K A N S A S
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vol. 126 issue 35 | friday, may 7, 2021 | kstatecollegian.com PAGE 6
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WellCAT ambassadors promote mental health, suicide prevention
Students discuss pandemic impact on mental health
Tennis star Karine-Marion Job fulfills her dreams at Kansas State
Local, campus organizations seek to address underlying causes of food insecurity
‘If you pulled a ‘C’ in a class ... that’s OK’: Burnout settling in for some students ahead of finals MARSHALL SUNNER graphic design chief
This past week, Matthew Long, junior in food science and industry, said he’s been playing video games and going to the gym more often than normal. While working out or interacting with friends online seems like a productive social life, Long said he feels his schoolwork has been slipping as a result. Long said he credits his struggles to how the semester has gone. With high expectations from professors and his own redundant tendencies, he said he is mentally drained. “Procrastination has always been my biggest enemy,” Long said. “I’ve been doing the same thing over and over again all semester. Everything’s redundant, and I’ve gotten tired of it. I can feel a difference.” Long is one of many Kansas State students encountering preparation issues and lacking motivation for finals. Some students are burned out for the semester – something Long said is from the absence of spring break. “With no spring break, it’s all been school, school, school constantly – and then you have people who work,
too,” Long said. “We’re just burned out. I feel like I can speak for others too, at least for my friends.” In a Collegian Twitter poll posted on May 5, 59 percent of voters felt they were both unprepared for finals and burned out this semester. In total, 90 percent of voters said they were burned out regardless of preparation and just over 63 percent said they were not prepared regardless of their burned-out status. Maggie Billman, Student Governing Association speaker pro tempore and sophomore in secondary education, said she agreed with the poll results. “Personally, I’ve been seeing burnout from my peers, and it’s not just because we’re having to finish the semester online,” Billman said. “People are still concerned about their families. People are still concerned about making a living – all that sort of stuff that’s not going away. I think people are still having a hard time adjusting to a new normal and what the world will look like when we’re out of this storm. I definitely think there’s a problem.” With 16-straight weeks of class, newly elected Student Body President Michael Dowd said he wasn’t
Archive photo by Rowan Jones | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
surprised to see burnout from a lack of spring break and just one mental health awareness day. “I’d say part of it is from the pandemic since our environment is different than it has ever been before, but I think the other part is that we’ve gone 16 weeks in classes with one day off,” Dowd said. Along with burnout, Billman said she’s frustrated with how she’s heard some professors are handling distance learning during COVID-19. She said
she feels like professors aren’t being held as accountable to the flexibility students are expected to manage all of the time. “One of my main frustrations is just noticing whenever a professor uploads a final project, it hasn’t been modified for several years,” Billman said. “I think that is pretty reflective, regardless of the modality and the crap that people are going through, ... but I think for a lot of people, there’s been a big lack of grace and empathy
that maybe could’ve been handled a little better.” Cameron Koger, junior in marketing and finance and Dowd’s running mate, said “FOMO” – the fear of missing out – also factors into student motivation. With nice weather and a surge of vaccine rollout, students are gathering again, looking to get back to pre-pandemic normality, he said. see page
03, “BURNOUT”
02
NEWS
friday, may 7, 2021
Career Center, corporate employers and students adapt to virtual recruiting process BLAKE CRAWFORD staff writer
In a typical year, the Kansas State Career Center would have over 20,000 interactions with students through advising or career fairs. This year only about half of that number occurred, according to Kerri Keller, executive director at the Career Center. Despite the tough adjustment of helping students during a pandemic, Keller said the Career Center persevered. “We’ve moved almost everything to virtual formats and still been able to provide everything that we typically would,” Keller said. “We still had 95 percent of last year’s class reporting employment or going on to graduate school.” Going into the fall of 2020, the time where most recruiting is done, the Career Center was forced to move their all-university career fair online. “We had some things already in place and so we just kind of shifted everything to
exclusively online,” Keller said. For big corporate employers such as Cargill, the shift to online had quite a learning curve, Mark Hosmann, Early Career Recruiting Leader at Cargill, said. “The first thing we had to figure out was what technology the schools were using to facilitate virtual recruiting,” Hosmann said. “There were about 10 different technology platforms being used by different universities to facilitate those events, and most of those platforms we had never worked with before, so our team had to quickly learn those.” At other universities, Hosmann said his experience was, “a mixed bag.” “We had some events at some schools where we had a really large attendance, very engaged students, and we had some events where it didn’t go very well,” Hosmann said. “With every event, we never really knew what to expect.” Despite the pandemic, Hosmann said Cargill thrived and hired 700 university students this year, a similar number to
years past. Of the 700 students hired on average each year, 50-60 of those are from K-State. Hosmann said K-State produces one of the largest groups of students hired from universities each year. “We do tend to get strong students from K-State, and they perform very well at Cargill,” Hosmann said. Hosmann and Keller both said that even before the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, the recruiting process had some online elements, such as Handshake and LinkedIn, but the pandemic caused these platforms to explode in popularity. “For students to be able to do those interviews virtually and not have to travel all over made some of that process quicker and easier,” Hosmann said. Jenna Rose, K-State alumna and Operations Management Associate at Cargill, interviewed with about 20 different companies during a career fair. Rose said she found the virtual events to be more organized.
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Rose graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in December, accepted the job at Cargill in October and started working there in February. She said she couldn’t visit any of the Cargill facilities before she started her job. “Not going to see where I would be working was the most challenging part,” Rose said. “I felt like I was going into it a little blind.” Hosmann said the backout of jobs rate is the highest it has ever been at Cargill and he said he thinks the virtual experience plays a role. “When everything has been done on a virtual capacity, I don’t know that those same connections or loyalties are there as they have been in the past,” Hosmann said. “They’ve been to the site, they’ve worked with the people in-person, they’ve built those meaningful connections.” However, Rose said she preferred the virtual career fair to an in-person event. “When I went to in-per-
son career fairs in the past, I felt like there were so many different booths that it was hard to talk to the actual people you wanted to talk to,” Rose said. Since virtual fairs do provide convenience for both employers and students, Hosmann said it is possible for virtual events to have their place in the future alongside in-person events. “What’s the right balance between in-person events, fairs and connections with students that way versus continuing to do outreach through online platforms, and how do students want to find jobs?” Hosmann said. “That will heavily influence how employers do their work going forward.” Keller said a lot of companies were disappointed they couldn’t connect with students like they normally do. “A lot of the employers really want us to offer in-person career fairs again on campus because we want to connect again with real live students,” Keller said. She said the main ad-
vantage of in-person events is what she referred to as, “planned happenstance.” “There’s a lot of things that happen kind of spur of the moment,” Keller said. “A student walks around the concourse and maybe sees an interesting booth for a company they would’ve never heard of.” Emily Warriner, Managing Director for the Center for Risk Management Education and Research, said the virtual aspect made it easier for her to get higher-up executives to speak with the student fellowship due to the convenience of Zoom. Warriner said the Center for Risk Management Education and Research aims to connect students interested in risk management with industry partners and prepare them to be in the workforce.
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ON THE COVER Kaylie McLaughlin | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Each Wednesday evening, the Konza Student Table — a Food and Farm Council project — distributes meals to students and community members. People who come through the drive-thru or walk-up distribution points receive a dinner and a breakfast for the next day.
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BURNOUT continued from page 01
“I know several people who didn’t go out on their 21st birthday to maintain protocols or missed family outings to play things safe,” Koger said. “I think after a year of going through the COVID-19 pandemic, people are becoming restless and wanting to do all they can do to end the pandemic, but in doing that, it is contingent on vaccine rollout for a safer university experience. … That has definitely played into burnout.” For students fighting the temptation to put work off or trying to power through burnout, the three SGA leaders offered advice like embracing your close friends to seeking advice about their mental health. “I’ve always heard the five-minute, fiveyear rule,” Koger said. “If it isn’t going to matter in five years, let it bother you for five minutes and then let it go. That’s not saying don’t take your finals seriously or work hard on final projects, but [don’t] allow yourself to
worry to an extensive degree on something that more than likely won’t affect you in five years.” Koger said he finds little ways to relieve stress and reduce burnout, like skipping rocks at Tuttle Creek Lake. “I go to a place named Cameron Cove,” he said. “No one knows about it except me. I carved my name in the tree and I just skip rocks. ... I think if you can just get away and find something that calms you, then when you come back you have gotten rid of some of the burnout.” Billman said students should focus on what they have overcome in the past year and use that as motivation to finish the semester as strong as they can. “Give yourself grace,” Billman said. “Understand that we’ve survived something we never thought we would have to put up with, and that is a feat within itself. If you pulled a ‘C’ in a class instead of a ‘B,’ you know what, if that’s not going to majorly impact your future, that’s okay. Give yourself grace and love yourself through it. … Reach out to the resources campus offers, too.”
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04
NEWS
Local, campus organizations seek to address underlying causes of food insecurity KAYLIE MCLAUGHLIN staff writer
Before the pandemic, Deon Wade, senior in computer engineering, lived on-campus and had access to the dining halls for meals. When COVID-19 hit and he moved off-campus, that changed. Wade has a job off-campus, but online classes and weird hours associated with those prevent him from working enough hours to comfortably support himself, he said. “With my time kind of being taken up, I would go do those things, but I’ve kind of just stretched out as much as I could for food,” Wade said. Though he’s aware of community resources like the Konza Student Table and the Cats’ Cupboard, he doesn’t have time to use them. Even if he did, he said he probably wouldn’t. “It is a little weird trying to go for help for something that you don’t necessarily fit in with the qualifications for,” Wade said. “I’m a little bit fortunate because I have a job and I can at least make … money to go actually get food.” Those resources, he said, are for people who have more need, like those who are unemployed. Vickie James, a coordinator for the local Food and Farm Council, sees it differently. “Sometimes people think food insecurity means we’re talking about the homeless or people who don’t have food every day, all day,” James said. “I want people to understand there are various levels of food insecurity. If you alter the food choices that you make because you’re not sure you’ll have enough money or food to get to the end of the week or the end of the month, if you alter what you’re providing yourself to make ends meet with other expenses, then that’s a level of food insecurity.” Shelly Williams, the Morrison family director of the Cats’ Cupboard, said degrees of need shouldn’t stop people
Kaylie McLaughlin | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
In Fairchild 009, the Cats’ Cupboard offers nonperishable food items to any student or faculty member who needs it. In the 2017 climate survey, more than 40 percent of the student body reported they had experienced food insecurity. from accessing food assistance. “There does seem to be a social stigma based around the need to prove our individuality. We’re Americans; we have to be strong individuals,” Williams said. “A hungry person is a hungry person, and so there are people who struggle more and people who struggle less.” According to climate data collected in the 2016-2017 academic year, nearly 45 percent of participants indicated they had experienced food insecurity during their time at Kansas State, a problem only exacerbated by the ongoing economic crisis associated with COVID-19, Williams said. In general, Riley County has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in Kansas, registering at 17.5 percent in 2017. “It’s not one easy answer, our community has some uniquenesses that are in place that have also contributed to us having a slightly higher food insecurity,” chair of the local Food and Farm Council Sharolyn Jackson said. Adrian Self, council member for the Food and Farm Council, said one reason is that Riley County is home to two major transient populations — K-State and the nearby military base. These people tend to live here temporarily and are less likely to have large amounts of savings to fall back
on during times of crisis, making them more susceptible to food insecurity. Jackson said other barriers to accessing and consuming nutritious food include a general lack of knowledge regarding food preparation and inadequate or unreliable transportation to get to a grocery store. Local groups like the Food and Farm Council and Cats’ Cupboard have stepped in to remedy some of these obstacles through various channels. Specifically, the Food and Farm Council, which launched in 2017, has several community action teams seeking to address food insecurity by providing access to meals and food items, while also offering education and trying to minimize food waste, Self said. “[We are also] a networking hub for all kinds of people: people that need food, people that want to give food, people that want to volunteer, people are just looking for information to get better connected,” Self said. However, advocacy and community support won’t solve every problem that leads to food insecurity, James said. “If food insecurity in a community … is a long-term problem, it takes a long-term solution,” James said. “The way we develop policies in our community would make
a difference.” Policy changes that could improve some food insecurity include increasing the minimum wage, reducing the sales tax on groceries, ensuring affordable housing at every income bracket and others. James says the key is enacting a “health in all policies” approach. “Health in all policies is a concept that every time a proposal is put on a table and an organization, an agency or local government makes a decision, the question is as, ‘How will that decision impact in a positive or negative way the health of our populations here in our community,’” James said. Food insecurity is, after all, a health problem. “Food is a basic human need,” Williams said. “If you have enough food to live a healthy, active lifestyle, you are empowered to give back to your community and your family and yourself in ways that are far healthier and more advantageous to you as an individual and your group.” Even then, there isn’t a perfect solution. After all, Self says, food insecurity, as a community issue, is a “cyclical” one. Jackson said that nature makes it difficult to solve the problem, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t try. “As much as I’d love to say we can erase this problem, I don’t see that happening, but I think what we can shoot for is to have a system in place that we can meet the need as it cycles,” Jackson said. “We’re making progress, but I don’t think the need is ever going to be completely gone.” The Cats’ Cupboard in Fairchild Hall 009 provides access to student-specific food assistance. More information about the local Food and Farm Council and its initiatives to address the roots of food insecurity is at nourishtogether.org.
friday, may 7, 2021
Kansas State students, faculty anticipate reopened campus for 2021 fall semester ANTHONY GORGES staff writer
Kansas State announced campus will reopen for the 2021 fall semester, with COVID-19 restrictions beginning to phase out on Aug. 1. After learning online or in a hybrid setting for over a year, students will return to many in-person classes starting in August. It should look more like normal for K-State students, faculty and staff. University officials said many current restrictions will end in August as K-State moves through phases of the reopening plan. Limitations on classrooms and learning spaces will also end in the fall. President Richard Myers said in a Feb. 24 K-State Today article that he is thankful the campus will reopen to the students. “We have long anticipated the day when the K-State family could gather again in person,” Myers said. “As the pandemic continues to improve, we are planning a fall semester that will be more normal than our 20202021 academic year. As with all things COVID-19 related, these plans depend on continued improvement in suppressing the spread of the virus.” In the announcement, Myers asks all students and staff to continue abiding by the protocols to ensure a smooth transition into the fall semester. “We continue to monitor COVID-19 data and will share numbers on our university dashboard,” Myers said. “We will need to be flexible and make adjustments in the coming months. We remain committed to keeping every
Wildcat a Wellcat.” Students and staff members had to adjust to remote learning as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many college campuses. Avery Osen, journalism and mass communications instructor, said he is looking forward to on-campus classes in the fall. “For journalism and the classes that I teach specifically, [they] are very hands-on and to switch to a zoom format or a format that is not in person is nearly impossible,” Osen said. Osen teaches audio and video foundation classes, which use software that many students are not familiar with. He said teaching students about the software and how to use it for projects was not an easy task. Osen also said he looks forward to giving students the opportunity to use real equipment for these projects. “My classes usually go over to McCain — which is where the radio station is — and for audio foundations, we will record over there, but that just hasn’t been possible for the last couple semesters,” Osen said. This past semester, Osen said his classes could resume in-person and record over at the radio station while following safety restrictions. They also used the video cameras provided by K-State for his video foundations class. He said giving students those experiences made things feel more normal but pointed out how social distancing and other safety protocols still made things difficult.
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05
NEWS
friday, may 7, 2021
Graduate students navigate COVID-19-era research, education WENDY BARNES News Editor
COVID-19 created numerous challenges when it forced Kansas State to pivot online. Faculty and staff scrambled to figure out how to conduct university business and teach classes in an online environment. However, it also created problems for another subset of the campus population — graduate students. More than 4,000 graduate students nationwide expressed concerns about food, housing, mental health, changes in career plans and delays in degree completion as obstacles throughout the pandemic, according to a report in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Hannah Shear, doctoral candidate in agricultural economics, said she was lucky because COVID-19 hit at the end of her third year, giving her a before-and-after perspective of the graduate experience. Shear said she saw immediate differences when the campus flipped after spring break last year. Shear said graduate cohorts in her experience are tight, both physically and academically. They hold study sessions to work on the heavy math-based coursework that is not easily done
through Zoom or over email. “Immediately that kind of support system was gone,” Shear said, “and I think that impacted a lot of our graduate students, both academically with their grades, as well as … mental health, of just not feeling like anyone else was kind of suffering with you.” Kayln Hoppe, doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, said she already felt isolated because her doctoral program is mostly online, but COVID-19 isolated her more than usual. “Working on your Ph.D. during the pandemic, when you are not allowed to go anywhere basically … it’s extremely lonely,” Hoppe said. Deans and department heads also acknowledge graduate students’ pandemic isolation. Debbie Mercer, dean of the College of Education, said her graduate students did not struggle with the switch to technology — they struggled with their mental health. “It was a huge shift for us to go from people interaction on a daily basis to those feelings of isolation that often came from being at home,” Mercer said. Allen Featherstone, head of the department of agricultural economics, said COVID-19 isolated graduate students and impacted course work and one-
on-one research with faculty. In addition, it affected students who were not in the program before the pandemic. “They’ve never been able to experience the networking and the seminar experience in a way that I think is best,” Featherstone said. Mike Day, head of animal sciences and industry, said graduate programs are isolating by nature, but COVID-19 furthered student isolation. Day said students from other states and countries often became most vulnerable to feelings of isolation. “Their social interaction would be through the lab and through the group and through the discipline within the department, and that wasn’t happening … except via Zoom,” Day said. Zoom presents issues when graduate students attempt to engage in their own coursework. Hoppe said her current synchronous class is ineffective because there are no prepared materials, just an open forum for student questions and discussion. “Sometimes we don’t have any questions, or we don’t have anything to discuss, so it’s kind of a waste of time,” Hoppe said. “From that experience, I’ve learned if you’re going to require synchronous Zoom sessions, you need to be prepared.
You need to have talking points prepared or discussions or whatever because you don’t want to waste people’s time.” Both Day and Featherstone agree Zoom is a solution for teaching. However, it cannot substitute the face-toface interaction so vital to the graduate experience. “Certainly Zoom and the electronic communication are good, but … it’s easy to be distracted on Zoom,” Featherstone said. “It’s harder to be distracted when you’re in a seminar face-toface or when you’re meeting with your faculty face-to-face.” Day said networking is another important area impacted by COVID-19 and the switch to Zoom. “The capacity for them to be able to go to meetings and present their results and interact with people across the country — they’ve lost, at least, the faceto-face part of that,” Day said. “And those relationships are critical as they look for the next step in their career.” Hoppe said COVID-19 affected her ability to network and present at scheduled conferences, as well as her teaching role. “We were not only there for them academically, but we were also checking in on them to make sure their mental health
was okay and just making sure that they were okay, and they were handling it well,” Hoppe said. “A lot of them, if they didn’t get to go home, they were stuck here by themselves. So we were their support outside of just the academics, which I think was really important.” Shear said she felt lucky when classes pivoted because her online teaching experience at another university gave her the knowledge to adapt quickly. However, others in her department lacked the same experience, placing extra work on her as she helped them shift to the online platform. “I was hosting my own personal Zoom sessions and showing them different platforms they could use,” Shear said. Students not on campus often lacked access to necessary
equipment and technology. Shear said facilitating her own course and technology needs with those of the graduate students was challenging, but when faculty also came to her for assistance, she faced an even greater challenge. “I got pulled in a lot of different directions to try to help with that,” Shear said. “Thankfully, K-State’s Teaching and Learning Center helped a lot with that, so there were resources, but when you have to pivot, and you’re given a week’s notice of like, ‘Figure it out,’ it was tough. So, trying to meet everyone’s questions and needs was not fun there for about five months.”
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Online, canceled internships pose challenge for students needing credit ZOE SCHULTZ staff writer
Adam Meng, junior in mechanical engineering, planned to spend the summer of 2020 interning with CNH Industrial in Wichita as a design engineer, but like many other Kansas State students, COVID-19 forced his plans to change. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many students’ plans last summer by forcing employers to cancel, postpone or move student internships and jobs. Some K-State students reached out to the Career Center after their internship circumstances changed.
“Last year about this time, the main questions and concerns the Career Center received from students were from those needing to do a summer internship for graduation credits,” Kerri Keller, executive director of the Career Center, said. Keller said many departments across the university require internship credits. Therefore the university and department faculty worked with individual students to foster solutions. Last summer, many employers pivoted and offered virtual internships for students, Keller said. But nearly a year later, some students say they
are still suffering the repercussions of their internship plans being shifted. As COVID-19 continued progressing in 2020, CNH notified Meng in mid-April that his internship was canceled and would not be rescheduled. “Even though I was frustrated my internship was canceled, I was able to stay close to home and worked in a shop nearby that I had worked in previously where I was paid more and didn’t have to spend as much time driving,” Meng said. Meng wasn’t the only one whose plans changed. As cases increased and internships changed, the Career Center
explored the impact on both employers and students. Students use internships to gain experience, build networks, develop connections and help with college expenses. “The Career Center did a survey on internship employers, students and faculty to report any canceled internships and what we found was many employers still compensated students financially for their summer in various ways,” Keller said. However, there are still some things students lost. “Not having any internship experience makes it difficult finding higher-level internships or a job after
graduating too,” Meng said. Meng plans to intern — in person — with AGCO in Hesston, Kansas, this summer as a design engineer with hopes to gain experience and connections before graduating in May of 2022. Meng isn’t the only student that experienced internship frustrations last year. According to CNBC, last summer, about 40 percent of employers shifted their internship program to a virtual platform, 40 percent delayed the start of the internship and 20 percent reduced the number of interns on their team. Reed Krewson, junior in
political science, interned with Dr. Barbara Bollier during her campaign for the U.S. Senate. He interned from October 2019 until November 2020. “Before COVID, I was working on projects with Senator Bollier in her house, and very abruptly, I began working online,” Krewson said. Krewson said his summer months were spent completing administrative tasks, creating Excel spreadsheets and doing office mechanics. He said working remotely was strange because he had no interaction or personal contacts. see page
11 “INTERNSHIP”
06
CULTURE
friday, may 7, 2021
Green Bandana Project, WellCAT ambassadors spread word on mental health, suicide prevention TAYLOR PARISH staff writer
Kansas State has partnered with the Green Bandana Project to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. Earlier this semester, K-State WellCAT ambassadors trained to recognize the signs and work with those seeking help. Hadley Schreiner, senior in life sciences and WellCAT ambassador, said the Green Bandana Project’s training and information were beneficial for her understanding and awareness of mental health signs and symptoms. “One thing I’ve benefited from the training is … recog-
nizing when people can benefit from its resources,” Schreiner said. “I like being able to start those conversations and have the resources to help those wanting to seek professional help if they need it.” After training, ambassadors tie a green bandana to their backpack so those seeking help know who to go to. Chris Bowman, health educator for Lafene Health Center’s health promotion department, said he was astounded by the WellCATs willingness to participate in the project and take action. “They wanted to get on campus as soon as they could to hand [resource cards] out,” Bowman said. “That willingness to put a visual representation
out there and show that they’re taking mental health seriously by tying the green bandana goes a long way. It’s a visual reference to show that K-State is becoming a mentally aware community and that we’re serious about wanting to take care of people’s mental health.” Although many K-State students worked remotely this semester, the talk of in-person classes for the fall is generating excitement to spread the word, Kennedy Ayre, junior in life sciences and integrated health studies and WellCAT ambassador, said. “Hopefully in the fall, when we’re all back on campus again, spreading the word on what it signifies will be a lot easier,” Ayre said. “But for
now, we’ve been using social media to help spread the word on what the Green Bandana Project is.” Ayre said the Green Bandana Project teaches participants about all the resources provided on campus. More information about mental health and how to join the project is on Lafene’s program website, and information on WellCAT ambassador activities is on its Instagram. Courtesy photo by Kennedy Ayre
After training, ambassadors tie a green bandana to their backpack so those seeking help know who to go to.
As students prepare for finals, stress, graduation uncertainty accompany them CLAIBORN SCHMIDT culture editor
Like many Kansas State students, Jessica Shriver, junior in communication studies, will take all of her semester final exams in front of a computer screen and outside the classroom. “I think [the exams are] easier when they’re online,” Shriver said. “I can take them in the comfort of my own house and feel more relaxed.” However, Joel Jirak, senior in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, is enrolled in 24 credit hours this semester and said he has a busy week of
essays and exams coming up. “I believe that my finals are harder this year because I have so many to study for and many of them are essays and not a standard test format,” Jirak said. Steven Parker, freshman in supply chain management, does not know what a typical finals week looks like on campus, and he’s not alone. Most freshmen, along with many transfer students, haven’t experienced in-person finals since starting at K-State. “Since this is my first year in college, I’m not too sure what actual finals look like due to COVID putting everything
online,” Parker said. “But I would say it’s easier than my high school finals.” While some students choose to study weeks ahead, others find it better to study right before exams to keep the information fresh in their mind. Jirak said he finds it beneficial to study for each individual exam the day before he takes them. Every student chooses their own way to study for finals, and this virtual year has allowed students to review lecture slides and other content on Canvas and Zoom. “I’m preparing for finals by rewatching the Zooms that
my professors have posted online and by going over notes we took over Zoom,” Parker said. Similarly, Jirak is using his professors’ resources to review the course and chapter information for his final exams. Shriver said there is not as much need to prepare for finals as there was in the past, noticing a decrease in school motivation this semester. However, as the semester comes to a close and with summer fast approaching, she said the motivation to finish is coming back. “I haven’t done nearly as much preparing for finals as I normally would have in past
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semesters,” Shriver said. “I remember how close we are to summer, and that is kind of motivating in itself.” Parker said he decided to get a head start studying to help decrease the stress leading up to his exams. Since Jirak is a senior, he said he is more motivated to study and do well on his upcoming finals to ensure his graduation. “I do feel like I need to study harder, as I want to graduate and be done with school and especially since I have 24 hours this semester, studying is going to be crucial,” Jirak said.
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SafeRide program sees positive reception despite pandemic setbacks, limited use JARED SHUFF editor-in-chief
Student reception towards the SafeRide program has increased since it partnered with Lyft back in August. The program offers free rides to students from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., Thursday through Saturday. Previously operated through the aTa buses, the program switched to Lyft after students voiced frustrations on a survey from the Center for Student Involvement. Kelli Farris, executive director of the CSI, said safety concerns and costs ultimately led to the switch. “We sent out a survey and a lot of the feedback was ‘I don’t feel safe because I either have to wait at a bus stop for an unknown amount of time … or I get dropped off at a bus stop and then have to
walk such a distance to get to my home,’” Farris said. Students receive doorto-door service through Lyft, and Farris said the overall cost is far less than it was with the aTa buses. The buses charged a standard rate per hour, regardless of student use. With Lyft, the program only pays for students that use the service. “I can look at a report and see, ‘Oh, this many rides were claimed by this many students and this is how much we spent,’” Farris said. Based on analytics gathered and provided by the CSI over the past year, around 1,599 rides have been claimed by 598 unique riders. This suggests many students have used the service more than once. The program has an 89 percent promoter score in terms of student recommendation and a 78 percent
Archive photo by Abigail Compton | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Kelli Farris, CSI executive director, said the CSI is looking into more ways to improve SafeRide like working to create designated pickup spots in Aggieville.
promoter score for ride experience. Farris said the estimated cost of the program per year was around $20,000. According to analytics, the program has only spent $13,000, with average ride costs around $8.61. Farris said COVID-19 restrictions and remote learning are most likely factors in
the limited use. “It’s very different in a normal semester, so I’m excited for what that will look like and how quickly SafeRide will take off during that,” Farris said. “Right now, knowing that we have about two rides per student, I can imagine that that’s gonna just spread it out even more across campus.” Farris said she hopes SafeRide will expand so students can use the service any day of the week, giving them safe transportation home from late-night study sessions or work. “Obviously, I’m not gonna ask students to pay more in privilege fee in order to cover that, so we’ll start identifying some different donors … to help cover some of that,” Farris said. “That’s one thing students have asked for fairly regularly … so that’s one thing that we would love to explore and try to figure out what’s next there.” Farris said the CSI has monthly meetings with Lyft to talk through operational updates or issues. She said this direct line of contact makes it easier to voice concerns. “There had been a couple of instances where students felt a little odd with their driver,” Farris said. “We
can pull all of the ratings that riders give their drivers and then meet with Lyft to kind of talk through, ‘What’s the issue with this particular driver?’ or whatnot.” Natalie Walters, pre-veterinary student, has used SafeRide twice since its partnership with Lyft — most recently around the end of April. She said the wait times were short and the drivers were nice on both occasions. “I think it’s a really great way to combat drinking and driving, so I appreciate that aspect,” Walters said over email. “I do think it could be better advertised, though. I have told multiple students about it that had no idea it existed.” Adalynne Haresnape, sophomore in kinesiology, has never used SafeRide and said she knows very little about the program. She said she remembers receiving emails about the partnership with Lyft but doesn’t know anyone who has actually used it. “I mean, I got emails about it, but most people don’t really check their emails,” Haresnape said, “and I deleted most the emails — all the emails about it honestly.” Haresnape said she has never needed to use SafeRide, but wasn’t opposed to using it if other options weren’t avail-
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able. She said the Thursday through Saturday window makes sense, but depending on student use, she could see the benefit in extending those hours. “I don’t know anyone personally that has used it in the last year,” Haresnape said. “That’s not probably the best sample of K-State students, but I wouldn’t think very many [have used SafeRide] because it’s not super advertised.” Farris said the CSI is looking into more ways to improve SafeRide, like working to create designated pickup spots in Aggieville and adding aTa bus routes to the Lyft app. “We’ve started to get reached out to by other campuses interested in how we make it happen,” Farris said. “We used to be that school, reaching out and looking at other campuses, and now all of the sudden we’re that school, so that’s kind of nice. Means we must be doing something right.” The SafeRide program will continue running through next weekend before going on hiatus for the summer. For students interested in using the SafeRide program but who are unsure how it works, a how-to video is available on the CSI website.
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friday, may 7, 2021
OPINION: The K-State student open forum was not very ‘open’ VEDANT D. KULKARNI staff writer
On Friday, April 30, Kansas State hosted an open forum for improving campus climate. This open forum aimed to facilitate a dialogue with students to understand student perception about campus climate and discuss necessary steps to make K-State more inclusive. However, as soon as the open forum started, it was clear it wasn’t exactly open. Merriam-Webster defines a public forum as a government property opened to the public for expressive activities of any kind. However, nothing about this forum was open or expressive. Firstly, what students thought would be an opportunity to interact with the administration essentially turned out to be an administrative presentation, which took most of the time. While the presentation contained important information regarding K-State’s plans for making the campus more
inclusive, students could not interact or provide feedback. The only action available was sending questions in the Q&A section. Disabled chats, disabled microphone and video capabilities as well as some unanswered, straightforward questions were just some of the issues. Students could not use their First Amendment right to demonstrate support or dissent to any part of the forum discussion freely. It felt as if it was some sort of a violation of students’ right to free speech and freedom of expression. In my opinion, since the audience of this event were largely representatives and allies of underrepresented students who have first-hand experience with bigotry on our campus, systemic discrimination might have played a huge role in suppressing the audience’s rights. Funny enough, in my previous one-on-one conversation with President Richard Myers,
I was assured all students have an absolute right to free speech at K-State. However, this forum did not allow students to either support or dissent discussed policies during the session. For someone like Myers, who has held long and important press conferences regarding national security in his role as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he seemed more worried about dissenting 20-year-olds. When Intercultural Leadership Council members first discussed the public forum, I specifically said the public forum should allow students to express their feelings freely. The previous public forum was much better because students could ask live questions — and at least speak. When the ILC discussion ended, I was under the impression that all audience members would be able to tune in to the Zoom panel, use the chat function and unmute their microphone to speak freely with
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the administration. Man, was I wrong about that? This shows the concerns of underrepresented students are not the top priority for most administrators. In my opinion, it felt that this public forum was an appeal to students to not be too critical of certain actions of the KSU administration. I remember when an administrator lectured me after mentioning the presence of an invisible social class system at K-State similar to what was present before the French Revolution in France. However, this panel made me accept this theory, wherein the K-State administration is the First Estate Clergies and the students are rendered the Third Estate Commoners — the voices and opinions of the latter are seldom heard and rarely taken seriously. While I am only 21-years-old and only recently started living a public life, I am confident I can host a better public forum, if need be, than whatever that forum
Archive photo by John Chapple | Collegian Media Group
was. I would at least allow my participants to, well, participate — be a part of the Zoom panel, talk in the chats and unmute their video and microphone functions. The administration needs to understand if they want to regain students’ trust, especially underrepresented students, they need to do better. This act may have strained the relationship between the administration and students even further. Has the administration become so blinded by arrogance and the power they hold that they cannot see the
problems staring them in the face? The university stands surrounded by its students — countless brave students disillusioned by the administration’s leadership inabilities that they are on the verge of leaving K-State. What does the administration do to pacify us? They stoke the fires of our indignation by dismissing our concerns or suppressing them with shallow and meaningless statements or such limited open forums. see page
9, “FORUM”
One Tank Trip: Old Cowtown Museum brings history to life MADISON DANIEL staff writer
For history lovers interested in an interactive museum experience — without breaking the bank on gas money — the Old Cowtown Museum is only a tank away. Located in Wichita — about two hours from Manhattan — sits Cowtown, an interactive museum with 54 historic buildings and others remodeled to look like real 19th-century houses and establishments. The Old Cowtown Museum, established in 1952, takes up about 23 acres just off the Chisholm Trail and is one of the oldest museums of its kind. It is positioned on the Chisholm Trail — historically used for cattle drives from Texas —
hence the name Cowtown. Historical accuracy is a large part of the Cowtown experience. Twenty-seven buildings were transferred from Wichita and other parts of Kansas and restored. The rest were built to mimic other structures from the period. Cowtown has several different districts to walk through, including businesses, farms and residential areas. There are several activities to enjoy when visiting, but the main attraction is the history immersion experience which involves touring each building. The buildings feature reenactors who act as guides, retelling the history and stories of the 1800s and whatever their jobs may have been like. Some of these include houses, a jail, a saloon and a
blacksmith. Most of the reenactors can demonstrate their trades for you, and there are over 10,000 historical artifacts to look at. Some areas of Cowtown even include real animals. According to the museum’s website, “Cowtown’s unique programming tells the story of Wichita’s transformation from a frontier settlement to a cattle town to an agricultural and manufacturing area.” Many reviews say this part of the experience will take a few hours, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Other daily attractions include the gunfight show, a Saloon snack bar and more. Additional information about events, hours and pricing is available on the website.
staff writer
Nicole Knapp, health service psychology intern for K-State’s Counseling Services, has been seeing patients since the start of the pandemic. She said she’s seen the way the pandemic affects students not only mentally but physically. “Our mental health isn’t just how we feel,” Knapp said. “Especially if we continue to ignore it, it can go into our physical health and start impacting us that way. In order to be our best selves, we really need to be focusing on ourselves as a whole person, which includes our mental health.” Counseling Services has lifted the maximum number of free counseling visits per semester from five to eight. Coming into college can be stressful for many people when it comes to moving to a whole new place, and having to find your identity in new social situations can add stress, Sydney Gall, freshman in nutrition and health, said. She said this pandemic has allowed her to pay more attention to her mental health. “To me, mental health is huge. I think that in the past couple years,
we all have done such a great job bringing awareness around it and trying to combat the stigma that is around mental health,” Gall said. “For college students, it can be extremely difficult to find a balance. Especially this year, COVID has made us all adapt so much, which definitely had an impact on a lot of people’s mental health.” Although the stigma around mental health may be intimidating, K-State makes sure to accommodate each student’s needs, Chris Bowman, health educator for Lafene Health Center’s health promotion department, said. “All the services that the K-State Counseling Services provide, students pay for them with their privilege fee,” he said. “If they’re taking six hours or more, that privilege fee includes counseling services so they will not receive a bill,” Bowman said. This privilege fee includes eight individual therapy visits, unlimited group therapy visits and a 24-hour hotline for anyone wanting to call and speak to someone. That number is 785-532-6927. Over the past semester, Makenzie Moran, junior in human resources management, said she has
seen a more positive response to mental health. “It’s starting to be something that’s more openly talked about. I think because of the pandemic, more people are starting to realize that we’re all in this together,” Moran said. “Since we were all stuck at home for so long, we kind of forgot how to talk to people or forgot how to do certain things we always used to do. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about it more openly and I do think that it’s becoming more of an open subject.” Moran has started taking steps into finding what works for her and how she can stay on track with her mental health and academics. “A big thing that I utilize is my planner. Something that I really struggle with is having a lot on my plate. When things stress me out too much, I tend to push it all off, so I have to write everything down,” Moran said. Even though mental health is being openly talked about, there is still a stigma around the subject. “I think that stigma comes from the unknown,” Bowman said. “Everyone has been to the doctor and everyone goes to get a physical examination every now and then, but
Archive photo by Hannah Greer | Collegian Media Group
not everyone always has to step foot inside a counseling center, and that can be a little scary.” As important as it is to pay attention to personal mental health. It is important to pay attention to the mental health of those around you as well. Madolynn Rink, a sophomore majoring in human health biology and pre-medicine, has done just that. “Something I have started doing is going out of my way to do the little things for my friends,” Rink said. “Whether that be grabbing them lunch, helping them clean, or going for a walk, I think it’s the little things that count.” Bowman touched on getting involved in the university and finding ways to create a support system of people you know and can rely on. “One thing I’d recommend to students is find ways to get connected to the university,” Bowman said. “Whether that’s through attending events that university has so you get to know campus and get to know people on campus, but to also explore different groups you can join. That way you have that network of people that can support you when you need help, or you can support what they need as well.” For incoming students in the fall, Counseling Services wants everyone to know that it is okay to not be okay and that adapting to change can be huge. “Coming out of the pandemic, there’s going to be so much change that is going to happen. When new students come into the university that’s when mental health concerns can arise,” Bowman said. “Whether that’s a change in having to come from living at home to coming to a new school or start taking care of their own time management. We want to make sure that those changes don’t become overwhelming or don’t lead to mental health concerns or let those mental health concerns go unrecognized.” Students can schedule appointments online through the myLafene portal or calling Counseling Services. “Personally, I deal with a lot of anxiety. While we were all forced to stay at home, I was able to sit down with myself and try to figure out what the root causes were. I was able to work out every day, do self-care, and did yoga almost every morning,” Gall said. “It really helped me feel reconnected with myself.”
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But mark my words, if this administration’s attitude continues, recruitment and student retention rates — especially underrepresented students — will continue to decrease. This situation will eventually lead to the end of K-State. Therefore, dear K-State administration, be better. Vedant Deepak Kulkarni is a Collegian contributor, a Collegian Media Group board member and a senior in management information systems and mass communications. 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.
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Students discuss pandemic impact on mental health TAYLOR PARISH
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Hubert drafted to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 NFL Draft COLIN SETTLE sports editor
Former Kansas State defensive end Wyatt Hubert was selected as the 235th pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Hubert, who declared for the NFL Draft as a junior, was finally relieved of his long wait to be selected by an NFL team. The Bengals are no strangers to using draft picks on K-State players and more specifically defensive ends. Former Wildcat Jordan Willis was also selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft to join the Bengals organization. Hubert, standing at 6-foot-3-
inches, 270 pounds, will be joining the other defensive lineman selected by the Bengals this season, Cameron Sample of Tulane, and Tyler Shelvin of LSU. Over the course of Hubert’s three-year career at K-State, he finished eighth in school history in career sacks with 20, seventh in the 2020 NCAA season in sacksper-game (0.59), 10th in the 2020 NCAA season in tackles-for-lossper-game (1.00) and will finish just outside of the top-10 in school history in tackles-for-loss with 34. The Topeka native also earned his second consecutive 2020 First Team All-Big 12 honor in his junior season while putting together one of his best statistical seasons for
K-State. Hubert recorded 27 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss and 8.5 sacks with the latter two being career highs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Hubert also earned votes for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award and was a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award- recognizing college football’s best defensive end- and was put on the watch list for the Bronco Nagurski Award- recognizing college football’s best defensive player. Hubert will be set and ready to go with the Bengals next season in mid-July when the NFL training camps start.
‘When she’s on, she’s one of the best’: Tennis star Karine-Marion Job fulfills her dreams at K-State JOSHUA READ staff writer
Growing up in Lyon, France, Karine-Marion Job — KJ for short — knew exactly what she wanted to do when she got older. She wanted to play collegiate-level tennis in the United States. There was just one catch — she had no idea where to go.
Sending videos of her talents to NCAA Division I Universities across the United States, Job kept her options open. After talking with head coach Jordan Smith and visiting Manhattan, Job knew Kansas State was where her dreams would flourish. “Jordan was always responding, and it just felt good to talk to him,” Job said. “Then I went on a visit in
Macey Franko | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Awaiting a serve, junior Karine-Marion Job competes in day 2 of the K-State Fall Invitational on Oct. 31, 2020.
October [2018] and I liked it, so I committed and I arrived in January [2019]. I also really liked the visit because everybody was so nice and I really liked the atmosphere.” Job, now a junior in marketing, has rapidly climbed the team ranks and proven time after time why she is a top talent in the Big 12 Conference and in the nation. This spring Job took down some of the top players in the country in singles play, defeating players ranked at the No. 57, 73 and 117 spots in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Despite the tough competition, those results were no surprise to coach Smith. “When she’s on, she’s one of the best players in the country. She plays a very aggressive style, high risk, high reward,” Smith said. “Karine plays to break down her opponents with her playstyle and power, and that is very uncommon for a lot of players these days.” While some of the wins this spring have impressed him, Smith said Job’s most impressive performance was before Job became K-State’s ace. “Early on in her career, there were times where we needed her to step up. My favorite memory was beating Nebraska [in 2019],” Smith
friday, may 7, 2021
Four Wildcats sign with NFL teams as undrafted free agents NATHAN ENSERRO staff writer
After former defensive end Wyatt Hubert heard his name called in the seventh round of last weekend’s NFL draft, the NFL didn’t select anymore former Kansas State football players. That is not the only way into the league, though. Four former K-State players signed undrafted free agent agreements with NFL teams and will get a shot to make their respective teams at summer camps in July. Former Wildcat defensive back AJ Parker signed with the Detroit Lions. Parker contributed at K-State his whole career after redshirting in 2016. He started four games as a freshman and made 33 total starts at K-State. In last years abbreviated season, Parker had the sixth most tackles on the team and had an interception return for a touchdown. Former tight end Briley Moore, who transferred from Northern Iowa last season, signed with the Tennessee Titans. Moore was an impact player in his one season at K-State. He had 22 said. “We needed KJ to step up on court four and clinch the match. To see the smile on her face, and the team celebrate with her, was great. For her to stay calm and stay motivated was awesome.” While it was a great team win, Job’s favorite memory came earlier this spring against in-state rival, the University of Kansas. “I’m really proud of the KU win. It was a really close match and I’ve played against [Sonia] Smagina three times before and I’ve lost against her twice before, but it was the first time that I was able to beat her, so it was really good,” Job said. “[Ioana Gheorghita] clinched the last match so we were really happy about that win.” However, tennis is not all about singles play. Job spent most of the year playing doubles with teammate Maria Linares, junior in management from Maracay, Venezuela. Job and Linares have built a strong connection over the year, defeating some formidable foes during
catches for 338 yards — both second on the team — and three touchdowns for the Wildcats and received votes for Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Former linebacker Elijah Sullivan will head to San Francisco to join the 49ers. The Tucker, Georgia, native spent a sixth season in Manhattan after receiving a medical hardship waiver for the injury that knocked him out of the 2018 season. He’ll join former Wildcat Jordan Willis in San Fransico. Sullivan was the 2019 Liberty Bowl Defensive MVP and was honorable mention on the 2020 All-Big 12 team. Defensive back Kiondre Thomas, who grad transferred in from Minnesota last season, will join former Wildcats Elijah Lee and Matt McCrane with the Cleveland Browns. He started the last four games of last year’s season. NFL teams are free to consider signing as many undrafted free agents as they want as they continue through the offseason, meaning there are still chances for K-State to place more players on NFL rosters. Most sign immediately after the draft. the 2020-21 season. The duo posted an 11-2 record in the fall and claimed victories over ranked opponents in the spring. “I know that I can always count on [Job]. I know that if I have any kind of issue or problem that she will always be there for me,” Linares said. “We’re also at the point where we can be honest with each other like, ‘Maybe try to do this, I think it can help you improve.’ I take her advice because I think it can help me grow as a person.” After graduating, Job plans to attempt professional play. While world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is her inspiration, there is only one person Job would love to play if given the opportunity. “I have to go with Serena Williams because she’s just the GOAT, I think it would be really fun,” Job said. Whether she is smashing in singles play or demolishing in doubles, Job is always looking for that edge to beat her opponents.
INTERNSHIP continued from page 5
“Working remotely did not make me as efficient — I got burned out quickly and didn’t want to do my work, but as the semester started, we began working with volunteers, so I was able to connect with a lot of volunteers within the first congressional district,” Krewson said. Even though completing internship tasks online was a struggle for Krewson, he said he’s glad he took the oppor-
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tunity because it was a way to apply academic learning in an environment that promoted his professional development. Keller said college students at K-State and across the country have shown a lot of persistence and adaptability through this very unusual time. Amber Oerly, senior in agricultural economics, said she was looking forward to her summer internship with Rabo AgriFinance in Manhattan until the company changed plans and canceled it. Oerly said the agricultural economic curriculum at K-State does not require taking
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an internship, but she wanted to intern with Rabo because of its prominent industry work and the opportunity to study finance more in-depth. “I talked with one of my mentors, and she was able to find me a job working as a contract intern remotely, working for the National Grazing Lands Coalition and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. This internship allowed me to continue learning new things while giving me the opportunity to intern, even if it was remotely,” Oerly said. Oerly started working remotely 20 hours a week, writ-
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ing literature reviews about grazing management and the benefits of cattle on grasslands and creating email newsletters. “I hadn’t ever worked virtually in the past, so trying to manage my online work, spend time with family and assist Dad on the farm was difficult,” Oerly said. Unlike Oerly, Jason Defisher, graduate student in K-State’s public health program, said he was satisfied with his hybrid format internship. “Because the program requires 240 hours of field experience, I decided to do the internship option instead of
a non-thesis program to gain more hands-on experience,” Defisher said. Defisher’s internship with the Riley County Health Department started remotely and then transitioned to an in-person format. “Starting out in a nontraditional way gave me, as an intern, plenty of time to review the literature and get a foothold on the project before jumping into working as a full group focusing on one big project,” Defisher said. “COVID halted many plans for internships, but both K-State students and
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internship providers were able to adapt and create an environment that allowed students and employers to share knowledge and skills despite the pandemic.” As students transition into numerous summer internships in a few weeks, Keller said there are still internships continually listed through Handshake and reminds students the Career Center is available if any challenges or issues arise. “I do think there are still ways students can continue to grow and develop their skills, even during a really challenging time,” Keller said.
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