The Standard's 2.19.19 issue

Behind the scenes

‘I had to step up’

Swimming away

How is MSU preparing for ‘The Lion King?’

Local NAACP president brings young energy

Swimmers prepare to host championships

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

VOLUME 112, ISSUE 20 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

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Tied for first in conference Lady Bears bounce back after first loss since December AMANDA SULLIVAN Sports Editor @mandasullivan14 There are just six regular-season games left for the Missouri State Lady Bears and they’re sitting in first place of the Missouri Valley Conference, tied with conference rival Drake.

Both teams are 11-1 in conference play.

Drake has a better overall record of 19-5 while Missouri State is 15-8. The Lady Bears struggled early on against extremely difficult opponents.

That struggle ended on Dec. 20 with a win over Louisiana Tech at the Roo Holiday Classic. The team went on to win 12 more, before losing 60-56 to Illinois State on Feb. 15. The loss showed that the Lady Bears aren’t perfect, but a loss had to come at some point. The perk of the loss is that it came against Illinois State, a team that is currently ranked fourth in the MVC. Missouri State already beat Drake once on Feb. 1 on the road. The Bulldogs fought hard, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Lady Bears fought harder, though, and came back in the final 10 minutes to win 85-79.

The key for the Lady Bears is going to be focusing on the little things. In the loss to Illinois State, the Lady Bears couldn’t really get into a rhythm. They shot 37.5 percent from the field, missing all 14 three-point attempts. By the end of the game, the confidence the u See WOMEN’S, page 6

M V C

MSU houses state’s only United Nations library ZOE BROWN Staff Reporter @zoe_zoebrown Missouri State University has been part of the United Nations depository library program since 2000. Currently, there are 355 depository libraries in 136 countries and territories around the globe. MSU is the only U.N. depository in the state of Missouri.

The intended purpose of the depository system is for documents of the U.N. to be easily accessed by the general public free of charge.

The depository system was put in place just one year after the formation of the U.N. in 1945.

Bill Edgar, governmental information librarian at Meyer Library, said having the depository as a resource on campus is in line with Missouri State’s public affairs mission.

“It is important for us to have this because of the status of the U.N. as the preeminent intergovernmental organization in the world,” Edgar said. “It’s a place where a lot of humanitarian work is done. It’s the place where nations can come together and talk rather than fight.”

Edgar said most of the work published by the U.N. are primary sources obtained by data gathering.

“It’s original data,” Edgar said. “They’ve gone out and found data in the world and are presenting it. It’s not filtered.”

The data gathered by the U.N. is used by the general assembly to formulate policies and make decisions. It can also be used by the general public.

“There’s this idea of openness and transparency,” Edgar said. “They wanted people to use it to learn about the world, make decisions about the world.”

The depository is particularly useful to the

Model United Nations club at MSU. The physical library is located in the basement of Meyers Library Ashley Leinweber, associate professor of political science and advisor to the Model U.N., helps the club learn the proceedings of a model U.N. simulation.

“Students are randomly assigned countries,” Leinweber said. “They don’t have any expertise or background knowledge. We get them to role-play what that country would likely do about a particular topic.”

Each year, Model U.N. travels to St. Louis to compete in the Midwest Model United Nations Conference.

At this year’s conference, which takes place Feb. 20-23, the MSU team will be acting as Saudi Arabia.

In order to be successful at the conference, students must understand various topics and international politics as it pertains to their given country.

Edgar said the club uses information from the U.N. to understand the country they choose, gather data they need about that country and navigate global political happenings.

Katherine Cooper, senior political science major, is the president of Model U.N.. She said they use the depository for researching topics related to the state they represent during their conferences. “(It’s used) for simulations, transcripts of committee sessions, resolutions, working documents and treaties are especially helpful in drawing conclusions on foreign policies we know little or nothing about, as well as understanding diplomatic culture of different regions of the world,” Cooper said. u Read the full story at the-standard.org

Bears rally behind veteran seniors during success AMANDA SULLIVAN Sports Editor @mandasullivan14

And then there were three.

After the Missouri State men’s basketball team defeated Loyola 56-51 on Sunday, Feb. 17, the Bears moved into a three-way tie for first place with Drake and Loyola. All three teams are 9-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bears, who started the season losing every game on the road, are 7-1 over the last eight games.

Missouri State lost to Drake 74-63 on Jan. 20.

The next game was the turning point for Missouri State. The Bears came out playing a completely different style and dominated. It was their first win over a major opponent when the Bears defeated the Loyola Ramblers 70-35.

In the next game, Missouri State held Bradley to 37 points, securing a second victory with the new system. With the win, MSU became the second MVC team in the shot clock era to hold back-to-back conference foes to 37 points or less.

The Bears are now on a four-game win streak.

They bounced back from a five-point loss at Northern Iowa on Feb. 2 to defeat Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Evansville. The proof of how good this Missouri State team is — and can be — comes from the wins over Loyola. u See MEN’S, page 6

University cuts Latin major Despite cut, Foreign Language Institute continues to grow TINSLEY MERRIMAN Staff Reporter @MerrimanTinsley An upcoming report by the Modern Language Association recently found that 651 foreign-language programs had been closed at colleges during a three year period.

While the data does not mention Latin, it is the only language to be cut by Missouri State University as a major, according to Head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages Jason Jolley.

Despite that, Kelly Schlinder, Coordinator of Foreign Language Institute said that the Foreign Language Institute is now adding languages to its programs.

The FLI is a Springfield-based institute for those looking to expand their dialects, according to MSU. The institute is based out of the Jim D. Morris Center in downtown Springfield. While it is primarily run by MSU, the institute also partners with several other Springfield universities including Evangel and Drury.

Schlinder said the FLI is offering Hindi in fall 2019 and preparing for Swahili either fall 2019 or spring 2020. The FLI offers multiple levels of courses for all levels of students. Upper level courses include German, Chinese and Japanese. Spanish, French and Ancient Greek can be taken by all students.

Schlinder said that the FLI also offers American Sign Language and English as a Second Language. She also reported that the FLI teaches a basic Spanish course for students traveling to Spanish-speaking countries for short periods.

As for professors, Schlinder said “we hire

Foreign Language Enrollment in Missouri 2009 31,434

2013 34,507

2016 32,081

Graphic by EMILY COLE/THE STANDARD

based on enrollment, and we haven’t had to cut any.”

This is based on students per class, and no class has been too big or too small to cut a professor.

Contrary to that, the Latin department of MSU has already seen its finale.

The cut in Latin was due to only two students still taking it as a major. Seniors Drew Sigler and Rachel Hanlin were grandfathered in when the College of Arts and Letters cut the major in May 2017, Jolley said.

“Every few years the state asks the university to review its programs, and then if there are a certain number of majors with low numbers of graduates, the department has to consider dropping the program,” Jolley said.

Jolley said that even though the Modern and Classical Languages department doesn’t

u See LATIN, page 2

2 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Bringing Broadway to Juanita K

How Missouri State is preparing to host ‘The Lion King’ CARISSA ALFORD Staff Reporter @carissabalford Behind the elaborate costumes, intricate lighting and boisterous musical numbers of Broadway shows are people wearing all black, pulling ropes and running the show.

Springfield will soon be able to watch these people in action, with the Broadway production of Disney’s “The Lion King” coming to the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts Feb. 27 through March 10.

Edward Carson, technical director at Juanita K., has worked to bring multiple Broadway performances to Springfield, including “Wicked” in 2016 and “The Phantom of the Opera” in 2018.

He said “The Lion King” has been in the works for two years.

“They come in for a site visit, look the place over, take drawings and measurements, and then tell us exactly what we have to do,” Carson said.

Hammons Hall has to undergo a few modifications to fit everything “The Lion King” needs.

According to Carson, Juanita K. will be pulling seats out of the audience to create aisles that will be used in the show, and it’s no small feat.

“We are spending about $80,000 to get ready for them,” Carson said.

So close to curtain call, Carson only has to worry about getting the modifications done on time and keeping Disney happy. While it may sound easy, there are a lot of people who have to help.

“The largest call would be 77 people that has to be in here working,” Carson said. “When we move the show out at the end of the two weeks, we have to have 103 people.”

Carson said “The Lion King” takes three and a half days to load everything in, coming out of 16 semitrucks. He said it will take a lot

LATIN: Continued from page 1

of time and effort to meet the deadline.

“It’s a lot of making sure that we legally are okay, that we are all safe, that the actors will be all safe,” Carson said.

During the performance, Carson said the main thing crews do is answer questions. While it may seem like a great job because he would get to see award-winning shows, Carson said he rarely gets to sit and watch.

Like Carson, Angelina Adams, sophomore theatre technologies major, has worked on a Broadway show before.

She helped with “The Phantom of the Opera” this past summer by working the house lights and a few other jobs.

“I got to work the load in and load out, which is setting everything up and taking it all down,” Adams said.

Adams is a student backstage worker. She assists with shows and helps set up everything the show needs, as well as basic maintenance.

Preparing for “The Lion King” has been a lot of mundane work before the rest of the trucks get to Springfield.

“We’ve been super cleaning the building,” Adams said. “(We) make sure everything is super great and top notch so it can hold everything the Lion King is bringing in because they’re bringing in a lot.”

Adams admitted it was tough work, but not all of it is as bad as it seems.

“The biggest perk I’ve got since I got hired as a student through the university, I met a lot of the people coming through on tours,” Adams said.

As well as students, there are local stagehands that help run the show. Getting to know them previously from working on “The Phantom of the Opera” gave Adams extra opportunities.

“Since I’ve worked there long enough and got to know those people, they hired me to do Lion King outside the university,” Adams said. “So I get paid their wages and I get to see everything put together. I get to learn how it works and talk to union theater people and people on the tour.”

She said she gets to see more jobs the theater has to offer and get more real world experience that Missouri State does not cover.

Carson said, unlike Coger Theater where they build sets to fit the theater, Hammons Hall

“Lots of people don’t realize the necessity for classics, whether it’s involved in philosophy, civics, biology or really any department.”

have a major in Latin, it still has the highest number of minors in the university. It also has a “vibrant classics section,” and general education courses such as Heroic Quest and Classical Mythology.

Sigler said the dropping of Latin is a nega-

tive. He considers the language to be an important thing to study, as it deals with multiple subjects in the modern world.

“Well, the cut seems unnecessary and hurt the classics department a lot,” Sigler said. “They still offer a minor in Latin and a lot of religious

Submitted photo/Deen van Meer

Jared Dixon, center, as Simba in The Lion King North American Tour. has to force a show to fit in the space given. In some instances, the Juanita K. stage had more room than the show needed.

“With Lion King and Phantom and Wicked, it has to be exactly the same every time,” Carson said. “Whether it’s in New York City or Dallas, Texas.”

The production company has to come in and say whether or not the show can fit in the theater.

“They’re basically bringing their own theater with them and putting it inside our building,” Adams said.

It may seem like a daunting task, but the people on tour are experienced.

“The people on tour are extremely good at what they do,” Adams said. “They know exactly where everything goes and have a method to (setting up). They start yelling things for certain people to do and it goes by really fast.”

She said it took three days to set up “The Phantom of the Opera,” working 10-12 hours at a time. When it comes time for the first show to begin, Adams and other students get to relax.

“You don’t do anything except show up for the show and help put on the show,” Adams said. “When the show is over they immediately start taking everything apart so they can move on to the next city.”

For “The Phantom of the Opera,” it took 20 hours to take everything down and get on the road. After multiple hours of hard work, the truck drivers begin their trek to the next show.

With “The Lion King,” Carson said crews only have one night to load everything up and get on the road.

“The major part of it will be on the road around 8 in the morning,” Carson said.

One thing Carson wants people to realize is all the hard work that goes into making a performance, big or small, happen.

“I think a lot of our audiences don’t know what goes into a show,” Carson said. “They walk in at 7 p.m. and it’s ready.”

While it is a speedy take-down, Hammons Hall has been waiting for two years to host “The Lion King,” and the day is soon to arrive.

studies and history majors, so they still have to have the staff and teach the classes, and classics are important. By cutting the Latin program, it is a huge blow to the Modern and Classical Languages department.

“Lots of people don’t realize the necessity for classics, whether it’s involved in philosophy, civics, biology or really any department.”

Professor of modern and classical languages Pauline Nugent agrees. Nugent has been a professor for 27 years and said it’s a shame that

Latin is disappearing.

She says that it is against the MSU Pillars of Public Affairs goal of Cultural Competence.

“There is an unfortunate contradiction between our public affairs statement ... and not having (students) study a language,” Nugent said. “We learn how people think, and get a handle on understanding their motives and culture. Most of my students here have trouble writing actual English.”

Weekly Crossword © 2018 King Features Syndicate

ACROSS 1 Beavers’ structure 4 Second letter 8 Wild and crazy 12 Indivisible 13 Mideast airline 14 Sheltered 15 Gin, e.g.

17 Grad rags?

18 First murderer 19 Iron 20 Suitor 22 Paddock parent 24 Long-running Broadway musical 25 Pheasant or grouse 29 Fuss 30 Dental filling 31 Ultramodern (Pref.)

32 Backyard attraction 34 Somewhere out there 35 Feedbag fodder 36 Surprise big-time 37 Engine 40 Unwanted email 41 On in years 42 Morning garb 46 Entreaty 47 “Super-food” berry 48 Grecian vessel 49 Transmit 50 Group of cattle 51 Despondent DOWN 1 “What’s up, --?”

2 Literary collection 3 16th-century cartographer 4 Start 5 Verve

6 Highland hat 7 Brewery product 8 Capital of Croatia 9 Shaving cream additive 10 Information 11 Longings 16 Speaker’s spot 19 Quarry 20 Wound cover 21 Gully 22 Soda shop orders 23 Asian nurse 25 Summertime pest 26 Notorious 27 Caboose’s place 28 Collegian quarters 30 Construction piece 33 Gizmo

34 Winged 36 Garden intruder 37 3-Down’s creations 38 Leering look

39 Adolescent 40 Luminary 42 “Humbug!”

43 Expert 44 Lingerie item 45 Conclusion

THE STANDARD

opinion

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

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This is America: Be happy, be grateful ISAAC DEMOTTA Columnist @isaacdemotta

Illustration by ALYSSA VANDEGRIFT/THE STANDARD

President Trump’s border wall represents more than just national security JORDAN PHILLIPS Columnist @jrdnphillips

Over the last two months, we were bombarded with many headlines related to the president and the partial government shutdown that started in late December and ended 35 days later on Jan. 25. Over the course of those 35 days, a lot of people grew worried and frustrated, especially the 800,000 federal workers who went without pay during the shutdown.

According to Al Jazeera, the partial government shutdown started because President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress “failed to come to an agreement on whether to allocate funds to a wall on the U.S. southern border,” for which the president wanted $5.7 billion.

Hundreds of thousands of people went without work or pay because of a campaign promise he made three and a half years ago.

Many people have made the claim that the purpose of the wall is to strengthen our national security. I argue that the wall is not for our nation-

al security, but it is a monument of hate and symbolizes a fear of change.

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher once said that it was change anxiety, not economic anxiety, that got President Trump elected, and he did have a point. His whole slogan was to “Make America Great Again,” but to his fanatics, that meant turning the clock back on America 60 years. It was the broad changes in society that made his supporters scared and that is why they wanted — and still want — the border wall. To them, that wall symbolizes keeping out everything that is considered “other.”

This does not just mean physically keeping out Mexicans on our southern border.

This includes new ideas and laws that would give safety and freedom to minorities, immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community. The wall is also representative of everything that our president stands for. It is a costly, unnecessary monument to the hate that he spews every single day against these people. It goes against everything that the United States of

America was founded upon.

Here at Missouri State University, I am proud to see that we are such a diverse campus full of people from every background imaginable. It is a great thing to be an American because we are such a diverse nation of people and because we have freedoms here that other countries do not have, like the right to free speech, and I am a firm believer in free speech.

However, if what you are saying and defending are ideas that infringe on the basic rights of other human beings that are different than you, then you should probably stop talking.

We are the melting pot of the world, and to see people fully supporting the idea of a wall that symbolizes hatred while calling themselves Americans is mind-boggling to me. Our main priority should be making sure that everyone in this country is guaranteed a better, more fulfilling life, free from hatred and free from intolerance.

That is why the wall is so dangerous, not just because it is expensive and unnecessary, but because it symbolizes those very things.

“From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never.

All the armies of Europe and Asia … could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide.”

Above is one of my favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln. His notion is this: America is a terrific, powerful nation that enjoys freedoms unseen anywhere else in the world, and the only way these freedoms will be extinguished is if we, the people, allow them to be.

People are not by nature prone to goodness. Glancing back into the course of human events will give someone all the proof they need that if there is a way to do something wrong, then man will find that way. Perfection does not exist in nature and man is incapable of ever achieving perfection.

There will always be a pitfall, always a downside or a flaw.

Given this understanding of man, what are we as a society to do? We have two options: Either we can resort to despair and the constant complaint because the world is not how we would like it to be, or we can be optimistic and acknowledge that even though things aren’t perfect, they could be worse, all the while still striving for higher ideals.

It is evident to me which of these decisions too many of my peers and fellow citizens have made. Too many have chosen to be cynics. Instead of looking for the good around them and being of good cheer, they resort to complaining and despair. Ungratefulness of this sort is not unique to one aspect of society. Whether it is the economy, politics, religion, education or any other human activities, people are quick to complain.

Complaining of this kind

is foolish for a few reasons.

For starters, there has never before been a better time to be alive. America is the most free and most prosperous nation on the planet. Anyone born a citizen of the United States won the lottery of citizenship. Here are just a few reasons and examples to show why the United States is the most free and wonderful country on the globe.

Today in America, poverty is unrecognizable when compared to past poverty in the U.S. and contemporary poverty in many other countries. Because poverty is defined in relative terms, there are always going to be those who are considered poor. But those who are considered poor in this country live at a phenomenally higher standard of living than the middle class did just 40 years ago. According to the Heritage Foundation, the majority of poor households have multiple televisions, have at least one car or truck (many have two) and are overweight. This is simply not poverty by any stretch of the imagination.

To illustrate further how poverty is simply not what it used to be, consider this anecdote from when Calvin Coolidge was president from 1923 – 1929. The Coolidge Foundation documents the story of how his son was playing tennis on the White House tennis court and got a blister on his foot. What is today such an insignificant happening, ended up killing Coolidge’s son due to an infection.

Coolidge was obviously distraught when he lost his son, but had he been a poor man in America today, his son would certainly have lived. I do not say this tongue in cheek. What an amazing time to be alive.

One does not even need to travel back in time 90 years to see how wonderful things are today. For one last note on the blessing it is to live in the United States, consider some data gathered by Pew Research. Incredibly, 88 percent of Americans are upper-middle class or high income according to global standards. Out of that 88 percent, only 32 percent are upper-middle income, with

the other 56 percent being rich by world measures.

If reading the last three paragraphs does not inspire gratefulness in my fellow Americans, I don’t know what can.

Here someone might say that they cannot be grateful because even though the above statements about progress and prosperity are true, there is still so much inequity in this country. While I would probably disagree as to the extent of the inequity, of course it exists.

But it always will. As long as mankind is in charge of the earth, there will always be issues.

Suppose that the life expectancy in this country was to double, incomes were to double, and there was a major decrease in crime, to boot.

People would be elated and unable to contain their joy.

Songs would be sung and parties thrown. Thankfulness and gratefulness would abound for everyone. But then the day would end.

Extended lives, unprecedented wealth, and low crime rates would become the new norm. Health and Human services would announce that while the average life expectancy went up, and everyone will certainly live longer, some will live far longer than others.

Master economists would explain that because everyone’s income doubled, this means the millionaire now makes even more than his employee.

Others would lament that even though there are far fewer crimes now than before, there are still too many jerks and bigots in the country.

See how this works?

The more successful and prosperous man becomes, the more they complain. Living in the lap of luxury has caused too many to become spoiled, to the point that any hardship is perceived as the end of the world.

We are blessed to live in a country where prosperity is all around us and so we assume it is normal. It is not. Poverty, misery and despair are the default positions of man. For evidence, look at the majority of world history and the second law of thermodynamics.

u See AMERICA, page 8

Missouri State is awesome. Isn’t it about time our legislature recognizes that?

NATHAN BUNCH Columnist @NathanRBunch Let’s just start out with basic knowledge. Missouri State University rocks. From amazing programs to campus inclusion to public affairs pillars, Missouri State truly embodies what an incredible impact a great institution can have. But the Missouri state Legislature seems to think differently.

According to the Office of the President’s Legislative Priorities, out of the 10 Publicly Funded Universities in Missouri, Missouri State is funded the least per student, at $4,255 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

per student. That is about $500 less per student to the next lowest funded school, Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.

Now $500 may not seem like a lot, but when calculated per student, that brings a price discrepancy of around $9.5 million of funding that Missouri State would receive if given the same amount of funding as the second lowest school in the state.

If given the most funding in Missouri, which is currently Lincoln University at $9,764 per student — $5,509 per student more than us, Missouri State would receive $255.64

Fax: 417-836-6738 Standard@MissouriState.edu www.the-standard.org The Standard is published on Tuesdays during the fall and spring semesters.

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million from the state alone, more than double the current amount of $111.4 million.

These are all huge, overwhelming numbers, but to break it down simply, Missouri State is not being given the fair portion that it deserves for all of the amazing things it is responsible for, not only in Missouri, but nationwide.

Missouri State educates more Missouri students than any other institution, yet has received the least amount of funding per capita year after year.

An increase of capital would allow for vital and high demand programs such as

nursing to include more students and benefit the community with more qualified graduates that are needed in the southwest Missouri area.

This is also forming a crisis, with a lack of increased funding with the rapid increase of students attending Missouri State. With such great programs at an affordable cost, Missouri State has become increasingly popular, with an increased population every year.

Without funding appropriations, students will soon be directly affected by higher tuition and a cut in students the university is able to enroll,

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according to MSU’s Legislative Priorities.

An increase in tuition would directly hurt current and future students by putting higher education further out of reach for those at a lower socio-economic standing that may have struggled to pay for the steep price of college already, or had scholarships that only cover a certain amount.

By exacerbating this hardship, it will only further harm individuals’ chances of rising out of these lower standings by putting the tools and education needed out of reach.

But hope is not lost! You

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— yes, YOU — reading this have the power to help change our path. Call your state representatives. Tell them why Missouri State University deserves the increase in funding.

Share with them your amazing experience of being a Bear and why no one should be kept from that great opportunity.

Make your voice heard.

You’ve heard it before, but now it is time to make your Missouri STATEment. University President Clif Smart and others that lead us work tirelessly on our behalf, but it is up to us to help make legislative officials see that a change needs to be made.

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THE STANDARD

life

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

She’s ready to have in-depth conversations about racial issues Newest Springfield NAACP president brings millennialfocused energy, ideas to the organization LAYNE STRACENER Senior Reporter @LayneStracener When former Springfield NAACP President Cheryl Clay first asked Toni Robinson to take her place, she said no.

After Robinson graduated college, she was ready to move to a bigger city — but she lay awake at night thinking about Clay’s question, wondering if she made the right choice. Eventually, she decided leaving would be too easy.

“I felt like I had to step up,” Robinson said. “I found it so hard, and I still find it hard, to exist as an openly gay black woman in Springfield, but I know the work is far more important. I really don’t think I’d be here if the work wasn’t here to drive me.”

Robinson was sworn in as the Springfield NAACP president in December. Clay, who had been the president for eight years, stepped down to assistant secretary.

Clay said she was ready to step down. She wanted more time for herself, and she thought Robinson would be a good fit due to her organizational and people skills.

She said she was also drawn to Robinson because she is only 25.

“The younger generations are going to have to step up to the plate, because our country is a mess and our city is by no means perfect,” Clay said. “The NAACP is just as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. If you look at this country’s history, the younger generations have always been at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Robinson graduated from Evangel University in 2016 with a degree in broadcast journalism. By taking on challenging and controversial stories about race and diversity, she became more aware of and passionate about civil rights. It also aided in forming a network that helped bring such issues to light.

She became even more passionate and aware of civil rights issues after Ferguson in 2014.

“Even though I came from a predominantly black community in St. Louis to a predominantly white community in Springfield, I still hadn’t quite grappled what it meant to be black in America,” Robinson said. “Ferguson did that for me because my city was on fire.”

After Ferguson, Robinson was ready to have in-depth conversations about racial issues in America — but other people weren’t.

“It didn’t matter if I was talking to my black family or the community here where it’s mostly white — nobody was ready to have that conversation,” Robinson said. “That’s what compelled me to take action.”

Robinson said she hopes to engage younger generations and gain the trust of older generations.

“This movement was started by young people,” Robinson said. “(Martin Luther King, Jr.) had to start in his teens to have the success he had. I’m hoping my leadership communicates to the older generations that this is where it has always begun.”

Robinson has witnessed a different attitude and approach between older and younger generations. Millennials think and move at a faster pace and in a different way than older generations, Robinson said, mainly because of technology. This can be frustrating for people who didn’t grow up with smartphones, including Springfield NAACP Vice President Delilah Jackson, who said it’s important to have young leaders because they are tech savvy and know how to get the word out through social media.

Jackson said the younger generations have a new energy.

“They’re passionate and want to make change,” Jackson said. “If it’s something they think they can do, they make their voices heard and do it right away.”

Jackson said she thinks more people will get involved and the Springfield NAACP will become more active because of Robinson’s leadership.

“I think having a young leader with her energy, eagerness and zealousness will make the chapter more active, which will attract young people,” Jackson said.

Robinson said millennials are also often more willing to strategize while the older generations focus on preaching and word-ofmouth communication.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s the old way of doing things,” Robinson said.

“There’s a lack of new energy in the organization locally, so I’m looking to rejuvenate that.”

There is also a difference in what the older and younger generations have faced when it comes to civil rights.

“For the older generations, them or their parents were on the front lines back in the day,” Robinson said. “We listen to their stories, and here we are facing police brutality and mass incarceration. We don’t have the patience, and we don’t have time to wait.”

Mixed perceptions of the NAACP in Springfield have existed for about 50 years.

SINJIN SANDERS/THE STANDARD

Toni Robinson, the newest president of the Springfield NAACP, was elected to the chapter in December 2018.

Robinson said one negative perception is that there is not enough communication with the black community. She wants to get the black community more involved in the work she’s doing because they often reach out to her only if they are facing a problem.

She also wants to focus on other minority groups, such as people with disabilities and the LGBTQ community.

“

I still hadn’t quite grappled what it meant to be black in America. Ferguson did that for me because my city was on fire.”

Robinson plans to use social media to engage people and create progressive change in Springfield. She plans to find a team to update the Springfield NAACP website and social media. Since she took office, she has been active on the organization’s Facebook page, which was not as active before.

“I know we have a lot to do as far as building bridges within this organization and within the city,” Robinson said. “Now, they can

see what’s taking place and get involved.”

Robinson also plans to host community events where people can express their opinions.

“It won’t just be the board making decisions on their behalf,” Robinson said. “They’ll be included, so I think that’ll help, as well.”

The NAACP is currently bringing awareness to racial discrimination claims in Springfield Public Schools. Families have come forward with stories of discrimination and Robinson has brought these stories to light in hopes of gaining support and empowering people to let their voices be heard. She plans to host town hall meetings where parents and their children come to voice their experiences to the media and SPS administration.

By having community participation and leadership participation with different entities such as SPS or the Springfield Police Department, Robinson said she thinks people’s voices and experiences will be heard and action will be taken.

“I want people to understand that there are people who are dealing with different issues and that we need these entities to do their jobs, be held accountable, take action to face racism and call it out for what it is,” Robinson said.

Robinson is also working on revitalizing the NAACP college chapter at Missouri State University. She plans to create a working board and find a faculty member to lead the chapter.

“I want to make sure they understand how important this chapter can be for the campus as well as the community at large,” Robinson said. “I’d love for students to be aware that this is an organization for everyone, and there are unlimited ways the NAACP college chapter can connect with other organizations to bring awareness.”

MSU master’s program prepares students for defense, treaty work AFTON HARPER Staff Reporter @affie888 Corey Pfluke and her classmates walk down a Virginia trail through a wooded area and stop in a secluded space containing a small bridge and a storm drain. Pfluke can see an old sign set back away from the road facing her.

She’s standing where Robert Hanssen came to sell classified information to the Russians throughout the closing years of the Cold War. “Going there was kind of surreal,” Pfluke said. “I had spent months reading this person’s life story and learning about how he became a traitor … but it was all kind of abstract. To be able to actually go to those places made everything so much more real.”

Pfluke and her classmates are part of the Master of Science, Defense and Strategic Studies program at Missouri State University.

The program is located in Fairfax, Virginia, approximately half an hour away from Washington, D.C. The program was relocated to Fairfax in 2005 to allow students to work more closely with defense industries in Washington.

Pfluke describes Fairfax as the “Whole Foods” of cities, a safe suburban area for families to live.

The Fairfax campus is located in an office building that has four classrooms, a library and various administrative offices. The DSS classrooms

are located on the seventh floor.

As part of the program, students study topics such as international security, intelligence and nuclear strategy and arms control.

The Missouri State Board of Governors approved a new doctoral program for the Science, Defense and Strategic Studies Department at the Jan. 16 executive committee meeting.

Military personnel also have the opportunity to enhance their understanding of weapons of mass destruction, adjunct DSS professor John Rose said.

Many of the professors in the DSS program are practitioners, meaning that many of them worked in intelligence and defense industries, which allows students to build connections in fields they have an interest in entering.

Rose said many students in the DSS program have the opportunity to gain practical experience by working with the federal government through internships.

Rose said students don’t necessarily have to come from degrees in political science. He said they even had a student with a degree in music that went to DSS for their master’s program.

The skills the program provides students with fit within a variety of jobs, such as working for think tanks and many levels of government or international affairs.

Pfluke earned her bachelor’s degree in global studies on the Springfield campus and wanted to focus on diplomacy. One of her teachers advised her

that it would be more realistic to look into defense studies because people with degrees in defense, she said, are more likely to get jobs in diplomacy. “(The faculty) really do care about their students,” Pfluke said.

Pfluke and her friends joke about how small Washington is despite its population size.

She said lots of connections are made through people going out for coffee or having their resumes forwarded to other people in various fields.

“Knowing people is everything,” Pfluke said. “The amount of times I run into the same people I know at random events in D.C. is ridiculous.”

Pfluke said she has gained a lot of confidence in America’s defense because of her experience in the DSS program.

“If there’s anything I learned from this program, it’s that the United States is prepared to defend ourselves against any sort of attack,” Pfluke said.

Pfluke, who graduates in May, is writing her graduate thesis on state-funded bioterrorism — terrorist acts that involve the intentional use of viruses, bacteria or other germs to sicken or kill humans, livestock or crops to further personal or political agendas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pfluke will start full-time work with Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company in Maryland, in the next couple of weeks. She will focus on analyzing defense treaties.

IMDb

From left, Matthew Gray Gubler, Kyle Gallner and Adam Nee in the 2015 film, “Band of Robbers.”

‘Band of Robbers’ gives Tom Sawyer saga new life COLE TRUMBLE Critic @Cole_Tr

A while ago, I was speaking with a friend about something I have called the “heist team.” I highly recommend that everyone makes one; it is essentially a list of people you know that you would call upon to assist you in a heist. The qualifying characteristics are usually a strong friendship or bond, but more importantly a fantastic combination of nerves of steel, practical heisting skills and a healthy dose of moral ambiguity.

This list of people are your ride or die. For those of you too cowardly to plan a heist, think of this list as your “pick-you-upfrom-jail” friends. In a sticky situation, you want them by your side as useful and strong partners. Together with this pirate crew, you are a force to be reckoned with.

A pirate crew is exactly the sort of thing Tom Sawyer puts together in this week’s film, “Band of Robbers.” This was recommended to me by a friend who knows that I thrive on the idea that breaking the law is OK if you’re a good guy. While that makes a fun film on its own, the beauty of this movie comes from its concept, which is as imaginative as it is well-executed.

Sawyer and Huck Finn embark on the classic Mark Twain journey to find Murrell’s treasure, but this time in the modern day American Southwest, and the gang is all grown up. In this film, Finn has just gotten out of prison for a crime he and Sawyer

u See TRUMBLE, page 5

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 5

TRUMBLE ‘It all happens organically’: Hometown Tourist, a versatile band not easily defined Continued from page 4

REESE RADMACHER Staff Reporter @Reese_Radmacher Chance lingered in the air one evening as percussionist Tyler Bennett made his way to the Bistro Market in downtown Springfield after a day’s work. He arrived to find a bartender, a man sampling moonshine and a solo performer named Todd Osbern — who would eventually play a pivotal role in displaying Bennett’s musical talent through the formation of Hometown Tourist.

For Osbern, vocalist, lyricist and rhythm guitarist of Hometown Tourist, it was his first night playing solo at the Bistro. A week before the chance encounter, Osbern’s former band Canto 17 officially split.

“I believe in synchronicity and paying attention to things that feel like they’re supposed to happen,” Osbern said. “This was a synchronistic moment.”

“I had never played in a bar or anything like that,” Bennett said. “Todd sends me this huge, long text of ‘everything happens for a reason,’ and I was like ‘yeah, sure.’”

Later on, when Osbern met bass guitarist Matt Streuber, an alumni from the Missouri State Jazz Studies Department, they established a three-piece band named Hometown Tourist.

Streuber suggested including his friend Jimmy Roffman, an electric guitarist and alto and tenor saxophonist also from the jazz department at MSU. But after about two years, Roffman moved away and his friend Drew Axley, a sophomore alto saxophonist also from the MSU jazz department, stepped in to complete the fourpiece band they are today.

As a dynamic group with personal influences ranging from Louis Armstrong and Buddy Rich to Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and the Arctic Monkeys, their sound can be difficult to categorize.

Osbern said they are frequently compared to the Dave Matthews Band and described as having more of an edge, but Osbern likens their sound to an acoustic version of the Arctic Monkeys.

“It just kind of comes out how it comes out, and thankfully (our sound) is pretty unique but also relatable,” Osbern said. “We’ve struck a nice balance between uniqueness and kind of a mainstream appeal.”

Axley, also known as “Dax on Sax,” pulls in a jazz element through his improvised solos which Streuber said “brings the song to new heights.”

Streuber lays the foundation and integrates funky undertones while Bennett maintains the groove in the back — paralleled by his calm

and collected persona.

Osbern’s spirited nature and animated performance adds a distinctive flare to the bands unorthodox blend of jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, folk and acoustic-driven rock.

Although each member varies in their style and stage presence, the comradery and mutual respect among the group is transparent.

“It all happens organically, and at a certain point, I’ve noticed we start communicating almost telepathically,” Osbern said as everyone nodded in agreement. “There’s this unspoken language … it’s a kind of magic that I haven’t experienced before except for on stage with these dudes.”

This type of collaborative mentality is of equal importance in their songwriting process.

The band plays a wide range of covers, but they have a substantial amount of original songs as well. Osbern has written the lyrics and rhythm guitar part for over 60 original songs, some of which he’s forgotten due to his constantly evolving thought process and desire to keep looking forward — not to the past.

After writing a song, Osbern takes it to the group where the musical side of things is altered to represent the collective style of the members and improve the overall sound.

The majority of Osbern’s musical knowledge was self-taught due to his late entry into the music scene at the end of his college career at Drury University. Osbern said his main weakness is not being as musically developed as his bandmates.

However, he makes up for this in his creative ability. Osbern uses his knowledge of psychology, of which he earned a degree in at Drury, to write songs that will make people feel good about themselves and their lives.

“I definitely don’t have a problem writing — there’s no writer’s block,” Osbern said. “If anything, it’s the opposite. Maybe it’s an addiction. I don’t know if there’s a 12-step program for writers to stop writing, but I got loads of notes, poems, writings and thoughts.”

Osbern said he draws inspiration from virtually anywhere, whether it be poetry or a conversation he overhears.

An original song titled “The Entire Universe is the Smell of Burnt Almonds” was inspired by a talk that philosopher Alan Watts gave.

Even their name, Hometown Tourist, was inspired by a Death Cab for Cutie song titled “You Are a Tourist.” The song mentions feeling like a tourist in your own city which made Osbern contemplate the irony of the name Hometown Tourist.

“Feeling like maybe you don’t fit in, which our music doesn’t necessarily fit into a genre,” Osbern said. “It’s a little outside the box.”

GRETA CROSS/THE STANDARD

Todd Osbern, vocalist, guitar player and songwriter for Hometown Tourist, sings during a performance at Krave Seafood and Oyster Bar on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Last summer, the band won a spot to play at the Ozark Amphitheater in Camdenton, Missouri, where they met multiple talent scouts and artists and repertoire representatives. They received critical advice from Dennis Gelbaum, involved with music artist management and development, on ways to better brand themselves and enhance performance value.

“If the crowd is there to see you, you have to play to them,” Bennett said in reflection on the advice. “They have to reciprocate it. They’re gonna have as much fun as you’re having.”

Osbern said they made many connections who they still keep in contact with today.

“It feels like there’s a wave that could break anytime with all these connections that we have,” Osbern said.

As of now, the band has not released any albums — but they are currently working on their first one.

Hometown Tourist performs all over Springfield with upcoming shows at Patton Alley Pub and Shuffle.

“People walk through those doors, and they’re family for three hours,” Osbern said.

“They leave all the other s--- behind and just let (it) all go for that time period.”

committed together, but Sawyer wasn’t caught. Instead, Sawyer is a cop with his own handgun and a desire to be a hero.

What happens next shapes Sawyer and Finn’s future with a fresh twist. Sawyer uses his typical charm to convince the gang to heist Murrell’s treasure from a local store affiliated with criminal activity. After the job goes down, Sawyer and Finn find themselves chased by murderers and criminals determined to take back what’s theirs.

They need to use some quick thinking and some last minute heroics to make it out with the loot and their lives.

For a comedy film I’ve never heard of, the cast is impressive. The movie features Hannibal Buress and Matthew Gray Gubler as Ben Rogers and Joe Harper, the other two members of the “band.” Stephen Lang also makes an eerie and hilarious appearance as Injun Joe. The actors are able to walk the line between sincerity and humor to make every scene engaging and entertaining.

Of course, all would be lost unless Sawyer and Finn were also played by fantastic actors. Finn is played by Kyle Gallner, who brings desperation with a tinge of wanderlust to his character. Sawyer is played by Adam Nee, who packs in as much foolhardiness and charisma as possible into every scene.

Adam Nee and his brother, Aaron Nee, both directed and wrote the film.

Writing a movie like this involves a clear vision that really shines through in the final product. You can tell a lot about the Nee brothers by how they pursue Twain’s epic tale.

The curves and bends of the classic story all feel fresh and exciting, and there is plenty of extra symbolism tossed into the mix. There were moments I got out of my seat from excitement and had to cover my mouth from shock.

Good writing needs good direction to give it life and depth. The Nee brothers create a whole world of adventure and heroism. The authenticity of the emotional overtone of the film is palpable and saturates the entire experience. Love shows — and the Nee brothers cared when they created this movie.

But for all of the good things I have to say about this film, it isn’t perfect. There are quite a few moments where the dialogue hits some rough patches, and it isn’t a beautiful spectacle for the ages. But the biggest thing that keeps this movie from being great is exactly the thing that makes me love it so much.

“Band of Robbers” caters to a specific emotion and desire: the desire to be a hero, the desire for adventure. This isn’t to say that very few people are interested in those things, but the intensity of that desire and how much that feeling shows in the movie could isolate some audience members.

I hope you watch this movie, and I hope you like it. It’s one of my favorite movies I’ve seen in a long time, and I can’t wait to see it again. It really appeals to the sense of excitement and adventure that we are in danger of losing as we get older. There are things out of the ordinary, mundane, regular dayto-day that are worth doing and fighting for to make life more worth living. 8/10

6

THE STANDARD

sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

Women’s swim predicted to repeat last year’s success CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge

MEGAN BURKE/THE STANDARD

Anna Miller, left, and Libby Howell became best friends when they started swimming for Missouri State. The sophomores bonded due to similar personalities and never having competition between them since they compete in different events.

Paths intertwined Swimmers crossed paths in high school, now are best friends school via social media.

While they weren’t roommates right off the bat at Missouri State, they immediately became friends upon arriving on campus in August 2017 Libby Howell and Anna Miller were two of at the residence halls. the top-ranked high school swimmers to come out of their home states in the class of 2017.

“She literally told me, ‘We are Howell, a native of Bixby, Oklahoma, and going to be best friends.’”

Miller, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, competed -Libby Howell against each other as they were in the same region.

Now, they have crossed paths again as members of Missouri State University’s swimming “That is kind of how we grew closer beand diving team coming off record-breaking cause living with someone is really hard,” seasons as freshmen.

Miller said.

And both have also grown into not only roomMiller said it was also helpful in becoming mates but best friends outside of swimming. friends because they didn’t swim in the same “I think a lot of it went back to recruiting,” events, so there was no competitive aspect to swimming and diving head coach Dave Collins anything. said. “When we were recruiting both of them, When they both were freshmen, Howell I think it was a big deal. They were both really said they would always talk and hang out, even good swimmers in the region. Although, they though they didn’t actually live together. may not have known each other, they knew each “I was very intimidated by her (at first) because other’s names during their high school times. I knew she was really fast, but immediately after “I think they helped recruit each other to that, we clicked,” Howell said. “She literally told come here.” me, ‘We are going to be best friends.’”

a tough time with a friend back home and Howell was there for her through everything.

“It was a really, really hard time for me,” Miller said. “She is a really, really sweet girl.

Whenever I was upset, I would go to her room and she would comfort me. She was a really great friend to have through that time.”

Howell said the reason they clicked so fast as friends is because they are both introverts and that allowed them to relate with each other well.

“We always hang out,” Howell said. “Never really in big groups, so I think that is how we grew closer.”

Miller described both of their personalities as “go with the flow kind of people.”

“Neither of us are like, ‘Oh, I want to go out on the weekend and do this. I want to go to Bass Pro or I want to go hiking,’” Miller said. “We are pretty much going with the flow.

Just kind of chill and hang out.

“I think that is why we get along because we do whatever. We both have boyfriends this year and we both hang out with them. We understand that and make time for everything.”

Howell said swimming has had a tremendous amount of impact on their friendship.

Becoming friends Growing closer and closer “I think it has drawn us closer,” Howell said.

Howell and Miller first officially connected The more they got to know each other, the “It has also given us competition, too. It is a the summer before their freshman year after closer Howell and Miller grew as friends. u See FRIENDS, page 8 years of following each other’s success in high Miller said last year she was going through DEREK SHORE Sports Reporter @D_Shore23

Playoffs are looming WOMEN’S for the MSU Ice Bears Continued from page 1

SAM GRUS Sports Reporter @SCGRUS_6 Few things in sports are more exciting than playoff hockey, whether its professional or at the college level, the atmosphere jumps to another level.

Coming into the weekend, the Missouri State Ice Bears were ranked No. 12 in the nation and were facing the University of Arkansas.

With just seven games remaining in the season, every minute matters and when playing the rival Razorbacks, it means a little more.

“We had a crowd of 600-700 people in attendance on Friday night,” head coach Jeremy Law said. “On Saturday night, we had a sell out and saw close to 1,200 people in the stands.

Our guys really feed off our fans.”

Missouri State took the first game of the weekend by a score of 4-3. Law played Brendan Shuck between the pipes for his eighth start of the season.

“All three goalies have been outstanding this season,” Law said. “They’ve earned the right to play. It’s tough making that choice every night.”

The Ice Bears defense played well in front of the backup goalie, only allowing 19 shots on net. Shuck would turn 16 of them away.

The win on Friday night gave Shuck his eighth win of the season. Even with two goals coming late in the third period — one coming with an extra attacker for Arkansas — Shuck played well enough to give the Ice Bears a chance.

The offense put the pressure on the Arkansas net minder, getting 36 shots on goal.

“We had some good chances against them on Friday night, had a strong second period that really turned the game in our favor,” Law said.

Recording an assist, forward Nikita Salnikov added to his team-leading 49 points. His linemate Travis Barrett scored the game-winning goal late in the second period, the goal was his 22nd on the year and gives him 33

points on the season.

Saturday night would not yield the same outcome for the Ice Bears, losing 4-3 in overtime.

“We hit a couple posts in OT, Josh Bell had one go off the crossbar,” Law said. “You’ve got to give credit to their goalie.”

Law started Brady Griffin the start in goal on during the contest on Saturday. Griffin turned away 26 of 30 shots faced and was key in keeping the Razorback special teams from being the deciding factor. The Razorbacks converted on two of their nine power-play opportunities.

Bell,a forward, found the back of the net twice, giving him 16 goals this season. Both of his goals came on the man-advantage, the Ice Bears power-play unit converted on three of their 12 power plays.

“We’re a little snakebitten right now, converting on three of 22 power play opportunities is not what you want to see,” Law said.

Even with the loss to Arkansas on Saturday, the Ice Bears should maintain their spot in the rankings at 12. The club has five games remaining on the regular season, and only two of the five are at home.

Missouri State is going to have to find ways to win on the road. The Ice Bears are 8-7 away from Mediacom Ice Park.

“Big series this coming weekend in North Dakota. We need to start peaking and playing our best hockey at this time in the year,” Law said. “We played down to Arkansas last night, and that’s not something you want to see right now.”

Missouri State is going to lean heavy on goalie Bailey Stephens. His save percentage of .912 in conference play this year is alarming.

“It’s been a dogfight for all three guys this year,” Law said. “Brady played really well last night, makes my job difficult.”

Griffin has a save percentage of .933 and a goals against average of 1.86 in conference play.

The Ice Bears won’t see home ice again until they face Oklahoma on March 1.

Their next game is Thursday, Feb. 21, against the University of Jamestown.

Lady Bears had in themselves dwindled.

Freshman Sydney Manning is shooting .328 from behind the arc, the third highest percentage of all Lady Bears that average more than 12 minutes per game. The only two ahead of her are fellow freshman Sydney Wilson (.417) and senior Danielle Gitzen (.351).

With less than 20 seconds on the clock against Illinois State, Manning received the pass in at the top of the key. Missouri State was down 57-54. Instead of attempting a 3-pointer, she opted for a layup. The shot was blocked, and junior Brice Calip was forced to foul her Redbird opponent to limit the damage. Head coach Kellie Harper said the Lady Bears needed to have confidence in their shots, and they lacked that in the Illinois State game.

Gitzen and Calip both said the Lady Bears had to do the little things like having confidence in shots and working for the ball.

Less than 48 hours later, the Lady Bears fixed what they could. The first quarter of Missouri State’s Sunday game against Bradley was sluggish. Harper said she thought some of the mojo from the Illinois State game carried over. But a media timeout calmed the nerves of everyone, and the Lady Bears were off to the races.

The Bradley Braves stayed in the fight for most of the game — the score was tied at half.But the Lady Bears adjusted a bit more and exploded in the second half. They shot 72.7 percent from the field. In the fourth quarter alone, Missouri State outscored Bradley 29-13.

Next up is Valparaiso on Feb. 22. The Lady Bears will be on the road, where they are 5-5, but they defeated Valparaiso 108-63 the last time the teams met up on Jan. 27. Two days later, Missouri State will face Loyola, who is 6-7 in the conference.

The Lady Bears will return home to battle Northern Iowa and Drake on March 1 and 3.

Northern Iowa currently sits in third behind Drake and Missouri State. The Panthers nearly beat Missouri State on Feb. 3, but a 23-29 performance from the free-throw line allowed the Lady Bears to pull out the win.

Missouri State will head to Moline, Illinois, for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in hopes of a championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Until then, though, there’s still a lot of basketball left.

The Missouri State women’s swimming and diving team has been preparing for several weeks for the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championships. Missouri State will be hosting the meet for the first time ever at Mizzou. The women’s team has won the title for the past two years, and they hope to continue that streak of excellence.

But every season is different.

Head coach Dave Collins stressed it doesn’t matter what happened the year before, you have to forget about it and move on to focus on the now.

“You can learn from past years and history, but you have to treat each year like its own team, its own season, its own goals,” Collins said.

This year’s women’s roster is smaller than years previous, meaning there will be a tight race to the top. The title could potentially come down to the last day of the meet, maybe even the last race.

Senior Josie Pearson is a three-time AllMVC First Team athlete and currently holds the school record for the 400-meter individual medley (4:18.09). At last year’s conference championship, Pearson took home silver in both the 200 and 400 individual medley and bronze in the 200 butterfly.

Pearson said she is looking forward to making waves again at this year’s meet.

“I’m getting really excited to hopefully go out with a bang with my last meet ever,” Pearson said.

Senior Loretta Stelnicki is also a threetime All-MVC First Team athlete. In last year’s contest, she was a gold medalist in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays. Individually, Stelnicki took home bronze in the 200-meter backstroke and fifth place in both the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Stelnicki thinks the team is ready to put up a fight at conference.

“We had a really good training trip down in Florida, and everyone has been doing really well in practice,” Stelnicki said. “We’re excited to see what happens in a week.”

The Bears are projected to come out the conference champions according to the pre-championship poll. Collins said there are always high expectations when going into high-intensity meets, but said it’s just about going out and producing.

“We’re excited,” Collins said. “We’re looking forward to getting in there and doing the best we possibly can.”

Stelnicki said it’s important to keep emotions in check at this meet and to not let the rollercoaster overwhelm or get the best of you.

The meet kicks off on Feb. 20.

MEN’S Continued from page 1

The first win showed that not only is head coach Dana Ford willing to adjust a playing style that isn’t working, but the players are too.

Seniors Jarred Dixon and Ryan Kreklow have been impressive. They are the two seniors that stayed to play for Ford, and they are excelling in Ford’s system.

Kreklow is shooting 42.7 percent from behind the 3-point line. Even when he was going through a scoring slump, Kreklow was racking up assists. Since conference play started on Jan. 2, Kreklow has put up 23 of his 34 assists.

He had a season-high four assists on Jan. 5 when he only made 1-of-6 against Valparaiso.

Kreklow’s performances against Loyola gave the Bears the push they needed to win — especially in the second game. In both games, he shot above 60 percent. Kreklow ended the second game with nine points, two rebounds and one assist. It doesn’t matter how Kreklow has a good game — whether it’s on offense, defense or both — as long as Kreklow has the energy to contribute to the Bears on the court, it makes a huge difference.

The same can be said for Dixon.

Dixon has been a consistent shooter from all over the field, shooting at 45.6 percent. Dixon shot a perfect from the field, going 4-4, the second time against Loyola. He missed one free throw, but still gave the Bears 10 points. Dixon is currently averaging 13 points per game.

Now, the remaining starters, juniors Keandre Cook and Tulio Da Silva, along with senior Josh Webster, have been outstanding for the Bears, but fans and young players can buy into the performance of Dixon and Kreklow. They were here before and they’re here now absolutely showing out for the Bears.

The biggest games for Missouri State are still to come with the top seven teams being within two games of first place. Obviously Missouri State is going to play hard against Northern Iowa on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The last loss was a gritty fight to the end. Not only are the Bears looking for redemption, they are playing on their home court, a place the Bears are currently 10-2. UNI is 2-8 on the road.

The final game against Drake will clearly be the biggest game at the end of the season. If the Bears can win the three before Drake, they have the chance to keep the ball rolling and secure a high seed into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 7

Manning a new coach, team Bears strike

The family business CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE Senior Sports Reporter @claireniebrugge “But son, you’re giving up your dream.”

“No, dad, I’m giving up your dream.”

Unlike every Disney Channel movie’s father-son relationship, this story has a different ending.

At age 12, Sam Esser began playing handball off the garage wall with his father. He recruited three of his best friends to play with him and together they traveled all over the Midwest – Iowa, St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield – playing handball.

At first, Sam hated handball because he wasn’t very good. The only thing he really enjoyed was getting to go on road trips with his buddies. At the age of 14, Sam’s dad, Jake Esser, signed Sam up for a world tournament hosted in Kansas City, Missouri — against his will.

At the tournament, Sam beat

a kid from Ireland in the third set, 11-10, which is the closest a handball game can get.

“That was really fun and sparked my interest in handball,” Sam said.

Sam’s dad started playing handball at Kansas State where he went to college. He picked up the game by starting with onewall handball, where there is only one, free-standing wall. Eventually, he began playing four-wall, which is the typical four-walled court with glass walls.

He loved the game so much, he knew he wanted his son to play and follow in his footsteps.

Sam’s dad said handball is more than a sport, more than just something to do. He said it’s unique in the way that all walks of life come together to socialize on and off the court, from lawyers to blue collar. Handball knows no age, size, color or background. It is a one-size-fits-all sport.

It wasn’t until his senior year of high school that Sam finally

KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

Sam Esser practices handball in preparation for future tournaments. beat his dad in a tournament.

“I hate to lose, but I was very, very proud of him,” Jake said.

Since coming to Missouri State, now 22-year-old Sam has traveled all over the United States playing handball, from Dallas to

Atlanta to Chicago to Los Angeles.

During his junior season, Sam tore his labrum during the quarterfinal game of the United States Handball Association National u See HANDBALL, page 8

Softball team finishes tournament 3-2 AMANDA SULLIVAN Sports Editor @mandasullivan14 The Missouri State softball team traveled to Hammond, Louisiana, on Feb. 15-17 for the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic II and went 3-2.

The Bears started with a Friday doubleheader against Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Southeastern Louisiana. Sophomore Daphne Plummer led the way for the Bears against TAMU, recording three hits and two RBIs. Junior Erin Griesbauer earned the win on the mound, while sophomore Steffany Dickerson earned her second save of the season. The Bears won 4-1.

Dickerson got the start against Southeastern Louisiana, pitching 6.1 innings. She recorded the 5-3 win, moving to 3-1 so far this season. Sophomore Madison Hunsaker finished out the final two outs and earned her first save of the season.

The Bears split Day 2, defeating Prairie View A&M 6-2 and losing to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 3-1.

In MSU’s win over Prairie View, Hunsaker recorded two hits, two runs and an RBI. Against SIUE, the team only managed four hits off 25 at bats. Griesbauer and Dickerson split the game, allowing a total of nine hits.

The Bears also lost the final game on Sunday 2-1 to Texas-San Antonio. It was a close game, and Missouri State had the bats going, getting 10 hits but leaving nine on base.

The Bears head on the road again Feb. 22-24 to play in the Easton Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

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u See SYDNEY, page 8

On opening weekend, the Missouri State baseball Bears went 1-2.

The first game was rough. The Bears faced Nevada, and lost 16-4. Starting pitcher junior Logan Wiley struggled in his 4.1 innings, allowing six hits and five runs. He only struck out two batters off 45 strikes pitched. Wiley also hit three batters.

Missouri State left 10 runners on base and scored only four runs.

MSU pitching coach Paul Evans pulled Wiley and cycled through freshmen Javier Ramos, Forrest Barnes, Peyton Carson, Ben Cruikshank and Nick Schmidt and junior Nate Witherspoon. Cruikshank struggled the most, allowing four runs and walking three.

The second game was better for the Bears. Freshman Hayden Juenger started on the mound and the Utah Utes scored their only two runs of the game against Juenger. Senior left-hander Davis Schwab came in to relieve and did well. In his 4.1 innings, he struck out six and walked one. Schwab earned the 6-2 win, thanks to 12 hits from his batting teammates.

Starting pitching put the Bears in a hole early again against Texas State. Sophomore Alex Moore only pitched 2.2 innings, but he allowed six runs, five hits and three walks.

On the offensive side, the Bears couldn’t get the bats going. Only two Bears managed a hit.

Texas State’s pitching staff had zero walks.

The baseball team will now travel to San Diego, California, for a tournament starting Feb. 22.

U

SI

“One of our best memories is Sydney’s favorite story was probably winning a state champi- slightly different from her mother’s. onship together,” Totsy said. “With “The one thing I do remember that being said, every single day is from my junior year of high in the gym was special for us.” school,” Sydney said. “We were

AMANDA SULLIVAN Sports Editor @mandasullivan14

RI

ER

File Photo by BRADLEY BALSTERS/THE STANDARD

Freshman Sydney Manning battles for the jump ball.

out in Texas

E

As the Lady Bears’ basketball season comes to its peak competition time, freshman guard Sydney Manning continues to adjust to a new coach, teammates, level of play, and an all around new life on the court.

Manning was coached by her mother, Totsy Manning, starting in preschool and ending when she left for at Missouri State.

“I’m the extension of her when I’m on the court,” Sydney said. “I always knew what she was going to say or how she’d react to something or what she wanted in certain situations.”

This couldn’t be more true, considering Totsy said almost the exact same thing about her daughter. Totsy played for Southern Nazarene University and has an armory of knowledge about the sport. This helped Sydney excel to where she is today.

“She was really good in high school and really good in college, and that helped me because she could help me transform my game,” Sydney said.

Sydney competed for three Oklahoma state championships in her four years of high school.

Her freshman season at Deer Creek High School resulted in a state championship.

down in a game, and I had just made two 3s. I was coming down the court, she hadn’t even called the play yet, and I heard her say ‘don’t you dare shoot that,’ and I shot it anyways, and I made it.”

Sydney and Totsy said there are two sides to their relationship: coach-player and mother-daughter. They did their best to separate the two roles and said it was beneficial to both of them.

“Some kids would take it as a downside because they don’t want to go home and hear it from their parents too, but it was never that way with my mom,” Sydney said.

“At home it was very different from when we were at the gym.”

The relationship benefitted Sydney and made her the highIQ, well-rounded player she is today. Totsy, though she may be a little biased, said Sydney is one of the smartest basketball IQ players she has ever coached.

“Early on, she knocked down 3s and people understood that she was a shooter, but she’s more than just a shooter,” head coach Kellie Harper said. “She can defend, she can rebound, she can handle the ball and pass. She’s been a big lift for us off the bench.”

When Sydney moved to Springfield at the beginning of the 2018 summer, the basketball talk with her mother did not stop.

TH

MONICA BLAKE Sports Reporter @monicablak3

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AMERICA Continued from page 3

Freedoms and opportunities in this nation did not just happen. Each one was won by those men and women who fought to the death in order to secure them — and still do today. They fought so we would not have to, wishing to safely pass the American torch of freedom over to the next generation.

Without all of us working hard to pick up the American torch of freedom and opportunity, it will be snuffed out. In order for people to want to pick up this torch, which is responsible for the great wealth and freedom in this nation, we have to be grateful and recognize the literal blood, sweat and tears that were shed for it. Unless we are grateful, we will ignore the torch, take it for granted and lose it forever.

You defend and you protect the things and people you love. I love my country. My country allows me to worship my God as I

FRIENDS Continued from page 6

healthy competition. In practices, we would swim in the same lane and just enjoy the time we have even in the hard practices.”

Thriving on the swim team

Coming in as freshmen at Missouri State in 2017, Howell and Miller immediately made an impact on the swimming and diving team.

Howell earned gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle along with the 500 and 1,650 en route to being named the MVC Women’s Freshman of the Year. She accumulated six gold medals during the conference championship.

Miller finished an impressive freshman season, earning six gold medals as well.

She won the 50 and 100 freestyle in individuals.

“It is kind of unique to get to lean on your freshmen as much as we did last year,” Collins said. “It was neat to watch. I think they feed off each other. They’re not really competitors because they don’t swim the same events, but they really complement each other.”

Championships coming up

As they prepare for their second MVC championship, Miller and Howell said some things have set them back as sophomores.

For Miller, she fought through an illness.

Howell dealt with a personal issue that she described as hard.

“Coming back from that in the dual meets, we have done well,” Miller said.

However, both credited their success

THE STANDARD see fit and provides the freedom to pursue happiness as I see fit. I have seen the American dream alive and well for those who pursue it. For these and countless other reasons, I will defend against unwarranted attacks that seek to diminish the wonders of this great country.

Does the U.S. have its faults? Of course.

Are there legitimate reasons to complain? Sure.

As I said earlier, there always will be. So, we have a choice: Do we choose to love and defend the best parts of this nation while doing our best to weed out the imperfections, and being grateful to live in a country where you are free to do so? Or do we choose to moan and wail because things are not perfect and be ungrateful for all the wonderful freedoms and material things we are blessed to have?

The choice is yours.

Lincoln predicted that if this country ever dies, it will not be due to some outside force, but to our own choices. Failing to appreciate and defend this wonderful nation and all the wonderful people of it will only result in national suicide.

this season to knowing more of what to expect in their second seasons at Missouri State.

“I think this year we really honed in on the details, and we are trying to make everything perfect for the conference,” Miller said.

Both are excited for the conference championships coming up from Feb. 20-23.

“I’m trying not to jinx myself or think too much about it,” Howell said. “If I don’t do as well as I did last year, I’m still going to be happy with myself and proud of the work I have been putting in the pool this year.”

Miller said she is expecting the team to do well and place higher in individual events than what they are seeded.

“That is the only way we are going to be able to get a conference championship this year,” Miller said. “I think that is what we are going to be able to do.”

As for both of their careers going forward, Collins said Howell and Miller can’t do much better than what they achieved as freshmen already, and the future is bright for the women’s swimming and diving team.

“My expectation for them is to grow as leaders and to continue to find ways to contribute to our team outside of just their points,” Collins said. “That will be the challenge we have for them. They are phenomenal swimmers. They are very talented and big-time point scorers for us.

“Now, what can they do beyond that?

That is where their leadership and what they can bring out of their teammates moving forward is going to be what they can really cement as their legacy here at Missouri State.”

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

HANDBALL Currently, Sam sits 28th in the world. And you don’t just get to be the 28th best professional handball player in the world by sitting on the couch.

During his junior and senior seasons, Sam said he spent more than 14 hours a week practicing and preparing for the national tournament. Since he is in graduate school at Missouri State, he mostly takes night classes.

Because of that, he said he is probably at the handball courts for two or three hours a day, four days a week.

Professional handball players do get paid, just like any other professional athlete. There are eight pro stops each year. Each title winner receives about $8,000 in prize money. Theoretically, if someone were to win every tournament, they could come away with $64,000 in prize money for the year. Sam said at the tournament in Atlanta, he won $750 in prize money. For a college student, that is good money for just one weekend.

“I definitely wasn’t complaining,” Sam said.

When Sam isn’t playing handball, he is working 20 hours a week as a graduate assistant

for the Missouri State Athletic Department. He is going to graduate school for a master’s degree in sports management, so the position allows him to get a taste of his future career, scheduling practices, games and game day staff.

But mostly, Sam is playing handball.

Last year, the Missouri State handball team hosted a tournament to raise money for the club.

Sam and his father played on the same team, and although they had fun, they didn’t come away with the title.

“My dad is part of the reason I play,” Sam said. “I play for him, and I like making him proud.”

So, this story doesn’t end up like a Disney Channel movie.

There were not any crushed dreams. No, this story just has one father and one son who share a passion for the same sport, a sport they can play for the rest of their lives.

“Thank goodness he did because who knows what I would be doing right now,” Sam said.

Sam said when he has kids of his own, he will do everything in his power to get his children to follow in the family business, even if it means signing them up for a tournament by force or bribery.

“Handball is pretty much my life,” Sam said. “It’s my everything.”

Sydney’s place,” Totsy said.

The Lady Bears went on a 13game win streak that started after a 70-67 loss to Gonzaga, which was then No. 21 in the country.

“We were sitting in the film room, and they handed us our schedule, and I saw that Gonzaga was on there,” Sydney said. “I was so pumped to play them.

They’re just such a historic team.”

Sydney said walking into arenas at Indiana or Mizzou is special. She said you can tell it’s a place centered around basketball.

The close loss versus Gonzaga, according to Sydney, brought the team closer together and helped them grow as a team.

Sydney said the freshmen all get along really well and do pretty much everything together. This off-court relationship has helped them communicate better on the court.

“When you have to confront

someone on the court, it’s not ever taken the wrong way between us because we each have mutual respect for each other,” Sydney said.

Sydney is excited to see this group move together throughout the years and accomplish some pretty hefty goals. First of those goals is seeing their name picked on the screen this March.

Sydney has contributed to the team on the court throughout the season, but she takes an even bigger role off the court with her relaxed personality.

“It’s okay to be serious, but it’s more important to just take some of these things in,” Sydney said. “I think that helping some people around me realize that this isn’t the end of the world, or that these don’t matter as much as you think they do, and that it’s fun and it’s supposed to be fun has been important.”

Continued from page 7

Collegiate Handball Championships. He played through the semifinal game but lost to his opponent, ending his junior season. Fortunately, Missouri State won the whole tournament to claim the title.

Since handball is a yearround sport, Sam took time off to recover after his surgery.

Soon enough, he was back to running the Plaster Stadium stairs, preparing himself for his senior season.

At the national championships in 2018, Sam placed second amongst all Division I, II and III athletes. Sam left his mark on the collegiate world as it was his last year of collegiate eligibility. He still continues to play for Missouri State at tournaments throughout the year, be he cannot participate in the national collegiate championships due to eligibility rules.

But Sam found a new way to compete — as a professional.

This past season, Sam qualified for pro-status on the professional handball tour.

“I was ecstatic when I found out,” Jake said. “It’s quite an honor to get to that level. I’m extremely proud of Sam.”

SYDNEY Continued from page 7

They still talk about basketball almost every day. Adjusting to a different playing style, with scouting reports that give away all of your moves, a different coach, and a different lifestyle in college was different than Sydney expected.

“I was not expecting to be trying to cram homework in at airports,” Sydney laughed.

“They always tell you time management, and that’s really what it’s come down to.”

Meanwhile, Totsy is also adjusting. She said it has been a lot different without having Sydney on the court for her team.

“I had to change my philosophy a little bit this year and do some different things to find that leader on the floor that could step up and help take