12.3.19 issue of The Standard

Rising vape rates Electronic cigarette use rates are on the rise

‘Stages’ MSU electronic arts students compose a visual album

Finally ranked

Lady Bears earn a spot in AP Poll after several wins

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M I S S O U R I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 13 | THE-STANDARD.ORG The Standard/The Standard Sports

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019

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‘Inappropriate behavior’ Freudenberger House during sexual assault accessibility complications presentation resolved CARISSA CODEL News Editor @CarissaCodelTV An alleged incident during a sexual assault awareness presentation was “handled internally” by Missouri State’s Generation Action club and Theta Chi. The event, “Bear With Us,” was held on Nov. 7 as a collaboration between MSU Generation Action, Me Too Springfield, Xi Omicron Iota, Sigma Tau Gamma, Delta Zeta, Theta Chi and MO State Green Dot. During the presentation — which focused on educating students about consent, sexual health, body autonomy and bystander intervention — audience members were able to ask questions through text.

Camryn Mahnken, a member of Generation Action, was sitting to the left of members of one of the fraternities in attendance.

She said she did not hear a lot of personal conversations, however she said she heard “a lot of laughter.”

“There was a lot of talking during the presentation,” Mahnken said. “It did indicate a lack of respect but I did not hear any specific comments.”

“Some were sending in questions on the anonymous question line that were lewd or disrespectful,” Mahnken said.

She said she could tell who was sending in the questions by the reactions they received.

“Obviously, those are anonymous but you could tell

“

who was reacting to the questions,” Mahnken said. “Whenever topics like sexual assault were being brought up, there (were) a lot of the fraternity members laughing about it.

And kind of just giving commentary and talking to their friends during sections of the presentation that were meant to be taken seriously.”

Mahnken said she was shown some of the texts sent in to the text line, including one that said “What do you do if she says no but her eyes say yes?”

“That one was the main one that you can tell, that’s not a genuine question,” Mahnken said “They’re just asking that to provoke.”

Mahnken said there is no way to for sure know which one was responsible.

However, according to the Vice President of Generation Action Rachel Smith, it was members of Theta Chi who allegedly used the anonymous text line to write inappropriate comments and who made fun of the event.

“Really sad that Theta Chi partnered with an advocacy group on a sex ed event and made fun of it the whole time,” Smith wrote on her personal Twitter.

In a second tweet, she said the fraternity was making obscene gestures during the presentation.

When asked about the incident, President of Theta Chi Elliot McComas said it would be in the best interest of the situation to not make a bigger

Some were sending in questions ... that were lewd or disrespectful.

-Camryn Mahnken

u See ACTION, page 10

GRETA CROSS Digital Editor @gretacrossphoto

With the construction of Holland House — Missouri State’s new seven-story residence hall — older halls are left to maintain their current conditions.

Freudenberger House, also known as Freddy, was built in 1959, making it the second oldest residence hall on campus. The hall features two laundry rooms, a community kitchen, a grand lounge and additional amenities similar to the other community-style residence halls. However, Freddy lacks inclusive accessibility, compared to other residence halls and academic buildings on campus.

Freddy is the only residence hall on campus with a single elevator. The elevator is open for students to use during move-in weekend, but is closed throughout the remainder of the school year.

“The elevator is more of a service car than it is for the typical, everyday student use,” Director of Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services Gary Stewart said.

Custodial staff has full access to the elevator for trash removal and supply deliveries.

Students in need of the elevator must request special permission to access an elevator key from the Freddy Hall Director, currently Courtney Brewer. “(Brewer) is probably going to check with us to see if there’s a bonafide accommodation that’s on record, or if it’s a weekend thing and you just sprained your ankle real bad and you’re on crutches and we know that you’ve gone to get a boot put on, she has the authority to check that out temporarily,” Stewart said.

Freddy has three elevator keys that can be checked out to students who are allowed

JAYLEN EARLY/THE STANDARD

The front doors of Freudenberger House are not handicap accessible, with a set of stairs leading up to the main doors. to keep a key as long as needed.

Senior physical education major Emilie Hanna lived in Freddy during her freshman year. After a knee surgery she had over winter break, Hanna requested access to the elevator because she was using crutches and lived on the fifth floor. Hanna said with a doctor’s note she was allowed access to a key for about four months.

Junior global studies major Martina Mirbaha, a resident of Freddy her sophomore year, also requested an elevator key due to the use of a knee scooter. Mirbaha said she was not given access to a key until she provided a doctor’s note.

The four steps leading up to Freddy’s front doors are unavoidable to anyone entering the building. Other than the flat courtyard to the rear of the building, Freddy’s only ramp is located on the east side of the building, facing Plaster Student Union.

The singular ramp is available for use during regular class hours, but the side and courtyard doors of Freddy lock after 10 p.m., meaning students only have access to the front doors after this time.

A student can request special access to the east entrance door as they would for an elevator key to avoid the front steps. This access is added to a student’s BearPass card digitally, rather

than with a physical key.

Mirbaha said she gained access to the side door as well because she was often out of the building past 10 p.m. due to sorority meetings.

Stewart said he would “love to rip out the stairs in front of Freddy” and create a criss-cross ramp leading up to the front doors, along with adding a second elevator next to the existing one.

“There’s another hole there in the shaft that we could install another elevator car to match the one that’s there, but that stuff is so cost-prohibiting,” Stewart said. “We’ve not been able to do that.” u See ACCESS, page 10

SGA hosts town hall for new campus diversity center KAYLA CURRY Staff Reporter @kaylalcurry When Armani Eason began her journey at Missouri State University, a predominantly white institution, she struggled to feel included as a black student. The Multicultural Resource Center on campus helped her find the feeling of belonging she was searching for.

Now a junior fashion merchandising and design major, Eason and other students like herself are urging the university to invest in a new diversity center designed to help all students feel included at MSU. Student Government Association hosted a “Diversity Town Hall” on Nov. 19 to hear student and faculty opinions on building a new diversity center to replace the current Multicultural Resource Center, which is in two separate locations. One MRC location is in the basement of Freudenberger House, and the other is located on the first floor of the Plaster Student Union.

More than one student brought up the issue of the current division of the MRC during the town hall. One student said the MRC in the

Photo by GRETA CROSS/THE STANDARD

The Mary Jean Price Walls Multicultural Resource Center is housed in the basement of Freudenberger House.

Students and faculty voiced their opinions on building a new diversity center to replace the current Multicultural Resource Center, which is divided into two locations.

basement of Freudenberger would often be double-booked and overcrowded when she wanted to hold a meeting there.

“Some people get confused about the two buildings and don’t know where they are,” one student said during the town hall. “It just kind of creates disorganization for people visiting this campus, and it makes it seem like we aren’t credible, like we don’t know what we’re doing. Just combining the two resources and making it a full space would definitely make us look a little more put together.”

Eason said the discussion showed most students agreed the MRC needed to be made larger and known to more students.

“We all felt that it would be best to actually have a building, not a basement or office space where no one notices us,” Eason said.

Another topic of discussion during the town hall was where the diversity center should be located. Students suggested either repurposing McDonald Arena for the new diversity center or building one near the center of campus where students can easily

access it.

“I don’t think it should be off-campus,” one student said.

“To me, personally, that would make me feel like more a minority. Why should I have to go off-campus just to go hang out with people that look like me?”

Student Body President Abdillahi Dirie and Student Government Association representative Apryl Myers facilitated the conversation, asking students what they would like to see in the new diversity center.

Students suggested amenities such as more interfaith

spaces where students of various religions can go to pray during the school day and a space for undocumented students to feel safe. Another student suggested keeping the center open later, and another suggested installing assistive technology for students with disabilities.

MSU President Clif Smart, who was in attendance, informed the town hall attendees that charging an extra $30 per semester for the next 25 years would allow the university to build a diversity center the size of Magers Health and Wellness Center.

Students clapped and cheered at the numbers. The overall consensus from students was that it was a small price to pay for what one student described as a “multicultural PSU.” “If you want to see something done, you have to put in the time, the money, the effort, whatever it’s going to take to get that done,” one student said.

Another student said although he would not use the diversity center personally, he believes the center could be a useful recruitment tool u See DIVERSITY, page 10

2 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019

Photo illustration by SINJIN DELMORE/THE STANDARD

Decreased rate of cigarette smoking is met with rising rates of e-cigarette use ZOE BROWN Life Editor @zoe_zoebrown In the U.S., 480,000 people die from cigarette smoking-related illnesses per year. Of those deaths, 41,000 are from secondhand smoke.

Though many continue to die from smoking-related illnesses, smoking rates are on the decline.

“One of the great triumphs in America has been the anti-smoking movement,” said Tom Kruckemeyer, an economist at the Missouri Budget Project and former Chief Economist for the Missouri Office of Administration/Division of Budget & Planning, wrote a report on tobacco in Missouri titled, “Misery in Missouri: How the Alliance of Big Tobacco and

Missouri Politicians Keep Smoking-Induced Deaths at Unacceptable Levels.”

“Back in the 60s, late 50s, probably over half the adult population smoked, it was so common,” Kruckemeyer said.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 42.4% of Americans at or over the age of 18 smoked in 1965.

“Because of the actions of the surgeon general, the reports, the research on it and the work done by federal, state and local governments, smoking rates now are down to under 20 percent in most places,” Kruckemeyer said.

In 2017, less than 15% of Americans smoked, according to the CDC. However, the decreasing rate of smoking has been met with rising rates of electronic

cigarette use.

According to the CDC, youth tobacco use among high school students is on the rise due to the recent popularization of e-cigarettes and vaping products.

From 2011 to 2019, e-cigarettes saw a usage increase among youth from 1.5% in 2011 to 11.7% in 2017, 20.8% in 2018 and 27.5% in 2019.

The rise of vaping and e-cigarettes can be largely attributed to the popular vape brand, Juul, which dominates 70% of the e-cigarette market in America.

Since their debut, vaping

companies successfully marketed their products as safer alternatives to smoking. In its advertisements, Juul Labs, inc. encouraged people to “make the switch” portraying the product as a low-risk alternative to traditional smoking.

As more young people begin to vape without having ever smoked cigarettes, there is rising concern that they will turn to cigarettes.

Joe Effinger, sophomore biology education major, said he doesn’t think most youth and young adults would go from vaping to traditional

THC vaping products are often sold on the black market and are unregulated.

cigarettes because of the stigma around smoking.

“That being said, I have seen people who haven’t ever used tobacco switch to cigarettes when they can’t get any vape products,” Effinger said.

However, quitting vaping is likely more difficult than traditional cigarettes due to the lack of smoke, smell and social stigma.

“I think it would be harder to quit vaping because it is more concentrated with nicotine than cigarettes are, and you can vape really whenever you want, but you can’t light up a cig whenever,” Effinger said.

Over the summer, several thousand deaths were reported by the CDC and attributed to vaping-related medical issues. It is important to distinguish that 83% of patients

with vaping-related illnesses had reported vaping THC, the hallucinogenic part of cannabis. THC vaping products are often sold on the black market and are unregulated.

Over the summer, Congress reacted to vaping related deaths by instituting a ban on flavored e-cigarette products.

At the federal level, the U.S. has looser regulations on e-cigarettes than many European countries. Because the concentration of nicotine in Juul pods is three times the allowed limit of the European Union, Juul cannot be sold there. The same restrictions don’t exist in the U.S. at this time.

Though they are considered tobacco products, it is notable that in Missouri, e-cigarettes and vaping products are not u See VAPING, page 10

Juul has puff puff passed Juul to stop selling flavored pods to gas stations nationwide TINSLEY MERRIMAN Staff Reporter @merrimantinsley

Photos by KENDRA KERNEL/THE STANDARD

(Above) Senior Devon Morgan, finance major, stands outside of Kum and Go using his Juul device.

(Right) A Kum and Go sales associate handles one of many Juul products that line the shelves.

On Oct. 15, Gov. Mike Parson signed Executive Order 19-18. The order plans to “educate, warn and deter the use of vaping devices among Missouri’s youth” using state-funded resources. The purpose of the bill is to cut down usage of vaping devices by educating citizens about the effects of devices. The order goes into effect 30 days from its signing.

As of Oct. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,080 lung injury cases and 18 deaths across the country as a result of vaping. Three days later, Missouri was reported to have 22 cases of vaping related injuries, including one death.

These, as well as previous reports, were what spurred Parson into signing Executive Order 19-18 for the future.

But the nationwide deterrence of vaping has been in action for a year. According to Juul’s website, last November it stopped the sale and distribution of its flavored pods to convenience stores across the country. This ban stopped the distribution of pods, but with so many shipped to retailers only

now are they starting to run out.

Now minors can only buy tobacco and menthol-flavored pods at convenience stores and Juul’s website. Though any customer over 21 is able to purchase previously-available flavored pods online.

After logging on and creating an account on the website, customers must enter their birth date and the last four digits of their social security number. Once through, they are able to legally purchase flavored pods and have them shipped to their home.

A local Kum and Go employee, who asked for anonymity for the sake of her job, said Kum and Go will no longer carry non-menthol or tobacco-flavored Juul pods when the stock runs out. After the flavored pods run out, customers will have to legally buy them through the Juul website.

The same was true for many convenience stores in the Springfield area.

“Juul is taking everything except for tobacco and menthol products off the shelf inside of all Kum and Gos, at least in this area that I know of,” the employee said. “You can go online and purchase your Juuls and have them shipped to your house. It’s a convenient thing,

because then you can have it shipped directly to your house instead of having to come to Kum and Go or Casey’s.”

Sophomore fashion design major Rylee Wingert said the scarcity of Juul pods has now been led to smoke cigarettes instead of vaping. She believes instead of discouraging minors from using tobacco products, the ban on Juul pods seems to have the opposite effect. By depriving consumers of flavored pods, it just turns them onto other tobacco products instead.

“I think that just makes kids smoke cigarettes more,” Wingert said. “I personally started smoking cigarettes because of this kind of ban, and the age raise too.”

Since Wingert is from outside of Springfield, her choice flavors are are only available near her home. She is only able to get said flavors during trips back, forcing her to “try to ration it for a month until I go home again.”

Executive Order 19-18 went into effect on Nov. 14.

Resources from the departments of health and senior services, elementary and secondary education and public safety will continue to educate minors about the dangers of underage tobacco use.

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opinion

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

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What the threat of impeachment really means KATHERINE COOPER Columnist @k8iek8_ Amid impeachment hearing buzz, some Americans are tuned in all day long, hanging on every word of Ranking Member Jim Jordan’s shouts, Chairman Adam Schiff’s opening and closing statements and each witness’ responses to questions surrounding a phone call from July.

But not every American is engaged. This is no shiny or sparkly issue like the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, and even then, it’s arguable the electorate wasn’t all that engaged, either.

But despite the public opinion of the impeachment hearings, big things are happening, and revolutionary testimony is being served as we speak.

Congressional Democrats are preparing for a trial in the Senate to remove President Donald Trump from office. There is no question his actions will warrant impeachment based on the confirmation of a quid pro quo air, and cover-up history of the July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

At this point, these hearings are no longer attempting to convince Congress members that there are impeachable offenses worthy of a trial. These hearings are not for convincing the American people to listen up and vote accordingly.

This hearing is not even to put on the record — through witnesses — the information needed to find some level of guilt within the presidential and vice presidential administration.

All of that has been accomplished prior to last week via Twitter and television media. No — this hearing’s sole purpose is to decide which Republican Congress

members are more dedicated to Trump than to their districts, their states, their constituents and the very idea of a moral democracy.

These hearings will open the floodgate for thousands of voters to contact their representatives to express their concern with the way he or she is handling the impeachment hearings.

There is no question that there are problems with how Trump and his allies have behaved. Trump digs his hole deeper and deeper on Twitter just about every day. His attorneys and confidants are exposed for witness intimidation and threatening the safety of his opposition and their families.

How did we get here?

How have we fallen so far from respectable discourse and policy-related conflict to this dystopian political landscape?

Trump is the Genesis Serpent of the Republican Party, enticing Republicans to stick with him with promise of money, power and other things. These people have given up everything they have to align with him, and now that he has revealed his crocodile smile they are already in too deep, stuck in the swamp. There is more than politics at stake at this point, ask Jeffrey Epstein if he agrees.

These hearings will have the biggest political implications of anything else the Trump administration has done, and in the coming months, it will be revealed to us which Congressmen and women have sold their soul for false promises.

It is not too late for redemption, but it’s getting close. There will be no escaping the political fallout of supporting Trump, tweets forever etched into history books and campaign finance numbers plastered across the internet like a scarlet letter.

Time will tell.

Illustration by ALYSSA VANDEGRIFT/THE STANDARD

Say goodbye to the old era, welcome the new CHLOE SIERKS Columnist @chloes_16 A decade has seemingly come and gone without the majority of us really realizing it. It seems that no modern era could hold as much cultural significance and distinction as the 1920s, 1960s or the 1980s.

When any of those time

Doja Cat is an artist for every listener KAMRAN CHOUDHRY Music Critic @KamChoudhry Doja Cat's “Hot Pink” album is leagues better than her first studio album “Amala” from 2018. “Hot Pink” dropped right after I listened to “Amala” and you can hear the focus and extra effort put into her music.

“Amala” had the hit track “Go To Town” and later incorporated her successful singles “Tia Tamera,” “Juicy,” and (how could we forget her most viral single that arguably lead to her fame?) “MOOO!” These are fantastic singles but they came notably later when she dropped “Amala” and you can see the huge potential that these singles carried when you listen to them. Looks like her record label had the same thought process and gave her the boost that she needed in “Hot Pink.”

“Hot Pink” is more or less a collection of singles as every song is independent from each other and does not build up to any central theme. This is an album for the fans who want to listen to more of her bangers and you can tell that this is a technique to get her even more The Standard Physical address: Clay Hall 744 E. Cherry St. Springfield, Missouri Postal address: 901 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO 65897 Newsroom: 417-836-5272 Advertising: 417-836-5524

viral. The production quality in each of these songs is absolutely killer and adds credibility that Doja Cat is a well-established rhythm and blues star that can rival the greats such as Summer Walker, SZA, Daniel Caesar and 6lack.

Knowing all of this, how is the album? Is it worth a listen? I would say that this is one of my favorite albums of 2019 and it is worth all the hype you have been hearing from friends. Every one of the songs in this album is about sex and love and that becomes more apparent if you see any of the music videos associated with this album. Each one adds more to the song by showing you exactly what Doja Cat is envisioning when she is singing. Just be careful when you are searching these videos up as they are INCREDIBLY sexy and that might make the casual observer faint when not properly warned.

With that being said, you will not hear any of her songs and think “What artful prose.

Well said Doja, well said” and compare her to Kendrick Lamar or Frank Ocean. But you

will notice how well Doja Cat can deliver her lyrics in many different ways. “Cyber Sex” sounds like it taps into Janelle Monae’s android aesthetic while “Bottom B----” is much more in line with the punk aesthetic as it samples Blink-182.

“Say So” is much more poppy and reminiscent of 90's R&B while “Like That” channels the contemporary female rapper aesthetic as she raps with ya homie Gucci Mane (God, what a feature).

My top three tracks are in the latter half of the album.

They are “Streets,” “Shine,” and “Better Than Me.” “Streets” is such a strong feat of modern R&B that convinced me that Doja is wanting to mature into a respected R&B artist and not just some viral meme music maker. The production is so haunting and makes me feel as if she has invited me into her soul. She is talking about the angst of loving a man who does not want to be with her and you can FEEL it. Makes me wanna parade the streets and shout that men ain’t s---.

periods are mentioned, people automatically think of flapper dresses, or the Vietnam War or the band “Queen.”

What will the future generations talk about when they mention the 2010s?

Those who have lived in this era, especially in a younger age, may think nothing could possibly hold much historical weight, but history has been changed

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making technological advances that astonished the world.

In 2010, for example, the Apple iPad emerged followed by the iPhone 4 and MacBook Air. Today we take the magnificence of this technology for granted, but it almost seems otherworldly that in just ten years we have come as far as Apple Watches and AirPods.

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and shaped in front our eyes without us even realizing it.

Let’s take a quick look back at the technology, entertainment and politics of the 2010s.

The 2010s saw a major growth and update in technology and is already referred to as the “Digital Age Era.” It wasn’t the boom of modern technology, but it was a moment when companies like Apple really began

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life

DECEMBER112, 3, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG THE-STANDARD.ORG TUESDAY, OCTOBER

‘STAGES’ Electronic Arts students work together to compose visual album KATHRYN DOLAN Staff Reporter @kathryndolan98

Photo submitted by Stages

(Top) Bo Shore, Nikki Clark and Haley Thomas gather to rewatch a scene at STD Market during their third day of filming ‘Stages.’

(Middle) Haley Thomas peers out the window for a cue to start the scene during the first day of filming for ‘Stages.’

(Bottom) Elijah Mijares, left, laughs with Senior Electronic Arts/Audio Studies major Bradley Marten while preparing audio equipment during their first day of filming for their senior thesis project Stages.

An electronic arts film project titled “Stages” is made up of five senior EA audio students. Together they are creating an audio album paired with a short film.

Usually, the program requires an EA film student to be involved in film-related projects, but all of the individuals in “Stages” are audio students, which has never been done before.

Hok Lam, a senior electronic arts major, is the assistant director of “Stages.”

He said all of the members were friends prior to the formation of the group.

EA students are required to complete a senior project as part of their capstone experience. Before work on projects can begin,

students have to propose their projects to the Missouri State Univeristy Department of Media, Journalism and Film.

“At first there was just a bunch of film projects,” Lam said. “A big portion of the audio people felt like we didn’t get to have much of a creative say.”

The members of “Stages” banned together and consulted faculty for permission to form a separate audio-based project.

The visual album features six songs of different genres, each composed by a different member of the group. Genres include rhythm and blues, folk, disco, hip-hop and alternative rock.

“Each style is very different,” Lam said, “but we’re trying to keep it coherent at the same time.”

Group members use a

combination of electronic and live instruments including piano, guitar, bass and ukulele to compose their songs.

“We wanted to do something that reflected each of our individual styles,” Nikki Clark, senior electronic arts major and director of “Stages,” said.

The short film, which coincides with the album, is about a fictional young woman named Edith who reflects back on her life experiences.

The diverse song choices are used to represent the different times or “stages” in the main character's life. “‘Stages’ is about self-actualization — it’s a journey,” said Tom Overmann, a senior electronic arts major who is a writer and composer for “Stages.”

While the core group of “Stages” consists of six

members, over 40 individuals have helped out with the project in some way.

“We have actors, fashion designers, people from the electronic arts department,” Clark said. “We all try to help each other out as much as we can.”

Given that “Stages” only consists of audio students, Lam said the project helped all the members grow in their skill sets.

“We all had to do things we didn’t think we’d be able to do,” Lam said.

“Stages” will be shown at the Electronic Arts Senior Showcase happening on May 3 in the Plaster Student Union.

The group plans to send their film to festivals in hopes of more exposure.

To stay updated on the project, follow Stages Instagram account @Stagesfilm2020.

Local lifestyle brand creates photography showcasing event ANDREW UNVERFERTH Staff Reporter @overander Music and the faint scent of beer fill the warm interior of the Highwater office space.

Friends and Springfield art lovers chat, drink and laugh as they gather around the focus of the night: six stories from six artists featuring six pictures each.

Such was the Saturday evening of Nov. 23, when the Springfield lifestyle brand, SGFCO, hosted the 6x6 Photo Show, a showcase and celebration of a handful of Springfield photographers that presented their work in a 6x6 frame.

The theme for the show was “Pictures Like Words of a Sentence.” Each exhibit featured six images meant to tell a story or convey a particular idea.

6x6’s lead organizer and one of SGFCO’s founders, Jesse Tyler, said the themes presented might not have been conveyed throughout the show because they were so conceptual. But that kind of conceptual photography is what Tyler wanted to present, nevertheless.

Tyler said his main goal for the event was to foster a sense of community among young creatives in Springfield while also providing photographers another avenue to share their

work, especially those who focus on conceptual art.

He said he created this event to build a sort of alternative to Instagram and similar platforms for Springfield artists. He considered what his own ideal photography sharing experience would be, and then wanted to invite others to participate in it as attendees or contributors.

Part of Tyler’s ideal experience was having his work physically printed, which is why a key feature of 6x6 was having all of the presented photographs compiled into a book for attendees to purchase.

Tyler said organizing for the show started about seven months prior, and the showcase itself took several days to design and set up. Much of this work was done by Tyler himself alongside his SGFCO partners Jacob Scowden, who designed the event’s book, and Giancarlo Ospina, who helped organize the event.

Following the event, Tyler said the showcase’s success was very encouraging considering attendance and the positive reception among attendees.

The featured photographers were pleased with 6x6 as well.

Sarah Stracke said she appreciated the casual, social nature of the showcase. A laid back atmosphere like that, she said,

MACKENZIE SPAIN/THE STANDARD

Community members view photos taken by six photographers to compile into a photo book. The event was sponsored by SGFCO and was held on Nov. 23. encourages conversation about the work.

Stracke said she was grateful for the opportunity to present her work. She originally took her showcased photos about two-and-a-half years ago. A series showcasing a brief time at a roller rink, Stracke’s work was meant to portray aspects of childhood and teenage life and culture.

“I think that the roller rink introduces this really interesting, playful and also serious

subculture that I think, as adults, we don’t usually recognize or take seriously,” Stracke said.

Cole Simmons, another featured artist, also took his photographs well before 6x6 and never showed them anywhere. He said the pictures he picked for the event are a little different from his typical professional work, but he was happy to be able to showcase them.

“I specifically chose those

photos because they were really just small moments in life,” Simmons said. “They’re more just quaint Midwest moments that I feel like a lot of people tend to lose appreciation for. I think that whenever we get to present art like this, when that’s the subject matter, people can view it and get an appreciation for those small moments and kinda have a better outlook on life.”

Tyler said he intends to make the 6x6 Photo Show a

quarterly event for the end of each season with the next show set for February of next year.

He said future showcases will feature a variety of different themes as well as new artists from throughout Springfield.

Concerning other potential art showcases, Tyler said there are already a number of high quality local art events in Springfield that he wouldn’t want to compete with, though SGFCO does have a few plans for the future.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 5

MSU talks of expanding E-sports facilities on campus M. TODD DEARING Staff Reporter @mtodddearing

Illustration by MADISON HARPER/THE STANDARD

How to keep family conflict to a minimum over the holiday season VICTORIA SCROGGINS Staff Reporter @vrms12591 As the semester is wrapping up, we come closer to the holiday season. Students will be able to travel back home to visit their family and celebrate their family traditions. While it may create fun times and happy memories, it can also create conflict among family members.

For freshman mechanical engineering major Will Winter, the holidays can be extra stressful. Winter said the hardest part about family conflict is “the fact that they are your family, so even if you come to hate them, you still have to see them on the occasion.”

The Center for Dispute Resolution is an on-campus resource that handles a variety of conflict and commu-

nication issues. They recently held a workshop in the Plaster Student Union, organized by communications professor and Center for Dispute Resolution Director Char Berquist and Associate Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution Heather Blades, a b o u t ways to help to deal with family conflicts during this season.

The presentation addressed conflict surrounding political views, gift-giving and working over the holidays. They said stress is the

biggest reason families experience conflict.

The Center for Dispute Resolution’s presentation discussed the often stressful nature of the holidays.

“Cultural expectations of happiness and perfection” are cited as factors that escalate stress, sometimes leading to conflict. “ W e have unvoiced expectations that we should be perfect, our family should be perfect, our house should be perfect, the celebration should be perfect,” said the presenter.

Berquist said lowering the

“Life is not like a Hallmark movie, it’s never going to be perfect like these movies,” -Char Berquist

Weekly Crossword © 2019 King Features Syndicate

ACROSS 1 Zinger 5 Nuisance 9 Oprah’s network 12 Chills and fever 13 Viscous 14 Dove’s call 15 Short musical works 17 “Hail, Caesar!”

18 Yule quaff 19 Fairy tale villains 21 Chic 22 Island porch 24 Formerly 27 Evergreen type 28 Break suddenly 31 Tasseled topper 32 Lobe locale 33 Gorilla 34 Dread 36 Attempt 37 Car sticker no.

38 Batman’s pal 40 Proceed 41 Dishes 43 Commercial song 47 Scoot 48 Varieties of wheat 51 Carte lead-in 52 Handle 53 Point 54 Clear the tables 55 Stitches 56 Wan DOWN 1 Foundation 2 Enthusiastic 3 Ladder step 4 Cap with a propeller 5 Bluenose 6 A billion years

7 Hot tub 8 Mike of the ring 9 Simple wind instruments 10 Used a loom 11 Vetoers’ votes 16 Heavy weight 20 Petrol 22 Memorize 23 Distorted 24 Vacationing 25 Born 26 Ivan’s and Peter’s wives 27 Bigfoot’s cousin 29 Spring mo.

30 Vigor 35 Director Howard 37 “Friends” role 39 Soaks up some rays 40 Hodges of baseball lore 41 Seafood entree

42 Streaming video giant 43 Apple co-founder 44 Wildebeests 45 Whip

46 Catch sight of 49 Away from WSW 50 Do some lawn work

expectations of the holidays can reduce the stress families experience.

“Life is not like a Hallmark movie; it’s never going to be perfect like these movies,” Berquist said.

The presentation outlined the need to manage expectations and be realistic about the holidays.

“No one will be perfect, set reasonable goals for yourself, be flexible and ‘go with the flow’ if things don’t go according to plan,” Berquist said.

Conflict can arise when there is little alone time for family members. Berquist said planning a schedule that gives everyone time to be alone or separated is a good way to reduce the long periods of time the family spends together. She said allowing time for breaks can help reduce u See CONFLICT, page 9

As competitive gaming becomes a more prominent source for entertainment and competition, Missouri State University has made plans for a new arena dedicated to the sport in the Plaster Student Union.

Esports is where participants play video games competitively.

The games played range from “Super Smash Bros.,” a cartoonish fighting game, “Rainbow Six: Siege,” a more realistic tactical shooter game, “Rocket League,” a soccer game using cars and “League of Legends,” a popular online arena battle game.

According to the “League of Legends” coordinator, junior history major Joseph Merrick, MSU has a lot of talent in its organization.

“We have a top 100 ranked ‘Rocket League’ player and a top 1000 ‘League of Legends’ player,” Merrick said.

Previously, the MSU Esports organization, which is comprised of multiple gaming teams, had to reserve various spaces around campus or host games online for practice. In addition, their ability to host events has been severely limited according to current President of MSU Esports, Roman Thomas.

“Every once in a while we’ll host an event like our recent 'Smash Bros. Tournament Fundraiser',” Thomas, junior geology major, said.

“We’ll grab a room, we’ll advertise it, but we haven’t been able to do anything regularly.”

Thomas said the new arena should mean more consistent events from the esports teams as well as the possibility for Local Area Network events which involve the teams being connected directly to each other as opposed to a reliance on the internet.

According to the Super

Smash Bros. Tournament fundraiser coordinator, junior computer science major Tanner Thomas, the arena will have a row of computers on each side wall with two TVs set up in between for games not on computers.

Some of the coordinators have expressed more excitement to use the arena as a practice space instead of events.

“The main draw for my teams is having a place to practice consistently… last year my team had to forfeit one of our matches because the power for Springfield went down briefly so our players who live off campus couldn’t connect," Merrick said.

Thomas stated this is the first sign that esports is being taken more seriously by the university.

“It’s a good first step,” Merrick said. “In the North Conference, just in the state of Missouri, Columbia College and Maryville University have put larger amounts of money into their esports teams so we’re a little behind the curve.”

“I’m currently working with a few people from the university like the Vice President of Student Affairs Dee Siscoe and a few others to coordinate the expansion to our organization,” Thomas said. “(University) President Clif Smart has been the one to really push for esports and is definitely our biggest advocate.”

According to Thomas, Smart expressed interest in esports after visits to Columbia College and Maryville University, which has some of the best teams in the region.

“I believe he wants to push us to compete with the other schools in the area to try and get more people to come to school here,” Thomas said.

According to Tanner Thomas, one of the arguments

u See ESPORTS, page 9

6

THE STANDARD

sports

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

Filling the shoes of a star Sophomore point guard takes lessons from senior, finds success on the court court.”

Bhinhar said she remembers some advice Gitzen gave her last year that she’s applied to her game this season.

“She always told me to be confident and play loose,” Bhinhar said. “She always made sure if I made mistakes like, ‘You’re good. You need to have a quick memory. Just forget it.’ That is something I’ve tried to take into this year.

“I’m thinking, ‘How can I get better?’ I really try to push off of that.”

Bhinhar also said seeing the success Gitzen had is something she strives for and will embrace in her future as the Lady Bears point guard.

Gitzen said the biggest thing that impressed her about Bhinhar last year was her hunger to learn and willingness to improve and help the team in all aspects.

The drive to constantly improve makes Gitzen think Bhinhar has a chance to have a successful career at Missouri State.

“My expectations for her are limitless,” Gitzen said.

“There is no boundary for her.”

DEREK SHORE Senior Sports Reporter @D_Shore23 Whenever sophomore Mya Bhinhar took the court in her first start as the Missouri State Lady Bears new point guard, she admitted there were nerves in the team’s exhibition game against Lincoln on Oct. 28.

“I have some big shoes to fill,” Bhinhar said after the team’s 109-32 preseason win over the Blue Tigers.

Bhinhar replaces former star Danielle Gitzen, who posted 1,033 career points over a fouryear career and was an integral part of two NCAA tournament teams for the Lady Bears.

Missouri State has not skipped a beat so far this season at the point guard position.

Bhinhar has filled the void, averaging 7.9 points per game while leading the team with 3.8 assists per game for head coach Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton’s team.

She’s also helped the team to its fastest start since 1997 and a No. 19 ranking in USA Today’s Coaches poll released on Nov. 26.

“Being under Danielle last year, she took me under her wing and showed me how I should play,” Bhinhar said.

“She built my confidence, especially this coaching staff.

They have built my confidence a lot with the drills we do.

“Coach Mox is very approachable and tells me what I need to work on. It makes me just want to improve.”

Bhinhar is also relishing a leadership role. She said the coaches this season have pushed her to be more of a vocal leader on the court.

“It’s definitely about building chemistry with them, and knowing how to approach each player is something I really care about,” Bhinhar said. “I love it. This year, it’s something I need to embrace.”

Game by game, Bhinhar continues to improve, according to Mox. In the semifinal game of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament at Oklahoma on Nov. 14, everything came together for the first-year starter.

She scored a career-high 19 points and dished out three assists in a 96-90 win over the Sooners.

“Mya is getting better every game,” Mox said. “She is getting confident. At first, she

Recapping Lady Bears games

GRETA CROSS/THE STANDARD

Sophomore Mya Bhinhar dribbles the ball up the court. Bhinhar took over as the point guard for Misosuri State after Danielle Gitzen graduated last year. She is averaging 7.9 points per game. lacked some confidence, but she is a big point guard that can handle the ball. She is finding a niche in our offense and where she can be a scorer.

“If Mya can be consistent with scoring and assists she provides our team, she is going to be a problem to guard.

She brings so much to this

team. She helps us push that tempo. She can run for days.

She loves the new system in the fast up-tempo game. She will continue to get better and better.”

Gitzen is not surprised by Bhinhar’s performance and how well she’s taken over the reins of the offense.

“I’m 100% not surprised,” Gitzen said. “Playing with her everyday, we were always guarding each other. Sometimes, I may have ganged up on her a little bit, but I think that pushed her to be a better player. She has accepted her role as the team’s point guard and team’s leader on the

After traveling nearly 8,500 miles over the season’s first two weeks, the Lady Bears returned to JQH Arena to host Santa Clara on Nov. 22.

In a game that featured 10 lead changes and a dozen ties, Missouri State outlasted Santa Clara 71-64 to improve to 5-1.

Junior Emily Gartner finished with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

The 6-foot-4 post also made an impact on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds.

The Lady Bears proved why they are perhaps the mid-major to beat on Nov. 25, defeating South Dakota 7466. The Coyotes were the No. 1 ranked mid-major team in the country entering the game, according to College Insider.

Senior Alexa Willard led all scorers with 21 points and finished with a career-high five 3-pointers.

On Dec. 1, sophomore Jasmine Franklin posted a career-high 24 points as Missouri State routed Kansas City, 83-58.

The Lady Bears continue its three-game homestand on Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. against Wichita State.

AP voters: MSU able to enter Top 25 with more wins DEREK SHORE Senior Sports Reporter @D_Shore23

The Missouri State Lady Bears have come full circle since last year.

Missouri State went 1-7 through its first eight games in 2018. Fast forward a year later, the Lady Bears have flipped that win loss record around to 7-1 and are off to one of their best starts in program history.

That culminated into Missouri State’s first national ranking since 2004. The Lady Bears are the No. 22 team in the country, according to this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

“It’s a great accomplishment being a mid-major and getting recognized in the AP poll,” head coach Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton said in a statement on Dec. 2. “We had a goal of doing that, get ranked and gain more respect. We’ve got to stay there and not get complicit or satisfied.”

In her first media day press conference last month, Mox felt her team was slighted after being predicted to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason polls.

“I think we were a little disrespected,” Mox said.

“We kinda have a chip on our shoulder. I think we have to prove ourselves.”

After all, this is a team that is fresh off a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament and lost only one player.

Missouri State already has several quality wins on its resume. They have victories over No. 23 Minnesota, Boise State, Oklahoma and South Dakota, who was the No. 1 ranked mid-major team in the country entering two weeks ago, according to College Insider.

The Lady Bears also had a competitive loss at No. 7 Oregon State, falling 80-69 in the championship game of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Nov. 17.

The Lady Bears had to fight and earn respect from the media. They’ve had the second-highest RPI, a

u See AP, page 8

Men’s soccer season ends with first loss STEPHEN TERRILL Sports Reporter @Stevethe2nd 18-1-1.

That is the final record of the 2019 Missouri State men’s soccer team. The record-setting season came to an end on Sunday, Nov. 24, in overtime against No. 8 Central Florida in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The season, which began in August with a match against Kansas City that was canceled due to lightning and ended in overtime in the NCAA tournament, was one of — if not the best — the program has had.

“It was just a special season,” head coach John Leamy said after the Central Florida game. “Nobody wanted to see this end. We couldn’t be more proud of this team for what they have done.”

The Bears were poised to be a top-16 seed in the NCAA tournament with a perfect regular season and a 17-0-0 record going into the MVC tournament championship game. A top-16 seed would have given the Bears a first-round bye.

They had been ranked in the top 12 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll for over a month at that point. The Bears lost the championship game in penalty kicks to Loyola Chicago.

While a loss in penalty kicks counts as a tie, the NCAA selection committee did not give the Bears a top-16 spot.

The Bears received an atlarge bid and hosted Denver University in the first round.

On a cold and rainy Nov. 21, the Bears shut out Denver 1-0

Photos by KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

(Left) Sophomore Aadne Giking Bruseth settles the ball before his Denver opponent can get to it.

(Above) Senior Ian Jones sprints past Denver to the ball.

The Missouri State Bears defeated Denver on Nov. 21. It was the Bears’ 18th win of the season before they fell to UCF on Nov. 24. to secure their first-ever NCAA tournament win.

The second round was against UCF, and an overtime goal 42 seconds into extra time

by UCF ended the Bears’ season.

The Bears went on a 17-game undefeated streak, which was the longest such streak in NCAA Division I soccer since 2011.

The Bears’ leading scorer was a new face around MSU, senior forward Matt Bentley, who transferred from West Virginia Wesleyan. As the Mis-

souri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Bentley ended the season tied for second place for most goals in a single season by a men’s soccer Bear with 15.

“When he got here in the spring — he just fit in,” Leamy said. “He’s a heck of a player — scoring goals, his work rate and his approach to the game.

I don’t think he would mind me saying that he’s a Bear for life.”

Along with Bentley, the Bears graduate three other se-

niors: defender Ben Stroud, midfielder Stuart Wilkin and forward Ian Jones.

Stroud and Wilkin were both named first team allMVC, and Jones was named second team all-MVC. “One of the greatest groups of seniors you’re ever going to find,” Leamy said. “We’re so appreciative and thankful for everything these guys have done.”

The Bears won the regular-season MVC title with a

record of 10-0. The Bears had eight players named to allMVC teams. Junior goalkeeper Michael Creek was named MVC Goalkeeper of the Year and now holds the program record for most wins in a single season by a goalkeeper with 18. Junior defender Kyle Hiebert was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year along with Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Leamy and his staff were named MVC Coaching Staff of the Year.

Leamy said the team is special because the players cared about each other.

“These kids just love each other, and they love playing the sport,” Leamy said. “When you have that combination — the passion to want to play — it’s so special. You don’t see that sometimes with other teams and other schools.

These kids embraced it, and it showed.”

u See SOCCER, page 8

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 7

Bears strive to find excellence on the ice

Club hockey team creates success out of the rink with business plan, improvements

BRENNA LUMLEY/THE STANDARD

Senior Jordan Bratton prepares for a draw against Central Oklahoma. the Ice Bears provide one of the best game-day experiences for fans he has seen.

“They do it right up there at Missouri State,” Perry said on the WCHL podcast after a visit to Springfield to watch the

Ice Bears play Arizona State on Nov. 15 and 16. “It’s always amazing — the level of organization in terms of the off-ice personnel — and the fans. I don’t know that I saw fan that did not have some sort of Ice

Bear paraphernalia on. It goes a long way to developing a devoted fanbase, and, boy, do they have it up there.”

The gameday experience ties in with how the team is run. Stan Melton, who

Despite the lack of success against Valley foes, Missouri State finished 9-7 at home. It’s the 21st straight year above .500 at Hammons Student Center for the Bears.

Missouri State finished its season with a strong 3-4 in November, the most recent home win over Southern Illinois on senior night on Nov. 22.

Classes end on Dec. 12 for a majority of Missouri State students, and while many go home, some students stick around Springfield over the break. And some of those students make up the Missouri State swimming and diving team.

The Missouri State swimming and diving team has two meets over winter break against Drury and in-conference foe Evansville. Both of which are held at the Hammons Student Center pool.

The Bears have performed well this season and hope to continue that success into their next two meets.

“I’m really optimistic about the team’s performance heading into the midseason meet,” senior freestyle swimmer Antonio Thomas said. “We’ll be back in our home pool, so I’m hoping we can claim some pool records and best times in a competitive meet.”

Thomas is coming off an impressive performance in his most previous meet at Southern Methodist University.

Thomas earned first in the 1,650-yard freestyle and second in the 500-yard freestyle with times of 15:08.55 and 4:23.39, respectively, earning him Mid-American Conference swimmer of the week.

“Being able to lead the team off with a win in the 1,650-free was great because it helped establish a positive energy at the beginning of the third session,” Thomas said. “I was really happy with that time.”

Thomas broke Hammons Student Center Pool records with his times in the 1650 and 500, but since they were at SMU they do not count towards Hammons Student Center pool records.

If Thomas repeats or improves his times at any of the meets over the break, he’ll have his name in the record books.

Junior diver Dayana Popa also said she hopes to perform well in the two meets over winter break, especially against Evansville.

“For the conference meet, I definitely want to final on

u See VOLLEYBALL, page 8

u See SWIM, page 8

u See ICE BEARS, page 8

Volleyball misses postseason tournament for first time in more than two decades

Tough conference losses

New leadership

The Bears were forced to find new leadership after 23 years of dominating seasons.

Former head coach Melissa Stokes resigned on Aug. 12 following the discovery of NCAA violations within the program.

Stokes accumulated a 509243 career record in over two decades at Missouri State.

Following Stokes’ leave, Manolo Concepción took over as interim head coach after being brought on the staff as an associate head coach in

File photo by BRENNA LUMLEY/THE STANDARD

The volleyball Bears regroup after a point. They ended the season with a 10-22 record.

March 2019. the investigation began, takConcepción took over ing on day-to-day operations. head coaching duties when While coaching changes

Following the quick turnaround time, the Bears began conference action 1-5 compared to last season’s 4-3 start.

Of the five losses, four were complete sweeps.

The tough stretch continued from there. Missouri State went 1-12 in September, with a 3-1 sole win over Kansas State. Eight of the 12 losses were sweeps.

Missouri State split the season with five teams including Illinois State, Bradley, Valparaiso, Indiana State and Southern Illinois.

Northern Iowa, Loyola and Evansville swept Missouri State in the regular season.

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For the first time in 21 years, the volleyball Bears’ season is over before the Missouri Valley Conference tournament begins.

Missouri State got off to a rough start this season — 3-11 in nonconference play — and never fully recovered. The Bears snapped their 19-straight winning-season streak, finishing 10-22 overall. The volleyball team hasn’t ended a season 10 or more games below .500 since records started being kept in 1972.

highlight, defeating the Bulldogs twice.

The Bears went 7-11 in conference play which was not good enough to be in the top six for the MVC tournament.

Missouri State hadn’t missed the postseason since 1998.

Part of the struggle was finding players to suit up. As of Nov. 13, seven players missed a total of 77 matches due to injury. Sophomore Amelia Flynn, freshman Brooklyn Cink, sophomore Sarabi Worsley-Gilbert, sophomore Alyssa Doucette, freshman Holly Luginbill, senior Aubrey Cheffey and junior Emelie Orlando all missed some playing time over the course of the 2019 season.

TH

happen all the time, they don’t always happen 18 days before the first game of the year.

“I learned to adapt quickly to a role I wasn’t expecting to have when I came to MSU,” Concepción said. “But, although the title changed, the task was the same: to lead a team through adversity with the help of amazing assistant coaches that were committed to excellence.”

CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge

TJ SCOTT Sports Reporter @iamtjs_

TY

As the first half of the Missouri State Ice Bears’ season comes to a close, they are ranked No. 22 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association and have a record of 8-7-1-1.

It may not have been the start the team was hoping for, but the team has slowly improved as the season continued.

The same can be said for the attendance at games, which is a high point for the Ice Bears.

The Ice Bears average 9001,000 attendees per home game at Jordan Valley Ice Park and have had three sellouts this season.

The official numbers are not available for all teams in Division I of the ACHA, but head coach Jeremy Law said the Ice Bears are somewhere in the top three in ACHA attendance nationwide.

Western Collegiate Hockey League Commissioner Chris Perry recently said on an episode of the “WCHL Podcast”

co-founded the team in 2001 and now serves in an advisory role, said the Ice Bears being a club team made them be intentional in how the team is run. The team does not receive any funding from Missouri State.

“Our philosophy when we started the team — and it’s continued since has been: we wanted to operate this just like a professional hockey team operates,” Melton said. “Our funding comes from the sources that we alone generate. The primary sources are player fees, which are around 45%, and the remainder is from ticket sales, merchandise sales and sponsorship sales. We made it into the black financially after the first seven or eight years, and we haven’t left.”

Attendance has also increased in recent years, which coincides with the hiring of Jeremy Law. Melton said attendance has increased with each improvement the team has made, whether it was moving

U

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STEPHEN TERRILL Sports Reporter @Stevethe2nd

Swim team to host two meets over break

RI

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019

S TAT E U N I

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VOLLEYBALL Continued from page 7

The senior class of Cheffey and Gerri Idos capped its Missouri State career with 81 wins, two MVC regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.

While the senior class is no stranger to the success and history of Missouri State volleyball, the sophomore class is en route to creating its own storybook ending.

The sophomores led in three statistical categories this

season: kill average, total kills and total digs.

This means the sophomore class led the season in both offensive and defensive categories, scoring points and keeping plays alive.

Chloe Rear made history this season recording five triple-doubles, the most of any Bear since 1989.

Azyah Green became the first freshman for Missouri State to collect 120 blocks in

one season since 2008.

Fourth-year junior Laynie Dake led the Bears in total kills with 300, becoming the first middle to do so for Missouri State since 2009.

Dake will not return to Missouri State next year, but Concepción said she played a vital role in helping the team through tough times this season.

“We were lucky to count on such a strong, transformational leader like Laynie Dake to help us spread the vision,” Concepción said.

Concepción said he was proud of the girls’ willing-

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019

ness to accept and embrace change.

“This transition has been hard on everyone, including coaches,” Concepción said.

“So there was a period of adaptation from each component. But we managed to stay on course, training and developing, making sure that the growth of the program kept moving forward, establishing a base for the future to come.”

Now that the season has concluded, a nationwide search begins to find a new head coach, as had been the plan all along.

SWIM Continued from page 7

both boards as well as keep the momentum and energy up for my teammates,” Popa said.

Even though these athletes have competitions over winter break they are still allowed time to visit family and friends.

“We give the athletes about 10 days off,” Collins said. “We’ll regroup before the new year hits and head to Orlando, Florida for training camp. It’s a great bonding

experience for the athletes before spring semester begins.”

The break also allows for different types of practices, being that there are no classes.

“As we enter the holiday break and school is out of session, it allows us to do different things for practice because we don’t have to take into account class schedules,” Collins said. “The flexibility on time allows us a block of important training.”

The Bears will face Drury University on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m. and Evansville on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m.

SOCCER Continued from page 6

Leamy said he and the team are grateful for the fan support they had during the season.

“We have the best supporters a college soccer team could ask for, and that’s a fact,” Leamy said. “We are so blessed to have the folks that got behind this team.”

As for next year — the Bears will return a majority of their roster.

Replacing the 15 goals, Bentley scored and the three goals Jones scored will be difficult, but not impossible.

The same can be said for the contributions from Stroud and Wilkin.

While nothing has been determined yet, there are a few players who came off the bench this season that will probably see an uptick in playing time next season.

Freshman midfielder Kian Yari, who was named to the Valley’s All-Freshman team, is a player Leamy said continued to improve as his first season went on. He is likely a candidate to take over Wilkin’s spot.

Defensively, redshirt freshman defender Hugo

Photos by CHRISTIAN CUOZZO and KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

(Above) Sophomore midfielder Jack Denton boots the ball through the rain to a teammate.

(Top left) The team celebrates senior Matthew Bentley’s game-winning goal.

(Bottom left) Junior Josh Dolling dribbles down the field.

The Bears recorded their best record to date this season. Their first recorded loss was against No. 8 UCF on Nov. 24.

Jönnsson filled in on the back end while the team had a few injuries in the early part of the season.

While he may not be in the center back role Stroud had,

he could find a more substantial role next season.

In the forward group, sophomore forward Dawson Lee was one of the first players to come off the bench in

many games.

Freshman forward Jon Koka played relief minutes this season when the coaching staff decided to rest Bentley and junior forward Josh Dolling in

certain situations.

“I don’t think any of us have thought about it too hard yet,” Leamy said. “We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team. We want to honor these

seniors, so we step up and have guys improve. The coaching staff has every confidence that these guys are going to rise and put everything they have into it.”

AP

ICE BEARS

quantity used to rank teams based on their wins and losses and strength of schedule, for two weeks now.

Missouri State fell just short of the AP poll the last three weeks. But it should be noted that the Lady Bears have received more recognition from the coaches around the country, coming in at No. 19 on Nov. 25.

Steve Gress covers Oregon State women’s basketball for Corvallis Gazette-Times and has voted on the AP poll for three years. Gress said last week mid-major teams tend to get overlooked early in the season because there isn’t a body of work for the season and voters may not be as familiar with them.

“It might just be people haven’t seen them play,” Gress said. “In my case, they were in the same bracket as Oregon State for the preseason WNIT, I tracked them. I was impressed with their win over Boise State having seen Boise play Oregon State in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year.

“I knew they had a pretty good team coming back. I had them ranked before playing Oklahoma. When I saw how well they played against Oregon State, I knew they needed to stay in my rankings.”

up to Division I of the ACHA, hiring Law or becoming yearly competitors in the ACHA national tournament.

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The season so far

KENDRA KERNEL/THE STANDARD

Junior Emily Gartner goes up for the layup. Gartner averages 9.1 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game this season.

Another voter, Kent Youngblood, covers the Minnesota women’s basketball for the Star-Tribune. He had Missouri State in his Top 25 ballot two weeks ago, but took them out after the loss to Oregon State.

“Even though it was a ‘good loss,’ I think it’s more difficult, especially early in the season, to identify good teams from smaller conferences,” Youngblood said.

Doug Feinberg, who is a national women’s basketball writer for AP, has compiled the voting polls for 12 years. Feinberg said mid-majors have a smaller room for error to reach the Top 25, especially in conference play when the compe-

tition is typically not as strong.

“That said, I think we have a pretty diverse voting board including some from mid-major areas, and I trust the voting board,” Feinberg said.

All of the writers agreed that Power 5 teams compared to mid-majors get the benefit of the doubt because they have a track record of success. For example, Notre Dame has a 12-year run of being nationally-ranked, but fell out of the Top 25 after losing to Tennessee and No. 16 Michigan State three weeks ago.

“I think coaching is a big reason,” Gress said. “In the case of Notre Dame, head coach Muffet McGraw has

proven she can mold a team quickly. That hasn’t been the case this year.”

Graham Hays, who covers NCAA women’s basketball for ESPN, said Missouri State didn’t get the benefit of the doubt until voters saw them consistently win.

He also compiles top mid-major rankings for ESPN every week. He ranked the Lady Bears as the new top-ranked mid-major in the country on Nov. 27.

“The Lady Bears are the rare mid-major that can afford to put their feet up at Thanksgiving with their resume work nearly complete,” Hays wrote.

The Ice Bears had a rough start to the season — the ice started to melt at Jordan Valley Ice Park right before the team had their third practice.

They were able to practice a few times right before their first game, but it took them a bit to get into the shape other teams were in.

The Ice Bears are inconsistent in their play this season. They beat top-ranked teams like No. 15 Arizona State and No. 8 Central Oklahoma in November, but they have also lost 5-0 to Colorado in October, which is CU’s only victory this season.

The coaches and players said while they are still not where they want to be in terms of their game-by-game performance, they are doing better now than they were in October.

“I think we’re still trying to find out consistent game,” assistant coach Brendan McClew said. “We’re still very hot and cold. We’ve gotten a lot better as of late, though.”

“We have improved in a lot of areas in the game,”

sophomore forward Chadd Lounder said. “We still have a lot more to improve on, but we’re on the right track.”

One thing that will help the Ice Bears find consistency is the return of junior forward Nikita Salnikov. Salnikov, the Ice Bears’ leading scorer in the 2018-19 season with 55 points, was injured at the beginning of October but is likely to return against Maryville on Dec. 5.

In Salnikov’s absence, senior forward Josh Bell has been the Ice Bears’ leading scorer with 25 points.

In the net, senior Brady Griffin and junior Bailey Stephens have almost equal time and save percentages higher than .900. Senior Brendan Shuck had a few starts in November, with a save percentage of .899.

The Ice Bears play Maryville on Friday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 6. After playing Maryville they will go on break for the holidays.

They will play an outdoor game on Jan. 3, on the NHL Winter Classic ice at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas against Oklahoma. Their regular schedule will come back on Jan. 10 against Lindenwood University, who is currently ranked No. 4.

9 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

Best holiday events in Springfield

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2019 Photo by KATE BROWN/THE STANDARD Graphics by ZOE BROWN/THE STANDARD

ESPORTS Continued from page 5

KELSEY BENACK Staff Reporter @kelseybenack

Missouri State students who are not from the Springfield area may not be familiar with the Christmas festivities that transpire. Fortunately, in Springfield and the surrounding areas there are an assortment of things to do to celebrate the holiday season.

they originally proposed to the university was that they were significantly behind other universities in funding.

“The number one problem we’re facing right now is awareness,” Tanner Thomas said. “A lot of people I talk to, from upperclassmen to incoming freshmen, have no idea we’re a thing.”

In addition to the physical expansion of esports, they are also looking into expanding their teams to games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Player Unknown’s BattleGrounds, Fortnite and Call of Duty.

CONFLICT Continued from page 5

Miracle of Christmas

Bagwell Lights

Date: Tuesday-Friday until Dec. 28 Time: 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Location: Sight and Sound Theaters, Branson, Missouri Distance from campus: 47 minutes Cost: $49 “Miracle of Christmas” is a performance put on at the Sight and Sound theater, illustrating the story of the birth of Jesus. This show is a little over two hours and contains an intermission.

Date: Starts on Nov. 29 Time: 5-10:30 p.m., 11 p.m. on weekends Location: 2008 E Cambridge St., Springfield, Missouri Distance from campus: 12 minutes Cost: Free Bagwell Lights is a family tradition that has taken place since 2002. Every year, this family puts on a display featuring 150,000 Christmas lights that change in correlation to holiday songs. The Springfield community can drive by, tune their radio to 105.5 FM, and enjoy the show.

“We go to Bagwell Lights every year,” Aleaha Mahan, a Springfield local, said. “It has sort of become a family tradition.”

An Old Time Christmas Date: Nov. 2- Dec. 30 Location: Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri Distance from campus: 56 minutes Cost: $71 “An Old Time Christmas” is put on by Silver Dollar City. This month-and-a-half long event showcases 6.5 million lights to its guests along with an eight-story Christmas tree.

Silver Dollar City often receives families who are on vacation, however the park offers season passes for a little over $100, with a $10 discount for children under 14 and seniors above 65. This allows locals and people in neighboring towns to get more out of their money if they plan to visit more than once.

“Silver Dollar City is always really popular during the Christmas season,” said freshman entrepreneurship major Parker Widmeyer, who is native to Springfield. plays

View the downtown tree Location: 134 Park Central Square, Springfield, Missouri Distance from campus: 6 minutes Cost: Free The Downtown Tree Lighting kicked off the holiday festivities and gave out free hot chocolate to members of the community on Nov. 23.

You can view the downtown tree all month long.

MSU Symphony “Nutcracker”Favorites

Date: Dec. 3. Time: 7:30-9 p.m.

Location: Juanita K Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, Springfield, Missouri. Cost: Free This annual event, sponsored by the MSU Department of Music, features a holiday-themed performance by the symphony and the grand chorus. The grand chorus will be leading the audience in a Christmas carol sing-along.

The music department recommends attendees bring canned goods to donate to the Ozarks Food Harvest food collection.

tension and conflicts.

For students like Winter, this method is effective. Winter said he deals with conflict by trying to distract himself and diffuse the conflict.

“If you need to, walk away and cool off from a heated situation,” Winter said.

For year-round family conflicts, Berquist said to address issues around instead of directly during the holidays.

Berquist said the best way to handle these situations is to calmly address issues around the holidays to resolve them.

If conflict with family is too much, the CDR recommends spending the holidays without family.

Another tip the CDR gave is to “anticipate conflicts and your reactions.” They said planning reactions can give you the extra step of how to handle situations better than just anticipating the conflict.

The CDR said if you only anticipate conflict occurring, it will prime your mind for an argument. They said by planning your reaction, it allows you to think through conflicts in a calmer manner.

Winter finds a support system has also been helpful in coping with family conflict.

“My close friends know what I go through so they are always there to cheer me up and vice versa,” Winter said.

Winter said he recommends finding a stress reliever to help maintain composure when conflict starts.

“If you fight the conflict with anger you’ll make it escalate and fast,” Winter said.

The CDR has ways students can contact them and set up meetings for those who struggle with family and other conflict issues.

The CDR will be holding similar workshops in the spring semester. In January, they will be holding a Feedback for Improvement workshop to better improve communication skills.

In April, they will be holding a workshop in the PSU over Communication and Conflict Coaching.

10 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019

ACCESS

DIVERSITY

According to Stewart, Residence Life does not prioritize any accessibility needs, but rather works on what renovations and refurbishments they have prepared for.

“I kinda need to take a breath with how we are spending money because (Holland House) is a big chunk of change and there’s a laundry list of things that need to be done,” Stewart said.

Stewart said he is currently worried about overall residence hall roofing and the heating and cooling mechanics in Blair-Shannon House, which have not been updated since its construction in the 1960s.

He said he believes residence life does a good job of informing new and returning students of the accommodations within each residence hall. This being said, the Missouri State website does not include information about the special accommodations that must be requested by students within Freddy.

“I think we meet all of the requirements, it’s just not as convenient,” Steward said.

and investment for the university.

“I believe a new Multicultural Student Center would create more community while also retaining and attracting students to MSU,” Dirie said. “After the discussion, I felt really great with the direction we are going, and it showed that students want this and we need to continue to move the needle on this.”

The town hall closed with a question and answer session, and students were encouraged to email the Diversity Center’s discussion email, diversitydiscussioncenter@missouristate.edu, with any more questions or concerns.

“This was not random or just thought of overnight,” Eason said. “It was years of isolation and loneliness and feeling unwanted or unwelcome by many students of multicultural backgrounds for us to all team up together to get this changed and even considered. It took a lot of hard work and networking to get this meeting and stuff going. I feel we are finally being heard.”

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The front doors of Freudenberger House are not handicap accessible.

However, there is a handicap accessible entrance on the east side of the building.

ACTION Continued from page 1

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A large selection of Juul pods and devices fill part of the wall at Kum and Go.

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taxed like cigarettes.

Under Missouri state statutes, e-cigarettes are not included in the definition of “Tobacco Products.”

The long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are unknown.

The effects of cigarette smoking, such as heart disease and cancer, typically occur in adults after years and decades of smoking. Because vape products are so new, the long-term health effects are unknown.

story out of what happened.

“Both sides have been collaborating and the situation has been solved,” McComas said in an email.

Similar to McComas, President of Generation Action Kaylynn Wake said what happened was handled internally.

“This was an issue and we have addressed it internally and privately for many reasons,” Wake said in an email.

Mahnken said Generation Action handled the incident very well and appreciated how they talked to the president of the fraternity in question.

“I think that that was the right move to make to address the fact that they had intentionally partnered with an organization to learn about sexual assault prevention and general sex education matters, and then ignored it and treated it disrespectfully,” Mahnken said.

While she said it was handled well, there could have been more done to ensure it was members of Theta Chi who sent the texts.

“I think a step that was sort of missed was identifying and

making sure that it was the people from that fraternity whose behavior was in question,” Mahnken said. “I never really liked the idea of punishing a whole group for the actions of few.”

Mahnken said she noticed some men in their group were respectful during the presentation.

Wake and Smith did not want to comment further because they do not think it would “reflect well” on their organization and “could potentially damage our reputation with Greek Life at Missouri State.”

Wake said the goal of MSU Generation Action is to educate to help solve social problems.

“We did not want to put (Theta Chi) on blast and drag their organization through the mud because that is not what we are about or who we are,” Wake said.

A tweet made by MSU Generation Action said over 100 people came to the “Bear With Us” presentation.

“We’re so grateful to be part of the work toward makScreenshot from Rachel Smith’s Twitter ing SGF a more inclusive place!” the tweet said.

MSU Generation Action is says it is focused on reproduc- nity, inclusivity and more. the daughter organization of tive rights, social justice, diTheir last meeting of the Planned Parenthood. The club versity, the LGBTQ+ commu- semester is on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.