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T H E I N D E P E N D E N T V O I C E F O R K A N S A S S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
vol. 124, issue 31
kstatecollegian.com
kansas state collegian
wednesday, october 31, 2 0 1 8
Professor promotes women in engineering
ROWAN JONES
THE COLLEGIAN
Amy Betz sits in her office surrounded by handwritten notes, a picture of Albert Einstein and images of her son. A doctorate degree from Columbia University and an achievement in mathematics award from Northern Virginia Community College rest on a cluttered shelf. Betz, associate professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, began working at Kansas State seven years ago and received academic tenure last year. Betz wasn’t always sure she wanted to go into engineering, but in a 2010 interview with the Colombia Engineering School, Betz said she wanted to be a scientist since she was five. However, it would be a while until the thought of engineering crossed her mind. Two of her older brothers studied it and failed out of the major. “Engineering was never something I thought about when I was in high school,” Betz said. Instead, Betz found herself drawn to more artistic outlets with aspirations to be a writer. Her time in high school was divided between
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Rowan Jones | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Amy Betz stands outside of Rathbone Hall. Alongside her teaching responsibilities, Betz works to promote women in the field of engineering. sports like lacrosse and swimming, sewing dresses for upcoming school dances or rehearsing for theatrical
productions. After not getting into the colleges she wanted, Betz said she decided to
Meet Maddy Mash and Tel Wittmer, the 2019 Student Ambassadors
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study at Northern Virginia Community College as a first-generation college student. “It wasn’t really until I had several professors at community college tell me I really needed to pursue a four-year degree, and I should probably do it in engineering,” Betz said. In fall 2003 Betz transferred to George Washington University. She received a bachelors of science in mechanical engineering in 2006 and then moved to New York City to pursue a Ph.D. at Colombia. After seeing how much money private industry offered, her parents were shocked when she decided to continue to graduate school, Betz said. “No one in my family had a graduate degree, so I didn’t really know what that meant,” Betz said. “They were just confused, but I had a lot of people who told me, ‘No, this is where you belong, this is what you should do.’” Betz followed the graduate track, not really knowing what she wanted to do with it. “My Ph.D. was actually really hard for me,” Betz said. “I am an extremely extroverted person, and that is a very much a focused sort
of thing.” The demographic of her research lab for her was all males, and while Betz was working she would often talk out loud. “Apparently they would switch whose job it was to just like talk back to me ... They were never listening,” Betz said. “I mean sometimes they were listening, but they would just often times be like, ‘Okay, thats great,’ because I just couldn’t deal with not talking.” While working on her Ph.D., Betz said she fell in love with being a professor. She was excited to come to K-State because of the focus on undergraduate teaching and the potential to be successful in research.
OVERCOMING BIAS
According to the Society of Women Engineers, women make up only 13 percent of the engineering workforce. According to enrollment demographics for the fall 2018 semester, 17 percent of students in the College of Engineering are women. Out of 934 students in mechanical engineering, only 84 are women.
see page 3, “PROFESSOR”
Dive into the fall experience with item No. 2 on the college bucket list
NEWS
Pets vulnerable to tricks, treats this Halloween by Julie Freijat For a lot of people, pets are part of the family — that means they can be a part of the holiday fun, too. This Halloween, be sure to remember that while dressing your furry friend up can make a cute Instagram picture, safety precautions are necessary to keep them safe. According to the ASPCA website, costumes can have a negative effect on the pet wearing them. Be sure your pet likes the costume and that it is comfortable and can move, breathe, see and vocalize. Try the costume on prior to Halloween to ensure your pet will be okay in it. The ASPCA also says decorations can be potentially harmful to animals. Watch out for lose cords, candles and anything else that could be harmful to a curious fourlegged friend. The PetMD website warns pet owners to be extremely cautious about the candies and treats left lying around. Much of what humans eat isn’t healthy for cats or dogs and can be lethal. This includes chocolate and any candy with the artificial sugar sweetener xylitol. This sweetener can cause liver failure in dogs, so be sure to know what you are exposing your pet to. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing and seizures. If you suspect your pet may be in danger, call your veterinarian immediately.
see page 6, “pets”
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EDITORIAL BOARD Rafael Garcia Editor-in-chief
Dené Dryden Managing editor Rachel Hogan Deputy managing editor Kyle Hampel Community co-editor Olivia Rogers Community co-editor
Kaylie McLaughlin News editor
Molly Hackett Assistant sports editor
Leah Zimmerli Assistant news editor
Monica Diaz Social media editor Karaline Schreiner Assistant
Katelin Woods Culture editor
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Macy Davis Assistant culture editor
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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 400 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 or clarified, call editor-in-chief Rafael Garcia at 785-370-6356 or email news@kstatecollegian.com.
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wednesday, october 31, 2018
Get to know the 2019 K-State Student Ambassadors HANNAH GREER THE COLLEGIAN
The sun beamed down on Bill Snyder Family Stadium as the marching band blasted music from “The Greatest Showman” into the crisp fall air. The halftime of Kansas State’s Oct. 13 football game was an eventful one, as Maddy Mash and Tel Wittmer were announced as the K-State 2019 student ambassadors. Just as student ambassadors before them, both Mash and Wittmer said they have a strong love for K-State because the sense of family creates a campus like no other. “Once you meet K-Staters you feel at home and you feel welcomed,” Mash, junior in microbiology, said. Mash said not only does she care about K-State as a school, but also about the students, faculty and community members who have made the university home, she said she hopes to serve past, current and future K-staters in her role as student ambassador. “I would like to show the alumni what it is like to be a student on campus now and how K-State has grown and how they can help K-State grow,” Mash said. Aside from K-State, Mash said she loves her hometown
of Wichita, Gilmore Girls and her dog Bella. When she was five, the doctor who allowed her to help deliver her baby brother told her to attend the University of Kansas to become a doctor; since then, Mash has had her sights set on studying medicine. She has also been able to experience being on the patient side of medicine as she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in her freshman year of high school. “I love that fashion of service and just helping others,” Mash said. “I’ve seen the incredible things [the health care] system can do for people.” Mash said before departing K-State to attend medical school at KU and work in pediatrics, she is excited to take in all the moments associated with her unique opportunity to serve as ambassador. Mash attributed K-State with providing her a place where she can run toward her dreams and people she can run with. Now, she said she is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the school. Mash said in her time at K-State, she has grown from a young girl hoping to be part of the K-State family to a K-Stater working with alumni and impacting students’ lives. Similar to Mash, Witt-
PROFESSOR continued from page
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This imbalance sometimes creates instances of bias and misunderstanding, as shared by Samantha Judd, senior in mechanical engineering. “When I was doing my first conference presentation, I also had a poster to present. I didn’t know what to expect,” Judd said. “I got a new dress, I got new shoes, I got my nails done, I did my hair, I did my make-up, and a person was talking to me and he was just like, ‘Is this your work, or did someone just ask you to stand here?’ I just didn’t even know how to respond. I didn’t even
Photo courtesy of the K-State Alumni Association.
mer grew up as a KU fan in Holton, Kansas, with a bedroom painted red and blue until his junior year of high school. It was the influential teachers, who were K-State alumni, and organizations that Wittmer said brought him to campus that helped visualize K-State as home. In the end, K-State was the only school he applied to.
know what he was asking.” Betz said she has experienced similar things: colleagues handing her items to have them photocopied, colleagues asking if she had a Ph.D., being chosen to record meetings when the secretary was absent and even a student criticizing her decision to continue to work while she was an expecting mother. “Especially when you are younger, you don’t always know what somebody means by something,” Betz said. “Is it an age thing, is it a gender thing, is it something else or is it just a miscommunication?” Women of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and Alpha Omega Epsilon, a STEM-focused sorority, act as support groups for female students, helping them tackle
Wittmer, sophomore in secondary education, said he hopes to follow in his parents footsteps in serving society through teaching. From the beginning of his time at K-State, Wittmer dove into opportunities. At the beginning of his second semester, he represented K-State as an ambassador at New Student Services as well as giving
the sometimes confusing misunderstandings or biases that occur. WOMNE held a ‘Navigating Gender Bias’ presentation and panel in November 2015. The panel was hosted by a student, assistant dean Betty Grauer and Betz. Together they reflected on their personal experiences and gave advice on how to deal with miscommunications. “The first is the acknowledgement that you shouldn’t have to deal with this,” Betz said. “But also going through that some of the stuff, while its also not okay ... it’s not necessarily intentional ... it doesn’t mean it has to be your job but how do you make sure.” Another piece of advice was for women to advocate for themselves in the workplace.
campus tours. “It definitely makes it worth it when you can genuinely connect with other people and help give them the same opportunities that have been afforded to you,” Wittmer said. Wittmer said he fell in love with what the university stands for by providing quality access to education and op-
Just making sure that you’re communicating that and not relying on other people to just see the good work you’re doing,” Betz said. “And again I think, and we actually had both men and women at the panel, I think that’s good advice for everybody. Because there are also men who are a little bit more shy ... who might not always advocate for themselves.” When Betz was young, she felt she was not as confrontational as she is now. But she emphasized that it’s important to get clarity in situations with others.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Confidence was something Betz had to fight for. During a conference, she came to the realization
portunities to people. “That’s really what I am passionate about,” Wittmer said. “Just serving other people.” Once a young KU fan who wanted to become a film director, Wittmer said he is now a proud ambassador, looking forward to dedicating everything to demonstrating what K-State represents.
that the stigma was more against being feminine rather than just being a woman. There was a panel giving advice that you won’t be respected if you wear heels or paint your nails. “I remember leaving that meeting just in tears,” Betz said. “For me, this person is telling me — people are telling me I can’t be who I want to be and be successful in this field.” Betz said. Now Betz knows that doesn’t matter, and when she runs into students off campus, they are often surprised to see her not wearing a dress. “A couple of times this is the exact thing they have said: ‘Oh my god, Dr. Betz, you own pants!’” Betz said. “I wear almost entirely heels and jewelry.”
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wednesday, october 31, 2018
Illustration by Katelin Woods
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wednesday, october 31, 2018
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Wildcats speak to media following loss to OU AVERY OSEN
THE COLLEGIAN
After a 51-14 loss to Oklahoma just days ago, the Kansas State football team will look to bounce back when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU on Saturday. Select players and head
coach Bill Snyder spoke to the media Tuesday to address the team’s issues. K-State gave up 702 yards of offense to Oklahoma on Saturday, and four of the touchdowns the Sooners scored were of 35-plus yards. Snyder addressed the issue of K-State giving up big plays in the game on Tuesday. “Number one, we can’t
afford to do that regardless of the number,” Snyder said. “We’ve got to be able to defend far better than that. There’s a lot of reasons why; we’re definitely working on that.”
see page 7, “wildcats”
File photo by Meg Shearer COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
The Kansas State Wildcats play the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Oct. 14, 2017. The Wildcats lost with a final score of 6-26.
Quality care, when it can’t wait. (785) 320-6770 1404 Beechwood Ter, Suite C and D
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wednesday, october 31, 2018
Gabriela Faraone | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Visiting a pumpkin patch is a staple autumn experience.
College bucket list: Let out your inner child at the pumpkin patch SIERRA STAATZ
THE COLLEGIAN
College serves as an opportunity to not only learn about a certain subject or train a specific skill, but it also comes at a time in life where each person gets to experience the “real world.” With my entrance into this now-adult life, I created a college bucket list as “must-dos” to accomplish during my higher education. After completing a free hugs campaign on campus last week, I decided it would be best fit to go off campus and inundate myself with the wonderful experience of Manhattan. The cool breeze and leaves spreading their autumn
PETS continued from page
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Lastly, PetMD advises people to avoid leaving their
shade of feuille morte make it the perfect opportunity to experience the season at a wholesome pumpkin patch. Britt’s Garden Acres has a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables that create an enjoyable experience for nearly any age. The first stop is grabbing some apple cider made less than 48 hours before the drink hits your lips. Next stop is the corn maze. It was surprisingly harder than one would expect. The maze finishes at an open scenery with many different types of pumpkins: small or large, orange or green. Other attractions included giant jumping pillows and a potato cannon. Personally, my favorite experience was when college
students piled onto the giant metal see-saw until it was packed with over two dozen bodies rocking back and forth, letting out the child inside all of us. My friend said to an outof-state student that places like this are the parts of Kansas everyone knows and loves. The fun does not have to end after exploring the local attraction. With a group of college students bringing their pumpkins back to campus, opportunities arrive to paint or carve pumpkins or even baking the seeds. I am glad I was able to fully dive into the autumn experience by visiting a pumpkin patch — I would put it at the top of anyone’s bucket list.
pets outside and always have them wearing identification tags. Halloween is a dark and busy night, and the last thing you want is for your furry friend to get lost or taken. If your pet does end up
lost, having ID tags will increase the chance your pup or cat will be returned. Halloween is a fun night, but you want to make sure your pet will be there for a long time afterward.
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OPINION: These are the top 5 worst Halloween costumes, traditions KYLE HAMPEL
THE COLLEGIAN
Don’t be alarmed, but I have some horrible, spookifying news: there’s a skeleton inside you... right now! If that simple fact of biology didn’t scare the shoes right off your feet, perhaps these godawful Halloween costumes and traditions will make you groan with agony instead.
1. DRESSING UP AS “YOURSELF”
We’ve all been there — especially if you’re me in seventh grade. Angsty, edgy and way too cool for school. Halloween costumes are for babies, but I, master of irony and subtext, will simply dress up as myself for the spooky holiday. That’ll show them! Folks, please don’t be the kind of post-ironic edge lord who dresses up as themselves on Halloween night. You’re all
adults (hopefully), and it’s okay to have some fun. Dressing up in an orange shirt that says “This is my costume” doesn’t make you a subversive genius who’s above it all, it just makes you forgettable.
with two or three other folks in banana suits. No one wants to have the “one of us is going to have to change” conversation, so avoid the awkwardness and be unique. Maybe try an avocado suit?
2. GIVING OUT APPLES INSTEAD OF CANDY
4. CANDY CORN
I wish I could understand what goes on inside the brains of people who give apples to trickor-treaters on Halloween, but I just can’t. One time my younger self even got celery sticks from a well meaning health nut. That’s somehow worse! I understand the intent to help kids see the joy in eating a healthier source of sugar than pounds of chocolate, but it’s never going to catch on. Putting one apple in a Halloween basket does little when everything else in there is loaded with enough calories to feed a mouse for a year. As long as the human brain is predisposed toward loving sugar and fat above all else, giving
Alex Todd | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
The Black Panther collects some Halloween candy from Minnie Mouse outside of O’Malley’s during the annual Trick or Treat event in Aggieville on Oct. 12, 2018. apples to creative young minds will be nothing more than a fruitless gesture (pun not intended).
3. WEARING A BANANA SUIT
It’s an American truism that every possible action becomes
funnier in a banana suit, but the problem is that everyone else knows this just as much as you do in 2018. Sure, you’d be a lot funnier in a banana suit, and I’m sure you’ll make new friends, but you’ll probably have to compete
Ha! Now I’ve got you. You probably thought I was going to complain about candy corn — the taste, the texture, the ubiquity — but it was all a ruse. Candy corn is not the problem. The real issue is people who constantly complain about candy corn every Halloween. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a candy corn fan, but it’s totally tolerable candy and it helps make the season special. Get over yourselves, you culinary snobs.
5. DRESSING UP AS HARLEY QUINN OR DEADPOOL
Here’s a hot take: the more obnoxious a mainstream superhero is, the more likely they are to be a popular Halloween costume. Batman villainess Har-
WILDCATS continued from page
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The Wildcats will need to finish 3-1 in the final four games of the season to make a bowl game. Senior wide receiver Zach Reuter commented on that pursuit at Tuesday’s press conference. He said while the idea of playing in a bowl game can motivate the team, they cannot get distracted. “Our mindset has to be in the here and now and being able to improve,” Reuter said. “If you look too far down the road, you can get distracted.” After a bad effort on Saturday, K-State will look to put that loss behind them and beat a TCU team that just lost to Kansas this past weekend. Senior offensive lineman Dalton Risner said that getting past such a big loss is never easy. Despite that, the captain said
ley Quinn and Marvel’s own Deadpool strike me as superheroes who are more popular for their costumes than their actual characters. Harley Quinn was practically made to be a sexy Halloween costume, especially in her most recent film appearance, and Deadpool is portrayed in the movies by Ryan Reynolds in red tights and makeup, enough said. I know these two red-andblack goobers have countless, genuine fans, but if you ask me, they’re as mainstream and played out as superhero costumes can be. If you really want to make a splash, don’t be another wacky, sexy anti-hero in the crowd. Dress up as Mermaid Man or something. Kyle Hampel is a community editor for the Collegian and a senior 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.
he knows the team must press onward. “I’ve told you guys plenty of times this season, you’ve just got to move on,” Risner said. “No matter what the record is, no matter what state the team is in, you just got to move forward.” Two of the Wildcats’ losses in Big 12 play have been close games. They lost 19-14 to Texas and 37-34 to Baylor on a field goal in the game’s final seconds. Reuter said he knows how those outcomes could have been different. “Every time we watch the film, we see the mistakes, and it’s things that are very much in our control and that we can change and, if corrected, could make the game completely different,” Reuter said. K-State will look to correct those mistakes and come out on top in Saturday’s matchup with the Horned Frogs. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
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