he said. “I get a lot of students that come in and say they want to do sports, but they can’t do that as a major. They have to do it as a major with a minor, which is great. We encourage you to do a minor, but if you know you want your career to be in sports, then I would like to see you do DMP with a concentration in sports broadcasting and reporting and then get another minor.” Scott Hofsommer, a DMP instructor who teaches the sports broadcasting classes, said there is more than enough student interest to support adding a new area of

study. “As a faculty, I don’t think we would have moved forward had there not been some kind of interest on the ground,” Hoffsommer said. “I think we have a lot of students that come to this department, to DMP specifically, because they want to either work in film or they want to be in sports. I think sports and digital cinema are two of the aspects of our media program that have really taken off, so if cinema has (a concentration), try and give one to those students that come here and want to primarily work with sports communication.” Alexis Ceja, a senior digital media production major, said students are interested in this concentration. “I was going to switch my minor to sports communication, but I would have to stay here a whole other year just so I can be a sports communication minor,” she said. “It would have been easier if there was a sports concentration because from the jump I would’ve been on track.”

Ceja also said this concentration will be beneficial to women wanting to break into the industry. “I think there needs to be more women in sports, so I feel like having a sports concentration could encourage that for women that are in the DMP program that way they can get a lead way into the sports world,” Ceja said. Nikkala Randall, a junior digital media production major, also said she would liked to have had a sports concentration earlier. “I would have chosen the sports concentration, but since they didn’t have it I just picked up the minor,” Randall said. “I feel like a lot of people in the minor would have chosen a sports concentration.” Randall also said not having a sports concentration is detrimental to those students who want to work in sports. “Right now it feels like there are a lot of things that you just have to go out and learn for yourself if you want to work in sports,” she said.

UCM adds faculty mentoring component to success advising model Kaitlin Younts For the Muleskinner

The University of Central Missouri is adding a campuswide faculty mentoring program to engage students beyond the classroom. Ken Schueller, director of Success Advising, said the idea is to customize a faculty mentorship program with each school on campus. Schueller said this provost-initiated program started in January by first meeting with school chairs and program coordinators to learn how they would prefer to pair students with faculty members. He said Google Forms were shared with each program coordinator, and the completed forms are still trickling in. Schueller said some students can see their updated success teams in MyCentral with faculty mentors listed alongside their academic advisors, and the goal is for every student to have

their success team updated by the end of the semester. The faculty mentor initiative is the second phase in the reorganization of advising on campus. The first phase took place in the fall of 2018 when UCM’s advising offices relocated to the bottom floor of the Elliott Student Union to create a new Success Advising Center. This is where all students can meet with their advisors in one location. Karen Goos, interim vice provost for Enrollment Management, said she is excited about the new mentoring program because it gives students the opportunity to reach out to more people for help. “When we started redesigning our advising, we had to find ways to engage students with faculty,” Goos said. “We have found research that shows those who need to connect with faculty aren’t the ones that seek it out for themselves.” Goos said the faculty mentoring program will be a great way to build a relationship

between the faculty and the students. Instead of meeting with academic advisors all of the time, students now have the opportunity to meet with paired faculty in their area of study to get the specific answers they need on how they can succeed in their degree. “I can tell you how you can be successful as a student, but I don’t have a Ph.D. in your chosen major,” Schueller said. “That is why we want to develop those faculty-student relationships.” He said they hope to increase faculty-student interactions and engagements beyond the classroom and strengthen the partnership between success advisors and faculty. Paula Brant, senior academic success advisor, said she has been researching faculty mentoring. She pointed to an article in the February issue of “Inside Higher ED” that said having a mentor more than doubles a graduate’s odds of being engaged in their work and thriving in their life.

“If we can start developing those relationships early, it will help them overall by the time they are a senior,” Brant said. In a separate initiative Schueller and Goos said they also want to start focusing on first-year students and improving the programs on campus to facilitate their transition into college. “Part of the first-year experience will hopefully be scrapped and rewritten,” Schueller said. “There is no standardization for the university foundations class. You might have a class one way, but you may go back to your dorm and another foundations class is completely different.” Schueller said developing a better firstyear experience for students is the next thing they plan to address. “We are working on the first-year initiatives as part of our Title III grant we received,” Goos said. “We are just beginning to meet regarding these changes and will work each year to see improvements over the next five years.”

4 NEWS MO legislators aim to tackle deferred maintenance March 28 - April 10

Garrett Fuller Senior Writer

Ward Edwards’ leaky roof may be a thing of the past if deferred maintenance funding stays in the state’s higher education budget. The budget, as it stands, would provide each state university with $1 million in deferred maintenance funding. Gov. Mike Parson outlined his requests for higher education funding during his State of the State address Jan. 16, according to an email sent by President Roger Best Feb. 14. Parson requested a total $20 million in deferred maintenance funding for all universities in the state, where each university would receive $2 million. Rep. Dan Houx, R-Warrensburg, said the governor’s requests served as a “wish list” budget. Houx said the House Budget Committee is responsible for producing 19 separate budget bills, which contain funding for different parts of the state. House Bill 3 is responsible for higher education funding. According to the modified bill text, the committee settled on providing each state university with $1 million in deferred maintenance funding from the General Revenue Fund, instead of the $2 million requested by Parson. The University of Missouri System — which consists of four separate campuses — is also due to only receive $1 million in total deferred maintenance funding. Attempts to contact Rep. Dean Dohrman, R-La Monte, chairman of the Higher Education Committee, were unsuccessful by press time. Best, in his email, said the university currently has more than $20 million in identified deferred maintenance projects, which does not include residence halls. “Funding for deferred maintenance is critical,” Best said. “At UCM, we currently have more than $20 million in deferred maintenance (identified) not including our Residence Halls (which operate as an auxiliary unit.)” Best said in an interview that the funding

Photo by Jason Brown / Managing Editor Water damage in Ward Edwards’ Room 2010, caused by a leaking roof. Best said the roof is nearly 20 years old and would be replaced with the deferred maintenance funding. would be used to improve roofs. He said the Ward Edwards roof would get top priority due to its age and damage. “In order of priority, it would be the Ward Edwards’ roof, which is close to 20 years old and is leaking,” Best said. “If you were to go into Ward Edwards 2010, the classroom, you’ll see a lot of water stains on the ceiling tiles.” Best said the university has spent a lot of money repairing internal damage in Ward Edwards caused by the leaks. Tim Castilaw, associate vice president of capital planning and facilities management, said priority is based on several facets. “Priorities are developed based on the asset’s function, life safety impact, purpose and use, life cycle age, consequence of failure, program impact and cost and alignment with the campus strategic plan,” Castilaw said. Best said priority also goes to repairing

or replacing items that cost the most to maintain annually. “On a year-over-year basis, if the roof keeps leaking in Ward Edwards and it’s costing us tens of thousands of dollars to fix the damage, then it makes a lot of sense to go ahead and repair that as your one priority and you wipe out that year-over-year expenditure,” he said. Castilaw said the university is assessing the condition of facilities to help solve the problem of deferred maintenance. “We are engaged in assessing the condition of the campus facilities and developing deferred maintenance and capital renewal schedules to apply to future budgeting as well as continuously striving to improve operating efficiencies generating funding for deferred maintenance needs,” he said. Best said there are reserves in place for emergencies, such as catastrophic failures of systems like roofs and HVAC equipment. He said the Board of Governors

oversees the reserves. Best said the university had to dip into reserves earlier this semester when the rooftop HVAC units at Panhellenic Hall failed. Although deferred maintenance can be curbed by planning and preventive maintenance, maintenance issues and system failures are never completely eliminated. “Unfortunately with anything you build — obviously buildings or the track or the football stadium — you’re going to have maintenance in it and you need to build that within your system,” Houx said. “It was very nice of the governor and the Budget Committee to give at least some money to the university… Obviously they do a deferred maintenance plan at the university but accidents happen. An air conditioner goes out, a pipe underground fails and sometimes it’s things that you can’t account for. To have those extra monies is a great thing.”

NEWS

The Muleskinner

‘Godspell’ musical preaches togetherness Kaitlin Brothers News Editor

The UCM Department of Theater and Dance will be performing “Godspell,” a musical production about the book of Matthew that preaches a message of community. The production is scheduled to run from April 3 to 7 in the Highlander Theater. The play will start at 7:30 p.m on April 3-6, and 2 p.m. on April 7. Mary Trotter, professor of theater and dance, is the director of “Godspell.” She said this is a fun play to see, and one that teaches a lot about being in a community. “It takes a lot of parables and sort of uses them in a overarching storytelling way, just about being human beings in a community,” Trotter said. “The message of ‘Godspell’ is about building community, which is something that I think we need now more than ever.” “Godspell” is the story around a group of people who help Jesus tell different parables through games, storytelling techniques and comic timing, according to the press release. Through pop-style music, the play tells the story of Jesus’ message of kindness and tolerance, according to the release. Trotter said even though this play has a strong religious theme, everyone is able to

Photo by Jason Brown / Managing Editor The “Godspell” cast rehearses the musical number “Bless the Lord” Tuesday in the Highlander Theater. watch and enjoy the play. “It’s about so much more than that (religion),” she said. “It’s really for everyone, regardless of your background, regardless of your stance on issues. It’s a fun musical way for everyone to come together as a community.”

Trotter said the play runs for about an hour and a half. “I think people should come see it because it’s just a really great way to get in touch with our community and to have a really great time,” Trotter said. Tickets are $7 for students, $12 for UCM

faculty and staff and $15 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased online at ucmo.edu/theatretickets, by calling 660543-8811 or at the box office in the Highlander Theater between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. beginning Wednesday.

a sponsorship from Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s Traveling Exhibit. “I’ve always wanted to bring a travel exhibit to campus, and we were able to get sponsorship,” Gillis said. The exhibit will teach students about the history of Frederick Douglass in an artistic and creative way. Gillis said the exhibit will showcase music, artifacts, games and a photowall with Frederick Douglass. “I’m so excited that we will have an exhibit for two weeks and using it as a teach-

ing tool outside of guest speakers and lectures,” Gillis said. Elizabeth Ewell, sophomore and Gillis’ assistant, said Africana Studies did a lot of preparation for the exhibit. “We’ve been putting in a lot of hard work, but it’s been a great experience,” Ewell said. “I hope people get more knowledge on Frederick Douglass and what him and other slaves had to go through to get to freedom, but also to learn and have a good time.” Gillis said with the exhibit right around

the corner, the Center of Africana Studies is filled with excitement, knowing that they are creating another learning space for students. “Students will have an opportunity to reflect on Douglass’ contributions in America and how it impacts them today,” Gillis said. “Hopefully they’ll be inspired to make the changes in the world they believe.” To schedule a tour, contact Gillis at dgillis@ucmo.edu.

Upcoming exhibit explores life of abolitionist Saba Desta

For the Muleskinner The Center of Africana Studies is preparing an exhibit called “Frederick Douglass” that will explore slavery and the life of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Free to the public all day, the exhibit is open April 1-13. The exhibit will be held at the Elliott Student Union in Room 213. The exhibit was brought to UCM through coordinating efforts between Delia Gillis, professor in the department of history, and

FEATURES

March 28 - April 10

UCM superhero to many moves on to her next challenge Erin Wides Features Editor

The Student Activities Office was recently filled with hugs, tears and laughter. What started as a blank canvas laid out on a table, quickly filled with messages of good luck. More than 50 friends and coworkers gathered to celebrate the friendship and service of Emily Bergsieker on March 6. A slideshow flipped through photos and memories that friends and students shared with Bergsieker. Guests enjoyed light snacks and a cake decorated with, “Goodbye to our Superhero.” “This is a tough day because Emily has done such an outstanding job and she has taken such a burden away from me, because she does such a good job,” said Beth Rutt, director of Student Activities and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. “It’s hard to find employees who have such loyalty, devotion and passion that Emily has,” Rutt said. “When she works with the students, she models for them the behavior that she expects of them and that, I think, as you can see from the individuals here, speaks volumes.” Rutt said Bergsieker has worked for her at the university for 10 years — prior to that she worked in the alumni office and in enrollment management — and they’ve been friends for 20 years. “She’s very reliable. She has great relationships with folks on campus — a great collaborator,” Rutt said. “I’m excited for her that she’s going on a new journey, but she’s going to be sorely missed.” On March 11, Bergsieker began her position as a field specialist, with the University of Missouri Extension to oversee the 4-H program in Lafayette and Ray counties. 4-H is a program that helps empower kids to be leaders in their lives and communities. “As a past 4-H member and current volunteer, this opportunity to help continue some of the (long-standing) traditions and

grow the community is something I have a strong passion for,” Bergsieker said in a Facebook post. After being at UCM for nearly 17 years, some might think it’d be difficult to move on, but Bergsieker said she is excited. “It’s hard because you’ve been at one place for so long and then you leave to go to something new and different, but on the other hand it’s like a new challenge and it’s exciting to go for, hopefully, the next 15 years doing the same thing.” A lot of the programs and events she has helped plan and host at UCM will be similar to the ones she will oversee with 4-H. For example, Bergsieker helped plan and execute IMPACT, a freshmen leadership retreat for incoming students.

“This is a tough day because Emily has done such an outstanding job and she has taken such a burden away from me because she does such a good job.”

-Beth Rutt

“Putting on a 4-H camp is very similar to the IMPACT camp — just doing different age activities but the same type of thing,” Bergsieker said. Taylor Kemna, senior criminal justice major, has worked a few IMPACT retreats for Bergsieker. She has worked in the Student Activities office on different projects for the past three years, as well as homecoming planning and as a Mule Team leader. When Kemna first began working in the office, she said she didn’t talk to Bergsieker much because she was socially awkward and nervous.

Photo by Erin Wides / Features Editor From left Beth Rutt and Emily Bergsieker laugh at a memory that was shown in a video made by friends and coworkers for Bergsieker. “I was intimidated because she oversaw “I had a lot going on through my three so much as the assistant director to Student years here and she’s really been a mentor to Activities,” Kemna said. “Over time, she me and helped me get through a lot,” Kemhas been a really good mentor to me, to na said. “I really appreciate everything that help me learn how to be a good leader on she’s done and wish her the best of luck in campus through all of the programing that her new position.” she has done.” Kemna and Rutt are two examples of the Kemna said Bergsieker brought a lot of many lives that Bergsieker has helped for patience to the office. the better. “I know it’s not always easy because “You go through life doing a job that this was her life, and for a lot of the stu- you sometimes don’t know if you’re makdents, these organizations are a part of their ing an impact or not,” Bergsieker said. “So lives,” Kemna said. “So she had a lot of the quotes from the video (slideshow) and patience for the students who were trying that kind of stuff — from people that have to balance everything.” left here or current people — just shows Kemna said that Bergsieker taught stu- that you do make an impact no matter what dents lessons that will stay with them be- you’re doing.” yond college. Rutt said she hopes that Bergsieker felt “She taught us a lot about organization, the love and appreciation from all in attentaking responsibility and being account- dance. able for the things that we sign up to do, “We want to make sure she understands and our duties and responsibilities,” Kem- how much she is appreciated and that she na said. leaves with those good, happy feelings and Kemna is thankful for everything Berg- that once a Mule, she’s always a Mule,” sieker has done for her and her peers. Rutt said.

FEATURES

The Muleskinner WILSON, continued on Page 7 their experience in law enforcement.” After some time, she was accepted into the Central Missouri Police Academy. Even though she thought she may be too empathetic for the job, she gave it a try. “I went for about five weeks and then I left,” she said. “I thought, ‘No, not for me.’” Szoo Wilson said one of her strengths is creativity and that was not the best place for someone like her because she wanted to know “why” instead of taking scenarios for what they were. The idea for the podcast was sparked when she wanted to launch a YouTube channel as a creative outlet. For her birthday her husband got her a camera, microphone and lighting. “I started realizing how stressful it can be to make sure you have the right lighting, the right background,” Szoo Wilson said. “It was just becoming too much and I was like, ‘Why don’t I just do a podcast?’” The focus on local stories came about when Szoo Wilson found herself looking for her purpose. “The idea for this one came because I had been searching for my purpose in life and my direction,” Szoo Wilson said. “At least for a year and a half, like specifically searching for my purpose.” Szoo Wilson said she would bring up the idea for searching with others and realized that she wasn’t alone in the struggle to find her purpose. She said hardly anyone has a natural trajectory of just going from high school to college and directly into the workforce without some type of change of plans.

“So rather than being stressed out about my job being cut here and that I wasn’t going to be teaching anymore,” she said, “I just decided, I’m going to make it an adventure and I’m just going to start exploring.” Part of her search took place in October 2018 for five days in the middle of an Arizona desert. “On my last full day there, I went to the Painted Desert and there’s a monument called the, ‘Wukoki Pueblo,’” Szoo Wilson said. “No one was there. It was just me for a whole hour.” She sat there and began writing — a thought came to her. “Our vertical relationships in life affect our horizontal relationships,” Szoo Wilson said. “So the vertical relationship being my relationship to God or philosophies or ideas… horizontal relationships, which was the people, the circumstances and everything I would reach out to.” Szoo Wilson said she found herself working best in the intersection of the vertical and the horizontal relationships. She said storytelling comes naturally to her, but she’s had to learn the technical side of podcasting. “Every step of the way I have had to Google what to do,” she said. “I’m using GarageBand and doing it all by instinct.” She is also learning how to be a host along the way. Szoo Wilson said she listens for a beginning, middle and end, while making sure the conversation keeps to the theme of finding one’s purpose. “The ‘finding purpose where you are’ tag really came from me sitting down and

making a list of what are my objectives in starting a podcast?” Szoo Wilson said. “What do I want my audience to go away with at the end of every episode?” Szoo Wilson said she loves asking guests what their purpose is because they have to pause and really think about it. “A lot of times people are going about their daily life and you’re going in one direction and you think, ‘This is my goal, this is my objective,’ but if somebody stops you and says, ‘What’s your purpose?’ I don’t know because that’s a whole different question,” Szoo Wilson said. “I know what my goal is, I know what my objective is, but what’s my purpose? Where is my life going to bring meaning to other people?” She said when it comes to choosing guests, it is a process that she makes sure to spend time on and is intentional with. “I sat and brainstormed with myself one day about all the people whose stories I have heard and been fascinated by and then I brainstormed people who I didn’t know very well but was already fascinated by for some reason and so I wanted to pursue them,” she said. As of now, Szoo Wilson has a list of about 25 people but says she’s only gotten to three who were on the initial list. “People just keep popping up, new stories keep introducing themselves to me and so if it feels right I’ll say, ‘Hey, do you want to be on the podcast?’” She said so far no one has turned her down. She said another unique “character” that has become a part of the podcast is the train.

“There’s no way for me to cut it out. I think the train is also a character in Warrensburg. It plays a part in everyone’s lives in the background,” she said. “Even after you’ve been gone for a while and then you hear the train, it’s like a nostalgic feeling.” While Szoo Wilson has embraced the train as part of the podcast, some audio challenges that have arisen have been loud cars outside and the baseball team during practices and games. “I have a baseball schedule and even if they’re not scheduled to play a game all of a sudden I’ll start hearing the music and the crack of a bat and I’m like, ‘Oh they’re practicing,’” she said. Only once she’s had to call the athletic office and politely ask them to turn the music down and they were compliant. While she has been learning about podcasting on her own, she is also learning from each of her guests. “I have realized through my guests that though we all are very complex and our stories take us in very different directions, when we’re vulnerable and transparent we can connect with other people,” Szoo Wilson said. When asked what her purpose is, she laughed and said, “Man, I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.” A few moments of silence passed and she had an answer. “It’s definitely connection. To be an instrument of connecting people to ideas and other people.” You can listen to the next episode, coming out on Monday, by visiting https:// smalltownbigstories.com/.

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8 SPORTS Sobaski, Saporito shine in Jennies second straight win March 28 - April 10

Jason Brown Managing Editor

The Jennies victory at the Jennies Golf Invitational was in the bag by the time Olivia Sobaski reached the 18th hole. The decorated junior punctuated her second-place finish with a well-placed tee shot and clutch putt for birdie in front of friends and family. Sobaski and the Jennies won their second straight tournament Tuesday at Mules National Golf Club and have won three of their last four tournaments dating back to last fall. It is the first time in program history that the team has won back-to-back tournaments. “It’s awesome. I think it is definitely proof of all the hard work this team has put in,” Sobaski said. “Whether it’s in the gym, in the classroom or on the golf course, everyone on this team has been working hard and pushing each other to higher levels.” Freshman Molly Saporito led the field at the end of round one for the first time in her college career. A rough front nine in round two set her back followed by a double bogey on the 12th hole. “I never really slept on a lead in a college tournament before. So, that was new,” Saporito said. “Obviously I want to play well for myself and my team. (I) had some trouble along the way but I was able to get it together toward the end.” Saporito bounced back to birdie holes 13 and 15, finishing nine over par with a career-best third-place finish. “She (Saporito) really put a nice round together,” said Jennies head coach Chris Port. “She had a couple bogies but that’s the nerves and that’s being a freshman with a chance to have a great event. For her to finish third today, I’m just super proud of her.” Sobaski climbed eight positions in round two, marking her fifth top-3 finish in six tournaments this season. Junior Madison Grisham picked up four spots to tie a career-best finish in sixth place. Freshman Rosie Klausner shot six over par in round two and finished in 13th place. Sophomore

Photos by Jason Brown / Managing Editor Freshman Molly Saporito earned her best finish of her career Tuesday, taking third place at the Jennies Golf Invitational at Mules National Golf Course. Emma Solovic rounded out the Jennies winning squad in 37th place. Missouri Western’s Shi Qing Ong took first place, shooting two under par in the final round to win by five strokes over Sobaski. The Griffons senior has won threestraight individual titles this spring. Port said he wasn’t sure what to expect of the team at the beginning of the spring season due to the long winter keeping them inside longer than they expected. “It has been a tough spring to get ready and last week,” he said. “I didn’t really

know what we’d come out and do.” The home tournament was a rare opportunity to play in their backyard and Port said the team made the most of it. “You know there’s some expectation to play well here,” he said. “I was excited to see us put a solid score yesterday and then I was really excited to see us play well today. I mean, we shot 301 and put it to the rest of the field.” Sobaski said there was no pressure on her final hole with her teammates and family watching.

“It’s one of those shots where there can be a lot of pressure,” she said. “Just being able to push that pressure off and say, ‘I’m here to execute a shot,’ makes it a lot more simple.” The Jennies have experienced their most successful season in the young program’s history, winning three team championships after winning just two in their first six seasons. Port said the success of this season goes a long way in benefitting the program’s future. GOLF, continued on Page 10

SPORTS

The Muleskinner

Sports Updates Redmond

earns

third

All-American honor Jennies basketball senior point guard Paige Redmond capped her four-year career by becoming just the second Jennie ever to earn All-American recognition in three seasons. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association named Redmond to its honorable mention team Monday. Redmond earned an honorable mention in 2017 and was named to the First Team after her junior campaign and Elite Eight MVP. Redmond joins another National Champion, Carla Eades, who earned All-American honors over 1981-84. Redmond accumulated 1,730 points over her career and is fourth all-time in scoring. She is tied for second most all-time in games played with 125. This season, Redmond averaged 15.9 points per game and scored over 500 points total for the third straight year. She set career-bests this season with 149 rebounds and 141 assists. In addition to her All-American honors, Redmond was also named to the All-MIAA First Team for the third season. She was also named to the All-Region First Team.

Bowling comes up short in conference final Jennies bowling came within a match of defeating top-seeded Mckendree University at the MIAA Conference Championship Saturday and Sunday at Andy B’s in Springfield, Missouri. The double-elimination tournament didn’t start well as the Jennies fell behind after dropping their first match 4-0 against Maryville. With backs against the wall in the loser’s bracket, the Jennies defeated both 5-seeded Elmhurst College and 4-seeded Drury University to set up a rematch with Maryville. In vengeful fashion, the Jennies beat the

Saints 4-1 to advance to the finals against McKendree. The Jennies needed to defeat the Bearcats twice to take the championship and took the first step in a 4-1 win to set up a final match. The Jennies ran out of gas on the last leg and were swept 4-0 in the deciding match. The Bearcats won the MIAA Championship for the second consecutive season with the Jennies in second. It is the third straight season the two teams have finished at the top of the conference tournament. The Jennies await the results of the NCAA’s Selection Show to see where they will compete in the regional tournament.

Mules explode in rubber match Mules baseball (18-9, 10-5 MIAA) scored 23 runs over its three-game series with the Washburn Ichabods over the weekend, including a 9-1 win in the decisive third game Sunday at Crane Stadium/ Tompkins Field. The Mules took game one of the series Friday 9-2 but dropped Saturday’s game 8-7. In the rubber match, the Mules got on the board early with two runs in the second inning from a single off the bat of first baseman, Cole Taylor. Centerfielder Mason Janvrin drove in the second run on a single after drawing a full count. Mules starter Mason Green struck out eight Ichabods over seven innings of work and allowed one run on three hits. Jonathan Sprinkle threw two innings in relief, facing the minimum six batters and striking out four. Second baseman Donovan Ditto went 3-5 and knocked in four RBIs. Taylor picked up two more RBIs on a single in the sixth inning and finished 2-4. The Mules hit the road this weekend for a three-game series with Pittsburg State (13-13, 7-8 MIAA) at Al Ortolani Field in Pittsburg, Kansas. Game one is scheduled

to begin at 6 p.m. Friday with game two scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday. The final game is scheduled for noon Sunday.

UCM Multis open outdoor season in Wichita UCM Mules and Jennies multievent competitors kicked off the outdoor track and field season Thursday at the Wichita State Herm Wilson Invitational at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, Kansas. Freshman Trey Miller won his first decathlon with 6,792 points and beat out the second place finisher by more than 600 points. Two other Mules earned top-10 finishes with freshman Garrett Francis in fifth and Calaway Scholes in 10th. Sophomore Lauren Nelson led the Jennies in the heptathlon with a seventh-place finish and a personal-best 3,917 points. Sophomore Kyra Webster took 14th with 3,561 points. Distance runners from both the Mules and Jennies are scheduled to compete Friday at the WashU Distance Classic in St. Louis. The rest of the team will compete in the Emporia State Relays Saturday at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas.

Mules finish strong in second spring outing Mules golf bounced back from a 10th place finish in the first action of the spring season with a fourth place finish at the Lindenwood Invitational at Missouri Bluffs Golf Course in St. Charles, Missouri. The top-5 finish is the fifth in seven tournaments for the Mules this season. Each of the Mules five golfers finished in the top35 individually. Senior Cole Dillon and sophomore Matt Hoemann were the Mules top finishers in a tie for 18th place. They each saved their best round for the end shooting even par

and finished nine-over-par. Sophomore Sam Parrott shot one stroke behind Dillon and Hoemann for a tie in 21st place. He carded rounds of 75,72 and 76. Senior John Bonaobra rounded out the Mules scoring in 23rd place at 11-over-par. Lindenwood won the team title shooting a 54-hole total of 869. The Mules will travel south for the Patriot Classic hosted by Dallas Baptist University. The two-day event is scheduled to run Monday and Tuesday at Hackberry Country Club in Dallas, Texas.

Softball gets hitter and pitcher of the week Jennies softball’s 5-1 week got better as the MIAA recognized junior Alexa Bradley as the pitcher of the week and freshman Mackenzie McAtee as the hitter of the week. Bradley started three games for the Jennies last week and won decisions in each of them. The three wins included two complete-game efforts and only one earned run. She struck out 13 batters without walking any in 20 innings of work. Bradley’s season record now sits at 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA. McAtee led the Jennies offense over the 5-1 stretch with a 10-17 tear from the plate. She connected on multiple hits in four of the six games. McAtee is third on the team in batting average at .397 on the season and leads the team in on-base percentage at .493 in 58 at-bats. The Jennies (15-9, 3-1 MIAA) have won six of their last seven matchups going into a home double-header against William Jewell Wednesday. Results from the double-header were not available at press time. The brief homestand is scheduled to continue this weekend with a double-header against Southwest Baptist (3-22, 0-0 MIAA). The first game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at South Recreational Complex with game two scheduled to follow.

10 OPINION

March 28 - April 10

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” provides satisfying conclusion to series Ryan Sheehan For the Muleskinner

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” marks the third and possibly last film in the critically acclaimed franchise. Loosely based on the children’s books of the same name by Cressida Crowell, the fantasy/adventure series started with the original “How to Train Your Dragon,” released in 2010. Set on the miserable island of Berk, where, to make matters worse, dragons roam wild. Viking teenager Hiccup captures a Night Fury, a rare breed of dragon, which he names Toothless. Despite living in a culture where his viking people hunt down dragons, Hiccup befriends Toothless and they form a close bond. It was a big commercial and critical success for Dreamworks, giving them an animated franchise that could compete with the likes of Disney. It was followed by a sequel, “How to Train Your Dragon 2” in 2014. Due to Hiccup’s actions, his community has learned to coexist with dragons. Hiccups and Tooth-

less’ bond is more than a pet and master as the two have become best friends. But their new paradise is threatened by unknown forces and they receive help from an unsuspected person. The sequel was just as good as the original and helped to expand the scope and continue the characters. Now in 2019, there is “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” Everyone was adapted to the past events of the sequel, with Hiccup now the new viking chief of Berk. But enemies, similar to those in the last film, threaten Berk and the dragons once more. Hiccup has to face this danger while also trying to handle Toothless, who has become lovestruck after encountering a female Night Fury. Something that has stayed consistent throughout this franchise is the flying scenes. Like scenes of Hiccup riding Toothless are some of the best moments in the series. It is stunning. It makes feel like you’re flying alongside them. They capture this sense of wonder and also show the epic scale of the world around them. Some of the best shots of “The Hidden World” show Hiccup and Toothless flying but only as a small spec in the endless sky. These

every now and then. What’s really wrong with them is how they and the main characters like Hiccup interact with each other. They don’t talk like good friends who have known one another for the past 10 years. It doesn’t feel right. They just kind of awkwardly interact and it’s very distracting. However, they’re not the focus of the movie. The main focus is on Hiccup, Toothless and a few other main characters and that works. The movie adds some nice moments to develop to their characters in ways that make senses when considering the previous movies. The main theme of this movie is accepting change. Which is perfect for the possible last film of the series. The way the movie concludes everything was great. To be honest, I got a little teary-eyed at the end. “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” is a really good movie. It stays true to the franchise, providing both a thoughtful continuation and satisfying conclusion. It doesn’t really matter if it’s better or worse than the previous movies as all of them are very close to each other in quality, which is impressive for any franchise.

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GOLF, continued from Page 8 “It creates the ability to recruit better,” he said. “It’s kind of a chicken and egg thing. If we’re playing well, more kids are paying attention to you. So if we can continue to recruit better players, then we can play better.” At the end of the fall season, Klausner said she expected the team to continue to push toward its first national appearance. Saporito echoed those same expectations following the team’s win Tuesday. The Jennies will try to make it three straight wins this weekend at the Upper Iowa Invite where they won last season. The two-day tournament is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo, Iowa.

are the kinds of movies that you should see on the big screen. It makes the experience feel even more epic. And if you are a fan of 3D, these are the kinds of movies that benefit from the format. Moving on, the villain of the film, dragon hunter Grimmel, voiced by F. Murray Abraham, is another highlight. He could’ve have been a forgettable part of this movie, especially with his cliche sounding bad guy name. But he ends up being a good villain as he is surprisingly similar to Hiccup in a few ways. He is also menacing while having a nice, sarcastic sense of humor. It’s interesting how Grimmel both hates dragons and yet, has strange respect for them. The way a hunter respects their prey. But what stops this movie from being a great animated movie is hard to say. To try to put it in words, “The Hidden World” feels like it’s missing something. It’s hard to describe. It just feels like if it had something else it would be better. A clear example would be with the side characters. While plenty of the side characters do work, others don’t. It’s not that they’re annoying, because in their defense they can crack a funny joke

Freshman Molly Saporito and Junior Olivia Sobaski finished back-to-back in second and third at the Jennies Golf Invitational Tuesday at Mules National Golf Course.

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11 CENTRAL SCOOP

This Week Stop & Serve: Nutrition Month 11 a.m. | SRWC Atrium

THURS.

29 FRI.

30 SAT.

31 SUN.

MON.

Union Cinema Movie: “On the Basis of Sex” 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema Nav Night sponsored by the Navigators 8 p.m. | Alumni Memorial Chapel Union Cinema Movie: “On the Basis of Sex” 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema MAD: DIY Night 8 p.m. | Union 237 A & B Jennies softball vs. Southwest Baptist 1 p.m. | South Recreational Complex/Jennies Field Union Cinema Movie: “On the Basis of Sex” 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema Mile High Climb Ends 9 p.m. | Rock Wall Blood Drive 10 a.m. | Union Ballrooms Blood Drive 10 a.m. | Union Ballrooms

TUE.

WED.

Let’s Talk: Mental Health 12:30 p.m. | Café Rouge Gospel Talk: Diversity 7:30 p.m. | Union 237 A LEAD: Get LinkedIn 4 p.m. | Union 213 DIG Worship: Christian Campus House 7:30 p.m. | 211 S. Maguire St.

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CENTRAL SCOOP 12 Difficulty Level:

The Muleskinner

Puzzle by Hang Chen and Curti

Sudoku Next Week 03-28-2019

THURS.

Union Cinema Movie: “Holmes & Watson” 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema

Difficulty Level: Nav Night sponsored by the Navigators 8 p.m. | Alumni Memorial Chapel

Puzzle by Hang Chen and Curtis Cooper

FRI.

SAT.

MON.

TUE.

Jennies softball vs. Washburn 3 p.m. | South Recreational Complex/Jennies Field Sudoku is a number-placement puzzle

Sudoku 8 2 7

3 9 8

2 9 4 1 6 2 7 4 6 3 5 2

9 8 2

that 1 Student Funding Committee: Application Due consists of 9x9 squares. The objective is to fill 5 p.m. each | Union 217 square so that each row, each blank Union Cinema Movie: “Holmes & Watson” column, and each of the nine 3x3 blocks contain the numbers from 1 to 9 one 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema time each. Jennies softball vs. Emporia State Noon | South Recreational Complex/Jennies Field

SOLUTION FROM MARCH 7 - 27

Union Cinema Movie: “Holmes & Watson” 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema National Student Employee Week Kick-off Reception 8:30 a.m. | Ward Edwards 1200 Dinner & Worship: BSU Sudoku solution: 6 p.m. | 302 S. College St.

8 2 1 7 4 3 6 9 5 10 7 6 3 5 9 8 4 2 1 DIG Worship: Christian Campus House WED. 4 S.9Maguire 2 1St. 6 7 3 8 7:30 p.m.5| 211 3 9 4 1 5 2 8 6 7 1 next 5 8 6 MULESKINNER! 7 9 3 4 2 Read the 2 7 6 3 8 4 5 1 9 APRIL 9 1 7 Read 4 6 5it online 2 8 3and stay 6 8 2 up-to-date 9 3 7 1 with 5 4the latest 4 3 5 8 2 1 news 9 7 at: 6 National Student Employee Reception 3 p.m. | Union 237 A & B

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Sudoku is a number-placement consists of 9x9 squares. The objec each blankCHEN square thatCOOPER each row BY HANG AND so CURTIS column, and each of the nine 3x3 b time each.

2018-2019 Muleskinner Staff Jason Brown Kaitlin Brothers Erin Wides

Managing Editor News Editor Features Editor

Brent Young

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Difficulty:

9 Sudoku solution:

6 5 7 1 9 3 2 4 8

9 8 3 2 6 4 1 7 5

2 1 4 8 7 5 9 3 6

3 9 8 4 1 6 5 2 7

4 7 6 5 8 2 3 9 1

5 2 1 9 3 7 8 6 4

7 6 9 3 5 8 4 1 2

8 3 2 7 4 1 6 5 9

1 4 5 6 2 9 7 8 3

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