The Index Vol. 110 Issue 13

Page 1

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dean of Health Sciences and Education chosen, page 3

See what The Index Editorial Board has planned for the special day

Truman students rescue neighbor in fire, page 8

page 7

Basketball defeats Quincy, page 14

Truman State University tmn.truman.edu THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

tmn.truman.edu

@TrumanMediaNet

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DOBSON HALL TO CLOSE NEXT YEAR RYAN PIVONEY Managing Editor

Dobson Hall will close for the 2019-20 school year to accomodate for falling enrollment and to save money. University President Sue Thomas said the University could have closed Dobson this semester, but students were already assigned rooms and it was too late. Dave Rector, vice president for administration, finance and planning, said he met with Residence Life interim director William Nelsen and Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, in early January to discuss options for addressing the decreasing enrollment and its effect on campus living. “So we got to looking at the different options,” Rector said. “We had a small freshman class, and we know that the percentage that normally renew to come back on campus, and we did the math and said, ‘Well, that would seem to be the logical one to shut down.’” Dobson Hall is located off East Patterson Street between Blanton-Nason-Brewer Hall and Ryle Hall. See DOBSON page 3

Photo by Daniel Degenhardt

University combats inclement weather October death ruled suicide RACHEL BECKER Staff Writer

Extreme weather since the start of the year has forced departments around Truman State University to alter plans and work wisely. The University has closed two times in the past few weeks and has had multiple delayed starts as a result of unusual weather and consideration of community safety. University President Sue Thomas said this year the University has closed more frequently because the weather this winter is more dangerous than usual. Thomas said the process

of deciding to delay start times or close the University involves careful planning and input from the Department of Public Safety, Physical Plant, MoDOT, Kirksville city officials and others. The times of delayed starts are decided based on faculty and staff shift changes, and Thomas said the University does not prioritize academics over safety. “Those who have classes on Wednesday mornings have had a real challenge because that’s when the weather is coming in,” Thomas said. “It really comes down to who is impacted by, in these cases, the weather events that

we’ve had recently.” Thomas said if students feel faculty are not willing to work with them to ensure they feel safe going to class, they should take concerns to the department chair, dean or provost. Thomas also said Truman never fully closes because various staff, such as members of Information Technology Services, Sodexo employees, Physical Plant workers and others, are deemed essential. “It’s really important for every member of our community to make an individual judgment about their safety,” Thomas said. “We may have things cleared on cam-

pus, but things may not be as clear off campus or if you live outside of Kirksville.” Physical Plant director Sam Guth said his grounds crew team has been keeping up, even with the large amount of snow the campus has seen. Guth said his team partially consists of 6-8 employees who have different parts of campus to take care of. For light snow, they brush the snow off the sidewalks with John Deere mowers and attach a plow to the front for heavier snow. See WEATHER page 5

JED Committee shares study results LIZ LOVESEE Staff Writer A plan to address mental health on Truman State University’s campus was announced Monday with the results of the Healthy Minds Survey. Since officially partnering with the Jed Foundation in fall 2017, Truman’s JED committee has been working to improve the mental well-being of students, faculty and staff. The Healthy Minds Survey, which the committee administered to students last spring, revealed the leading causes of stress in students and provided an idea of how many students are affected by depression and anxiety. “We had great student participation,” JED committee cochair Evonne Bird said. “We credit the students for helping us with this so when we look at the data, we know it is pretty reliable and pretty representative of our student community.” The survey was sent out to the entire student body and had a 41 percent response rate. Truman’s JED committee compared the survey results to the results of schools similar in size and cost within the JED program, and found that Truman does not have any alarming difference in mental illness. Truman did, however, have the highest percentage of students who reported thoughts of suicide, with 17 percent of respondents confirming they had

VOLUME 110 ISSUE 13 © 2019

RYAN PIVONEY Managing Editor The October death of Truman State University senior Abigail Fones was ruled a suicide. Fones, a communication disorders major, died Oct. 21 in her home in Kirksville. Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, informed students of Fones’ death in a campus-wide email following her death. In her email, Stoskopf said students are welcome to contact her with concerns and encouraged students to seek mental health assistance, if needed, from her office or University Counseling Services. On Tuesday, Adair County Coroner Brian Noe confirmed to The Index the official cause of death was suicide.

Campus Resources for Counseling & Mental Health University Counseling Services McKinney Center, behind Kirk Memorial (660) 785-4014 ucs.truman.edu

JED Committee co-chairs Brenda Higgins and Evonne Bird, Janet Gooch, vice president for academic affairs and provost, and other members of the committee spoke at the town hall. The address was Monday, Feb. 11. Photo by Caleb Bolin suicidal thoughts. However, 84 percent of students said they know where to go to receive help. See JED page 6

After-hours crisis line: (660) 665-5621 Janna Stoskopf Vice president for Student Affairs Student Union Building 1110 First Floor in the CSI Complexx (660) 785-4111


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