Northwest Missourian April 11, 2024

NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN

Dieterich Hall residents will be moving to Millikan Hall for the 2024-25 school year. Students who had previously registered for housing in Dieterich Hall for the 2024-25 school year received an email April 3 with instructions on changing housing assignments to Millikan Hall.

Rose Viau, the assistant vice president for student affairs for Residential and Auxiliary Services, said this decision had been considered for the past couple of months before it was ultimately decided.

Portions of U.S. Highway 71 to undergo repairs

U.S. Highway 71 is undergoing work for resurfacing some portions of the highway from Maryville to Savannah. The process began April 2.

Herzog Contracting Corp. in Saint Joseph is working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on the project and it will impact both the northbound and southbound lanes. The contract in total is $15,942,976.24 and this cost includes another project that will happen in Andrew County.

Krista Strong is the resident engineer at the Maryville Project Office for MoDOT working on this project. She said the workers are on a section northbound from Pumpkin Center to Maryville and should take around a month to finish. Right now, the workers are milling out two inches, which means cutting out two inches of pavement, and then coming back to put in two, two-inch lifts for four inches of new pavement in total.

The contractor does have other obligations, so after getting the first section done, they plan on leaving and coming back to finish the other sections after July 4.

“There’s two more sections northbound and then two more sections southbound,” Strong said.

Strong said the project is a long process and many departments were in-

volved in getting it started. Projects like this start with project identification and looking at different needs and public comments on the conditions of roads and highways.

The next step takes it through a pavement specialist, where they look at the different projects that have been submitted and see what needs to be done.

Local planning partners, such as the Northwest Regional Council in Maryville, start to work with the others on the project, then it can be put onto the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan.

“Once they’re done, they submit it to (Jefferson) City,” Strong said. “The contractors can review and bid on projects they’re interested in.”

Projects can be in Jefferson City for a couple of years, moving around before the design department starts working on a plan for the project. After that, it is just a matter of keeping an eye on everything to make sure it is going smoothly, according to plan and staying within the budget.

Strong said the importance of making these improvements to the highway is to make traveling smoother for the public.

She said this transition will possibly be a more permanent situation, as Millikan Hall is in better shape, has fewer maintenance requests and saves the University more money on utility bills in comparison to Dieterich Hall, despite both buildings being constructed in 1971.

She said the University is still looking for a longer-term plan in regard to Phillips Hall and North Complex being torn down in 2023, and that there are potential plans to demolish Dieterich Hall as well. So, moving students into Millikan Hall would be a first step in that process and in the meantime, give students a more practical building to live in.

This semester, two apartment buildings in town have been made unlivable, due to a fire and structural issues, displacing many students and community members. These buildings are the University Point Apartments, managed by the Orion Property Group LLC, and apartments above CarQuest Auto Parts which are managed by Guardian Property Management LLC. The University Point Apartments had a fire March 23 that lasted seven hours due to outdated constructional methods. Following the fire at the University Point Apartments, all of the residents of the 16-unit building had to find an alternative place to stay. Once the

‘Radium Girls’ cast talks importance of history-based play

After rehearsing for weeks, Theatre Northwest is opening its production of “Radium Girls” at 7:30 p.m. April 11 at the Studio Theater in the Ron Houston Performing Arts Center.

Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts Joe Kreizinger is directing the play. Junior Grace Garrigan is playing the lead character of a similar name Grace Fryer. “Radium Girls,” written by D.W. Gregory in 1926, addresses the issues surrounding the overuse of the new “miracle drug” radium. It follows Fryer, a radium watch painter, and her coworkers as they uncover the dangers of radium and seek justice for their boss’s wrongs.

“The story is based on the real-life ‘radium girls’ of the early 20th Century who worked for the U.S. Radium Corporation,” Kreizinger said in an email to the Missourian. “Radium was new at the time, and the work the girls did with radium brought about catastrophic consequences.”

Many roles were made to emulate real people, but some characters were real people. Fryer was a dial painter for the U.S. Radium Corporation in the 1910s. At the time radium was used on the dials of watch faces to make them glow in the dark, and Fryer and her coworkers were tasked with painting them. The girls would put their brushes – covered in radium – in their mouths to keep the point sharp.

The employees began getting sick after a while. Many dial painters experienced sores in their mouths, aching in their jaws and teeth and much more. In the 1920s, scientists discovered radium was poisonous, explaining the symptoms. By 1927 over 30 women had died of radium poisoning.

After discovering how dangerous her job is, Fryer enlists the help of other employees and advocates to get justice. Katherine Wiley was one activist who partnered with Fryer, she was so instrumental that she also has a character in the play.

“With the help of Miss Wiley, who is a big worker’s rights activist, (she) started to take the U.S. Radium Corporation to court,” Garrigan said.

Garrigan said her character is important to the story because she never backs down. Everyone from the corporations she’s fighting to her parents tells her to take the settlement money and stay quiet, but Fryer wants the world to know how dangerous radium is.

Garrigan said performing a role in a play this dark and sad is hard. Not only does Garrigan have to memorize hundreds of lines, but the character she plays goes through a lot.

“(It’s) powerful but emotionally taxing nonetheless,” Garrigan said. “After we get through a run-through of the show I’m like ‘What is even happening?’ So it’s making sure I’m carrying that emotional burden.”

The work put into rehearsing a main stage show like this can also be taxing. The cast has been meeting every evening from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. since early March to practice. The snow days at the beginning of the year also made preparing the show difficult.

Usually, Theatre Northwest holds auditions where actors prepare two contrasting monologues with callbacks for those chosen to move on taking place the next day. This semester, though, classes were canceled due to snow right after the first round of auditions and Kreizinger wasn’t able to hold callbacks. Instead Kreizinger selected who he thought would be a good fit for the play and waited until later to cast roles.

Now, after weeks of rehearsals, Theatre Northwest is ready to open “Radium Girls.” Tickets can be bought online or at the door with card only. Kreizinger said he’s excited for the audience to see the play.

“I am excited for the show to show audiences about a real historical time that most are unaware of, especially as it relates to this particular group of girls and women fighting for labor rights and for their lives,” Kreizinger said.

Student Senate ended its 101st year by electing the new Senate executive board April 9. Student Senate president Elizabeth Motazedi officially congratulated the new president, Chloe DeVries, and the rest of the executive board. Motazedi, a senior graduating this spring and the 101st Student Senate president, officially stepped down as the 2023-24

school year comes to a close. After giving a few words of encouragement to the rest of Senate and the new executive board, she congratulated newly-elected 102nd Student Senate President Chloe DeVries into the leadership role.

“We have started a legacy of Student Senates, we’ve had so much growth and I truly believe this executive board is going to continue that foundation we started already,” Motazedi said.

“I think they will do a fantastic

job. Chloe is so ready for this and she will do this position with so much diligence, so I could not be more happy for them.”

DeVries was originally a junior class representative, but with 632 votes, she was officially elected as Student Senate’s next president. Motazedi said she hopes DeVries’ future memories and leadership as Senate president will be as rewarding as hers.

“The people who sit in the Senate room every week with me have truly pushed me to be the best version of myself,” DeVries said. “It’s still kind of hard to believe that I’m going to take on this role, but I know I’ve got great mentors and great people to lean on. I’m going to do my absolute best to fill the shoes that are being left and help make our campus the best that it can be.”

The collective agreement between the new executive members was the strive to make each student at Northwest feel welcomed and appreciated on campus. DeVries wants to be the president who makes her executive board an engaging and approachable organization for the students on campus.

“We are going to do a lot of work transitioning this week and over the summer,” DeVries said. “We can continue to build off the progress that has been made here the last few years and just be very positive, uplifting, approachable leaders of this campus so that everybody feels like they have a home here.”

The rest of the executive board for the 102nd Student Senate was announced as well. Riley Steele is taking Jillian McNamara’s place as secretary, winning the position with 406 votes. Steele gave his appreciation to Motazedi for convincing him to join Senate in the previous year and appreciates the honor to be elected as the new secretary, giving his thanks to the students that now allow him to be in this current position.

Brayden Major is taking over as Executive Treasurer for Senate,

taking the place of Abby Linhart. He said he fell in love with the position when he first joined Senate two years prior. He has served as the organizational finance cochair, and he said he is grateful for the opportunity to serve as treasurer. Major won with 357 votes.

Senate Vice President Lucas Prater will be keeping his position for another year, being voted into the position with 474 votes. He aims to make a difference on campus in the most impactful way he can. Prater’s goal for next year is to take note of the information and leadership he gained while serving as vice president to the new executive board, to help with the transition.

“I’m just thankful, essentially, of every learning opportunity

that all of us on the new executive board have had with our experience on Senate,” Prater said. “Everything that everyone said earlier, none of this is possible if people don’t care about the election and if people don’t vote.”

Motazedi said she would run as president again if she could and would forever be fond of the connections and times she has made as the 101st Student Senate President. She wished Senate farewell as the new executive board took over.

“Thank you senators for believing in me and what we all do in this organization,” Motazedi said through tears. “I hope that along the way, in some way, I have inspired one, two, maybe three of you to step out of your comfort zone and shine your light.”

Freshman Corbin Estes, junior Lucas Tatar, and freshman Korbin Horton perform the roles of businessmen Edward Markley, Arthur Roeder, and C.B. “Charlie” Lee with Theatre Northwest in its upcoming production of “Radium Girls”.

Sophomore Adam Clayton and junior Grace Carrigan act as Tom Kreider and Grace Fryer in the upcoming “Radium Girls” production by Theatre Northwest.

President

DeVries Vice President Lucas Prater

Group aims to reduce mental health stigma

Among first responders, there seems to be a high stigma due to a lack of trust in mental health providers, according to the National Library of Medicine. The Northwest Missouri Crisis Intervention Team Council aims to fight this stigma and provide resources to Missouri’s first responders, and it was just given $14,200 to do so.

The donation made to the Northwest Missouri Crisis Intervention Team Council was from Ten Squared Men, an organization that provides funding and support to organizations across Missouri that impact the community positively. Ten Squared Men has 140 members and each member is required to pay a $100 fee each quarter of the year to help fund organizations.

The MO CIT is a community and law enforcement-provided network across Missouri that advocates for mental health services and wellness. Crisis Intervention Team Council Director and University Police Department Lieutenant of Operations Anthony Williams said he was appreciative of the funding. He aims to use the money mostly as emergency funds to assist with financial barriers regarding mental health, especially for first responders.

“We know that a lot of first responders don't like to use the assistance programs with our agency because of the stigma it might carry,” Williams said. “‘Can we help their family out with, you know, a meal or two?’ Just some fun emergency fund things for those natures and for first responders.”

First responders often struggle with mental health issues regarding substance abuse, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, when engaging in conflict regarding shootings and arrests. It was found in a 2015 study of 1,027 retired U.S. firefighters that 46.8% contemplated suicide due to issues regarding trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

However, it was reported that around 69% of EMS responders often do not gain prompt recovery time between traumatic incidents and feel rushed to work back in the field, according to Psychiatric Times. Williams said he hopes the funding will help provide services

Northwest fraternity receives award for community service

atures and the approaching sunset, which posed additional risks if she remained missing.

The Maryville Fire Department awarded members of the Northwest Alpha Gamma Rho - Beta Rho chapter with an Outstanding Public Service Award, an achievement for recognizable community service, at the Maryville City Council meeting April 8. Maryville Fire Department Fire Chief Jace Pine said at 1:15 p.m. Dec. 3, 2023, the Maryville Police Department was made aware of an incident in which an elderly woman had gone missing from a local nursing home facility.

A search was initiated throughout the city, with MPD requesting the assistance of the Maryville Fire Department and Nodaway County Sheriff's Department, with the Nodaway County Ambulance District responding as well.

Pine said the community was made aware of the situation through Facebook, urging locals to keep an eye out for the missing woman. He said the urgency was heightened by dropping temper-

Off-duty officers were also dispatched, but during the search, a group of members from the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, an agricultural group that strives for self-betterment, volunteered their help to find the woman, so Pine briefed them on the woman’s description and assigned them a search area.

“Right in front of my eyes, I watched the group organize in small teams and deploy without hesitation,” Pine said. “The group maintained contact (with) me by phone, requesting another area to search after completing an initial assignment.”

The woman was ultimately found in another location but Pine said the fraternity members’ contribution was invaluable, as they nearly doubled the search capacity, and dedicated their time, vehicles and energy to the cause.

He said the group performed the task in a calm, organized fashion, much like he would ex-

for first responders, breaking the stigma to better their health and get them active in the community. He said he cares deeply about first responder mental health and wishes to provide them with optimal care so they can continue to serve while also being open and caring about their mental health.

Northwest Vice President of Culture and University Police Chief Clarence Green recently retired from Northwest March 31, however, even after his retirement, Green still stays as an active general body member of Ten Squared Men. When presenting the Northwest MO CIT’s need for funding at the quarterly meetings to Ten Squared Men, Green said William’s presentation was impactful due to its message of first responder mental health awareness.

“I think people were compelled by the message and by what he was able to share,” Green said. “I think that was just very impactful to our members.” Williams strives to showcase the importance of MO CIT to the community since the organization has declined in members. He hopes this funding will help attract community support for MO CIT and the first responders and their families who wish to engage with mental health services. Williams said the MO CIT focuses not just on law enforcement, but on all first responders.

“When I speak of this we’re talking about all first responders,” Williams said. “That’s what we want to help, because crisis looks different to all of us. First responder wellness is key to making sure there's longevity in the

career and that we have a good culture about policing as well.” Green praised the support and impact first responders make in their communities. He said the financial support the MO CIT was given would help first responders to keep serving their community. However, he said the most important factor was allowing first responders to heal from their wounds without worrying about the financial struggle.

“I think first responders carry a lot on them,” Green said. “A lot of times, we struggle with staying in those services and utilizing those mental health services. We don’t want financials to be an impactor. It makes someone not continue with those much needed services so they can make sure they are healing themselves.”

pect from a group of first responders despite their lack of formal training. On behalf of MFD, Pine extended deep gratitude for the “selflessness” and “readiness to serve the community” the fraternity members showed on that day. “It’s gestures like yours that reinforce the strength and unity of Maryville, a better place for all,” Pine said. “Thank you for your service.” Council also heard from audit partner Mike Williams of Sikich, LLP via Zoom, who presented three reports regarding the City of Maryville’s Fiscal Year 2023 audit. These included the annual compre-

hensive financial report, the single audit report and the audit communications report. This information is broken down for the Council to give feedback for future budgets.

The annual comprehensive report showed Council received a certificate of achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association for financial reporting for the fifteenth year in a row, which Williams congratulated the city on.

“So, I think that demonstrates accountability and transparency in accordance with the terms of the GFOA certificate program,” Williams said. “So I think that’s good.”

Williams said there were no modifications or qualifications to the report, which is a good thing. He also said his team found no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses related to the audit. The report showed an increase in total assets, raising its net value to $61 million as opposed to the $55 million from the prior year.

The single audit report is required due to the amount of federal program money the City receives. Any audit deficiencies or material weaknesses would have been shown on this report, but Williams said there were none of those. The audit communication report also reflected no issues.

Ten Squared Men member Todd Hayes, Northwest Crisis Intervention Team Council Lieutenant of Operations Anthony Williams, Director of Community Behavioral Health Team at Family Guidance Jen Gentry and Ten Squared Men members Brian Schieber and Clarence Green hold a check March 21.

CRIME LOG

for the week of April 11

Northwest Missouri State University Police Department

April 10

There is a closed investigation for Kylie Burt, 18, Alexandra Pennington, 19, and Eli Smith, 19, for possession of fictitious/altered driver’s license in Parking Lot 11.

There is a closed investigation for a drug violation in Parking Lot 11.

April 6

There is a closed investigation for an alcohol violation in Perrin Hall.

April 5

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Tower Suites West.

April 4

There is a closed investigation for John Mancuso, 22, for driving while intoxicated on College Park Drive.

April 3

There is a closed investigation for a fire alarm in Perrin Hall.

There is an open investigation for stealing in the J.W. Jones Student Union.

Maryville Department of Public Safety

April 6

There was a summons issued to Rebecca K. Wilcox 37, for driving while intoxicated on the 200 block of South Main Street.

April 5

There were cooler and miscellaneous items recovered on the 500 block of South Depot Street.

April 4

There was an accident between an unknown driver and Eldon L. Everhart on the 500 block of North Laura Street.

There was a wallet recovered on the 300 block of West Lincoln Street.

There is a warrant out for the arrest of Faith A. Fuller-Salas, 31, for the failure to appear in court on the 400 block of North Vine Street.

April 3

There is an ongoing investigation for larceny on the 1000 block of North Walnut Street.

April 1

There is an ongoing investigation for littering on the 1300 block of North Main Street.

There is an ongoing investigation for larceny on the 1600 block of South Main Street.

March 29

There is an ongoing investigation for property damage at Sisson Eek Park.

March 26

There was an accident between an unknown driver and Katie J. Mackey on the 500 block of West Third Street.

Official election tallies show little change

The official tallies from the April 2 elections have been announced. There were not a lot of changes seen from the unofficial results, the only one being with the votes for the countywide Central 911 Dispatch sales tax question. The official votes are 2,204 in favor of the tax and 767 against the Central 911 Dispatch sales tax. This was three more votes in favor of the tax. The sales tax has officially passed to offer a permanent funding option for 911 and emergency services in Nodaway County. Proposition JUMP stayed the same with 1,293 total votes in favor of passing the proposition and 640 against it. The proposition has officially been passed and the city can move on with the next stages of the plan.

HOUSING

“We believe students would like something new more than they would like something really old,” Viau said. “And so if we’re able to continue with that plan, then we would probably keep students in Millikan, build something and then eventually take Dieterich down. It wouldn’t be anytime soon, but we know that we don’t want to put any more money into it if we know there’s a potential of knocking it down.”

For the past two years, Millikan Hall has not offered housing at full capacity. Instead, Viau said Millikan Hall’s extra space serves as “Hotel Millikan,” offering places to stay to whoever needs it. Recently, off-campus students who lived at University Point Apartments were moved into Millikan Hall after a fire spread throughout the entire building.

“When we had the fire of the off-campus students, some of those students came and stayed in ‘Hotel Millikan,’” Viau said. “Once in a while, we’ll have, like a student conference and they

HIGHWAY

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“We expect eight to 10 years out of a pavement once we repave it and it was just getting to be time to do something additional,” Strong said.

Projects like this increase the lifespan of a highway and make the driving conditions more ideal for the public. U.S. Highway 71 was one of the highways the state saw as important to improve the condition of.

The full project is set to end in mid-October, but as of now, the timeframe is tentative. Work will be done during daylight hours, Monday through Saturday during the week. The contractor will be working on two-mile sections at a time.

“The public (should) pay attention to the signs and to be patient, like when we get done to one lane, it’s just slow going sometimes,” Strong said.

The Maryville R-II School District School Board members running were James Kurz and Traci Diane Westfall and the votes for them did not change. Westfall received 1,616 official votes and Kurz got 1,594 official votes.

need some housing, maybe one or two floors, we’ll use it for that. So for the most part, in general, it’s empty, but we use it a lot of different times throughout the year in very small quantities just for whatever’s needed.”

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The roads will be under repair and limited to one lane during move-out days, but Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs: Residential and Auxiliary Services Rose Viau said the construction should not affect move-out day for Northwest.

“Move-out is so gradual I can’t imagine it would be an issue for anyone,” Viau said in an email to The Missourian.

Viau said with the buildings switching in the fall, Dieterich Hall will become “Hotel Dieterich,” serving the same function as Millikan Hall does now until a longer-term solution is reached for plans for the building. She said the transition from building to building should go smoothly.

“Of course, our maintenance people will be in to make sure things are in good working order, and I mean, we’ve been using it anyway,” Viau said. “But, it’ll be cleaned, and stuff from the desk will be moved from one place to the other. It really just doesn’t take that much.”

Anthony Tesiero is the resident director for both Dieterich Hall and Millikan Hall. His job is to manage the resident experience in the halls, manage the building and advise the Hall Council.

Similar to Viau, he said Millikan Hall can provide a better

The two open positions on Maryville City Council were filled by Dannen Merrill, who received 1,006 votes, and John McBride, who received 763 votes. Bill Richardson who was also running for a position on Council received 697 votes.

Merrill and McBride were sworn in at the April 8 Council meeting. Merrill is now mayor and McBride is mayor pro-tempore, which was also made official at the April 8 Council meeting.

experience for students since it’s in better shape. “We’ve already been working on it now, but we’re kind of working on some hall improvements as well,” Tesiero said. “So,

Millikan will be a much different experience than Dieterich was this year, and than Millikan was two years ago, the last time it was open. So it’ll be a much different experience.”

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“We ask them, ‘Do you have friends? Do you have anyone you can stay with?’ So that, you know, we want to make sure that they’ve got someplace to go,” Brown said. “Some of them had the dorm rooms, some crashed with friends and neighbors. I mean, it’s uncomfortable for a couple of days, but it’s a place for them to go.”

Mark Aubuchon, director of residential life at Northwest, said Northwest was able to help seven students by housing them in dorm rooms on campus. He said that this was temporary help while the students looked for another place to stay. All seven of these students have now found alternative housing off campus.

Harris said those who do not have friends or family nearby and did not stay in a dorm room could have also looked into motels. Harris said the American Red Cross provides money to individuals to buy anything they may need. In this case, some of the money was used to buy motel rooms for the time being.

“We normally just give them financial assistance, just to get them going,” Harris said. “You know, to get their personal things that they need, toothpaste, things like that. And then with that money, they can also get a motel room. So it’s enough to get them a couple of nights.”

University Point Apartments Community Manager Bryan Dulin said every individual who lived in the building had to find an alternative place to stay. He said due to their leases some of the residents were able to be transferred within the buildings also managed by the Orion Property Group LLC.

“Several of them were relocated within the properties we manage and some had leases that were expiring so they were allowed to leave the lease,” Dulin said.

The following day, March 24, both Brown and Harris went back to the apartments to help any residents who may have been out of town the day of the fire. Harris went back again March 25 to make sure everyone got the help they needed.

Dulin said as of now, he has not yet heard about

any foreseeable plans to rebuild the burnt building or not.

Like the American Red Cross was able to help support the residents of the University Point Apartments, those who live in the apartments above CarQuest Auto Parts received support from another source.

Earlier in March, the apartments above CarQuest had to shut down due to concerns about the weight being put on the support beams. In both cases all residents have had to find either temporary or permanent places to live instead.

Junior Landon Swavey was living in the apartments above CarQuest when he was told all residents were being evicted due to structural issues in the building below.

“I got a call from my mom just about a month ago, it was in March, that CarQuest had too much weight on the support beams in their basement,” Swavey said. “That weight could cause cracking in the flooring and make it collapse, well it hasn’t collapsed, but it could’ve. So they evicted all of us out of the apartment building.”

Swavey said the next day, Guardian Property reached out offering for the residents to temporarily stay in new apartments it had just been building. These apartments were located in a building that used to be a fraternity house off campus, which means there is one kitchen for all residents to share.

Swavey said this did not please all of the residents.

“Some people like me have allergies so I can’t share a community kitchen,” Swavey said. “So then they contacted the college and moved a lot of the students into different dorms.”

For the first week out of his apartment, Swavey stayed with a friend of his in a dorm room. The following week was spring break and Swavey said he was able to stay in his hometown with his parents. Coming back from spring break until just recently, Swavey has been staying on the third floor of Tower Suites, provided by Northwest. The residents of the apartments above CarQuest are now able to move back into their apartments. Swavey said the building structure was fixed and that is why everyone can return.

“They worked on it for like a month, the basement had its new support beams so we’re able to move back in here,” Swavey said.

Dieterich Hall will be closed for the 2024-25 school season. Students who already registered for Dieterich Hall will be moved to Millikan Hall.

ALEXIS STARKS PHOTO EDITOR

You’re not alone with a stressful job search

For seniors, graduation is right around the corner. For some of us, we are struggling to find jobs that pay a livable wage without requiring five or more years of professional experience.

I, along with many other students, have been scouring LinkedIn, Indeed and the regular old Google search for jobs related to our degrees. Unfortunately, there seems to be no luck.

It takes about three to six months for a college graduate to secure a job, which can seem promising. However, 38% of employers avoid hiring recent graduates and 58% of managers and executives find that recent graduates are not prepared for the workforce, according to a report from Forbes. Those statistics can seem disheartening to a group of students who have just spent four years dedicating their lives to obtaining a degree in hopes of starting a career and making a living.

Here at Northwest, we are prepped for the workforce rather, “Career ready. Day one.” I’ve got internships, I’ve got experience, I’ve done mock interviews and networked with professionals. Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to find a job relating to my degree willing to hire me.

While waiting for a job opportunity, many people take different paths to make money coming out of college. Some are simply not working at all. Around 53% of college graduates are working in a job that doesn’t require a degree or are unemployed in 2021.

If you look up the average entry-level salary, you’ll get a bunch of different numbers ranging from $30,000 anywhere to $58,000. The truth is, expecting recent graduates to accept a low salary simply because four years of education and experience isn’t enough for employers is crazy.

I’ve had some job prospects extremely willing to hire me but I later came to realize that the job description online did not match what the company actually wanted from me. No, I wasn’t willing to stand in a Walmart upselling phone carriers to random people and calling that a “marketing specialist” position, hoping for the best commission possible.

People deserve liveable salaries. I understand that college graduates shouldn’t be too picky with job opportunities, as it takes years of experience and work in a field to get to where you want to be. But when we want to go into the field we just spent four years learning about and practicing, shouldn’t we be paid competitively?

As you’re applying and interviewing, remember that you’re interviewing the company too. You want to know what it would be like to work there and if they value their employees. Don’t be afraid to fire back some questions during the interview, it could end up helping you figure out if that’s actually where you want to work.

To all the students out there stressing about finding a job, know you’re not alone. Keep networking, keep applying, and know that it’s OK to have standards for your first professional job. OUR

Don’t put personal stakes in sports, it’s entertainment

Sports can be entertaining, they can be the thing everyone in a particular area can relate to and, with the right teams, they can make us all feel like champions. However, the painful truth is: They honestly don’t matter that much.

It would be wrong to ignore the impact sports can have. They bring entire communities together, and can help the economy in a multitude of ways. However, it’s entertainment. When the final buzzer sounds, you go home, and that’s it.

The ground didn’t crumble around you, the sun will still come up the next day, the same politicians are still in office, you still need to use your turn signal, mustard didn’t change its taste — sports do not make a difference. Your daily life will not change.

Let’s be clear, this is toward the fans, not the people involved in the teams and rely on them for their livelihood. They are providing entertainment, therefore they are important. But, for us fans who consume the entertainment, we need to do better.

The hate and harassment being dealt to athletes right now is disturbing. Whether it be during or af-

YOUR VIEW:

“Personally, what impact do sports have on your daily life?”

ter the games, athletes are constantly opening up about the comments they get, the names they are called and the threats they receive.

The hate and harassment has increased with the growing popularity of sports betting. Individuals are putting their own money on the line, at the chances of an athlete earning a particular amount of statistics, a team winning by a particular amount and much more. With people relying on these bets to keep or make money, they feel more connected to the outcome of sports, which has led to the increase in harassment.

Sports do not matter that much. Do not place your livelihood in the hands of those who are just doing their job. Sure, a few dollars here and there can be fun, but the harsh truth is any gain and any loss is entirely your own fault.

You do not need to race onto social media and message the athlete who missed a few shots with all your thoughts. You do not need to “hate” someone on the other team because they had a good game. They are all people, too, just like you. They’re there to perform a job, same as you would be, but you’re likely not thinking about the po-

JANESSA SCHMIDT Junior Animal Science

“If it’s on TV I’ll watch it. If I feel like going to the event I’ll go, but I don’t think about it that often. I do like watching sports.”

TRYSTAN KELLEY Freshman Business Administration

tential death threats you’ll receive when you go home.

This also goes for career changes in sports. These are, again, just people. They want to provide for their family and put themselves in the best situation possible — just as anyone else would. And, again, it will not impact your daily life where your favorite coach or athlete goes. As long as you’re still entertained, sports is doing its job. It’s not worth holding animosity toward someone just because they decided they would be better elsewhere. We would all do the same.

We as fans can feel emotionally invested into a sport, game or athlete, but our lives do not and will not change because of it. It can be exciting to win, and it could be disappointing to lose, but it is never worth wrapping your whole life around it.

Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose. Either it’s your lucky day or it isn’t — leave it at that. No sport and no game is so important to throw away common sense, and it is never worth tearing down someone else’s life. We’re all trying to make it through this life together, and we all could use support more than ever.

“Well, growing up I liked to play sports. Sometimes I’ll go out there and play basketball or football with friends. It’s a way for me to have fun and it helps me stay active.”

“Sports used to be an everyday thing for me, something I would do all the time. Now they’re just something I do for fun, like playing pickleball and volleyball with people. ”

Your Bearcat needs hot dogs this summer

Over the last couple of weeks as temperatures have fluctuated, I’ve dreamt about sitting on a chair at the lake, the sun beating down on me right before I plunge into the water. And you know what’s always cooking on the grill behind me? A hot dog. I love summer like many of us, but not for the normal reasons of not having classes or the weather being nice. Hot dogs are truly what I look forward to most. I won’t pretend like I just long

for hot dogs during the summer. I can — and do — have hotdogs throughout the year, but something just doesn’t feel right about having one when there’s snow on the ground. Having a hot dog when it’s over 75 degrees outside and my skin is bright red from the lack of care I’ve taken with sunscreen, however, is just right. Or even having a hot dog while at a baseball game, I know that’s what God intended.

Cooking them on a grill isn’t the only way to enjoy them dur-

ing the summertime. Get creative! Put one on a stick over the fire, whip out a pan and put it on your stove or even use a microwave. The only way I will not tolerate cooking them is in boiling water. Seriously, you need to go see a doctor if that’s your preferred method. There are so many ways to enjoy this under-appreciated food, but that’s not one of them.

And please don’t start with any of that, “Ew, hot dogs are nasty! Do you know how

they’re made?” Yes, I know the truth, and it won’t deter me from downing a minimum of four hot dogs a week when I have to keep the air conditioning on in my house.

I’ve decided it’s the summer of hot dogs. Give them the respect they deserve, and I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do.

HAILEY JOHNSON-NEESER CARTOONIST

REAGAN CHELEEN Freshman Applied Health Sciences

BRIANNA BOWMAN Columnist @Brianna_Bowman

“Coach McCollum has proven again and again that he is one of the best coaches in the NCAA. Everyone here at Northwest is so excited for him, knowing full well he deserves this!”

DANIEL

“

“I’ve very excited for he and his family. He has earned it. He’s great at culture building, developing young men and he’s one of the best X’s & O’s guys out there. He has it all. The run he’s had at Northwest Missouri State has been unreal. I’m excited to see him thrive in this next challenge.”

AUSTIN MEYER

“

“No one deserves this more than him and it would’ve been stupid of him to turn down his dream job. He still cares so much about everyone on the team and is helping them find a home whenever that would be. Just super happy for him and his family.”

BENNETT STIRTZ

“It has been an incredible experience, both on and off the court, to play for Mac and be part of the special culture he has built at Northwest. I am happy for him and his family, and I am eager to see him continue to succeed at the Division I level.”

In his introductory press conference to take over the Northwest men’s basketball program March 30, 2009, coach Ben McCollum talks about his goals and plans for the team’s future. FILE Northwest men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum motions to his team on defense during an 80-52 win over Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals March 7. WESLEY

BEN MCCOLLUM CAREER TIMELINE

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Hudgins spent five seasons with McCollum from 2017-22. The two not only enjoyed individual success, they also enjoyed team success, winning threestraight national titles together. As great as trophies may have been, Hudgins said the dynamic off the court was even better.

“Off the court, he’s an even better person, even though he’s the best coach — to me — at the same time,” Hudgins said. “He actually cares about his players, he cares about me. I mean, we could literally just be in his office, just talking about anything, talking about life, talking about, just goals of mine — anything, literally anything, we could talk about anything. So, he’s always there, he’s always there for me, he’s always there for his players and just the community.”

Another one of the star players to come through the program during McCollum’s tenure is fellow Iowa native Ryan Hawkins, who played for Northwest from 2016-21. During his time donning the green and white — before eventually earning a second-team all-Big East selection at Division I’s Creighton in the 2022-23 season — Hawkins earned back-to-back MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons along with a slew of other awards during his career.

Like Hudgins, though, even with all the personal success, Hawkins said the most memorable parts of his time at Northwest came from off the court.

“It was an amazing experience,” Hawkins said. “The ability for McCollum to create a culture that allowed me as a freshman to step in the locker room on the first day and understood the expectation and the level of competitiveness without even being told everything just was a great first introduction to the Bearcat program.”

Hawkins said as good of a job McCollum does in preparing the players for game time, he’s just as good, if not better, at preparing to be great individuals — like what McCollum said to start his journey at Drake.

“A lot of people don’t see — they see the wins and losses and success and national championships that he’s had as a coach — but they don’t see the culture that he’s built and the hard work that it takes for him to be able to establish that to the point where he can just build that team to be such a tight-knit unit, on and off the floor,” Hawkins said. “That’s what I think he does an amazing job on.”

In 2009, after five seasons as an assistant coach at Emporia State, McCollum

returned to his alma mater of Northwest, where he played from 2002-03, to take over the program for his former coach and another Bearcat legend, Steve Tappmeyer, after 20 years with the Bearcats.

In his first press conference at Drake, McCollum also told the story of when he was hired for the position at Northwest and said the athletic director at the time, Bob Boerigter, told McCollum it was the most unpopular decision he ever made as an athletic director.

During Tappmeyer’s tenure, the Bearcats made it to 10-straight NCAA Tournaments but were never able to make it past the Elite Eight. After finishing below .500 in his first two seasons at the helm, Northwest went 22-7 in the 201112 season, and McCollum’s Bearcats won at least 21 games in every season after, eventually making it to four Final Fours and winning the previously mentioned four national championships.

“I think us as a family gave everything we can possibly give to the community,” McCollum said. “And, I do feel good about that. I felt like we did make certain things better, and we were able to serve our players and Northwest Missouri State and hopefully we made it a better place.”

Now, it seems McCollum’s popularity has completely flipped from when he started in Maryville. On social media, fans from Northwest and Drake came together with words of encouragement for McCollum as he embarks on his new chapter.

For McCollum, the support of the community — and the people around Northwest in general — is what kept him in the northwest corner of Missouri for years despite seemingly yearly cycles of offseason rumors.

“It is tough to put into words,” McCollum said. “I loved every minute of being the head coach. I love the community that supports it — still love them. I love the players that I was able to coach. I think anytime that you take over a situation or that you’re fortunate enough to be involved in something, the No. 1 thing that you’re searching for — and then allows you to enjoy it — is the people.”

While he may not have much say in who the next coach for Northwest is, McCollum’s advice to whoever it is to be involved in the community that supported him for 15 years and continues to do as he trades in the Bearcats’ green and white for the Bulldogs’ blue and white.

“Get involved in the community,” McCollum said. “Love your players — pretty simple deal. Just coach your team, and they’ll support you and they’ll love you.”

Northwest men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum swings the net in the aftermath of the Bearcats’ 67-58 win over Augusta in the National Championship March 26, 2022, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. FILE

Northwest men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum congratulates junior forward Daniel Abreu on winning the MIAA Tournament MVP after the 78-65 win against Pittsburg State March 10. AARON HARE ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIANNA LAWRENCE ASST. DESIGN EDITOR

DYN STY

McCollum talks about time at program ahead of new chapter

In the Midwest, two storied basketball programs are simultaneously entering a new era — and at the center of it all is the man at the helm of arguably the greatest dynasty in Division II history.

After 15 seasons of lifting Northwest men’s basketball into one of the premier teams in the entire country, coach Ben McCollum has returned to his home state of Iowa for his first Division I job as the coach for Drake men’s basketball.

“Our objective has always been to make kids successful once they leave the institution,” McCollum said.

While that statement is how the soon-to-be Missouri Sports Hall of Famer started his introductory press conference at Drake April 9 — after the official announcement of his new job April 1 — it’s a philosophy he’s carried with him for years and throughout his time in Maryville.

And, for him, that’s the true reason behind the Bearcats unparalleled success of four national championships in the last seven years — including the only national title three-peat in Division II history — an active streak of 11-straight MIAA regular season titles and eight conference tournament titles in the last nine seasons.

“I think good people lead to success,” McCollum said. “You can’t have success unless you have good people, and so that was pretty easy, really. That was always what we looked for was just how many good people can we get and then put those good people in position to be successful, and that allowed us the opportunity to have a lot of success.”

For 15 years, McCollum searched for and found “good people,” and a lot of times they were also great athletes. McCollum has coached two National Association of Basketball Coaches National Players of the Year, six NABC All-Americans, six MIAA Players of the Year, three MIAA Defensive Players of the Year and five MIAA Freshman of the Year selections.

The Storm Lake, Iowa, native also has plenty of accolades on his own. He’s earned five NABC Coach of Year honors (most all-time in Division II history), nine MIAA Coach of the Year honors and he won the John McLendon National Coach of the Year (across all divisions) in 2019.

I loved every minute of being the head coach. I love the community that supports it — still love them. I love the players that I was able to coach.”

BEN MCCOLLUM FORMER MEN’S BASKETBALL

At Northwest Athletics’ media luncheon March 12, as the Bearcats were preparing for their 11th-straight bid into the NCAA Tournament, McCollum made it clear personal accomplishments never really mattered to him.

“I don’t know, I’ve never gotten that excited about accomplishments,” McCollum said. “I just, I get excited about other people’s accomplishments. I don’t know, for me, personally, I’ve never really gotten all that excited about it. That’s probably why we’re able to continue to do it is because it’s just really focused, 100% on that process and not get enamored with your ego and how cool you are.”

One of those highly-decorated players is Trevor Hudgins — the program’s all-time leading scorer (2,829 career points), an eventual Houston Rocket and a current guard for Le Mans Sarthe Basket, a team in the French League.

WESLEY MILLER Managing Editor | @wesleymiller360