The Stylus- Volume 126, Issue 4

s u l y t S e h T

2020-21

A student publication of Park University since 1895

Volume 126

ISSUE

#4

Visit stylusonline.org for online news and student blogs FB: ParkUniversityStylus stylus@park.edu April 23, 2021

Gary Kerr named senior director of military and veteran affairs Shelby Adkins Editor-in-Chief Park University’s connection with military students drew the attention of Gary Kerr, a recently retired United States Army lieutenant colonel. After spending more than 23 years in the Army, including multiple trips overseas, Kerr has found a passion for helping military students at the collegiate level and is excited to be at Park.

On March 16, Park University announced Kerr’s appointment as senior director of military and veteran affairs.

According to the press release, Kerr’s responsibilities will include building a community of partnerships for military, veteran and dependent students.

Kerr spent the last four years of his career in the Army at the University of Missouri as a professor of military science and leadership. He not only served as faculty, but he also oversaw the Army ROTC program at the university.

Kerr worked to get the ROTC students involved with events on campus and facilitated opportunities for them to work with other students outside of the military programs.

This is something he hopes to continue at Park, as it is a large partner of the United States military.

“I am working with our department of military science, our ROTC guys here at Park, and I am kind of exploring what they need,” Kerr said. “I’ve got more ideas than they can probably handle, but I am going to help them get to their goal.”

During his time at the University

of Missouri, Kerr was able to build a network of approximately 1,500 alumni.

This network allows alumni to connect with each other and with students at the university.

Kerr found this to be a really important mission, because it opened up many opportunities for both alumni and students to network and find jobs or internships. This network also created opportunities for the alumni to give back to the campus, and gave them the typical alumni experience, something that not every student gets.

Many military students at Park take classes all over the world, some never having the chance to visit the flagship campus. Kerr believes this is an important experience for alumni.

“What I would really love to be able to do is create alumni programs for Parkville military-affiliated graduates and pull them back into Parkville,” Kerr said. “Because a lot of them were all over the world when they were taking classes, but I want to pull them into the main campus, the flagship, to give them that same alumni feeling.”

Kerr plans to reintegrate the military and veteran students that were not able to attend the flagship campus for classes into the campus life that military alumni could lead.

He plans to create more events and other opportunities for the military alumni to be involved on campus and with students.

“I think that we can hold events and invite alumni in, start talking to our alumni and sending them updates as

to what’s going on,” Kerr said. “We can highlight them and honor them, because a lot of our alumni have just done amazing things with their lives.”

An alumni network can be very beneficial for a university, Kerr explains, because it allows for mentorship to take place between the alumni and students.

“Maybe they are out of the military now, and they are running some successful corporation and now they have some great opportunities, and we can tie those opportunities back to our students through mentorship programs—which we are already doing and doing a great job of,” Kerr said.

Creating opportunities for members of the military community is something important to Kerr, as he comes from a military family himself.

“Growing up I was an Army brat,” Kerr said. “I lived in eastern Pennsylvania for about eight years, and then we migrated to Ohio my junior year of high school.”

After high school Kerr attended The Ohio State University where he earned a degree in military history in 1997 and earned his commission in the Army.

Kerr went into the Army as a second lieutenant and spent his first duty assignment in South Korea, as a scout platoon leader. From there he bounced around a few different domestic bases to further his education.

Eventually, Kerr ended up in Fort Carson, Colorado, and took command of a cavalry troop in the 3rd cavalry regiment. Then, in 2003, Kerr deployed around 250 troops to Iraq during the

See Kerr on page 3

second phase of the United States’ initial invasion

PHOTO COURTESY/Park University Gary Kerr was appointed as senior director of military and veteran affairs at Park University on March 16. He came into this position after spending the last four years as a professor of military science at the University of Missouri.

In This Issue: News...............1, 8 Campus Life......2 Feature..... 3, 4, 5 Opinion..............6 Sports................7

CAMPUS LIFE

Page 2 April 23, 2021

University holds free COVID-19 vaccine clinic Skyler Jensen Reporter On April 9, Park University held a vaccine clinic. Free COVID-19 vaccines were administered to students in the Breckon Sports Center.

Jayme Uden, Ed.D., associate vice president and dean of students, said via email that about 150 students were vaccinated that day. More students were vaccinated earlier that week when it was offered to employees and student workers.

Christian Dos Santos, sophomore music major, chose to get the vaccine at this event. He wants to be able to go home to Brazil without having to worry about spreading COVID-19 to others, especially those less healthy than him.

“It’s the only thing we have for protecting ourselves and other people [from COVID-19],” he said.

Leah Winn, senior Spanish major, felt grateful that Park was offering free vaccines on campus for students.

“If they didn’t, it’d be hard for some students to receive the vaccine due to waitlists or transportation,” she said.

Kayla Thomas, freshman biology major, appreciated this clinic as well. She felt it made it easier for students to get vaccinated, especially those who are from out of state, international students and those who cannot drive.

Thomas hopes the increase in vaccinations may lead to life looking like it did before the pandemic began. She said she looks forward to traveling and having more normal social activities.

This is also true for Winn, who said, “I chose to get vaccinated today because I’d like to be able to see my mom and great aunt and great uncle.”

She, similar to many others, has had to refrain from visiting her loved ones because they have a greater risk of being seriously hospitalized due to side effects from COVID-19.

Dos Santos encouraged others to go get a vaccine as well.

Winn echoed his thoughts and said, “You would rather have something and not need it, than to not have something and need it.”

The vaccine clinic for the second shot will be on Friday, May 7, according to Uden. He says more information will be sent out to students in a week or two.

Students enjoy TigerLand virtual escape room Natalya Nalivaiko Reporter Student organizations have struggled to hold on-campus events this semester due to COVID-19 restrictions.

However, many organizations have found ways to work around this roadblock and bring students together for events.

On April 12, Park University’s PSGA and Pirate Fitness sponsored a virtual escape room called TigerLand, a spinoff of the Netflix show “Tiger King.” The first 100 students to sign up received a prize and the first 20 students to escape received an additional prize.

See TigerLand on page 8

Academic work highlighted in Research and Creative Arts Symposium Skyler Jensen Reporter On April 19-20, students presented work in the Research and Creative Arts Symposium.

This event allows students from all of Park University campus centers to showcase their course work, independent research or creative projects with other students and faculty.

“This gives an opportunity for the students to not only show their work off to the school, but then with the digital age coming in, we can also post them online so that a record of their research can actually be available for potential employers” said Patty Ryberg, PhD, associate professor of biology and director of the honors academy.

Ryberg, who organizes the symposium, also said that this event allows students to put their work on a resume and prove their oral communication skills.

There are various forms of work from many fields of study in the symposium.

Students could submit virtual presentations, research papers, visual art, graphic design virtual displays, musical presentations or posters.

This year, the content of the presentations includes science, criminal justice, communication, English and political science, according to Ryberg. Several honors academy students also submitted virtual presentations. There are also some computer science and business posters.

Timothy Whittaker, senior criminal justice major, submitted a presentation on his senior thesis, The Great Replacement conspiracy theory.

The sessions could be viewed live on Monday or Tuesday through Zoom.

Through this format, the viewers could ask questions in the chat as the recorded presentation played, and they could also verbally ask questions after the presentation was finished.

Whittaker, who also presented last year, said that he felt that this format was better as a presenter.

“I really enjoyed the interaction,” he said.

He liked that he could answer questions during and after the presentation.

He also noticed that more people were asking questions and interacting than last year and that there were more presenters to watch. His family was also able to watch the presentation and ask questions in this virtual format.

All of the work and displays can be viewed at advancing.park.edu/events/srcas/. There will be links posted soon to view the recordings of the Zoom presentations.

Next year, Ryberg said she is hoping to return to a face-to-face event in the Underground.

PHOTO COURTESY/Novena Houston

Many students were able to create work for the Research and Creative Arts Symposium.

Senior Novena Houston, fine art and art education major, submitted many pieces including some two dimensional art.

FEATURES

Page 3

Park senior thrives in ICM Shelby Adkins Editor-in-Chief Music is a passion for many people, and it something that can unite all walks of life. David Horak, a Park University senior and ICM concertmaster, has always loved music and the impact it can have on people.

Horak grew up in Vermont and took lessons in violin and piano for most of his life. He fell in love with music from an early age and knew he wanted to share music with others for years to come.

Despite coming from a homeschool background, Horak knew that going to a university was his next step in life.

He began to search for universities that could help him hone his craft, and the ICM seemed to be a perfect fit to pursue a bachelor of music in violin performance.

The International Center for Music at Park University appealed to Horak mostly due to its European approach to lessons and one-on-one time with instructors.

“The fact that the school was giving two lessons a week for students—it’s unheard of in the United States,” Horak said. “It’s a very European thing to have

a lot of personal attention from your instructor, and that was appealing.”

The intimate setting was a large appeal for Horak, and it was an opportunity he had trouble finding elsewhere.

“There are a lot of big conservatories on the east coast, Julliard and the big names, where there are hundreds of people. But at the ICM, the violin teacher had 11 students when I auditioned,” Horak said.

He said he felt he had a better chance to succeed in the ICM, as opposed to other larger conservatories, not only because of the lessons’ structure but because of the academic opportunities as well.

“It was appealing to come to this school because there was the aspect of the balance to get some academics as well just the music stuff,” Horak said.

“At big conservatories, they might not even have a writing class, it’s just instantly music focused.”

ICM students are required to complete general education courses, and other music courses rooted in theories.

Horak has enjoyed his experience so much that he has chosen to stay at Park and earn a non-degree graduate certificate.

This is largely in part to the instructors in the ICM, specifically Professor

of Music and Violin Ben Sayevich.

“I am actually going to stay two more years for a graduate certificate just because I feel like I can get a lot more out of him,” Horak said. “The lessons are really unbelievable; I haven’t met anybody like Professor Sayevich in that regard. I mean he is brilliant and just a wonderful guy. It’s always a pleasure to have lessons with him and interact with him.”

Horak set out in search of a university that could help him to pursue a career in music, something the ICM has been able to do.

“I haven’t jumped at the opportunity just timing wise. I feel like investing some more time at the school and studying has been good for a few years, and then thinking about an audition,” Horak said. “But I feel like I’m definitely on the right track for the mentality of an audition and the playing itself.”

After his time at the ICM, Horak plans to someday audition for an orchestra and fulfill his dream of sharing music with the masses.

“I have always loved music, and I’ve always had a desire to perform and allow people to hear music, because I think that is something we are getting less of now-a-days—The live performance aspect of it at least,” Horak said.

Student journalists awarded in statewide competition The Missouri College Media Association held its annual conference and awards ceremony virtually April 5-9.

The event is an opportunity for college journalists around the state to learn from each other, listen to professional speakers and compete against similar schools in categories spanning writing, photography, design, broadcasting and more.

The Stylus competes in Division 3

against similarly-sized four-year universities.

This year, The Stylus earned 15 awards, with seven of them being first place, and finished third in the Division 3 sweepstakes.

The first place awards went to: Cynthia Clark, senior multimedia journalism and public relations major, for in-depth news writing and column writing; Shelby Adkins, senior multi-

media journalism and public relations major, for a special section; Kalie Strain, Park alumna ’20, for front page design; Savanna Wyatt, junior multimedia journalism. Wyatt and Matheus Teles, senior multimedia journalism and public relations major, were jointly awarded for their work on a feature page. Finally, the staff as a whole took first place for the paper’s website, stylusonline.org.

April 23, 2021

PHOTO/Shelby Adkins Senior concertmaster and violin student David Horak chose to attend Park University because of the unique opportunities available at the ICM.

Staff List Editor-in-chief Shelby Adkins

Designers

Skyler Jensen Natalya Nalivaiko Victoria Olaleye Savanna Wyatt

Reporters

MacKenzie Coder Averyl Crouse Nathan Dunn Skyler Jensen Yi Li Kevin Melson Natalya Nalivaiko Bailey Turner

Adviser

Kristin Shaw

FEATURES

Page 4 April 23, 2021

New downtown grocer offers locally-sourced products and café Natalya Nalivaiko Reporter Downtown Parkville holds many unique shops, businesses and restaurants that are special to the community. The location provides students and community members more options and opportunities to go downtown for many of their needs.

One new shop that opened in December 2020 is The Exchange. This shop is a mix between a grocery store and a café, where all of its products are local to the Missouri and Kansas areas. Owner and operator of The Exchange, Andrew Dessert, says he brought the idea of a café and a small-town grocer together and created the store.

Customers can walk in and order a sandwich, charcuterie board or the special of the week. They can also cruise around the store to find different goods from the Kansas City Canning Co. as well as many meat cuts, cheeses, wines and spirits, local organic soaps, various snack foods and unique sauces like Zom-

From top: The Exchange, a small grocer and café, is located in downtown Parkville next to Hair’s To You salon and Cafe de Amis.

The Exchange has many cosmetic item like organic soaps, lip balms, bath soaks and bombs, candles, oils and more.

The unique Zombie Blaster burnt marshmallow hot sauce can be found in the store near other sauces, like The Local Pig’s barbecue sauce.

Anything you can think of, we have a little bit of everything.

Andrew Dessert, Owner of The Exchange

PHOTOS/Natalya Nalivaiko

bie Blaster burnt marshmallow hot sauce.

As COVID-19 has hit the world, many shops and businesses have struggled to stay afloat, especially in the food, bar and farming industry, since many

restaurants had to temporarily close.

Dessert added, “Our industry is hurt right now and we’re doing everything we can to help keep it alive.”

He says supporting local businesses and farmers as well as making sure they have a business is a big issue for him and the shop. “I’m proud to do it. I’m glad to do it,” he said.

The Exchange has added a nice balance to downtown Parkville, says Dessert. Alongside the flower shop, French restaurant, a salon, watch shop and more, The Exchange adds another unique touch to downtown creating that small town grocer and café feel.

As Park University is a large part of the Parkville community, Dessert says The Exchange is looking for ways to interact with Park students.

“I’ve been contemplating like throwing it out there for students who show me your ID, I’ll give you a discounted price off on no matter what it is,” added Dessert. He wants students to be able to leave their dorms or apartments and be out in public like any other college town.

The Exchange will continue to support local businesses and focus on interacting with the Parkville community and may create something for Park students to do at the shop.

As of now, The Exchange is not looking to expand in the near future, but it is always willing to add in more products from other local businesses and will be serving a three- or four-course meal for retired Army veterans and first responders in a few months, Dessert said. It also offers catering services.

“There’s always room for growth,” said Dessert, as The Exchange will continue to grow in many ways both in Parkville and other local communities.

FEATURES

Page 5 April 23, 2021

Finding humanity with an octopus MacKenzie Coder Reporter The Netflix original documentary “My Octopus Teacher” gives exactly the kind of unexpected perspective we need after 2020.

The 90-minute film has been nominated for Best Documentary at the 93rd annual Academy Awards and has won eight other honors already.

“A lot of people say that an octopus is like an alien. But the strange thing is, as you get closer to them, you realize that we’re very similar in a lot of ways,” Craig Foster says in the opening minutes of this documentary.

Foster, a South African documentary filmmaker and naturalist, began free diving in a South African kelp forest in 2010. With no oxygen tank and no wet

suit, Foster vowed to spend every day in the forest for one whole year. He had been struggling to see his purpose in life and was hoping to find his passion again.

“Day after day, I slowly started to get my energy back and realized that there was this whole new way of looking at this underwater forest. And I started to come alive again,” Foster says in the documentary.

While diving one day, Foster happens upon a wild common octopus residing in a den beneath the surface. The remainder of the film depicts how an extraordinarily unusual relationship develops between Foster and the octopus he will come to visit each day.

Watching this incredible story unfold can bring out many different emotions.

Some portions of the documentary were calming, like watching the octopus glide

PHOTO COURTESY/Sea Change Project through the ocean while getting to see its incredibly diverse habitat. At other times, I feared this exotic creature would be torn to shreds by the numerous pyjama sharks surrounding her.

“What she taught me was to feel. That you’re part of this place, not a visitor.

That’s a huge difference.”

That’s a lesson that we can all take from the film. This film allows you to slow down, see the beauty that often goes unnoticed, and connect with an incredible animal.

Tips for students to help cope with pandemic and school stress Natalya Nalivaiko Reporter The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to daily routines for people all over the world. Pandemic restrictions have forced people to adapt to a new normal, which can be very stressful for some. College students are one group currently facing quick-paced changes to guidelines and courses, forcing them to adapt to a new way of education.

Although these changes can bring lots of stress, there are many things people can do to cope with this added stress and anxiety—even during a pandemic. Linda Waxse, coordinator of Park’s counseling center and a licensed clinical professional counselor, and Diana Camden, a mental health counselor and licensed professional counselor, shed light on how much the pandemic has impacted students and offer their advice on the best ways to cope with the extra stress.

The pandemic caused the problem

of “socialize isolation and not having the freedom to be around peers, for the comfort,” Waxse said. “But that’s still a major issue, especially for the college age group.”

Camden adds, “I agree with that, the social contact is very important, especially for those who consider themselves extroverts; they really need that social connection.”

The university’s transition to primarily blended and online course offerings has limited students from being close to their peers, which is something that many students need.

Another casualty of daily pandemic life is the stability of a routine and schedule. College students are mostly stuck in online classes, inside their rooms, and wearing pajamas all day. Waxse mentions it is important to set a schedule for yourself and stick to it; having a routine will help to cope with being isolated at home.

A lack of routine or schedule and adapting to different teaching methods

and course delivery can be very stressful for college students, and it is further complicated by the pandemic. It is common that students feel a lot of things are out of their control.

“The thing that I like to help students is to empower them, like there’s a lot that is out of our control. Let’s focus on what you can control,” Camden said.

Students can also control how much screen time they have. Camden mentioned the term “doom scrolling,” which is when someone gets stuck on social media and keeps scrolling through post after post, wasting a lot of their time.

Camden explains it is important to watch “your virtual diet, like what is it that you’re looking at, and is it helpful, not helpful?” she said. “And to kind of limit that and to really kind of be cognizant of what things I have control of that I can personally change that will help me.”

By limiting screen time, students will have more time to engage in activities that are beneficial to their mental health.

Students can try to get outside with the weather warming up, as taking walks and soaking up some sun can be very relaxing.

“Adding just a little bit of activity physiologically can help de-stress and you know, work with anxiety getting that nervous energy out,” Camden said.

Waxse also adds, “Eating well is so important to reduce stress if you’re eating lots and lots of sugar or coffee.”

So while the pandemic has challenged college students, there is hope in some of these suggestions. Finding a routine, getting outside, exercising, eating well and taking time for self-care are all tools for students to get through these tough times.

Students are also welcome to go to the counseling center, located in Dearing Hall next to the Chestnut residence hall in Parkville, to talk to the school’s counselors about their stress and anxiety from both school and the pandemic. The center’s hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

OPINION

Page 6 April 23, 2021

Virtual graduation disappointing amid lessening restrictions

Shelby Adkins Editor-in-Chief As COVID-19 vaccines roll out and restrictions continue to ease, some

activities are returning to normal. Park University has announced that it plans to offer fully face-to-face classes next semester, so ultimately the prospect of a somewhat traditional semester seems to be possible. Many university organizations have started to host more events on campus, and spectators are now allowed at athletic events.

This is exciting news for students, as recent semesters have been very difficult with pandemic restrictions. However, as a senior, I can’t help but feel like an afterthought.

I have worked very hard for my degree. I have worked a full-time job, held internships and a work study all while attending Park as a full-time student. I fought hard for the opportunity to walk across a stage in a room full of my family

and peers, to relish the success of all my hard work. But that is not my reality. Instead of a traditional graduation ceremony, I get yet another virtual event.

I still had to pay for a cap and gown I will never wear. I will see pictures from friends at other universities as they join their peers in person for a graduation ceremony. Other universities like the University of Missouri, a school with a much larger student body than Park, are holding an in-person commencement ceremony for their 2021 graduating class.

According to their website, they plan to implement social distancing, require face masks and are using a specific ticketing system to limit interaction between groups of attendees. If they could do it for their students, why couldn’t Park do the same?

On one hand, it’s not a surprise. The pandemic has forced a lot of changes to traditions, and virtual formats have created incredible opportunities for events to still take place. I am thankful that a graduation event was offered at all, as I know the new format took a lot of hard work to bring an ounce of normalcy for seniors.

But it is frustrating to know that the university is making such a push to offer a normal semester in just a couple of months from now but seemingly made no effort to offer a face-to-face graduation ceremony. Park makes it feel as though the seniors were put on the back burner, and it is just an unfortunate set of circumstances.

Congratulations to the graduating class of May 2021.

Mask rules for athletes understandable but excessive

Natalya Nalivaiko Reporter When it comes to COVID-19, there are so many great things we have done to protect ourselves and other people: wearing masks, social distancing, getting tested regularly and more. But as long as we have been in this pandemic, there

have been inconsistencies in our health and safety practices.

One big inconsistency I want to point out is around mask wearing. I have noticed there are times when wearing masks is required in one place, but not required in another place. Or certain people have to wear masks where others do not.

Many of us may have experienced this while dining out. When you step inside a restaurant, you have to wear masks, but as soon as you sit down they can come off and you’re “safe” from COVID-19.

Some places do have socially-distanced table placements, but others don’t, which is inconsistent.

An inconsistency I see on campus is in athletics. One thing that Park University has done really well is testing its athletes every week, as well as ensuring that teams only play other schools that test regularly. However, each team doesn’t follow the same practices during play.

For example, the Park indoor volleyball teams consistently wear masks during

practices and games, but the teams they face are very inconsistent.

This concern around mask-wearing during indoor sports is reasonable, given epidemiologists’ consensus that the virus spreads more easily indoors due to circulating air and the limitations of HVAC systems. In contrast, outdoor sports during COVID-19 are likely less risky since particles can dissipate into the air more easily. But the guidelines from Park are the same, regardless of how the sport is played.

I play on the beach volleyball team.

We play doubles, so there are only two players on each side of the court. Despite being outside and coming into contact with a small number of teammates and competitors, we are still advised to wear masks while playing. It is understandable, however, it almost gets to be too much.

I am always pulling my mask up and down in order to catch my breath from playing hard and being out in the heat.

I am touching the same exact ball the

other teams are touching and then, without washing my hands, I am touching my mask and my face. Also, we room with our partners in the hotel, and don’t have to wear a mask while we’re sleeping, so wearing a mask right next to each other while we play is not consistent.

If we are getting tested every week and play other schools that do the same, it seems like a very, very low risk if we don’t wear masks during play.

I am not saying skip the masks completely, but I think there are some instances where they are not absolutely necessary. Further, we can enjoy our sport more, especially outside, without having to worry about breathing through a mask.

As we learn how to deal with this and try to find some normalcy, there are times where we can still be safe, but enjoy some normal activities, such as playing outdoor sports without masks, when we test regularly. Maybe there are more things we can find normalcy in as we keep getting through this pandemic.

SPORTS

Page 7 April 23, 2021

Women’s volleyball sweeps NAIA opening round Nathan Dunn Reporter The No. 2 ranked Park University women’s volleyball team swept past Indiana University East at Breckon Sports Center on April 17, advancing to the NAIA National Championship pool play.

The Pirates took the first set 25-18, the second set 25-15 and the final set 25-18.

This was also the first time that Park hosted the NAIA opening round since 2013 when they swept Asbury in three sets as well.

With Saturday’s win, Park advances to the NAIA final site for the eighth straight season. Park also remained unbeaten against NAIA competition this season, now sitting 20-0, though they have suffered three defeats against NCAA Division II schools.

Park took control immediately in the opening set against Indiana University East, scoring the first three points. After the Red Wolves came within a point to

make it 4-3, Park regained control and extended the lead to seven points as the score stood at 13-6. Park continued to hover between a three and seven-point advantage before senior middle blocker Kyra Kaloi claimed the winning point of the first set.

The Red Wolves grabbed their first lead of the day in the second set, as they led 5-4, 6-4 and 6-5. The Pirates had a strong response and ended the second set with what would be their largest lead of the day, beating the visitors in set two by a final score of 25-15.

After facing a three-point deficit in the third set as the visitors were on top 7-4, Park fought back once again and scored five straight points to run in front, 9-7.

After Indiana University East managed to draw level in the third set twice at 9-9 and 12-12, Park cruised to the finish line as senior outside hitter Alissa Flint slammed home the match-winning point.

Sophomore outside hitter Malaina Hensley had a game-leading 14 points and 13 kills for Park. Senior opposite hitter

PHOTO/Nathan Dunn

Sophomore outside hitter Malaina Hensley and freshman outside hitter Débora Bernardi go up for a block against Indiana University East.

Noura Meawad finished with 12.5 points, and sophomore outside hitter Déborah Bernardi finished with 10 points.

This brings an end to the season for Indiana University East, as they lost their fifth straight match to end the season with a 13-5 overall record.

Park is now confirmed as one of the 24 remaining teams in the NAIA. The team will begin pool play at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on April 27 against Bellevue University and on April 28 against Dordt University. Check parkathletics.com for live video.

Athletic Dept., teams pleased with first year in new conference Nathan Dunn Reporter The Park University athletic department entered new territory this year, as it was their first year in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. While COVID-19 has been a major hurdle, leadership in the athletic department said they are still pleased with the first year in the conference.

Park had been in the American Midwest Conference since 2009. In that conference, they played other teams from Missouri and several from Arkansas.

In their debut year in the HAAC, the Pirates were represented by 14 teams,

seven mens teams and seven womens teams. Of the eight teams that have already completed the entirety of their regular season and conference tournaments, women’s volleyball was the only team to win the HAAC regular season as well as their conference tournament.

For the spring sports, men’s and women’s golf have their conference tournament on April 26 and 27, men’s and women’s track and field have theirs on May 7 and May 8, baseball’s conference tournament begins on April 30 and softball begins on May 6.

“There are not any what we call bottom-feeders,” said Claude English, Park University director of athletics.

“From that standpoint, the competition in this conference has been outstanding.”

According to English, one of the biggest reasons Park was previously ineligible to join the HAAC was because a football program was required. Once that requirement dropped, English said that joining the conference was a natural fit since the institutions are so much closer than those in the AMC. English also said that the HAAC offers more opportunities for natural rivalries to form since there are several schools within an hour of Park University.

“There could be a rivalry with MidAmerica, Baker or Benedictine later,” said Kenneth Norman Cooper, head

coach of Park’s women’s basketball team.

“You’ve got to build that up, and there’s got to be competitive games back and forth every year.”

Cooper said he was also pleased with less traveling in the new conference. He said that in the AMC he had road trips as long as nine hours, and included trips where they would leave on Wednesday and not get home until Sunday.

“I think the Heart of America Athletic Conference was a lot better for us moneywise, for the budget, and a lot better tripwise where kids can stay in class take care of business,” Cooper said.

See Conference on page 8

CAMPUS LIFE Kerr Continued from page 1 second phase of the United States’ initial invasion.

“I spent about a month in Fallujah, and then I was pushed out to Haditha, which is about 200,000 people,” Kerr said. “I was in command of the city, so I had to figure out how to reestablish governance, how to reestablish security, how to get their infrastructure up and running.”

Once he returned to the states he served as an advisor to the Army National Guard for around 18 months, and then returned to Iraq as a combat advisor.

“It was interesting because I was on a nine-man team living with 500 Iraqis—

you know the language barriers and the cultural barriers,” Kerr said. “I just really loved to learn and be part of the Iraqi culture, and the people, and really embrace what we were doing.”

In 2013, after his second tour to Afghanistan, Kerr found himself in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, training soldiers.

Kerr also decided to pursue his education further and graduated from the Command General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 2009.

He immediately deployed to Afghanistan as a calvary squadron executive officer in the 82nd airborne division. After spending some time there, Kerr eventually came back to the U.S., but was deployed to Afghanistan another time.

In many of his roles throughout his career, Kerr has been tasked with facili-

Page 8 April 23, 2021

tating strategic conversations, managing projects and missions and exercising problem solving—all strengths that led him to working in universities.

“I chose to be a professor of military science because I wanted to have a longterm impact on the Army,” Kerr said. “I knew that if I could train those that are going to become our young officers, the impact of that would be 30 years down the road.”

Kerr said looks forward to his time at Park, and the opportunities he has to impact military, veteran and dependent students.

“It was something that was so rewarding for me, knowing that I’ve left my mark not just on the Army, but the Army for the future,” Kerr said.

Conference Continued from page 8 Next year will be different. Cooper, who said his team went a month without practicing in the middle of the season due to COVID-19 issues, said that he hopes to have a more successful year without COVID-19 interruptions.

English said he was proud of how Park handled this past year and that Park probably had the fewest number of positive cases and quarantine than any of the other schools in the conference.

“We are planning for fans, we are planning for everything like we’re going back to normal,” English said. “That is how we are preparing and hoping that will happen.”

TigerLand Continued from page 2 Students accessed the event through a link and were either placed into randomly assigned teams or teams they had formed prior, and then communicated through a Zoom call. They were prompted to watch an introductory video where a character, Bobby Majestic, spoke about TigerLand and what the escape room was about.

The story of TigerLand began with the premise that someone had stolen money from Bobby Majestic and from TigerLand, the students then had to solve various riddles in order to unlock 10 videos that gave more clues.

These videos were of other characters from TigerLand that told different stories about their time at TigerLand and who they thought did or did not steal the money.

After watching all 10 videos, students had to decide who was telling the truth and who was lying, which ultimately led them to discover who stole the money.

After deciding on a person, students submitted their guess and a game master entered the Zoom call to discuss if the guess was correct or not. This virtual escape room had a fairly high difficulty level, and it took some students several tries to get the right answer.

Sophomore criminal justice major Daisie Cruse said she really liked the virtual escape room.

“It was kind of hard to interact with the people, but the puzzles and everything were fun,” Cruse said. She explained that virtual activities are more difficult to interact with others than in person, but she would definitely do something like this again.

The first 100 students to start the escape room received a $5 gift card to Amazon and the first 20 students to escape the room received a JBL speaker.

PSGA and Pirate Fitness’ last event of the semester will be the Donut Stress Fest on April 26, the week before finals, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be a donut food truck, and they will be handing out free donuts and a surprise Stress-Less Box containing stress management items to the first 100 students.

PHOTO/Natalya Nalivaiko The TigerLand virtual escape room takes participants on a journey to find the person who stole money from Bobby Majestic and his zoo, TigerLand.

Participants then investigate by watching videos and solving clues with their team using video conferencing.