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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015
Upcycle boutique unveiled
Sorority raises money for child therapy
A new storefront opening on The Square will offer reused and upcycled apparel Clayton Berry Staff Reporter
Amp’D Boutique LLC, a new home decor, clothing and jewelry store, will have its grand opening 10 a.m. Oct. 3 at 108 E. Washington St. Co-owners Truman State alumna Megan Howard and Kirksville resident Stephanie Morford hosted several Amp’D previews Sept. 19 and 26. They also will give updates about the store on the Amp’D Facebook page. Morford said the clothing inventory will be a mix of ultramodern, or new apparel, and Trashion, which is reused and upcycled apparel. She said this will give store customers more clothing options to choose from in regards to style and price. She said the jewelry is made mostly from reclaimed materials handmade by local or Missouri-based artisans. She said the boutique also will sell an array of items such as personal journals, records and gifts for friends. Morford said the inventory constantly will be updated to provide a larger variety of products to customers and products from Red Barn festival vendors will be available in their store during the future.
“The adventure and the unknown are the most exciting part of this.” — Co-owner Kirksville resident Stephanie Morford
Morford said the boutique will be in the former location of her other business, Yours Truly Salon, which she said moved to 520 N. Baltimore St. Morford said she and Howard are close friends, and they wanted to open the store because they had the business expertise to run it, and she said it will be a personal hobby and passion for them. She said the store name, Amp’D, is short for the “and” symbol, ampersand, and also reflects the phrase “and nothing stays the same.” She said this and the rotating arrows around the store name represent a continually changing future and a willingness to push forward in this endeavor, which Morford calls an adventure. “We are excited to see what the future holds,” Morford said. “The adventure and the unknown are the most exciting parts of this.”
Trevor Stark/Index Above: Students participate in the Sigma Sigma Sigma philanthropy event Rock for Robbie. This annual event raises money for the Robbie Page Memorial Fund, which provides play therapy for terminally ill children. Members of the sorority are paired up to rock in rocking chairs for 24 hours a day, seven days a week from Sept. 26 through Oct. 3 on The Quad. Tri Sigma also will host a toy drive during the event where new or gently used toys can be donated..
Blueprint | University President Troy Paino has tasked three faculty teams with focusing on student retention continued from page 1 of retaining students through four-, five- or six-year plans. To do that, he said Team One will try to make a curriculum that draws students in during their first semester and keeps them engaged throughout their college career. “Research is pretty clear that the first semester is an important semester to feel connected to the University,” Paino said. “For that first semester, what can we do to get students to connect to [the University]?” Nearly 90 percent of firsttime freshmen return to
Truman for their sophomore year, but graduation rates for four-, five- and six-year plans range between 56 and 71 percent, according to University figures. Paino said he wants the University to retain at least 90 percent of freshmen after their first year. Paino said Team One is tasked with offering curriculum changes that will “produce a more meaningful experience” through the curriculum. He said he doesn’t know exactly what changes will be offered by the Blueprint Team or how radical
they will be compared to the current curriculum. Blueprint Team Two will focus on expanding Truman’s educational reach to pre-college students and professionals looking for extra skills, according to the letter. Paino said this could mean expanding the range of Joseph Baldwin Academy programs, offering more certificate programs for professionals and introducing new master’s degree programs. He said the expansion of these programs will allow Truman to expand the range of students who could enroll in a nontraditional setting Blueprint Team Three, which was merged into a standing committee, will focus on the portfolio system, Paino said. This team will look at how the University evaluates student
learning and development at Truman, and if there are any software upgrades that could improve the current portfolio system, he said. Paino said every suggestion made by the Blueprint Teams likely would have to be approved by Faculty Senate or other governing bodies within the University before taking effect. He said the University would pay for implementing suggestions by cutting from the current budget and looking for grants. The new policies could become self-sustaining or revenue-producing, however, if they attract enough new students or saves funds in the long run, Paino said. “We wouldn’t do any of this if we didn’t think it would bring money back into the University,” Paino said.
Kraft | K-REDI hopes to bring in new production lines to help replace the 270 full-time positions the bacon consolidation will affect Continued from page 1 Chrisman said the company is optimistic about the attempts to bring in new production lines. She said the Kraft plant is a major part of Kirksville’s economy and also has a special tie to Kirksville tradition, such as the annual Bacon Fest event which took place at The Square last Saturday. Chrisman said with the bacon production line consolidating, Bacon Fest probably has made its final Kirksville appearance, but K-REDI is hoping to offer other festivals to benefit local food pantries where Kraft and other companies can partner with the community. The initial announcement of consolidation of all Kraft bacon production to Coshocton, Ohio, was made during November 2014 according to The Columbus [Ohio] Dispatch. Kirksville employees were given notice that bacon production would be completely eliminated from the community by the end of 2015, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
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Trevor Stark/Index Kraft’s announced consolidation of the bacon production lines to Ohio were expected to take place April 2015, but this action has been delayed. 270 jobs are expected to be affected by the consolidation, and K-REDI currently is pursuing new production line options.