Student Involvement

Truman State University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (www.glvcsports.com). The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 20 sports, 10 for men and 10 for women:

Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to enhancing the University’s commitment to a liberal arts education by providing a positive experience for student-athletes which promotes wholesome educational and athletics opportunities. The Athletic Department is located in Pershing Building and on the Internet at http://www.trumanbulldogs.com.

Forensic activities constitute one of the oldest learning communities at Truman State University. It is truly a liberal arts activity in that intercollegiate speech and debate is a mix of psychology, sociology, critical thinking, research, current events, political science, and communication. Truman competes in debate and individual events. The forensics program is one of the leading full-service forensics programs in the nation, ranking among the top ten parliamentary debate programs in the nation during most of the last decade and among the top ten programs nationally in its individual speaking events division during several years in the same period. Truman won the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship in 2000 and 2004 and has placed twenty-eight teams in elimination rounds of the national championships since 1999. Truman has held several Missouri forensics championships since 2001 and routinely earns several hundred awards and other honors during each invitational tournament season. In 2012, Truman earned the National Forensic Association National Championship title in Lincoln-Douglas Debate Team Sweepstakes and sixth place in the Division II Individual Events Team Sweepstakes.

Since 1914, fraternity and sorority life has been supported at Truman State University. Each year new students find a home in one of the 20 unique fraternities/sororities. A community brought together by the values of: growth, leadership, scholarship, and unity members are proud of the community they belong. 

Union and Involvement Services provides oversight and advisement for Fraternity and Sorority Life. The staff work in partnership with governing councils and individual organizations to develop programs and policies which encourage a sense of belonging, promote self-governance, challenge students to gain new skills and knowledge, and enable students to participate in positive individual and societal change. To learn more, visit http://fsl.truman.edu.

The Interfaith Center at Truman strives to create an environment where we build cooperation, understanding, and respect for people’s diverse religious and non-religious identities while mutually inspiring relationships between people of different backgrounds

Located in Baldwin Hall 113, the Interfaith Center provides a space for religious organizations, individual students, and faculty to meet, meditate, and practice their ideologies in a safe, open environment. The Center is equipped with tables and chairs allowing for meetings of student religious organizations, lockers for students to place their organization’s supplies, a growing library of texts about spirituality and different faiths and a meditation room that can be used for reflection, meditation or prayer.

We are better together. To learn more, please visit http://interfaith.truman.edu.

 Located in Baldwin Hall 101, the Truman State University LGBTQ+ Resource Center strives to create an environment where students who have diverse identities in sex, sexual orientation, gender/gender identity, and gender expression can build a collective community, develop educational programming, and enhance the overall inclusion of all students in the academy. The center will provide targeted services for students who are minoritized in their sexual and gender identities. This includes “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual” individuals and those with other minoritized identities.

SERVE stands for Service, Education, Resource, Values, and Exploration.  The SERVE Center is a student-run office that acts as a liaison between the campus and the community by matching volunteer interests with appropriate agencies in the community.  The SERVE Center works closely with the community to provide students with opportunities for volunteerism and service-learning, which enhance their liberal arts education.  These opportunities provide real world experience, aid in developing leadership skills, and foster social and civic responsibility.  The SERVE Center not only organizes service events for students, such as the Big Event, Big Week of Giving, Alternative Spring Break, and the Food Pack program, they also provide awareness of service opportunities through the online service connection http://serve.truman.edu. The SERVE Center is located in the Student Union Building, room 1106, phone: (660) 785-7222, e-mail: trumanserve@gmail.com.

Truman Food Pantry

The Truman Food Pantry is a Student Life program that works in cooperation with area food pantries and food banks to provide relief for students experiencing food insecurity. Any Truman student may receive food packs from the SERVE Center in room 1106 of the Student Union Building. A student may order food to be picked up at the SERVE Center at the following online order form: https://tinyurl.com/trumanfoodpantry. E-mail: foodpantry@truman.edu.

All of Truman’s student media are professionally advised and student staffed. Many of the staff positions are paid or offer opportunities for experienceship or course credit. Each of the media enjoys its own brand identity, but also operates under the umbrella of the Truman Media Network and collaborates to provide convergent coverage to the campus, the local community, and the broader community on the Internet.

DETOURS

DETOURS is a regional magazine distributed twice a year to subscribers throughout Northeast Missouri, into Iowa and Illinois that serves as a travel guide to the Midwest. It features articles on local folklore, personalities, history, arts and crafts, and a variety of travel and leisure events. Since its 1996 debut, Detours won a 2002 first-place Mark of Excellence Award for best student magazine, the Apple Award for the best general interest magazine at a four-year college in both 2006 and 2007, and most recently, one of the highest honors in student journalism, the Magazine Pacemaker Award.

INDEX

Index, the campus newspaper, is published weekly throughout the academic year with Internet news updates posted year round. It covers local, state, and national issues of interest to the local community as well as to the University and is distributed at several community newsstands. The oldest of the Truman student media, the Index recently celebrated its 75th year in publication and operates from a newly renovated convergent news center. Recognized nationally as a five-star, All-American college paper, it earned national awards for the best non-daily collegiate newspaper in 1998, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008.

KTRM-FM

KTRM broadcasts on-air in HD-radio at 88.7 FM. Known as “The Edge” to its listeners, KTRM provides a forum for widely diverse forms of programming ranging from Alternative Rock music, to specialty music shows, to informational shows. Besides talk shows with prominent local figures, the informational programming includes daily news covering world, national and local issues, as well as sportscasts and live coverage of Truman sports events when possible. KTRM also simulcasts special programs such as political debates and election coverage with News 36 KTRM-TV.

News 36 KTRM-TV

News 36, the half-hour television news program, airs multiple times weekly on the campus cable Channel 36 and the community cable Channel 3. The student reporters and producers capture and edit in digital video, with access to the newswire satellite feed of CNN Newsource. The show is produced live in a new state-of-the-art digital television studio. The Missouri Broadcast Educators Association recognized KTRM-TV for their work on multiple occasions, most recently for Convergent Coverage of the Missouri state elections and of the economy in Northeast Missouri.

The TRU (The Real U) Self Academy is an enrichment program hosted by the Truman State University Center for Diversity and Inclusion. The program supports the entry, retention, and success of incoming high-achieving and brilliant class of first-year students of color, allowing them to develop necessary academic and social bonds necessary for success in college.

The TRU (The Real U) Self Academy is designed to allow underrepresented students of color entering Truman State University an opportunity to build community prior to the start of classes as well as support their successful matriculation of all participating scholars. The program will help prepare scholars mentally and socially for college level work, providing insights on academic success strategies at a highly selective university.

The TRU Self Academy Objectives are to:

1. Empower students to establish a strong foundation for themselves within Truman’s campus environment while maintaining their TRU authentic selves;
2. Provide opportunities for TRU Self Academy scholars to connect with key individuals on campus and in the Kirksville community;
3. Allow TRU Self participants to engage in lively activities and conversations designed to strengthen self-awareness, leadership, and college preparedness;
4. Improve the retention, academic success, and social integration of historically underrepresented students of color; and
5. Utilize a holistic approach to assisting students of color with adjusting to academic and social aspects of a collegiate environment and community different from their cultural experience.

Each spring, up to six current Truman students are chosen to serve as TRU Self Academy Peer Leaders and one (1) TRU Self Academy Student Peer Coordinator. Contact the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Baldwin Hall 109, (660) 785-4142 for additional information regarding the TRU Self Academy or employment opportunities. For information related to admission requirements for the TRU Self Academy, please contact the Admissions Office in the Ruth Towne Museum and Visitor Center, (660) 785-4114.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES BOARD

The Student Activities Board (SAB) is committed to providing the highest quality of programming to all students while actively seeking to satisfy the diverse entertainment needs of Truman State University and contributing to the student life experience. Activities, which are funded by the student activities fee, include large and small scale concerts, movies, comedians, speakers, interactive events, and local artists. All students with a minimum 2.5 GPA are eligible for membership in this 35-member volunteer organization. Selections are made up to two times per year by an application and interview process. This is a great way to learn transferable personal and professional skills and gain event planning experience. For more information, please visit http://sab.truman.edu.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Student Government is the official elected governing body of the Student Association and exists to represent the present and long-term interests of the Student Association. They represent the views of students in the formulation of University policy through legislation and membership on University committees. The Student Government operates five major standing committees that address major interests to students examples include but are not limited to: Environmental initiatives, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Academics, etc. Primary elections are held in each spring for all major positions; however, a second election is held each fall for all remaining positions. General Body Meetings are open to all students. To learn more, visit http://senate.truman.edu.

FUNDS ALLOTMENT COUNCIL

The Funds Allotment Council (FAC) is comprised of three elected members, six appointed members and several associate members. The Council strives to provide educational and entertainment opportunities for students by financially subsidizing activities organized and sponsored by campus organizations. Recognized student organizations planning speakers, conferences, concerts, or other events are eligible to apply for funding. Any FAC-funded event must take place on campus and be open to the entire University community. The Council is funded by a portion of the student activities fee paid by students each semester. The Council also provides funding to recognized student organizations competing in intercollegiate activities/club sports. For more information, visit http://fac.truman.edu.