K A N S A S
S TAT E vol. 126 issue 11
friday, sept. 25, 2020 kstatecollegian.com
ROUND TWO
MEET THE CANDIDATE Matta plans to use his experience to promote communication between city,county Page 03
Campus COVID-19 positivity rate falls below 10 percent Page 04
Know Your Opponent: Sooners reload at quarterback position Page 06
Athletics implement new sanitizing, sideline protocols during COVID Page 08
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ON THE COVER
FALL EDITORIAL BOARD Sophie Osborn | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
John Matta is running for Riley County Commission in District 3.
The Mission of the Collegian Media Group is to use best practices of journalism to cover and document life at Kansas State University from a diverse set of voices to inform and engage the K-State community. The Collegian welcomes your letters. We reserve the right to edit submitted letters for length and style. A letter intended for publication should be no longer than 600 words and must be relevant to the student body of K-State. It must include the author’s first and last name, year in school and major. If you are a graduate of K-State, the letter should include your year(s) of graduation and must include the city and state where you live. For a letter to be considered, it must include a phone number where you can be contacted. The number will not be published. Letters can be sent to letters@kstatecollegian.com or submitted through an online form at kstatecollegian.com. Letters may be rejected if they contain abusive content, lack timeliness, contain vulgarity, profanity or falsehood, promote personal and commercial announcements, repeat comments of letters printed in other issues or contain attachments. The Collegian does not publish open letters, third-party letters or letters that have been sent to other publications or people.
CORRECTIONS If you see something that should be corrected, call editor-in-chief Bailey Britton at 785-370-6356 or email collegian@kstatecollegian.com The Collegian, a student newspaper at Kansas State University, is published by Collegian Media Group. It is published Mondays and Fridays during the school year and on Wednesdays during the summer. Periodical postage is paid at Manhattan, KS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 828 Mid-Campus Drive South, Kedzie 103, Manhattan, KS 66506-7167. First copy free, additional copies 25 cents. [USPS 291 020] Š Collegian Media Group, 2020
Bailey Britton Editor-in-Chief
Gabby Farris Design Chief
Kaylie McLaughlin Managing Editor
Blake Hachen Designer
Julie Freijat Deputy Managing Editor Copy Chief
Sarah Unruh Designer
Emma Witter News Editor Sean Schaper Assistant News Editor Rebecca Vrbas Culture Editor Madison Daniel Assistant Culture Editor Anna Schmidt Opinion Editor
Cameron Bradley Sports Editor Nathan Enserro Assistant Sports Editor Dalton Wainscott Multimedia Editor Dylan Connell Deputy Multimedia Editor
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Matta plans to promote collaboration among local entities SEAN SCHAPER
assistant news editor
Kansas State College of Business adjunct professor John Matta has been a part of the Manhattan community for 22 years. Now, he wants to apply his career experiences at the county commission level. Formerly serving as a Manhattan city commissioner and mayor, Matta is now running as a Republican for the District 3 Riley County Commission seat currently held by Ron Wells. The key areas of Matta’s campaign are efficiency, affordability, economic development and regional cooperation. Matta said his background in managing supply chain, distribution and — most recently — retail is the foundation of his campaign. With 16 years of experience as vice president of logistics for Foot Locker, Matta said he teaches the business principles he practices to K-State students in his logistics and warehouse management class. “What I want to do with my students is get them ready for the workplace,” Matta said. Matta brings in guest speakers to help his stu-
MEET THE CANDIDATE
dents get real workforce experience. One upcoming speaker for the class is City of Manhattan mayor pro tempore Wynn Butler. Butler, who served with Matta on the Manhattan City Commission, said Matta’s business experience in logistics makes him the only candidate with the background to step up to a county management role. “Rational problem solving is one of [Matta’s] ... major strengths,” Butler said. “He will investigate, collect data, analyze the data, pick the best course of action for the county as a whole and follow through to make certain the result is attained.” Matta said Manhattan and Riley County need to cooperate better right now. “[Communication] really has not been good for the past couple years, and the sales tax issue we have right now is a good example of that,” Matta said. Matta plans to collaborate with other local government entities and counties to decide where they can combine forces, streamline operations and get rid of duplication, whether it’s in regards to facilities, services or administration. Matta served on the Manhattan City Commission from 2011 to 2015.
Work with other local government entities and other counties to determine where we can combine forces, streamline operations and eliminate duplication — be it facilities, services or administration John Matta
Riley County Commission Candidate
During that time, the city renewed the economic sales tax, completed the Flint Hills Discovery Center and finished the airport remodel project. “[Matta] will bring cooperation between the county and city government,” Butler said. “He was the best mayor and city commissioner that we have had in the past eight years.” If elected, Matta said he wants to continue to develop not only the Riley County area, but other surrounding counties. “I want to get a rural economic development advisory board ... to bring in new businesses, new people,” Matta said. “A big part of what I think I bring to the table, that none of the other candidates do, is I have some credibility when I say I can go in and make things more efficient because I have done it time in and time out in organizations much larger.” Matta’s focus is longterm. He said he has plans to keep the county commission on the right track, even after his potential term. “When I talk about efficiency, I don’t want to just do it for the next budget cycle,” Matta said. “I want to give it a 10-year, 15-year plan where we know where we’re going. That in 10 years, we’re not going to increase property taxes by another 100 percent.” Matta said success is when you can walk away and it still runs well. Sophie Osborn COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
John Matta is running for Riley County Commission in District 3. Matta aims to work with other local government entities to streamline government operations in Riley County.
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TRENDS KAYLIE MCLAUGHLIN
managing editor
For the first time in over a month, the campus positivity rate has fallen below 10 percent. In the week of Sept. 14, Kansas State documented 72 positive cases of COVID-19 of the 832 tests administered — yielding a total positivity rate of 8.65 percent. In the same period, the overall positivity rate in Riley County— though still higher — also fell below 15 percent. Less than a month ago, the local percent of positivity in the whole testing body was around 30 percent. For the week of Sept. 14, it was just over 13 percent. When classes first began on campus, new case counts climbed and the positivity rate skyrocketed — something to be expected when there's a
friday, september 25, 2020
Campus COVID-19 positivity rate falls below 10 percent
large population influx all at once, Dr. Kyle Goerl, medical director at Lafene Health Center, said previously. But now, the tides are changing. "The reasons behind [the decline in cases] are numerous," he said. Expansion of surveillance testing helped lower the positivity rate, but, Goerl said, it also falls in line with typical viral spread. "When the virus gets into a community, it tends to escalate fast — especially in a situation where there's so much close connection amongst individuals like a collegiate population," Goerl said. "The virus, essentially hits a saturation point where its ability to spread slows dramatically, simply due to the number of people that got infected." K-State's COVID-19
matrix — which takes into account several variables to determine the viability of classroom mobility — is also closely concerned with the situation in the county, Goerl said. Local health officer Julie Gibbs said the Riley County Health Department is tasked with managing cases of students who live off campus while Lafene manages cases of COVID-19 in students. "It truly takes a village to keep everyone healthy," Gibbs said about community cooperation with health guidelines. However, Goerl said, a 10 percent positivity rate doesn't indicate that the virus is under control on campus. "I wouldn't call us out of the weeds just yet, but the fact that we're under 10 percent positivity rate is extremely encouraging," Goerl said. "That definitely
shows us that we're doing the right thing." Goerl said he'll feel more comfortable when the positivity rate declines to 5 percent because that specific threshold shows "the virus is under extremely good control." As the severity of the situation in the county and on
campus continues to relax, however, Goerl said there's concern people could fall into a false sense of security. They might get lax about prevention behaviors, like social distancing and wearing face coverings, inciting a new spike in cases. "I'm choosing to re-
main cautiously optimistic at this point," Goerl said. "I'm hoping that everybody continues to take this seriously so that we don't have to see a second surge. I think if we can continue doing what we're doing right now, we're going to be in a pretty good place."
Alcohol, sexual assault prevention program gets ‘inclusive’ ANDERSEN JACKSON staff writer
Fall 2020 brings a new semester at Kansas State, and a new look for the Alcohol and Sexual Assault Prevention program. The ASAP program was turned over to a new vendor — Get Inclusive: Voices for Change. The program is a federally mandated requirement for colleges that issue student financial assistance. “[The] contract with our previous vendors was ending, and the committee looking at new options liked the product Get Inclusive offered the best," Laurel Moody, assistant dean in the Office of Student Life, said. In previous years, the program was a requirement
for all enrolled K-State students to complete annually. Due to recent changes in protocol, completion of the new program is only required during a student's first semester at K-State. For students under the age of 21, there is an alcohol and substance use module in addition to the consent module. For those over the age of 21, the consent module is the only one required. “The program is designed to educate students on the campus-wide policy surrounding identity and inclusion, consent and sexual violence, alcohol and other drugs and hazing and bullying," Jessica Blasi, alcohol and other drug education director at Lafene Health Center, said. "With awareness and education,
students can navigate how to respond to situations that may arise on campus and become familiar with resources that are available on campus.” While the program cannot prevent every incident it seeks to address on campus, Paige Huggins, sophomore in elementary education, said, she hopes it will raise awareness about the issues. “I think that the training teaches people at the moment, but unfortunately, cannot always prevent every incident," Huggins said. "I hope that it will teach students about signs [of ] alcohol poisoning, as well as bring awareness to sexual assault and how we can all make a difference to prevent it.”
friday, september 25, 2020
GROWTH
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Multicultural scholarship established to aid freshmen in food, nutrition, dietetics and health MEREDITH COMAS staff writer
Seeking to fund continuing health education for students of underrepresented backgrounds, the Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health awarded its first-ever multicultural scholarship to five freshmen in the program. The recipients of the scholarship received a fouryear, renewable award of $6,500 and have the opportunity to participate in an eight-week trip to Guatemala in the spring of 2023. “To be able to provide this opportunity to put into practice the education our department is giving them will be a life-changing experience,” Linda Yarrow, assistant professor in FNDH and director of the multicultural scholarship program, said. The freshmen Cassie Meyer, dietetics; Jade Valdez-Gomez, dietetics; Vivian Strahm, nutrition and health; Kari Lies, nutrition and health; and Alejandra Wright, nutrition and health, earned the scholarship. Yarrow said the scholarship comes from a grant provided by the United States
Department of Agriculture. The grant supports health science education for students of certain need. Over the summer, FNDH sent an email to incoming freshmen to take an eligibility survey which the department used in the selection process. “I decided to apply because, like my dad says, ‘You for sure don’t get scholarships that you don’t apply for,’” Meyer said. “It’s a great scholarship, and the trip to Guatemala is something I would really love to do.” Meyer said she already took advantage of the program as a way to reach out and begin building friendships at Kansas State. “[Valdez-Gomez] is in a lot of my classes, so we’ve reached out, and we are on very similar paths, and we’ve already developed a really good friendship,” Meyer said. “I feel like, in some ways, [the scholarship] brought us together, and it will be very beneficial these next years.” While the other recipients have not yet met in-person, the program still provides opportunities to expand their horizons at K-State. Strahm, for example, said she’s already looking
forward to the growth she’s hoping to get out of the multicultural scholarship program. “Hopefully, by helping others and learning their experiences from that, I can get some personal growth and be able to help others better by understanding myself,” Strahm said. In addition to cultivating relationships and developing service-based leadership, Yarrow said, the multicultural scholarship program aims to prepare students to take on global health challenges. Their next three years will focus not only on health education, but preparing to handle food and health insecurity in other countries. The 2023 trip to Guatemala is an integral part of this experience, Yarrow said. “I admire this scholarship program because it is involving multicultural aspects to our education,” Valdez-Gomez said. “There are many more countries out there that I believe are all interconnected in some way. If we really hone in and extend our awareness about the world [into food security], we’ll be that much closer to unity and global consensus.”
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friday, september 25, 2020
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT Sooners reload at quarterback position
NATHAN ENSERRO
assistant sports editor
The Kansas State football team faces Big 12 Conference favorite and No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners after a bye week. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is entering his fourth year as head coach, a step up from his previous position of offensive coordinator. Before coaching at Oklahoma, Riley cut his teeth as a quarterback and assistant coach under Mike Leach at Texas Tech and the air raid influence shows in Oklahoma’s offense. Over the last three seasons, he’s shown what happens when you combine elite talent and a scheme designed to put the ball in the hands of athletes in space. This resulted in two Heisman trophies and a runner-up. Redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler is an accurate passer with a strong arm and an elusive runner. He was the best quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class and 247Sports’ only five-star prostyle quarterback. Schematically, they use Rattler to get the ball into the hands of big, fast wide receivers. They certainly can — and do — run the ball. The Sooners adopted the hurry-up attack seen all over the game, leading to a lot of offensive snaps. Two weeks ago against Missouri State, Rattler threw the ball 17 times, completing 14 of them for 290 yards and four touchdowns. That doesn’t sound like an air-raid stat line, but he only played in the first half before Riley put in the back-ups with a score of 41-0. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch enters his second season in Norman. His mere presence as the play-caller seemed to fix a lot of the defensive problems the Sooners saw previously under Mike Stoops. Grinch appears switch defensive philosophies from
the 3-4 he used at Washington State and Ohio State to a 4-2-5 since arriving in Norman. The four defensive linemen did a lot of late shifting to try to confuse the Missouri State offensive line. This strategy seems to be a constant in Grinch’s system and something used to get a similar result against the Wildcat’s inexperienced — and sometimes cobbled together — offensive line. They attack the gaps, penetrate and then worry about stopping the rusher. The linebackers and cornerbacks finish the job and close the cutback lanes.
KEYS TO THE GAME RATTLE RATTLER
For as poised and precise as Rattler looked against Missouri State, he still only possesses half a college football game under his belt and little pressure on him from the Bears’ defense. This is a perfect opportunity for junior defensive end Wyatt Hubert to make an impact on the game. He’ll be pulling double-duty trying to get to Rattler while also trying to keep him from scrambling. If the Wildcat defense can record some QB hurries and knockdowns, they could force the freshman into mistakes.
BE OPPORTUNISTIC
The Wildcats needs to make opportunities for big plays and they need to hit most, if not all, of them. That’s how K-State pulled off the upset in Manhattan last season.The offense needs to score touchdowns instead of field goals when they get into plus-territory. Senior quarterback Skylar Thompson needs to hit wide receivers deep when they are open. The defense needs to get off the field on third down, something they were very good at in 2019, but have struggled with this year so far. They also need to create at least one turnover and generally give the of-
File photo by Sabrina Cline | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Then-junior quarterback Skylar Thompson scrambles out of the pocket and throws the ball to a receiver down field during the game against Oklahoma at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Oct. 25, 2019. fense short fields. K-State needs a game-changing play in special teams. A well-timed blocked punt or touchdown return can help shift momentum and keep the game close.
DEEP AND WIDE
In hindsight, a lack of
healthy bodies on the offensive line and at the safety position killed K-State against Arkansas State. At one point, the Wildcats played a third-string center and had third-string safeties on the field during Arkansas’ game-clinching drive. Between COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and tra-
ditional football injuries, the Wildcats will almost certainly wind up relying on second and third-string players all over the field once again. The Wildcats also require good performances from a wide range of players all over the field and depth chart. Prediction: Thompson
will look less rusty and the offensive line will look a little better in pass protection as they develop more experience, but the game will be out of reach early. K-State will struggle to stop the deep ball and will never quite get the power run game going. OU wins 42-21.
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PREVIEW CODY FRIESEN staff writer
Last season, Kansas State delivered the Oklahoma Sooners a 48-41 upset in Manhattan — one of the biggest shockers of the 2019 college football season. This year, the Wildcats open Big 12 play against the Sooners on the road, aiming to defeat the Sooners for the first time in consecutive years since 1997, which was part of a five-game win streak over the Sooners. Saturday’s matchup is
the third straight year and the fifth time since 2015 that K-State opened Big 12 play on the road. K-State is coming off a bye week after a tough 3531 loss to Arkansas State in their home opener. The defense allowed 498 total yards, including multiple trick plays, leading to touchdowns for the Red Wolves. The Wildcats need to clean up their penalty issues after drawing eight flags for 85 yards in the season opener. Those uncharacteristic penalties could be attributed to a lack of
K-State opens Big 12 play as underdogs at Oklahoma
experience and the loss of practice time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. K-State struggled to establish the run game in their loss to Arkansas State. The Wildcats punched it in twice, but were held to 91 rush yards on 39 attempts. For the second consecutive game, K-State remained under 100 rushing yards. Previously, this occurred at the Liberty Bowl defeat against Navy, where the rushing attack remained at 46 yards. Freshman running back Deuce Vaughn made
his first touchdown as a Wildcat last week and led all K-State rushers with 47 yards on 12 carries. The ground game will be crucial to establish for the Wildcats — a team averaging 178.0 rush yards per game in 2019. Senior quarterback Skylar Thompson showed he can be a threat in the air, throwing for 259 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Arkansas State. The offense often fizzled out, going 1-for11 on third-down conversions and finished with 21 first downs throughout the game.
09.26.2020 | 11 a.m. GAYLORD FAMILY STADIUM IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA
KANSAS STATE
OKLAHOMA
The Sooners dominated in their opening game, defeating FCS opponent Missouri State 48-0 on Sept. 12. The Oklahoma defense held the Bears to just 135 yards of total offense and only seven first downs. Granted, it is only one game against an inferior opponent, but Oklahoma looks poised to make another run at the College Football Playoff in January. The Sooners made it to the CFP four times in the last six years, but failed to reach the National Championship game each time.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Junior wide receiver Chabastin Taylor led K-State receivers with four receptions for 98 yards, a career-high for Taylor. It is critical for K-State for anoth-
er threat to emerge at wide receiver to keep pace with Oklahoma’s quick offense. Redshirt freshman defensive back Will Jones II performed well in his first career start against Arkansas State with an interception and a blocked punt. He became the first Wildcat to block a kick and catch an interception in a game since 2011. OU freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler continues the lineage of great quarterbacks under head coach Lincoln Riley. In his first start for the Sooners, he threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns in just the first half. The Wildcats are a 27.5 point underdog heading into Norman. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Fox.
GAME DAY AT A G L A N C E
LAST MEETING The last time the Wildcats and the Sooners faced off, it was during K-State’s homecoming game in the 2019 season. The ‘Cats, despite coming in as the 23.5 point underdogs, upset the Sooners, 48-41. It was the first time K-State beat Oklahoma at home since 1996, effectively snapping a four-game losing streak. Then-junior quarterback Skylar Thompson finished the game with a 128.2 rating. K-State had the ball for 38:08 minutes of the game and gained over 400 yards
88°F | 65°F Infographic by Kaylie McLaughlin
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CHANGES
Athletics implements new sanitizing, sideline protocols during COVID-19 pandemic
File photo by Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Head coach Chris Klieman celebrates as he walks off the field after K-State wins their football game against KU in David Booth Memorial Stadium on Nov. 2, 2019. The Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks in last year’s sunflower showdown with a final score of 38-10.
PAUL BOURK staff writer
College football is in full swing, despite how unlikely it seemed several months ago. However, the football experience looks different this year as changes sweep programs across the country. COVID-19 altered the way individuals involved with Kansas State football do their job. The continuation of the season relies on the collective effort of every person in the organization. K-State equipment manager Al Cerbe sees changes in his position. “The biggest thing is sanitizing,” Cerbe said. “Each day, we help the players make sure their shoulder pads and helmets are left out and we sanitize them each morning.” In addition to sanitizing, players this year are required to wear a type of visor that acts as a “splash guard.” According to Cerbe, the presence of the visor connected to the face mask keeps whatever could come out
of a player’s helmet contained and away from others. Other changes that Cerbe cited to keep the program running safely include temperature checks for anyone that enters the facility, splitting the team into two locker rooms and making sure everyone wears a mask. The football team is currently taking as many precautions as they can so they avoid the fate that befell spring sports last year. “Last March, our spring sports season ended a little abruptly, and since then we’ve been planning and preparing for fall sports,” Brian Cordill, assistant athletic director of event operations, said. Additionally, the program is limiting the amount of non-players allowed on the field during games to help free up space on the sidelines. The band and potential recruits are no longer allowed on the field on game day. Not every non-player can be removed from the field on game day, however. “We still need a chain crew
to work the game,” Cordill said. “We have our instant replay guy down there and our sideline replay assistant. We still have photographers down there, although less of them. It’s about limiting where they’re going on the field and the number needed for each function.” Limiting capacity throughout the stadium is also large part of K-State’s plan to keep people safe. The press box is another location in the stadium that now allows substantially fewer people. “In the press box on a game day we have somewhere around 90 seats we would use in a normal year, and this year it’s only 30,” Ryan Lackey, assistant athletic director for communications, said. Lackey said they switched from in-person interviews to Zoom interviews for coaches and team members as well. “Those are probably the biggest changes, not having those face-to-face interactions with the media for both coaches and players,” Lackey said.
Linebacker Justin Hughes provides defensive boost against Oklahoma ADAM MEYER staff writer
Sixth-year senior linebacker Justin Hughes dusted off some rust heading into the season after recovering from a season-ending knee injury in spring practice last year. Despite the rust, Hughes performed well in his first game back on the field, recording six tackles in K-State’s 35-31 loss to Arkansas State. “Justin [Hughes] played really well,” K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. “I thought he took a lot of pride as he always does in his responsibility and in his run fits. I did not once notice his injury. He is back.” Although Hughes played well in his return to the field, the team per-
formed sloppily against the Red Wolves. Upset with the result, Hughes and other team leaders want to bring a new energy to the locker room. “We as leaders and captains have done a great job of saying, ‘Enough is enough,’” Hughes said. “Letting little things slide, letting little mistakes slide — we are going to hold each other accountable. Whether that be leaders to leaders, leaders to young guys. We’re going to do a great job of holding everybody accountable in this program, and we’re going to set a new tone for this program, and it started last week on Sunday.” Showing his leadership off the field, Hughes made it obvious he wants to continue to improve the team as a whole, not just on Sat-
urday’s. Head coach Chris Klieman said Hughes can improve on the field still, noting a lot of pressure rides on Hughes shoulders. “[It’s important for Justin] to continue to improve, continue to get more healthy and continue to get his knee stronger,” Klieman said. “Continue to just play the game at football speed that Justin wants to play at. Everybody knows what a terrific player he was pre-injury, and I think there’s a lot of pressure on a young man himself to say, ‘I have to get back to that.’ It takes some time. That’s the thing that’s difficult is that it doesn’t happen overnight.”
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friday, september 25, 2020
Kansas State prepares for Big 12 opener against Oklahoma CODY FRIESEN staff writer
The Wildcats upset the Sooners 48-41 in Manhattan last season and look to win back-to-back games against Oklahoma for the first time since 1996 and 1997. The conference opener in Norman is the fifth time in the last six years the Wildcats opened Big 12 play on the road. The bye week following a surprise loss to Arkansas State gave the Wildcats an opportunity to regroup and return to the drawing board. "We were able to get a number of players back and so we went back into fall camp mode and worked Kansas State versus Kansas State," head coach Chris Klieman said during the weekly press conference.
This season already shows the unpredictability of player availability. Klieman said K-State was "one player at one position" away from having to cancel the opener. The up-inthe-air nature of player availability causes his coaching staff anxiety. K-State is a 27.5 point underdog in the opening lines for the game on Saturday. The line does not change the mentality in the locker room as Klieman pushes to have his players approach each Saturday the same. "You've got to line up and play," Klieman said. "We have to not worry about who the opponent is — and we know who it is — and more focus on us getting better at all areas offensively and defensively." Senior linebacker Justin Hughes said he sees it as a mo-
‘IT’S NOT INTIMIDATING’ tivator headed into Saturday. "It just the fuel to the fire, being another underdog, to be predicted to being beat so badly," Hughes said. "We are going to go in there and give OU our best shot each and every down." The Sooners opened the season with a 48-0 win over Missouri State. Even though Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts graduate, leading the offense is another Heisman hopeful. Freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler appears to be the next head coach Lincoln Riley-guided star at the position. "Just the fact that he is under Lincoln Riley, you know he's going be a great player because Lincoln is as good as there is at coaching quarterbacks," Klieman said. Rattler went 14 for 17 for
290 yards and four touchdowns in the opener against the Bears in one half of play. "I know just doing some research that he can beat you with his feet as well as his arm," Klieman said. "I know he is a young player, but I've been so impressed with his skill set." Though the Oklahoma offense looks like a treat, the K-State defense is ready to compete. "It's not intimidating," redshirt freshman defensive back Will Jones II said. "As we all know, they are a very good team, but as long as we lock in on our keys, we should be fine. We should be able to play anybody," Jones had a blocked punt, a fumble recovery and an interception in the opener. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma.
Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Junior quarterback Skylar Thompson runs in a touchdown during K-State’s homecoming football game against OU in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Oct. 26, 2019. The Wildcats upset the No. 5 rated Sooners with a final score of 48-41.
K-State tennis releases 2020 fall schedule, includes home tournament CAMERON BRADLEY sports editor
Kansas State tennis revealed its 2020 Fall schedule Thursday morning. The threematch fall season features the Wildcat's first fall home tournament since 2013. The K-State Fall Invite is scheduled for Oct 30 through Nov. at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium. The Wildcats play against Kansas and Iowa State. “We’re excited, and fortunate, to be competing this fall,” head coach Jordan Smith said. “Thanks to [athletic director] Gene [Taylor], [sports administrator] Kenny [Lannou] and our sports medicine staff for allow-
ing this to happen. It has been about seven months since the last time we played as a team." K-State will only compete against Big 12 Conference opponents this Fall due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) events are canceled as well. K-State opens up its fall season Oct. 2 in Lawrence at the Kansas Invitational, competing there until Sunday, Oct. 4. After their home tournament, the Wildcats finish their fall season in Stillwater, Oklahoma, at the first-ever Big 12 Fall Individuals tournament, running from Friday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 8. As of
now, all 10 Conference schools will compete in the event. K-State returns seven letter winners from the 2020 spring season who saw the Wildcats hit an 8-4 record before the cancellation of the season. The Wildcats have the opportunity to square off against competition ranked in the ITA Top 125 singles poll during the 2020 spring season. Eight Big 12 players ranked in the poll this spring, including Kansas's Sonia Smagina (No. 78) and Iowa State's Thasaporn Naklo (No. 119), who K-State will see at their home invitational. “I’ve been impressed with how well the team has started at each practice this fall,” Smith said.
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10
CAMPUS CHAVELA MARTINEZ
staff writer
Earlier this year, Kansas State reminded faculty and students of political activity guidelines for university employees and students. Sue Peterson, chief government relations officer and assistant to the president, said she hasn't seen anyone break the policy in her tenure at K-State. Peterson said the school actively educates employees on what they are allowed — and not allowed — to do. The policies at K-State include guidelines from the Kansas Department of Administration, Kansas Board of Regents and additional
university policies. Kirsten Novotny, senior in animal sciences and president of the K-State Young Democrats, said she has not experienced any university employee trying to push political ideas while attending K-State. "Personally I have not. Since I'm not on the poli sci side of campus, I don't know if that would differ on that end," Novotny said. Joshua Willis, senior in political science and secretary of the College Republicans at Kansas State University, agreed with Novotny. When it comes to students, Peterson said other than campaigning on state property, there are fewer re-
friday, september 25, 2020
Political activities policies differ for state employees, students
strictions for activities on campus. Students do not have the same restrictions because they pay to be here and are not employees, Peterson said. "There are state laws, Board of Regents policies, there are university policies," she said. "The law does not speak to students because they are not employees of the state." The KDA guidelines forbid state employees from using their influence or power of authority to persuade another employee to contribute to an organization or activity. Employees are also not allowed to use public funds, work time, equipment or supplies to promote for a state or
local office candidate. The Board of Regents policy states employees can freely express a political opinion, but cannot speak for the university. Campus facilities are not allowed to be used for raising funds or filming partisan political advertisements for any party or candidate. Willis and Novotny both said their organization members show respect for the policies. "The policies haven't really affected us in any way," Novotny said. "People this year have been very respectful with the policies." Jonathan Smith, junior in criminology and president of College Republicans, said
the club reviews the policies often so members are aware of them. Peterson said she received fewer than ten complaints in the past year about things such as items in dorm rooms, though posters in rooms or bumper stickers do not violate any policies. However, Peterson said political slogans on masks are something for state employees to be mindful of, using the famous political slogan, "I Like Ike," as an example. "'Ike" is not a candidate for anything ... it wouldn't be violating any laws," she said. However, a current candidate on a mask could be considered violating campaigning on state property.
When it comes to chalking on campus, Peterson said clubs are allowed to do so as long as there are no official candidates mentioned. Both the Young Democrats and College Republicans said they can't publicly endorse candidates due to their affiliation with K-State. "Since I am a chapter president, I work very closely with Kansas Young Dems and we are able to [endorse] candidates through them," Novotny said. Peterson said the challenge is finding the line between a person's rights and where the university has to enforce the laws in place. "Be smart and if you have any questions just contact my office ... and we will make sure that everybody has the ability to express themselves within the law and policy," Peterson said.
Annual sidewalk chalk competition goes virtual, brings out ‘inner child’ in competitors MADISON DANIEL assistant culture editor
There’s nothing like some classic sidewalk chalk to bring the inner child out of someone. At least, that’s what Naomi Rodriguez, program advisor for the Union Program Council, said she thinks Kansas State’s annual sidewalk chalk competition is good for. UPC held its annual sidewalk chalk competition Thursday to display students’ artistic abilities. Seeing artists harness the nostalgia of their youth is a bonus of the event, Rodriguez said. “The sidewalk chalk competition is an annual event that is for exploring creativity and bringing out people’s inner child,” Rodriguez said. “It is supposed to be fun and showcase their art.” Students signed up to take part in the competition through a registration link on the UPC website. As of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, 20 chalk artists were signed up. The theme for this year’s competition was “expectation versus reality.” Drawings could include K-State logos, symbols
and buildings as they pertained to the theme. The event structure changed this year to comply with social distancing guidelines and ensure those living outside of Manhattan could still participate. Artists needed to submit their drawings via email by 5 p.m. for a chance of winning. UPC provided free chalk at the K-State Student Union for competitors to use. UPC Arts co-chairs Jennifer Witherspoon, senior in hospitality management, and Becca Mitchell, freshman in kinesiology and pre-occupational therapy, will choose three winners based on creativity, originality, overall design, following the theme and completeness. The three top drawings selected by the judges will receive Cat Cash gift cards. The firstplace winner will receive $40, second-place will get $30 and third-place will get $20. Winners will receive an email on or before Friday Sept. 25 and can pick up their gift card from the UPC office on Friday or anytime next week between 8 a.m and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Dalton Wainscott | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP The Union Program Council held its annual sidewalk chalk competition on Sept. 24 in Bosco Plaza.
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friday, september 25, 2020
OPINION PEYTON FROOME staff writer
As fall rolls around and the new school year shifts into high gear, many trends are making their way to the top of peoples’ list. While some prefer to set specific goals, others tend to go with the flow and see where they end up. In this list of upcoming trends for the fall of 2020, both attitudes are present.
TIKTOK
Most people have already heard of this popular video-sharing app even if they have not already immersed themselves within the complicated culture of TikTok. The app, reminiscent of Musical.ly and Vine, allows users to create their own videos with new or used content, reuse sounds from songs or other videos and connect with others through duets and pop culture refer-
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We’re falling into a season of fun new trends
ences. Overall, I expect to see TikTok flourish throughout the rest of 2020, particularly because the app allows users to find creative and humorous ways to act out their frustrations during the pandemic.
HOME WORKOUTS
Since quarantine, home workouts have grown in popularity. The most promising aspect of home workouts is their adaptability. People can lift weights in their garage
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or basement, complete body-weight workouts any time, and utilize stairways for explosive cardio exercise. Home workouts are also ideal for high-intensity interval training, or H.I.I.T., which involves several reps of an exercise with small breaks throughout to keep your heart rate up and promote the after burn effect. With the ease of access to thousands of at-home workouts online and the safety and
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variety of workouts, home workouts are sure to continue to dominate the fitness world in the near future.
INDOOR PLANTS
During quarantine and lockdown, many people found themselves stuck inside all day, every day. To combat the lack of nature and sun, several people began buying indoor plants to care for. The indoor plants provide owners a chance to engage with nature and care for a living creature other than themselves. Having a sense of responsibility towards plants also gives owners a task to look forward to, and brings life to the inside of their home. Plants are versatile, too, and can range from high maintenance to low mainte-
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nance, like succulents that hardly need watering. All that the plants require is a little tender love and care, and they will survive for months, much like this trend.
BULLET JOURNALS
As an avid bullet journal user, I suspect this hobby will stick around for years to come. Bullet journals are inexpensive and the only real commitment is time, which is minimal. All bullet journalists have to do is create their own bullet journal pages (if lacking creativity, users can search layouts online and thousands of results will appear, ranging from insanely intricate to minimalistic) and fill out the information when they wish to do so. Bullet journals provide an easy way to track habits, set goals and recognize areas for improvement, and they allow users to be creative. Even disorganized students will love this habit because of its ability to benefit each journalist in their desired aspect, and therefore will continue to be a trend for years to come.
SKATING
Recently, several celebrities have been caught rollerblading through the streets. This activity provides the perfect amount of exercise and fun during a pandemic thanks to being relatively inexpensive and the ability to be socially distant. Many people also engage in skateboarding and specialize in particular areas of boarding with longboards, penny boards or regular skateboards. Skateboarding provides a thrilling experience and can teach skateboarders neat tricks to impress their friends. Overall, I expect both rollerblading and skateboarding to continue to be popular throughout the fall semester. Peyton Froome is a freshman in English. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@ kstatecollegian.com.
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friday, september 25, 2020
KULTIVATE
Tel Wittmer on obstacles, opportunities that come with being student body president
ANNA SCHMIDT
TikTok ban is complex, people should consider personal action
opinion editor
Collegian opinion editor Anna Schmidt talks with Tel Wittmer, student body president and senior in secondary education, about being a student leader during a pandemic in the first episode of Collegian Kultivate this fall.. Anna Schmidt, Collegian opinions editor and junior in journalism: “How has it been being student body president in comparison to how you thought it would be? I’m sure there’s been a lot of changes — senate is completely done online. It’s taken a lot of turns just like everything else.” Tel Wittmer, student body president and senior in secondary education: “I don’t think there is anything that I was not prepared for or wasn’t anticipating. I think when the pandemic hit, it freaked me out like I think most people, but I wanted to make sure my low never got too low and I kind of just felt like, ‘Well, this is life,’ sometimes pandemics happen in the course of history I guess. So we’ve done a really good job of adapting. With every technology, whether that’s a chair or a computer, you’re going to have things that make it harder on you — email is a great example. I actually hate email. It’s like 90 percent of my job, responding to email. That’s just an example of with every technology it’s going to make life easier or things easier because that’s what it’s designed to do, like Zoom for example. That’s what we run our student government meeting on. But it also has consequences and new challenges that emerge. So there are some. But overall it’s been a pretty positive transition and there’s so much opportunity to improve your own growth and leadership experience. I
OP I NI ON ANNA SCHMIDT opinion editor
Illustration by Julie Freijat | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
presented to the intern program last night about the executive branch so it’s like, that’s a hard process because you do have a hybrid model. You have interns in person who are learning about student government and you have students online that are learning and so you’re trying to reach those, too. There’s so much opportunity to try to learn how to manage people and your own leadership and to do things during all of this stuff that is going on. Schmidt: “Have you had any certain notable personal challenges that have come up maybe outside of your position? I know especially during the strict lock down — March, April, May — it was a difficult time for a lot of people just keeping their heads above water and not getting alone and depressed. Or since then, it’s
been disappointing to get back to campus and still not have things back to normal. Is there a specific time or challenge that you’ve gone through or overcame?” Wittmer: "Right now specifically, things have really picked up. I just had my first two tests. In one class in one week ... and week after I had another test so [I] was not prepared for that. It kind of hit me by storm and, like I mentioned, it feels like I do about 99 percent of work that is unrelated to class time and I spend about one percent doing my classwork and I feel like I only do it on the weekends. I’m about 50-50 split. I have like two online classes and three in-person, hybrid classes but they’re all taught by the same teacher and they’re education related so they are kind of like one
major class that meets three different times. But anyway, I do a lot of that online work on the weekends and my week is just full of student government responsibilities and meetings and I’m trying to figure out where to fit in my social life and those moments for relationships and meeting with people. I’m a big caller. I never thought I’d be the kind of guy that would call my friends but I call my friends frequently and talk to them just over the phone. It's kind of therapeutic for me to process my thoughts and talk. Interested in hearing more about Wittmer’s experience as student body president and more? Check out the “Collegian Kultivate” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Each week seems to bring with it new information surrounding the Chinese owned social media platform and ultra popular video generating app, TikTok. Will President Donald Trump ban all Americans from using the app? Perhaps he will just decide to remove it from app stores and phase it out. Maybe no action will be taken. It’s been quite a rollercoaster trying to keep up with what action will be taken against the foreign owned phenomenon. Originally, rumors ran rampant that the president was looking to ban TikTok because he was personally offended by videos being made to discourage people from attending his rallies. Large media outlets like Forbes, Vox and the New York Times ran stories theorizing this. While it is surely true that the president didn’t appreciate the situation, his reason for considering a TikTok ban runs much deeper. TikTok is a Chinese owned app that has access to an alarming amount of your data. By clicking on the app, you give them access to your location, phone contacts, social media contacts, age, type of device you use, browsing and search history, direct messages on the app and content you post on the app. My initial reaction to this information was, “So what? Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have similar accesses.” Well, as long as the app has access to this information, Chinese government spies and hackers do, too. Why does that matter? China can use that information to seek out national security plots through complex methods — ones I even have trouble fully understanding. When you consider the fact that China is an intense geopolitical power and a communist-run government that places little value in human rights, this is not ideal.
Finding a solution to this problem is horribly complex. Banning the app hasn’t been done because it’s not as easy as it sounds, and it shouldn’t be. It is not necessarily within the power of the president to “ban” an app because publishing on an app can be considered speech, which cannot be banned for obvious reasons. So what’s next? Well, the back and forth between President Trump, TikTok and China is bound to continue for an extended amount of time. At this point, personal action seems to be the only way to make a difference. I am a long time TikTok maker and video watcher. I’ve loved the distraction and laughs that it has brought to my life since downloading it. However, using the app and handing over loads of information is an action that can potentially result in China gaining more power on the world stage. China is currently being run by the Chinese Communist Party who monitor and control their citizens very strictly. According to Amnesty International, members of the LGBTQ community in China suffer discrimination, many people are condemned for practicing unpopular religion and human rights defenders are subjected to discrimination and harassment by authorities. In 2020, a time when Americans have never been so focused on human rights, China is depriving many people of basic human rights each day. When we use TikTok, we potentially hand them more power in the form of information they may use to grow their ability to control citizens. It’s time to take that power back from them and stop using TikTok. Anna Schmidt is a junior in mass communications and the opinion editor for the Collegian. 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..