What kinds of stories does The Chart cover?

The Chart is the student news site of Missouri Southern State University (MSSU), and its coverage centers on campus life at MSSU. Based on its recent stories, you can expect reporting on four main areas: campus news and institutional changes, campus life and new facilities, university-hosted events, and MSSU athletics and student achievements. If you want to follow a specific topic — a department, a sport, or a campus construction project — the site organizes stories under sections like News and Campus Life, so browsing those categories is the fastest way to find what you want.

Campus news and institutional changes

This category covers decisions and transitions that affect the university community. Recent examples include:

• Leadership appointments — A story on the Communications Department naming Brian Mehrens as its new department chair, including his vision for the department's future.
• Memorials and campus responses — Coverage of the memorial service for Dr. Alla Barry, including the university's decision to cancel classes after 2:45 PM on Friday, Sep. 11 so the campus community could attend.
• Student recognition — The Department of Communication's annual Communication Awards, which highlighted student achievement.

These stories tend to explain not just what happened but what it means for students and faculty — for instance, a schedule change or a new person in charge.

Campus life and new facilities

The Chart also reports on day-to-day student experience, especially new amenities on campus. One recent example is Café Roar, MSSU's newest on-campus coffee shop, which opened in July 2026 in the Welcome Center of the Roy Blunt Health Science building. The story gathered positive reviews from faculty and student patrons and described what the eatery offers.

A related thread is construction and campus development. A story on the Roy Blunt Health Science building traced its progress from the start of construction in April 2024 toward completion, giving readers context on how a long-running project affects campus.

University events

Event coverage documents what happens on and around campus, often with student and visitor reactions. The Route 66 Balloon Festival, held Aug. 28–30 on the south side of campus near the soccer fields, is a representative example. The Chart noted that MSSU helped host the Centennial Route 66 Balloon Festival and that the event drew mixed opinions from visitors. This kind of story is useful if you want to know what an event was actually like, not just that it happened.

Athletics and student achievement

Sports coverage includes results and championships. One example: No. 7-ranked MSSU softball (48-7) won the 2026 MIAA Tournament Championship with a 4-1 victory over No. 6 seed Emporia State, reported from Emporia, Kansas. The site also runs press releases alongside reported stories, so some athletics items come directly from university sources.

How to use this to find stories

Because The Chart is student-run, its reporters and editors change each semester, and coverage reflects what the current staff considers newsworthy. That means the mix of topics stays roughly consistent — campus news, life, events, and sports — but the specific beats shift with the academic year.