Volleyball looks to bump out the old page 14
Cats vs. dogs,
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Feeding Adair County, page 10 Cross country freshmen look to go the distance, page 13
Truman State University tmn.truman.edu tmn.truman.edu
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
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NEW STUDENT TOTAL BOUNCES BACK GABE SMITH Staff Writer Truman’s number of new students jumped 10.4% from last fall, an indication that the university could eventually see a return to pre-pandemic numbers in the coming years. This year, the number of newly enrolled students was up 10% from last year’s number of 891. The increased number of new students doesn’t tell the whole story, said Ryan Myzak, director of admissions. “For new incoming first-year students we are actually flat to a little bit down compared to last year,” Myzak said. “But, we’ve seen increased numbers of transfer students, a lot of graduate students that have come in the new programs we’ve started and the existing ones that we’ve had.” This non-traditional mix of students is likely due to several changes that the admissions staff has made since Myzak arrived last December. Attracting more transfer students has proved to be a major factor in this year’s success. Myzak said that he and his staff began offering free credit transfer evaluations to transfer students in order to make an education at Truman more accessible to individuals seeking to change schools. “We were able to make a lot of changes for the fall intake that were able to increase headcount,” Myzak said. Returning international students were a key contributor to the recent growth.
A freshman performs at the freshmen talent show and awards show. The amount of new students has increased by 10.4%. Photo by Oliver Malone
See ENROLLMENT page 3
University hires institutional compliance officer ANAKIN BUSH Managing Editor
Truman State University has hired Ryan Nely as the new institutional compliance officer, replacing former officer Lauri Millot. The institutional compliance officer is in charge of assuring Truman’s compliance with Title IX and discriminatory matters. They also ensure that the University has non-discrimination policies that comply with state and federal law. Millot had served as the University’s institutional compliance officer since 2018. She is now the Title IX director for The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The institutional compliance officer position was posted in March. Applications started to get reviewed in April and Zoom interviews began in May with selected applicants. Nely was then invited to Truman in June for an in-person interview. Nely described his job as mainly dealing with discrimination, harassment and abuse situations. He then conducts educational programming to further prevent any future incidents. “I make sure we are complying with all the relevant state and federal laws and regulations that determine what we have to do in terms of any discrimination and creating a good environment,” Nely said.
Ryan Nely’s office is located at Violette Hall. Nely ensures that the University complies with Title IX. Photo by Anakin Bush If the University fails to comply with Title IX, Nely said the highest punishment would be Truman losing all federal funding. See TITLE IX page 6
University updates COVID-19 policies KENNEDY COOPER Staff Writer
Zac Burden, coordinator for Residence Life, talks to a student at the Back to School Bash. Masks are not required in outdoor settings. Photo by Oliver Malone
VOLUME 113 ISSUE 2 © 2021
With the beginning of the fall semester, Truman State University has implemented some new COVID-19 policies, as well as revised some previous ones. On Aug. 9, Truman began requiring masks in indoor spaces. The guidelines on social distancing that were in place for the 2020-21 academic year are no longer in place. Masks are not required in outdoor settings. The policies for quarantining and testing have also changed since the spring semester. Students who believe they may have COVID-19 should contact the Student Health Center. The Student Health Center will then help the student get tested, and will help determine if a student needs to isolate or quarantine themselves. Students who are unvaccinated and have been exposed to COVID-19 will need to quarantine for 10 days. For students who are vaccinated, they may be asked to isolate themselves for a few days, usually until test results are received. The COVID-19 guidelines will be reevaluated and reviewed by Sept. 17. See COVID-19 page 5