K A N S A S
S TAT E vol. 125 issue 57
friday, feb. 21, 2020 kstatecollegian.com
GET FOCUSED
AIMING HIGH
How Peyton Williams made her mark on the women’s basketball program
Page 5
Transfer students recall experience of moving schools Page 6
K-State, Texas neck and neck in RecycleMania Page 7
See Page 4: Men’s basketball looks to avoid seventh straight loss
Purple Threads: International students and the process of prospering, adjusting Page 8
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EDITORIAL STAFF Kaylie McLaughlin Editor-in-Chief
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Junior guard David Sloan takes a free throw during the men’s basketball game against Oklahoma State in Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 11, 2020. The Cowboys took the Wildcats 64-59.
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friday, february 21, 2020
University architect Ryan Swanson set to leave right before spring break ANNA SCHMIDT WRITER
University architect and associate vice president of facilities of almost seven years, Ryan Swanson, will be departing from his position with Kansas State on March 6. Swanson is a highly acclaimed architect; his experience includes positions as the university architect at Wake Forest University, and architect and assistant project manager for the Dallas, Texas, office of an architecture firm called SHW Group. As university architect, Swanson made important decisions and plans regarding long-term projects that involved the overall coherence of the K-State campus. “There are a lot of functions that go into being a university architect,” Swanson said. “It’s a very broad position. I think first you have to understand what an architect is. A lot of people think that an architect just draws things, but most of it is that … I am responsible for the overall vision of the K-State campus as a whole.” Overseeing the campus as a whole includes things as small as the placement
of benches along walkways, and as big as transitioning Mid-Campus Drive from a road into a walkway. Swanson also oversaw and developed projects on the Olathe and Salina campuses. “The changes in the last 6 years have been good,” Swanson said. “There was the transition of Mid-Campus Drive, the addition of the Business Building, the engineering addition, the welcome center improvements and renovations in the union.” All of these projects make up what Swanson will leave K-State being most proud of. Swanson said that he isn’t most proud of one specific project, but of the connected nature of all of them. He believes his work has made campus a more coherent, pedestrian friendly and accessible place. During his time as university architect at K-State, Swanson encountered roadblocks. Swanson said the most difficult of all of his projects was actually one none of us could see. “The most challenging project was when we decided to upgrade to a chilled water system,” Swanson said. “During that project we had
to do construction through Mid-Campus Drive, all the way over to McCain, there were spots in Bosco Plaza. It was a 2.5 year project in sections.” Swanson said this project was most difficult because it required so much work in popular areas and the results weren’t visible to the general public. Most people didn’t even know why they were having to change their route to class, or leave out of a different exit which made the communication of the project difficult, he explained. Although Swanson
has decided to depart from K-State, he said his experience here was overall a positive one. Swanson notably enjoyed the people that he worked alongside. “The staff here were really talented,” he said. “We have really talented skilled trade workers and also unskilled trade workers. We really just have such a good staff here and the staff is what I will miss the most.” The architect in Swanson also loved K-State for its historical core and signature limestone. Swanson felt that what made K-State most
unique was the way that its historic core could make such a large school feel close and walkable. Swanson has decided to take a new leadership decision with the University of Nebraska as associate vice president for facilities planning and capital construction. The new position grants him greater leadership opportunities, he said. In his new position he will lead teams in doing master planning, design and capitol construction at the campuses of University Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Ne-
braska at Kearney and University of Nebraska Central Administration. Swanson’s return to Nebraska is a special one, as he was born in central Nebraska. This move places himself, his wife and his children closer to family. His departure however, is still bittersweet. In a letter to his staff, Swanson explains how important his experience at K-State was to him. “At the end of the day, place will always matter and K-State is truly a special place because of each of you,” he said.
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Sreenikhil Keshamoni | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Ryan Swanson the the current associate vice president of facilities and university architect standing in front of his favorite building on campus, Anderson Hall on Feb 20. He is set to leave this year.
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friday, february 21, 2020
PREVIEW K-State returns home Saturday looking to avoid seventh straight loss CAMERON BRADLEY WRITER
The men’s basketball returns home from their two-game road stretch in the Lone Star State to take on Texas in Bramlage Coliseum. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
KANSAS STATE
Kansas State is coming off of a 69-62 loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday night, dropping the Wildcats to 9-17 on the year and just 2-11 in the Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats are currently riding the longest losing streak in the Bruce Weber coaching era, dropping their last six games. K-State is led by senior forward Xavier Sneed, averaging 14.3 points per game as well as 4.6 rebounds per game. Sneed is also currently fourth in the Big 12 in steals per game, averaging 1.9 each contest. Redshirt junior guard Cartier Diarra has been a key factor as well this season, averaging 13 points per game, while leading the team in assists with 4.4 per game which is good for fourth in the Big 12. Even though the team is led by a senior and a redshirt junior, there is still a lot of talented underclassmen. The freshman trio of Montavious Murphy, DaJuan Gordon and Antonio Gordon have each gotten valuable minutes throughout this season. K-State never led in their 69-62 loss in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday, and on their current losing streak, the Wildcats have only led for 17 minutes out of 240 total minutes played in those games. Even though K-State never led, they kept it close for the most part, turning double-digit leads for the Red Raiders into just single-digit leads multiple times. A lot of that was thanks to the great defensive play of the Wildcats,
forcing 18 Texas Tech turnovers and turning those miscues into 17 points. Those forced turnovers have been a bright spot for the Wildcats this season as K-State ranks first in the Big 12 in steals per game with 8.65. Sneed and Antonio Gordon are both coming off of solid performances. Wednesday night, Sneed led the team with 15 points on a 42 percent shooting night as well as knocking down two shots from behind the arc. Gordon is coming off of a near double-double performance, scoring a season-high 14 points on an 87 percent shooting night, while collecting eight rebounds.
TEXAS
After starting the season with an impressive record of 10-2 in non-conference play, Texas has hit a big slump in Big 12 play, going just 5-8 in conference play so far with a loss to LSU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Longhorns are a team that have beaten who they should in the lower tier of the Big 12 Conference, including K-State, but have lacked the ability to beat anybody else in the conference. That is a reason why head coach Shaka Smart is currently sitting on the hot seat at Texas, with zero NCAA Tournament victories in his five-year tenure with the Longhorns. The Longhorns are led by a talented trio of guards in junior Matt Coleman III, redshirt sophomore Andrew Jones and sophomore Courtney Ramey, with one of the three typically leading the way for the Longhorns in most of their games. In their most recent game, a 70-56 victory over TCU on Wednesday night, it was both Jones’ and Ramey’s night. Jones lead the offensive attack with a career-high 21 points, shooting 50 percent from the field. Ramey netted 15 points and led in rebounds with six, assists with five
and steals with two. On top of the stats overall this season though, is Coleman III, averaging 12.5 points, 1.4 steals and 3.8 assists per game. Coleman missed the Longhorns last game against TCU due to a bruised heel that he suffered against Iowa State just a game prior. Their victory over TCU snapped their longest losing streak of the season at four games and put the Longhorns just one spot ahead of the bottom four teams in the Big 12. The Longhorns shot 51 percent on the night from the field and 60 percent from behind the arc, including a perfect five for five from three-point range in the first half. The bench showed up as well, contributing 30 points. This shows that if the Longhorns can get hot shooting-wise, opponents need to watch out.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
The status of Coleman III will be big for the Longhorns on Saturday. He led the way for the Longhorns in their last meeting with the Wildcats on Jan. 11 in Austin, Texas. In that game, Coleman III scored 14 points as well as recording four assists and three steals in the 64-50 victory for Texas. With reports saying that he was expected to play against TCU, expect Coleman III to most likely see the court on Saturday. The 50 points scored against Texas in their last matchup is still a season-low for the Wildcats. K-State’s offense can not afford to have a sluggish game this time around. Catch all of the action between the Longhorns and the Wildcats at 1 p.m Saturday in Bramlage Coliseum. Live coverage of the game can be found on CBS, with live audio coming from KMAN radio.
Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Freshman guard DaJuan Gordon jumps towards the basket for a layup during the men’s basketball game against Oklahoma State in Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 11. The Cowboys took the Wildcats 64-59.
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LEADERSHIP ADAM MEYER WRITER
When senior forward Peyton Williams began her basketball career at Kansas State, she was ranked as the No. 64 player in the nation by Prospects Nation out of high school and as the No. 20 forward in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz. Now, she is capping off a historical career in women’s basketball history. A four-year tenure that might be worthy of a jersey retirement in Bramlage Coliseum. Williams got the opportunity to get playing time as a freshman. She played in 34 games and started in 23 of them, registering 543 minutes. “It is certainly a rare opportunity,” Williams said. “I was kind of flip-flopping with other freshmen that we had on the team at the time and so that took some of the pressure off. And enabling me to get those minutes so young and not have to expect anything from me was really good for me for my development as a player. For
me, my freshman year was for adapting to the speed of college basketball both mentally and physically.” Those 543 minutes ended up paying big dividends for Williams. Williams entered this 20192020 season under five watch lists: Katrina McClain Award, John R. Wooden Award, Women’s Citizen Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy and Senior CLASS. On top of that, she was an ESPN.com Preseason Top 25 player and Preseason All-Big 12. Williams said that she tries to not think much about her name being up for awards and on watch lists, but she knows she has to be aware of it because it puts a target on her back to the opponent. “I am at the top of other team’s scouting report,” Williams said. “And I have been for a while.” Being a high-profile player also brings leadership and expectation in which Williams
Women’s basketball heads to Texas
How Peyton Williams made her mark on K-State basketball
does to the best of her ability. “Your team looks at you to lead and to provide,” Williams said. “I try to do that to the best of my ability throughout the year. I have definitely struggled [at times], and my teammates have been there to help me through those dead spots. It has been an expectation since my sophomore year to be a leader on the team.” Redshirt freshman center Akoya Lee – who is on the verge of a historic career in the program herself, said Williams has done wonders to help her this season. Williams noted that Lee could break all of her records by the time she is a junior. “I have definitely learned a lot from Peyton,” Lee said. “Definitely in forms of leadership. She’s a two-sport athlete. She is so intelligent as a person. Spending time with her rubs off on me, and her amazing leadership skills. Hopefully, I can learn some things from her to continue on [after this year]. It’s going to be different without her. I am really going to miss her.”
PREVIEW
Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Senior forward Jasauen Beard charges the basket during the women’s basketball game against TCU on Feb. 19, 2020. The Horned Frogs defeated the Wildcats 54-52.
The 6-foot-4 forward has had a successful senior season. She is averaging 15 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. The Wildcats as a team have struggled this season, as they currently sit at 12-12 overall and 6-7 in Big 12 conference play. Williams said the rough moments this season haven’t affected her in the role she plays. “I think about it more as like that you as an individual player is reflected on how successful the team is, and I think we have a lot of different really awesome players on our team,” Williams said. “It’s just a matter of finding how we work together, and finding how we achieve success at the same time and together to get to a win at the end of the game because we have come so close and it’s just a matter of a couple of points in a lot of the games we have played.”
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ADAM MEYER WRITER
The women’s basketball team will be in Austin, Texas, this weekend to take on the Longhorns in Frank Erwin Center. This is the second meeting between the Wildcats and Longhorns this season — though the Longhorns won 63-71 the first time. Kansas State is coming off a hard-fought loss to the TCU Horned Frogs Wednesday night as their two-game winning streak came to an end. Texas is coming off a 5044 win against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Monday. The Wildcats sit at 12-12, 6-7 overall heading into this weekend matchup, and the Longhorns sit at 16-9, 8-5.
Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Senior forward Peyton Williams charges the basket for a layup during the women’s basketball team’s Play 4 Kay Pink Game to promote cancer awareness. K-State played against TCU in Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 19. The Horned Frogs defeated the Wildcats 54-52.
In the recent loss to the Horned Frogs, the Wildcats defended well, but they had a big struggle with the three-pointer — making only one of 13 shots. Head coach Jeff Mittie said after the game it wasn’t the shot selection that was the problem, it was just one of those nights that the shots didn’t go down. “It’s just one of those things that one day it will break out and you won’t necessarily know why, but we will break out of it and you won’t know why,” Mittie told K-State Sports. “Hopefully it will be because we’re working in the gym, getting shots and doing these things.” In the two-straight wins before the loss on Wednesday, the Wildcats made six three-pointers in the first
game against West Virginia and made four in the second game against Oklahoma. And in the first matchup against Texas, the Wildcats made five of 26 of their three-pointers. Success in shooting the three-pointer will help defeat the Longhorns. The big positive the Wildcats can take into Saturday is the Wildcats performed well defensively against the Horned Frogs. “They’ve got great defense,” TCU head coach Raegan Pebley said after the game. TCU was held to just 29 percent shooting.
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friday, february 21, 2020
STARTING OVER Transfer students recall experience of coming to K-State from other colleges BREE MAGEE WRITER
With many incoming transfer students throughout the fall, spring and summer semesters, the Kansas State admissions office works extensively to provide support and resources that the university has to offer. Makenna Duncan, junior in journalism and mass communications, had transferred back in January of 2019 from Madesto Junior College in California and is originally from Ripon, California. As a first generation college student, Duncan wanted to be able to go away to college and learned of K-State through a friend back at her junior college. During a visit to K-State with her mom, Duncan thought that everyone was kind and welcoming which helped her in making her decision to transfer. “People showed they really wanted to help me reach my goals,” Duncan said. Trying to adjust to a move and a new school, Duncan admitted her first year was hard. The biggest struggle was being overwhelmed and trying making friends as well as her personal struggle with anxiety. One of the resources that helped with the transfer was Counseling Services, where Duncan now can also attend group sessions specialized in anxiety. Duncan said her only disappointment with the resources available was the limitation of
only eight individual counseling sessions, due to a recent change in university policy. “My advice for incoming transfer students is timing is everything,” Duncan said. “If you give it time, things will get better.” Duncan is now beginning to start her core classes in her degree and says she is the happiest she has ever been. The student enrollment of K-State was 21,719 in the fall of 2019, and a portion of this population was between 1,400 to 1,700 transfer students in the annual year, Deana Core, assistant director and transfer coordinator, said. One of the biggest questions that comes up for transfer students working through the admissions office is how classes will transfer for their program from the old schools to K-State, Core said. Credits are easier to transfer from in-state colleges than out-of-state. With the help of the admissions office, students can work with advisers at K-State and at the other college to coordinate the transition. Other resources that are in the works for the admissions office is a version of a virtual tour being produced with the K-State marketing office. Core said this will help students experience the campus from a distance and will be a great tool to have. Transfer students are given two versions of checklists as well to help with providing im-
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portant dates and information. The first checklist is for students thinking of applying to K-State, with items such as general application deadlines. Once students are admitted, the second checklist provides things such as when to apply for housing and scholarships. The checklist also goes over where to seek out resources that K-State offers. “It is important for the whole K-State community to understand we have students from all academic backgrounds and that we are beginning to see more and more students transfer and it’s a common nationwide thing,” Core said. “Be aware of different academic backgrounds and help students take advantage of resources.” Abby Weber, sophomore in Education, transferred from Hutchinson Community College and is originally from Hesston, Kansas. The hardest part of the transition for Weber was getting used to the larger class sizes at K-State. “I was close to the office staff at Hutchinson and it was weird not having a close connection at K-State where no one even knows my name,” Weber said. Both Weber and Duncan are a part of the Transfer Ambassador Program that works to help other transfer students with the adjustment of moving and having someone to relate to and understand.
at Dillons
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friday, february 21, 2020
K-State, Texas neck and neck in RecycleMania REBECCA VRBAS C U LT U R E E D I T O R
Colleges and universities across the country are facing off in RecycleMania, a compe-
tition to reduce waste and promote recycling. The competition runs from Feb. 2 through March 28. Kansas State has been ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 for five of the last six years, said
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Bill Spiegel, supervisor of the KSU Recycling Center and project manager for RecycleMania. Though the name emphasizes recycling, schools compete in several different cate-
gories: diversion, food organics and per capita. Two weeks into the 2020 competition, K-State is ranked 70th out of the schools participating, with a diversion rate of 29.39. Diversion is determined
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by the percentage of the total weight of recyclables and food organics diverted from total waste generated by the university. In the Big 12, the biggest competition for K-State is the
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THE COLLEGIAN cannot verify the financial potential of advertisements in the Employment/ Opportunities classifications. Readers are advised to approach any such business opportunity with reasonable caution. The Collegian urges our readers to contact the Better Business Bureau, 501 SE Jefferson, Topeka, KS 66607‑1190. 785‑232‑0454. CITY OF Council Grove is accepting applications for Chief of Police. Pick up application at City Hall or email citycg@tctelco.net. For information contact Nick (785)466-6775. HELP WANTED Someone to grocery run every other week for pay. Please contact skayd@ksu.edu if interested or for further questions.
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friday, february 21, 2020
PURPLE THREADS JULIE FREIJAT COPY CHIEF
BREE MAGEE WRITER
Editor’s note: This story is part of the Purple Threads series, which aims to tell the stories of Kansas State students who, despite their different experiences, are all connected in some way through the K-State.
THE MELTING POT
to pursue her career. She was born and raised in Serbia, where she said students can choose their field of study prior to attending college. Savatovic attended a medical high school, hoping to work in pharmacy. Now, she’s a graduate student in strategic communications. Kansas State recruited Savatovic from her high school track team and she began her undergraduate degree in 2013 on a track scholarship. After graduating in 2017 with her bachelor’s degree in public relations, Savatovic went to Europe for eight months and came
back to K-State in the fall of 2019. Savatovic’s story, while unique, is still similar to others. Eric Ofori, an international student pursuing a doctorate in agricultural economics, was born and raised in Ghana. “Initially I did my undergraduate degree in Ghana,” Ofori said. “Then I went on to Mississippi State, where I did my masters in agricultural economics and then I came here in the fall of 2017 to start my PhD.” Ofori said one of the differences he noticed between the U.S. and Ghana was the way people behaved. “One of the big shocks for me was ... when I came here initially I said ‘Hi’ to people and they don’t say anything back,” he said. Karim Majed, senior in marketing, is also an international student. He was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. But one of the more surprising things about Majed is that English is not his first — or his second — language. “My first language is French, my second is Arabic and my third
is English. And that’s how they taught us in high school — I started learning English at age 14,” Majed said. Majed came to the states about five years ago and went to high school in Kansas for a year and a half prior to attending K-State. “[My parents] encouraged it, like every Middle Eastern parent, I mean, they want their kids to go to a better place [to] get a better education for a better future,” Majed said about his parents’ thoughts on coming to the U.S. Majed wanted to stay in Kansas because he liked his friends here. And when it came time to choose a college, K-State had a value that appealed to him. “I went and visited KU — I liked it, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “But I just saw an emphasis at K-State on the word family, and family is something really big to me. It’s probably my number one priority in life.” Alina Sadykova is another international student at K-State. Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Sa-
Sreenikhil Keshamoni | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Sara Savatovic, graduate student in journalism and mass communications, is an international student from Serbia.
dykova attends K-State as a graduate student in criminology. She stressed that she didn’t experience many difficulties when she first came to K-State. Everything went very smoothly, she said. She said she has enjoyed the opportunities and resources K-State has to offer for international students. “My country does not have this many resources to support students back home,” Sadykova said. A lot of the resources that are offered to international students are provided from the International Student and Scholar Services. The ISSS helps international students from over 100 countries transition into the programs K-State offers.
THE ADJUSTMENT
Sara Thurston, director of ISSS, says that K-State wants the transition for international students to feel comfortable and welcoming. “We try to eliminate [what] the students have to do,” Thurston said. “It is very well orches-
International students and the process of prospering, adjusting trated.” International students are given checklists in seven different language options. Special outreach is also available in the first semester to aid in keeping up with how the students are doing. Thursday evening program classes such as U.S. culture and culture adjustment are also provided. These resources can help students adjust in what sometimes feels like an entirely different world. “It’s hard for international students coming here,” Ofori said. “It’s a new environment for them. And they came here with the hopes to learn new stuff and to better themselves. And it’s hard for them — not having your family here and all.” Majed said he got through the transition by accepting that he needed to adapt to everyone else rather than the other way around. “If I had to give advice to anyone that’s international: Accept that you’re visiting their country,” he said. “You have to give their lifestyle a chance, you
have to get to know that lifestyle, you have to give their culture a chance to get to know, like genuinely get to know it.” Savatovic recalled some requirements she needed to meet when she got here. “We have to go to Lafene Health Center to do TB testing and stuff like that,” Savatovic said. All international students are required be screened for tuberculosis, according to K-State’s website for international admission and recruiting. They are also required to have health insurance coverage. K-State automatically enrolls international students in insurance the university provides and tacks the charge onto their tuition bill to avoid separate payments.
THE SUCCESS
Despite the feat of transitioning from one culture to another,
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Julie Freijat | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Eric Ofori, graduate student in agricultural economics, is an international student from Ghana.