Northwest Missourian March 21, 2024

help build new

visitors center for Mozingo

ANNA BAILEY News Reporter | @AmBailey16

Fire chief talks updated bans, regulations on burning waste

HANNAH CLAYWELL News Editor | @Hannah_9504

Spring is almost here, which means warmer weather and people are beginning to burn more leaves and yard waste. Burning regulations and burn bans have been popping up in Maryville, the last one being March 3.

Last year at the Feb. 27 Maryville City Council meeting, an ordinance about open burning policies was amended. Before the amendment, there were three open burning periods from April 1 to April 14, July 17 to July 31 and Oct. 24 to Nov. 6 and now open burning is allowed year round. This change was due to the city dump closing a while before the amendment.

Maryville Fire Chief Jace Pine said because of the city dump closing, it made it harder for people to get rid of yard waste and the three open burning periods were no longer enough.

“So we took that opportunity to move away from the open burn period and so now, currently in the city of Maryville, you can burn whenever you need,” Pine said. “There are a couple of parameters in place.”

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Those parameters include a diameter of 16 feet and height restriction of 4 feet and the need for a source of extinguishment close by, which can include a hose, fire extinguisher or a bucket of sand or dirt. Someone also has to be supervising the fi until it is put out completely, and it has to be at least 25 feet away from any structures.

Pine said generally burn bans follow the red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Anytime the National Weather Service issues a warning stating there is low humidity or increased winds that increase fire danger, a burn ban will follow closely behind. There doesn’t have to be a red flag warning for a burn ban to be called.

“Sometimes the National Weather Service won’t hit that just right,” Pine said. “You know they might forecast something, but the actual ground conditions here are a little different, so myself and the city manager will work together and decide whenever the ban needs to be put in place.”

The bans usually start around 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and run until the sun goes down. Pine said the fire department has not run into any problems with people not following the burn bans. The Maryville Police Department officers are the ones who keep an eye out for anyone possibly disregarding the bans.

If someone is caught breaking the burn ban there is a chance for a fine of up to $500 and a ticket for illegal burning from the MPD.

The burn bans only encompass the city of Maryville proper, so anything outside of the city limits does not have to follow the bans.

Pine said the main worry about people burning yard waste or other materials is the fire spreading to structures.

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With a University of Missouri student going missing while drinking, students need to make it a priority to look out for others when they go out.

Students at the Northwest Technical School have been working on building a visitors center at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park, after the Maryville City Council approved the project in August.

In August, Mozingo Lake Recreation Park earned a community betterment grant of $310,000 that has allowed the park to begin building a visitors center. Northwest Technical School Building Trades Instructor Jay Drake has been bringing his students to the site during class to work on the project since the beginning of the school year.

Drake said this project has been a great hands-on opportunity for his students.

“There is no better way to get hands-on experience than actually doing the work themselves,” Drake said. “Right now they have probably done 90-95% of the work that’s done at the job site right now.”

Mozingo Lake Recreation Park has been working out of its information booth. In this single-roomed building, information about any park activity can be found as well as concessions and boating passes. This is also where visitors pay for any park booking they have bought or, if a staff member is not present, they can use the “Pay Here” drop box.

Mozingo Lake Recreation Park Director Jordyn Greenhaw said the information booth does not provide the needed space for all the information and supplies it holds. She said the visitors center will give the park a much needed space for different needs.

“Prior to this visitors center our operations of the park site have been run by our information booth. It’s like this little shack that is in the middle of the road at Mozingo, and there is barely room for a countertop and a desk,” Greenhaw said. “So this is going to be a huge benefit as far as our operations go and then just the customers’ experience coming into the park.”

Once the visitors center is built, it will be the new location for any information visitors need about the activities they may be doing while at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. The new building will also include a retail area for visitors.

There is continual progress for the new building. As of now, it has been completely closed in. Within the next couple of weeks, the electrical, plumbing and roof will be worked on.

Greenhaw said in the next couple of weeks they should have a good idea of how much progress they have made and what is left to be done.

Accidental injury prevention resources offer tips

News Editor | @doswalt_NWMSRN

The loss of a life can happen in just seconds. Nine of the 10 top leading causes of death in the United States are disease, health disorders and medical conditions, but the fourth leading cause is unintentional accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the United States, nearly 500 people die from accidental shootings each year, according to The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. Further, 37% of nonfatal firearm shootings are accidental. The EFSGV found that across all ages, the most common causes of unintentional death by shooting occur when people play with guns, believe a loaded gun to be unloaded or suffer from a hunting accident. It also said unsafely stored firearms increase the chances of unintentional firearms deaths.

Detective Sgt. Ryan Glidden with the Maryville Police Department said it is important for people of all ages to know the importance of firearm safety to avoid mishaps and so they can have an accurate understanding of how to stay safe. He believes proper gun storage and education can help prevent unintentional shootings from occurring.

“I would recommend that you keep your weapons secured, locked up by some means,” Glidden said. “And for the most part, depending on what you use them for, some of them can be kept unloaded.”

Glidden said there are no firearm education courses done through the police department, but he said some local gun rang-

es have held firearm safety classes in the past which provided people with access to safety tips.

He encourages people to familiarize themselves with proper firearm training and safety guidelines to prevent dangerous situations from occurring.

“I think it would be very beneficial and can prevent them from possibly having some type of a tragedy with someone they know or in their family,” Glidden said.

Glidden said Project Childsafe is a great resource for those seeking more information on proper storage and education when

it comes to guns. Project Childsafe is an organization managed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation that works with law enforcement agencies, instructors, individual gun owners and other entities around the U.S. to provide free firearm safety kits and educational resources to help people store firearms safely and prevent gun accidents, theft and misuse.

Project Childsafe’s website has many resources for specific circumstances aside from storing firearms responsibly and safety tips, such as hunt-

Faculty Senate celebrates 50th anniversary, talks significance

Northwest’s Faculty Senate celebrated its 50th anniversary from 3-4:30 p.m. March 20 in the Tower View Room of the J.W. Jones Student Union. All faculty were welcome to attend.

At the event, faculty had the chance to visit with past and present faculty senators and presidents. They can also learn about specific Faculty Senate roles and committees.

Faculty Senate is the representative body of the faculty at Northwest, according to its official University website. It develops, formulates and recommends policies to Northwest’s Board of Regents, the governing body of the Univer-

sity. Faculty Senate discusses areas of concern in campus and recommends solutions to the appropriate authority figures, which can include the chief academic officer, university president and Board of Regents, depending on the nature of the concern.

Rhonda Beemer is an associate professor in Northwest’s department of health science and wellness. She has been in Faculty Senate about three or four times, but is currently serving as president. Her role involves presiding over Faculty Senate and communicating with faculty, administration, the Board of Regents and other external individuals about concerns in faculty. She said she focuses on leading strong communication at

senate meetings.

“For me as a faculty senator, I try to bring in a non-biased point of view to allow individuals to make decisions and just to lead discussions,” Beemer said. “So ultimately, the Faculty Senate assists in leading discussions in assisting the faculty with any issues, concerns that they potentially would have.”

Beemer said the term of president is limited to oneyear, so Faculty Senate looks different each year depending on who is in which position.

She said while Faculty Senate does not work directly with the students, its decisions still make an important impact on campus.

“Ultimately, it assists with faculty governments on campus, so that’s very important,” Beemer said. “Obviously, our well-being is for the students, so any curricular information that we create could potentially affect the students.”

Beemer said becoming involved in the senate helped her meet many people in different departments that she otherwise wouldn’t work with. Each department functions differently, and Beemer said it’s important to have senators from varying areas to make the best decisions possible for the campus as a whole.

“My favorite part is actually meeting faculty from across campus,” Beemer said. “And it has helped me to learn about all the diversity that we have, and diversity can mean different things, and just how people do things di ff erently. It’s opened the door tremendously for that. I have made friends now that I wouldn’t have met had I not been on Faculty Senate.” Associate professor of history Robert Voss has been on Faculty Senate off and on in various capacities for about six or seven years. He is this year’s Faculty Senate president-elect.

Voss said that while Faculty Senate is not the deciding body for major decisions, it still has a say in all matters related to curriculum and faculty welfare. He said the point of Faculty Senate is to be the voice of the faculty to the administration.

Voss said it’s important that Faculty Senate is made up of people from various depart-

lic. So anybody that comes in and asks, we do have gun locks available for them.”

Unintentional injury is the top cause of death for children and adolescents, with firearms being the leading injury method. About one-half of all unintentional firearm injury deaths among people under the age of 18 occur at their home, either by playing with or showing off a firearm according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dec. 15, 2023, weekly Morbidity and Mortality report. The report states that the firearms used in these accidents were loaded and easily accessible.

Glidden said it’s important for children to understand what guns are capable of, especially if their caregiver stores firearms in the home.

ing checklists, access to toolkits and advice on how to prevent gun theft.

The website also provides guides for parents. There’s a section about teen mental health and suicide and its relation to gun safety, as well as lessons on understanding gun safety for younger children. Many of these resources are free to use.

“They have all kinds of resources about gun storage and trainings, and they give out free gun locks,” Glidden said. “And we do get free gun locks and we have those available to the pub-

Data shows the number of accidental firearm fatalities decreased by 52% between 1967 and 1988, according to National Safety Council surveys as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ said this is a direct result of increased gun safety programs, such as those promoted by the National Rifle Association, a gun rights advocacy group.

Glidden said he agrees that proper gun safety and education can help prevent such injuries and death as reported by the DOJ survey.

It takes work to be trained in gun safety, but some may find it beneficial. Firearm safety and education could be a determining factor for death, which can only take seconds to occur.

ments. It makes it possible for Voss to work with faculty members across other disciplines, and he said it should be done more often.

“

I like working with the administration so that we can get on the same page rather than being antagonistic.”

ROBERT VOSS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

“Faculty Senate removed the idea within academics of the silo where each of us work in our own little area,” Voss said. “It can be very isolating, being a faculty member. Anything that we can do to reach out across the academic boundaries is going to give us a better voice, a better under-

standing of our needs, better understanding of what the university should be looking like and put ourselves in a great trajectory moving forward.”

Voss said his favorite part of being involved in Faculty Senate is being able to use his voice in decision-making processes. He was involved in Student Senate in his undergraduate years and served as student body president his senior year. He said he enjoys working with other faculty members and the administration.

“I like working with the administration so that we can get on the same page rather than being antagonistic,” Voss said. “I think it can be antagonistic and I’ve heard of it happening at other universities and luckily, we have great administration here that we can work with very effectively. We have some shared objectives together, which doesn’t always happen.”

Voss said Faculty Senate’s 50th year celebration is a signifi cant milestone, reminding him of how vital shared governance is. He said the more faculty members who involve themselves in Faculty Senate, the better off the University will be, which benefi ts students in turn. Voss said faculty senators gain value through diversity of perspectives and experiences.

SOURCE: PROJECT CHILDSAFE

DAKOTA OSWALT Asst.

DAKOTA OSWALT Asst. News Editor| @doswalt_NWMSRN

INFOGRAPHIC BY REESE SERVI MISSOURIAN DESIGNER

Dr. Rhonda Cross Beemer socializing with Provost Jamie Hooyman at the Faculty Senate 50th Celebration March 20.

ONKARABETSE KOIKANYANG PHOTOGRAPHER

CRIME LOG

for the week of March 21

Northwest Missouri State University Police Department

March 18

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in South Complex.

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Forest Village Apartments.

March 14

There is an open investigation for a burglary in Bearcat Stadium.

March 12

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Bearcat

March 10

There is

March

There

March

There

Maryville Department of Public Safety

March

There

March 17

There was

for minor in possession and improper display of license plates on the 100 block of West Fifth Street.

There was a summons issued to Valeria B. Morales-Castro 22, for trespassing on the 300 block of North Market Street.

March 12

There is an ongoing investigation for stealing by deceit on the 500 block of East Seventh Street.

March 10

There was an accident between Richard L. Patterson 86, and Genee L. Haun on the 300 block of East South Hills Drive. Patterson was charged with leaving the scene.

March 8

There was an accident between Kristi L Porterfield 41, and Mahammad, Hajiyev, 22, on the 900 block of South Main Street. Porterfield was charged with careless and imprudent driving.

March 5

There was an accident between an unknown driver and Justin D. Armstrong on the 1400 block of North Country Club Road.

March 4

There was an accident between an unknown driver and Sherin B. Hodge on the 200 block of South Walnut Street.

Feb. 25

There was a summons issued to Tyler J. Siemer, 20, for minor in possession and possession of a fake ID on the 100 block of South Buchanan Street.

Funds run low for Organizational Finance

Student Senate funded more organizations as money is depleting at the March 19 meeting. Senate also discussed April’s Student Senate election guidelines.

Tribute to Women is an annual event to be hosted by Minority Men’s Association from 7 to 9 p.m. March 28 in the Agricultural Learning Center. It will celebrate the women on campus and encapsulate the efforts of women. There will be catering and services to make women feel safe and welcome at the event. Tribute to Women will also give out awards to women on campus. The organization requested $2,500 for a $3,124 event which is expected to cater 200 people. The money request will mostly go toward funding food, however, funding at Senate is running low. Organizational Finance Co-Chair Brayden Major brought up the issue with funding.

Organizational Finance Co-Chair Chloe DeVries attended the Tribute to Women event last year and said she loved it. However, she understands the low funding and wished to keep funding available for other organizations.

“I love this event, I went to this event last year,” DeVries said. “But, you know, I love it and as Brayden (Major) said, if we do all this, then that runs into a problem tonight.”

The most an organization can be funded per year is $1,500, and Organizational Finance Co-Chair Brayden Major said Senate only has funding for a few more organizations that request the full amount. The requested funding was lowered from $2,500, and Minority Men’s Association was appropriated the amount of $1,500 instead because of funding issues.

Alpha Kappa Lambda-Alpha Zeta Chapter is hosting an Autism Awareness Barbecue with Alpha Phi Alpha-Rho Theta Chapter and Omega Psi Phi-Iota Theta Chapter and requested $1,100. The event is an annual philanthropy barbecue that serves food at the Alpha Kappa Lambda chapter house. Senate appropriated the full amount.

The African Student Organization is soon hosting a Taste of Africa event and requested $1,625 originally. The African Student Organization aims to tell stories of African students, culture and uphold heritages. A Nigerian cook will create various African foods for the event. African Student Organization Treasurer Keira Brown said funding a caterer will be costly due to the rarity of an experienced chef in African cuisine.

“Unfortunately, we are something like 8,000 miles away from Africa, so it’s slightly difficult to get on,” Brown said.

“So, it does seem to cost slightly more.”

The event will showcase African dishes, music, entertainment and cultural customs. Brown said last year’s caterer was diffi cult to work with, so she had to look elsewhere for this year’s new caterer. Because funding is low, Senate appropriated $1,500 instead.

Elections

Election Commissioner and Secretary Jillian McNamara will be hosting this year’s elections. She said she strives to have an equal and fair election. All candidates are allowed to campaign to gain votes, but the use of bribery and deterring votes from other candidates is not allowed. If any candidate is found speaking in slander or negatively to any other candidates in any sort of way they will be eliminated

INFOGRAPHIC BY JULIANNA LAWRENCE ASST.DESIGN EDITOR

REGULATIONS

CONTINUED FROM A1

“We’re so densely populated here compared to the areas around us, we worry about people’s houses, sheds, whatever it may be,” Pine said. “Even just embers, embers can go a block or two and land on a roof and start a fire if the roof’s not well maintained.”

Another issue that can arise from burning is nuisance smoke if the smoke hangs low, staying in the area and getting into oth-

er people’s houses. That can also stop somebody from burning.

Pine said the best place to get information on burn bans and when they are put in place is the Maryville Fire Department’s Facebook page.

“Just generally watch for red flag warnings, you know you can follow that on the weather channel and you’ll get an alert when there’s red flag warnings, and I can almost assure you that a burn ban is going to follow it,” Pine said.

from the campaigning.

“You cannot go around telling people not to vote for other people,” McNamara said. “Don’t say nasty things about people. Don’t do that, it's not fair for everyone.”

Any media, like flyers and posters, made for campaigning must be approved by Senate. If campaign and public-related elections are not in someone's interest to join Senate, then any candidate is allowed to submit a form to join and do interviews with the executive board the old-fashioned way if preferred. Candidate campaigning sessions will last from March 18 to 22. All candidates must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA and must not be on any form of University Probation. Voting week is April 1 to 5. Results will be announced April 9. The swearing-in for next year’s 102nd Senate will be Senate’s last meeting of the semester April 16.

Other Student Senate Business:

• Senate approved a new Criminal Justice Club. It will focus on job opportunities relating to law enforcement, courts and corrections.

• Sigma Sigma Sigma-Alpha Epsilon Chapter will host a silent memorial walk for Karen Hawkins at 7 p.m. March 21 at the Belltower.

MOZINGO

CONTINUED FROM A1

“So right now I would say we are in the thick of things and hopefully here in the next few weeks we’ll have a really good idea about where we’re at and what needs to be completed,” Greenhaw said.

The visitors center is planned to be finished by the time the school year ends in May. However, Drake said he has concerns about this timeline.

Drake said due to weather delays and time restraints, this timeline has become increasingly harder to complete. Drake said his students have not always been able to get to the site due to weather conditions.

Another reason Drake is concerned about this timeline is the limited amount of time that his class has to work at the site.

“We are only out there for two hours at a time, so like two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon,” Drake said. “So we can’t get a lot done by the time we travel that far.”

Drake said it is always in the plan to have their projects completed by the end of the school year, however, he has not yet talked to the city about plans if this one is not completed in time.

In the past, the Northwest Technical School has done other projects for Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. Greenhaw said that the work put into the projects is always appreciated.

“Jay Drake and the students at the Northwest Technical School have always been a great partnership for Mozingo Lake Recreation Park,” Greenhaw said. “They’ve built some of our cabins here and now they are building this visitors center and just their continued support and help and making Mozingo grow to what it is today is extremely appreciated by not only myself but the City of Maryville leadership.”

Along with the visitors center, many other projects are being worked on within Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. There is maintenance happening on the golf course at hole nine to change a sand bunker to grass. On the northeast side of the lake, invasive wooded areas will be removed in hopes of restoring prairie grasses. There are also plans to improve the RV parks and the trails within the park.

Minority Mens Organization’s President Darren Ross and Vice President Deandre Jones request $2,500 from Student Senate March. 19.

ONKARABETSE KOIKANYANG PHOTOGRAPHER

RAIEA

SOURCE: MARYVILLE FIRE CHIEF JACE PINE

Rooted in History: Northwest fraternities,

SAVANNAH ATHY-SEDBROOK Design Editor | @SavannahAS2

Bid Day, probate shows, leadership, professional development, brotherhood, sisterhood, philanthropy, service. The one thing all these words have in common — fraternities and sororities.

Out of the 9,664 students enrolled at Northwest, 14% participate in Fraternity and Sorority Life organizations.

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The first sorority introduced to Northwest campus in 1927 was Sigma Sigma Sigma-Alpha Epsilon chapter.

The sorority was founded nationally April 20, 1898, in Farmville, Virginia, by a group of eight women. President Rachel Hunter said the sorority has moved from being based in religion, to much more.

“The purpose of a sorority is sisterhood and philanthropy,” Hunter said. “Once you have that foundation of sisterhood, you can

do other things for the community.”

Sigma Sigma Sigma’s main local philanthropy is Karen Hawkins. Hawkins was a member of the chapter who was a victim of murder and sexual violence in 1995.

Recruitment Director Sloane McAdams is a Maryville resident who grew up hearing Hawkin’s story.

“It’s important that part of our history always stays very prominent as long as we are a chapter at Northwest,” McAdams said.

Omega Psi Phi

The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.-Iota Theta chapter was brought to Northwest’s campus in 1970.

When the chapter was founded, members were still facing discrimination and were fighting against segregation laws in schools, the government and in their daily lives. The chapter was founded nationally by three undergraduates Nov. 17, 1911.

President Reggie Harris said the fraternity was created so people of diversity

could have a group to be involved in because at the time, they were not allowed to.

“That’s a huge part of why I believe fraternities were made,” Harris said. “It’s also the brotherhood, friendship and the bonds that you can have outside of the school.”

Omega Psi Phi is part of the Divine Nine, a group of nine recognized Black Greek-letter organizations and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Sigma Tau Gamma

The first fraternity at Northwest was introduced in 1927 — Sigma Tau Gamma-Theta Chapter. Nationally, the chapter was founded June 28, 1920, at what is now the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri.

At Northwest, the chapter was reestablished in 2013 after being taken off campus in the early 2000s by alumni due to a lack of membership.

Former President Dustin Fagan

Sigma Phi Epsilon-Theta chapter was established at Northwest in 1980. The beginning of the fraternity was different than the others, as the founder was already in a fraternity before he started Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Carter Ashton Jenkens joined the Chi Phi Fraternity before transferring to Richmond College in Richmond, Virginia. He attempted to apply for a charter of his previous fraternity, but it was refused.

The national chapter was formed Nov. 1,

said the fraternity was the result of the bonds between soldiers amid World War I.

An important aspect of the fraternity is being a nobleman. President Spencer Cupp said everyone has a different idea of what it means to be a nobleman.

“To me, it’s being a good student in the classroom, it’s being a good president for the fraternity, it’s being a good brother, a good son,” Cupp said.

Alpha Kappa Lambda

In 1963, the introduction of a third fraternity brought the Alpha Kappa Lambda-Alpha Zeta chapter, to Northwest’s campus. The chapter was founded nationally April 22, 1914, at the University of California - Berkeley. President Landon Jones said the original chapter served as an outlet for college men to serve their community.

“The original founders of AKL were called the Los Amigos, it was nine guys

that came together,” Jones said.

The Alpha Zeta chapter was established at Northwest by founders Theodore Jameson and Robert Johnson.

Jameson said the longevity of the fraternity proves the members dedication to its principles.

“I would say that AKL has performed in an outstanding way all these years and I’m very proud to have been a part of it,” Jameson said.

1901, at Richmond College. President Max Kneib says Sigma Phi Epsilon aims to be more than the stereotype of the media depicted ‘frat guys’ who are always drinking and partying.

“We hate that word, we don’t call it frat,” Kneib said. “We use fraternity only, we do not use the word frat in our chapter because it has that bad connotation behind the word. We’d like to brand ourselves as fraternity men, not frat guys.”

Alpha Phi Alpha

Northwest introduced its second National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.Rho Theta chapter, in 1988.

The organization was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established nationally for African American men founded December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Senior Nick Bolton has been a

member of the chapter for two years and is serving as the president.

“The fraternity was actually founded because we actually couldn’t join historically white fraternities, so we made our own,” Bolton said. “We actually started everything for the NPHC, and we started everything for the (Divine Nine) sororities and fraternities.”

Pi Kappa Alpha

The most recent fraternity introduced to Northwest was Pi Kappa Alpha-Mu Phi chapter in 2018, only becoming an official chapter in 2021. The original member who advocated to bring the chapter to campus transferred from Kansas State University.

The national fraternity was founded March 1, 1868, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Alumnus Sam Whimberley started a Pi Kappa Alpha chapter at Northwest

due to a national rule that members cannot transfer to a different chapter after initiation.

During his term, President Max Shaw hopes to focus on the fraternity’s four values creating the acronym SLAG. It stands for scholars, leaders, athletes and gentlemen.

“According to PIKE nationals, if every PIKE member follows that to a T, you’ll be the best man you could possibly be,” Shaw said.

ALEXIS

ALEXIS

In 1938, the Phi Sigma Kappa-Epsilon Nu chapter was chartered to Northwest’s campus as Phi Sigma Epsilon but merged in 1985 to become the largest fraternity merger ever. The national chapter was founded March 15, 1873, at what is now known as the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.

The chapter was suspended in 2018 for violation of the University’s policies

The Phi Mu-Zeta Lambda chapter kicked off the beginning of 1961 for Northwest. Originally, the sorority was created by three women as the Philomathean Society, a literary club for like-minded women.

The organization was founded nationally Jan. 4, 1852 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.

Throughout its 63 year existence, President Lauren Masters said the

against hazing and alcohol. It has since been re-established and was presented with the Herbert L. Brown Outstanding Chapter award in 2023.

President Zayden Rawlings said the chapter is still working on restoring its legacy.

“We’re rebuilding and we’re getting back to that culture instead of people knowing us for what we did wrong and messed up with,” Rawlings said.

group abided by its national values. Member Paola Kangni-Soukpe said the stereotypes depicted on social media impacted how she viewed fraternity and sorority life.

“Going into Phi Mu, I would hear how if you’re not blonde and white, then you’re not going to really get in,” Kangni-Soukpe said. “When I first went into my recruitment, I did not feel that sense whatsoever.”

Northwest welcomed the Alpha Gamma Rho-Beta Rho chapter in 1990. Nationally, the chapter was founded April 4, 1903, after the unification of Alpha Gamma Rho and Delta Rho Sigma.

Noble Ruler is the position Alpha Gamma Rho recognizes as the presidential position. Junior Dylan white is on his second term as noble ruler.

“AGR is different from everybody else because we’re agriculture-based,”

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.Gamma Theta Gamma chapter was introduced to Northwest in 2011. The fraternity was founded by three students Jan. 9, 1914, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. nationally.

The founders of the organization wanted a group that viewed itself as part of the community rather than apart from it. President Isaiah Conner said the NPHC fraternities were created to be inclusive for everyone.

The second sorority on campus was introduced at Northwest in 1928 — Alpha Sigma Alpha-Phi Phi chapter. The national chapter was established Nov. 15, 1901, at State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. President Abby Fisher said sororities provide college women with a chance to be involved in something empowering.

“Women weren’t even able to vote when our sorority was founded,” Fish-

Northwest welcomed Tau Kappa Epsilon-Delta Nu chapter to campus in 1954. Before the organization was assigned Greek letters, it was known as the Knights of Classic Lore and aimed ‘to aid college men in mental, moral and social development’ according to the Tau Kappa Epsilon national website.

The fraternity was founded at a national level Jan. 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois.

White said. “Our main motto is to create brotherhood, camaraderie and greater agriculture.”

The 1900s brought a push for agriculture with the formation of student groups like Future Farmers of America and 4-H. Alpha Gamma Rho and its sister sorority, Sigma Alpha, were part of this movement, as higher education recognized a need for agricultural innovation in students pursuing a career in agriculture.

“We adopted the motto, the people’s frat because we’re for the people,” Conner said. “We’re not for the general body or the government. ”

Former President and alumnus Barnes said a notable alumni he admires is Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party. “African Americans were put in a position where they had to really start over,” Barnes said. “To be educated and to have your own fraternity, it was a big thing.”

er said. “I think it really gave women the opportunity to have their voice.”

Members of Alpha Sigma Alpha at Northwest are given a traditional ‘Big Red’ shirt when they run home on Bid Day. Former President McKenna Grimmer said the shirts have significance with new members as well as alumni.

“We have a lot of tradition and history on this campus, which I think is really cool,” Grimmer said.

After an alleged incident of sexual assault and violation of probation, the University announced it would not recognize the chapter as a University-affiliated fraternity in 2015. The fraternity returned to campus Jan. 27, 2018, and Pryanis Dominick Ocampo said is working to re-establish its legacy.

“I’d like to believe that we’re on track to become what we used to be a little bit back in the day,” Ocampo said.

In 1995, another sorority was introduced to Northwest — Sigma KappaKappa Alpha Chapter. Nationally, Sigma Kappa was founded Nov. 9, 1874, at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

The five founders joined together to form what was originally a literary and social society, and is now Sigma Kappa.

President Sophie Daniel said sororities were created so women could have a place for sisterhood.

The first sorority ever established nationally was Alpha Delta Pi. The Theta Alpha chapter was the last sorority introduced to Northwest’s campus despite the sorority being founded May 15, 1851 ,at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.

The 16-year-old founder, Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald established the sorority before the end of her first year of college.

The sorority began when it was barely acceptable for women to attend college.

“There were so many male-dominated areas, and women wanted a place for them,” Daniel said. “It’s easier to make an impact when you have a group of women doing it with you.”

One of the sorority’s main philanthropies is the Alzheimer’s Association. The women of the chapter selected the non-profit and began issuing research grants in 1984, continuing to support the association today.

Former president Shelby Godding said women wanted a space where they could grow, study and have female relationships without the judgment of men.

“Obviously, there was a lot of male-dominated things, there wasn’t a lot of room for women to have their own space,” Godding said. “Back then it was like a secret society because it kind of had to be. But now we can be loud, we can be proud and we can do more fun things.”

Omega Phi Psi alumnus Dominic Gilliam performs at the 2019 neophyte presentation April 13.

Let’s bake something to impress your family

SIDNEY LOWRY Columnist @sidney_lowry

I think we all have heard the running joke that Generation Z doesn’t know how to cook. While that may be true, I think it’s time to switch the narrative.

Do you want to impress your relatives who think you have no culinary skills this Easter? Do you just want to prove to yourself that you can cook something? I want to present to you a very easy recipe to have people in awe and ask you where you learned to bake like that.

I tried this lemon loaf recipe by Jenna Barnard from Butternut Bakery and made a few mistakes, but it turned out well enough that if I were to bring it to Easter brunch, my grandma would have been very impressed.

Let’s talk about where I went wrong with this, and hopefully you’ll learn from my mistakes.

When I bake, I always use butter to grease my pan and make sure the loaf comes out nicely. My first piece of advice on this recipe — definitely don’t do that. Halfway through baking, my beautiful lemon loaf went from yellow to a very dark brown, then eventually blackened all around the edges.

I was able to cut off the charred edges, but if you make this recipe, I would use a little cooking spray and leave it at that.

Another part of the recipe I know people may skip is the room-temperature butter, eggs and milk. It may not seem that important, butit is. If you forget to set ingredients out ahead of time, I have some tricks for you.

To quickly get eggs to room temperature, microwave a bowl of water until it is really warm, then let your eggs sit in it for about five minutes. After you pull it out of the bowl, it should be at room temperature. If not, do this process again for a bit less time.

If you forget to set your milk out, place a measuring cup with your milk in the microwave for 10 seconds. Make sure you heat this in small increments because the milk will curdle if it’s too hot.

For butter, I haven’t fully mastered a good way to get it to room temperature quickly. Of course, you can microwave it, but do that in small amounts of time — like seven seconds or less — because your butter will melt if you don’t keep an eye on it.

Another problem people run into when baking is not letting the loaf cool for long enough. If you don’t, the icing will slide right off the top. The rest of this recipe is really easy to where any beginner could throw the ingredients together and come out with a great product. Take your time, follow the recipe and bake something that will impress everyone this Easter.

SCAN HERE FOR RECIPE

OUR VIEW:

People need to look out for others when going to bars

It’s been almost two weeks since University of Missouri student Riley Strain went missing in Nashville, Tennessee, after a night out drinking with members of Delta Chi fraternity according to NBC News. As college students, we know drinking is often the common denominator when it comes to celebrating or going out with our friends.

It may be hard to look at Strain’s disappearance in Nashville and ever see that happening in Maryville. Nashville, with a staggering population of 692,587 and Maryville with just over 10,000 people, it may seem easy to say, “That would never happen here.” However, location is not always the determining factor for whether or not you’re guaranteed safety.

In a given month, almost 50% of college students engage in drinking alcohol and more than 1,500 die from alcohol-related injuries annually, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. With these numbers and countless other experiences like Strain’s, we must reflect on how to best prevent alcoholism and alcohol-related injuries.

Imagine losing a friend in a situation similar to Strain’s. It would

YOUR VIEW:

When you

go out, what safety precautions do you take?

THE STROLLER:

be heart-wrenching. This is exactly why all of us must look out for one another, even if you don’t know the person who might be stumbling down a sidewalk alone. When you go to your next house party or go out to the bars to celebrate with your friends, ensure you have systems in place to prevent dangerous circumstances for you and your friends.

Share your location, and keep your phone on — make sure it’s charged. Always be in contact with the people you go out with, and never leave bars and parties alone. Sometimes, people may need to leave, and their friends aren’t willing to, how many of us have been in that situation? Always have someone you can reach out to in case you need a safe and quick way home.

Northwest has resources like Safe Ride Home to offer students the option to get home safely.

Being in a different city like Strain was in can be exceptionally difficult. Maybe those systems are harder to keep in place, maybe it’s more difficult to keep a group together when you’re in a new or different city. It’s important to bring attention to similar situations as

JULIANNA MARHSALL Junior Computer Science

“I bring my friends. We also have a designated DD for the night.”

OLIVIA HOEPER Junior Criminology

Strain’s so that we can prevent them from happening again.

Yes, drinking can be fun, and it isn’t always a bad thing. However, it’s crucial to know your limits and drink responsibly. And, maybe it’s OK to not go out sometimes. We’ve all heard how alcohol can impair our judgment and decision-making and that alcohol consumption can lead to risky behaviors. Do we ever think about those risks while we’re out on the town? Maryville may seem like a relatively safe, small town, but being in a small town doesn’t take away the dangers that come with irresponsible drinking.

It’s time to change the thought that we are immune to accidents and tragedies when drinking. Walking home instead of driving is responsible, but it isn’t enough. Drinking responsibly means looking out for your friends, for your family, for yourself and even for strangers.

Obviously, no plan is foolproof, but if you take the necessary steps like having a buddy system or checking on someone who’s walking alone from the bars, you may have just made the difference between life and death.

“We have a ‘sober sis’ for our sorority, so we don’t have to walk alone. It’s basically a DD for the whole night.”

MADI

RICHTER Freshman Early Childhood Education

“No one drives if they’ve had anything to drink. It’s usually me that drives since I’m under 21. We just try to stay in groups and make sure nobody gets lost. We have used Safe Ride before.”

Your Bearcat firmly believes in aliens

Recently I watched the first episode of “Resident Alien” on Netflix and it changed my whole worldview.

Now, all I can think about is if I met an alien. What if someone I met was actually an alien? That would explain some of the weird encounters I have had.

I 100% believe in aliens, there’s no doubt about it. I am convinced the government is just hiding them from us, even though there have been a lot

of documents coming out from them with proof that they exist recently, the government still hasn’t given us a direct answer.

Do I believe aliens would come to Earth? Not really, but who am I to declare that? Now that I have watched the Netflix show — literally just one episode — I’m doubting it just a little.

I would like to say I would know if it was an alien interacting with me and not a human, but the truth is I probably wouldn’t. I

have had so many weird interactions with people, that if an alien came up to me I would just play it off as another person to avoid. What if aliens are just like us though? We would never know. The person sitting next to you right now could be an alien. Your best friend could be an alien. How would you know? Now let that thought sit with you wherever you go. You know who I think is an alien — Debby Ryan. No one

can convince me she’s not, after everything she’s been made a meme for. I hope she is.

I know that it is super improbable that aliens are on Earth, though if there are aliens here in Maryville, please come forward and talk to me. I know this is anonymous, but I will reveal my identity just for an alien.

The Stroller has been a tradition since 1918 and does not reflect the views of the Northwest Missourian.

HAILEY JOHNSON-NEESER CARTOONIST

NORTHWEST TRACK AND FIELD INDOOR ALL-AMERICANS

WOMENMEN

4x400-METER RELAY

Junior Chloe Saenz

Senior Kaylee Harp Junior Luisarys Toledo Senior Tiffany Hughey

DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY

Sophomore Lydia McGlocklin Freshman Jadyn Barnes

Junior Bailey Blake Junior Alyna Thibault

800-METER RUN

Kaylee Harp

400-METER DASH

Tiffany Hughey Chloe Saenz Luisarya Toledo

4x400-METER RELAY

Sophomore Danny Jantzen

Sophomore Truman Hare Junior Gavyn Monday Junior Prince Griffin

DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY

Sophomore Riley Witt Senior Enrico Cavagna

Sophomore Maxime Touron

Sophomore Nate Mueller

200-METER DASH

Junior Joel Dos Santos

400-METER DASH

Prince Griffin

800-METER RUN

Maxime Touron

Track and field claims pair of national titles

Northwest’s track and field teams competed at the NCAA DII Indoor National Championships March 8-9 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

The Bearcats had 23 athletes earn All-American honors and won two National Championships.

Coach Brandon Masters said the success of the track team has been created by the type of people on the team. Masters said where other schools may have the advantage, Northwest has the biggest advantage of them all.

“I think the big thing is … we recruit the right types of kids that can believe in the program and work hard to get there, “ Masters said. “We don’t always get the best athletes out of recruiting. We get kids that want to be great, that buy into the program, and, you know, the program and the training works.”

Eleven Northwest men qualified for All-American times in Pittsburg. Junior Joel Dos Santos ran a 21.35 good enough for

fifth in the 200-meter. Griffin’s 47.32 time finished third in the 400-meter dash. Touron also took fifth in the 800-meter run with a program record time of 1:49.61.

Senior high humper Blake Morgan earned the Elite 90 award, given to an athlete competing at the National Championships with the highest grade point average. Morgan has a 4.0 GPA with a major in biology with an emphasis in biomedical sciences.

Assistant coach Nikki Segrest said Morgan is the perfect example of why Northwest track and field continues to improve every year since Masters’ takeover in 2018.

“You know, we talked about how great our kids are on the tracks, but they’re even better humans off the track, right,” Segrest said. “They’re getting it done in the classroom, they’re bonding together, they’re living together, you know — those are things that we don’t organize, they do that themselves.”

On the women’s side, they

brought two national championship trophies back to Maryville. Senior Tiffany Hughey, in the 400m, ran 52.58 for the firstplace finish. The 4x400 relay team of Hughey, juniors Luisarys Toledo, Kaylee Harp and Chloe Saenz ran a meet-best time of 3:35.30. That time is also a new Division II record and program record.

Hughey said, coming off last year, she had the confidence to go to one of these meets and win them. Before, she wasn’t sure about her ability to win, but this year she was chasing the top spot.

“I didn’t have, like, that same hunger yet like this, “ Hughey said. “So, the following year, this year, like I’m telling myself, ‘I want to win in multiple ways. I want to win nationals.’ I think that last year was just kind of getting my foot in the door, open air a little more.”

Hughey said when Masters recruited her, he saw something in her that she didn’t see in herself. Hughey said he can instill confidence in the

UP NEXT

Texas Relays March 27-30

Austin, Texas

Emporia State Relays March 28

Emporia, Kansas

Bobcat Invitational March 28-30

San Marcos, Texas

Bearcats and make them feel like they can do anything. Hughey, who came in a year after Masters took over the program, said the program is in a great spot moving forward.

“He’s recruited people that want the same goals as him, you know, like, you recruit people that want to be good, “ Hughey said. “And, I think that that’s helped our team culture as a whole. So yeah, I would say just, you know, we’ve grown a lot physically and mentally, but, like, the biggest thing was growing that team culture and getting to where we are now.”

Girls soccer works through injuries before season start

As the 2023-24 season for Maryville girls soccer begins under first-year coach Stephanie Ingram, her squad is forced to make last-minute preparations for game No. 1 on the schedule.

An injury-plagued Spoofhound team hit the road at 5 p.m. March 19 to Savannah, Missouri, to kick off the campaign with fourstraight matches on the road.

Maryville will face off against a Savages team, who were defeated twice last season with scores of 8-0 and 7-0 at the

hands — or feet — of the Spoofhounds. Savannah will be seeking revenge as the two teams meet in the opener for the second consecutive year. However, as the excitement mounts, an unfortunate sequence of events has unfolded within the Maryville squad. Senior defender Presley Ingram and sophomore forward Jersey Ingram, who are sisters on the team — and siblings of Stephanie Ingram — have been hit with early adversity with both tearing their ACLs before the season’s commencement, Presley Ingram said Amidst a spread of smaller

injuries throughout, Stephanie Ingram reflected on her first impression of her younger sister’s accident.

“Jersey tore her ACL playing basketball — two girls were kind of going for the ball at the same time,” Stephanie Ingram said. “She went down and then it was just immediate pain and immediate swelling. I had torn my ACL the year prior. So in my head, I kind of knew this probably wasn’t looking good.”

With Presley Ingram being a senior herself, this was a final goodbye to high school sports, and the opportunity to play with her family and friends. She said how the upsetting realization hit her.

“We were practicing indoors because of the weather, “ Presley Ingram said. “I’ve always had knee issues in the past, but my knee just kind of twisted and popped.”

It will be a long road to recovery, but starting the second week of April she will undergo physical therapy.

Stephanie Ingram said her sisters are very upset as anyone would be under these circumstances. So, both girls will look to complete the healing process as the Spoofhounds fight for them on the field the rest of the way.

After the season opener, Maryville faces matches at 5 p.m. March 25 at Mid-Buchanan, and March 26 at Lafayette-St. Joseph.

In the previous campaign, the Spoofhounds allowed zero goals against both opponents, in addition to scoring 19 goals across three head-to-head meetings; a pair of matches against Lafayette-St. Joseph, and one against Mid-Buchanan. Underclassmen stepping into roles where they might not be comfortable will put the Spoofhounds on the verge of recreating the past.

Injuries aside, it is how you

respond and fight through adversity that reveals a group’s true character. Maintaining a collective confidence and belief out on the pitch will improve the collective performance in those elimination games where it matters most.

Stephanie Ingram said with the limited team she has already, team unity is vital.

“We’re working through it, and mostly been focusing on working together as a team and trying to find what works and what doesn’t,” Stephanie Ingram said. “So, with our numbers being down, we just have to focus on staying healthy and taking care of ourselves outside of practice and outside of those games.”

Even though the set of sisters are unable to be out on the field

with the rest of the team, Presley Ingram said she looks forward to seeing her Spoofhounds team demonstrate what they work on every week to prepare. “At first, it was a little rough just teaching new positions to players that haven’t played those positions before,” Presley Ingram said. “But, the team has adjusted, and based on most recent practices, it looks good, and I’m confident in the future games.”

Northwest women’s track and field sophomore Lydia McGlocklin and junior Luisarys Toledo stand at the podium Feb. 25 at the MIAA Championships.

SAVANNAH ATHY-SEDBROOK DESIGN EDITOR

Baseball to play seven times in nine days

Northwest baseball faced a nonconference foe in Rockhurst March 19, as the Bearcats came away with a 7-5 win at home.

The Bearcats were originally coming off a seven-game losing streak before ending it in the Missouri Western series March 15-17 where Northwest was able to come out of the series winning two out of the three games. The Bearcats were able to outscore the Griffons 35-19 and bring their home record this season to 4-3.

Coach Darin Loe spoke to his team before the series on what it would need to do to become successful.

“Focus on how we play the game,” Loe said. “Cannot be thinking about opponents, streaks, sweeps or stats. Focus on what we can do to be successful at the end of the day, and we will be fine.

During the game, sophomore first baseman Trey Morris hit 3-for-5 from the plate with three RBIs on the day. Additionally, he also scored two runs. During the eighth inning, the Bearcats were in a tie game, 5-5, when Morris hit a two-run home run over the left centerfield fence that proved to be the dagger.

“I got down to two strikes and knew he was probably going to throw a breaking ball,” Morris said. “I started to see it coming up and just put a good swing on it.”

The Bearcats’ starter on the mound was junior left-handed pitcher George Fisher, who threw for five innings, allowing only three hits but two home runs in the process of a no-decision — which means he was not credited for the win.

In the upcoming days, the Bearcats will play seven games in nine days, leaving almost no breathing room for mistakes or long pitch counts.

“We need to just focus on one game at a time,” Loe said. “We will evaluate what pitching we have available daily and see who we can count on for how many innings. Our guys love to compete, so the number of games doesn’t scare them — they always look forward to the next fight.” Its first matchup after the Rockhurst game is against Rogers State March 2224 in Claremore, Oklahoma. The Hillcats

Road slate continues for softball with trips to MIAA foes

ANDREW

March 16 at Bearcat Softball Field, every Northwest player wore a yellow ribbon. Without context, some people may not think twice about it, but for one Bearcat pitcher, it meant everything.

Leslie Paulson, 59, the mother of junior pitcher Cassidy Paulson, died March 2 from cancer. Leslie Paulson was a college pitcher at Kansas Wesleyan and taught Cassidy Paulson everything she knew. Cassidy Paulson said softball was one of the reasons they created such a strong bond.

“My whole softball career, she

sit around the middle of the MIAA standings with a 14-10 overall record and a 6-7 record in the conference.

While the Bearcats aren’t too far behind their competition, Loe said he wants more from his team defensively. Northwest sits second-worst in fielding percentage (.948) and errors (48).

“We have had way too many errors in games that have put us in a bad spot,” Loe said. “Offensively, we are looking to add some weapons with speed and advancing runners when we can. Pitching is always the key to winning big games. We are trying to keep as many guys fresh and ready to go on any given game day.”

The Bearcats follow that matchup with a game against Washburn at 3 p.m. March 26 at Bearcat Baseball Field. Washburn, this season, holds a record of 15-10 overall, 9-4 in the MIAA. Northwest lost its first showdown with the Ichabods 11-0 in a seven-inning game March 12.

For the Bearcats to come away with a win in this season series, Northwest will need to consistently swipe bags as it has all season. The Bearcats have stolen 38of-44 bags this season and are fifth in stolen base percentage (.86).

“We try to get the most athletic guys on the field that we can,” Loe said. “In this league, it is very difficult to be successful being a station-to-station team. We try to use our speed on the bases to create big innings, and, so far, I believe we have done that. Have to continue that trend in the second half of the season.”

pretty much did everything with me, whether it was like throwing to her in the tennis courts, for hours and hours,” Cassidy Paulson said, fighting tears. “She

was like, breaking her wedding ring, hitting balls to me. Like, we used to go to this field next to my house, and we go there every Saturday. Just the time and dedication that she helped me to get better. You know, she never would say like, ‘No Cass, I don’t want to go throw today.’ She had my back for everything.”

During the second game of a doubleheader against Minnesota State Moorhead March 16, Cassidy Paulson was put into the contest in the first inning. This was Cassidy Paulson’s first appearance since the game against Augustana Feb. 25.

All the days spent with her mom proved to be helpful once again for Cassidy Paulson, as she went seven innings, giving up only three runs and striking out two.

Cassidy Paulson said the people who surround her on and off the field were the reason for her being able to come out and pitch well.

“I feel like that’s why it’s so easy to come back,” she said. “That’s why, you know, I can produce on the mound is because the people behind me have so much faith in me and are just, you know, the best defense that I could ask for.”

After every game, Cassidy Paulson would call her mom and give her a play-by-play breakdown of the game. Leslie Paulson was so dedicated that even

in the hospital she was counting down the seconds until her daughter’s next game.

Cassidy Paulson said the perfect way to describe her mom would be one of her interactions with the nurse in the hospital.

“When we were in the hospital, the nurse asked her, ‘Leslie, what’s your favorite thing to do?’” Cassidy Paulson said. “My mom looks at me and goes, ‘Oh, I love to watch softball.’ Then the nurse goes, ‘What’s your favorite team?’ and my mom’s response was, ‘Whichever team my daughter’s on.’”

Coach Naomi Tellez said she is proud of how the team supported its teammate. The yellow ribbons were for Leslie Paulson as she loved to wear a pair of yellow Crocs. The Bearcats also began wearing a yellow patch on their jersey with the initials LP.

“I think it was cool to see how close they were to her,” Tellez

said. “Like, when I told them the news that she had passed, everybody was in tears, which you don’t want to see them cry, but like, at least they’re that tight-knit that they feel for her. And, they just have rallied around her.”

For the rest of the season, raffle tickets will be sold at every home game for Bearcat softball until the final home game of the season against April 20. The winning raffle ticket will win two green cornhole boards with a Northwest logo and the word ‘Cats’ in the middle.

The tickets are being sold for one ticket for $5, three tickets for $10 and eight tickets for $25. The money from all the raffle tickets sold will be given to the Paulson family to help with medical costs associated with Leslie Paulson’s cancer battle.

Cassidy Paulson said being at Northwest through all this has been helpful. She said everything happens for a reason and is glad Bearcat softball has been there to help her and her family.

“This has been, like, the biggest support system that I probably have ever had,” Cassidy Paulson said. “I think, another thing is, it made me almost want to come back, because I knew that these people were really gonna, like be able to lift me up, really rally behind me. So, that was very important for me, too.”

“

“This has been, like, the biggest support system that I probably have ever had.”

CASSIDY PAULSON

Northwest softball junior infielder Skylar Pieper throws the ball during practice March 5.

ALEXIS STARKS PHOTO EDITOR

Senior right handed pitcher Max Spitzmiller celebrates after a strike out during the 10-6 win against Rogers State April 29, 2023. Spitzmiller collected 294 strikeouts throughout his time as a Bearcat.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Northwest men’s basketball junior forward Daniel Abreu dunks during the second half of the Bearcats’ 78-65 win over Pittsburg State in the MIAA Tournament Championship March 10.

AARON HARE ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

Northwest men’s basketball junior guard Isaiah Jackson dribbles up the floor against Southwest Minnesota sophomore guard Jakob Braaten during the Central Region Quarterfinals March 16.

WESLEY MILLER MANAGING EDITOR

Northwest men’s basketball senior forward Wes Dreamer goes up for a shot March 9.

AARON HARE ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

Northwest men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum reacts to a call in a game March 16.

WESLEY MILLER MANAGING EDITOR

PHOTOS BY AARON HARE

Northwest women’s basketball junior guard Caely Kesten looks to the hoop during the first quarter of the Bearcats’ 64-42 victory over Nebraska-Kearney March 7. Kesten scored 382 points with the Bearcats in the 2023-24 season.

Northwest women’s basketball sophomore guard Lindsey Kelderman looks for a teammate during the Bearcats’ loss against Fort Hays State March 9.

Northwest women’s basketball senior forward Jillian Fleming celebrates during the Bearcats’ triumph Feb. 17.

Northwest women’s basketball junior guard Molly Hartnett takes a shot during the Bearcats’ loss March 9.

Final shot ends season for Bearcats

At that point, nothing else seemed to matter. The long season that started way back at the end of August with the beginning of practice, the 40 minutes of a hard-fought battle prior to that point, the accolades earned afterward — all of it practically moot.

The only thing of relevance in that moment was the game-winning buzzer beater that sent the entire arena into pandemonium and ended the season for Northwest men’s basketball in the Central Region Championship March 19 in Mankato, Minnesota.

The benefactors of the shot that barely even had time to hit the floor before it was crowded with fans was the host, Minnesota State, pulling off the 43-42 win in heartbreak fashion.

Moments after the game, as the cheers continued from the arena, Bearcat coach Ben McCollum walks into the press conference room and takes his seat at the table in the front of the room.

Next to him are sophomore guard Bennett Stirtz and junior forward Daniel Abreu, who were both given all-tournament team selections and seemed to still be processing what had happened just minutes before.

As the 15th-year coach settled into his seat, he tried what many may think impossible — putting into words the gut-wrenching loss, the last-second finish and the long season that finished just moments ago, all into one, short answer.

“Personally, for us, I think we had a group that really fought and continues to fight,” McCollum said. “You know, it doesn’t feel totally over.”

In a game that saw five lead changes and six ties — with only 85 combined points between a pair of squads that average over 70 on their own

— the contest seemed to ultimately come down to shooting the ball and the lack of success doing so.

Northwest finished the game 19-for-52 (36.5%) from the field, 2-for-19 (10.5%) from 3-point range and 2-for-6 (33.3%) on free-throw attempts. Minnesota State went 18-for-50 (36%), 3-for-24 (12.5%) from beyond the arc and 4-for-6 (66.7%) at the charity stripe.

The Bearcats held the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s top-scoring offense of the Mavericks (85.8 points per game this season coming in) to their lowest single-game point total since 1981.

Yet, all it took was five seconds, a bounce off the rim on a Northwest 1-and-1 free throw, a rebound from Minnesota State junior guard Kyreese Willingham, a pass to brother and senior guard Malik Willingham, another pass to graduate student guard Elijah Hazekemp, a shot from the elbow — and the hard-fought thriller and the Bearcats’ season came to an abrupt end.

“That last deal, that was probably on me,” McCollum said. “You know, five seconds to go, we had three fouls, so you kinda foul early, we just hadn’t practiced that. And so, we didn’t end up fouling, and then they got a clean look at it, which is tough, and he hit a big shot. You know, just one of those deals.”

Regardless, though, McCollum made sure to note how proud he was of his team’s effort all season.

The Bearcats went from starting 2-2 for the first time since 2015 and dropping out of the national polls for the first time in 120 consecutive weeks Dec. 12 to winning their 11th-straight MIAA regular season title, making it the regional title game and ending the season back in the polls’ top five.

“This group I’m proud of, the seniors I’m proud of,” McCollum said. “Proud of the way they competed to-

night, proud of the way they competed all year, proud of the way that people said, ‘This is a down year,’ and whatnot, and I thought we were just as good as ever.”

Northwest’s season comes to a close as does a pair of Bearcat careers. Senior forward Wes Dreamer and fifth-year junior guard Mitch Mascari — both twotime national champions — have donned the green and white since the start of the 2019-20 season.

While McCollum and many other coaches may wish there was a perfect speech to give after a career-ending loss, he said that’s just not reality.

“When you lose one of those kinds of deals, it doesn’t feel like it’s really over,” McCollum said. “When you’re right after a game, it’s like, ‘What’s gonna make it feel better?’ Like, there’s absolutely nothing that’s gonna make it feel better.”

Dreamer and Mascari’s influence goes deeper than the play on the court — although, they’ve made their mark there, too. Dreamer, this season’s MIAA Player of the Year, and Mascari, the MIAA’s leading 3-point shooter this campaign with a percentage of 48 from beyond the arc, have also spent a lot of those five years connecting with teammates they saw almost every day.

And, for two of those teammates — Stirtz and Abreu — their impact is something they’ll always remember.

“They’ve meant so much to me,” Stirtz said. “Personally, they’ve been huge role models for me, and I look up to them. And, hopefully I can be like them one day.”

“Wes is a big mentor for me — not as much Mitch as a mentor because he’s a huge shooter, and that’s not my role,” Abreu said. “I love and cherish those friendships that I have with them. Great people, and I’m gonna miss them terribly.”

Northwest women’s basketball talks historic campaign

Northwest women’s basketball season has come to a close following its Central Region Quarterfinal loss to Fort Hays State in 62-47 fashion March 15.

The Bearcats traveled to Bethany, Oklahoma, for their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2011 where they faced off against a familiar opponent in the Tigers.

Northwest accomplished many firsts this season individually and as a team, including reaching 20-plus wins for just the ninth time in program history, and they earned 16 MIAA wins — also the most since 2011.

Three Bearcats have played their final game in a Northwest uniform, as senior forward Jayna Green, senior forward Jillian Fleming and junior guard/ forward Emma Atwood both stepped off the court for the final time in Southern Nazarene’s Sawyer Center.

“It feels very surreal,” Green said. “My emotions, coming off the court in the last game, felt a bit all over the place. I’m not usually an emotional person, but it’s hard not to get a little stuck in the moment when a huge chapter in your life is coming to an end.”

“Playing in a Bearcat uniform one last time was extremely bittersweet,” Fleming said. “I’ve played basketball for 17 years now and don’t know life without it.

It’s going to be an adjustment for sure, and reality hasn’t really set in yet. I am extremely grateful to have been a part of this program for the last four years.”

Atwood joined the program the same year as Green and has played a mix of forward and guard during her career. Atwood suffered an ACL injury during the season against Rogers State during the second half of the game Feb. 15.

“She unfortunately had multiple ACL injuries,” Meyer said with a disappointed look on his face. “We unfortunately lost her a few weeks ago when she was in our starting lineup. She was a glue kid for us, and that definitely hurt us.”

Northwest had started its season on a seven-game winning streak and won eight of its first 10 games of the season, the longest win streak to open up a season since 2017.

Meyer said he appreciates what the seniors brought in every day to work on their games and positive attitudes.

“I just told them how proud we are of them,” Meyer said. “Jayna (Green) is one that we kind of sold her on the vision. She kind of believed it — what we were trying to sell in our vision and culture. Jillian (Fleming) is one of those that maybe didn’t play a whole ton for us in the past few weeks of the season. But, she came in with good energy, and she was into it on the bench, and that is a hard thing to do with kids that don’t get to play as often.”

Northwest