Truman State University tmn.truman.edu THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018 tmn.truman.edu
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FEATURES | First Truman Lavender Graduation creates inclusive space Page 7
SPORTS | Truman Athletics facing big decisions as budget cuts come down Page 14
Apartments to be demolished BY RYAN PIVONEY Staff Writer
Photo by Nicolas Telep/TMN The Col. & Mrs. Robert L. McKinney Center is home to Truman State University’s Student Health Center and University Counseling Services. UCS will use money raised by an increase in the Student Health Fee approved by students in last week’s student elections to expand mental health services.
Fair Apartments will be demolished this summer and replaced with a green space for students. The building, located along Patterson Street in front of Ryle Hall and across from Violette Hall, will be replaced by an open area for students. Physical Plant Director Karl Schneider said demolition is set to begin on May 14 and will be finished by the end of July. He said the University has contracted the project to BRS Construction, who will remove asbestos before performing the demolition. While the deconstruction takes place, Schneider said the sidewalk and parking lot around the building will be closed. The parking lot will remain available to students next year. “[BRS Construction] is going to be done before the end of summer, so by next fall the site will be cleared, grass will be planted, the parking lot will be open again and the sidewalk will be open,” Schneider said. See FAIR, page 5
Students vote to increase fee for mental health Student death BY NICOLAS TELEP News Text Editor Truman State University plans to use revenue from a newly approved increase in the student health fee to provide higher-level counseling services to students. The $10 increase to the existing $27 per semester student health fee was approved in last week’s student elections by a 1,120-474 vote. The additional money — about $125,000 per year — will be used to provide psychological or psychiatric services to students through University Counseling Services. Student mental health is a concern for both students and administrators at Truman, especially after multiple student suicides over the past two academic years. UCS Director Brenda Higgins said the money from the fee will go to the University’s General Fund for the specific purpose of paying salary and benefits for on-campus psychological or psychiatric services. She said the fee might not generate enough revenue to hire a full-time psychiatrist or psychologist, but it would be beneficial for UCS to have someone at a higher clinical level available on campus to handle more complex cases. “What we are seeing, and what all universities are seeing, is an increase in acuity of the psychiatric needs of our clients,” Higgins said. “It’s no
longer just mild anxiety or depression that we’re seeing … It’s things like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, more complex psychiatric disorders.” Higgins said the details of a plan to use the funds have not been discussed yet because it is dependent on the individual the University hires to fill the position. She said she anticipates UCS would implement a system similar to that of the Student Health Center, where students are referred to the doctor in extreme cases for an opinion or further services. Higgins said the national increase in acuity of mental health problems on college campuses might be related to the Americans With Disabilities Act. “In past years, before the ADA … students with complex psychiatric problems just didn’t make it to college,” Higgins said. “And now, because of accommodations that can be provided for individuals with those types of needs, students are more successful. They’re being successful through their high school studies and doing well and able to then get into college and do well in college.” Higgins said 20 years ago, college counselors mainly dealt with transitional issues like homesickness, relationships and identity issues with students. She said the scope of mental health issues at colleges has shifted, so
counselors now have to deal with more severe mental health diagnoses. Higgins said Truman’s above-average rate of students who experience suicidal thoughts, reported in the 2017 Missouri Assessment of College Health Behaviors Survey, might have been impacted by the suicides of three Truman students last school year. She said it is not out of the ordinary for a community to have a higher rate of students struggling with those experiences in the wake of suicide in the community. “That’s a normal phenomenon, unfortunately,” Higgins said. “It’s not one that we want to see, but it is something that happens.” Higgins said University Counseling Services has not had a waitlist for the entire 2018-19 school year. She said students might have to wait a week for an appointment, but that wait is normal and shorter than the wait at other care providers in the community. Higgins also said patients sometimes don’t work well with the counselors they are assigned. She said after getting this feedback from students, UCS made an online form patients can fill out if they want to request a different counselor and do not want to do it in the office. She said all six counselors and the social worker in the clinic are licensed and have master’s degrees. See HEALTH, page 5
ruled suicide BY NICOLAS TELEP News Text Editor
The February death of a Truman State University student on campus has officially been ruled a suicide. Maya Warr, second-year biology and pre-med student, died Feb. 3 in her room in Missouri Hall. Janna Stoskopf, vice president for student affairs, informed students of Warr’s death the next day in a campus-wide email. Tuesday, Adair County Coroner Brian Noe confirmed to The Index that Warr’s death was officially ruled a suicide. Noe said the confirmation took a couple months because his office needed to complete tests and read reports before he could officially rule the death a suicide. In another University-wide email, Stoskopf said students can contact her with concerns. She encouraged students to seek mental health assistance, if needed, from her office or University Counseling Services. Janna Stoskopf can be reached at jstoskopf@truman.edu or (660) 7855404. University Counseling Services can be reached at (660) 785-4014 during normal business hours and at (660) 665-5621 for the 24-hour crisis line.
Students elect new president and VP
Student elections for Truman State University ended last Thursday. Senior Keaton Leppanen was elected Student Government president, and his running mate, sophomore Deanna Schmidt, was elected vice president. Students also voted for 12 student senators, student representative and chair for the Funds Allotment Council, and four ballot resolutions. Results are as follows. Student Senators
Sophomore Katie Alexander Freshman Adam Barker Sophomore Caroline Costello Freshman Caleb DeWitt Freshman Rachel Holt Freshman Kaylee Jacobson Sophomore Jared Kolok Freshman Adam Paris Sophomore Kathleen Placke Senior Joe Slama Freshman Sam Tillman Junior Hannah Wissler
Student Representative for FAC Junior Sarah Connolly
Submitted Photos Junior Keaton Leppanen (left) and sophomore Deanna Schmidt (right), Student Government president and vice president for the 2018-19 school year. See Leppanen and Schmidt’s column about the future of Truman State University in the opinions section on page 5.
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 27 © 2018
FAC Chair
Junior Kristen Schepker
Yes on Athletic Fee Rules Change 1:
“I support that beginning in the 20182019 academic year, the Athletic Fee may allocate up to 10% of short-term
project funding to projects proposed by non-intercollegiate athletics, with the potential of an additional 5% of short-term project funding with a 2/3 approval vote of the Athletic Fee Accountability committee.” Yes on Athletic Fee Rules Change 2:
“I support that beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year, the Athletic Fee should keep 3% of the short-term project funding in reserve for any necessary additional funding of projects.”
Yes on Student Health Fee Change:
“I support raising the Student Health Fee by $10 per semester, to total $37 per semester, to increase access to psychological and/or psychiatric care through University Counseling Services.”
The student body approved a revised constitution for Student Government.