MSA presidential candidates Blaine Thomas and Claire Jacobs, as well as vice presidential candidate Caius Gillen, withdrew from the race yesterday. This comes after the candidates received backlash for old tweets that included many examples of derogatory language. Gillen released a statement on Twitter apologizing for his tweets.

The BEC announced in a press release that suspension on campaigning has been lifted. The statement from BEC chair Joseph Sell clarified that there were no enforceable infractions. The suspension was initially attributed to concern over remarks candidates made on social media.

Rugby is a sport that flows like soccer and plays like football. It’s not a sport appreciated by the majority of American sports fans. Still, it’s found a niche following in clubs and universities across the nation. Mizzou’s club rugby squad has seen tremendous success in recent seasons. Just last year, the team made it to the final four in their collegiate division. In 2017, the team is off to a 3-1 start. On October 28, the team did battle in a tight game against Iowa State resulting in a 17-15 victory.

Rather than just throwing away old clothes and buying new ones, the Mizzou environmental leadership allows students to swap out their old fashion for other donated items at the Mizzou seasonal clothing swap. At the event, students can bring in up to seven items to trade in, then shop around a wide selection of other clothes students have donated and swap out their wardrobes item for item. Amy Eultgen, the organizer of the event, explains how the event got started, as well as why reusing clothing is an important part of living sustainably.

Stephens College hosted the Citizen Jane Film Festival last weekend, Oct. 26-29. The festival showcases films directed by women. The report covers members of the audience who saw some of the films, as well as interviews with members of the cast and crew.

Recently there has been a push from students in Stephens College to get the school to accept transgender women. I spoke to Olivia, a student who transferred into Stephens last semester, on why they believes trans women should be allowed into the women’s college.

When the Boy Scouts of America announced that they would be allowing girls to join the organization, people across the nation responded fervently. I spoke with Greg Baker, the development director for the Great Rivers Council, about what changes this entails for the organization. He has been involved with Boy Scouts his whole life and thus had much to say about the subject.

The Columbia Genealogy Conference took place on Oct. 7 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The event involved sessions with speakers from all over the country, as well as personal consultations if attendees wanted to find more information. The mail goal of the event was discovering research skills so attendees could dig through their past and figure out their family history. The event was free and open to all, even those not members of the church.

Les Bourgeois Vineyards hosted their annual Crush Festival on Oct. 7-8, 2017. The free event consisted of grape stomping, pumpkin painting, bouncy house jumping, and live music. Children and adults alike got plugged into this event and enjoyed these two beautiful fall days.

Clarity Float spa is a new business, located near Providence and Elm St., that offers customers sessions in a sensory deprivation tank. The spa opened under a year ago by two University of Missouri graduates who were passionate about ‘floating’ and wanted to share the relaxing experience with others in Columbia. I had the opportunity to try out “floating” for myself, and described the experience as best I could. The story features interviews from Noah Barnes, a co-founder of the business, and Stenton, a first time customer.