April 3, 2018

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

VOLUME 111, ISSUE 25 | THE-STANDARD.ORG The Standard/The Standard Sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

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Trial date set for former professor charged with 2016 murder of retired professor CORTLYNN STARK, News Editor BEN VICKERS, Staff Reporter

NATHAN PAPES/NEWS-LEADER, POOL PHOTOGRAPHER

Edward Gutting is led into court by defense attorney Joseph Passanise.

A trial date has been set for a former Missouri State professor charged with murder.

Edward Gutting, an ex-MSU instructor in the College of Humanities and Public Affairs, faces charges of first-degree murder, two counts of armed crim-

inal action, second-degree assault and first-degree burglary.

Judge Thomas Mountjoy set a jury trial date for Jan. 29, 2019.

Two pre-trial conferences were set for May 21 at 8:30 a.m. and Jan. 29 at 8:30 a.m.

At a hearing last week, Gutting’s defense filed for another delay in the proceedings due to external circumstances

affecting its representation. Gutting’s mental stability was not determined.

The victim was Marc Cooper, 66, an emeritus MSU professor who taught history. Nancy Cooper, his wife, was injured, according to the Springfield Police Department.

Police found Gutting outside the house where Cooper was found, according to search warrants.

What resources Missouri State has for students’ mental health HANNA SUMPTER Senior Reporter @hannasumpter

Student body candidates prepare for election CARISSA ALFORD, Staff Reporter LAYNE STRACENER, Staff Reporter Photos by Nina Todea and Collin Hadley The time has come to elect the student body president, vice president and senior class president for the 2018-2019 school year.

There are three final candidates for senior class president: junior Cameron O’Dell, junior Macy Hankel and senior Danielle Carter.

O’Dell, economics major, plans to focus on his idea for the senior gift.

“The most clear thing I see happening is my idea for the senior gift,” O’Dell said.

He plans on meeting with the Disability Resource Center to help disabled students get around campus easier. “(My senior gift) will leave a legacy, and it provides utility to students,” O’Dell said.

“It is not just a monument; this will help students and their education as well.”

O’Dell’s campaign manager, junior digital film production major Alec Sahm, agrees with the idea for disabled students to have an easier way to get around campus. “(The senior gift) is all about helping students, and that’s really important,” Sahm said.

O’Dell said he believes the student body should know he is willing to listen to different organizations and bring feedback to best represent the students of Missouri State.

Opposing candidate Hankel said she feels the senior class president committee limits themselves only to the senior class and the senior class gift.

Hankel, a middle school education major with an emphasis on social sciences, works

news Missouri senators make Springfield stops Page 12

Top row from left candidates: Lupita Perez-Lopez (vice president) Jimmy Moore (president), Isaiah Villarreal (president) and Dillon Cordel (vice president).

Senior class president candidates Middle row: Cameron O’Dell, Macy Hankel (submitted photo). Bottom: Danielle Carter to make a difference.

“To me, the senior class president was always fairly distant,” Hankel said. “It was more or less the title of it being specific to a grade; it didn’t reach as far as it could go.

My big thing is I want to make it more accessible for everyone and make it bigger than what it is now.” u See CANDIDATES, page 8

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center reported suicide as the second leading cause of death among college students in the nation.

Approximately 1,100 college students die from suicide each year, according to the JED Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to protect mental health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults. That statistic hit very close to home for Missouri State University following the death of a student by suicide on campus in November of last year.

The National Institute of Mental Health reported the percentage of adults having serious thoughts of suicide was highest among those between the ages of 18 and 25, at 8.8 percent.

Rhonda Lesley, the director of the Counseling Center at MSU, said approximately one of five students who visit the Counseling Center admit to having thoughts of suicide at some point in their life.

“It is a common thing we deal with, as unfortunate as it is,” Lesley said.

She said these thoughts are caused by intense stressors, pressure, depression, anxiety and life circumstances that the person is facing that seem impossible or difficult to manage.

Jessica Allen, a senior studying social work, has a lot of personal experience with mental health issues.

“So, it has kind of been long standing in my family and something I’ve kind of been familiar with for a long time,” Allen said.

Many members of Allen’s immediate family deal with mental health issues.

“My mom was bipolar, my grandma had Borderline Personality Disorder, my dad was an alcoholic — so all these different types of issues,” Allen said. “My brother has ADHD; my other brother was severely depressed.”

She also explained her own struggles with mental illness, but said the NAMI chapter at MSU helped her understand that she is not alone.

“I deal with depression, anxiety, eating disorder,” Allen said. “In getting familiar with NAMI, I found that there are more people who deal with this, more people who want to live in recovery and talk about the issues and support one another.”

For these reasons, mental health is very important to Allen. Her personal meaning for mental health is largely about speaking up and supporting others.

Allen continues to follow that meaning as president of the MSU chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The organization helps people with mental health issues and supports those who have family with mental health issues.

Allen said the group meets every week to support one another with whatever they are struggling with as well as further educate themselves about mental health. u See HEALTH, page 8

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Men’s swimmer goes to NCAA Tournament Page 7

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THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

Defining Diversity CHIYIERRJA GRANT Staff Reporter @ChiyierrjaGrant Diversity has become a goal that most college campuses strive to achieve.

Defining diversity can be difficult because of so many different interpretations. Diversity is often sold with multiple meanings given by individuals, but Missouri State University's Chief Diversity Officer Wes Pratt says explaining diversity is much more broad.

“When I look at diversity, I look at the individual and group social differences brought to the pursuit of higher education,” Pratt said.

“That may be differences in personality, learning style. It includes classifications such as race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity. It's a broad classification.”

Pratt’s definition of diversity aligns closely with the dictionary definition.

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines diversity as, “The condition of having or being composed of differing elements, especially the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization.”

Defining diversity and inclusion is the foundation of Pratt’s efforts in developing a plan that would effectively define and execute a more diverse community.

The Long Range Plan is one that Pratt is passionate about and works hard to implement.

The mission of the plan is to help develop students to their full capacity academically, in ethical leadership, cultural competence, inclusiveness and a comfortable environment.

The Long Range Plan was put into place to help not just students but all individuals who make up the campus community.

“The reality is we're all diverse,” Pratt said.

“We believe that anybody who comes to the university brings something that's unique.

There's so many different parts to us and about us. All of it has to be valued and accepted for who we are.”

The Long Range Plan consists of four major areas of focus. Pratt said embracing these four core values of the plan has helped create a more diverse community over the last four years, for students and staff.

“Access success and equity, enhance our campus climate, learning development through curricular and co curricular — it means integrating in your studies the contributions of everybody and the institutional commitment to valuing the inclusion of diversity,” Pratt said. “That’s the framework that we wanna use to address diver-

sity and inclusion.”

Pratt said the biggest challenge with diversity on campus, in Springfield and throughout history, is the lack of contact with one another, experiences outside our usual norm and the understanding of diversity and inclusion.

“That's why it's so important to be culturally conscious,” Pratt said.

“It's being able to negotiate those cross-cultural barriers, and I think that's the challenge we have. The lack of social consciousness, the inability to value people for who they are and accept people for who they are.”

Senior Jaynel Pleshka, management and international business administration major, defines diversity as the coming together of different personalities, regardless of appearance, dress and culture.

“Anything that sets people apart. It could be characteristics in their culture or in their background or the way they dress and look,” Pleshka said.

MADISYN OGLESBY/THE STANDARD

The future of diversity for the campus com-

munity and Springfield is unknown but appears to be improving.

Senior De’Shaun Williams, a journalism major, said that within the next few years the diversity within the community will continue to improve.

“Our campus is growing, and a lot of students are moving off campus, sticking to Springfield instead of moving back home after they graduate,” Williams said. “I think Missouri State brings a large portion of diversity to Springfield.”

Diversity has multiple meanings, but there is one common theme shared with each definition. Diversity is the inclusion, acceptance and valuing of all people, including everything that makes up an individual's personality and uniqueness.

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opinion

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

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Increasing the value of your degree CONNOR ALLER Guest Columnist What’s the value of a degree? Is it the amount of loans taken out to obtain it, the amount of time spent studying for exams or the amount of income made during the first year of employment?

When we graduate in May or December, the expectation is to find a job and start paying off those nasty student loans. Even better would be if you obtained employment before throwing your cap in the air.

For those of us who are in the process of seeking employment post-graduation, it can be very daunting.

Knowing where and how to start can be as troublesome as knowing which organization to go with at the end.

A major factor in finding a job with a higher earning potential is the idea of degree prestige.

Degree prestige is the reputation that your school possesses among other institutions.

Degrees from the most elite colleges, like Harvard and Yale, carry the most prestige and can greatly affect your potential earnings and what firms will hire you straight out of undergrad.

Before living in New York City for a sum-

mer, I was unaware of the true impact that degree prestige had on the amount of opportunities one could pursue. I had always known that an Ivy League degree trumped my MO State degree, but seeing it in action was entirely different.

I quickly realized that those who had obtained the highest level of degree prestige could walk into the front doors of top tier organizations, but for someone with a non-prestigious degree, the journey is quite different.

This different path one might have to take is not necessarily a bad thing because, if done properly, you can stand out among other candidates.

Since I was young, I had ambitions of moving to New York to pursue a career in something. I did not have a plan regarding what I wanted to pursue, only where I wanted to live.

Over the past year and a half, I have developed a set of methodologies that allowed me to increase my degree prestige and see my dream come true.

I want to share three of my most valuable tips with you because I believe that the value of a degree can be increased significantly with some extra work.

First tip: Start thinking about where you want to live and not what you want to do.

In today’s job market, you might not be doing exactly what you learned in school or what your major is.

For me, this happens to be the case.

Once you have some ideal locations in mind, set up an appointment with the Career Center — they are a great resource on campus and they will help you get organized.

Second tip: Create a LinkedIn account.

Even if you are in hospitality, music or health care, the job market is all about who you know.

Over the past 18 months, I noticed something called the “Hidden job market.”

This means that positions that are posted on job boards are most likely already filled by someone who knows someone at that company.

Getting into the hidden job market requires you to evaluate who you currently know and who you would like to know.

Luckily, everyone at Missouri State has a network base of over 100,000 alumni, and a lot of them are on LinkedIn. One of the best ways to build your network is to reach out to alumni in your industry.

They have done what you are about to do and can help you get interviews at their organizations.

At first, this outreach process can seem unnatural, but by the end of your third or fourth phone call with an alumnus, you will be a networking pro.

Reaching out is very uncommon, and by doing so, you are going the extra mile and impressing those you reach out to.

Third tip: Write handwritten thank you notes.

Growing up, this was something I dreaded the day after Christmas, and as someone who has terrible handwriting, it was even worse.

However, in the age of email, penmanship has died and receiving a handwritten note is a joyous occasion.

Doing so will set you apart as a candidate in most job searches.

During almost every exit interview, I like to ask what it was that set me apart; often it is the handwritten note.

Now that you possess these three strategies, putting them into play is what matters the most.

When applying these, don’t be discouraged by the word “no.”

In fact, let it motivate you further toward your goal.

Be the catalyst of your own career by seeking even more ways to elevate your skills and qualifications while pursuing your degree.

SABRINA MERRILL/THE STANDARD

Trust in companies diminishes, so consumers should take charge JONATHAN PETESCH Columnist @thepeach1999 The inevitable has happened. Two weeks ago, a self-driving Uber killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. This is the first time such an incident has happened with a self-driving car.

Though this, of course, means self-driving car manufacturers such as Tesla and Mercedes will have to reevaluate the reliability of their self-driving technology.

It also opens up a conversation about how much reliance we put on technology in our lives.

The Tempe Police Department released a video from the inside of the car of Uber’s safety driver, hired to monitor the vehicle and take control if the technology fails, not paying attention to the road and the operations of the vehicle.

In other words, this death could 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

have been avoided if the safety driver was not putting too much trust in the car’s technology.

Self-driving cars are only one example of a way in which too much reliance in technology has turned into a bad thing for individuals and companies alike.

Recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been under fire after reports surfaced that some developers were storing user data and giving it to other outside institutions, thereby breaching user privacy.

The data included Facebook user phone calls, text messages and personality data, which Facebook stores based on your activity.

In an interview with CNN, Zuckerberg said these developers legally certified that they would not share this data, but they did.

He also went on to say he thinks we might have put too much trust in developers in this situation.

If you download an app such as Facebook, there is a reasonable amount of data you can expect to share with it just for the usage of the app, but you should be able to trust the service to be able to use that data only for its own purposes and not have to worry about your data being used in an unintended way.

The resounding theme between both of these cases is a reliance on technology when it “should” have been reliable.

An issue facing society is the fact that we see a new form of technology get released and we immediately trust it to never fail, especially if it is from a major company such as Uber, Tesla, Facebook, etc.

We need to change this and begin looking for flaws as consumers instead of just assuming everything was taken care of in development.

In the case of Uber’s self-driving

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car, it is still in active early development, just as Tesla’s autopilot, and should be treated as such.

Take it from me as a beta tester of many new technologies — things in development tend to be full of bugs and are not meant to be used in a normal capacity, so don’t put your trust in that technology until it is safely able to operate in a normal capacity.

Starting now, we need to be more proactive as consumers and begin asking questions like “Is this really ready for testing in the field?” and “Will this company actually keep my data private like they should?” in order to ensure our own safety.

With self-driving cars especially, lives are on the line with this new Jonathan Petesch technology.

We should have a voice, as consumers, in whether this technology should be implemented already or not.

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life

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

SGF film festival showcases local and world-renowned directors MEG ALEXANDER Staff Reporter @margaretjalex “My advice, for anyone, is to try to get better at what you do and look for new ways to keep getting better.”

David Lowery, world-renowned director, said these words in a Q&A after the showing of his 2017 film, “A Ghost Story,” at Springfield’s first ever film festival, Rated SGF.

Rated SGF Film Festival, which took place all day Saturday, March 31, at the Historic Fox Theatre, was put on by the Downtown Springfield Association in collaboration with The Film and Media Association of Springfield.

The Film Festival began at 10 a.m., with a bonus screening of “Pete’s Dragon,” which was directed by David Lowery and included kid-friendly activities. Also at 10 a.m., the festival provided a film work-

Former Missouri State football star appearing on “Bachelorette”

shop at Moxie Cinema.

Following these events, the festival hosted three short films and a Q&A with the directors and local filmmakers, Sean Thiessen, Brook Linder and Josh Pfaff. Then at 3:30 p.m., they played the film “Saturday Church” and hosted a Q&A with the lead actor, Luke Kain.

The night ended with an after party at Hotel Vandivort, one of the many sponsors of the event.

“It’s really special to see Springfield’s community getting excited about an event like this, and I think it’s long overdue,” Lillian Stone, communications manager for The Downtown Springfield Association, said.

Missouri State alumni and directors Linder and Thiessen also said they are excited for the positive impact this will have on the Springfield community.

Linder graduated from

MSU in 2012 with a degree in electronic arts. Following graduation in 2012, Linder moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career as a director, and has directed several commercials, short films and music videos. Some of his latest work includes Beck’s “Fix Me” and Spoon’s “Do I Have To Talk You Into It” music videos.

Linder’s thrilling “80s vibe” short film, “Ghoul School,” premiered at the SGF

Film Festival on Saturday alongside Thiessen’s “Posers” and Pfaff’s “Counting to 1000.”

Linder, who grew up in Springfield, said this experience was an honor, especially because of how important this community in related to film is to him. Linder said he has felt Springfield has reached several milestones in creating a more diverse and inclusive film community. u See FILM, page 10

“I had been born (in Africa); it felt like it was in my being.”

Clay Harbor vies for Becca Kufrin’s heart MADDIE KNAPP Staff Reporter @mapp_ Former Missouri State University football player, Clay Harbor, will be competing for love on this season’s “The Bachelorette.”

Harbor is a Libertyville, Illinois, native and came to Missouri State to play football in 2006, where he was named Missouri State’s Offensive Player of the Year two years in a row. He also earned first-team all-MVC honors three years straight.

Harbor was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, making him the 15th MSU player to make it to the NFL. Over the next eight years, he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints.

He has been on the NFL’s injured reserve since August 2017. He is currently a restricted free agent.

Becca Kufrin, the winner of the 22nd season of “The Bachelor,” is this season’s bachelorette. Kufrin was chosen to be the bachelorette after bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. called off their engagement to get back together with the runner-up, Lauren Burnham.

Kufrin is looking for love and could find it with a former MSU Bear.

“The Bachelorette’s” 14th season premieres on May 24 on ABC.

Archery tag takes over as newest intramural Missouri State founder brings activity from University of Central Missouri SHELBY DOWLER Staff Reporter @ShelbyTheTall Have you ever wanted to channel your inner Legolas or Robin Hood but never had the opportunity because you’re here in 21st century Missouri, not Middle-earth or medieval England?

If you desire to be a legendary archer, you are in luck. Foster Recreation Center’s Rec Sports is rolling out a new intramural sport called archery tag this semester.

Katie Haarmann is a senior in the recreation, sport and park administration program. She is also a recreational sport program assistant at Foster Recreation Center and is responsible for bringing archery tag to Missouri State.

The inspiration Before transferring to MSU, Haarmann attended University of Central Missouri and participated in intramurals there. She joined the archery team and loved learning how to shoot bow and arrow at targets.

After coming to MSU, she started working for the Intramural Sports program. She said she was persistent in sharing how much fun archery was and how she thought MSU students would like to learn archery.

She took a class last year that gave the students the opportunity to play archery tag in class. u See TAG, page 10

BRADLEY BALSTERS/THE STANDARD

Ashley Leinweber, Missouri State University assistant professor of political science, recounts one of a number of stories about her time conducting research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Born in The Seychelles, Leinweber also served as a Peace Corps health volunteer in Niger.

Bringing Africa into the classroom How did Ashley Leinweber get here? Lots of travel and research.

And now, she shares those adventures with her students.

EMILY COLE Staff Reporter @EMCole19 In the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 miles off the coast of Eastern Africa, lies a collection of 115 islands — the Republic of Seychelles. This tiny country has the smallest population of any African nation and is the birthplace of Ashley Leinweber.

Leinweber was born in the Seychelles Islands while her parents were on assignment there from the Peace Corps. Her father built bridges and wells, and her mother worked in a local clinic. Leinweber spent the first nine months of her life in Africa, posing for photos on the backs of giant tortoises and in front of the pyramids in Egypt.

But moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at nine months old didn’t mean she would say goodbye to Africa forever.

Leinweber, now a political science assistant professor at Missouri State University, gained her undergraduate degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, double majoring in French and political science. Her first semester, she took an African politics class that set the course for the rest of her schooling and life.

“I took that class, and I was like, ‘Yes, I want to do this exactly,’ so I became a political science major,” Leinweber said.

After graduation, however, she didn’t follow the traditional path.

“I knew I wanted to go to graduate school at some point, but I really wanted to get over to Africa,” Leinweber said. “I had been born there; it felt like it was in my being.”

While searching for a way to travel to Africa, Leinweber considered the Peace Corps. She signed up to travel to Niger as a health volunteer. Before her assignment, she admits she’d never heard of Niger.

“I always wanted to give back and make a difference, and I was really interested in international developments,” Leinweber said.

“So it met my desire to want to go to Africa, plus it was a chance to feel like I was making a difference and do something that would be helpful to somebody.”

Leinweber spent two years living in Niger, in a small village of less than 2,000 people called MaisBRADLEY BALSTERS/THE STANDARD sakoni. There was no run- Ashley Leinweber is an expert on Islam in the Congo, which is a ning water and no electric- predominately Christian region. ity.

“I always wanted to give back and make a difference ... So it met my desire to want to go to Africa, plus it was a chance to feel like I was making a difference and do something that would be helpful to somebody.”

-Ashley Leinweber While in the Peace Corps, Leinweber was part of a program to help young girls of the village travel to a larger town to go to middle school.

The village of Maissakoni only had an elementary school. The program raised money for girls who couldn’t afford to live in the larger city to pay a host family to live with while they went to school.

Around six years after she left Niger, Leinweber was able to visit her village

again.

One of the girls who previously received the scholarship while Leinweber served was also home visiting her family.

“She had gone on to finish her education,” Leinweber said. “Now she lived in the big regional capital; she had a job. She was dressed to the nines. She and her mom both came up to me and said, ‘You completely changed our lives because of that education.’ So that one thing — if that’s the

only thing I got to do while I was in the Peace Corps — then it was totally worth it.”

Of course, that wasn’t the only thing Leinweber did during her time in Niger. She has many incredible memories, but one stands out. When a fellow Peace Corps volunteer decided he wanted to buy a camel, Leinweber went with him to a camel market that was far into the Sahara Desert. They slept on grass mats, and Leinweber woke up, on Easter Sunday, face to face with a camel.

While her experiences there will remain with her forever, so will friendships that she made. She can still keep in touch with friends in Niger with phone calls and Whatsapp.

“I made some really great, deep friendships and relationships with people of the village who felt like family and community to me, in a really deep way,”

Leinweber said.

Ironically, just minutes after discussing her friends in Niger, a loud train whistle sounded in the room. It was coming from her cell phone. Leinweber looked at her phone and laughed.

It’s one of her friends from Niger.

“Normally they call in the middle of the night, with the time difference,” she said. “I keep trying to explain that, but it doesn’t really work out.”

Two years in Niger wasn’t the only time Leinweber spent in Africa.

During her undergraduate years, Leinweber gained an academic love for another country in Africa — the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During a study away trip to Geneva, Switzerland, Leinweber first heard about the ongoing conflicts in the Congo and decided to study the country. u See AFRICA, page 10

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

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Bear POWER at Skaar: King’s ‘It’ demands to be read Missouri State CHLOE SKAAR Senior Reporter @chloeskaar

The program’s goal is to create an inclusive learning environment EMILY COLE Staff Reporter @EMCole19 In January 2019, a new group of students will begin their first semester at Missouri State University. Around 10 of these will be the first participants in the Bear POWER program.

Bear POWER is a new program at MSU that provides an inclusive university experience for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. POWER stands for Promoting Opportunities for Work, Education and Resilience.

Intellectual and developmental disabilities are normally present at birth and affect an individual’s physical, mental and/or emotional development, according to the National Institutes of Health. Around 15 percent of children are diagnosed with an IDD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. IDD includes disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.

The program will provide participants with a two-year, five-semester education as well as the opportunity to live on campus and an internship experience in their chosen field. Each January, around 10 new students will begin the program. Students diagnosed with any IDD can apply to the program.

Each semester, participating students will audit six credit hours from their chosen area of concentration and will have an additional six hours of internship-based

experience.

Students will live on campus during the program. Their first semester, all Bear POWER students will live in a First Year Bears Living-Learning Community. After that, they may live elsewhere on campus or choose to live in another LLC. Rachel Heinz, director of the program, said it is being introduced at MSU in order to help those with IDD gain education and experience.

“In many cases, students with IDD want to go to college like their peers, and with the right supports in place this can be a wonderful learning experience resulting in job outcomes following graduation,” Heinz said.

Bear POWER students will be supported during the program by Bear Blazers — student volunteers who work as peer mentors for the participating students.

Joshua Devine is a graduate student studying health promotion and wellness management and a graduate assistant for Bear POWER. Part of his job will be recruiting and working with the Bear Blazers.

“The role of the Bear Blazers is to provide the majority of social, wellness and academic support,” Devine said.

“They will engage in a multitude of activities with the students and attempt to get them involved in the community as much as possible, in hopes of creating positive experiences that will lead to learning of essential skills.”

Around 260 similar programs exist across the country, u See BEAR, page 11

I’ll start out with this: If you’ve known me for more than 15 minutes, it’s likely that you’re already painfully aware that one of my favorite hobbies is talking about Stephen King and his work. But I’ve got more reason than that to review his 1986 novel.

With the film remake breaking box office records of King’s novel-to-screen adaptations last fall and the recent release of the concept trailer for “It: Chapter 2,” I am here to tell you that, no surprise, the novel behind the blockbuster hit is even more crazy and chaotic.

And also, I think everyone needs a little Stephen King in their life.

That said, this book is not for the faint-hearted. At over 1,100 pages, the King’s 18th novel — under his own name — has lots of heavy stuff for a book about the “Losers’ Club,” a group of seven 11and 12-year-olds. As if adolescence wasn’t difficult enough, the group faces death, racism, sexism, domestic violence and some pretty extreme bullying at the hands of one Henry Bowers.

As many fans of the movies know, the biggest trick in the story is that it is basically comprised of two timelines, which end up mirroring each other toward the end. Though it appears the 2019 sequel will focus on the characters as adults, the novel actually tells the timeline of their adult lives, with lengthy and frequent flashbacks to their childhood sprinkled throughout.

King weaves together characters that are so realistic that, even at 21 years old, I caught myself wondering how Bill or Ben or Beverly would react to situations that I was in, and wishing it was still appropriate for me to build an underground fort stocked with Twinkies, comic books and cigarettes stolen from parents.

The nostalgia is strong, the

Weekly Crossword © 2018 King Features Syndicate

ACROSS 1 Dillon or Damon 5 Greek vowel 8 Heap 12 Cooling drink 14 Smell 15 Execrate 16 Island garlands 17 Sch. org.

18 Not quite upright 20 Big name in California wines 23 Soreness 24 Do as you’re told 25 Wide ruffle 28 Conk out 29 Lead the way 30 Playwright Levin 32 Beat decisively 34 Follow closely 35 Manitoba native 36 Tending (to) 37 Lecherous observer 40 -- carte 41 Off the base, for short 42 Proclaim 47 Toy block name 48 Washington Monument, e.g.

49 Rewrite, maybe 50 Hot tub 51 Chills and fever DOWN 1 Central 2 High card 3 Roman X 4 Doubly thick 5 Sicilian volcano 6 Sleuth, briefly 7 212 or 718, e.g.

8 Allergy suffer-

er’s woe 9 Concept 10 Pork cut 11 Formerly, formerly 13 Car 19 Actress Elisabeth 20 Deity 21 Somewhat 22 Sly look 23 Carroll heroine 25 Solemn occasions 26 “Arrivederci” 27 Ireland 29 Mentor 31 Beer cousin 33 Spotted wildcat 34 Emotional upset 36 Trudge on 37 Crooner Jerry 38 As yet unpaid

39 Boo-Boo’s companion 40 “-- Karenina” 43 Siesta 44 Run-down horse

45 French vineyard 46 -- out a living

MADISYN OGLESBY/THE STANDARD

A graphic depicting the opening scene of “It,” the movie. characters are real, the suspense is gripping, but the real reason to read this adventure of a book is for the wild ride.

Rumor has it that, toward the end of the four-year stretch it took King to write it, he went a little cuckoo. The story’s conclusion suggests so, too, but I could think of no better way to wrap it up. There’s a few chapters from It’s perspective, giving a creepier understanding of the timeless beast behind Pennywise the Dancing Clown, there’s a turtle god,

ancient rituals and lots and lots of blood.

The reason this book is so intriguing and addicting is that it demands to be read; maybe that’s a cliche, but I don’t believe it has ever been truer. By reminding his readers what it was like to be scared of bullies, to value simple friendships more than life itself, to experience first love and to believe in your imagination more than you believe in the adults’ rules, King creates a grand story that appeals a

child’s perspective to an adult’s worst nightmare — one they won’t be able to look away from once they’ve started turning pages.

“And almost idly, in a kind of side thought, Eddie discovered one of his childhood’s greatest truths. ‘Grownups are the real monsters,’ he thought.”

— It. Read it now √ Take on vacation Give as a gift √ Don’t waste your time

6

THE STANDARD

sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 | THE-STANDARD.ORG

KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

Senior Kaitlin Beason catches the ball to record an out on Valparaiso’s runner at first. The Bears lost to the Crusaders 4-1 on March 24.

Softball keeps record above .500 despite losing series to UNI ALEC McCHESNEY Editor in chief @Alec_McChesney In the past two seasons, 2016 and 2017, the Missouri State softball team won 22 and 23 games, respectively, finishing under .500 in both seasons.

The 2018-19 season, however, is off to a far different start, as the Bears already have 20 victories and are six games over .500 at 20-14. Despite losing two in a row to Northern Iowa over the weekend, head coach Holly Hesse and the Bears are destined for a 30win season.

The Bears defeated the Panthers in the first of three contests 8-4. Hesse used her bullpen for 4.1 shutout innings. Freshman Madison Hunsaker picked up her third win of the season and sophomore Erin Griesbauer collected her second of the season. That duo has been dominating for Missouri State all year, as Griesbauer leads the team with five wins, two saves and a 2.46 ERA. Hunsaker continues to impress during her first year on campus, with three wins and a 2.86 ERA. The two are joined by freshman Steffany Dickerson (5-5) and senior Holly Kelley (7-3) to form one of the best pitching staffs in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Panthers took the following two games from the Bears, winning 5-0 and 2-1.

“This game could have gone either way, and, unfortunately, it didn’t go our way,” Hesse said in a press release following the 2-1 loss on Saturday. “I could not be more pleased with our effort. We squared up a lot of balls and hit some shots that ordinarily would be hits – they just made some great plays.

“We were great defensively. Rocket (Hunsaker) was amazing in relief. We have six weeks to get better, and that’s our focus right now is just keep getting better,” Hesse said in the press release.

With six weeks to get to 30 wins, Missouri State has the opportunity to position them-

selves in the MVC and make a run at postseason play.

If the Bears get to 30 wins, it’ll be just the second time it’s happened since 2011. So, what is working so well?

It’s a combination of team hitting and excellent pitching that has led to the Bears’ hot start, which has them sitting in third place in the Valley at 5-4.

Griesbauer and Dickerson are in the Top 10 in ERA in MVC play, and Kelley ranks in the Top 10 in wins and strikeouts. The pitching staff has been the brightest spot for the Bears all season, but there’s more to this Missouri State team than in the circle.

Hesse has five Bears hitting above .300 and three players over the .330 mark.

Junior catcher Darian Frost is leading the way, hitting .337 with three home runs and a slugging percentage of .477. Frost hit just two home runs during her first two seasons as a Bear. Along with her power, she is becoming one of the more clutch players in the conference.

Against Illinois State earlier in the season, Frost ended back-to-back games with walk-off hits. The first came, with the score tied at six, when Frost tripled to the right-field corner, scoring senior Kaitlin Beason from first base.

The very next day, again against Illinois State in the bottom of the ninth inning, Frost drilled a walk-off home run over the centerfield wall.

Frost’s drastic improvement from sophomore to junior year has paved the way for the Bears in 2018. Beason joins her as the other biggest threat in the lineup, as the senior has already hit three home runs and holds a teamhigh .512 slugging percentage.

Freshman shortstop Daphne Plummer is hitting .330 and has started all 34 games, leading the team in RBIs at 18. Plummer has been hitting in the three-hole for the season, with seniors Erika Velasquez Zimmer and Hailee Vigneaux hitting before her in the lineup. That duo has combined for 75 total bases, 41 runs, 66 hits, 23 stolen bases and are both hitting over .300.

Talk about setting the table for the rest of

KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD

Senior pitcher Holly Kelley throws the ball to first. The Bears lost to the Crusaders 4-1 on March 24. the lineup, which features Plummer, Beason, Frost and Hunsaker. The fearsome foursome in the middle of the lineup have combined for 61 RBIs and eight home runs.

If the top half of the lineup can continue its tear and the pitching staff has four pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs, nothing can stop the Bears from achieving 30 wins. In fact, Mis-

souri State’s goals should be even higher than 30 wins with 20 games remaining before the MVC Tournament.

Missouri State takes on Central Arkansas at home on April 3 before traveling to Indiana for a three-game series with Evansville. The Bears then return home for six straight at Killian Stadium spanning seven days.

SPORTS RECAP M Golf March 26-27 Lake Charles Invitational 6/11th

W Track March 31 ORU Invitational 4/10th

W Tennis March 30 McNeese State L 6-1

FEATURED TRACK ATHLETES JESSICA ALLEN Senior 5,0000-meter run 17:18.81 second best in MVC

ISA VIDELER Freshman High jump 1.68-meters second best in MVC

THE STANDARD

Blair Bish, from Wildcat to Bear AMANDA SULLIVAN, CLAIRE NIEBRUGGE @mandasullivan14, @claireniebrugge As the volleyball team ran through trying to find over 100 Easter eggs; the swim team did warm up laps in the pool.

And then there was Blair Bish.

Bish, a junior, had just returned from the 2018 Men’s NCAA Swimming Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And he was already back by the pool with his teammates at an optional practice.

While Bish was not allowed to practice, it was clear he was right where he belonged.

Bish, originally from Arkansas, had a unique experience. He started his collegiate years at the University of Arizona, a 20-hour drive from his home, after narrowing his options to two schools.

“When I was being recruited, my final two schools were Arizona and Missouri State,” Bish said. “I could either go to a large school where I thought I would be competing for team national championships and relay national championships, or I could come to a school where I already felt comfortable with the coaches.

I swam club team with a number of guys who are on this team, so I wasn't really sure how I wanted to go about that.

It ultimately came down to deciding I’d rather live in sunny Arizona than Missouri.

“It was so hard to decide.

Being recruited by Power 5 schools is just ... they just have so much to offer.”

After spending his first two

years at Arizona and making the NCAA Championships both years, Bish ultimately decided to transfer closer to home.

Bish said he considered other schools, but no school was a serious contender compared to Missouri State.

Bish always felt like something was missing while he was at Arizona.

When he transferred to Missouri State, he said it felt like a family centered on a common goal: winning a conference title.

“Having a team goal that everyone comes into practice everyday and strives for is a really powerful experience,” Bish said.

Now, after a year as a Bear, Bish qualified for the NCAAs in two events. In the 100-meter breaststroke, he came out disappointed. He was seeded seventh going into preliminary races but placed 18th.

“I came in seventh, and if I had gone the time I qualified with, or even a little slower, I could’ve been top eight and an All-American,” Bish said. “To miss finals with kind of a subpar swim really was disappointing, especially because I made finals in this event the past two years.”

In the 200-meter breaststroke, however, Bish was pleasantly surprised. Bish left the event with a personal best of 1:55.41 and tied for 24th.

“I told myself that the job’s not done,” Bish said. “I’m still at the meet to represent my team and my school. It motivated me to swim faster on that second day.”

But for Bish, competing at his third NCAA Champion-

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ships was not driven by personal ambition. Instead, he was battling for the attention of everyone else, striving to prove that Missouri State could contend on a national level.

“I wanted to show people that we can recruit — that if you want to be successful on the national stage, this is a great place to go,” Bish said.

While shifting his focus toward recovery, Bish was already looking toward what next year held for himself and the team. He already had goals for next season in mind.

While winning conference is always something the team strives for, Bish said the team is looking to send more team members to the NCAA Championships, with several barely missing the cut for 2018.

When looking back on this year, Bish knew that transferring to Missouri State was the best decision he could have made.

It was a no-brainer to move 16 hours closer to his family, while still being a part of a team that would help him be successful as a swimmer and teammate.

“At Arizona, I think I cared about my teammates, and when they were on the blocks I would want them to swim well for their own satisfaction,” Bish said. “But here, I care about the team.”

For Bish, his biggest comfort came from not being pressured to meet outcomes already in place but to focus on himself and in turn help the team.

“Instead of trying to live up to expectations, other people lift me up to expect more out of myself,” Bish said.

TY

though, came from senior Ryan Skalnik in the top of the eleventh inning. Skalnik raised his batting average to the Mendoza line, sitting at .200 on the season after the weekend series.

Skalnik’s one-out double started the rally for the Bears and was his biggest hit of the season so far.

Sophomore Logan Geha pinch ran for Skalnik and was moved over to third on a single

by Brown. Then Whetstone bunted for a single to bring in Skalnik for the go-ahead run.

Just like that, the Bears started Missouri Valley Conference play 2-0.

In the third game of the series on Saturday, the Bears lost the chance to sweep the Sycamores, losing by a score of 6-4. Junior right-hander Logan Wiley was given the start on Saturday, only going four innings and giving up all six Sycamore runs.

The biggest positive from the loss was seeing junior lefthander Jake Lochner shut down the Sycamore offense. Lochner pitched four innings and gave up two hits, walking one and striking out one. The Sullivan, Missouri, native has been in the bullpen his entire time at Missouri State, going out and retiring 13 of the 14 batters he faced should get him into more prominent roles late in games for the Bears.

The Bears went to Terre Haute and did exactly what they needed to do, taking two of three. Right now, the Bears sit atop the Missouri Valley with a 19-7 overall record. The Bears will need to continue to win series if they want to compete with Dallas Baptist. The team will continue to ride Coleman and potential 2018 MLB first rounder, Eierman, all year.

The next game against University of Missouri at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, April 3 was cancelled due to weather.

U

SI

Missouri Valley Conference play is officially underway for the Missouri State baseball team. Kicking off Valley play against the Indiana State Sycamores in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Bears won two of three to improve to 197, 2-1 on the season.

Indiana State University was voted to finish third in the Missouri Valley, behind Dallas Baptist University and Missouri State. An accurate prediction, as the Valley is fairly weak after you get past Missouri State and Dallas Baptist.

But if the Bears want a chance at a second straight MVC Championship, they will have to beat teams like Indiana State consistently.

The Bears would go on to win the weekend series, 2-1 with both victories coming in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon and evening.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Bears sent junior right-hander Dylan Coleman to the mound in search of his fifth victory of the season. Coleman did exactly what the Bears needed him to do, going 6 2/3 innings and striking out seven while scattering four hits. Two of the hits surrendered by Coleman left the park for home runs, and they wound up being the only Sycamore runs of the game.

Offensively, the Bears jumped on the back of junior shortstop Jeremy Eierman and senior third baseman Matt Brown. Both had two-run doubles that accounted for all four Bear runs in the game.

After struggling to start the season, Eierman has raised his batting average to a team high .304, with five home runs

and a slugging percentage of .578. He’s the only player on the roster hitting above .300.

The Bears’ bullpen is finally starting to settle down, with the return of senior Jake Fromson coming back and solidifying the back end.

Fromson only pitched twothirds of an inning on Friday, working around two walks and not surrendering the lead.

Bears’ fans can rest easy knowing that Fromson is back to bridge the gap to the end of the game.

The biggest take away in recent games has been the emergence of freshman right-hander Connor Sechler. Pitching in both games of the double header Friday, he closed the door on Game 1 going 1.2 innings, working around one hit and striking out two. Sechler closed out the Bears’ 4-3 victory over the Sycamores in Game 1.

Game 2 of the double header required some extra baseball, but the Bears eventually came out on top, winning 5-4. After getting a strong start from freshman righthander Ty Buckner, it was a collective effort from the bullpen finish the game.

Sechler saw action again; this time, he pitched 3.1 innings, giving up one run, walking two and recording three strikeouts. Davis Schwab, a left-handed junior pitcher, came in and pitched 1.2 innings. He struck out one and surrendered one run on one hit.

The offense in the second game came from the bats of Brown, junior centerfielder Hunter Steinmetz and sophomore first baseman Ben Whetstone. Steinmetz tripled in the third inning to break into the scoring column. Steinmetz continued his solid season, batting .291 on the year with 30 hits and 26 RBIs. The biggest hit of the day,

RI

ER

SAM GRUS Sports Reporter @SCGRUS_6

AMANDA SULLIVAN/THE STANDARD

Junior Blair Bish transferred to Missouri State after swimming for two years at the University of Arizona. He was the only swimmer from Missouri State to make the NCAA Swimming Championships. Bish credited making his third NCAAs to his teammates, coaches and family.

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Bears start conference play 2-1 against Indiana State

THE-STANDARD.ORG 7

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MVC

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

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Hickory Hills Country Club is looking to hire motivated, outgoing Food & Beverage teammates as we head into the season. This is an opportunity to learn various aspects of the hospitality industry, from banquet service to a la carte operations within an established and well-respected country club.

Competitive base hourly rates plus tips. Please come in person to fill out an application or send resume to Director of Hospitality at mcho@hickoryhillscountryclub.com

Hickory Hills Country Club 3909 E Cherry Street Springfield, MO 65809 417.866.4384 Submit your ad online: the-standard.org Or email it: msu.standard@gmail.com

8 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

CANDIDATES: Three candidates run for senior class president, two for student body president, two for student body vice president Continued from page 1 Her goal is to make the senior class committee utilize more Student Initiative Fund proposals and Wyrick Commission proposals.

“I want to make the senior class more useful, better and more effective,” Hankel said. She said she believes the senior class gift is typically an object, something on campus or a scholarship, but she is willing to make it more.

“Instead of limiting ourselves to the senior class, I want to branch out and do more things, like hosting events and beginning a partnership with organizations,” Hankel said.

Hankel was the vice president of Traditions Council the last two years and university advancement director in SGA last year.

“I’m not just excited for the Bears; I’m doing things for the Bears,” Hankel said. “I make things happen by really enhancing the university experience.”

Carter, an early childhood education major, made her slogan “Being the light for a brighter future” because she is asking that the people who vote for her join her in being a light for others.

Carter said her goal as senior class president would be to give more students on campus a voice, spreading diversity as well as becoming more involved with the senior class.

“I know that’s a lot easier said than done, but I feel like it would be really cool to get their input on the senior gift,” Carter said. “I know in the past I haven’t known a whole lot about the senior gift, and I know that, as senior class president, that is something I can oversee. I’d like to get the students’ opinion on what they would most love to leave at Missouri State.”

She says she most wants to be remembered by allowing the student body to have a voice, a home and being positive.

“I know that it sounds cliche, but I just really hope that if I am elected, if people need someone to talk to they would feel okay coming to me,” Carter said. “I hope to be as involved as possible in people’s lives.”

Carter said she has wanted to run for senior class president since she was a freshman.

HEALTH Continued from page 1 “We also do a lot of events on campus that spread awareness of mental illness and kind of aim to break the stigma surrounding mental illness and make it more comfortable for people to talk about if they are struggling with depression or if they are struggling with bipolar, schizophrenia or anything like that,” Allen said.

She urges others to realize just how common these mental issues are.

“You know, we are not alone in this as much as society likes to make us think we are by associating shame with mental illness, but the more that we talk about it the more we can see that there are loads of people dealing with these issues,” Allen said.

Traditional college-aged students are the lowest of all adults seeking treatment for mental health issues.

In 2016, only 51.5 percent of adults between the ages 18-25 with any mental health issues received treatment. However, 66.1 percent of adults between ages 26-49 with any mental health issues received treatment, and 71.5 percent of adults 50 years old or over received treatment.

Since many young adults with mental health issues are not

Two tickets running for student body president, vice president There are two final teams running for student body president and vice president. One team includes juniors Isaiah Villarreal for president and Dillon Cordel for vice president. The other team includes juniors Jimmy Moore for president and Lupita Perez-Lopez for vice president.

Villarreal, a human resource management major, and Cordel, a finance major, said they want to make changes to SGA to include all students. Their campaign slogan is “Rally together.”

“We really want to let students know that we represent them,” Cordel said.

“We want to bring all groups of people together to solve issues together.”

Villarreal said he and Cordel want all students to feel more accommodated and welcomed by the university, beginning with making SGA a more friendly and open environment.

SGA is currently a committee, meaning only senators can be members.

If elected, Villarreal and Cordel plan to change it to a commission to include a larger group of students. This would

also allow SGA to work on projects year round.

“I feel like SGA has a stereotype that we are our own entity, so we want to break that wall,” Villarreal said.

Villarreal and Cordel also said they want to have more open forums to allow students to voice their opinions and interact more with administration.

“Time after time, there are students that get left behind, and their voices aren’t really heard on campus,” Villarreal said.

“We want to make sure we change the status quo of what SGA is and come together to face issues.”

Villarreal said some other ways he wants to create a more inclusive, diverse campus is to expand the Multicultural Resource Center, build more memorials and statues of veterans on campus, offer transfer students more opportunities, and ensure first-generation students know about student loans and financial responsibilities.

Moore and Perez-Lopez, both political science majors, also have a goal of creating a more inclusive campus and representing all students.

Moore said that as an LGBT student on campus, he does not see other LGBT students and people of color fully rep-

receiving treatment, others around these individuals can help them by being educated on signs of mental health issues and suicidal tendencies.

Thomas Lane, dean of students for MSU, said the university has a policy in place which outlines an “active response plan” for “identifying and addressing the needs of students exhibiting suicidal tendencies or behavior.

“The university community is encouraged to actively respond to students in distress, including those students exhibiting suicidal tendencies,” Lane said.

The university’s plan identifies multiple “common warning signs” of suicidal tendencies including depression, mood swings, unusual sleep patterns—sleeping too much or too little—and impulsive or reckless behavior.

The dean of students’ website also establishes protocol for faculty and staff. First, the employee must establish if the student is in danger. If so, the employee is advised to call 911 immediately. If not, the employee is encouraged to call the Dean of Students Office or report the incident online here: www.missouristate.edu /dos/.

“It is important that, as a campus community, we can recognize the signs of someone who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts and respond with care and concern and offer hope and resources,” Lane said.

A training program is also offered several times each year to faculty and staff through a partnership with the Counseling Cen-

resented, especially in SGA. “There’s a perceived notion that SGA is not a place for people of color and difference, and that’s something we want to break and think we can break,” Moore said.

Moore started working in the LGBT Resource Center his freshman year, and became a SOAR leader his sophomore year.

“When I was in SOAR, I didn’t see people like me,” Moore said. “That’s the kind of change I want to bring as president.”

Perez-Lopez said she almost transferred schools last year, because she, too, didn’t see people who looked like her in leadership positions, but she chose to stay so she could change that.

She said she often hears minority students say that Missouri State led them to believe it is more diverse than it is, and then they feel like they don’t belong when they are here.

Moore and Perez-Lopez said they chose to run for the student body leadership to create a change and said representation is important because minorities should feel that they are welcome in leadership positions.

Polls open April 9-13 online.

ter and the Dean of Students Office that helps people learn how to identify warning signs and how to talk to someone who is experiencing mental health issues.

“Saying things like, ‘Are you thinking about killing yourself or harming yourself?’” Lesley said. “People have a hard time saying those words when they’re dealing with somebody.”

Students can find multiple resources on the Counseling Center’s website, including an online suicide prevention training course called “Ask, Listen, Refer.”

Local Services Local services are available for those struggling with mental health issues that are uninterested in being involved with university-related programs.

Burrell Behavioral Health is located in Springfield and offers an array of mental health services. People can contact the health center by phone at 417-761-5000.

The Jordan Valley Community Health Center also offers behavioral health services and can be reached at 417-831-0150.

National Services Many more national organizations exist to help people with a variety of mental health issues and those suffering from suicidal thoughts.

The National Suicide Prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255 can help those with thoughts of suicide.

The JED Foundation offers a texting option for those in need of help. You can text "START" to 741-741.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

THE STANDARD

THE-STANDARD.ORG 9

STUDENTS CELEBRATE HOLI

PHOTOS BY COLLIN HADLEY/THE STANDARD

On March 24, the South Asian Students Association hosted the second annual Holi event on the North Mall. Color is thrown to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

Student enrollment from Saudi Arabia decreases HANNA SUMPTER Senior Reporter @hannasumpter New faces from the same place are decreasing for Saudi Arabian students at Missouri State University.

Since fall 2015, the amount of students enrolling at MSU through the Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission has decreased by 72 students — from 213 to 141 — according to the department of International Services.

Patrick Parnell, the director of International Services at MSU, said this decrease could be coming from some changes within the Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission program.

“There seems to be a greater emphasis overall in health care related fields and STEM re-

lated fields where the Saudi government chooses to fund students to go,” Parnell said. “I also believe there have been changes in terms of how they identify their partner schools.”

The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission is an agency within the country’s government which assists Saudi Arabian students studying in the United States through its various programs and policies.

Missouri State University is not listed as a “recommended” university on the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission website as of Monday.

Senior Mohammed Alhamdan studies respiratory therapy and said he doesn’t see any new faces on campus anymore.

“Now, I almost know all of them,” Alhamdan said. He later added, “The more students graduate from Missouri State University — they

are gone for good.”

As previously reported by The Standard, MSU recently received an influx of 28 Saudi Arabian teachers and their families who arrived to study English. Parnell said that this influx was arranged through the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, but he explained that they were sent to the English Language Institute rather than simply to the university.

Parnell also said the population of Saudi Arabian students is important to MSU and the Springfield area.

“That diversity component is so important,” Parnell said. “By us having a significant population of students from the Middle East and students from Saudi Arabia, I think it really helps to really provide that education and multicultural dialogue that I think our community

lacks in some ways.”

“I don’t foresee us receiving great amounts of SACM students in the future, but I do expect that we will continue at the very least a minimal stream of these students,” Parnell said.

He also said that students from Saudi Arabia sometimes have a difficult time adjusting here.

“They can be profiled,” Parnell said. “They can perhaps not feel as welcome here as perhaps other populations of international students. But then, on the flip side, I’ve seen great support from our community.”

One Saudi Arabian senior clinical laboratory sciences student, Mohsen Alruwayi, shared a similar sentiment.

“I don’t like the isolation of international students in MSU,” Alruwayi said. “It is difficult to (be involved with) the community of MSU.”

10 THE-STANDARD.ORG

FILM: Continued from page 4

THE STANDARD

A progressive film environment

“As filmmakers became more open to people, I feel like Springfield has gradually opened its arms to this art form and community, and it inspires people to make things,” Linder said.

To Linder, he felt the first big milestone in his lifetime for the Springfield film community was when he was in high school and Moxie Cinema first opened.

“The first milestone I remember was when I was in high school, the Moxie opened on ... and it was such a huge deal,” he said. “It was like making what we were into legitimate … it really opened peoples minds to what you could do as an artist,” Linder said.

Linder also said he cares a lot for this area. Linder recently directed “Baby, I love you” by Ryan Adams, and included a compilation of some old footage he took from his time here in Springfield.

After his film during the Q&A, Linder gave a shout-out to his old social studies teacher sitting in the crowd whom he had named a character from his film after.

Thiessen, director of “Posers,” a thrilling, supernatural, coming-of-age short film, said he felt this festival will impact Springfield positively and was running very smoothly.

Thiessen, who graduated

TAG Continued from page 4 “Everyone in my class loved it and we had a great time, so I decided to shift my focus from just archery to archery tag instead,” she said.

“I bugged my boss about this topic for so long, she decided to look into it. She was able to get approval for the purchasing of the equipment, and now here we are about to

from MSU in May 2017 with a degree in electronic arts, has been working on freelance writing and directing recently which includes directing a music video for the Violet and the Undercurrents, a band based out of Columbia, Missouri.

“Josh and Brook are two people I respect and admire a lot, and it’s an honor to stand alongside them,” Thiessen said.

The film festival included live music from various artists such as Creek Rocks, Dallas Jones and Ellie Schmidly before every showing.

Cocktails, beer and coffee from The Coffee Ethic and treats from The European Cafe were provided.

The festival ended with a full audience for Lowery’s film ‘The Ghost Story,” which explores love, loss and a regular theme displayed throughout Lowery’s films — home.

When asked in the Q&A what local film-makers can do to keep working toward their goals of film-making, Lowery said, “If you try to make (films better) ... there’s a way they can resonate in the world and give some sense of goodness to your community … I’m always thinking about that, thinking about ways I can do better in the path that I have set upon.” have our first league.”

How it works Haarmann said archery tag is a bit of a mix between dodgeball and paintball. Two teams of six stay on opposite sides of a field or court. The goal is to use archery bows to shoot soft-tip arrows at the other team and hit their players.

Players can hide behind inflatable barricades and obstacles while shooting arrows at their opponents. Players are required to wear protective

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

AFRICA Continued from page 4 In 2008 and 2009, Leinweber traveled to the Congo to conduct research for her graduate dissertation.

“My area of research for the Congo is the Muslim minority of the Congo,” Leinweber said. “As far as I know, I am the only person in the world who does that because the Congo is overwhelmingly Christian.”

Leinweber said these experiences improve her teaching.

“I think it makes for a more interesting class,” Leinweber said. “I feel more like I’m teaching something I know to be true, having experienced it personally.”

In 2012, after gaining a doctorate in political science, Leinweber traded small African villages for an office in Strong Hall when she joined the MSU faculty. She is also the faculty advisor for the Model United Nations and is currently the interim director of the Master of Global Studies program.

George Connor, political science department head, agrees that Leinweber’s experiences bring something special to the school.

“Having a professor with real-world experience brings that real world into the classroom,” Connor said. “You can go only so far with textbooks and the internet. Perhaps more importantly, Leinweber serves as a role model face masks as well. All the equipment is provided.

Haarmann said there are different game styles as well.

One version is “knockout” where players must leave the field once they are hit by an arrow. The last team standing is declared the winner.

The second version is based on points. Each hit on an opponent results in a point for the other team. The first team to a certain number of points wins.

Catching an arrow in the air can also count as a point or knocking out an opponent.

BRADLEY BALSTERS/THE STANDARD

Ashley Leinweber is a world-traveler, having visited 19 countries so far.

cal science major and member of the Model U.N. “She is one of my favorite professors because she will always be available for any kind of help you may need in or out of class,” Oberlag said.

“She is also clearly intelligent on her subject matter and has tons of experience in the field, whether it is flying around in a U.N. helicopter with a drunk Russian pilot over the Congo, or helping build bridges in the middle of the African jungle.”

Leinweber’s experiences may make her a better professor, but they’ve done so much more than that. for our students. especially those involved in “I feel like they completely changed my life,” Leinweber “Leinweber’s enthusiasm the Model U.N.” has an effervescence that is One of those students is said. “I think it sort of made compelling for her students, Ryan Oberlag, a senior politi- me who I am.”

“I made some really great, deep friendships and relationships with people of the (Nigerian Maissakoni village) who felt like family and community to me, in a really deep way.”

-Ashley Leinweber

Haarmann said since this is the first semester for the sport, she and the staff are excited to see what participants like and dislike and to hear suggestions for improvement.

She said the staff is more than willing to work with participants in every sport to look at how sports can be improved and make the intramural programs better.

who may not be interested in the more traditional intramural sports.

“I hope that we draw in a new crowd of students to the intramural program with archery tag,” Haarmann said.

“Our participants in our other sports, like basketball, soccer, and volleyball, have been pretty consistent for the past few years I have been here. I wanted this new sport to hopefully Future outlook for the new branch our program out to sport more people.”

Haarmann said she hopes Although registration has the sport brings in students closed for this semester, Haar-

mann said archery tag will be a permanent sport intramurals will offer, as long as there is interest in it. She said the intramural program hopes to expand the sport and new equipment to offer special events in the future.

Four fraternities joined the Fraternity Division, and five teams joined the Open Division. Games will begin the week of April 9 on Monday and Tuesday nights. Games will be held inside Foster Recreation Center on the multi-activity court or Court 2.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

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THE-STANDARD.ORG 11

BEAR: ‘This program involves a campus-wide effort for inclusion’ Continued from page 5

according to Heinz. The University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Central Missouri both have programs for IDD students.

Bear POWER has received funding from grants and private donations, Heinz said. Students will pay for six hours of tuition, housing and a Bear POWER program fee of around $4,000 per semester. Other costs will depend on the residence hall, meal plan and courses the student chooses. Heinz said they are currently fundraising to provide scholarships for some students.

Heinz and Devine said they believe the program will be beneficial for all of MSU, not benefit because they will grow living skills and gain employjust for the students in the academically and socially. ment experience,” Heinz said. program.

“Bear POWER students They will learn independent “Bear Blazers benefit because

Photo courtesy of Rachel Heinz

they are making a meaningful impact on someone's life. Faculty and staff benefit because The Bear POWER staff they learn how to make stands in front of coursework and campus reMSU’s Plaster Student sources accessible for everyUnion by the MSU Bear one. The community benefits because these students can and Statue. will enter the workforce to gain employment. Bear POWFrom left: Zachary Burt ER is a win for everyone — (Bear POWER Staff), it's (diverse,) and we can all learn from each other.”

Joshua Devine (Bear Other than education and Power graduate assisemployment opportunities, the tant), Brittany Knebel program also offers students (Bear POWER graduate with IDD the chance to be assistant) and Rachel included in something they often miss out on.

Heinz (director of Bear “This program involves a POWER.) campus-wide effort for inclusion,” Devine said. “While they get to work alongside doing so, it creates a better Bear POWER students, gain environment and fights against valuable friendships and know a stigma that people with in-

tellectual and developmental disabilities face.”

For Heinz, there is also a personal reason she hopes to see the Bear POWER program succeed.

“I have a 6-year-old son with Down syndrome who is my inspiration for wanting to see an inclusive program available for students with IDD at my alma mater — Missouri State University,” Heinz said. “It has been exciting to see the incredible amount of support from our community and the Missouri State campus for Bear POWER.” The application deadline for Bear POWER students is May 1, 2018.

MSU students interested in becoming a Bear Blazer can apply online before the training begins in fall 2018.

12 THE-STANDARD.ORG

THE STANDARD

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

Two Missouri senators visit US Senate, Missouri State’s campus state Senate candidates speak BEN VICKERS Staff Reporter @benrvickers2

AFTON HARPER Trainee Reporter @affie888 On Tuesday, March 27, Republican candidates for the U.S. and Missouri Senate spoke at a Missouri State University College Republicans event.

Tony Monetti, U.S. Senate candidate, is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel with experience flying B-52, B-1 and B-2 stealth bombers. Monetti served in two wars and said he is ready to serve his country once again.

Monetti also runs a restaurant in Warrensburg, Missouri, called Monetti’s Pizzeria Ristorante and Culton Street Eatery.

“The key to success is helping others to succeed,” Monetti said.

“That is what I want us to do. I want us to serve each other and our country, and we live in a great nation and I want to encourage young people to stand up for American values of integrity, excellence and service before self.”

Eric Burlison, Missouri Senate candidate, is currently running unopposed. Burlison is a former Missouri House representative for Greene County and left office in 2016. He is also an MSU alumnus and graduated with a master’s in business administration. Burlison has experience with computer science and works for Cerner, a health information and technology company,

as a process architect.

“I’ve grown up in the area,” Burlison said. “I have enjoyed a lot of freedoms and opportunities because of the people before me, and I feel strongly that I want to continue to have those same freedoms and opportunities for my children and for the future generations of Missouri. That’s very important to me.”

Justin Orf, senior political science and civil engineering major, is the chair of the MSU College Republicans and invited Burlison to the event.

“One of my goals is to get as many people connected with campaigns and campaign opportunities for 2018, since the elections are now starting to ramp up,” Orf said. “And with Eric (Burlison) running unopposed, I knew he was offering positions on his own campaign.”

Kaci Cooner, freshman early childhood education major, attended this event as a way to inquire about the MSU College Republicans.

“I knew the senators would be talking, so I thought that would be interesting to hear since this is the (first) year I can vote,” Cooner said. “That was the main thing that drew me here was the speakers .”

The Missouri primary election date is Aug. 7, and Sen. Claire McCaskill will be up for re-election for a third term.

On March 27, Sen. Claire McCaskill held an open forum at the PSU Theater.

MSU College Democrats President James Moore introduced McCaskill, who won Missouri in 2012 with 54 percent of the vote. McCaskill spent most of her time answering questions from the audience. The senator began with an opening statement about the importance of compromise and bipartisanship.

“When we just stand on opposite sides of the room and yell at each other, we don’t get anything done,” McCaskill said.

The senator showed concern for a range of issues, and said she was “seriously worried” about Missouri agriculture under the current administration.

This came on the heels of the recent tariffs set by President Donald Trump and the resulting commodity retaliation from China which the United States Department of Agriculture predicts will lower farming income in America by 7 percent.

“Missouri agriculture is in the crosshairs,” McCaskill said.

Despite concern for the agriculture industry, McCaskill seemed optimistic about several issues.

When speaking about higher education, McCaskill pushed the crowd to lobby local representatives for better funding toward higher education and challenged everyone to get out and vote.

“I challenge you to make this the issue,” McCaskill said. “Not just for you, but your younger brothers and your sisters and the generation that comes behind you.”

In response to a separate question about gun reform and the recent March For Our Lives movement, McCaskill said the movement was inspiring.

“You can support the Second Amendment and be in favor of gun safety,” McCaskill said.

The senator also said she hopes the U.S. Senate can restore net neutrality in the near future.

McCaskill is up for re-election in the Senate this November, running against current Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.

Sen. Roy Blunt appeared at the Darr School of Agriculture on March 23 to hold an open forum about the

BILL SIOHOLM/THE STANDARD

Sen. Claire McCaskill visits MSU to talk about her upcoming re-election campaign.

She answers any questions from students on various political topics in Plaster Student Union, on March 27.

importance of agriculture.

According to his office, Blunt recently secured a $5 million increase in funding for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA), a program that supplied Missouri State’s agriculture program with $435,000. Blunt helped develop the program in 2014 as a part of a larger agriculture act.