K A N S A S
S TAT E vol. 126, issue 20 friday, nov. 20, 2020
kstatecollegian.com
FA R MA G E D D O N KSUNITE ‘That experience destroyed the day for me’: Effects of KSUnite Zoom bombings linger
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As COVID-19 cases surpass 3,000, Riley County launches new health campaign
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Know Your Opponent: ISU brings another good running back
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Community seeks solutions as food insecurity at K-Stateincreases
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NEWS
TRAVEL EMMA WITTER
news editor
As Thanksgiving break begins this weekend and in-person classes at Kansas State come to a close, Lafene Health Center is seeing a spike in its COVID-19 positivity rate. More than 300 students were in quarantine the week of Nov. 9, and 125 positive cases were reported. Since testing began at Lafene in March, the overall percent positive rate at the health center is at 9.11 percent. Dr. Kyle Goerl, medical director of Lafene Health Center, said individuals should ramp up their testing efforts and limit gathering sizes this Thanksgiving. Lafene offers free asymptomatic testing to students, faculty and staff. “If you’re going home, get tested before you go, and try to keep to yourself after the test
Medical professionals warn against traveling as many leave Manhattan for Thanksgiving break
and before traveling home,” Goerl wrote in an email. “Consider keeping Thanksgiving to a smaller group this year, perhaps even just immediate family. Talk to your family about being tested themselves.” The pandemic doesn’t break for holidays, and with Kansas and the Midwest as a whole seeing large spikes in COVID-19 positivity rates recently, many medical experts encourage increased precautions during the heavily-traveled holiday season. “Unfortunately, Kansas finds itself in a very difficult place right now, the worst of the pandemic to date,” Goerl said. “The virus is so prevalent, it could be encountered just about anywhere.” In a Twitter poll of 142 respondents, 25.4 percent indicated they planned to stay in Manhattan for Thanksgiving. Another 42.3 percent planned
to attend family gatherings, and 12.7 percent indicated they would be traveling over break. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a recommendation on Thursday to postpone travel and stay home for Thanksgiving this year. To limit the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommended celebrating only with those in the household. Local health officer Julie Gibbs said for the Riley County Health Department, the most concerning factor of the recent surge of cases is the influx of patients in hospitals across the state. Many hospitals are also understaffed, Gibbs said. Riley County is not currently under a stay-at-home order, and Gibbs said it would be detrimental to the economy to reinstate such an order. However, she said, it’s time to take greater precautions to slow the spread.
EDITORIAL BOARD Bailey Britton Editor-in-Chief
Rebecca Vrbas Culture Editor
Sarah Unruh Designer
Kaylie McLaughlin Managing Editor
Madison Daniel Assistant Culture Editor
Cameron Bradley Sports Editor
Julie Freijat Deputy Managing Editor Copy Chief Emma Witter News Editor Sean Schaper Assistant News Editor
friday, november 20, 2020
Anna Schmidt Opinions Editor
Nathan Enserro Assistant Sports Editor
Gabby Farris Design Chief
Dalton Wainscott Multimedia Editor
Blake Hachen Designer
Dylan Connell Deputy Multimedia Editor
“We have to act as a community and buckle down again like back in April,” Gibbs said. “Almost treat it like a stay-athome order.” Goerl encouraged students to sacrifice in-person time with family and friends if necessary to protect their health. “We are lucky that most college-aged people and younger do well, but older adults are at a much higher risk for worse outcomes, even death,” Goerl said. “Think about that before you choose to interact with your grandparents or those with serious medical conditions.” The status quo of mask-wearing, social distancing, regularly washing hands and staying home when sick has been proven to work and will continue to work in slowing the spread of COVID-19, Goerl said.
In addition to large events like weddings, Gibbs said people should consider the impact of smaller gatherings. “A common theme with the recent positives is things like dinners and small get-togethers,” Gibbs said. “Refraining from things like that for a while will do us some good.” Over a year since the first documented case of COVID-19 has passed and many people are ready to go back to life as normal, but Goerl encouraged K-State students and their families to continue prioritizing their health and safety over the temptation to return to normality. “We are all in this together, and now is not the time to let your guard down,” Goerl said. “There is hope on the horizon, we have two very good vaccine candidates that could be available very soon. For that, I am thankful.” Goerl said he’s also thankful for those at K-State and in Manhattan who have done the work to stay safe and limit the spread of COVID-19. He wished everyone at K-State a happy Thanksgiving.
ON THE COVER File Photo by Logan Wassall Collegian Media Group The football team runs onto the field before their game against Iowa State in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 30, 2019. The Wildcats finished their final home game of the season with a win against the Cyclones. The final score was 27-17.
The Mission of the Collegian Media Group is to use best practices of journalism to cover and document life at Kansas State University from a diverse set of voices to inform and engage the K-State community. The Collegian welcomes your letters. We reserve the right to edit submitted letters for length and style. A letter intended for publication should be no longer than 600 words and must be relevant to the student body of K-State. It must include the author’s first and last name, year in school and major. If you are a graduate of K-State, the letter should include your year(s) of graduation and must include the city and state where you live. For a letter to be considered, it must include a phone number where you can be contacted. The number will not be published. Letters can be sent to letters@kstatecollegian.com or submitted through an online form at kstatecollegian.com. Letters may be rejected if they contain abusive content, lack timeliness, contain vulgarity, profanity or falsehood, promote personal and commercial announcements, repeat comments of letters printed in other issues or contain attachments. The Collegian does not publish open letters, third-party letters or letters that have been sent to other publications or people.
CORRECTIONS
If you see something that should be corrected, call editorin-chief Bailey Britton at 785-370-6356 or email collegian@ kstatecollegian.com The Collegian, a student newspaper at Kansas State University, is published by Collegian Media Group. It is published 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 665067167. First copy free, additional copies 25 cents. [USPS 291 020] © Collegian Media Group, 2020
NEWS
friday, november 20, 2020
As in-person semester comes to a close, more than 300 students are in quarantine KAYLIE MCLAUGHLIN managing editor
With just under 72 hours left in the in-person part of the fall semester, Kansas State reported more than 300 students were in quarantine during the week of Nov. 9 as COVID-19 cases surge worldwide. Nathan Bothwell, speaker of the student senate and senior in political science and commu-
nication studies, expressed concern about his fellow students’ behavior in the pandemic. “To someone who’s getting fatigued, I feel that and I understand that, but I also say that there are ways to still follow guidelines and be safe and healthy,” Bothwell said. “A pandemic is a natural disaster — it’s just a long one. It’s not like a tornado that’s done in five minutes, it’s one that goes on for a year. And so I think that we will
C O V I D -19
be able to recover. It just seems bleak right now.” For the second week in a row, the positivity rate is above 10 percent. In the past, Dr. Kyle Goerl, Lafene Health Center’s medical director, said the goal is to keep the positivity rate below five percent. That being said, the university does not have any formalized thresholds at which point the campus would down. In fact, associate vice president
for risk and compliance Elliot Young previously indicated K-State would not close its doors like it did in the spring semester unless state or local health officials directed the administration to do so. In lieu of formalized gating criteria, K-State’s coronavirus response looks at a handful of metrics to determine the state of affairs on campus and in the community as it pertains to virus mitigation. Positivity
rate is included, but local hospitalization rates, death rates, availability of intensive care beds and other factors also make up those trigger points. To mitigate spread on campus following holiday-related travel among other factors, students will not return to K-State for in-person classes after Thanksgiving break, but instead attend dead week and finals week virtually. This plan was first announced over
As COVID-19 cases surpass 3,000, Riley County launches new health campaign KAYLIE MCLAUGHLIN managing editor
As Riley County surpassed the 3,000 case threshold for individual COVID-19 infections with the addition of more than 230 new cases so far this week, local health officials launched the Fight for the Front Line health campaign. The program, a collaboration between the Riley County Health Department, the city of Manhattan, the Emergency Operations Center and Kansas State, asks community members to partake in two weeks of stringent COVID-19 prevention regulations. Some of the behaviors, like ordering carry out instead of dine-in meal options, are still optional under the current local health ordinances, but others, like mask-wearing, are mandatory. The campaign's requests are as follows: • Consistently and correctly wearing a mask and keeping at least 6 ft apart at all times in indoor and outdoor spaces (other than at home with the people in your immediate household)
• Washing and sanitizing hands frequently • Working from home if possible and holding meetings online rather than in person • Avoiding being indoors with non-household members except for school, work that cannot be done from home, and activities deemed essential • Supporting local restaurants by maintaining at least 6 feet of distance, consistently and correctly wearing a mask, and by ordering food to go • Staying home if experiencing any symptoms of illness, and remaining in isolation or quarantine for the recommended period if positive for COVID-19 or if identified as a close contact • Calling the Riley County Screening Line 785-3236400 or your doctor for advice about testing if experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 • Practicing healthy habits: eating healthy food, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep. The goal, according to a press release from the health department, is to slow the spread locally in order to keep the burden of high rates of spread off health care work-
ers. Last week, hospitalization rates in Riley County reached new heights — local health officer Julie Gibbs said that should be cause for concern. “The rapid increase of COVID cases poses a real threat to the medical community,” Gibbs said in a press release. “If the hospital becomes overwhelmed with severe cases, they lose the ability to care for other patients. We have to take action now to prevent that from happening.” As of Wednesday evening, seven COVID-19 positive patients were hospitalized at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, three of whom were in intensive care. An additional two possible positive patients were hospitalized as well. Additionally, the local positivity rate for the last two weeks nears 20 percent. In a letter to the student body on Wednesday, President Richard Myers pleaded for better compliance with COVID-19 restrictions — even if that means disturbing holiday plans and traditions. "The virus is a cold, hard foe that does not take breaks or holidays. We’ve collectively learned that it
takes the advantage every time we let our guard down," he wrote. "As we monitor this situation there are several key indicators that are going the wrong way." If better compliance cannot be obtained, Vivienne Uccello, city of Manhattan public information officer and chief information officer for the local COVID-19 response, said a more restrictive health order could be on the table. "New health orders are always an option. However, health orders can be overturned by the Board of County Commissioners if they do not have the political will to impose further restrictions in the county," Uccello said via email.
STATEWIDE COMPLIANCE
Gov. Laura Kelly signed a new order, adding more strength to Kansas' existing mask-wearing rules. The face-covering policy and other measures will take effect on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The governor calls it an "above all approach" to slowing the spread of the virus as the escalating situation takes a toll on the
health care system. In press conference earlier this week, Kelly said a COVID-19 patient in critical condition at a Cloud County hospital, which is overwhelmed by the pandemic, had to be transferred to a hospital in Nebraska for care after getting turned away from eight other Kansas hospitals. "We must also consider the burden this influx of coronavirus patients has on our health care workers who have been working tirelessly for months on end to take care of patients," Kelly said. "We can show our gratitude by doing our part — following common-sense health practices to slow the spread, to decrease hospitalizations and provide much needed relief for the many exhausted health professionals experiencing burnout." Every county will have one week to create its own mask order. If they don't, they will automatically opt into the standard protocol from the Kelly administration. Riley County's Commissioners, who serve as the local Board of Health, previously opted out of the statewide mask order put in place in July.
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the summer and does not signify a shift in the COVID-19 response. In the meantime, K-State encourages students to get tested before heading home for the break. Asymptomatic tests are available through Friday at Lafene Health Center. “It’s absolutely possible to still do those things that you enjoy, as long as you take a couple of precautionary steps ahead of time,” Bothwell said.
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NEWS
K-State continues to monitor COVID-19 protocols in preparation for new year CHANDLER MIXON staff writer
As the fall semester nears the end, Kansas State officials prepare to continue COVID-19 protocols into the next semester. Provost Charles Taber said the university executive leadership team is closely monitoring the protocols and said they are working well so far. “Our ability to stay in the current class modalities hinges on both on and off-campus behaviors of everyone at K-State,” Taber said. “We expect to operate under the same conditions as the fall semester. We have eliminated spring break and are working to replace it with several wellness days.” Thomas Lane, vice presi-
stay
NE X T S E M E S T E R
dent for student life and dean of students, said K-State is working on setting up mobile COVID-19 testing sites in locations where a lot of students are. “In the spring, there will be more opportunities for students to be asymptomatic tested, and we’ll be doing that by going to where the students are,” Lane said, “We want to set up clinics at the union, at residence halls and working with the fraternities and sororities life community to see where we could set up testing clinics to encourage students to participate in asymptomatic testing.” Derek Jackson, director of housing and dining services, said it was important testing is available for all students and said the plan is to have mobile clinics in the spring. “Students can get tested
on campus and take the asymptomatic test, but in the spring we’re working on a process to do asymptomatic testing. We want to take it on the road and make it more accessible to students.” Jackson said. Another change was the decision to get rid of spring break. Lane said the main reason behind that decision was to avoid students traveling and bringing the virus back to the community. “There was a lot of conversation about the decision to not have a spring break, but we want to attempt to reduce travel as much as we could so that we’re not reintroducing the virus into another community or bringing it back to Manhattan from another community,” he said. Lane said he hopes that students and staff would want to get
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the vaccine if one were available. “My hopes are that students, facility and staff would want to participate in the vaccine. I think that’s going to be a game-changer on getting through the pandemic,” Lane said. “I’m optimistic about having more of a normal in-person fall semester, but it will depend upon how prevalent the vaccine, in terms of how many people have taken the vaccine.” Lane said he knows a lot of people are tired of not being able to gather, having to wear a mask and staying socially-distanced. “The important thing is that we have to dig-in and remember that the virus doesn’t care if we’re tired, it will still be there,” Lane said. “It’s just looking for a host. It’s up to us to really be resilient and do the things that we know work.”
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On top of masking, other campus COVID-19 prevention mechanisms are in place. Taber wants students to stay focused on their goals and stay determined during these tough times. “Persevere! This is hard for all of us, but do not let the pan-
demic and difficult conditions deter you from working toward your dreams! Have grace for yourselves, each other, and for your faculty and staff,” Taber said via email.
First proposal for spring mental health days rejected by faculty senate SEAN SCHAPER
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Earlier this semester, Student Governing Association student senate asked for two spring semester well-being days. However, Tuesday afternoon, Faculty Senate voted to reject the requested proposal. Before the decision was made, student senate unanimously approved the proposal with support from Provost Charles Taber, university registrar Kelley Brundage, and Karen Goos, vice provost for enrollment management. Nathan Bothwell, speaker of the student senate and senior in political science and communication studies, said he is frustrated by the decision. "This is now the second time in two years that faculty senate has rejected a proposal for some sort of well-being
days," Bothwell said. Laurel Littrell, faculty senate president-elect, said the vote was by no means unanimous and that some senators voted in favor of the proposal. "The main problem that senators expressed was concern about students traveling over the weekends," Littrell said. "A few senators were concerned about how it would impact class time — that taking a couple days out would make it harder to fit in a curriculum into reduced days, especially with classes that meet one day a week." Thirty-four members voted in favor of the proposal and 46 voted against. "Student government does not make these requests lightly, they always think things through and really think about the pros and cons," Littrell said. "So, when they make a proposal like this,
we really need to take it seriously." A joint leadership meeting between members of the student senate, faculty senate and university support staff senate took place Thursday with one item on the agenda: a continued discussion about spring well-being days. The meeting took a more collaborative approach with more questions answered in a small group format. "There was not — I think — an immediate proposal made in that meeting," Bothwell said. "We kind of revisited the discussion on Tuesday. Really where the meeting settled was that everyone feels like a joint proposal is needed." After the joint meeting, student senate plans to create another proposal and have this situation resolved by the end of the month.
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NEWS
friday, november 20, 2020
Riley County receives $15 million fund for COVID-19 relief KYLE RUDER staff writer
Gov. Laura Kelly reviewed and approved the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas, or SPARK, funds for the state over the summer. This approval gave $400 million to local governments for COVID-19 expenses. Of that $400 million, $14.9 million was allocated to Riley County. From the county funding, the city of Manhattan received a little over $2.9 million and Kansas State received roughly $2.4 million. The $15 million was divided between the cities of Manhattan, Riley, Leonardville, Randolph and Ogden. In addition, USD 378, 383, and 384 received funding, as well as the Manhattan Catholic schools, Manhattan Christian College and the technical college. Lastly, the Riley County
Police Department received $288,400 and there was also a small business grant of $2.5 million to local businesses. Manhattan City Commissioner Aaron Estabrook said the city requested closer to $10.5 million, but received much less. “The $10.5 million was based on a formula that took the per population and distributed it based on population in the city of Manhattan,” Estabrook said. All of the funding applied thus far only addresses the expenses between March 1, 2020, through the end of the year. The funding the local government received from SPARK is to help offset the additional expenses that local governments had because of the pandemic, but not to help offset any revenue losses. “What was good about this was that it allowed us the opportunity to reimburse the public entities for some of the early expenditures,” John
Ford, District 1 Riley County Commissioner, said. As a public entity, some of the money K-State received helped with student-based needs to cover for personal protective equipment, sanitizing stations and ways to maintain social distance through hybrid learning. Riley County hired the company Witt O’Brien’s to help with this process of emergency funding. “In the beginning, it was creating a plan on how we would distribute the funds, and we have a committee here that is made up of six people to help with this as well,” Tami Robison, budget and finance officer for Riley County, said. “They are the same firm that has worked with Sedwick and Johnson County with their funding,” Ford said. The six committee members are the budget and finance officer, the county treasurer, the county clerk, the public works
director, the planning and development director and the county counselor. This budget and planning group assisted Witt O’Brien’s in meetings regarding how the funds could be used and what was eligible. “They have done very well and have done what we probably wouldn’t have been able to do, and that was working with the $15 million and how it will be used in a timely manner,” Ford said. The city plans on using its allocated funds as reimbursement for expenses related to enhanced cleaning equipment, materials and supplies, and expenses related to addressing telework needs and building changes to promote social distancing and other practices encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since many different public entities need funding, the money may be distributed based on what issues are most important.
Photo Illustration by Dalton Wainscott | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
“The Riley County Health Department received their own disbursements from the county so that things like rapid testing and PPE that keep the community and students moving quicker are available,” Estabrook said. “We need to have that rapid testing and we have had community testing go on weekly for free.”
The students and university will be impacted by this as well. The university has $125 to spend for each student that was enrolled at K-State in 2019. “What we did was we actually took your tuition, your FTE’s, and we gave them a per dollar amount. So with the University, we gave them $125 per student,” Robison said.
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NEWS
SGA authors resolution demanding answers about $70 fee imposed on online classes JAZSMIN HALLIBURTON staff writer
In the spring, Kansas State made plans to combat COVID-19 during the fall semester, which involved the transition to a partial course log of online classes. Over the summer, K-State implemented a $70 per credit hour fee for all online classes for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Student senate and other Student Governing Association members authored a resolution taking a stance against the fee. It was sent to the administration and the Kansas Board of Regents. The resolution requested the fee undergo a significant decrease or be removed entirely. Blake Phillips, student senator and sophomore in management information systems, was the lead author of the resolution. “I understand the intent of the fee, but I don’t think the implementation of it was gone about the right way,” Phillips said. Maggie Billman, student senate speaker pro tempore and sophomore in secondary education, was also involved in the resolution. “My problem with it is that it’s essentially a nine percent increase in students’ tuition. There was little to no student input on it and we don’t really know what it’s going for,” Billman said. “So, in my opinion, it’s unjustified and I just don’t think it was a very good idea.”
As stated in the resolution, increased fees are not generally covered by scholarships that consistently adjust to tuition, meaning that many students will have to pay for these fees out of their own pockets. “I don’t like the cost of it because of our financial situation as a country and the world at this moment. Specifically, the students that were hit pretty hard by the pandemic and the financial effects from it,” Phillips said. The resolution quoted Jeff Morris, vice president for communications and marketing, when he was interviewed by the Manhattan Mercury addressing the zero percent tuition increase. “We look at the stress that our families and our economy are under right now. … It’s obvious that our students need as much help as we can give,” Morris said. “As we look at that, if we really think about where our students are and the financial pressures and stresses they are under, it’s important that we honor our land grant mission and keep things as affordable as we can.” The resolution included a statement saying imposing this fee goes against K-State’s priority in student affordability and accessibility. When the K-State administration announced over the summer the $70 per credit hour fee would be implemented for the next two semesters, it caught several students off guard.
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TUI TI ON AND FEES
Kaylie McLaughlin | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Since fewer than 30 percent of the classes this semester are classified as in-person, large lecture halls like Kedzie 106 remain empty for the most part. Some classes are held in these spaces, but they are few and far between. “I was super frustrated because they added it and it felt like it was behind our backs, we had no clue it was going to be there. ... It’s frustrating, because for a lot of students, there’s no way for them to advance in their degree path without having to pay,” Cameron Koger, SGA’s student finance director and junior majoring in marketing, said. There has been no clear answer about what the $70 per credit hour fee money is going towards, Billman said.
“They said that it was for a boost in technologic infrastructure and to help professors learn how to use technology better to serve students who are in online classes,” Billman said. “However, there have been no reports from administrators about the outcomes of that.” “There isn’t a whole lot of information available about what specifically this money is being spent on,” Phillips agreed. In the resolution, SGA members requested:
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The fee to be eliminated or, at a minimum, a substantial reduction for the 2021 spring semester. A presentation from KSU administration to SGA during Student Senate by the end of the 2020 fall semester detailing what specifically the $70 per credit hour fee revenue has funded during the fall semester. The Global Campus Fee become a permanent part of the Tuition and Fees Strate-
gies Committee review cycle for consistent evaluation and recommendation. The K-State administration has yet to make a move regarding the resolution and the requests that were stated. “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback about it, not necessarily them saying they’ll do anything, but them saying ‘Thanks for taking a stance on this,’ or, ‘It’ll be reviewed.’ That’s pretty much all I’ve gotten, just generic feedback,” Billman said.
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GAMEDAY GUIDE
friday, november 20, 2020
‘ Knocking on wood’ : Football team COVID-19 situation looks grim, Klieman optimistic NATHAN ENSERRO assistant sports editor
The Kansas State football team continues to recover from a COVID-19 outbreak last week while they try to prepare for Saturday’s date with Iowa State. “We don’t have enough guys to shift around,” head coach Chris Klieman said. “We’re playing with the guys that we have and just knocking on wood that we are able to get through Wednesday’s tests, which will come back Thursday, and Friday’s test.” Last week, Klieman said the team was down around 20 members and added they were mostly younger guys. He said it strongly impacted his scout team. The Big 12 Conference requires teams to have 53 players, seven offensive line-
men, four interior defensive linemen and one quarterback available for each game. As of Thursday evening the number of active cases on the team decreased from 12 to five, according to Riley County’s COVID health data. “We’re just down so many guys at certain spots that we can’t even move people,” Klieman said. “I’m just knocking on wood that we get good results here in the next week.” Klieman also gave an update on injured senior tight end Briley Moore. “He’s getting closer. He hasn’t put on pads yet, but he’s been running around a little bit so I’m more optimistic. It might be a game-time decision,” Klieman said. With sophomore tight end Sammy Wheeler out for the year with an injury he sustained against Oklahoma
State, the Wildcats are thin at the position already. COVID-19 and injuries aside, K-State continues to prepare for one of the Big 12’s better teams in No. 17 Iowa State. The Cyclones sit at the top of the Big 12 at 5-1 in conference play. Like K-State, Iowa State dropped their season opener to a team from the Sunbelt Conference. “It’s a veteran club that is playing at a really high level. They have talent at both offense and defense,” Klieman said. “We have to come up with some really good game plans and have to play error-free, disciplined football to be able to give ourselves a chance to be able to be successful.”
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08 I SU br i ngs anot he r g o o d r unni ng back NATHAN ENSERRO assistant sports editor
After a bye week, the Kansas State Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on the Iowa State Cyclones — who also had a bye this past week — in a mostly-empty Jack Trice Stadium. The lead man for the 5-2 Cyclones is fifth-year head coach Matt Campbell, who, in previous years, was a head coach at Toledo, a coordinator at Bowling Green and Division III powerhouse Mount Union. He’s an offensive-minded coach, serving as an offensive coordinator, running game coordinator and offensive line coach at those previous stops. The Cyclones’ spread offense is predicated on sophomore running back Breece Hall, who is the best back in the league. He averages nearly 148 yards per game — 36 yards better than second place. They run Hall out of the shotgun
GAMEDAY GUIDE
friday, november 20, 2020
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT and like to throw at least one of their big, talented tight ends out in front of him in the run game. He is a talented down-hill runner, but they also use his lateral quickness in the stretch run game to attack the edges of the defense. Behind an offensive line that averages well over 300 pounds, Campbell and offensive coordinator Tom Manning put together the best rushing offense in the Big 12 Conference. They are good for a hair over 200 yards per game and 19 touchdowns on the season. At quarterback, junior Brock Purdy is a bit of a disappointment this season. The quarterback was expected to be one of the best in the Big 12, but seven games into the year, he sits in sixth place in pass efficiency and fifth in passing yards per game. He’s thrown six interceptions to ten touchdowns in seven games this year. For comparison, he threw nine interceptions to 27 touchdowns in 13 games last year.
Iowa State helped bring the 3-3-5 defense to the Big 12 to try to stop the conference’s pass-heavy offenses. They pull a linebacker or lineman out of a more traditional 3-4 or 4-3 defense and replace him with a third safety. The idea is to get an extra athlete on the field and keep the offense in front of them. This forces the opponent to go on sustained drives and limits explosive plays. In the past, K-State struggled to run the ball against three-man fronts because of the way blocks line up. This Iowa State defense is already the second-best rushing defense in the conference by yards per game. Where the Cyclones are vulnerable, perhaps ironically, is the secondary. Baylor showed an ability to move the ball through the air against Iowa State, including some big plays where they schemed receivers open down field.
KEY MATCHUPS
Create Opportunities At this point in the season, K-State’s offensive struggles are well-documented. The Wildcats will once again have to rely on defense and special teams plays to put them on the scoreboard. If K-State can get interceptions and big plays in the return game that set them up with short fields, they cannot afford to settle for field goals. Aggressive play calling in the plus-territory will be a key to staying in this game. Get to Purdy A strength for this K-State team is its pass rush, and they will absolutely need it again this week. The Iowa State receiving corps is big and K-State’s secondary struggled with big-bodied receivers this season, so the Wildcats cannot afford to give them time to get open. Getting to the quarterback early and often is an underrated part of K-State’s successes this year. They messed
with Oklahoma redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler and TCU sophomore quarterback Max Duggan, forcing mistakes and hesitation en route to wins. Go shot-for-shot A couple of times this season, Iowa State trailed early before going on runs to win the game. Oklahoma and Baylor both coughed up early leads in losses to the Cyclones. In both games, Iowa State caught up in the second half to win. K-State proved they are capable of giving up leads. In their loss to Oklahoma State, the Wildcats led 12-0 at half before giving up 13 unanswered third-quarter points and lost 20-18. The Wildcats will have to answer the Cyclone scores all game to have a chance at a win. PREDICTION: K-State will struggle to move the ball but turnovers, a big play in the pass game and a punt or kickoff return touchdown keep it close. Iowa State wins, but K-State covers the 10-point spread. Final score: 34-27.
PREVIEW CODY FRIESEN
staff writer
The Kansas State and Iowa State matchup traditionally holds a lot at stake. In 2018, with bowl eligibility on the line, the Cyclones defeated the Wildcats 42-38 — it was ultimately Bill Snyder’s final game at the helm. This time around, it’s the Wildcats who have an opportunity to play spoiler and a chance to bounce back to the top of the standings. Despite the two-game skid, the Wildcats remain in contention in the congested Big 12 Conference title race. K-State dominated the series with Iowa State — unofficially dubbed Farmageddon — the last ten years, going 9-1. A win would even the all-time series to 50 apiece. Freshman running back
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Farmageddon matchup could shake up Big 12 standings
Deuce Vaughn was held in check during the last two games. Vaughn had 68 total yards in those competitions. With the focus on Vaughn, the Wildcats were able to open up opportunities running the ball. Iowa State boasts the top rushing defense in the Big 12, limiting opponents to 105.7 rush yards per game. This poses a challenge for K-State as leading receiver senior tight end Briley Moore’s availability is still in question after he suffered an injury against West Virginia. The Cyclones avoided disaster in a 38-31 comeback win over Baylor last time out. Junior quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 164 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in the contest. The K-State defense is dominant this season, and the secondary will have to be looking to capitalize on arrant throws by
Purdy, who has thrown six on the season. The Wildcats have seven interceptions this season and is second in the Big 12 in turnover margin with 11 total gained and seven lost. Stopping the run is crucial for the Wildcats on Saturday, as the Cyclones hold the top spot in rushing offense, powered by sophomore running back Breece Hall. Hall is a force for the Cyclones this season. He is the conference leader in rushing, averaging 147.7 yards per game, and in touchdowns with 14 on the season. He may fly under the radar in Heisman Trophy voting this season, but he will get a lot of attention from K-State on Saturday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior running back Harry Trotter needs to produce on
Saturday if the Cyclones shut down Vaughn. Senior defensive lineman Drew Wiley is currently in the Top 15 in the conference in sacks and tackles for loss. He is part of a defense that recorded 19 sacks on the season and limits opponents to only 25 points per game. Getting into the backfield will be key for the Wildcats to be successful. Iowa State has a tight end room that looks like a basketball team with every player at least six feet tall. Junior tight end Charlie Kolar is second on the team in receiving with 264 yards and three touchdowns. This size and depth at tight end will be an issue for the Wildcats on Saturday. Junior linebacker Mike Rose is the leader in the conference in interceptions this season with three. Rose leads the Cyclones in tackles with 56 on the season. Howard will have to be aware of where he is at all times. The Wildcats are 11-point underdogs, and the over/under is set at 46.5. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Fox.
File Photo by Dylan Connell | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Then-sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy, is tackled by the Wildcat defense. Kansas State defeated Iowa State 27-17 on Senior Night, in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 30, 2019.
Sophomore Philip Brooks hopes to produce on special teams Saturday ADAM MEYER staff writer
Kansas State sat at the top of the Big 12 Conference standings three weeks ago with a 4-0 record in conference play and a No. 16 ranking. When they defeated Kansas to achieve the 4-0 Big record, they had two punt returns for touchdowns and were making noise with special teams. Now, after back-toback losses against West Virginia and Oklahoma State, the Wildcats must win their last three games to compete in the Big 12 Championship game. Lack of production in special teams is a big reason for their losses in the last two games. Sophomore wide receiver Philip Brooks is the big playmaker on the special teams this season for the Wildcats. He had two punt returns for touchdowns in the 55-14 win over Kansas. Special teams’ success can make a big difference for K-State, and the members of special teams want to produce each week. “We are Special Teams U, so we plan on making a big play on special teams every week,” Brooks said. “We go into every week trying to return things, trying to block kicks, trying to create big plays, flip the field. Like I said, we’re going to go into every week and try to make a big play on special teams. That’s what we plan on doing this week.” In the Wildcats’ four wins this season, they scored at least 21 points. In their last two
losses, they scored 10 points and 18 points. Because of the Wildcats’ special teams success in their four wins — especially against Kansas — teams have taken an extra initiative to shut them out. Opponents are scheming the Wildcats differently, which caused some problems for the Wildcats. “There will be opportunities [against Iowa State] to take advantage of,” Brooks said. “So, even though they might be scheming differently, we can still have the ability to scheme ourselves and create big plays on special teams.” Touchdowns from special teams will certainly help the Wildcats — especially with a struggling offensive featuring a freshman quarterback missing other key players, but good returns on punt and kickoff returns for good field positioning will really help. “It is huge for us [when special teams] can put us in positive field position,” offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said. “When we have got to take over the ball inside the red zone we have been able to score points. As a team, we are always trying to find ways to win with offense, defense and special teams.” Brooks is the main production on special teams right now for the Wildcats, and he will hope to gain good yardage on returns if not produce touchdowns against Iowa State Saturday.
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BASKETBALL PREVIEW CAMERON BRADLEY
sports editor
The men’s basketball team looks to improve this year after a disastrous 2019-2020 campaign that saw K-State finish last in the Big 12 Conference with a record of 11-21, just one year after winning a share of the Big 12 Championship. For now, Kansas State is set to tipoff their season against Drake on Nov. 25 as a part of the Little Apple Classic. Weber said Big 12 teams needs six scholarship players available for games to be played — K-State had eight available for practice just the other day. Even with that number, Weber is still concerned. “There are so many things involved, the COVID-19 tracing, etc,” Weber said. “But also the mental health. That’s a really big factor. I just hope and pray for our guys. I am not sure how many bodies we will have next Wednesday, but I hope we get to play for their sake.” COVID-19 aside, K-State is going to look completely different on the court than it did last year. The team only returns five players from last season, and only four of them saw playing time.
Over the offseason, K-State lost nine players from their 14-man roster, including three graduates and six transfers. The big losses include forward Xavier Sneed, who graduated last season and guard Cartier Diarra, who transferred to Virginia Tech over the offseason. Even with the losses, K-State returned a trio of young players and senior Mike McGuirl to help lead this year’s squad. On top of that, K-State also signed nine new players to the roster over the offseason, including four transfer athletes. Weber is talking up the transfers from Texas, Carlton Linguard Jr. (Temple College) and Kaosi Ezeagu (UTEP). He also praised freshman Davion Bradford, comparing him to a literal aircraft carrier. One more transfer Weber talked up is guard Rudi Williams, coming from Northeast Oklahoma A&M. Williams had to establish himself into a leadership role on the team, as he is one of the two juniors currently on the roster. “There is a little pressure because us being so young,” Williams said. “So, I put that pressure on myself to be a leader and be an instant impact guy on our team. I also understand that I am
Men’s basketball prepares for season unlike any other
File Photo by Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Then-freshman forward Antonio Gordon celebrates after a play during K-State’s men’s basketball sunflower showdown against Kansas in Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 29, 2020. The Jayhawks narrowly beat the Wildcats 62-58. new to this as well. Even with me being as old as I am, it is also my first go around with K-State men’s basketball and playing basketball at this level. At the end of the day, I want to be a leader here and I want to help our team win, so I got to do what I got to do.” The starting lineup for Wednes-
day is a mystery. With only four players getting playing time last year, and with everything up in the air with COVID-19, we are bound to see plenty of new faces on the court in the Wildcats matchup against Drake. No matter who the starting five is though, K-State will have to be pre-
pared for a tough Drake team that finished off last season with a 20-14 record and made a run to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals. The Bulldogs return two players who started every game last year including redshirt junior Roman Penn who averaged 12 points per game and led the team in three-point percentage shooting at 40.3 percent last season. K-State starts out their season with six straight home non-conference games. Normally that would be a big advantage in a year where fans are allowed inside the arena, but as it stands right now three of those first six games will be without fans in Bramlage Coliseum, and it is tough to say whether or not it will stay that way for the rest of the year. “Our state is one of the higher positive percentages in the country,” Weber said. “I think they will make the best decision for the safety of everybody. Even though we would love to have fans, the big thing is getting to the games. That will help us. It may not be pretty, but it will be nice to get there.” K-State’s season opener with the Bulldogs tips off at 1 p.m. on Nov. 25, and is available on ESPNU.
Women’s basketball team heads into season with optimism MARSHALL SUNNER staff writer
File Photo by Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Then-senior guard Angela Harris charges the basket for a layup during K-State’s women’s basketball team’s Senior Day game against Kansas in Bramlage Coliseum on March 8, 2020. The Wildcats took the Jayhawks 83-63. After the game, K-State held a ceremony in honor of this year’s three senior players.
Head women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie is starting off the season with a “moneyball” mentality. After losing three seniors to graduation — Angela Harris, Peyton Williams, and Jasauen Beard — Kansas State knew it’d take effort to replace them. Mittie knows it’s going to take more than effort to replace Williams though, who averaged 11.0 rebounds per game. “Rebounding is an area we need to improve. We lost a great rebounder in Williams,” Mittie said in a press conference last week. “She averaged 11 a game. We are not
going to replace that player. We are not going to replace Williams with one player. I have gone back and rewatched Moneyball and we are not replacing Giambi. We are going to have to replace Giambi with about three players and I have done all the math I can do but I don’t know if it works with basketball but I like the movie anyway so it is a great excuse to watch it.” The main focus will be on sophomore post player Ayoka Lee who is coming off of a season in which she averaged a double-double — 15.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Lee comes into the season on three notable award watchlists: Lisa Leslie Award (given to the top center in college basketball), Wom-
en’s Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy. Mittie believes his center is one of the team’s main strengths. “I think the strength is we have a great end of offense player in Ayoka Lee,” he said. “She established herself as a player we could throw it to and finish at a young age and I think she has had a good solid offseason. I think the difference in her game will be. Last year we really didn’t facilitate offense through her as much as we threw it to her when she was in a scoring position.”
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
CHANGE OF PLANS MARSHALL SUNNER
staff writer
K-State Athletics announced two scheduling updates for the 2020 men's basketball season on Monday. Athletics announced South Dakota will replace South Dakota State in the Little Apple Classic, as SDSU withdrew from the event to join the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during the same timeframe. The addition of the Coyotes will not affect Kansas State as the Wildcats are still set to play Drake and Colorado in the tournament. Additionally, Omaha replaced South Dakota for a matchup with the Wildcats on Dec. 29. K-State will tip-off the 2020 season in the Little Apple Classic at 1 p.m. against Drake on Nov. 25. The game on Nov. 27 against Colorado is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Outside of the Little Apple Classic, the Wildcats will play UMKC at 7 p.m. Nov. 30. The first three K-State games will be broadcasted
CAMERON BRADLEY K-State Athletics confirmed to student pass holders in an email on Tuesday afternoon that fans are not allowed inside Bramlage Coliseum throughout the month of November because of recent increases in COVID-19 cases. The games impacted by this decision include the Little Apple Classic on Nov. 25 to 27, featuring K-State matchups with Drake and Colorado.
Men’s basketball announces scheduling updates, tip-off times for season
on ESPNU. Other game times revealed include home games against Milwaukee at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8, Jacksonville at 1 p.m. on Dec. 21, and Omaha at 7 p.m. on Dec. 29. Those games will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The game time for the Dec. 5 matchup with UNLV has not been announced yet. That game's start time depends on K-State football's time announcement for their game against Texas on the same day. K-State Athletics said further game times and television scheduling will be released as more becomes official.
File Photo by Logan Wassall COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Then-junior guard Cartier Diarra charges the basket during K-State’s men’s basketball sunflower showdown against Kansas in Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 29, 2020. The Jayhawks narrowly beat the Wildcats 62-58.
Fans not allowed in Bramlage Coliseum throughout November sports editor
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The women's basketball opener against Southern on Nov. 29, as well as the men's basketball matchup with Kansas City on Nov. 30, are also impacted. The news comes after Kansas State decided to cancel fall commencement ceremonies originally scheduled at Bramlage Coliseum over the weekend. “In concert with the university’s decision to cancel graduation ceremonies, this was a prudent decision for us at this time,” K-State Athlet-
ics director Gene Taylor said in a press release. The athletic department still plans to allow 25 percent fan capacity in future games which has been approved by the Riley County Health Department. The decision does not affect K-State football's matchup with Texas on Dec. 5. All three men's games affected by the decision will be broadcasted on ESPNU, while the women's game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
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Community seeks solutions as food insecurity at K-State increases LORI LEIZLER staff writer
About one in nine Americans struggles with hunger. Data from 2016 shows a 17.9 percent food insecurity rate in Riley County. Vickie James, coordinator for the Food and Farm Council for Riley County and the city of Manhattan, said COVID-19 brought many new hardships the previous data doesn’t reflect. “The food insecurity rate is a fluid thing,” James said. “From the time data is collected until it’s published, the situation changes just like that. We’re finishing up 2020, and in the last few months COVID has made a big difference in what things look like. The number of people who are struggling financially has really increased and is escalating currently.” James said food insecurity doesn’t just apply to the homeless. Some Kansas State students who haven’t had issues in the past might be experiencing food insecurity for the first time this year because of unexpected financial challenges. “It could be a situation where a student worked in a restaurant that had to close or lay people off because of this year, or maybe it’s students in quarantine or isolation so they can’t work and pay bills,” James said. “These financial things come on quickly and they hit really hard, especially for a population like our K-State students who maybe don’t have lots of years of savings in the bank to help them recover.” Students’ need for support also increases around this time of year, Sarah Hoyt, operations lead at Cats’ Cupboard, said. “From what I’ve seen, there’s peaks at the beginning and the ends of the semester,” Hoyt said. “I think people now are looking toward the break. Especially if they’re on campus, they’re going, ‘Oh, it’s not going to be available. I’d better get some now.’”
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HEALTH
James said the holiday season also brings up concerns about extra costs, as people travel a lot more and spend money on gifts. “That, rolled into what’s happening with COVID, just escalates the existing issue,” James said. Despite the increased numbers of students in need around this time of the semester, Hoyt said Cats’ Cupboard is seeing fewer visitors this year because many students are learning online and don’t go on campus and remember Cats’ Cupboard when they walk by Fairchild. “I also wonder, though no one has confirmed this with me, if there were students who were struggling financially who just didn’t come back this semester,” Hoyt said. “Not that anything has changed for us, it’s just that people’s lives have changed. We’re still here and we’re still open just as many hours — in fact we’re open more hours after 5 than we ever were before.” Hoyt said getting donations and volunteers to help those in need was difficult at the beginning of the pandemic, but that a surge of community support around the holidays helped fill the pantry. “Our motto is, ‘Take what you need, use what you take, and be mindful of your fellow Wildcats,’” Hoyt said. “It’s here for everyone, and it’s great seeing the way the community can come together around a cause and support each other.” In addition to Cats’ Cupboard, members of the community and K-State have access to other resources to fight food insecurity. The nourishtogether.org website, created this fall, contains information for people in need and for those wanting to donate or volunteer. “There are lots of different ways to volunteer food, time and dollars,” James said, “and if you can’t do that it’s okay to be on the receiving end. That’s part of the beauty of community.”
Konza Student Table, one of the organizations that serves students facing food insecurity, uses volunteers from the community and gives students from the hospitality department hands-on experience preparing the weekly evening meals and brown-bag breakfasts. Abby Rouse, director of stewardship at St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center, oversees Konza Student Table and said that, when the service began in September, it served 300 meals each Wednesday. “We ran out the first night,” Rouse said. “Now we’re up to 600 meals a night.” Rouse said the Konza Student Table will continue to operate through the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks — just because school ends early doesn’t mean the need ends as well. While students in the hospitality department help prepare the meals for Konza Student Table, students in the Staley School of Leadership Studies are also getting involved with the issue. They are learning more about food insecurity in the area and seeking solutions, Amanda Cebula, who teaches three sections of LEAD 212, said. “A study done by the Cats’ Cupboard a few years back shows that 40 percent of our K-State population faces food insecurity,” Cebula said. “So even thinking of a class of 100 students, which would be pretty common for LEAD 212, 40 of that 100 could potentially be impacted by food insecurity.” Cebula said the leadership department is always heavily involved with fighting food insecurity in the area, and in a typical year her students would participate in Cats for Cans, collecting goods from each neighborhood in Manhattan then donating them to the Flint Hills Breadbasket. But
this is not a typical year, and COVID-19 is causing Cebula’s students to take a new look at the issue of food insecurity. “This semester for our sections, we’re actually having students pick apart the process that we’ve done for the last 20 years,” Cebula said. “The students right now are pulling apart all of what was good about what we’ve done, and how we could change for the future.” Cebula said the purpose of this semester’s activity was to help her students learn about leadership while working with others to make a plan about a really tough issue. “But who knows, maybe we’ll hear something in those plans that helps us strengthen our program in the future when we’re able to go out in the com-
Archive Photo by Katelin Woods | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
About one in nine Americans struggles with hunger. Data from 2016 shows a 17.9 percent food insecurity rate in Riley County. munity again,” Cebula said. James said as people turn their minds towards Thanksgiving and the holiday season, they might begin to experience a strong desire to give back to the community. “I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to give to consider how they can do that, whether it’s putting food
in a blessing box around town, or donating to food drives, or volunteering at Konza Student Table or otherwise in the community,” James said.
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
‘I’m a pretty lucky guy’ : Wittmer shares a day in his life as student body president SEAN SCHAPER assistant news editor
What is it like in a day of the life of Kansas State’s student body president? Levi Johnson, sophomore in architectural engineering, saw first-hand what a typical Tuesday with Tel Wittmer, student body president and senior in secondary education, looks like. Johnson decided to apply for “Student Body President for a Day,” after seeing the K-State Today Student Edition newsletter back on Oct. 30. “I just thought it looked fun and interesting, so I thought I’d check it out, apply and see if I got selected,” Johnson said. With Tuesday’s one of Wittmer’s busier days, he and Johnson followed a tentative schedule for the busy day ahead. The duo began that morning at Radina’s Coffeehouse & Roastery in the K-State Union for a little energy boost to carry them through morning meetings. By the time their drinks had cooled, they sat in on the President’s Cabinet meeting,
which included updates about the pandemic. Next, they got a sneak-peek tour of the new Morris Family Multicultural Student Center ahead of the virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. The tour was guided by Adrian Rodriguez, associate vice president for student life of diversity and multicultural student affairs. SGA recently donated $20,000 to help finish construction of the new building, which is now the largest stand-alone multicultural student center in the Big 12 Conference. Following the tour, other members of Student Governing Association joined the two for lunch at Union Station by JP’s. The group included Lane Lundeen, student body vice president and senior in fisheries, wildlife and conservation; Maggie Billman, speaker pro tempore and sophomore in secondary education; and Stacia Mendoza, director of student services and engagement and sophomore in business administration. Among topics discussed by
BATS
BAILEY BRITTON editor-in-chief
Bats can pose problems to people when they make nests in the walls and crevices of dwellings. However, bats are essential for certain ecosystems, Kimberly With, biology professor, said, and those ecosystems may be in danger. With researches landscape ecology and how human activities affect ecosystems. Bats happen to be one of her areas of expertise. “Among the greatest threats to bats are really us people because they are feared,” With said. “Some bats do carry diseases like rabies, although this is generally
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the group, like Minecraft, family pets and Dungeons and Dragons, plans for the future was one topic Johnson shared with the group. His goal after college is to work for Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City. “That’s their world center,” Johnson said. “[From there] they can just send you anywhere, so I want that because I really want to travel.” After lunch, the duo traveled back to the “Wildcat West Wing” to sit in on another Zoom meeting in Wittmer’s office, this time with the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. “We updated them on current SGA initiatives, and I introduced them to [Johnson] and what all we have done so far today.” Wittmer’s term began last April after the university made the transition to all online courses to finish the spring semester, so he quickly adapted to the life of Zoom. “Zoom fatigue is real,” Wittmer said. “It’s Zoom meetings all day, but I’m a pretty lucky guy be-
cause I get to advocate on the behalf of the people I care about.” The two enjoyed their midday break separately. Wittmer spends most days at the Recreation Complex to work out during his break while Johnson finished some Calculus homework.
the forest industry, then bats have the potential to provide a great deal of economic, as well as ecological, benefits.” With said bats tend to live in trees and caves. In this area, bats tend to live clustered together because of the few areas available for them to live in. As a result, diseases can wipe out large amounts of bats quickly. “White-nose syndrome is caused by a cold-adapted fungus that has spread like wildfire through the eastern half of the United
events were posted throughout the day on the university’s Instagram story. Applications next semester will give another freshman or sophomore a chance to hang out with Wittmer and be SBP for the day.
president for a day schedule 8:00 a.m.
Radina’s coffee shop in the K-State Union
2:30 p.m.
Break
8:30 a.m.
President’s Cabinet Meeting
6:00 p.m.
Dinner at So Long Saloon
10:00 a.m.
Multicultural Student Center Tour
7:00 p.m.
Senate Executive Meeting
11:00 a.m.
Lunch at Union Station by JP’s
8:30 p.m.
Blue Key Meeting
12:00 p.m.
Chamber of Commerce Meeting
Bats provide benefits to ecosystems, at risk for disease
not as prevalent. And so I think persecution from people, you know, in addition to some of the more indirect effects such as the loss of their habitats, pesticide use, reduces the availability of their prey base.” With said most North American bats are insectivorous — they eat insects — and the use of pesticides on crops impacts the availability of food for the bats. “Economists have actually tried to quantify the benefits that are provided by these pest control services by bats, so it’s been estimated at close to $4 billion a year — $3.7 billion dollars a year to be exact,” With said. “So if we look at ... the agricultural industry and
With the next couple of scheduled meetings canceled, that gave them more time to meet up for dinner at So Long Saloon, better preparing for the Senate Executive meeting and ending the day with the Blue Key meeting. Updates on the different
States and now is appearing in some of the western states like Washington and California, and it’s absolutely devastating,” With said. “I mean, it’s been called one of the worst wildlife disease outbreaks in history because
it has for many species has a 90 to 100 percent fatality rate. So it’s wiping out entire colonies of bats including several that are already teetering on the brink of extinction.” With said no bats in the Flint Hills area have been detected with white-nose syndrome but have been detected in counties in the east, south and west of the area. “We tend to associate bats with caves and actually that’s where and how this white-nose syndrome, was first uncovered,” With said. “People enjoy spelunking ... and they go in caves and so they discovered peculiar looking bats. The following year, they returned to these caves and the cave floors are littered with dead and dying bats.” The bats are in constant close contact with each other, With said, letting the disease
spread from bat to bat. “From a wildlife epidemiological standpoint, it’s just it’s been one of the greatest catastrophes that we that we’ve seen,” With said. Despite the health risks bats may pose to humans, they are a federally protected species. Pest control companies can’t kill bats, so removing them from human dwellings can take several months, if not years.
“Understandably, there is a concern from a public health standpoint,” With said. “But, from the same token, we have to understand they are part of a natural ecosystem. They provide a wealth of ecosystem services.”
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K S UNI T E PAIGE EICHKORN
staff writer
What began in 2017 as an opportunity to share students’ experiences with on-campus xenophobia, homophobia, racism and more was infiltrated by self-proclaimed “groypers,” a group of alt-right provocateurs. The effects of the Zoom bombings that occurred during KSUnite linger for session speakers, minority students and the future of events at Kansas State. In October, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion held the third annual KSUnite via Zoom and YouTube livestream. What began in 2017 as an opportunity to share students’ experiences with xenophobia, homophobia, racism and more was infiltrated by self-proclaimed “groypers,” a group of alt-right provocateurs.
These anonymous accounts flooded comment sections with disruptions and direct attacks against speakers and minority students. The religion session had to be shut down because of the comments. Aayat Kazi, senior in construction science and management, was a speaker representing Muslim students in that session. She said the distractions were personal. “I invited family and friends to watch our session,” Kazi said. “My mom took her lunch break in between that hour to watch our session. I had friends from my country watching this, so I wasn’t embarrassed, but I was caught off guard by how many fake accounts there were and what they were saying and targeting our panelists. I was reading the comments at first, but
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Effects of KSUnite Zoom bombings linger
then I just stopped because that wasn’t the point of me speaking. It was to share my experience.” The Zoom bombing of KSUnite was discouraging to see as a speaker, Kazi said. “It was hard enough to share,” she said. “Personally speaking, I mentioned 9/11 and how that changed my life, so our topics and what we were talking about did not make anything easy, and then reading those things and dealing with it didn’t make anything easier.” Two other panelists in Kazi’s session shared their experiences with spirituality and atheism. Meanwhile, many of the comments by hijackers were questioning where the Christian session was. Though the religion session didn’t go the way she hoped, Kazi said it was still an honor to speak
at KSUnite. “You’re sharing such personal information on what made you be the person that you are,” Kazi said. “I’m very thankful that I had this experience. I hoped it would have turned out in a different way, but I hope that someone somewhere heard me and my fellow panelists and opened their eyes.” The university was not able to post recordings of this year’s sessions due to the nature of many messages posted. Many accounts renamed themselves, claiming to be President Richard Myers, vice president for student life and dean of students Thomas Lane and Vedant Kulkarni, a senior in management information systems and mass communications. Kulkarni has previously spoken out against groypers and
File Photo by Sophie Osborn | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
The Zoom bombings of KSUnite lead to a protest of racism at Kansas State. those at K-State affiliated with them. As a result, he’s been targeted throughout the semester. “The first thing I did that night was I reached out to Vedant,” Kazi said. “I adore that guy. He’s so energetic. I reached out to him and I was like, ‘Listen, you don’t deserve it, don’t mind it. You know you’re loved by peo-
ple, and you’re doing great things for the university.’” Kulkarni shared Kazi’s frustration over the way KSUnite unfolded.
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
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ARTS ‘Inside Out’: Beach Museum brings art outdoors for all to enjoy ETHAN THIMMESCH staff writer
COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, and the Beach Museum of Art inside out. The museum revealed an “Inside Out” window exhibition where art can now be
experienced from outside its grand windows all hours of the day. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the museum to temporarily close to the public, exhibitions designer Luke Dempsey raised the idea of putting art in the windows, Linda Duke, director
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of the Beach Museum, said in an email. “I loved the idea immediately, as did several staff members,” Duke said. Duke also credited exhibition designer and building systems lead Lindsay Smith who “took on with enthusiasm the role of curator and design-
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er of the installation.” Through the hard work of the staff, this idea is now a reality. However, if you plan to see what’s currently on display, don’t put it off too long. “[Smith] continues to work on new ideas, as some of the window displays will change over the next few
weeks,” Duke said. Though most past exhibitions have been limited by the museum’s normal business hours, these lit-up window exhibits can also be seen at night. The staff also posted signs that provide details on the artwork displayed, including links to more information via Smartify, a free phone app available on the Apple and Google Play Store. Camryn Willett, senior in marketing, said the new way to experience the museum is exciting. “I think it’s super cool that you can walk around outside the museum so you can feel safe during this pandem-
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ic,” Willett said. “I can’t wait to go back at night with my friends and see the artwork lit up at night. It looked cool on the video I saw online, but it has to be better in person.” Raley Miller, senior in agricultural business, said it was a “smart move,” if a bit overly cautious. “Even though I’m not the biggest art consumer there is, I think it’s a smart move by the museum to make these displays available,” Miller said. “Even though shutting everything down seems to be overreacting, they adapted well and were able to keep people happy by displaying their art.”
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OPINION
friday, november 20, 2020
FASHION Some men like to wear dresses, and it really is that simple
ANNA SCHMIDT opinions editor
This weekend, aesthetically satisfying and eccentric photos of Harry Styles covered all corners of the internet. Instagram and Twitter were plastered with reposts of Styles’ Vogue shoot in which he is photographed wearing couture gowns, skirts and other high-fashion pieces. Styles, one of the most likable pop stars in the world, has an unbelievably large fan base and is known for his daring, sometimes feminine fashion choices and his ambiguous sexuality. In fact, this is what most fans love about him. When Styles’ photos hit the internet, most reposts were in favor of his venturesome decision to wear a dress. However, Twitter wouldn’t be Twitter if there wasn’t a little bit of backlash as well. The most widely controversial and irking comment for Styles stans was likely the one made by conservative political pundit Candace Owens. Owens is a political commentator and podcast host who rarely shies away from controversial issues on Twitter and elsewhere, especially when the topics at hand are culturally relevant. Some of her favorite topics to cover are race, feminism and President Donald Trump. Her tweet read, “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.” I’ve watched several of Owens’ YouTube videos and podcast episodes, and at times understand her political, personal and cultural perspec-
tives. At other times, I don’t. Regardless, I heard the buzz about her tweets and went into the issue attempting to have a balanced outlook. At first glance, I vaguely understood her sentiment. In many ways, traditional masculinity is valuable, and she is right, the west cannot survive without it. Masculinity includes ideas like taking on responsibility in your life and following through. Also, masculinity encompasses traits like working hard for what you need, taking care of the people you love and being tough when you have to, because sometimes that’s what life requires of you. So, to devalue all masculine traits and pretend that all of them are “toxic” would be silly. It implies that the only valuable traits are feminine, which seems fairly tone-deaf. The world functions with the help of both men and women and the valuable characteristics each of them bring to the table. So Owens was right in that respect — masculinity is valuable. However, I think she missed the mark in several ways. The first, just because one man wears a dress doesn’t mean masculine values are being completely eroded. Most places you look, there are still handfuls of traditionally masculine men. Professional athletes are idolized in this country to seemingly the same degree that Styles is. There can be room for a few men in dresses and men in football helmets. It seems fairly dramatic to pretend that Styles wearing a dress is causing some sort of downfall in the west. The second, the most valuable pieces of masculinity have nothing to do with what a man wears. Things like hard work, sacrifice for your family
and being resilient can be done regardless of your appearance. While those masculine qualities shouldn’t be thrown aside, I think it’s okay if a few boring, button-down suits are traded in for fun, experimental fashion pieces. I’m not convinced that this meer change in wardrobe will have a lasting negative impact on society in the way Owens implies. Lastly, going after how someone chooses to express themselves in such an attacking way just feels unkind. I know it’s a snowflake thing to say, but the comments seemed so unnecessarily extreme. A general rule of thumb I have when commenting on political or cultural issues is that if you are the one slinging insults and negativity, you’re probably not the good guy. If Owens has a genuine concern for the effect that the feminization of men could have on society, this isn’t the way to get it across. Styles is a person who likely summoned at least a certain amount of courage to express himself in this way. I understand concerns about western societies devaluing masculinity and putting femininity on a pedestal. But it feels like Owens is stretching to correlate that issue with Styles wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue, when the two are not necessarily related. Some men like to wear dresses, and it really is that simple. Anna Schmidt is the Collegian opinions editor and a junior in mass communications. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and the persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.