Muleskinner Vol. 117 Issue 5

Muleskinner

Women’s wellness thrives

Clinics offer resources and academics provide involvement

LINDA ALVIAR

News Editor

Currently enrolled students at the University of Central Missouri continue to have access to women’s health resources on campus and in the surrounding Warrensburg community. The UCM Campus Community Health Center and New Beginnings Women’s Center offer access to medical and informational resources for students. Additionally, programs of study offer a variety of ways for students to get involved in matters relating to women’s health on campus.

“Women’s health care encompasses everything. Women’s healthcare is also a bit more specialized…A lot of the services that we offer for that are fully encompassing, here at the health center,” Crissy Hall, Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Director of the Campus Community Health Center said. Students can use accepted insurance to cover the cost of medical care provided by the health center.

“We offer all forms of birth control, here at the health center,” Hall said. The health center also offers free menstrual products in on-site restrooms, along with free contraceptives. “We currently work with the Missouri Health Family Council to provide emergency contraceptives for students for free,” Hall said. Free sexually transmitted infection testing and sexual assault services are also offered for currently enrolled students.

Women’s health clinics in the Warrensburg community also play a key role in providing women’s health services to students and members of the broader community. The New Beginnings Women’s Center located in Warrensburg, provides women’s healthcare to individuals within Johnson County.

The clinic offers pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, abortion recovery and referrals to the abortion reversal hotline. The services are free of charge and do not require proof of insurance.

“We are an advocate of good quality women’s health in our community. We link arms with a lot of other community organizations and other health professionals in the area,” Jennifer Snowden, Nurse Manager of the New Beginnings Women’s Center, said. The clinic relies on private donors to continue providing services to patients.

“It is very important to us that women have accurate medical information when they come through the doors of the center so that they can make informed choices about their healthcare,” Chrissy McGalliard, Executive Director of the New Beginnings Women’s Center, said. University programs also offer opportunities for students interested in women’s health to get involved.

The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program offers a wide variety of coursework and extracurricular programs to students aimed at promoting women’s health at UCM. Associate Professor, Sarah Ray Rondot, is the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Studies program.

“Women’s health is definitely a main part of [the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program] in terms of both [student interests] and coursework. In all of the program [general education requirements] there’s some unit on either women’s health or reproductive health,” Rondot said. Along with academic coursework, the program provides opportunities for students to create events and projects of their interests.

On Feb. 29, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department held an Abortion Access Information Event at the James C. Kirkpatrick Library. At the event, students were trained on collecting signatures for a reproductive rights petition, sponsored by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. The petition is aimed at getting a constitutional amendment on the ballot for Missouri voters in the fall.

Annie Alford, gender and sexuality studies minor and program ambassador, collaborated with Rondot and other students from the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department to bring the event to campus.

“It’s a people’s petition. They are these groups that write up what the amendment would look like. This is a constitutional amendment [for the state of Missouri] which would guarantee reproductive rights,” Alford said. Along with this event, other programs created by students within the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department have been recently implemented on campus.

A recent graduate of the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program collaborated with Rondot to create a campus-wide Period Equity Campaign. The campaign includes 32 bins of menstrual products located in women’s restrooms around campus, free for students to use.

“I firmly believe that period products are a necessity. They’re kind of like having plenty of paper towels in a bathroom. All students expect that,” Rondot said.

Federal miscalculations set back FAFSA

LINDA ALVIAR News Editor

On March 22, the U.S. Department of Education announced that a miscalculation in the formula for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid resulted in incorrect student financial information being sent to colleges and universities across the country. Despite errors from the Department of Education, the University of Central Missouri continues to expect the first round of financial aid awards to be issued to students on April 17.

“This is another unforced error that will likely cause more processing delays for students,” National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators president and CEO, Justin Draeger, said in a press release. However, the Office of Student Financial Aid is expected to release financial aid award information based on the information received from the Department of Education.

“Based on that info that we’ll have [from the Department of Education] we’re going to send an award letter out and we have no reason not to trust what is sent to us. When we get a FAFSA with a valid student aid index, we’re going to award based on that,” Tony Lubbers, Director of Student Financial Aid, said. A complete overhaul of the FAFSA form has been the cause of many delays in the rollout of the 2024-2025 FAFSA that are affecting students.

“It’s just frustrating. My concern is mostly about first-generation [college students] because I am first-generation. I know what it was like last year filling out the FAFSA,” Jonathan Crispin, freshman, said. Crispin explains the delays he has experienced with submitting this year’s form.

“On my FAFSA, you have to have parent signatures before you submit, at least in my situation. I forgot to do the signature, which comes at the very end. I submitted it and the calculation came back inconclusive,” Crispin said. Typically, when students need to make corrections to the form, they can do so through the Federal Student Aid website. However, this year, the Department of Education did not grant students access to make corrections until the first half of April.

These changes include a new calculation formula to determine Pell Grant eligibility for students based on the Student Aid Index. This is a change from the previous calculation formula that factored in expected family contribution and the cost of attendance for the university the student is attending.

Graphic by Ellie Whitesell

The Office of Student Financial Aid aims to release the first round of financial aid awards on April 17. The department will be awarding letters in the order in which they receive financial aid information from the Department of Education.

“Students who filed their FAFSAs first, in January, will likely be able to get their award letters first. Students who have filed their FAFSA later, like if they waited until March to do it, they’ll get their award letter later,” Lubbers said. The Office of Student Financial Aid expects regular processing of FAFSA forms for UCM students to begin in May.

“We’re keeping students’ best interests in mind. I don’t want students to think we are dragging our feet or anything like that because that is not the case,” Lubbers said.

Illustration by Elizabeth Reece

‘DesiretoLearn Brightspace’ to replace Blackboard in fall 2025

FAITH MCMANEMIN

Staff Reporter

The University of Central Missouri is set to transition from Blackboard to a new learning management system called DesiretoLearn Brightspace. D2L Brightspace was created by the Canadian global software company DesiretoLearn, which is a learning management system where instructors can upload coursework for students to access. Students can expect to see a change to their online class resources as UCM is hoping to improve the online learning experience for students and professors.

Blackboard is currently the main online learning application tool used by UCM students and faculty to access class resources and share information regarding courses. The university began its contract with Blackboard on July 1, 2022. However, the university’s contract with Blackboard is set to expire on June 30, 2025.

“We went through an intensive review this last year, in which we surveyed faculty and students and staff, and we then put out an official request for proposals last summer. We had three companies that provided proposals to us. Our contract with Blackboard will end on June 30, 2025. So we started early so that we had time to transition if the determination was made that we were going to switch,” Carol Knight, Director of Digital Learning and Instructional Innovation, said. UCM is now looking toward D2L Brightspace to replace Blackboard when the contract expires. Some students, however, share frustrations with their experiences using Blackboard.

“There was one occasion where it shut down during a quiz and I had to email the professor. Again, the same with how professors navigate it. I have some older professors and they’ll be like, oh, this is posted and it’s not because they thought that they unlocked it for us to see,” graduate student Katie Correll said. Other students, however, share different experiences with the current system.

“I’m very comfortable [with Blackboard]. I’m an international student. I used this platform, Blackboard, in my country, as well, and it’s the same with us. For an international student, I [have] only used Blackboard before I came here,” Sohee Kweon, an international student, said. The switch, however, is aimed at helping improve the online learning experience for students and faculty. A committee of faculty and staff were responsible for making the ultimate decision to switch to a new LMS.

“On the committee, we had faculty, staff, staff from student support, deans– it was a pretty large group of us to ensure that we had every single department and everybody represented,” Ethan Gerst, Walk in Studio Experience Lead Coach at Career and Life Design said. The committee made evaluations of each of the proposed platforms based on many criteria outlined by the committee.

“Each of the providers there, or each of the companies, gave us their proposals. They were scored off of that, ensuring that they included all relevant information. We also had info sessions, both that were available to everybody in the institution, as well as private meetings and demos that

were available. We scored them based off of all of that. There was also a budget and a price point that they were graded off of, as well. But we took into consideration everything when creating the total points,” Gerst said. D2L Brightspace was chosen as the university’s new LMS based on its ranking as compared to the other two platforms.

“Based on all the things that we were asking for, we thought that it outranked Blackboard in one element that we were specifically looking at was the app. We felt that it has a strong app,” Knight said. DLII has outlined a plan to help students and faculty through the transition.

“We will have a group of early adopters in the fall that will transition to Brightspace and they will teach their courses on Brightspace. So, you as a student may potentially have courses, in Brightspace and in Blackboard. So that’s our challenge right now, is just that during this year, there will be some overlap,” Knight said. The purpose of the change, however, is aimed at helping students and improving their experiences.

“I also want everyone to remember that whenever we were looking at all these companies the sole purpose was for the students. We wanted to ensure that students had the best experience possible here at UCM and with the new LMS, and so we chose Brightspace for that reason because we believe that they will be able to adequately meet our needs and be the best solution for all of us students,” Gerst said.

208 E Gay - Warrensburg, MO nbwburg.org - 660-429-3800 Newbeginnings_burg

Graphic by Linda

Graduating fashion students design their goodbyes

RILEY KING

Staff Reporter

With graduation around the corner, the seniors in the fashion department are preparing for their senior showcase. Senior fashion students have been allowed to show off the pieces they have been working on this past year. The showcase will be hosted on April 24, from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. in Union 237.

There are some elements that Senior Julia Nolke has picked up on in the last four years that will carry with her and her peers. “I have learned a lot, specifically in my program, about the world and more cultural things,” said Nolke. “There’s a lot of options when it comes to being a fashion major, people think it’s a limited opportunity for you, but that’s not the case.”

The seniors are excited about their upcoming senior showcase. They are passionate about how each piece can equal a story and how much of their hard work is paying off.

Aubrey Summers talks about how excited she is to see everyone’s work walk down the runway. “Everyone has a different story and a different collection that they’re putting together,” said Summers.

The seniors preparing for their last showcase have collected lots of advice and wisdom from incoming fashion majors. “Don’t be scared to come here. I was told by my parents and friends that fashion might not be the most practical degree to go into,” said Lindsey Dobson. “I really don’t think that’s true, there’s so many categories we can go into. Our professors are good at inspiring you to pursue that and show the different opportunities within that section.”

Students enjoy solar eclipse watch event

DARBY MOSTAFFA

Features Editor

On April 9, the moon passed between the Earth and the sun, causing a solar eclipse across North America. A solar eclipse causes the sky to darken and the sun’s face to disappear behind the moon. Certain areas experienced a total ellipse, where the moon covers the sun’s face entirely, known as the path of totality, like Indianapolis, IN, Dallas, TX, and Little Rock, AR.

“Many faculty members headed south to the path of totality, so we thought maybe some of [the] students would as well,” said Christina Kerns, Assistant Director of Mo’s Activities Council. “Attendance was over double of what we anticipated, driven in part by the fact that we were the only ones in Warrensburg that still had glasses!”

Although some parts of Missouri did not experience a total solar eclipse, the experience and view were nothing short of spectacular. The Office of Student Activities hosted a viewing party on the front lawn of the James C. Kirkpatrick Library.

“We really just wanted to provide the opportunity for people to view the eclipse together and safely,” said Kerns.

Viewing glasses were on high demand so the organization did not prepare for the amount of students interested in watching the eclipse with their classmates. Students embraced their mutual fellowship and shared the eyewear they had.

“I had a one-on-one private lesson [during the eclipse], so my professor and I left early to watch and shared glasses,” said Freshman Braeden Sholes.

Students played games, enjoyed popcorn, and were provided with viewing glasses while supplies lasted. Until the moon had completely covered the sun, viewers were advised to wear their protective eyewear when looking at the sun.

“What I enjoyed most was being with friends outside and viewing the solar eclipse through the telescope,” said Sophomore Elaina Burke.

Above: Using part of solar eclipse glasses, student Wyatt Zirkle attemps to take photos on April 8. Zirkle joined other students at the James C. Kirkpatrick Library at 1:30 p.m. to watch the eclipse. Left: Office of Student Activities hosts a watch event on the lawn of JCKL for the solar eclipse on April 8. There were more than 300 students, staff and faculty in attendence. Photos by Ellie Whitesell

Julie Nolke

senior

Photo by Riley King

Aubrey Summers is working on measurements for her upcoming project. Using the mannequin body, Summers laid out her outline for accurate sizing. Photo by Riley King

“Romeo and Juliet”: A twist on an age-old tale

KAIA TRUJILLO

Opinions Editor

On the weekend of March 28, the University of Central Missouri’s Theatre Department showcased their twist on “Romeo and Juliet.”

What was the twist you may ask? It was set in the

2000’s. Although still speaking in the Early Modern English style of classic Shakespeare, the clothing and environment had a more modern take. Furthermore, it is set in Staten Island, NY. All of these things take an older story and bring it into a slightly more up-to-date timeline. This is what made it more than the classic tale, and piqued my interest going into it.

The set was the first thing that took me aback, with a tall built-up set, working garage door, and moving scaffolding. However, this set was the main set throughout the show, with no massive scene changes, which had a simplicity that I thought complimented the rest of the show.

What was not so simple was the Shakespearean language. This was definitely an odd thing to adjust to coming into the show. How I described it to friends, was it felt similar to when you watch a show with subtitles. Despite the show characters not speaking English, you catch bits of the subtitles in the context, so that you understand the story nonetheless, and that was how I felt watching “Romeo and Juliet.” Although, the actors of this show delivered these lines in a way that didn’t muddle

the context. As an audience member, you could tell that the actors knew what their lines meant, and acted with an intention that didn’t leave room for confusion of what the story was telling.

Personally, my favorite part of the show was the fight choreography. Everything from the choreography itself to the sounds made by the actors during the fights, made the fighting in the show compelling to watch.

Going into this show, my only introduction to the Shakespearean classic “Romeo and Juliet,” was reading the story in a high school English class, along with “Hamlet,” “Julius Caesar,” etc. After being forced to read these I was never the biggest Shakespeare fan, almost had a distaste for it even. This show changed that, leaving me with my first enjoyable experience with a Shakespeare story. The actors and cast should be incredibly proud of the show they put on, and know that their work, fight choreography, knowledge of the language, played a massive role in the enjoyment of the show, and that work was able to be seen by the audience.

Estimated at about 2 hours and 15 minutes, this show was not a short one, and you combine this with it being in a language that is not the most easily understood. With those facts in mind, this show could’ve been far more monotonous. However, it wasn’t, the storytelling through the acting abilities of the cast made the show more than just that.

Above: Romeo and Juliet played by Danny Gage and Grace Clark share a romantic moment on March 31. “Romeo and Juliet” was directed by Assistant Professor Aaron Scully.

Right: Raegan Weber (left), Josie Hougham (center) and Madison Keep (right) are on stage for the final performance of “Romeo and Juliet” by the Theatre and Dance department on March 31. This was the moment in the play where Romeo is being exiled from the town after he killed Tybalt.

Below: Rosalyn Schuster (left) and Shanna Sinow (right) act out a fight scene as Tybalt and Mercutio at the March 31 show. The fighting choreography was directed by guest choreographer Lily Blouin. Photos by Ellie Whitesell

Muleskinner

The ultimate revenge fantasy “Monkey Man” (2024)

MEGAN WEAVER

Staff Reporter

One thing I will never do is gatekeep movies. If I like a movie, I’ll always recommend it and if I know any fun facts about a movie, you better believe you’ll hear them. So when I found out I was practically the only person who had heard of “Monkey Man” (2024), I knew I had to write an article about it to spread the word. “Monkey Man” written, directed and produced by Dev Patel, is one of the most intriguing and action-packed films I’ve ever seen. Allow me to tell you about it in this semispoiler-free review.

On top of all his other jobs in this movie’s production, Patel also plays the main character. The main character is never given a name but is referred to as ‘Kid’ in the credits. The best way I can describe this movie is as the ultimate revenge fantasy. When he was younger, Kid’s village was raided by the police, and his mother was killed in front of him. Since then he has sought revenge on everyone who had wronged him.

The film is set in India and features a lot of Indian culture and religion. The title “Monkey Man’’ comes from the Hindu deity, Hanuman, who is halfmonkey, half-human. Kid’s mother told him stories about Hanuman and as a character, Kid symbolizes Hanuman. This movie has a huge emphasis on faith, and I actually really like it. There’s also surprisingly great representation and commentary on transgender people. One of the supporting characters, Alpha, a transgender woman, and keeper of a Hindu temple, helps Kid through his spiritual journey and assists in his revenge plans.

One of my favorite things about this movie is that it is an unapologetic revenge story. I feel that often in media when a character’s main goal is revenge, they are shown as wrong for wanting revenge and usually will change their goal by the end of the story. Too many times I’ve seen a vengeful character end up forgiving and forgetting instead of being allowed to have their revenge. Since it is such a regular occurrence, I was worried that “Monkey Man” was going to end in this way. Fortunately, it doesn’t, and for once we actually get a full, complete and satisfying revenge.

I feel that characters whose main goal in the narrative is revenge are always portrayed negatively. Revenge can be a very good motivator for a character and for a story, but it’s unsatisfying and anti-climactic when, in the end, no one gets revenge. In the case of Kid, his need for revenge is very justifiable and I don’t think anyone should disagree with that. The best part is, Kid goes through a spiritual journey in the movie, and yet his faith doesn’t waver in his goal of revenge. In fact, he is greatly encouraged by the people of the temple to seek revenwge and is even assisted by them in his plans.

I really liked this movie. You can tell Patel poured his heart and soul into this. According to a BBC Radio interview, this movie has been in the making for ten years. They also shot in 2020, which caused them to have to move from India to Indonesia to film. Which cost them lots of money and crew. During shooting, Patel broke his foot and hand, tore his shoulder and got an eye infection. They also were on such a tight budget that for some scenes inside the club, they didn’t have the money to afford props for the table so they had to shoot everything from the shoulders up.

The fight scenes are definitely the stand-out of this movie. They were so dynamic and so intriguing. There are many fight sequences in this film but they never made me bored. Each one was unique and was unlike anything I had ever seen. The choreography was absolutely insane– I would watch the movie again just for the fight scenes. I swear half of this movie’s budget was for fake blood, whether that encourages you or discourages you from watching it.

“Monkey Man” just came out this April and is only in theaters and I would definitely recommend it. It’s very reminiscent of the “John Wick” movies, and Patel said in the BBC Radio interview he was inspired by Bruce Lee movies, Korean action films and Bollywood movies. This film definitely deserves more recognition so go out and watch it, just be prepared to see some blood.

Fans boycott HYBE music

RILEY KING

Staff Reporter

Over the course of the last six months, people from across the world have started boycotting major companies due to the genocide towards Palestinians after the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7, 2023. The most known companies being Mcdonald’s, Starbucks, Zara, Disney and so on. But in the music world, fans have started boycotting their favorite artists.

HYBE is one of the leading music companies in South Korea and America. With multiple different labels underneath HYBE and a newly announced 10-year-long agreement with Universal Music Studio, many fans are disappointed. Scooter Braun is a part of HYBE America, which includes artists such as Justin Bieber, The Kid LAROI, Lil Dicky and Tori Kelly. Braun is already known for his controversy with Taylor Swift from years back, so many people don’t like him enough already.

Many believe Braun has also shown his constant support towards Israel and has kept a neutral stance on the Isreal-Hamas war going on. Braun has posted on instagram with the leader of Israel back in 2017 and has been posting propaganda on his instagram story about the war going on.

This has caused fans who listen to artists under HYBE to start boycotting their music, not buying tour tickets, not buying albums and not buying any merch that could be linked back to HYBE. Many fans have pleaded with people working for HYBE to get rid of Braun and any other extremis that works in the company. BTS fans have sent out electronic billboards written in Korean and English in front of the HYBE building, “Korean and International ARMY demand HYBE divests from Zionism and Zionists in the industry.”

Braun has made statements on Instagram showing his support to both sides. “‘I have been to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. I truly believe that most people want peace but for a small minority the pain of generations has created hate and despair. If we claim we want peace let’s not be a part of that despair,’” According to The Korea Times, “Hybe addressed Braun’s speech in a statement that said, ‘It is a personal statement that is separate from company management.’”

Having this separation from what people say online and not having it tied to the company is ridiculous. You would think that a company that is supported by so many people because of the major artists that are a part of, such as BTS or Justin Bieber, would care what the people think? Crazy thought! But since there has been no repercussions toward Braun or anyone else in the company, the boycott is going to continue until the people get what they deserve. That’s what boycotts are! Even as the boycott has been going, obviously HYBE artists still have music releasing and music documentaries, there is no stopping that. Fans, and myself, have been finding multiple different ways to listen to their music that won’t flow back into their pocket. Google Drive

and Musi are just some ways that people are listening to artists’ music under HYBE in order to follow the boycott.

Currently, BTS fans have been having petitions signed and emails sent to higher-ups in HYBE as they are going to be showing the SUGA: Road to D-DAY documentary in Israel. As found in the change.org petition form, “The decision to screen AGUST D/SUGA’s movie in Israel is more than just a simple movie screening decision for entertainment; it symbolizes a form of endorsement and support for the genocidal and apartheid state of Israel.” At time of press, there are nearly 10,000 signatures for the petition.

Illustration by Elizabeth Reece

Illustration by Elizabeth Reece

College transfer portal impacts athletes

BRAD HADANK Staff Reporter

Spring sports are in full swing, which means that the transfer portal is ramping up for both fall and winter athletes. The transfer portal has provided a space for student-athletes who are looking to transfer to another institution; however, what does it actually mean when your favorite athlete puts their name in the portal?

When a student-athlete wants to enter their name into the transfer portal, there are a few steps that they have to follow. First, they notify their coach, then they go and see the compliance person at their respective school, and next, they have to watch a video and fill out paperwork. Then, the student-athlete is successfully in the transfer portal.

A student-athlete’s reason for transferring could be anything. Allie Clevenger, a senior Jennies basketball player who will be using her COVID-19 year to return for the 2024-2025 season spoke on her transfer experience from Drury University just last year.

“I was at Drury for three years and had a pretty successful three years there. We were national runner-up my first year…and I had a great experience there,” Clevenger said. “After my junior year, we had a coaching change, so both assistants and our head coach left along with the GA… so that just opened my mind up. I have a fifth year of eligibility, and at Drury, they didn’t offer my master’s program…so I just decided to put my name into the transfer portal and look around and see what places had my master’s program, and UCM had that.”

The transfer portal has given athletes, like Clevenger, a central location to connect with other coaches. “Basically what the transfer portal does is it doesn’t change how kids transfer, kids still transfer the same way. They still have to follow the same rules. But what it did is it made it a central location where all that information is put and that coaches can see easily,” Lori Hopkins, Associate Vice-President for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Central Missouri, and the compliance officer for UCM said. “So if you hear that so and so’s transferring, a coach can get in there, log in, type the name in and say yep, they’re in the transfer portal.”

The transfer portal can seem like a thing in the sports world that is always changing, but that is not exactly true. “The transfer portal is not changing, transfer rules are changing,” Hopkins said.

These transfer rules are not the same across the NCAA. Division I and Division II schools have different rules, and there are even some differences across conferences that schools are in. One of the conferences that has a rule outside of the NCAA’s rules is the MIAA, the conference of all UCM athletics, except for Jennies Bowling.

“When you transfer from one MIAA school to another, you’re going to have to sit out a year before you’re eligible. Even though the NCAA would permit you to play right away, we have a conference policy when you’re going from one MIAA school to another that you’re going to have to serve a year in residence at that school before you’re eligible to play,” Mike Racy, Commissioner of the MIAA, said. “[This] is just to provide harmony within the conference, and allow a coach to have conference games and not be worried that his or her student athlete is being recruited to go play next year at another MIAA school.”

While this policy exists, there are some exceptions that a studentathlete could get for this rule to not apply. Racy noted medical, family and graduation, while saying that overall any possible exception is reviewed by the Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. Racy also noted that many other conferences have this inter-conference transfer policy in place.

While this policy is in place now, that does not mean that it couldn’t change. “Since I’ve been the commissioner this policy is something that we’ve been talking about at almost every one of our summer meetings, whether this policy is something that we still need to have, whether this is something that our administrators and Presidents still support,” Racy said. “So [we re-evaluate] annually, and it’s something that’s coming up here in a couple of months, where we’ll revisit whether this policy is something that we want to continue to have or something we want to change.”

Another transfer rule that may be familiar to college sports fans is a limit of times you can transfer. In Division II, you can only transfer one time, any time after that would result in the student-athlete sitting out a year unless there is an exception. With this though, once a student graduates, they have what Hopkins and the NCAA call the “golden ticket.”

“Once you graduate from a school, you’re eligible to go anywhere after that. All rules are off because you have what the NCAA likes to say is the golden ticket, your graduation is like the golden ticket,” Hopkins said.

Overall, if your favorite student-athlete is in the transfer portal from UCM, don’t expect to see them in the conference tournament next year unless they have an exception which would include the “golden ticket” of graduation. However, if they do decide to transfer in-conference without an exception, Racy notes that the MIAA transfer rule could be beneficial to that student-athlete.

“I know that times have changed and that student athletes, they want to compete immediately, they want to have the chance to play and to be a part of a team…so that’s the balance, is really the academic element of why a rule like that can be helpful for a student athlete, to the desire by all student athletes to be eligible immediately and to compete, and those are the discussions that we’ll have again this summer,” Racy said.

As for Clevenger, the transfer portal helped her find a place that she says feels like home. “I came on my visit, it felt like home, and I just love the area, the college town feel to it, that community atmosphere, and UCM is a great fit for me,” Clevenger said.

UCM hosts Special Olympics

AARON BAX

Sports Editor

The University of Central Missouri hosted multiple Special Olympics events throughout the year with more continuing during the summer.

UCM worked with the Johnson County Board of Services along with other organizations to host Special Olympics throughout the school year. The university played host to Special Olympics bowling and basketball during the school year and will play host to softball in the summer. The events, held around campus, provided recreational activities to more than 60 families from around the area. The activities also provided an opportunity for local students to be volunteers.

One of the many ways UCM provided for these activities was through volunteer work. These workers undertook a variety of tasks from directing group events, to recovering balls. For many of these activities, the presence of these volunteers was invaluable.

“They’ve been a lot of help,” Jackson Nimmo, graduate student and volunteer said, “We’ve had a few in particular that have been super engaged with all the athletes and they’ve helped out a bunch.” “I can’t thank them enough. They’ve helped make this event go,” Nimmo said.

The university did not only provide volunteers for these activities, however. UCM also provided locations for the bowling and basketball events free of charge and provided the Johnson County Board of Services’ Bright Sox Softball with the use of UCM’s practice softball fields at South Recreational Complex during the summer. According to Melissa Frey, Volunteer and Executive Director at the Johnson County Board of Services, this will double the amount of games they can do.

“We were looking at where we were going to host the games this year, and that’s where UCM came in and asked if we would be interested in utilizing the softball practice fields,” Frey said, “[We get] two fields, we typically only have had one field in the past. We’re gonna have four teams [this year], whereas last year we had three teams, but one of the teams would have to wait while the

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other two teams were playing. So this way we can have a continuous game happening the whole night.”

According to Frey, UCM students who wanted to volunteer for these events could do so through the Johnson County Board of Services social media where they can fill out a simple Microsoft Form.

The role of UCM in hosting the Special Olympics is not new, either.

According to Beth Rutt, Director of Student Activities, this has been a long tradition at the university with it going back as far back as the 1970s. According to Rutt, it was even a requirement in some programs.

“I was a student here in the late 70s. And at that time, it was part of the requirements even for our recreation majors to participate as a volunteer for a Special Olympics program,” said Rutt.

The university also played a role in providing softball gloves for the upcoming softball events hosted at the East Recreational Complex.

Graphic by Ellie Whitesell

Graphic by Ellie Whitesell and Aaron Bax

Dufu wins gold with 2.23 m jump

University of Central Missouri student, Yamoah Cadman Evans Dufu competed in the high jump for Ghana in the 13th African Games. On March 22, the senior jumped 2.23 m securing gold and breaking Ghana’s previous high jump record.

Dufu said he was lost in the moment, just enjoying the atmosphere. His feeling of winning at this level is unimaginable.

“It was an overwhelming feeling,” Dufu said. “I couldn’t believe what I had just did, I mean I went in with a winning mentality but then having achieved it, I was lost in the moment. Everyone cheering for me, my family being there to support and all that, I was carried away.”

Dufu’s Grad Assistant Coach Christopher Goodwin was able to go with him to the event and can vouch for the incredible environment.

“That was the best atmosphere of a sporting event I have ever been a part of,” said Goodwin. “I had to keep him grounded in the initial stages… by the time he cleared 2.23 I was like, alright you just go celebrate, and he did. Not only was he a competitor, he was an entertainer.”

Competing for one’s country is very seldom achieved by athletes, and is considered one of the highest honors. Dufu not only represented his country, but his school. He also achieved a personal record along with the win.

“I feel honored and proud representing my country and UCM too,” Dufu said. “First national assignment, that’s every athlete’s dream and I’m living it already.”

The many hours of practice, weight training and mental preparation is grueling. Dufu said everything he achieved is because of his faith and the support from his community.

“First of all it’s been God throughout this journey and secondly I have a good team around me making sure I am doing the right thing,” said Dufu. “All the hard work and commitment comes from these wonderful people around me and I love being a part of the Mules family.”

A journey like this does not come without bumps along the way. Goodwin was there to help him along the way, providing support and guidance.

Above: Yamoah Cadman Evans Dufu jumps at the track and field meet on April 12. Dufu broke the Audrey J. Walton/Vernon Kennedy Field facitlity record for the high jump at 2.17 m. Photo by Ellie Whitesell

Right: Dufu is preparing for the high jump event in the 13th African Games on March 22. Dufu took the gold by jumping 2.23 m and breaking the previous record. Photo by Persis Ashley, photo submitted by Yamoah Cadman Evans Dufu

Bottom: Dufu is practicing before the high jump event on April 12. He started jumping at 2.04 m and ended with an attempt at jumping 2.21 m but was unable to pass the bar. Photo by Ellie Whitesell

“I think when it comes to those big opportunities and championships it’s the mental side that I think matters more than the physical training,” said Goodwin. “It’s being that familiar face he can look to for support and the confidence to keep moving forward.”

Dufu’s coaches have also played a huge role in preparing him for the African Games. He said the lessons he has learned has molded him into a better athlete.

“In UCM we believe in quality and not quantity, I see drastic improvements after every simple quality rep of exercises,” said Dufu. “The coaches and technical team are more focused on quality workouts which makes them stand out and that has helped shape me as an athlete.”

Dufu’s career is far from over, as he has already started training again, in hopes of continuing a winning streak at this year’s Outdoor Track and Field Nationals in Emporia, KS.

“We [are] working to grab every opportunity that comes my way, as we are still in the outdoor season, I will still be doing my college sport,” said Dufu. “However, if I am called to go represent my country again I will do that. But for now outdoor season, [then] nationals as they come up and [then] go get a national title for UCM; and that’s my goal.”

ELLA BLAND

Staff Reporter