This past October, Truman's Detours magazine was awarded the 2006 Magazine Pacemaker Award in Washington D.C. One of the highest honors in student journalism, it is awarded by the Associated College Press and adjudicated by experienced professionals (including editors of the Boston-based Atlantic Monthly). Through careful consideration, Detours was decided to be the best example of a student published general interest magazine in the nation.

What Is Detours?
Detours is a magazine resembling a travel guide of the Midwest and was first published in 1996. "We focus on stories in the tri-state area of Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. Our goal is to seek out the little-known places and events in the area and write stories that individuals of every age would enjoy," says Editor-in-Chief Alicia Collins, a junior at Truman majoring in public communication.

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Antonio DeMarco has wanted to help animals and give them medical care since he was a kid. But it's a tough goal to achieve. Not only is it statistically more difficult to get into veterinary school than medical school, but getting your Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) requires eight years of education. What gave DeMarco the skills and motivation to stay the course? Truman.

Dig Deep for Answers
There are only 27 veterinary schools in the nation. To get in, would-be-veterinarians need to show initiative in their work. "Dogs do not talk and tell you what is wrong, so you must extract ideas from physical exams, diagnostic tools, and a history of a patient through the owner/client," says DeMarco. "Many people joke around how people become veterinarians because they don't have to talk to people, but it is exactly the opposite because animals don't talk."

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When comedian, palindrome aficionado, and Yale law school dropout Demetri Martin performed at Truman, the last thing he expected was to be upstaged by another entertainer. But when he stepped out to a sold-out audience on November 17, he looked up mid-joke to find an unexpected intruder—a brown bat flapping madly around Baldwin auditorium.

Not one to let a little thing like a bat disrupt his performance, Martin improvised by making up a song about it. Then, armed with an oversized drawing pad and a tiny guitar, Martin delivered his repertoire of jokes. Topics ranged from the perils of spelling "banana" to the uncanny way sweater vests ward off pretty girls. "My favorite joke was the one about putting anti-aging cream on a baby," said freshman Scott Turner. "It's so absurd, which is why it's so funny."

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When junior Dana Hanselmann isn't in the classroom, you'll likely find her on the volleyball court. As a middle hitter on Truman's volleyball team, Dana has benefited from Truman's academic and athletic program.

A Double Bonus
Hanselmann was a standout player at Dundee-Crown High School in suburban Chicago. She gained further notoriety when her team went to nationals; she was recruited by Division I schools such as Miami of Ohio, Valparaiso, and University of Wisconsin at Madison.

But it was another school that recruited her—Truman—that caught her eye. "I found out that Truman offered strong academics as well as an excellent volleyball program," she says. "That combination was perfect for me."

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