Muleskinner Vol. 117 Issue 2

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NEWS

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• Vol. 117 • Issue 2 • October 26, 2023

Students strive for understanding of Middle East

UCM monitors Israel-Hamas war, the Gaza humanitarian crisis BRAD HADANK Staff Reporter Many University of Central Missouri students and faculty believe they are striving to gain an overall understanding of the Israel-Hamas war. Many colleges across the country have made changes due to the IsraelHamas war and the Gaza humanitarian crisis, while many at UCM continue to be reverent to the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

“Currently, there have been no changes in our classrooms at UCM related to this matter,” UCM Director of Communications and Media Relations, Jeff Murphy, said.

As the Israel-Hamas war and the Gaza humanitarian crisis continues, UCM continues to monitor the situation.

At time of press, there have been no campus changes.

“If there are any updates to share on campus, UCM will do so through its official university communication channels,” Murphy said.

“We continue to monitor the tragic events that are taking place in Israel and Gaza and our hearts go out to all of those individuals who are severely impacted by the tremendous number of injuries, loss of lives and homes.

These individuals are deeply in our thoughts while we hope and pray for peace amid this rapidly evolving, very serious situation,” Murphy, said.

UCM offers a minor in Middle Eastern Studies and a 2.5-week program abroad focusing on topics including the political, religious and cultural divides in Jerusalem.

This study abroad program that travels to Berlin and Israel has not changed thus far, as the next trip will be the summer of 2025.

“Now as it happened, we don’t have a trip planned for summer 2024…that [non-trip] was already in the works,” Michael Sawyer, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences said. “Leading a Summer Study Abroad program is very, very time intensive and summer is when faculty tend to do their research and publishing, and so [it is] really difficult to keep up on your publishing if you take a student group every single summer, so the next planned trip is summer 2025. However, hypothetically speaking, had we planned on moving ahead with that program in summer 2024, we would not, at present, be planning to go to Israel, because we follow the U.S. Department of State guidelines.”

The U.S. Department of State put forth travel guidelines that state a four step system. Step one is to exercise normal precautions, step two is to exercise increased caution, step three is to reconsider travel, and step four is do not travel. At the time of press, Israel is a step three country.

Michael Makara, associate professor of political science and international studies, and is teaching a

Annual Drag Show brings joy, support “I love drag. It’s so much fun. There is lots of joy that goes on in here. It’s a welcoming environment where everybody is made to feel safe and warm.”

- Caleb Dillon, Sophomore

Drag queen, Regina La-Rae, performed at the annual drag show as well as acted at the host during the event. During the show, performers interacted with audience members, danced and lip-synced. Photo by Ellie Whitesell

12th annual Red, White, and Rainbow Drag Show continues to promote diversity, inclusion on campus LINDA ALVIAR News Editor The University of Central Missouri’s Mo’s Activity Council hosted the 12th annual Red, White and Rainbow Drag Show by partnering with student LGBTQ organization, PRISM and the external organization Free Mom Hugs.The event continued despite changes to the funding source. Students expressed their support for the event leading up to the performance.

“I love drag. It’s so much fun. There is lots of joy that goes on in here. It’s a welcoming environment where everybody is made to feel safe and warm,” Caleb Dillon, sophomore said.

Drag performers, both drag kings and queens, don exaggerated hair, makeup and costuming usually in addition to a lip-synced performance.The performances are all about satire and challenging social norms. The

first drag show at UCM was hosted in 2013, to create a function to promote diversity and inclusion on campus.

Students still see the drag show’s original message even years later.

“It kind of shows everybody that there is a space to feel safe at. No matter how different you are, there is always someone that is going to be similar to you,” junior, Leilani Craig, said.

“We obviously value inclusion here at UCM, so I think hosting events like this really shows that,” Dillon said.

While the crowd of 219 attendees was mostly students and community members, faculty members were also a part of the audience.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2, see DRAG

course titled “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, which is scheduled for the Spring 2024 semester, has already seen an influx of students interested in the topic.

“The impact that we’ve seen here at UCM is that we’ve seen a lot of questions. You know, in talking to students, whether in my class or just having students reach out, I know that there’s a lot of students that are trying to make sense of what has been going on,” Makara said.

“I oftentimes get a lot of questions from students who genuinely just want to know what’s going on.”

Others have seen an impact across the UCM campus, especially with social media.

“Most of our students [in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences] are aware of the conflict, of the humanitarian crisis, they see a lot about it online or on social media, but they [most students] don’t really understand what the conflict is about nor what its origins are, and therefore they tend not to have deeply held beliefs,” Sawyer said. “They just more want to understand what the conflict is.”

Makara also shared how people can help others who are affected.

“I think the way we can help is actually something a lot more personal,” Makara said. “So reach out to those people who you know, check in with them, see how they’re doing. Give them an opportunity to talk because they’re certainly going through a lot right now.”

Parking Services innovates campus parking

AUTUMN CRAIG Staff Reporter The University of Central Missouri Parking and Accessibility services is transitioning to digital parking passes, and has begun testing a new vehicle that can flag cars illegally parked in UCM parking lots.

The Parking Services Sergeant, James Krahenbuhl, described how the current ticketing system works versus what’s to come with the new system. Instead of hiring people to manually distribute tickets, Krahenbuhl says they will be driving around in a vehicle that has license plate readers on it.

Krahenbuhl further explained this will help the department transition into the future of having digital parking passes for students and staff. The car, which will feature two rooftop security camera-like scanners, will not be used for campus security purposes, but rather for parking regulation.

“The primary purpose is for parking,” Krahenbuhl said.

The license plate reader can read every kind of license plate, including 60-90 day tags and motorcycle/ mo-ped license plates.

Krahenbuhl said that all current and future parking staff will be trained to use the car, but that staff members will still have to physically check tags in accessible and visitor spaces.

In the future, students will not have to display any sort of physical pass in their windows because the newly equipped car scanners will only need a license plate that is registered to their MyCentral account.

Once the car or cars are registered, students will not buy a new physical permit or tag every year because the system is renewable.

Michael Papasifakis, Captain of Administrative Services, is overseeing the major changes expected to occur in the parking department.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2, see PARKING

The new parking services vehicle parked outside the Parking and Accessibility Building. The vehicle will be on campus for testing this semester, it is planned to be officially in operation next year at the earliest. Photo by Rachel Becker

2 Muleskinner

NEWS

• Vol. 117 • Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

DRAG continued

Roxxy Malone performs at the 12th annual Red, White and Rainbow Drag Show on Oct. 3 at Hendrick’s Hall. Malone was awarded the Miss Gay Missouri United States at Large 2021. The drag queens and king performed to many songs at the annual UCM event, featuring multiple costume changes. Photo by Ellie Whitesell

PARKING continued

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Papasifakis said that the change will help eliminate waiting lines in the parking building during the first week of school and will, “save us money on what we spend every year on the hang tags,” Papasifakis said.

Papasifakis said the goal of the parking department is to go completely cashless in the next 2-3 years, but students are still able to pay cash for citations and appeals in the parking building for now.

“The auxiliary budget is all self-funded, which means all the money that comes from the parking permits and citations goes back into the department” Papasifakis said.

This money will be used to help maintain the university’s parking lots and help pay for the new online system. The decision to move everything completely online was made as a collaborative effort by the parking department.

“Students are on their phones…They like to use technology,” Papasifakis said.

The department has been looking at a shift to online for a few years now, but ultimately the COVID-19 pandemic motivated Parking Services to make the change.

The department is starting to test out the new tag-reading vehicle. They are trying out different options for the most efficient way of utilizing the new system that is expected to be in full effect by next school year.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Wendy Geiger, Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Media Production said, “I loved seeing how happy and excited the students seemed. That means a lot to me. I think that’s why we have these student events.”

The drag show has been held for 11 consecutive years on campus, this being the 12th year for the event.

“The drag show, in the past, has been funded with the student programming board funds, which is collected through student fees. It’s one of the mandatory fees that students pay and so much is then appropriated to student activities,” Beth Rutt, Director of Student Activities & Student Recreation & Wellness said.

According to policy, this fee is then divided out to sponsor programs across campus. As explained by UCM President Roger Best, at UCM, we have approximately 200 registered student organizations, and these organizations regularly host events, activities and speakers on campus. These entail a very wide range of social, political, religious and ideological perspectives.

“It is important for student organizations to be allowed to offer programming and critical that students be well-informed about differing perspectives while having the ability to discuss and even debate in a meaningful and respectful way alternative perspectives,” Best said.

One of those programs, Mo’s Activities Council, is an organization that allows students to apply for funding events that take place on campus. This year, Mo’s Activity Council faced changes to the funding they received to sponsor the event.

“It was 11 days prior to the show that there was concern raised of how the university funds may be used to sponsor an event such as the drag show. So we would not want to place our students or the university in a situation that would cause harm to either party,” Rutt said.

“We decided that since it was the 12th year, and the students had planned and organized the event that we would go ahead and hold the event, but with outside resources,” Rutt said.

Anonymous donors from the UCM and Warrensburg community came together raising $2,000 to fund the drag show with 11 days’ notice, prior to the scheduled performance.

“I had most of the funding secured within six hours,” Rutt said. “The funding came about mainly because of the political climate that we are living within right now,” Rutt said.

Many believe drag performers are facing scrutiny for their expression due to the political landscape surrounding the art.

Performer, drag king, Southern Hell, said, “Sometimes I feel a bit scared performing. Even just walking on the street to the club feels a bit endangering.”

Other performers share a similar fear. Drag queen, Florence Faye identifies as a transgender woman. She said she fears for her safety while performing, while still recognizing the importance of the art.

“I think it is very important,” Faye said. “I’m here living my life and trying to be as truthful to who I am, and I would love to share that with everybody.”

Parking Services Sergeant, James Krahenbuhl, walks around the parking vehicle with camera-like scanners on top. The vehicle is meant to scan licence plates on cars to flag ones that are illegally or incorrectly parked on campus.

Photo by Rachel Becker

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OPINIONS

Muleskinner 3

• Vol. 117 • Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

Taylor Swift makes history

A review of Swift’s newest re-release “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” NOAH NEIL Staff Reporter Taylor Swift has, without a doubt, taken the world by storm with her newest album, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).” A rerelease of Swift’s 2010 album “Speak Now”.

This newer, updated version seems like it has been a way for Swift to look back on these years and reflect on her life in her adolescence. Swift updates the style from the previous country feel to a newer one with more pop, emo and alternative undertones.

The album was announced in May and released in July and has been amazingly hyped between those times especially with her Eras Tour happening between those months.

Of course, to anyone worried about missing out on the trend, there is no need to worry as the craze still has yet to die down.

Swift also recently released a concert movie, following her tour. Having come to theaters Oct. 13, making $92.8 million in North America alone. This film is a lot more accessible to a lot of people, being shown at over 3,855 theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada and 4,527 venues internationally, even more fans are getting themselves up to date on her music.

The hype has undoubtedly been fueled by Swift’s Eras Tour which has taken the country, if not the world, by storm with an average of over 72,000 tickets sold per concert.

However, it helps that the Swift fandom has been around and popular for over a decade. Several fans spent their own adolescence listening to her so for her to revisit the songs they spent years blasting in their bedroom, singing into a hairbrush microphone while jumping on their bed.

I can’t talk about the recent Swift craze without talking about her recent relationship with the Chief’s tight end, Travis Kelce. Contrary to certain people’s opinion on Swift, she is not reduced to whoever she’s dating at the time but it has caused such a crazy mix of people to express interest in both celebrities that it can’t go without mention. It’s amusing to hear around girlfriend’s trying to explain Swift to their boyfriends who are attempting to do the same about Kelce.

According to KSBY, all three albums she has re-released, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” “Red (Taylor’s Version),” and “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” have debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts. The albums have been streamed over six billion times and have brought in roughly $8.5 million per month. Of course, it is obvious these numbers will only continue to grow.

I had the chance to go back and listen to this album, as I’ve been basically doing nonstop since release, and of course I have a lot to say about it. There’s no way for me to keep this concise writing about all 22 songs and all of my thoughts so I will do what I can to sum up my experience as a listener.

When listening, especially if you also take the time to listen to her original “Speak Now” album, you notice obvious differences in some songs and some more subtle ones in others.

I think this is a perfect execution of re-releasing an album. As someone who grew up listening to Swift, it was an amazing feeling to go back down that nostalgic road as a lot of the songs

feel the same, but it was also nice that the songs almost updated with me. I don’t listen to the country style the original songs had, it’s never really been for me.ongs like “Mean” weren’t so appealing to me growing up, but now the style has adapted with my own personality, those types of songs have become some of my favorites.

“Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)” was my absolute favorite in the album so I wanted to take time to talk about this.

I love her slight lyric change to make the song slightly less misogynistic. She changes it from the main girl she’s singing about being on the more explicit side of the stereotypical “home-wrecker,” but now it focuses on her being a very specific girl who came in and ruined Swift’s life. I think that’s a very good touch. Her vocals are also just a lot more raw in the newer version and she sounds so much angry and messed up which fits the song so well and the type of genre this one falls under is so much more my style. This song alone gets a 10/10 from me.

The album is similar enough to the original, almost earning itself the phrase “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” I absolutely love jamming out to the more rocker type of songs in the middle of my room, screaming the poppy type songs in the car, or crying to the more sad songs while staring out the window.

I feel this album not only earned it’s #1 spot, it just flat out deserves it. I personally would be beyond regretful to score this album anything lower than an 8/10. I can’t admit there’s some more skippable songs in there but overall, it’s put together so well.

So whether you’re preparing to go to the Eras Tour in person or in theaters, or you just wanna yell songs out in your room, you can’t deny you need to give this album a listen at least once if not on repeat and of course, don’t forget to be on the lookout for Swift at the next Chiefs game!

Graphic by Elizabeth Reece

What makes the 2023 Spider-Man different from its predecessors MEGAN WEAVER Staff Reporter Typically, superhero movies are not subjected to critical analysis. This is because they are not made for it, they are made simply to entertain as many people as possible. Superhero movies are just vessels for people to live vicariously through and don’t often have a deeper implicit meaning. Of course that doesn’t mean that no superhero movie ever has a deeper meaning because then I wouldn’t be here talking about “SpiderMan: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023).

The 2023 Spider-Man film is the sequel to the 2018 animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

In the first movie, we see our protagonist, Miles Morales, learning to become Spider-Man from other Spider-people he meets from the multiverse. In the second movie, we see he has taken these lessons from his friends and has practically perfected being Spider-Man. Also in the second movie, we learn that multiversal travel has been achieved and is used to fix any accidental anomalies in various universes by a special organization of Spider-people.

All in all, I really enjoyed “Across the SpiderVerse.” I love the animation style, the whole film is so beautiful. I would rate it a 9.5 out of 10. It tells a very unique and important story that I want to explore.

Any Spider-Man fan will tell you, often longwindedly, that the Peter Parker story is inherently tragic. In every iteration, Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, has to constantly overcome struggle after struggle.

Experiencing horrible tragedies all the time often at a young age.

To clarify, when I say Peter Parker, I mean anyone who has become Spider-Man, and when I say SpiderMan, I mean anyone with spider-based powers. I’m generalizing the terms for convenience because not every iteration of Spider-Man is named Peter Parker.

This tragic story is essential to the Spider-Man story.

It makes Parker who he is and without it, he’s not truly Spider-Man. Before “Across the Spider-verse”

this was basically just a theory, but in the movie, they confirmed the idea.

The 2023 addition to the Spider-Man franchise introduces the concept of ‘Canon Events.’ With canon events being occurrences that have to happen within a universe or the fabric of said universe is ripped apart. This explains why this “Spider Society” that’s

Graphic by Elizabeth Reece

in charge of controlling the multiverse doesn’t step in constantly to save the day, some things have to happen.

Spider-Man can’t always save everyone.

A lot of the Spider-people have similar canon events.

The biggest one is Uncle Ben dying, often from a chain reaction that started from something Parker could’ve

prevented. Uncle Ben’s death is the catalyst for the main character to learn that, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

Now, I should say that I like the idea of canon events in a sense. When you introduce a world of very powerful people that can travel through dimensions, you have to explain why bad events still happen and why the powerful people didn’t stop them. It also solidifies and confirms the idea that Parker’s story is always tragic.

But with this idea of canon events comes very heavy implications. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” confirmed the existence of all three live-action SpiderMan iterations, other animated Spider-Man movies and even Spider-Man video games, which means that every version of the Spider-Man story we’ve ever seen follows these rules.

I don’t like canon events in the sense that it takes away all suspense. If in the next Spider-Man movie, we are introduced to the chief of police, we know that they are going to die at some point because of canon events.

I don’t like how it takes away a character’s agency. It makes them have no control over what happens in their world.

It makes us ask, Why? Why should we care about this plot if we’ve already been told how it ends? And if any other future Spider-Man media diverts from the canon event path, “Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse” loses all its meaning. It makes me think, why should we care? If everything that happens to SpiderMan is caused by some unstoppable, otherworldly force, and not because of something a character did, why should we care?

If your movie has the audience wondering why they should care, you might want to go back and fix things.

Now, luckily the third movie in the “Into the SpiderVerse” series has been announced. So the writers have the chance to fix what they’ve set up. They have a lot of plot to cover in the third movie and I hope they set aside some time to answer my questions because if they don’t, we’ll have no reason to care about any future Spider-Man media.

4 Muleskinner • Vol. 117 • Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

HOMECOMING

Mules win football game, 77-27 Team rolls past No. 23 Emporia State

Below: Linebacker Lane West, a redshirt sophomore, gets ready on the line of scrimmage before a play. West had a season high of five tackles during the Homecoming Game. Photos

by Kaia Trujillo

The Mules set new football records during the Homecoming Game, breaking the Division II record for total yards against a Division II opponent with 976 and the MIAA passing yards record with 659. Multiple players also broke records, with the Quarterback for The Mules, Zach Zebrowski, breaking UCM and MIAA single-game records for passing touchdowns, passing yards and total offense.

Giving back through creativity ROMAN PFISTER Contributing Reporter University of Central Missouri students and faculty celebrated 2023 homecoming week through the Donation Creation contest on Oct. 17, organized by the Office of Student Activities. UCM organizations gathered donations of non-perishable food items

Jacob Riggs, with Alpha Kappa Lambda, helps to build a display made of donated canned goods. The Donation Creation was a campus-wide event to benefit the Campus Cupboard. Photo by Roman Pfister

to create a structure designed around the homecoming theme of ‘Peace, Love & Mules.’

Participating groups began building their creations at 10 a.m. to be completed by 3 p.m. the same day.

Each of these donations go to the UCM campus cupboard, said Makoto Narita from the Office of Student Activities.

“I see how many students rely on Campus Cupboard and… that is a great resource for them,” said Narita.

Assistant Director of Student Activities Volunteer Services, Kristie Brinkley said that each of the creations from the twelve participating organizations are judged and displayed.

“All twelve of [the creations] … stay up… through Thursday,” said Brinkley. “They are judged… after they’re built and then they go on display for two whole days until they’re picked up by our homecoming volunteers.”

Narita said that he contacted several people to judge the creations including a graduate assistant over Campus Cupboard, Kaylee Bohle.

Alpha Gamma Delta member, Tia Cassidy, said that her group, Alpha Gamma Delta with Tau Kappa Epsilon, used a combination of items to create a structure that incorporates the football game and the homecoming theme.

“We are making a football that has… a disco ball on top… and then there will also be some records on it,” said Cassidy.

Cassidy went on to say that the creation was built from both canned and boxed non-perishable food items.

In a follow up correspondence, Cassidy said that her group donated 1,195 items total.

Not only did students participate in Donation Creation, but the staff of Ward Edwards also entered the contest and donated items.

Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, Drew Burkeybile, said that the Ward Edwards staff decided to enter donation creation after raising donations at other events in the past.

“We wanted a way… to continue donating to the Campus Cupboard so we thought we would participate in Donation Creation,” said Burkeybile.

Students from participating organizations said they participated in this event for multiple reasons. Sophomore member of Delta Zeta, Madisyn Lofar0, said that it is a way to promote homecoming and to give back to the community.

“We partner with a fraternity, so we do it for royalty but also to donate to the Campus Cupboard to help people that need food,” said Lofaro.

“Our Philanthropy in Alpha Gamma Delta is fighting hunger… so it is always to know that people on campus are going to be fed and it’s nice to know that I can be a part of that,” said Cassidy.

Brinkley said that the Office of Student Activities wants to collect goods for Campus Cupboard while also engaging the students in homecoming festivities.

“One of the important things for the university is education for service and so this is a great opportunity for students to get involved… and also having fun creating something for homecoming,” said Brinkley.

Homecoming royalty announced

BRAD HADANK Staff Reporter University of Central Missouri’s newest Homecoming Royalty winners were announced during the 2023 Homecoming football game on Oct. 22. Evelyn Neal, Dalton White, and Emily Gahagan were selected to represent their respective organizations, clubs and departments as Homecoming Royalty by their peers and crowned during halftime at the Audrey J. Walton Stadium at Vernon Kennedy Field.

The crowning of Evelyn Neal, Dalton White, and Emily Gahagan was preceded by the UCM Homecoming royalty top ten candidates being announced at the UCM’s Homecoming event featuring the magician and mentalist on Oct. 19 in Hendricks Hall.

The UCM Homecoming royalty top ten candidates had to have a minimum of 54 credit hours and do tasks to compete to be in the top ten. This year’s criteria to be

on the court was the same as it has been in recent years. The criteria was a 50% popularity vote, an interview worth 25%, and the remaining 25% consisted of a video that the candidates had to create, according to Director of Student Activities Beth Rutt.

Each of the top ten candidates were awarded with an official Homecoming Court Sash.

While the criteria remains the same, this year the royalty was represented in a new and different way.

“This is the first year that it has been implemented,” Rutt said. “What we, the homecoming Leadership Committee, two years ago brought up for discussion [was] about having a gender neutral homecoming royalty, instead of the queen and king and the court…so the committee discussed it, and then they, within the committee structure, Homecoming royalty winners react to the crowd after receiving their medals. The top ten they brought it to us and then we took it then candidates were Brady Bachert, Ashlee Bieker, Maddie Cupp, Mary Frerking, Emily Gahagan, to a larger committee made up of partners.

Cordelia Rae Jurkowski, Timmy Long, Jessica Miller, Evelyn Neal, and Dalton White. Photo by There was a unanimous support there.”

Kaia Trujillo

HOMECOMING

Muleskinner 5

Community joins in homecoming festivities • Vol. 117 • Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

Parade, Party in the Park on Oct. 21

Above: Dressed in theme, Rebecca Edison and Darla Harmon rehydrate themselves while enjoying UCM’s Party at the Park. The event followed the Homecoming Parade and featured live music, food and inflatables. Photo by Kaia Trujillo Left: Brennan Hughes, plays with a dog during UCM’s party in the

Park. Party in the Park, the annual event held in Selmo Park, was open to all community members. Photo by Kaia Trujillo

Above: Showing pride, representatives for the International Student Organization wave their flags as they parade down Holden.

ISO helps create community for the 1,783 international students enrolled at UCM this fall. Photo by Conner Meinke

Left: UCM Marching Mules playing as they march down N Holden St. during the 2023 Homecoming Parade. Several high school bands joined in the parade, alongside student and community organizations.

Photo by Conner Meinke

Magic amazes Pep Rally students at raises spirit performance

Alpha Zeta and Sigma Phi Epsilon performing their cheer for 2023 Greek Cheer Competition.

Several pairs of fraternities and sororities united to compete during the rally.

Photos by Conner Meinke UCM Band playing the fight song at the Homecoming Pep Rally. The band played throughout the show, keeping spirit high.

BRAD HADANK & MYLA CATHEY Staff Reporters UCM’s Homecoming was celebrated with an event featuring Magician and Mentalist Brice Harney on Oct. 19 in Hendricks Hall. With a burn ban in effect, the University of Central Missouri Homecoming concert and bonfire moved indoors for the magician and mentalist’s performance.

Many students were present to see Harney’s stage-ready act as a magician, mentalist, and entertainer with up-close stunts. One student in particular was Junior Cheyenne Morales who was able to participate in a stunt with Harney.

“We got to smash bags with a nail through it and I had to pick the bags… his hand didn’t get cut through,” Morales said. “It’s just like, wow, like everybody should experience this.”

Director of Student Activities, Beth Rutt, said UCM’s Homecoming was celebrated with the magician and mentalist event to be a positive and fun experience for all students.

The magician and mentalist event was originally going to be a bonfire and concert but was changed due to a burn ban in the area, according to Rutt. Even with the change, many students enjoyed the event.

“This is so much better, I’m so happy this happened,” Junior Gibby Gibson said. “I’ve been to a couple magic shows, like something like that, this was up there for sure. He brought me up on stage and he burnt my dollar. I watched it, it burnt into a crisp, and then later he pulled me back up on stage and it was inside of an orange completely unburnt, and it was the exact same dollar.”

“It’s just like, wow, like everybody should experience this.”

- Cheyenne Morales, Junior

Along with Gibson, Senior Mattie Eichelberger also enjoyed the event, even though Eichelberger still thinks that a bonfire would have been fun. “I think a bonfire during homecoming at some point would be fun, but this was still really, really fun,” Eichelberger said.

6 Muleskinner • Vol. 117 •Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

OPINIONS

Jennies golf shows promise in the heat of their season

COLE ELLING Sports Editor Before becoming the Sports Editor at The Muleskinner, I was lucky to already have an inside look into many of the UCM sports teams on campus.

This was due to my participation on the Mules Golf team of nearly four and a half years.

Not only have I spent countless hours at Mules National Golf Club refining my own golf game; I have watched, played and befriended many of the Jennies Golf team members.

My point being, I am excited to tell you about this year’s Jennies Golf Team and why this year’s squad is unlike any other in program history.

Entering their fifth tournament of the year, The #25 ranked UCM Jennies, are building on what is, without a doubt, the best start to a season in program history.

Though the Jennies program is one of the newest on campus, entering their tenth year since the start of the program, they are already one of the best in the nation.

This was solidified in their last tournament, the Midwest Intercollegiate. The tournament was hosted

by UCM and played at Mules National Golf Club at Pertle Springs. This tournament wasn’t just won by the Jennies, it was dominated.

The team walked away with their third straight win of the season, beating the next closest team by 25 strokes. The squad was also led by tournament individual winner and redshirt senior, Hayley Jones.

When asked about what her win and the team’s third straight win meant, she said, “I think we made a statement this week to ourselves and the other teams in our region that any one of us can win on any given week.”

Frankly, I can’t seem to agree anymore. With a roster that has an All-Conference player in Jones, Last year’s Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year, Mia Rallo, 2021 MIAA Conference Champion, Claire Solovic, and 2X Missouri Women’s Amateur Champion, Maya McVey. So don’t get Jennies Golf and the New York Yankees 1927 ‘Murder’s Row’.

For Head Coach Chris Port, the team has always had the ability to compete like they are this season.

In his opinion, the winning formula for them has been statistic and mindset based.

“We have found that the three statistics that have helped us the most are: Greens and regulations, up and down percentage on missed greens, and putts per green in regulation,” said Port. Coach Port has found in his experiences in collegiate golf, that these three statistics are key to limiting mistakes and optimizing opportunities.

At the same token, golf is 90% mental, and there is no winning unless you have the best mental game in the field.

“The biggest change I have seen is their playing mentality and they are a veteran group. Everyone knows how to win and no one panics.” Port said. That is one of the hardest things to figure out: how to have a winners mentality. From the first individual to the last.

With all that being said, and the winning recipe being cooked to perfection, satisfaction is something that no one on the team can relate to.

Nicole Rallo, junior, has constantly been helping the team out in every tournament. With a 73.7 stroke average, Rallo is still looking to keep the momentum going and put the pedal to the metal.

“Despite our wins being a great accomplishment, none of us are satisfied and you can see that in our preparation, mentality, and focus at practice and in tournaments,” Rallo said.

I can’t say it any better. If you want to witness what champions look like for yourself, I suggest you go visit Mules National Golf Course and look around the practice facilities and just watch. These girls are good.

Above: Mia Rallo lining up her shot on the par three #15. Mia rounded out the team with a tie for tenth and a score of (+9) nine over par. Submitted photos by Brinkley Beever

Above: Claire Solovic hits her drive right down the middle on hole #12. Solovic finished the tournament tied for seventh with a score of 148 (+8).

SPORTS

Muleskinner 7

• Vol. 117 • Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

Jennies shut out opposition No. 17-ranked team defeats the Lopers in Oct. 20 game

Jennies Defender, Emilee Person, advances the ball around the midfield. Person is a freshman in her first season with The Jennies. Photos by Aaron Bax

Jennies and Lopers battle to win the aerial battle on a Jennies corner. UCM would have 18 corners to Nebraska Kearney’s 0 in the Oct. 20 game.

Jennies Midfielder, Aspen Patterson, goes into a sliding tackle in the opposing half. Tackles and pressure in the opposing half by the Jennies was constant through the 5-0 win for UCM.

8 Muleskinner

SPORTS

• Vol. 117 • Issue 2 •October 26, 2023

More Homecoming Game coverage on page 4

The Mules get in position as they prepare for a field goal during the UCM Homecoming Football Game. The annual game was played on Oct. 21 against the Emporia State University Hornets at Walton Stadium and Kennedy Field. Photo by Kaia Trujillo

Passing the torch One family’s tradition in UCM Athletics

CALLIE MEARS Contributing Reporter Madison Mears grew her passion for track and field with the help of her father, Brad Mears, a professor at UCM in the Athlete Hall of Fame and gold medalist in the Pan American Games.

Madison, a sophomore at UCM is attending along with her sister, Callie Mears. Madison’s older brother, Connor Mears, just recently graduated from UCM. Both Madison’s parents are both UCM alumni.

The Mears are both named in the UCM Athletes Hall of Fame, giving Madison motivation to follow in her parent’s footsteps.

“I want to make my own mark and be able to follow in my parent’s footsteps and make my own mark at my sport,” Madison said.

Madison first picked the sport of track and field in middle school after her dad introduced her to taking on the same interest he did so long ago.

Being a track and field athlete in college brings its own challenges and struggles Madison has to face regularly. This means she finds her own motivations through her role models.

“My biggest role model personally is my dad,” Madison said. “He taught me everything I know about throwing, and he’s also my biggest supporter going to every track meet, even practices. He’s very inspiring just learning from his experience through track.”

Madison said her dad not only helped introduce her to the sport, but he also trained her daily with footwork and workouts based on his experience during his track and field career.

Having such a strong figure from track and field being a part of her life can bring more opportunities and even doubts. Her father, Brad Mears, said he hopes she can stay independent and headstrong in the sport as her own athlete.

“I don’t ever want her to be held up to any standard or expectation but her own,” Brad said. “Even with all

my pride, there is always a tiny part of me that worries that she will feel like she is expected to be anything but herself. She isn’t expected to be me or anything like me.”

Madison said she grew up hearing stories about her

“There have been so many great things that have come out of both Brad’s and Madison’s experience with track over the years, but the greatest thing has just been watching them together.”

- Kerri Mears, Former Jennies Volleyball Player

father’s track and field career. These stories can be overwhelming to a young athlete wanting to excel in the same sport giving a sense of big shoes to fill.

“I finished college a 7 time All-American and I had broken all the shot put records at UCM, and I also threw far enough in the shot to qualify me for the United States Track and Field National Championships,” Brad said.

Later on, Brad competed in two Olympic trials, and in the 1999 Pan American Games where he won a gold medal. Brad had a few years under his belt when he was ranked one of the top 10 shot putters in the world.

Following the 2000 Olympic Trials, and the birth of his first son, Conner, he decided to retire. Brad is now a professor in the College of Education at UCM.

Kerri Mears, Madison’s Mother, and wife of Brad Mears, said she has not only been Brad’s number one fan throughout his track career from college and after but now she is continuing cheering on her daughter from the sidelines.

“If you would have asked me back in 2000, when Brad retired from throwing, if I saw myself being all excited to go set and watch more throwing at track meets, I would have said no way,” Kerri said. “But here we are and Madison is doing such a great job in track and I am so proud of her and I love to watch her compete for UCM.” Kerri said she never thought she would have the opportunity to watch Madison and Brad’s connection grow stronger in such a way.

Kerri not only gets to watch her daughter thrive in something she’s passionate about, but Kerri gets to see her husband keep his fire of passion on track even after retiring.

“There have been so many great things that have come out of both Brad’s and Madison’s experience with track over the years, but the greatest thing has just been watching them together,” Kerri said. “Not just seeing them train together, but seeing them have that time together in the summers when they were traveling around to meets together.”

Kerri knows just how important it is for parents to be supportive of their children through their passions.

Kerri also knows what it takes to be a student athlete, as she used to play volleyball at UCM. Kerri said she knows the environment and nature of how challenging a college sport can be let alone how hard to excel in.

“So few people make it to this level, to compete in college sports, and to have Madison be able to do it at the same school that Brad and I competed at and in the same sport and events that Brad competed in is something very rare and special,” Kerri said. “I couldn’t be more proud.”