Muleskinner Vol. 113, Issue 7, 11-8-2018

Vol. 113, Issue 7 • November 8, 2018

UCM grounds crew nationally recognized Chris holmberg MAnAGinG Editor

For the third consecutive year, the grounds of the UCM campus have been nationally recognized for their beauty and their upkeep.

The Professional Grounds Management Society awarded UCM the Green Star Honor Award on Oct. 19 in Louisville, Kentucky. The Honor Award is the second highest award given out by PGMS based on points assigned by judges from the landscaping industry from photos and a PowerPoint presentation submitted by award applicants.

UCM has competed with much larger schools across the country for the Green Star Award.

In 2017, Texas A&M won the Grand Award, the highest PGMS Green Star Award. In 2018, the Grand Award went to Tarleton State University, part of the A&M System.

Chuck Vaughn, campus services manager, said one of the things that sets UCM apart from those universities in Texas is the different types of plants the grounds crew here is able to plant and support in a different climate.

“They go out and they plant palms. They plant stuff that’s not from here. It’s not supposed to grow here,” he said. “But we make it grow here for a purpose: So people can enjoy it and see it from a different view.”

The difference in climate introduces different challenges for a grounds crew in the Midwest, and with the challenges comes extra work. As the temperatures drop, the various tropical plants, palms and cacti – hundreds of plants around campus – must

be moved inside.

“These are plants they plant out on campus and then dig up, put in their pots, repot them, put them back in the greenhouse,” Vaughn said. “This is every year because, if we don’t, we’re not going to have the beauty, we’re not going to have the colors, we’re not going to have the variety.”

There is a lot of planning that goes into the beds around campus. Kevin Courtwright, grounds supervisor, said he and the grounds crew begin planning at the end of September for the following year. He said he plans many of the beds, but some members of the crew plan the beds in the areas they look after. He said this contributes to the variety around campus.

After the beds are planned, Courtwright said they start planting around April 15 to try to avoid frost and snow, though he said sometimes it still happens.

“It becomes a huge effort on the crew’s part. Lots of overtime, 18-hour days doing the planting to get… the main stuff in by graduation,” he said.

Courtwright said in that span the grounds crew plants about 10,000 annuals.

“That doesn’t count the tropical for accents,” he said. “By the time it’s all done, a couple of thousand tropicals for accents.

The tropicals are the bigger ones so they’re a lot more effort. Some of our palms take two or three people just to carry them and dig a massive hole.”

In addition to the planting, Vaughn said the members of the grounds crew are still required to maintain their areas around campus, including mowing, edging, AWARD, continued on Page 2

See Inside PAGE 3

Warrensburg Police urge citizens to ‘Lock it or lose it’ PAGE 7

Haunted corn maze raises funds for UCM Agriculture Club PAGE 12

Photo by Chris Holmberg / Managing Editor A Madagascar palm is stored in the greenhouse for the winter.

Kevin Courtwright, grounds supervisor, said it was purchased from Alfred E. Twomey’s estate.

Mules host rival Bearcats, honor nine seniors in season finale

2 NEWS

Nov. 8–28

Grounds crew prepares campus for wintry weather Garrett Fuller

AssistAnt Design eDitor In addition to maintaining the plant life on our campus, the grounds crew is also responsible for preparing and maintaining sidewalks, parking lots and some streets during winter conditions.

Kevin Courtwright, supervisor of grounds, said preparing the campus for wintry conditions is a multistep process that starts the day before a storm is supposed to hit. Courtwright said nine people on the grounds crew and four people from athletics collaborate on preparing for winter storms and cleaning up the aftermath.

The first step in preparing for wintry conditions is the application of a pretreat slurry, which melts small amounts of snow and ice. Larger amounts of snow are easily removed as the slurry prevents it from AWARD, continued from Page 1 tree trimming and mulching. Courtwright said they also empty the trash cans around campus, pick up cigarette butts, patch potholes and maintain campus signage.

One part of the PGMS Green Star Award considered by judges is sustainability.

Vaughn said the university is looking into having wood collected from trimming and tree removal ground into mulch instead of having it burnt. Courtwright said the university has been composting the leaves it removes. The compost is used the following years prior to planting in bed amendments.

In addition to the sustainability of these practices, Vaughn said early estimates indicate they can save the institution between $3,000-$5,000 annually from not having to purchase mulch and bed ammendments.

Vaughn said he is working on plans for the university to grow their own plants instead of ordering them each year. He said this will save the university money; he said in about two years, the money saved from growing their own plants will cover the cost of a greenhouse.

sticking. The pretreat application takes approximately eight hours, which includes installing the machinery on vehicles.

“It’s been a total game changer,” Courtwright said, noting this method was instituted two years ago.

Granular and liquid melting solutions are applied during and after the storm hits.

Parking lots on the inner campus are cleared in-house, while other lots — such as those for many residence hall facilities — are done by outside contractors who are supervised by the grounds crew.

Courtwright said the grounds crew also spends two to four hours clearing and spreading salt on the 19 miles of sidewalks on campus.

Courtwright said the grounds crew has used several tons of salt in a single evening to prepare for wintry conditions.

He said this will also allow for more control over the execution of the plans the grounds crew spends months making.

“We have a tendency to have companies that bid these products and say, ‘Oh yeah, we can get this and this for you,’” Vaughn said. “Kevin designs the beds; this is what the colors need to be in those beds. When we get the flowers, it’s like ‘Wait a minute, I didn’t order that.’ Then they say ‘Oh, we couldn’t grow the other ones, so that’s what you get.’ That doesn’t work, because now you have to redesign the beds. It takes more time.”

Courtwright said for many growers, a 10,000-plant order isn’t necessarily big enough to warrant the specific attention to what the UCM grounds crew orders. But he said seemingly subtle variations to a plant’s size and color can drastically affect the artistic vision for a particular bed.

“To them, it’s close enough for them,” he said. “Well, no it’s not, because we’re trying to match – some of those beds may have nine to 12 different plant types in there – to get you different colors and contrasting

Photo by Garrett Fuller / Assistant Design Editor A plow is ready to clear sidewalks, parking lots and streets. On the back of the plow is an ice-melt salt spreader.

textures.”

The PGMS Honor Award the UCM grounds crew just won becomes more impressive considering the number of people on the grounds crew: There are nine fulltime employees. There are 10 if you include Courtwright. The main campus is 134 acres, and there are hundreds more when you add the acreage from other university-owned properties like Pertle Springs and the Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport.

Vaughn and Courtwright said their goal is to create an interesting and inviting environment for the campus community.

“Everything we do here, not only do we do it for the students, we do it for employees who work here, because we want them to enjoy where they come to work,” Vaughn said. “But one of the main reasons is students. We want to invite students to come to UCM. They make their decision within the first 10 to 15 minutes of coming to a campus. And guess what they see?”

Photo by Chris Holmberg / Managing Editor It’s what they don’t see that makes it all Banana trees grow on the possible.

West side of The Crossing at South Holden.

NEWS 3

The Muleskinner

Warrensburg Police urge citizens to ‘Lock it or lose it’ Garrett Fuller

AssistAnt Design eDitor Lock it or lose it.

The slogan has been used by the Warrensburg Police Department for a recent social media campaign urging residents to lock their car doors. The campaign originated after thefts from unlocked vehicles became a problem off campus.

According to Warrensburg Police Chief Rich Lockhart, 50 incidents of items stolen from vehicles have been reported to the Warrensburg Police Department involving 54 cars since September. Of those, 43 cars were unlocked, seven unknown and four reported to have been locked but showed no signs of forced entry. Lockhart said one purse was stolen containing a key, which the thief used to steal the vehicle. The vehicle was later recovered in Kansas City, Missouri.

Lockhart said the “Lock it or lose it” social media campaign was developed by their social media manager, who Lockhart asked to remain anonymous, in an effort to raise awareness. The campaign began in mid-September following a streak of car

break-ins.

Lockhart said the response from the community has mostly been positive.

“People enjoy it,” Lockhart said. “They get a kick out of it. We’ve done some funny things with Mr. Spock and creating some funny memes. It’s about engaging your community and letting them know they can be the first line in preventing crime.”

Lockhart said the campaign has played a part in reducing the number of cases involving stolen items from vehicles.

On campus, thefts from vehicles have happened less frequently than in the community. Bill Brinkley, assistant director of administrative services at UCM Department of Public Safety, said there have only been 12 cases of items being taken from vehicles, with only four of those cars being reported as unlocked since August.

“Overall, our students do a great job of locking their doors,” Brinkley said. “And we regularly patrol the lots on campus.”

Lockhart and Brinkley both suggest not leaving valuable items inside your car. If you need to, however, it is suggested that you leave the item in a locked compartment such as a lockable glove compartment or the trunk. To prevent theft of items from

a pickup truck bed, Lockhart suggested purchasing a lockable toolbox or Tonneau cover. New license plate fasteners can be purchased to combat theft of license plates by requiring a special tool for removal.

“If we can encourage people to be smart on their part and do something simple like locking their car, we can prevent crimes from happening,” Lockhart said.

Student Veterans Organization names new president Michael Moana For the Muleskinner

The Student Veterans Organization has a new president.

Kenneth Wall, junior criminal justice major, will be taking the reins as president of SVO in the spring. Matthew Braden, the outgoing president, is transferring in January 2019 to the University of Missouri in Columbia to complete his degree in civil engineering.

SVO provides a variety of services, including an office with computers on which veterans can work on homework assignments. Jeff Huffman, the director of the Veterans Success Center, said the SVO helps veteran students graduate by giving

them a support system of individuals who are also veterans. He also said each individual is willing to help another vet if they are struggling with a certain subject.

Lisa Morse, coordinator of military academic transition, said she hates losing Braden but she has high expectations for Wall.

“It is always sad when one of the members of the SVO leaves but for it to be the president sucks even more,” she said. “But I believe that Wall will pick up where Braden left off and I would not expect anything less from him.”

Huffman said Braden did a good job this year and Wall will step up to keep up the momentum.

“Braden was able to get several more vets to join,” Huffman said. “Hopefully Wall will be able to keep this up so that the

organization will have a surplus of members.”

Braden said Wall is a great fit for the job.

“I think he is the right person for the job and he will continue to make strides to make sure the SVO will grow in memberships,” Braden said.

Wall said he wants to keep up the good work that Braden has accomplished so far.

“I think Braden did a great job as president,” Wall said. “He brought in almost 10 new members in his time and I just want to carry on that momentum.”

Wall also said that with thousands of veterans on campus, he wants to get at least a hundred new members by next year at this time.

“There is around a thousand vets on campus and my main goal is to get at least

a hundred new members to join the organization,” he said. “This way word gets out about the organization easier and hopefully we can double our memberships based on that.”

Wall said he wants to help as many veterans as possible. He said helping vets is his main goal because he knows from experience what they deal with.

“I am a vet and I have dealt with the same problem millions of other vets deal with, whether it be with academics or adapting to civilian life,” he said. “That is why I wanted to be president of the organization.”

To contact the SVO, call 660-543-8776 or email SVO@ucmo.edu. The group’s Facebook page is facebook.com/UCMSVO.

4 NEWS

Nov. 8–28

Natalie Peirce wins national academic advising award Peirce becomes the third nationally-recognized advisor at UCM. Kaitlin Brothers News editor

Natalie Peirce, senior advisor at UCM’s new Success Advising Center, has been an advisor at UCM since 2012. She has helped numerous students get through their academic careers.

Now she is nationally recognized for her advising work. She received the Outstanding Academic Advising Award in the Academic Advising Primary Role category from the Global Community for Academic Advising on Sept. 30 at a ceremony in Phoenix.

“Because I didn’t win the state one or the regional one, I kind of wrote off the national one,” Peirce said.

To apply, Peirce had to send in her resume, job description, letters from students and colleagues and her personal philosophy.

The first point in her philosophy as an academic advisor: “First and foremost, it is the student that matters. I want to make a positive influence on my students’ lives. I understand that each student is an individual with their own story and future goals. It is important to realize that every student’s needs are different.”

Peirce said she was surprised when she won the national award since it was a big jump from winning the UCM award.

“You don’t always feel like from day to day that you might be making a difference, so it’s good to be recognized and you’re making more of a difference than maybe you think you are in your day-to-day life,” she said. “I meant a lot more than maybe I thought I did to those students.”

Mike Godard, interim provost and chief learning officer, said Pierce deserved the national advising award for many reasons.

“Natalie consistently shows evidence of

excellence in advising and supporting her students in their goals for success,” he said.

“She is also looked up to by her peers as a leader in advising.”

Peirce said the reason she went into advising was to help other students get the most out of their college experience.

“I really enjoyed my collegiate experience. I did a lot as an undergrad and a grad student,” she said. “I just did everything that was presented to me, and so I really took a lot of those experiences and when I came close to graduating, I was like, ‘I want to transcend this to future students.’

This was important to me to kind of share my experience and...I like helping others be successful. So it was just really a good fit.”

“First and foremost, it is the student that matters. I want to make a positive influence on my student’s lives. I understand that each student is an individual with their own story and future goals.”

Photo submitted by Natalie Peirce Natalie Peirce (right) posing with the award with Amy Sannes, the 2018 President of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising on Sept. 30 at the ceremony in Phoenix. helped me complete my bachelor’s degree

someone on campus, it gives them a reason

-Natalie Peirce in three years instead of the four it would to stick with it,” she said. “There are other

Peirce said Madison Saunders, former speech language pathology major, was close to her when she was advising her through her degree. Saunders wrote Pierce a letter of recommendation for her application process.

Saunders said Peirce helped her get through her college degree in a shorter amount of time than normal.

“She sat with me for about two hours helping me enroll in classes because I had 29 college credits coming in, so I needed special authorization to take certain classes,” Saunders said. “By doing this, she

normally take.”

Saunders said Peirce deserves this award because of how she treats her students.

“Natalie Peirce was very deserving of this award because she always goes out of her way to help her students,” Saunders said. “She is always so caring and helpful.

She makes the time to be available for her students and is very knowledgeable about all the programs under the college.”

Peirce said advisors are important to help students stay in school by having an someone cheer them along through their collegiate experience.

“I think when students can connect with

offices on campus but we’re one-on-one with a student and there’s proven retention that if students can connect with that one person and they know that somebody is there and their cheerleader, then they’re more likely to stick.”

Godard said UCM now has three nationally recognized advisors working on this campus: Paula Brant, Jennifer Pint and now Peirce.

“So as a team, we have some of the very best advisors in the country,” he said. “The new success advising model is aimed at leveraging their skill sets in a way that maximizes their impact on student success.”

NEWS 5

The Muleskinner

UCM graduate students find success at University of Iowa hackathon Madison Preston For the Muleskinner

Four University of Central Missouri graduate students competed at HACKUIOWA, an annual two-day Hackathon hosted by the University of Iowa. Nearly 400 students from across the country participated in the event Oct. 6-7, sponsored by Major League Hacking.

Teams work, or “hack,” on projects in an open format which allows the use of applications using hardware, desktop, web or mobile devices.

The Deity Warriors, the UCM team, is comprised of computer information systems majors Abhideep Dharga, Rati-

vardahn Singh Sengar and Sankalp Rajora, who are all from Madhya Pradesh-India, and computer science major Rahul Pargi, who is from Dahod, Gujrat-India. ingh engar sai this is the first ackathon in which the team has competed.

“Our course and curriculum encourages us to do new things,” Singh Sengar said.

“We wanted to do something new related to our curriculum we’ve never done before and we decided to participate in this event.”

Dharga was excited to use the opportunity to make connections with future poten-

tial employers.

“Since we all are from a master’s program and we are seeking jobs, these types of competitions are ery eneficial for us to prove ourselves and can result in a job from the sponsors’ companies,” Dharga said.

The Deity Warriors won Best Use of Authorize.Net by MLH, which was an application interface they used to develop their project called Need Volunteer.

Dharga said their Need Volunteer application can help to streamline the process of fin ing olunteer work or for organi ations to fin olunteers “Basically the idea behind this is volunteer work,” Dharga said. “So, by using our application people can fin e ents or e ent can fin olunteers We eci e to create such application to help those who face problems to get a proper place for volunteers and volunteers can get the proper event.”

Singh Sengar says he is proud of the team for winning in their first competition “Our team had a great experience there and we tried our best for winning,” Singh

Sengar said. “Our team was so focused during the competition and it was tough competition, but we are so happy and feel proud to have this award for our university.” harga reflecte on the things he an his team took away from the competition.

“The most important thing we got from there was our award, but we learned how to build a project in a limited amount of time, the importance of teamwork and we met new people and the representatives of companies,” Dharga said.

The Deity Warriors plan to continue competing in upcoming hackathons.

“We are going to participate in two more hackathons, one at the University of Missouri and (the) other one is at Kansas State University,” Dharga said.

The Deity Warriors were also recognized by the university with the presentation of pla ues at the conclusion of the first presenation in a new “big data and analytics series” that was launched Oct. 19 with guest speaker Paul Boal, vice president of Ameritech Solutions in St. Louis.

‘Pizza Plug’ scam tricks UCM students with pizza Garrett Fuller

AssistAnt Design eDitor Free pizza.

It is every college student’s dream. Getting $50 worth of pizza for just $10 sounds like something that is too good to be true.

That’s because it is.

A Facebook post made by the Warrensburg Police Department and forwarded by the ews ureau on ct erifie this was a scam. The scam, where students pay $10 to an unknown person through PayPal and receive $50 in pizza from Domino’s, has been victimizing a person in Alabama who had their credit card information stolen.

Michael Moana, a senior football player studying digital media production, was one of many UCM students who fell for the scam after hearing about it from other

football players.

“There was a bunch of other people on the team that were doing it and they said that it was actually working,” Moana said.

Moana purchased $100 of pizza, breadsticks and desserts for $20. Even when placing the order, Moana said he was suspicious of the deal.

“I didn’t think it was going to work at first, oana sai thought my frien s were just playing around with me. But when it actually worked I was like, ‘Oh, okay. Had to be some type of scam behind it.’”

When Moana realized it was a scam, he unfollowed the Twitter account of the scam, which he said was taken down shortly afterward.

The Warrensburg “Pizza Plug” hasn’t een the first scam of this type imilar scams ran in New York City; Oakwood, Georgia; and Prince Frederick, Maryland.

According to the New York Times, a similar scam occurred in New York City in 2014.

Warrensburg Police Chief Rich Lockhart said the victim reported the crime after noticing multiple charges to her credit card from the Warrensburg Domino’s for pizzas being delivered to addresses in Warrensburg late at night. Each order was made under a different name and phone number.

While the incident is being investigated, Lockhart said solving the crime may be ifficult since it crosses state oun aries and may be tied to a complex criminal organization.

Lockhart said people should call the company to verify deals that seem too good to be true before taking advantage of them.

“You want to make sure you call Domino’s and make sure it’s a legitimate promotion,” Lockhart said.

Lockhart said if someone feels their card has been compromised, they should freeze their car efore contacting their financial institution.

6 FEATURES

Nov 8–28

International food show features almost 30 dishes Erin WidEs Features editor

Students, faculty and community members got a taste of different cultures without having to leave town.

On Sunday, the International Student Organization hosted more than 150 guests for the International Student Food Show. Suzanne Beck, an ISO advisor, said the food show has been going on for 50 to 60 years.

The buffet-style dinner showcased nearly 30 dishes from nine different countries: India, Japan, South Korea, Tunisia, Spain, Nepal, Malaysia, Vietnam and Pakistan.

The food was prepared by the students through a partnership with Sodexo in the Union kitchen.

“They started coming about 9:30 a.m. this morning,” said Phil Hawkins, district executive chef with Sodexo. “They staggered in through the day. Some came early, left and came back. Some just kind of stayed the entire day.”

This event takes months of planning to be successful.

“We put a call out for recipes and students who wanted to cook,” Beck said.

“We do that about two months out so that Sodexo has time to buy the ingredients.”

Because Warrensburg is a small town, not all the ingredients could be found here.

“I was able to get quite a bit of stuff from our broadline purveyor, Sysco,” said Hawkins. “I took two trips up to Kansas City and hit Indian markets and Asian markets.”

Beck said the partnership is unique because of the freedom the students get.

“Sodexo purchases all the ingredients and then sets up a timeframe when the students can cook the food,” Beck said. “The students do all the preparations and are overseen by Sodexo chefs.”

Eunah Kim, senior communication student, was serving food from South Korea.

“We are from South Korea and we made Korean noodles, kimbab, made of white rice and vegetables,” she said.

Kim said she was excited for the night and happy to introduce her country’s food

Photo by Erin Wides / Features Editor Kie Rokkenguchi, junior communication student, serves community member Shawn Robertson Nikujyaga, which is a Japanese dish made up of beef, potatoes, onions, carrots and more. to Warrensburg.

There were a variety of guests. One was geoscience professor Sandy Zellers, who has been attending every year since 2003.

“This year is very different and I do like what they’ve done,” Zellers said. “They’ve provided a menu that says what is in each dish.”

As a professor, she said it is great to see students putting on the event.

“I think it’s great. It shows initiative, creativity,” Zellers said. “Every year it seems a little ifferent an think that reflects the leadership of ISO. I wish they had it every semester and not just in the fall.”

Warrensburg residents were not the only ones in attendance. Bekki Walsh traveled 45 minutes with 13 middle school students.

Walsh is a social studies teacher in the Strasburg school district and graduated from UCM. “When I was here at school I was in a

class and the assignment was to work with a group of students from the international organi ation, Walsh sai That is the first time I heard of the food and culture show they do.”

Part of Walsh’s curriculum is world geography. She said she talks a lot about other cultures.

She started attending the food show when she began teaching, 17 years ago.

“So I started bringing kids every year,” Walsh said. “There was kind of a gap for a out se en years, ut this is the first year back.”

Walsh said many of the middle school students had never experienced anything like this.

“A lot of these kids have never been to an international restaurant,” Walsh said.

Her students were taking pictures and talking about the tastes, and how some dishes were not as spicy as they thought

and how good dishes were.

“I love it –– the fact that they still do it every year,” Walsh said. “I get a hold of Suzanne come the end of September and I’m like, ‘When is it this year?’”

Hawkins said the event was received well by those who attended.

“The public is very happy with everything and the students are just ecstatic,” Hawkins said. “They had a great time and are very proud of the food they produced, and they should be.”

Beck said it’s one of the biggest events that ISO puts on and that it has a way of bringing the UCM and Warrensburg community together.

“I think it’s a very important part of what the international students here on campus offer,” Beck said. “Food brings everyone together. We all need nutrition. We all need food.”

FEATURES 7

The Muleskinner

Haunted corn maze raises funds for UCM Agriculture Club Kaitlin Brothers News editor

This maze isn’t your average, everyday corn ma e t’s a haunte corn ma e fille with e il clowns, ichael yers, guts an an angry farmer with a chainsaw — so enter at your own risk.

Tra is ume, arm manager an griculture lu a isor, starte the haunte corn ma e last year, sponsore y the griculture lu , to raise money for sending students to conferences. Hume plants the corn himself an mows through to create an intricate si acre fiel ma e at the ni ersity arm along itchell treet set it up plant the corn an it’s a stan ar corn that anyone woul farm anyway, ut we ha e to plant it north an south an east an west ecause otherwise, people can see own the rows, he sai o ha e to plant two ifferent irections when plant the fiel an then ust take a lawn mower and I go around and mow off the corn stalks in our ma e Hume said his student workers from the griculture lu help him maintain the ma e an they are the ones who ress up and haunt the maze. t’s kin of a team effort etween me

an my stu ent workers, he sai ume sai efore the haunte corn ma e, ni ersity arm staff use to put on a haunte hay ri e, ut eci e a ma e woul e etter ue to people ailing off the mo ing ehicle This year was their second year doing the corn maze and ume sai the community en oys it They lo e it, he sai t’s a huge, huge eal mean, we ha uses of stuents from high schools come chapters aroun the whole county us the whole chapter in at once to go through it ume sai planting the ma e takes an hour or less, an then he waits two weeks for the ma e to e tall enough to mow a design.

There is no real planning for how the ma e is going to look, ust run the mower through there an make a ma e, he sai “I know I have an entrance and I know I ha e an e it erything else in there is ust kin of ma e up when ri e the mower through it ume sai the griculture lu memers ress up as all kin s of ifferent characters to haunt the maze.

They ress up howe er they feel ressing up, he sai They’ll go to alloween stores an ust uy some creepy masks or they’ll uy a ottle of paint an they’ll

Photos submitted by Travis Hume / For the Muleskinner An aerial shot of last year’s corn maze at the UCM Farm.

paint their faces We’ e ha girls that paint their stomach re an they get a ig ag of spaghetti or something an they’ll ust throw guts on people an make it look like their guts are falling out ume sai they use a chainsaw with the chain off to ha e an angry farmer character chase people out e sai they also ha e scary noises put in the ma e such as crow noises, coyote calls, screaming an s uealing ast year one night, it raine a little it t got kin a mu y i s were running so uickly, there were se en pairs of shoes They ran out of their shoes ome ki s woul run in there an use their phone as a flashlight ecause they were scare When they woul scream, they throw their phone We’ ha e to go in the ma e an call phones e sai the ma e is open to all ages, ut he recommen s ages 1 an up f young ki s come with the parents, we tell parents, ‘ t’s scary o it at your own

risk, he sai gi e them my cell phone num er if they ha e young ki s an if they ha e a pro lem, they call me an ’ll go get them. The characters know if the kids panic that a that they take the mask off Hume said the maze is scary enough for a ults We’ e ha foot all players run out of the corn crying, he sai foot all players ume sai this year, the griculture lu ma e a out 00 an ha a out 50 00 participants isit the haunte corn maze. t’s a goo time, he sai mean, it’s ust fun for the them to go out there an scare the pants off of people an we make a pretty goo chunk of change for the stu ents to go out an network for o s throughout the year ume sai the ma e will e open ne t year on alloween at the ni ersity arm The other dates are not yet announced. The ma e is 5 per person

UCM Agriculture Club students pose in their scary costumes at the haunted corn maze last year at the UCM Farm.

8 NEWS

Nov. 8–28

Campus facilities prepared for cold winter Garrett Fuller

AssistAnt Design eDitor The leaves changing color and falling from trees mark more than just fall and colder weather. For Facilities Planning and Operations workers, it means buildings need to be prepared to handle the cold weather that’s coming right around the corner.

Preparing buildings for winter includes more than ust flipping a switch from “cool” to “heat.” There are heating systems to be prepared for use, cooling systems to be shut down and plumbing systems to be inspected and prepared for cold weather.

Tim Castilaw, associate vice president of capital planning and facilities management, said preparing buildings for winter doesn’t start in the fall.

“Our winter preparation actually starts in the summer,” Castilaw said. “That’s when we’ll do all of our seasonal cleaning and preparation of our boilers for our winter heating season.”

David Davis, FPO director, said seven people are tasked with winterizing buildings, which includes HVAC and boiler technicians. Castilaw said it takes at least two days to prepare a building, but can take more time depending on the building’s size, equipment age and type and whether any repairs are needed.

Boilers are the backbone to keeping buildings comfortable throughout the winter by providing heat and hot water. The process for cleaning and preparing the 65 boilers on campus is lengthy but done annually by in-house personnel for safe and efficient operation astilaw sai oilers have their burners and tubes cleaned, comustion an efficiency checke followe y a final leak test “It’s not just the boiler itself,” Castilaw said. “It’s also the associated pumps and stuff that have an impact on keeping the buildings warm and keeping the boilers operating correctly.”

Castilaw said boiler technicians make rounds to each boiler on campus daily to

ensure correct operation during the heating season.

At least one boiler must be online at any time to meet the building’s demand for hot water in buildings that use a boiler to produce hot water.

Castilaw said rooftop and forced-air gas heating systems are also checked and cleaned prior to the heating season.

Davis said the only problems they encountered while winterizing buildings this year occurred while preparing boilers for the upcoming winter. Boilers in the W.C. Morris Science Building and Fitzgerald all oth nee e to e taken offline temporarily to make repairs. Hot water and heating service is not being interrupted to make the repairs, as both buildings have more than one boiler.

Castilaw said air conditioning systems are also cleaned and prepared for the winter. Water-cooled cooling towers are drained and cleaned after being shut down, while air-cooled chillers are shut down and cleaned.

Outside plumbing systems are prepared for the winter. Castilaw said irrigation systems, sprinklers and fountains are shut off an raine efore ha ing their ackflow systems removed and stored. Water spigots on the exterior of buildings are capped off to prevent freezing.

While the central control system for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for campus scales back the temperature inside most campus buildings to conserve energy, Castilaw said Public Safety makes rounds to ensure no problems arise inside the buildings, such as drafts or leaks.

In addition to preparing climate control and plumbing systems, basic building elements such as the roof and window seals are checke an fi e as nee e Vacant buildings receive special care during the winter. Castilaw said closed buildings like Diemer and Yeater have their water shut off and drained, while buildings vacated for winter break are checked daily and have their heat automatically controlled at a lower temperature.

Photos by Garrett Fuller / Assistant Design Editor Tim Castilaw, associate vice president of capital planning and facilities management, stands next to a boiler in the Foster-Knox residence hall.

Cooling towers, such as the one pictured, and the air-cooled chillers are cleaned and prepared to prevent damage from cold weather.

NEWS 9

The Muleskinner

Census reveals UCM enrollment down Chris holmberG MAnAging eDitor

The Fall 2018 enrollment census report revealed what many expected: Enrollment at UCM is down markedly from where it was in Fall 2015 and Fall 2016.

The report came out in October and was presented to the Board of Governors Oct. 26. The total enrollment is 11,487, the lowest it has been since 2010. The total number of credit hours in which students are enrolled is lower than it has been since 2009.

Karen Goos, interim vice provost for enrollment management, said there are two main factors in this decline. One is the decrease in graduate international students over the last three years because of changes in national and international policy.

The other is the fact the university is fulfilling its mission regar ing gra uation rates.

“When we look at our undergraduate enrollment, we see good news,” Goos said. “While it doesn’t help the universi-

ties overall net revenue, more students are graduating on time in four years” According to the data presented to the Board of Governors, the graduation rate for four-year freshmen has increased 3.8 percent in four years. Transfer three-year graduation rates have increased 7.4 percent in fi e years n the num er of un ergraduate degrees awarded by the university has increased every year over a 10-year period from the 2008-09 academic year and peaking in the 2017-18 academic year at 2,019 undergraduate degrees awarded.

Coupled with the graduation rate is the default rate. Goos said the default rate measures how many students default on student loans after they leave a university and is monitored by the federal government to make sure students aren’t accruing debt without the ability to repay it.

The default rates for the last three years have been below both the state and national average. The three-year default rate from fiscal years 015 1 for is percent; the average in Missouri was 10.3 percent and the national average was 10.8 percent.

Goos said default rates are an indicator of the value of a degree from an institution, and having a lower-than-average default rate shows a UCM graduate’s ability to use their degree to enter a career and repay their loans.

“Many students are likely going to have to take out a loan to go to school” she said.

“Our job is to ensure students are well positioned and to make sure the investment that you made in yourself is going to be worthwhile.”

There are two things on the horizon at which the university is looking and for which it is planning.

The number of graduating high school seniors is decreasing and the birth rate in the state of Missouri is projected to decrease.

According to projections from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, there will be a sharp decline in graduating high school seniors beginning in 2026 that isn’t expected to recover until 2031.

This means the pool from which to recruit students is getting smaller and will

probably stay that way for the next decade.

Goos said the university is forming a Strategic Enrollment Management Committee to look at ways to appeal to other markets and design programs that will meet the needs of those markets. For example, she said there may be classes designed to be shorter than the traditional 16-weeks aimed at working adults with families.

UCM President Roger Best talked about the need to explore alternative education opportunities for nontraditional students in his State of the University Address in August.

“Having robust enrollment allows us to continue to offer the level of programs, services and experiences that we believe are important and demanded by students,” Best said. “I believe we offer great programs and education, and our strategy is ensuring our prospective students/learners are aware of the great opportunities we currently provide while developing new opportunities that attract students not currently considering UCM.”

They/Them movement: Gender neutral pronouns matter anaiyeh smith

sociAl MeDiA coorDinAtor Leah Weller, sophomore women, gender and sexuality major, hosted a pronouns workshop on Oct. 17 in recognition of the first nternational ronouns ay Weller hosted this event to bring awareness to the importance of using the correct pronouns when addressing someone who may be non-binary and to shine a light on this movement that has been slowly changing the dynamic of gender inclusivity at colleges and universities nationwide. ust on’t feel like fit what people assume to be a woman, even though I look like I would, inside I’m like, ‘That’s just not me,’” Weller said.

Weller said that it can be challenging to PRONOUNS, continued on Page 11

10 FEATURES

Nov. 8–28

The “Batman Damned” incident: A weird moment in Batman’s history Ryan Sheehan For the Muleskinner

n general, e ery iconic superhero has e perience some weir moments in their history atman, the ape rusa er himself, is no e ception or e ample, in 00 , hristopher olan an Warner ros were sue o er The ark night y useyin alkan, the mayor of atman, Turkey The mayor argue the film use the name atman without permission an allege ly was cause of high crime rates The lawsuit was ust a pu licity stunt. ut the inci ent aroun the comic ook atman amne is ust as strange omics inten e to start a more mature run of comic ooks that target-

e a ults This series of comics woul e calle lack a el “Batman Damned” was the issue to kick start this series The comic centers aroun the allege mur er of the oker with Batman being the prime suspect. Batman teams up with supernatural in estigator ohn onstantine an tries to clear his name, causing them to dive into the supernatural si e of otham ity oun s like an interesting storyline, right ut this storyline en e up ha ing uninten e conse uences, pro ing to e an em arrassment for omics “Batman Damned” featured mature content, inclu ing nu ity t’s this nu ity that has made “Batman Damned” infamous. n one se uence of the story, atman is feeling e tremely ulnera le ulnera le enough that he peels off his atsuit an all

of his clothes uring this se uence, the image of Bruce Wayne’s nether region is clearly shown This caused somewhat of a controversy, although calling it a true contro ersy might be going too far. t was enough that omics, who anticipated a reaction from the comic, decided to order reprints for “Batman Damned.”

The comic is still a aila le in stores an igital ownloa s, ut with one simple change atman still remo es his suit, ut shadows from the Batcave cover his nether region The comic’s o erall story isn’t changed in any other way.

This oes raise a uestion of why that image was featured in the comic in the first place, as it ha no impact on the story whatsoe er lso, it seems weir atman oes not ha e any clothing un erneath his

Movie Review: Venom A good blockbuster that tried to be something more Ryan Sheehan For the Muleskinner

Sony Pictures has tried to create their own “Spider-Man” universe in recent years. There was “The Amazing Spier an in 01 starring n y arfiel as the Wall rawler t was a soli mo ie The ma ing pi er an followe in 2014 with the hopes of more movies to come, but it was a bad movie and it deraile the franchise n the right si e, this caused Sony to come to terms with Disney’s ar el inematic ni erse, which is why pi er an appeare in ar el’s aptain merica i il War Yet despite this, here is another Spier an relate mo ie from ony ictures, only this one oesn’t star pi er an This one stars enom riginally create as an antihero, enom is usually closely associated with Spider-Man, but “Venom” is designe to e a stan alone film t first was skeptical after hearing ony was trying to make another superhero mo ie Then was e cite reali e this

mo ie has the potential to e a superhero mo ie that oesn’t follow an actual hero, but an antihero. n enom, Tom ar y stars as ie rock, a ournalist who ecomes infecte y a sym iotic alien The creature, simply calle enom, on s with rock, ecoming a li ing suit an gi ing rock superpowers Together, rock teams up with enom to help stop a plot that threatens the worl The whole sa e the worl thing soun s unoriginal, oesn’t it enom oes ha e se eral tropes of superhero mo ies owe er, enom oes try to istance itself from the rest of the superheroes and this struggle rings mi e results To a certain point, rock is the a erage superhero e’s goo hearte an wants to o the right thing eanwhile, enom has the cra ing to eat people an occasionally threatens to eat rock They are two completely ifferent characters, an they ha e to work with each other rock an enom have an interesting dynamic and their banter is more entertaining than usual There are other ways the filmmakers try

to shake the typical structure of a superhero lock uster or e ample, in the eginning we watch rock going a out his normal ay an interacting with other people ha e mi e feelings a out this n the one han , it’s a nice change of pace an the people he encounters pay off later in the mo ie n the other han , it takes too long ar y, as usual, gi es a goo performance e plays not only rock, ut also pro i es the oice for enom While enom’s oice oes soun a little strange, an ’m not sure how accurate his ew ork accent is for rock, ar y oes o a goo o en oye the mannerisms he a e to rock e feels like a more layere character woul n’t min seeing ar y appear as rock enom again in a se uel ’ll get to that later on t’s har to say for sure, ut this mo ie feels like it is missing something ay e it trie too har to istance itself an stumle in the process ay e it’s the pacing or the tone, which oth feel off enom feels a little strange with its gritty iolence an horror es ue scenes alongsi e up eat

atsuit oes he go comman o ut original issues are still out there and contain that the uncensored image of atman ecause of the limite run of the comic and the “incident” surrounding it, this un ou te ly makes the original issues of atman amne a future collectors’ item.

This means in the future, decades from now, original issues of amne will pro a ly cost more than reprints They may be even featured as an addition in a atman fan’s collection Think a out that for a moment. t’s actually unfortunate that atman amne is infamous for one single panel ecause, accor ing to re iews online, the comic ook itself tells a goo story t’s a shame no one will remem er it for that reason. humor That sai , neither of these elements are a The ark su ect matter is engaging and the humor is funny. “Venom” is directe y u en leischer, who pre iously irecte om ielan , which is funny an gory o these elements coul ’ e worke , ut they weren’t esta lishe that well owe er, enom is a goo mo ie lot etter than it shoul ’ e een n , unlike the ma ing pi er an mo ies, ’m pro a ly more likely to watch enom” again. t’s entertaining, has fun moments an good action and the dynamic between rock an enom is interesting woul recommen seeing it t has the same uality as the a erage ar el mo ie, ut it’s efinitely not on par with a mo ie such as pi er an omecoming Watch with realistic e pectations an you’ll pro a ly like it There is an end credit scene at the end of enom, which has almost ecome a rule for all superhero films There’s only one, so stick aroun ecause it hints at a possile se uel t will feature Woo y arrelson as the super illain arnage an ’m intereste to see it There’s one planne for ne t year f it’s anything like enom, it will be something good that’s worth watching at least once

OPINION 11

The Muleskinner

Thoughts after Pittsburgh The flags on the flagpoles reste at half staff the morning of Oct. 29, the initial sign that the university took steps to observe the victims of Saturday morning’s shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27 in itts urgh s a ewish in i i ual in Warrens urg, am fin ing it har er an har er to cope with the days following the shooting. I feel like the flags were the only sign of anything that’s been done here. It seems like maybe that was enough, because it happened in itts urgh an our community has other priorities, but that’s not the case. It matters here because we are a community –– that means we need to be looking out for each individual and meeting them where they are: in grief, celebration or other times.

Social media has been my outlet and connection to many Jewish friends during this time. I grew up going to Sunday school, had a bat-mitzvah, attended a Jewish summer camp and so much more. Judaism is one of my strongest identities.

To see a Jewish community targeted on the Sabbath, a day of rest, in their own beit

knesset –– house of worship –– hurts. A lot.

I know it may not be the easiest topic for non-Jewish people to talk about and truly understand, but right now I feel like any conversation is a good conversation.

Not many conversations have been going on among my non-Jewish friends on social media and barely any throughout the university.

The first class hear it iscusse in was because I said something. The teacher touches on current events almost every class and she mentioned something about the itts urgh shooting t first sat an observed the class to see if anyone would respond. They did not.

I then took the opportunity to say how I felt about it, and that all I wanted to see was support for the Jewish community.

Someone responded with something along the lines of, Well, think it’s ecause it’s a religious thing can’t make an assumption about where this student was coming from, but the tone and quick response left me feeling like because it’s a religious thing we don’t need to talk about it. A lot of people in college are not as observant of religions as they once were. However, for those of us that are, it still matters and

it certainly is a religious thing. But just because it’s a religious matter doesn’t mean others of different faiths cannot show support.

Don’t get me wrong –– back home in St. Louis I have been seeing a lot more of the non-Jewish communities coming together to support my temple and those in the surrounding area.

I would like to have seen something more at the University of Central Missouri esi es the lowere flags, which was a presidential order.

Maybe a post from our university president that this massacre happened and we don’t tolerate anti-semitism here (because it is efinitely a thing in our community and him saying that the community supports those of the Jewish faith would have been appreciated.

Most of the time, I feel like the lone Jew in Warrens urg ecause there are no campus organizations or temple nearby. It’s an honor and a struggle, but I know there have to be other Jewish people here. If there are and they are struggling, know that I support you and have been praying for our strength to overcome this. t first, thought may e my strong sense of Jewish identity was getting the best of me and causing me to feel like everyone nee e to un erstan the horrific scene

PRONOUNS, continued from Page 9 change the way we’re socialized to speak, even as kids, but says it is a challenge worth accepting. t is ery har when you’re first starting to not assume that everyone is a boy or girl, so a really goo first step is really actively challenging yourself to look at a stranger and tell yourself actively, ‘I do not know that person’s gender’ even if they look like they’d be woman, tell yourself they may not be a woman.. And just kind of getting away from those assumptions is a really goo first step Weller sai n the workshop, Weller presente an explained the use of gender-neutral pronouns to students and faculty to make them more aware of how to speak more inclusively and not make assumptions about a person’s gender identity.

“I kind of explained what pronouns

were, how they are used, different pronouns, not just ‘she/her’ and ‘he/him,’ but using different pronouns like ‘they/them’ and neopronouns, which are alternative pronouns that some people use, Weller said. “I also talked about how to use them in a sentence and why people should respect them. I put on the event because I discovered a few weeks before that day, that it woul e the first nternational ronouns Day, so I was really excited about that since I use ‘they/them’ pronouns. I wanted to get the word out and help educate people on how to use different pronouns Britt Klein, senior child and family development and women gender studies major and Africana studies minor, said they never truly felt male or female and up until a year ago they never brought up

pronouns or realized that being referred to as he or she would matter.

Weller e plains that it can offen or sometimes hurt them when people use the wrong pronoun, because even though on the outside they may appear as a female, Weller oes not i entify as a woman “It’s only been about a little more than a year since I’ve been trying to go by ‘they/ them’ so it hasn’t been too long and it’s een ifficult for other people ecause it’s never really come up. I never really mention pronouns eople ust assume I go by ‘she’ or ‘he’ and when you tell someone that you are going by ‘they’ or ‘them,’ they are either super-accepting about it or they’re just like, ‘No, I’m not going to o that,’ lein sai In “‘Ze’ or ‘They?’ A Guide to Using en er eutral ronouns on

Erin WidEs Features editor

that unfolded that Saturday morning on the same emotional level as myself. To a point that was true; I wanted empathy.

The more I have tried to understand the situation an reflect on what can o, the more am fin ing ust want people to show support.

Attend a vigil, reach out to your Jewish friends (thank you to those who have done so for me), make a supportive post, do something.

I notice we tend to support those of other identities which are not our own by attending their parades, rallies and events they hold. Let’s try to step up more for those who may not be like us. There is a big learning opportunity when we step out of our comfort zone.

Reach out, ask questions, have a conversations or do some research. You’ll feel empowered to do more if you take the time to learn and listen.

My rabbi back home, Amy Feder, head rabbi at Congregation Temple Israel, said something that has given me hope.

“Our lives are going to go on as they always ha e een, she sai We’re going to continue being Jewish and practicing our faith and we are going to keep coming together and we are not going to let fear stop us

ityla com, author in a oon iscusses the countless universities across the nation making steps toward gender inclusivity and allowing students to pick their own gender.

“Earlier this month, Harvard University made a buzz after allowing students to select gen er neutral options like e, e, an they on registration forms, oon wrote.

Among academic institutions, the University of Vermont led the change last year when it ecame the first school to allow stu ents to select their own i entifiers, according to the New York Times.

“I think the only thing that I would say is that trans people and nonbinary people exist and it’s ridiculous that some people don’t think (they do), and we should just lo e e ery o y, lein sai

12 SPORTS

Nov. 8–28

Mules host rival Bearcats, honor nine seniors in season finale Michael Moana For the Muleskinner

As the Mules football team nears the end of its regular season, players are looking forward to their senior game Saturday where they will honor the nine players who will take the fiel one final time in their college career.

The Mules will face a tough opponent, the 8-1 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.

This season was fille with une pecte twists, plagued by injuries and loaded with victories both big and small for the Mules, making it a year to remember.

“All I remember after scoring was looking to our sideline and seeing all my Mule brothers rushing the field.”

-Austin Miller

This season, the Mules football team has suffered injuries both defensively and offensively. During the preseason, two senior linebackers, Austin Miller and Ricky Pesek, were injured and forced them to medically retire from the game. n the first game of the season against Fort Hays State, the Mules lost two more players to season-ending injuries: senior quarterback Brook Bolles and junior defensive back Frank Hunt.

Miller said being injured and hearing the news that he would not be able to take the fiel again ma e him reali e foot all should not be taken for granted.

“It really sucked going down during fall camp and it hurt even worse when they said I would be done for the season. This made me understand that football is a privilege and not a right,” Miller said.

When asked about his favorite memory as a Mule, Miller reminisced about the game against Emporia State last year.

“All I really remember after scoring was looking to our sideline and seeing all my ule rothers rushing the fiel , he sai

swear I’m going to remember that moment forever.”

Derrick Puni, senior offensive lineman, admitted this year has been a disappointment but remains hopeful as there are still a couple of games left.

“In a nutshell, this season has been disappointing and it is not what we were aiming for,” Puni said. “Even though we were ri le with in uries our motto is ‘ e t man up,’ so we ust ha e to fight through the adversity.”

Puni believes the injuries sustained by the players have shaped the season.

“We lost a lot of our key guys and our recor this year is a reflection of that, he said.

Seth Hebert, senior tight end, said this year has not een what he e pecte ut he is focuse on finishing strong “This season is not what I am used to especially as a Mule,” he said. “But it makes no difference because we still have a few games left against some tough opponents, so I am just focused on them.”

Going into Senior Day, Hebert said he has one goal.

“I just want to win,” he said. “The only thing on my mind going into it is just wanting to put on a show for our fans and winning the last game of my career as a Mule.”

When asked what he would like to be remembered for, Kyrion Parker, senior wide receiver, said, “My competitiveness, work ethic and just for playing the game the way it should be played.”

Parker said for him, Senior Day will be bittersweet.

“It’ll be sad knowing my time as a Mule is over, but when one door shuts another one opens,” he said.

The ules are looking for their first win over the Bearcats since a 31-21 victory in 2012. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field.

Editor’s Note: Michael Moana is a member of the Mules football team.

Photos by Peter Spexarth / For the Muleskinner Senior tight end Seth Hebert was the 17th Mule to be named an AFCA first team All-American for his 34 receptions, 573 yards and five touchdowns in 2017.

This season, Hebert has caught 25 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior offensive lineman Derrick Puni will have played in 38 games over his four seasons with the Mules as the anchor of an elite offensive line. Puni earned All-American, All-Region and All-MIAA honors throughout his Mules career.

Senior wide receiver Kyrion Parker has caught 16 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Mules and is tied for the most touchdowns in the MIAA this season with 10.

Parker made two highlight one-handed catches this season that you can see here and here.

Senior defensive back Dylan Albertson is second on the Mules defense in total tackles with a career-high 65. Albertson was a third team All-MIAA selection in 2016 when he recorded 51 tackles and five interceptions.

SPORTS 13

The Muleskinner

Mules open regular season at home Jason Brown SportS Editor

Junior guard Blake Spellman is entering his second season with the Mules following his transfer from Northern Kentucky. In 2017, Spellman averaged 7.4 points per game and led the Mules in assists with 97.

The beginning of basketball season at the University of Central Missouri is just one day away and Mules fans will have two opportunities to watch the 2018 squad play at home this weekend.

The Mules are coming off a 20-10 season and were challenged with replacing two of the three top-scorers in the offseason.

Through transfers and players stepping into bigger roles, the team came together early in the offseason to begin building chemistry.

“We had everyone on the team show up in June,” junior guard Blake Spellman said. “That kind of showed to us and the coaches that we’re ready for this year and we’re ready to accomplish what we didn’t last year.”

Spellman joins senior forward Jakob Lowrance as the only regular starter from last season. He started in all but one game an score in ou le figures in 11 games Junior Matt Wilkinson was a regular in the Mules rotation last season, averaging 20 minutes and starting sporadically.

The Mules have added a variety of players through transfers and have taken on the task of integrating them into their offensive and defensive systems. Wilkinson said it has been fun to get to know new teammates and learn to play with them.

“It’s awesome. I mean, I love it,” he said. “We get to meet new people from all walks of life like guys from D.C. and North Dakota. I’m from Overland Park, Kansas, and we’re all buying into the same thing. Seeing guys from all walks of life come together and reach a common goal is

Looking for Sports Updates?

probably one of my favorite things about basketball.”

Spellman added the coaching staff brought players in who aren’t focused on their point totals.

“I think the guys we have are very unselfish, he sai oach i a goo o of getting unselfish guys who on’t care more about scoring and have already bought into the system. They look at defense, hustling and just the team aspect more than putting the ball in the bucket. I think the group that we have is very special.”

The Mules added a handful of transfers in the offseason in graduate transfer guard Jafar Kinsey and junior guards Solomon Finley and James Byrd.

Spellman said his biggest takeaway from transferring from a Division I team to play with the Mules was to not try to do too much.

“You can’t look at it like ‘I’m going to do this or that’ because it’s really not that different going to Division II in this conference because you have great teams and great players night in and night out,” he said.

There were no public exhibition games for the Mules, but they competed in three closed-door scrimmages. Head coach Doug Karleskint said the Mules looked good in those scrimmages and he is still planning to experiment with lineups going into the regular season as guys get continue to get comfortable playing together.

Wilkinson said the scrimmages were a good indication of the team’s growth from last season.

“It went really well. The D2 team we played, Arkansas Tech beat us by 25 last preseason and we beat them in our scrim-

Photos by Kristine Hafford / For the Muleskinner Junior Matt Wilkinson started 16 games for the Mules last season and averaged 20 minutes per game. He scored 6.4 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field. mage this season,” he said. “It shows the progress we’ve made.”

The Mules open the season with two games at home as the hosts of the Central Region Tip-off Classic. First up is Harding, tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Multipurpose Center. Next the Mules will match up against Wayne State Saturday with tip scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday.

digitalBURG.com Stay updated with the latest UCM news

14 CENTRAL SCOOP

Nov. 8–28

Calendar 08

Free Dinner @ BSU 6 p.m. | 302 S. College Street Union Cinema Movie: Wonder Woman 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema Nav Night sponsored by the Navigators Campus Ministry 8 p.m. | Alumni Memorial Chapel

09

Project Community Connect All day | SWRC Union Cinema Movie: Wonder Woman 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema

10

Mules Football vs. Northwest Missouri 1:30 p.m. | Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field Union Cinema Movie: Wonder Woman 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. | Union Cinema

11

Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds Concert 3 p.m. | Hendricks Hall Concerito-Aria Competition 7 p.m. | Hart Recital Hall

THURS.

FRI.

SAT.

SUN.

2018-19 Muleskinner staff Chris Holmberg Kaitlin Brothers

Sudoku

Managing Editor News Editor

Erin Wides

Features Editor

Jacob Peck

Multimedia Editor

Kyer Lasswell

Assistant Design Editor

Jason Brown

Sports Editor

Erica Oliver

TUE.

14

Ideas & Issues: Hidden in Plain Site 3:30 p.m. | Union 237B Opera Theater Fall Workshop 7 p.m. | Hart Recital Hall Unnecessary Farce 7:30 p.m. | Highlander Theatre

15

Free Dinner @ BSU 6 p.m. | 302 S. College Street UCM Theatre Production: Unnecessary Farce 7:30 p.m. | Highlander Theater Nav Night sponsored by the Navigators Campus Ministry 8 p.m. | Alumni Memorial Chapel MAD: Turkey Bowl 9:30 p.m. | Union Bowling Center

16 FRI.

UCM Theatre Production: Unnecessary Farce 7:30 p.m.| Highlander Theater

SAT.

UCM Theatre Production: Unnecessary Farce 7:30 p.m.| Highlander Theater

WED.

THURS.

17

Sudoku

11-08-2018 Design Editor

Garrett Fuller

Molly Burnam

The Muleskinner is a biweekly laboratory newspaper in the Department of Communication at the University of Central Missouri and operates in association with the digital media production program.

All text, photography and other content are property of the Muleskinner and may not be reproduced without permission. The Muleskinner reserves the right to edit any submitted material and/or refuse to print such material.

Letters to the editor must be signed and include class rank for students or title for faculty/staff, as well as hometown for community members.

The advertisement of goods, products or services in the Muleskinner does not in any way constitute an endorsement by the Muleskinner, UCM or the Student Publications Board of the advertiser, the goods, the products or the services offered.

The Muleskinner is a member of the Missouri College Media Association and the National Newspaper Association.

13

Photo Level: Editor Difficulty Assistant Photo Editor

Illustrator Chen and Curtis Cooper Puzzle by Hang

Britain Bray

Anaiyeh Smith

Social Media Coordinator

Sudoku is a number-placement puzzle that Cody Clemmons of 9x9 Advertising consists squares. The objective is to fill Manager Matt Bird-Meyer Faculty Adviser so that each row, each each blank square Chris Moore

Business Manager

BSU Worship 7 p.m. | W.C. Morris 200 UCM Theatre Production: Unneccessary Farce 7:30 p.m. | Highlander Theater Comedian, Lip Sync 8 p.m. | Union 240 Intramural Basketball & Holiday Dodgeball Registration Due 11:30 p.m. | imleagues.com

5

BY HANG CHEN AND CURTIS COOPER

7 2 6 1 5 2 3 9 1 5 4 2 8 5

9

3 4 8 7 8

2 9

6

The Muleskinner

CENTRAL SCOOP 15

What’s a day in the life of Mancow and Molly, UCM’s living mascots, like?

Garrett Fuller and Tiffany Lor went to Prussing Farm to find out.

Day of the Dead celebration

The Modern Languages club and the Student Organization of Latinos showed a video presentation Wednesday at their Day of the Dead event.

Photos by Kaitlin Brothers

Piper Killingsworth, treasurer of the Modern Languages club, helps decorate the ofrenda, a mural to remember the dead.

16 CRIME REPORTS

CRIME MAP LEGEND

CAMPUS CRIME

WARRENSBURG CRIME

Report Made

Report Made

Walk-in Report Made at Public Safety office

Walk-in Report Made at police station

Arrest Made

Arrest Made

Sept. 13 – Sept. 26

View the fully-interactive Crime Map online at:

digitalBURG.com CLICK/SCAN QR CODE TO VISIT

Campus Crime reports compiled by the UCM Department of Public Safety.

Warrensburg Crime reports compiled by the Warrensburg Police Department.