K A N S A S
S TAT E vol. 126, issue 22 friday, feb. 5, 2021
kstatecollegian.com
‘WE WANT TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THINGS’ Vaccination distribution added to university gating criteria for spring BAILEY BRITTON editor-in-chief
As students return to campus and hybrid learning on Feb. 8, Kansas State continues to follow the same gating criteria as last semester. This includes following state and local orders, monitoring positive case counts, hospital capacity, among other metrics. Jeff Morris, vice president for communication and marketing, said the university will also monitor vaccine distribution now that several vaccines are available. “We want to look at a couple of things,” Morris said. “One is ... the testing, and the testing gives us an idea of can we determine how much [COVID-19] is in our community or how much is on our campuses.” Anyone can see the percent positivity rate on campus and the amount of K-State affiliated people in quarantine or isolation using the online dashboard. “It allows us over time to get a sense for how much the virus is either dissipating or surging,” Kyle Goerl, Lafene Health Center director, said. “We’re able to track that from a percent positivity rate over the course of the pandemic. It just gives us an overall sense of how, I would say, somewhat control the viruses in.” For the week of Jan. 25, K-State had a 3.36 positivity rate. Despite the vaccines, the different strains of COVID-19 could raise some concern, Goerl said. “We continue to focus — by we I mean public health in general — is focusing their efforts on getting vaccines disseminated as quickly as possible,” Goerl said, “Because there is real concern about the transmissibility of these new variants and they all appear to be more transmissible.” Goerl said the increased transmissibility is concerning, but there haven’t
HOOPS ‘We have got some soul searching to do’: What’s next for K-State after ninthstraight loss?
Page 08 Revised Code of Conduct features students’ concerns, input
Page 03 Photo services offers drop-in portraits for students, faculty
Page 05 Dalton Wainscott | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Kansas State continues to follow the same gating criteria as last semester to monitor the COVID-19 situation on campus and in the Manhattan community. been any confirmed local cases of the U.K. variant or the South African variant. For the future, K-State will take a “holistic” approach to determine mitigating factors of COVID-19 prevention. “We also wanted to make sure that we were monitoring other indicators of how we were doing to manage the pandemics’ effects on campus and the campus community,” Elliot Young, university risk and compliance officer,
said. “We wanted to be able to make a holistic decision if we needed to make any changes or if we needed to modify any of our policies. We looked at things like positive cases, how prevention methods were going and how the community was behaving.” Similar to last semester, the university won’t release the actual thresholds for the gating criteria. “That worked for us very well back in the fall and we don’t have any reason to think it would be different in
the spring,” Young said. If the university needs to return to online instruction at any point, Morris said the university will try to give a week’s notice to faculty, staff and students. “The faculty need time to prepare,” Morris said. “You can’t ... just pivot that quickly.” However, Morris and Goerl said indicators are looking good and it is unlikely K-State will revert to an all-online format.
Greek life makes efforts to foster diversity in community
Page 06 From community college to Super Bowl champion, Byron Pringle chases his second ring in his hometown
Page 07
02
NEWS
friday, feb. 5, 2021
SPRING EWAW KITS FEATURE MASKS, AVAILABLE ON FEB. 8 BAILEY BRITTON editor-in-chief
The university continues to promote its Every Wildcat a Wellcat campaign through the spring semester and has new EWAW kits to hand out to students.
This semester, the kits feature two masks, two hand sanitizers, a hand sanitizer carrier, an ear saver and a drawstring bag. Off-campus students can pick up their EWAW kits during the first week of hybrid classes. Jennifer Miller, Lafene
Health Center health promotions director, said the new items were chosen based on feedback from students. "We just had to ask them, 'What was the most useful? What what did you not really use?" Miller said. Students living in on-
Infographic by Julie Freijat | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
EDITORIAL BOARD Bailey Britton Editor-in-Chief
Lori Leiszler Asst. Culture Editor
Julie Freijat Managing Editor
Cameron Bradley Sports Editor
Sean Schaper News Editor
Marshall Sunner Asst. Sports Editor
Josie Whitaker Asst. News Editor
Nathan Enserro Asst. Sports Editor
Jared Shuff Culture Editor
Dalton Wainscott Multimedia Editor
Dylan Connell Deputy Multimedia Editor Gabby Farris Design Lead Blake Hachen Designer Sarah Unruh Designer Rachel Seiffert Marketing
campus housing received their EWAW kits upon return to campus after winter break. Students can pick up the EWAW kits at the Lafene circle drive from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 8 to Feb. 12. "We're also going to be at the Rec on the ninth and 10th in the evening from three to 7," Miller said. Student athletes received their kits from K-State Athletics and students in Greek housing received their kits from their houses. Pranav Savanur, senior in biology and Wellcat Ambassador, said he is glad masks were chosen this semester as opposed to neck gaiters because some studies show neck gaiters aren't as effective in preventing spread. "I think it's better to promote wearing masks than those," Savanur said. "I really think the new masks are really cool. The way they're designed — they're
very different than the ones we gave out last semester. I would encourage every single K-Stater to wear a mask and do their part." Later in the semester, Savanur said the Wellcat Ambassadors plan to implement programs to help students with mental wellness and promoting mental and emotional wellness through the long semester. "We do recognize that not having a spring break might be mentally and emotionally challenging for students, especially with COVID and everything else going on," Savanur said. "So we're trying to build programs which could help supplement those needs of like mental relaxation and also how you could spend your time in Manhattan." Possible programs include guided conversations and presentations on mental health.
ON THE COVER Dalton Wainscott | Collegian Media Group
Kansas State continues to follow the same gating criteria as last semester to monitor the COVID-19 situation on campus and in the Manhattan community.
The Mission of the Collegian Media Group is to use best practices of journalism to cover and document life at Kansas State University from a diverse set of voices to inform and engage the K-State community. The Collegian welcomes your letters. We reserve the right to edit submitted letters for length and style. A letter intended for publication should be no longer than 600 words and must be relevant to the student body of K-State. It must include the author’s first and last name, year in school and major. If you are a graduate of K-State, the letter should include your year(s) of graduation and must include the city and state where you live. For a letter to be considered, it must include a phone number where you can be contacted. The number will not be published. Letters can be sent to letters@kstatecollegian.com or submitted through an online form at kstatecollegian.com. Letters may be rejected if they contain abusive content, lack timeliness, contain vulgarity, profanity or falsehood, promote personal and commercial announcements, repeat comments of letters printed in other issues or contain attachments. The Collegian does not publish open letters, third-party letters or letters that have been sent to other publications or people.
CORRECTIONS
If you see something that should be corrected, call editorin-chief Bailey Britton at 785-370-6356 or email collegian@ kstatecollegian.com The Collegian, a student newspaper at Kansas State University, is published by Collegian Media Group. It is published Mondays and Fridays during the school year and on Wednesdays during the summer. Periodical postage is paid at Manhattan, KS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 828 Mid-Campus Drive South, Kedzie 103, Manhattan, KS 66506-7167. First copy free, additional copies 25 cents. [USPS 291 020] © Collegian Media Group, 2020
03
NEWS
friday, feb. 5, 2021
Revised Code of Conduct features students’ concerns, input LORI LEISZLER assistant culture editor
Revisions to the Kansas State Code of Conduct went into effect Jan. 1 after passing through the student senate at the final session of last semester. Ashton Hess, senior in geography and history and Student Governing Association attorney general, said the revisions were prompted by a regularly-scheduled review of the code that happens every five years. One faculty member, two advisers and 17 students made up the committee to examine the code and seek any necessary changes. “We gathered a committee of a mix of students from across campus to make sure we had lots of perspectives,” Andy Thompson, director of the Office of Student Life and senior associate dean of students, said. The committee held town halls and sent out a Qualtrics survey in the fall to hear from students about changes they liked to see in the code. “We had a pretty large committee,” Hess said, “but it’s hard to represent the entire student body, so we wanted to
create a survey that would be shared with all the students so everyone would have the opportunity to reply to it. We also did a lot of intentional outreach, having our committee members go and speak at club meetings and organizations.” Hess said the committee heard back from about 10 percent of K-State students. “Our main focus was just making sure we listened to students and heard what they wanted to get out of the policy,” Hess said. Thompson said most of the revisions changed the wording on previous line items rather than making big content changes. “A lot of the feedback we got back about the code was more clarifying, ‘What do some words mean? What do some of the processes mean?’” Thompson said. Hess said much of the feedback received, however, related more to information on other policies covering things like threats, discrimination and harassment. “We received some comments that might fit better in those other policies, so we made sure to forward that informa-
tion to leaders of their respective groups because there’s a lot of work being made on a lot of K-State policies,” Hess said. Part of the feedback — and confusion about jurisdiction — also led to website changes, Thompson said. The Student Code of Conduct and other policies are available online. “The events of last summer, like Black at K-State and student-athletes wanting the university to be held accountable for discrimination, also increased interest from students and student groups in making some changes to the code and the policies,” Annaleigh Hobbs, junior in marketing and economics and deputy attorney general, said. “The committee finished its revisions on an accelerated timeline just to show that K-State actively responds to student concerns on campus,” Hess said. Hobbs said revision usually takes around two years to complete and the administration would have liked to finish these revisions even earlier than it did, but the committee wanted to have enough time to hear students’ concerns first.
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Kaylie McLaughlin | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
The revisions to the Student Code of Conduct went into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
04
NEWS
friday, february 5, 2021
MEET THE CANDIDATES Kulkarni, Billman aim to grow student inclusivity, campus relationship
SEAN SCHAPER news editor
Growth is a common theme in the spring season and that doesn’t change for two Kansas State students’ motivations towards the university’s environment. Vedant Kulkarni, international affairs director and senior in management information systems and mass communications, and Maggie Billman, speaker pro tempore and sophomore in secondary education, announced they are running for student body president and vice president, respectively. The duo’s mission is to better the lives of students through student success, financial stability and campus access. “I believe that K-State’s strength lies in our unity, and together, we can face all challenges and win,” Kulkarni said. “I believe that we can create the foundation to make K-State the most equitable and inclusive campus in the nation.” With the motto, “Together we grow,” the two have focused their efforts on three main platforms for the betterment of student unity and success.
Campaign manager Blake Phillips, junior in management information systems and data analytics, said he supports Kulkarni and Billman because of the passion they share for student equality. “College should be affordable and accessible to all students,” Phillips said. “We can do so much more to help out [the] student body, and Vedant and Maggie are the best to make change happen.” Natalie Moyer, junior in marketing, said she believes their campaign is about so much more than filling a few
seats in SGA. “This campaign is about equity, holding our university accountable and creating a space for all — truly and with genuine care and intention,” Moyer said. “I also think Kulkarni and Billman are some of the most caring, empathetic, influential and inspiring individuals and the most amazing leaders. It’s like this running was their calling.”
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
Dowd, Koger advocate approachable leadership, comprehensive mental health programs
JOSIE WHITAKER assistant news editor
An hour-long phone call is all it took for Michael Dowd, senior in animal science and global food systems leadership, and Cameron Koger, junior in marketing, to make the official decision to run for student body president and vice president. “By the end of that conversation, I knew Cameron would be an excellent person to work alongside,” Dowd said. Dowd said the initial spark to run for student body president went back to student leaders that came before him, such as Sadie Polson, 2019-2020 chief of staff, Jansen Penny, 2019-2020 student body president, and Lacy Pitts, 2018-2019 student body vice president. “They really showed me what it’s like to be connected and to understand the student body, to hear and listen and seek out how students at K-State are actually feeling,” Dowd said.
The duo aims to collect 158 — the number of years since the founding of Kansas State — ideas from students to further improve experiences at the university. Koger said deciding their roles required an interesting reflection period for the pair, but the roles they picked best suited their strengths. “Michael is a lot better at delegating and being organized and being on top of things, and I’m more of the interpersonal,” Koger said. “I’ll talk to anyone.” Koger said he loves idea-creation and to execute on the platforms the two created. The vice president position will allow him more ability to utilize those strengths. “I always wanted the opportunity to represent students because I feel like I have a unique passion to want to do as much as I possibly can to help every student,” Koger said. Since becoming involved in SGA, Koger has simultaneously
served on four committees and now wants to go even further with helping make a difference. “I feel like I’m making a difference on these [committees], but I want to take it even to the next step because I didn’t see a ton of people that were similar,” Koger said. “So, I thought I had an opportunity to be a unique candidate.” Koger said he and Dowd aim to become the most approachable, genuine and authentic leaders that have ever been a part of the K-State campus. “Michael and I have really taken the stance that we can be the ones people could come up to in Walmart and ask questions about what we’ve enacted,” Koger said. “Or the people you see on campus and talk to for 20 minutes just to get a pulse.”
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
STUDENT SUCCESS -Advocate for systemic reform -Support mental health services Streamline K-State 8
FINANCIAL STABILITY -Provide need-based aid -Eliminate out-of-pocket costs -Inclusive campus spaces
CAMPUS ACCESS
-Secure community partnerships -Reliable campus routes -Inclusive campus spaces
Photo courtesy of Aryan Tayal, senior in electronics and computer engineering
International affairs director and senior in management information systems and mass communications Vedant Kulkarni and speaker pro tempore and sophomore in secondary education Maggie Billman pose for campaign photos.
Photo taken by Tegan Brandt | Courtesy of Cameron Koger
Michael Dowd, senior in animal science and global food systems leadership, and Cameron Koger, junior in marketing are running for student body president and vice president, respectively
05
CULTURE
friday, feb. 5, 2021
Photo services offers drop-in portraits for students, faculty JULIE FREIJAT
manaing editor
Photo services offers drop-in portraits for students, faculty Julie Freijat (Copy Chief)Photo services provides their drop-in photo service every first and third Friday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Dole Hall. In a digital age, it’s important for everyone to have access to a professional portrait, Tommy Theis, photo services manager, said. He hopes photo services can help give students and faculty an edge over their competitors by providing them with a no-cost, quick and professional photo.
“It helps them look more invested into what they’re trying to accomplish with their life, you know,” Theis said. “I mean it isn’t a great measure of that, but I think it definitely kind of helps them get get a step up — that they’ve taken the time to come in and get a professional photo done.” Photo services provides their drop-in photo service every first and third Friday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Dole Hall. Students and faculty can use it for free and without an appointment. Theis said photo services works with people coming in a little late so long as they communicate. “You don’t need anything,
you don’t need to bring anything,” Theis said. “Sometimes there’ll be a wait ... I can usually get to anybody in about 15 minutes — you’ll be in and out.” In addition to their drop-in service, Theis said photo services also takes all the photos for the university, among other things. “Our main goal is to get photos that represent all of K-State. So that’s with research, with our magazines with any kind of advertising that we put out there on social media, so we do a lot of that stuff,” Theis said. “But we also try to help as much as we can with different labs if they need help with photos for their research or stuff that they’re doing. We do a lot of
REVIEW
‘Bridgerton’ brings more to table than typical English romances AISHAH CHAUDHRY staff writer
The first season of the Netflix series of “Bridgerton” began with Daphne Bridgerton searching for a husband at debutante balls. It wasn’t long before she was faced with obstacles that kept her from her quest — an overprotective brother, a duel and even a love triangle — or two. Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, is the focal point of the show. She is the eldest sister and has dreams of starting a family of her own in England’s Regency era. However, her eldest brother Anthony, played by Jonathan Bailey, makes this fantasy a challenge for Daphne. His overbearing ways would scare away any man who comes near her — not to mention his decisions made behind her back. Duke Basset, played by RegéJean Page, arrives in town and shakes up the season, with his title and charm. The Duke also happens to be a friend of Anthony’s. One of Daphne’s seven other siblings is Eloise, played by
Claudia Jessie. Eloise is the exact opposite of Daphne. Eloise longs to receive higher education and make a name for herself — marriage is the last thing on her mind. She is also the primary investigator in charge of finding out who Lady Whistledown is. Lady Whistledown, played by Julie Andrews, runs an anonymous gossip column in the newspaper. She airs everyone’s dirty laundry and holds the characters’ reputations in her hands. The supporting characters of “Bridgerton” go through their own highs and lows during the chaos that is debutante season. This season showcases the rivalry between two families — the Bridgertons and the Featheringtons. Three of the Featherington sisters go head-to-head with Daphne in the debutante season. The divide makes you wonder if happiness really is having more money and status than your neighbor. Gina Cromwell and Will Hughes-Jones created the show’s set design.The bright set fits the lavish lifestyles of the socialites. The costuming, done by Ellen Mirojnick, is exquisitely filled with
countless ball gowns and tuxedos popular in 18th century England. Although “Bridgerton” takes place in the 18th century, it has modern notes to it. This includes the soundtrack, which consists of classical renditions of modern music, such as “Thank u, Next” by Ariana Grande. The show also tackles modern topics of feminism, reputation and the LGBTQ+ community. Overall, “Bridgerton” is more than the typical 18th century English romance. This is a story of triumph that touches on many modern issues. It investigates the importance of the connections you make and the relationship between reputation and being truly content. As cheesy as this may be, “Bridgerton” delightfully portrays what it feels and looks like to follow one’s heart. Aishah Chaudhry is a staff writer and a freshman in English. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
event photography for either student groups or just groups.” Additionally, photo services keeps a photo archive from years prior. Photo services takes proper COVID-19 precautions, Theis said, and visitors must wear a mask at all times except when the photo is being taken. “We do allow you to take your mask off once you get into that spot and we make sure everybody stays away, and that we are abiding by all COVID guidelines,” Theis said. “We have hand sanitizer at hand and everything.” If students don’t have professional clothing, Kerri Keller, director of the Career Center, said students can check out the Career Closet to find something. Theis stressed that photo services wants to support students. “I know a lot of students — it’s hard to either pay for photo services or to be able to find time to be able to do it, so I just want
Dalton Wainscott | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Tommy Theis, Kansas State photo services manager, takes portraits of a fellow faculty member in the photo studio located at Dole Hall. Photo services offers free professional portraits for students and staff every first and third Friday of the month. to do my part to make sure that students succeed,” Theis said. “I think that’s what a university really needs to do and that’s what we’re here for — is to make sure
that you guys have all the tools to be the best class that you can be and to be able to curve out other people over a job and get the jobs and you want in your life.”
06
CULTURE
friday, feb. 5, 2021
Greek life makes efforts to foster diversity AISHAH CHAUDHRY staff writer
Members of the Greek community are making an effort to nurture diversity in their community and are continuing to add improvements, Caroline Gambill, junior in secondary education and director of community and internal relations on the Panhellenic Council, said. “In the last calendar year, we shifted our community’s efforts around … the Black Lives Matter movement,” Gambill said. “We saw all of the things lacking in our community and places we needed to do better. Last fall, the person who was in my position before created a workgroup toward DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion), that was composed of members of all of our sororities, and they started to identify everywhere that we need to be making changes.” Gambill said during the workshop, the soroity sent out
that asked questions regarding diversity to all sorority chapters. They then dispersed into smaller groups to tackle issues like racism, religion and sex. “We are adding a statement into our bylaws that are non-discriminatory … having it written explicitly in our bylaws allows us to take action if we do see anything that is not aligning with our values,” Gambill said. Additionally, Alpha Chi Omega introduced a diversity chair this year to improve representation within the Greek community. Junior in criminology and Spanish Sydney Besa will fill the new diversity chair position. She is currently working on a plan to fulfill it. “I’m hoping to connect with HALO [Hispanic American Leadership Organization] as well as the Black Student Union, and other multi-cultural organizations to do philanthropy events … and events to help the greek community be more educated because … some of us
are not affected by day-to-day racism … we often neglect that thought and that we need to be better allies,” Besa said. Gambill’s sorority eliminated the legacy system, which created barriers for women who haven’t had a relative in a sorority. Gambill also said chapters are changing GPA requirements to fight discrimination against students who have not had access to a high- quality education because of their financial status. “I think we absolutely have a community for everyone that wants to be a part of one, it’s just a matter of reaching out to people and letting them find that community.” Matthew Kuckelman, junior in political science and Interfraternity council president said. “Areas for improvement in diversity is marketing ... to reach out to other people on campus that may not otherwise seek out greek life,” Kuckelman said.
Religion Directory St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center Saturday Vigil Mass Saturday 5 p.m.
Sunday Mass
9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 4:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9:09 p.m.
Daily Mass
Monday-Thursday 9:09 p.m. Wednesday & Friday 12:10 p.m. Chaplains: Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt Fr. Drew Hoffman
711 Denison
539-7496
Worship Service at 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. or livestream our services online. Adult and Children Bible Hour Classes
Offered at 10:00 a.m. 785.776.0424 www.gracebchurch.org 2901 Dickens Ave. (2 blks. E. of Seth Child)
Dylan Connell | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Alpha Chi Omega introduced a diversity chair this year to improve representation within the Greek community. Junior in criminology and Spanish Sydney Besa will fill the new diversity chair position.
'We Are the Dream' mural undergoes restoration, hangs again in Hale Library HALLIE EVERETT staff writer
Located on the fourth floor of Hale Library, the restored “We Are the Dream” mural, originally completed in 1980, still hangs after the May 2018 fire that caused significant damage to the library. Led by fine arts conservator Rachel Gilberti, employees of John Canning & Co. from Cheshire, Connecticut, worked to preserve the mural, among others in the Great Room. Because of the layers of materials behind the mural, the restoration was a multistep process. “The mural itself is painted on strips of burlap that hang vertically,” Mike Haddock, associate dean of Hale Library, said. “Those strips were attached to a wood backing, which is attached to an old 1927 stone wall, and behind that is the plaster.” Gilberti said removing the mural was challenging as the team carefully removed each individual strip. “We were able to get underneath the burlap and remove each piece, and it was 15 separate pieces that we removed from the wall,” Gilberti said. “Now, the wall is slightly different, so we had to mount it slightly differently. The whole treatment primar-
ily was done in the studio. The treatment there was actually putting it back on the wall.” Grace Moran, director of Canning Liturgical Arts for John Canning & Co., worked on this project as her first job out of college, allowing her to learn many new skills. “Rachel did the research to come up with the plan to conserve the artwork, and I worked under her to carry that out,” Moran said. “Rachel was teaching things prior to actually working on the mural, so she would have me practice to make sure things turned out properly. It was a real pleasure to be a part of that, especially being right out of school.” Moran said removing the mural was the most difficult part of the project. “We took that mural down off the wall, and it was pretty much a three-person job to make sure the burlap didn’t tear,” Moran said. “The pleasure of working on this job was the challenge, and learning new things and having to adapt very quickly in order to do a professional job.” After removal, the restoration team cleaned glue and mold off the strips and shipped them to the studio to complete the restoration. When the mural returned,
it stayed in the climate-controlled Kansas State Libraries Annex building until October. “These art curators are really good at what they’re doing,” Haddock said. “It’s up, and it looks beautiful. It’s never looked as good as it looks now because at the time of the fire, it was 38 years old.” In 1978, members of the Black Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil de Chicanos de Aztlan and the Native American Indian Student Body discussed the creation of the mural to promote diversity. Several students helped paint the original piece between 1978 and 1980. “We should be happy to see this kind of message where people come together,” Gilberti said. “If you look at the bottom of the mural, you can see how many people were involved in making it. ... It definitely shows how people got together back then.” Now, the mural hangs in its original place, and Hale Library has a piece of its history. “It’s very important because it was a historical part of Hale Library, but also for Kansas State from a multicultural and diversity standpoint,” Haddock said. “It was very important for us to get it back if we could.”
07
SPORTS
friday, feb. 5, 2021
Chiefs or Buccaneers? The Collegian sports staff predicts Super Bowl LV’s outcome CAMERON BRADLEY sports editor
NATHAN ENSERRO assistant sports editor
MARSHALL SUNNER assistant sports editor
GLENN KINLEY staff writer
PAUL BOURK staff writer
CONNOR COTTENMYRE staff writer
COLIN SETTLE staff writer
With Super Bowl LV this weekend between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, our Collegian Sports staff decided to make their predictions for the big game.
CAMERON BRADLEY
If the storylines for this game don’t get you excited, I really don’t know what will. The greatest quarterback of all-time vs the up and coming superstar, the league’s best offense vs the league’s best defense, and of course the first team to play a Super Bowl at their home field — wow. This game is honestly a toss-up for me. It’s hard to bet against either side. The Buccaneers had glimpses of greatness in the regular season but just couldn’t seem to put it all together — now the team has. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have slipped past many teams this season but are still as dangerous as ever, especially with
the way the Chiefs manhandled the Bills in the AFC Championship. I’ve got this game being close the whole way, and we might even see some OT football. I can’t bet against Brady though. I’ve got the Buccaneers. Buccaneers 40 Chiefs 34
NATHAN ENSERRO
The Chiefs have hurt me in the playoffs so much throughout my life. There was the nopunt game, the Colts’ huge comeback, the Dee Ford game, the Steelers winning with only field goals, the forward progress game and of course there was the time Marcus Mariota threw a TD pass to himself to jumpstart a comeback. Thankfully, Patrick Mahomes has exorcised a lot of those demons in his three years as a starter. Now he gets a chance to get Tom Brady off this franchise’s back. I expect a shootout, which plays into the hands of Patrick Mahomes late. I just cannot justify betting against the guy, even with the greatest of all time on the other sideline. I’ve got the Chiefs. Chiefs 45 Buccaneers 38
MARSHALL SUNNER
Coming into the big game, everyone thinks this one is going to be a shootout between Tom Brady, the greatest of alltime, and Patrick Mahomes, the young-gun. But with a 75 percent chance of rain, that could mean this one could come down to the running game. If the game does
come down to the rushing attack, the way the Chiefs offensive line is banged up, I believe that the Buccaneers defensive-front will have a field day. Passing will still play a factor, but with Tampa Bay’s running capability and the team’s effectiveness with throwing the ball, I see the Buccaneers managing this game well – much like the team did against the Chiefs in the last three-quarters of the game earlier this season. As a lifelong Patriots fan — and with logical reasoning — I just don’t see how you can pick against those “Bad Boys” down in the bay. With the way its playing as of late, I’m taking the Buccaneers. Buccaneers 27 Chiefs 24
GLENN KINLEY
I’ll start with this — I think we all know that when the Chiefs “flip the switch,” its without a doubt the best team in the NFL. Because of this, it’s worth noting that the Chiefs flipped that switch earlier last week than we’ve typically seen. You know the story. Last year in the playoffs, the Chiefs had comebacks in each game en route to the Lombardi trophy. My concern with the Chiefs is flipping that switch too late. If the team can’t seem to turn it on until the fourth quarter, and the Chiefs are down big at that point, it might be in trouble. But my point is this, in the two playoffs games this year, that hasn’t been an issue. For some reason I think the fact that the
Chiefs weren’t clobbering opponents late in the season made people think the team wasn’t still simply the best team in the league. The Chiefs are. I think the Chiefs win and cover the 3-point spread easily. Chiefs 34 Buccaneers 24
COLIN SETTLE
I think this game comes down to three simple phases of the game. First, the Buccaneers might just have one of the best defensive lines in the entire NFL, giving the team the edge on the defensive side of the ball. Second, the Chiefs have one of the most electrifying offenses I have ever seen, giving the team the edge on the offensive side of the ball. Third is special teams, which goes to the Chiefs as well, as long as Mecole Hardman isn’t returning punts. Just put Byron Pringle back there and the Chiefs should be fine. Andy Reid’s career, in my opinion, might be unmatched by any other current head coach in the league. The man is on an island by himself at this point. I’ve got the Chiefs. Chiefs 35 Buccaneers 27 CONNOR COTTENMYRE This game will be decided by the battle in the trenches and the battle between 12 and 15. The most glaring stat coming into this game is the Chiefs having all five linemen as replacements to the original starting five at the beginning of the
File photo by Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Chiefs fans from all across the country come together in Kansas City, Mo. for the Super Bowl LIV celebration downtown on Feb. 5, 2020. The parade began at 11:30 a.m. followed by a rally at Union Station. The last time the city saw a crowd like this was in 2015 when the Royals won the World Series. season. How they will stack up against the best defensive line in the NFL — that just two weeks prior sacked Aaron Rodgers five times — is going to be the big difference in this game. Tom Brady looks to remind everyone why he is the G.O.A.T. while Mahomes looks to supplant his claim and make a case for himself. The battle between the two should be legendary and have no shortage of drama. I think the Chiefs take this one, but late in the fourth quarter. Chiefs 35 Buccaneers 32
PAUL BOURK
In all my years watching sports, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Super Bowl with a better story.
From community college to Super Bowl champion: Byron Pringle chases his second ring in his hometown
COLIN SETTLE staff writer
Byron Pringle, former Kansas State wide receiver hailing from Tampa Bay, Florida, put together quite a career in his third season with the Kansas City Chiefs. Over his last three seasons
in the league, Pringle racked up 330 receiving yards and two touchdowns while also gaining 365 kick return yards, including a 102-yard kick return touchdown earlier this season. It didn’t start there though. Early in his college career, Pringle found himself at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, before at-
the-time K-State head coach Bill Snyder took a chance on the 6-foot-2 200-pound wide receiver. That chance paid off, to say the least. In a press conference from 2016, Snyder said he was glad he took the chance on Pringle. “He continues to learn the system, and he is learning rath-
er rapidly,” Snyder said. “As he does, you see the skill level enhance itself a great deal. He sticks out in my mind.” Not only did Pringle get praise from the Hall of Fame head coach, but from other teammates as well. In the same press conference from 2016, former K-State quarterback Alex Delton gave
Pringle praise. “He is just someone who will go get the ball,” Delton said. “He is definitely athletic. His speed and strength are both eye-catching, but his attack mentality is something that really sets him apart.” Pringle showed off that attacking mentality in perhaps one of the best games of his ca-
The kid vs. the G.O.A.T. The new generation vs. the old generation. The biggest question the Chiefs need to answer is if the team can put pressure on Tom Brady. If Chiefs give Brady all day to throw and he doesn’t feel out of his rhythm, he’ll dink and dunk and get first downs all day. The biggest question the Buccaneers will have to answer is if the team can do what the Buccaneers couldn’t do in week 7 and slow down the Chiefs’ offense. They can’t afford to let this game turn into a shootout like the last one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see whichever team has the ball last winning the game. I’m picking the Chiefs to be that team. Chiefs 38 Buccaneers 35 reer against Oklahoma State in 2017. As a junior, he racked up 166 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns and tacked on 114 kick return yards with one kick-off return touchdown as well. Pringle left the Wildcats after his junior season and signed as a free agent to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
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ANALYSIS
MARSHALL SUNNER
assistant sports editor
At this point, Kansas State’s season is getting repetitive. The Wildcats’ consecutive loss tracker is now up to nine, after losing to No. 23 Kansas on Tuesday, 74-51. But it’s not the losing streak that makes matters worse, it’s the matter in which it is happening. The Wildcats have lost the last four Big 12 Conference games by a combined 119 points — which tallies up to an average margin of defeat of 29.6 points. On top of that, K-State has lost each game by 20-points. No K-State team in history has done that for fourstraight games. After yet another disappointing loss, senior guard Mike McGuirl was blunt. He does not know what the answer is for this team’s problems. “I don’t know what the biggest thing is that is holding us back right now,” McGuirl said. “We have got some soul searching to do, myself included.”
It’s a search that could take a while. As a whole, this K-State team doesn’t have an identity. The defense is poor and the offense, at times, is even poorer. The team’s main hustle player, sophomore DaJuan Gordon, is out indefinitely, and there seems to be no end on the horizon — for now at least. Head coach Bruce Weber has emphasized as of late that he thinks that 60 points are the most points his team can allow in order for the game to be within reach. For a team that averages a conference-worst 62.37 points per game, that’s reasonable. Earlier in the year against West Virginia, that was the case. The Mountaineers only scored 69 points and the Wildcats were competitive throughout. But a Weber-worst 28 turnovers spoiled the upset attempt. At the end of the day, maybe the defense isn’t the only issue — even if it may be poor. What could be seen against the Jayhawks on Tuesday was the inefficient offense. The offense continues to take steps backward. The Wildcats showed
SPORTS
spurts in their most recent affair, but making just 18 total shots and shooting 34 percent from the field won’t win you games. As Weber puts it, the struggles from the field hurt his team’s overall spirit. “When we struggle offensively, it breaks our spirit,” he said. If that’s the case, then the spirit has been broken for a while. After an impressive offensive performance against Texas Tech on Jan. 5, scoring 71 points, K-State is averaging just 55.6 points per game. If that’s not bad enough, after another inferior shooting night against Kansas, the team’s shooting percentage has dropped to a low 41.7 percent, with their offensive efficiency ranking 197th in the country. “We aren’t putting points up on the board,” McGuirl said. “So no, our offense is not where it needs to be. I don’t know what the issue is, but we need to figure it out, learn from it and get better.” It also doesn’t help when the team can’t get its best offense-efficient player going from the field either. Freshman guard Nijel Pack
Archive photo by Evert Nelson | Collegian Media Group
Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber yells out at his players during the first half of Tuesday’s Sunflower Showdown against Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse.
friday, feb. 5, 2021
What’s next for K-State after ninth-straight loss? attempted 10 shots and scored 10 points, but being guarded by last season’s National Defensive Player of the Year (KU senior guard Marcus Garrett) is going to slow anyone down. Against Kansas, Pack wanted to facilitate first to open his shot attempts up — recognizing his assignment against Garrett. He didn’t want to force anything, that’s not the type of player he is. “I was trying to get my teammates going,” Pack said after the loss. “I felt like if they got going then the defense would focus on them ... Then the lanes would open up for me and it would be a whole gang attack.” The lanes never did open. No one else really attacked. K-State continued to shoot contested threes with little ball movement and when they did get the ball inside, they couldn’t convert.
Pack never got going and the offense came to a stand-still. The Wildcats’ issues prevailed again. Weber continues to preach to his players to look and send the ball down low to the post. Maybe then it could open up cutting or rotating shooters on the perimeter. Even when they can get open looks out of those sets, the open shots they are getting are from three-point range — which isn’t ideal for a team shooting a conference-worst 29.5 percent from deep. For Weber, he feels like the offense is what it is, and still believes the answers are through toughness and defense. “Our offense is kind of what it is,” Weber said. “We have to defend, we have to play tough and we have to rebound if we want to have any kind of chance. And we
have to play hard.” But is the offense just what it is? Maybe, but maybe not. Freshman guard Selton Miguel shot 40 percent from three and was effective all-around as a recruit coming in. This year he’s below 25 percent. Both Gordon and McGuirl have taken big dips shooting the ball as well. It won’t be easy, but theoretically, it is something that can be fixed — considering they’ve proven to shoot better in the past. Maybe Weber is right though. Maybe it’s not the team playing hard enough. No one really knows at this point due to the inconsistency throughout. As McGuirl said previously, whatever it is, the team needs to “figure it out” — especially if the team wants to salvage anything out of the rest of the year.