VOL. 121, ISSUE 16
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© 2015 collegian media group
T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 5
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR KANSAS STATE UNIVERSIT Y
INSIDE
Geoscience jobs down in Kansas, prospects higher in other states
this issue 3: >> PAGE Horoscopes
for the week from Madame LoCoco
JACOB VALDEZ the collegian
A
n executive directive signed by Gov. Sam Brownback abolished 18 job classifications and replaced them with 16 new classifications, leaving workers in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and other agencies to reshuffle into new job classifications in late September. Fifteen of the abolished categories include environmental and geological science work. Matthew Brueseke, associate professor of geology, said he does not believe reshuffling the jobs will adversely affect this year’s graduates with geoscience degrees. He said there are more jobs in the geoscience field outside of government agencies, and these are the fields that most K-State graduates plan on going into. The most common employers for K-State geoscience graduates are various resource-sector companies involved in oil and gas mining, environmental consulting agencies and government agencies, according to Brueseke. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2014 people working in geoscience fields in Kansas made, on average, around $80,000; the national average salary for geoscience workers was about $105,000 in 2014. Texas and Oklahoma have the highest national average salaries
6: >> PAGE Morgan
Burns wins POW Award
Kansas campus gun policy to see changes
Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (left) chats with K-State President Kirk Schulz on the sideline of Kivisto Field during the fourth quarter of the Sunflower Showdown Saturday evening in Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. for geoscience jobs, according to the BLS. Texas geoscience salaries averaged nearly $150,000 in 2014, and Oklahoma geoscience workers made over $125,000, on average. “Many of our graduates have ended up in Texas and Oklahoma, though there are many careers in Kansas,” Brueseke said. K-State alumni should not be intimidated when considering work in Texas, according to Lisa Givens, director of Communications at the Texas Workforce Commission.
“I can say that as a transplant myself, I have found Texans to be some of the most friendly people around, and the employment opportunities are diverse for those with current in-demand skills,” Givens said. Rex Buchanan, interim director at the Kansas Geological Survey, said he believes current geoscience majors should not read into the jobs reclassification. “I think that was more of an adjustment in state government,
getting folks in geoscience on a scale comparable with other technical backgrounds and providing some sense of pay equity,” Buchanan said. Buchanan also said geoscience jobs tend to follow the oil and gas market. “The BLS data reflect the fact that most energy-sector companies in the USA are based in Texas and Oklahoma, and this sector pays the best,” Brueseke said. “Mining pays similar, but often slightly lower.”
TAYLOR HARRELSON the collegian
Kansas universities are currently under an exemption Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law in 2013 preventing the concealed carry of handguns on college campuses. That exemption expires on July 1, 2017, however. Kansas universities, under the Kansas Board of Regents, are preparing in case the state legislature approves a law that will allow people to carry concealed firearms without a permit on campuses. Kansas legislation created a provision that colleges and universities cannot prohibit concealed carry unless a building has “adequate security measures.” “In 2014, Kansas legislature passed a law that prohibits guns unless a sign that says no open carry is posted on campus or buildings,” Brodie Herrman, senior in political science, director of state relations and member of the Collegian Media Group board of directors, said. “In 2015, you are now allowed to conceal carry without license or prior training. Combined, all of the laws create a messy problem.” Ronnie Grice, assistant vice president of the K-State Division of Public Safety and director of the K-State Police Department, said there are plans that will take effect if the Kansas Board of Regents and legislators decide the policy should expire. “We are looking at creating a storage facility for individuals to store weapons on campus,” Grice said. “We would have to secure some of the buildings like the child care center and the student union. see page
5, “GUNS”
Local organization is a real Friend of Animals
Evert Nelson | THE COLLEGIAN
Sally Mayes, founder of Friends of Animals Kansas, sits in her living room with two of her dogs Sammy (on her lap) and Max on Monday.
MAGGIE STANTON the collegian
In 15 years, Sally Mayes said she has seen it all: dogs, birds and the occasional bobcat. Sooner or later, they’ve all turned up to Friends of Animals Inc., and Mayes, the founder of the organization, said she has taken it upon herself to find them a forever home. Operating as a tax-exempt
THIS DAY IN HISTORY On this day in 1913, Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. His innovation reduced the time it took to build a car from more than 12 hours to two hours and 30 minutes. history.com
nonprofit, Friends of Animals was founded to find homes for animals at the Junction City-Geary County Animal Shelter. Friends of Animals also provides free veterinary care to the shelter animals in need. Mayes said up to 95 percent of animals need some sort of care. “Just this week, we’ve had two knee surgeries, some X-rays and an eye surgery so far,” Mayes said. Mayes said animals who are healthy and in good shape find
homes much easier. Although it’s not a brick and mortar rescue, its reach extends throughout the local area. Jennifer Gfeller, director of the Junction City-Geary County Animal Shelter, said Friends of Animals is crucial to their work. “We can’t do what we do without them,” Gfeller said. It hasn’t always been easy, Mayes said. In addition to the heartache that comes with working with abandoned animals, Mayes said
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keeping the organization afloat takes all hands on deck. Friends of Animals survives on donations, which Mayes said are coming less frequently and in smaller amounts. “Our veterinary bills run between $40,000 and $45,000 a year,” Mayes said. “(Donations are) the only way to keep going.” Mayes said she estimates the number of animals Friends of Animals has saved is “well past 9,000.” She said finding the animals new homes is no easy task. “We don’t just put them in any home,” Mayes said. “It’s a tough screening process, and that’s what we want for our animals.” Some K-State students who are aware of the organization said they are grateful for the work it does. Hannah Condrey, senior in public relations and owner of two adopted chihuahuas, said the organization is vital for abandoned animals. “Rescues like this are important because without them, one of my chihuahuas would still be out on the street, and the other would be scheduled to be euthanized,” Condrey said. Gfeller said she believes Mayes is the best person for the job. “She’s such a wonderful person,” Gfeller said. “I can’t imagine a better advocate for the animals.” Despite the hard work, Mayes said she can’t imagine doing anything else. “It’s a job, it makes me feel like I’m doing something important,” Mayes said. “It just makes you feel good, since this is desperately needed.”
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The Collegian welcomes your letters. We reserve the right to edit submitted letters for clarity, accuracy, space and relevance. A letter intended for publication should be no longer than 350 words and must refer to an article that appeared in the Collegian within the last 10 issues. 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 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, Jon Parton, at 785-370-6356 or email news@kstatecollegian.com.
The Collegian, a student newspaper at Kansas State University, is published by Collegian Media Group. It is published weekdays during the school year and on Wednesdays during the summer. Periodical postage is paid at Manhattan, KS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 828 Mid-Campus Drive South, Kedzie 103, Manhattan, KS 66506-7167. First copy free, additional copies 25 cents. [USPS 291 020] Š Collegian Media Group, 2015
Zits | By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
3
THECURRENT tuesday, december 1, 2015
Body shaming not specific to size, gender of a person DEVEN KING the collegian
‘Y
ou’re really going to eat that?’ ‘Careful, you might blow away.’ ‘Sorry, we don’t carry plus sizes.’ ‘You’d look so much better if you had some meat on your bones.’ ‘Do you need a booster seat to drive?’ ‘You’re like a big, tall string bean.’ These are common phrases that are hurtful toward various body types. Not all human beings are created the same. We are all subject to judgment and criticism. This often falls under body shaming. “Body shaming is making someone feel inadequate just because of their body type,” Caitlin Ohnoutka, senior in animal sciences and industry, said. “This could be because they are thin, fat, small chested, broad shouldered or any more reasons.” Ohnoutka described her body as athletic. She said she thought she has a little extra in her hips and thighs, but she sees herself as in shape and muscular. “Society makes fun of all body types — big, small, lean, tall, fat, skinny,” Casey Adams, junior in finance, said. “If there is a difference, society pokes fun at it.” Adams described her body type as muscular and strong-statured. She
File Photo Illustration by Hannah Hunsinger | THE COLLEGIAN
Body shaming effects many individuals of all body types. said she has experienced body shaming when people told her that her butt was big or her shoulders were too broad, and she has also seen body shaming happen to other people. “One of my friends is really skinny, but she eats more than any-
one I know,” Adams said. “People always talk down to her about her weight. She’s beautiful but you can tell it really wears on her confidence.” Ohnoutka said that although she doesn’t think she has experienced it personally, body shaming is some-
thing she has been aware of for several years. “I don’t think I’ve ever been body shamed,” Ohnoutka said. “However, especially in high school, I wasn’t ever considered one of the thin and pretty girls that were idol-
ized at that time. I think that I subconsciously shamed myself.” She said she has made several lifestyle changes to help her feel better about herself. “In college, I put on weight and that was tough looking back on pictures,” Ohnoutka said. “I decided to make a change. Now I’m more aware of what I eat and try to work out daily. I do this more for a health standpoint; however, I have seen the changes in my body, ultimately giving me confidence that I’ve never felt before.” Spencer Scotten, graduate student in animal science, said he would describe himself as having an average build. “Not an Abercrombie model build, but not bad,” Scotten said. He said he doesn’t think body shaming is focused toward a specific physical build. “I think society makes fun of many different body types, mainly the extremes, if somebody is very heavy or very skinny,” Scotten said. “I’ve never had to worry about my eating habits affecting my body; however, that is not the case for everyone.” Mary Matthews, instructor of journalism and mass communications, said body image affects her children differently. see page
5, “BODY”
Slightly sarcastic horoscopes for the week of Dec. 1 Aries (March 21 - April 19) You need to do something crazy to release all of that pent-up aggression. It wouldn’t be the first time you did something stupid in the name of self-soothing. Need Madam LoCoco to refresh your memory? Just think back to your first semester of freshman year… Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Letting yourself get caught up in the hustle and bustle of things might be a little risky, but it’s well worth the gamble. You desperately need to start chipping your way out of that boring, conservative little chrysalis you’ve been languishing in.
IRIS LOCOCO the collegian
Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22) Spend some time this week planning a fun road trip. Perhaps the change of scenery will help you forget about all of the detours you’ve been taking in your academic life lately. It’s not very likely to work, but hey, at least it’s more exciting than spending another weekend Googling for dirt on all of your friends. Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) ’Tis the season, and it’s time to put some effort into increasing your goodwill to man. Your housemates are sick of you stealing change out of the community beer jar so you can buy yourself lottery tickets and scratch cards. And you wonder why you never win.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) Apply some of that peppermint latte-generated energy toward keeping your big yap shut. If you keep running your mouth, it’s bound to land you in an awkward situation (for the umpteenth time this year). Here’s a potential New Year’s resolution for you: think before you speak.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20) It’s really in your best interest to restrain from committing to any additional financial obligations this week. You can hardly keep track of how much you have in your wallet, let alone what’s in your 401K. Consider seeking professional financial help. Also, consider seeking another sort of professional help, but only after you have your finances in order.
Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) You’re feeling suffocated beneath a sea of meaningless details and frustrating minutiae this week, Libra. You can either freak out like you usually do and hope that your useless flailing will somehow save you from drowning, or you can finally attempt to organize yourself enough that you can stay afloat through the end of the semester. Don’t expect anyone else to take pity on you and throw you a life preserver.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) Nobody is in the mood to hear you harp on about your heavy issues again. Lately, you’ve been such a drama monger over every little thing that all of your friends are just praying you’ll close the curtain. It’s time to call intermission before all of your friends decide to leave the theater permanently.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22) This week might seem like an uphill struggle, but you have to trust that things will level back out eventually if you just persevere. Or you could just stop fighting gravity and take a tuck-and-roll tumble down the hill instead. Might be more fun that way.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) You’ve been dealing with a few sticky issues in your private life and the energy it takes to keep it all under wraps is starting to drain you in an existential way. Take a day to be even more selfish than you usually are: get a massage, treat yourself to a nice dinner and laze about like a sloth. You’re good at that.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) Make some plans to get all of your friends together this weekend … that is, if you still have any. If you don’t, make a trip down to the local PetSmart and spend some time with some of the least judgmental creatures you could ever hope to meet. It will be much more difficult for a creature with a three-second attention span to realize how awful you are.
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Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20) Aww, isn’t your dogged idealism endearing? Actually, no, it isn’t. Your hopeful delusions are going to do nothing but further disappoint you. Suck it up and accept the fact that sometimes life is just hopefully crappy and miserable. It’s not permanent … probably.
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4
OPINION tuesday, december 1, 2015
Is the average work day schedule ideal?
RYAN VILLWOCK the collegian
For most people, the common workday begins around 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Waking up at 7 a.m. five days a week makes me wonder — why is this the standard schedule? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employed American works 7.8 hours per workday in 2014. Robert Owen, British social reformer during the late 1700s, is credited as saying the phrase, “eight hours of labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours of rest.”
IS THIS SCHEDULE IDEAL?
While it may seem like common sense, this is said to be a non-beneficial schedule for people to work with. The question is: Should we change the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule to a later time, as has been increasingly argued by some? The main reason these hours do not work is because the average person’s day no longer falls between those hours. People are up later doing more things after 5 p.m. Think about the last time you came home from school or work at 5 p.m. and just stayed home all night. American lives are getting busier and because of this, many businesses now have to have 24-hour centers or later closing hours. An August 2014 National Association of Convenience Stores article by Chris Blasinsky said as of 2014, over 65 percent of convenience stores are open 24/7. In addition, 90 percent of new stores are opened with 24/7 operations, according to the article. While this can be really good for overnight truckers and people who work later shifts, it is also bringing a lot of opposition. Concerns with so many late-night places include an increase in crime, light pollution and traffic concerns. Now, let’s think of the businesses that run on electronics, such as banks, computers or phone technology. Imagine how your life would be if at 10 p.m., you couldn’t call someone and find the answers to how to get your laptop working. What would you do? And, what if those businesses couldn’t make money off of late-night sales or lost customers because of the declining convenience factor? In my opinion, this isn’t an issue for businesses. This is an issue for people. We live in an amazing time where we can know about anything in the blink of an eye. Thanks to a fast and almost national Internet, we live in a world where everyone wants to
Illustration by Kent Willmeth know everything — a world of knowledge. Sometimes, however, that thirst for knowing and doing more overtakes our lives. We need to take the time to slow down and enjoy the things we are doing and have.
POTENTIAL LATER SCHEDULE
This all has us asking if this constant life of movement is leading us to an inevitable crash. In my opinion, it’s a good thing that life is getting later, but we still need to take time to enjoy it. Many studies have shown that being a “night owl” is actually beneficial. In an article titled “Up All Night: 7 Little-Known Facts About Night Owls” by Lizette Borelli of Medicaldaily.com, I was able to find some interesting facts about night owls. According to the article,
night owls actually have higher brain activity than early birds. “The late-to-bed strategy helps night owls handle sleep pressure,” which allows you to use more of your brain the longer you are awake. In addition, night owls scored higher on intellectual tests that involve inductive reasoning, according to the article.
VERDICT
So does the typical work schedule demand changing? Is this a question worth exploring? In my opinion, no, and for a few simple reasons. While it is true that being a night owl does have its benefits, making the work schedule later wouldn’t affect that. If anything, it would make it worse. Working an eight-hour day would be very hard to change, and in all honesty, it doesn’t need to be changed. If we were to
2025 plan makes life difficult for 2015 MICHAEL LEE the collegian
K-State’s plan for a complete remodel of the campus by the year 2025 is really making campus difficult to navigate for current students. Not only is the K-State Student Union undergoing a complete makeover, but several parts of campus have begun drastic alterations that make different parts of campus very difficult to access. K-State 2025 was a proposal put forth by President Kirk Schulz, voted on by hundreds of supporters of the university, builds off our history and, after just 18 months, has been put in place to improve our campus for the future. With the past and the future in mind, there is little being done to ensure that the students currently paying thousands of dollars in tuition to attend such a prestigious university are not being deprived of the rights they earn every semester when they enroll in classes at K-State. According to the K-State 2025 Visionary Plan’s website, “A university strategic plan is never done — it evolves as the university adapts to changing circumstances.” By no means should K-State limit itself or stay in its current state forever, but so many projects are beginning
at the same time, that in the duration of one trip to campus a student could encounter a number of complications in what would normally be an easy trip. Building construction, large temporary walls, sidewalks that cut through the grass and are barely wide enough for students to walk singly, and bays of computers in the library being temporarily taped off are some of the problems making everyday tasks difficult for current students. Rooms are more scarce and cluttered with supplies that had to be moved from the sites of construction, parking lots have gone through periods of construction restricting already limited parking, and direct routes to class are often closed because sidewalks are blocked off. Services are undeniably restricted because of the work being done on campus. An article by Andrew Martin of The New York Times, “Building a Showcase Campus, Using an IOU,” detailed the debt that a university that begins various projects for improvement takes on in the process. Harvard, one of the wealthiest colleges in the nation, for example, had $6 billion in debt beginning construction surges, and the ones paying for it are the students who attend the college, according to the article. “The debate about indebtedness has focused on students and graduates who have borrowed tens of thousands
of dollars and are struggling to keep up with their payments,” Martin said in his article. K-State must evolve if it is to continue its rapid growth and success, and the students of 2025 deserve to come to a college that is up-to-date and modern. The students of today, however, deserve the same luxuries — access to necessary campus equipment, the capacity to be comfortable on their own campus and the ability to achieve the education that K-State ensures. K-State’s mission statement shows its dedication to “foster excellent teaching, research and service that develop a highly skilled and educated citizenry necessary to advancing the well-being of Kansas, the nation and the international community.” The education being provided has the potential to be undermined by a poor experience. The 2025 plan will be amazing for K-State. Now, there just needs to be a plan for 2015. 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.
Michael Lee is a senior in animal sciences and industry. Please send comments to opinion@ kstatecollegian.com.
make it start any later, then people would do everything later. Like I stated earlier, people are becoming more active than ever before. Not only in a quest to know everything, but in a quest to do everything. Because of this, we are blessed to be in a world that is so active. While there are the downsides with this increased activity, as mentioned earlier, there are a lot of upsides as well. I think the main statistic to look at is that Americans are still only working 7.8 hours a day. This is the perfect amount of time for family, work, free time and (of course) sleep. People are already accustomed to living days longer. You only put people in a worse position by making the days later. If we were to change this schedule instantly, then people will be staying up later, in which case their cycle would be off from the sudden change.
I do not see an issue with how we are right now. I think we have a very good balance of everything most humans need in life. But the bottom line comes down to you. If a work schedule isn’t working for you, change it. Don’t rely on other people to fix the issues in your life; do it yourself. If you don’t like working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., then work overnight or vice-versa. Do whatever you need to do to make yourself happy. After all, in a world where everyone is busy, we still need to make time to be happy. 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.
Ryan Willwock is a freshman in mass communications. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
Diversity, understanding now Letter to the Editor
“The Other Wes Moore” was a great choice for the K-State Book Network common read this year. The lecture series’ topics were even better. The topics that were discussed were appreciable, especially in light of the recent events that have occurred this year involving racism. The last lecture event of the year, “Privilege and the Intersectionality of Identities: A Complicated Reality,” was the week before Thanksgiving break. For topics pertaining to current issues, I feel these lecture series should continue throughout the spring semester or until the next common read book is chosen. With the protesting going on at the University of Missouri and over 100 other universities, I think it is important for all students to understand institutional racism and privilege and how it affects everyone — not just minorities. Even though K-State’s Black Student Union has not joined in with protesting against university administration, that does not mean that our university is free of racial tension. The list of demands from every student group protesting included creating a more diverse
curriculum that incorporates courses that deal with these topics. I believe that these lecture series topics could easily be formulated into courses. There are courses that may touch on these topics in the Women’s and American Ethnic Studies programs, but they are not required. Courses dealing with structural racism and privilege on college campuses should be required for all first-year students, along with all faculty members. It is important for ALL students and faculty to be knowledgeable because some may not come from diverse backgrounds and are unaware of institutional oppression while others that are from diverse areas do not know their place or privilege in the midst of it all. K-State has the 2025 Diversity Initiatives in place, but that is 10 years from now. Students across the nation are voicing their concerns and making changes happen now. I feel like the longer we wait, the longer students and faculty will be ignorant of the movement that is among us. Maya Tilmon Senior, public relations
5
tuesday, december 1, 2015
Students attend agriculture leadership conference CHANCE HUNLEY the collegian
In early November, 47 K-State students interested in the agriculture industry attended the 2015 Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Each year, AFA hosts a conference focused on supporting men and women in college who are interested in agriculture-related careers, developing personal and professional skills and networking with peers and industry leaders from across the country. The conference is separated into four “tracks,” offering different conference experiences designed to match the students’ years in college. Darby Schmidt, freshman in agribusiness, attended the conference for the first time in track one and said some of her favorite experiences came from listening to the speakers and presenters. “The (speakers’) messages were very different — a lot more authentic than we sometimes hear from other people,” Schmidt said. “It was stuff that you could really apply in jobs and in the industry. One speaker talked about advocating for agriculture and the way she handled it, and the examples she gave showed me that these are things that I can put into practice right now.” Schmidt said she also took advantage of networking opportunities with others at the conference. “I really liked not only networking with people from K-State’s College of Agriculture, but also from other states,” Schmidt said. “I networked with people from South Dakota and Alabama, and I got to see people I had met in 4-H. It was
great being able to network with ag students and also ag professionals. At the career fair, they were focused on freshmen and they wanted to talk to freshmen, and that was a really great experience.” Austin Ebert, junior in biological systems engineering, attended track two last year and experienced track three this year. He said he enjoyed the opportunity to stay in touch with peers that are involved in agriculture. “Going from track two into track three, I saw people that I had met just a year earlier and we still had those connections ...” Ebert said. “Since I am in the College of Engineering, it was nice to get back to seeing all of the agriculture stu-
dents and do stuff with agriculture more than I normally would in the engineering department.” As a returner, Ebert said he recognized differences between the two years he attended. “Track three is looking towards your career as a professional, giving you opportunities to talk with people that are already in the industry and giving you more ways to develop yourself as well,” Ebert said. “In track two, they talk more about what to do in college to make yourself stand out, while in track three, you are going from college to the professional world. I think they smooth the process out and show you better ways to do things.” Ebert said there were other op-
Jessica Robbins | THE COLLEGIAN
Austin Ebert, junior in biological systems engineering, is one of multiple students that attended the 2015 Ag Future of America conference from Nov. 5-8, 2015, in Kansas City, Missouri. The AFA conference was dedicated to personal and professional development for students scross the country who are interested in agriculture-related careers.
portunities in track three, such as getting to speak with industry leaders about what they believe major agriculture issues are. “I liked being able to talk with the industry professionals,” Ebert said. “It was interesting because I got to see what they thought was a global issue for their company, which varied a lot between the companies that I talked to. Each of them recognized issues that they are working on within their company, but also issues that are facing agriculture as a whole.” Marie Annexstad, senior in agricultural communications and journalism, said attending the conference and being in track four helped her understand the transition from college to the workplace. “When you’re a senior, you are used to leading and being on top,” Annexstad said. “Now, it’s like me transitioning from high school to college, and I will be back on the bottom, but track four helped me learn that everyone goes through it. We talked about how to take responsibility and how to effectively voice our opinions at work.” The transition to the workplace was just one of the key features of track four, Annexstad said. “Track four was student-led,” she said. “We presented and facilitated to each other. It was great because we got to make it what we wanted it to be, so we directed the track to things that we were concerned about.” Annexstad said she chose to attend the conference for various reasons. “If you’re looking to go into the ag industry and you want to make a difference, AFA is the place to go to look for those avenues and make those connections with the industry and peers,” Annexstad said.
BODY | Shaming others appearance is not body specific continued from page
3
“My son is over six foot and very, very slender,” Matthews said. “He will never look like a football player. He’s a musician, but people think that since he’s tall he should be an athlete.” Matthews said she thinks society puts more of an emphasis on how women are supposed to look and that women are therefore more susceptible to body shaming. “My 10-year-old daughter came home with her school photos and told me her shoulders
looked fat,” Matthews said. She said she thinks her daughter has picked up on that through what she sees in the media, and also she does not think it’s an issue specific to women and girls. “I think body shaming affects different genders the same way,” Matthews said. “Girls are just more emotional and more expressive with their feelings than guys. An insult is an insult no matter what gender you are.” Mathews said she hopes that if a student needs help with body shaming they contact the school
counseling center or a professor. “That is what we are here for, to help make sure nothing is hindering your learning,” she said. Scotten said he thinks that everyone has feelings about their body and that it isn’t specific to gender. He said that as a male, he is comfortable in his own skin but realizes that not everyone has that confidence. “I think guys hide their feelings about their bodies more than girls because girls can talk to their friends about that stuff, and it seems a little too awkward
for guys to talk about their bodies with each other,” Scotten said. According to Adams, people should not make assumptions about people’s health or eating habits based on looks alone, regardless of gender or size. “Don’t make assumptions about a man or woman’s health or eating habits based on his or her looks alone, regardless of their size,” Adams said. “Almost all of society could stand to be kinder to ourselves about our appearances, and to other women about theirs.”
GUNS | Campus prepares for gun law changes continued from page
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We are also looking at increasing staff, like security staff. We have to respond differently to guns-related calls, so we would need added man power.” K-State students may have noticed an email in their inbox requesting that they take a survey regarding their opinion of the safety of campus under these gun regulations. Melissa Hollar, sophomore in business administration, said she is not the biggest fan of the upcoming changes. “I know that some people feel the need to carry a gun, but that doesn’t mean that everyone else feels safer with that happening,” Hollar said. “I think if K-State allowed concealed carry they should require a permit and register the gun. I think that could be one way to make the students feel a little safer with the upcoming changes.” The Kansas Board of Regents, which sets policies for the state university system, is conducting a study of where and how guns can be controlled without violating the law. “I think the survey will provide data from how the students feel,” Herrman said. “I would bet as a whole, students would not like it, but it’s going to be a mixed bag. Faculty and staff are going to have their own survey. If you listen to what they are saying, they are saying no guns at all.” According to the Wichita Eagle’s Oct. 5 article, “Kansas regents prepare to open universities to guns under new law,” another important aspect to consider when dealing with the guns on campus legislation revolves around sporting events. Guns are currently banned in state universities’ stadiums and arenas. If this legislation is enacted, it could mean significant changes when entering places like Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the Eagle reported. “It’s crucial to see what happens because weapons don’t need to be at any sporting events with rivalry, drinking, tailgating,” Grice said. “It would be easier to control in Bramlage Coliseum because there is only x-numbers of doors to allow fans to get in.” Stadium attendees generally go through a light screening process, with gate checkers primarily looking in purses and bags for banned items. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, K-State would have to make entering the stadium a more deliberate process, funneling fans in through fewer entrances where they can be screened with metal detectors, as the law requires. “To sum it all up, there are going to be changes made,” Grice said. “We don’t know what kinds yet, but we are making plans to do whatever we have to do for the safety of the students and faculty at K-State.”
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SPORTS
tuesday, december 1, 2015
Burns leads charge towards bowl game hopes ANDREW HAMMOND the collegian
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n a season where K-State has struggled to find an identity and a leader, a player has emerged just in the nick of time as the Wildcats’ bowl hopes are hanging by a thread. The man who has become the power source for the this team is senior cornerback Morgan Burns. For the third straight week, Burns was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. For Burns, the 2015 season has seen its ups and plenty of downs, but with the season winding down, it is now starting to trend upward once again. “I think for a lot of guys, including Morgan, we know that we’re getting to the end of the season,” Jordan Willis, junior defensive end, said. “We know we have to win a bowl game and it’s your senior year, so you want to go out with a bang. I think there’s a lot of guys clicking and playing well. We just have to keep the momentum going for next week.” When Burns returned the season opening kickoff against South Dakota, it seemed like it would kickstart a senior campaign to remember, but it did not. After experiencing struggles during the Wildcats’ brutal midseason stretch where they lost six games in a row, there were few
Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN
Senior defensive back Morgan Burns leads the Wildcats in high-fiving the hands of K-State fans who braved the freezing rain as they walk around the bottom of Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, following their 45-14 defeat of Kansas in the 113th annual Sunflower Showdown Saturday. highlights for the defense, which struggled to keep up with the high-powered offenses of the Big 12. After the Texas Tech game three weeks ago, however, Burns was back to making his mark on the field. He returned a 93-yard kickoff return to tie the game ear-
ly on. Even after suffering their sixth straight defeat, it was good enough to give Burns his first of three Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week award. The next week, Burns was at it again. With K-State struggling against Iowa State, Burns put together a 100-yard kickoff return
for a touchdown that brought his team back into the game. With that play alone, the second player of the week honor went Burns’ way. In his third straight game making an impact on special teams, Burns didn’t wait for the Wildcats to be down.
Burns was not done, not even close. On the next punt attempt for Kansas, Burns actually got his hands on the football after Sizelove blocked a punt, which then landed in the end zone. Burns landed on it for his third touchdown in three straight games. “I think that really sparked the whole team and sparked both sides of the ball offensively and defensively,” Burns said after the game. “I’m glad coach (Bill) Snyder and coach Sean Snyder do a really good job emphasizing special teams because they can really change the course of the game, and I think it set the tempo for the rest of the game.” If Burns striking twice against the Jayhawks wasn’t bad enough, he decided to make their day even worse with an interception as the Jayhawks were traveling deep into K-State territory. The 45-14 win against Kansas was the seventh straight Governor’s Cup for the Wildcats. Burns, being an in-state product, said he takes pride in the yearly showdown and stressed the importance of the game to the rest of the team. “I was a little emotional before the game,” Burns said. “Addressing the secondary, I didn’t know what to say. I was just emotional. My last couple of games (are) here, so I just wanted to help the guys win the game and be successful.”
K-State volleyball returns to NCAA Tournament for the fourth time AVERY OSEN the collegian
For the fourth time in five years, the K-State volleyball team is heading to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were on the bubble after losing in straight sets to Baylor Saturday night in Waco, Texas, but they found out Sunday they had qualified. “We are just elated,” head coach Suzie Fritz said. “We knew we were in a situation that it was going to be touch-and-go, if you will. We were not real certain. We feel like we deserve to be there, but at the same time, there were some things that got away from us in the last few matches.” The Wildcats will take on the Wichita State Shockers at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Devaney Center. These two teams met up in the NCAA Tournament in 2011 when the Wildcats defeated the Shockers
in three sets, but lost in the round of 16 to Pepperdine. The Shockers have won 15 of their last 17 matches, and they won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Saturday after defeating the Missouri State Bears in five sets. The last time the Shockers made the field of 64 was in 2013, but they lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in four sets in Lawrence, Kansas. The year before that, however, Wichita State made an impressive run to the Sweet 16 after beating Arkansas and then Kansas, but the Shockers lost in three sets to USC. Last season, the Wildcats made the tournament and lost to the Utah Utes in three sets in the first round in Lincoln. But this year’s team is a bit different, and Fritz said her players have showed her many positives. “They’ve been wonderfully resilient,” Fritz said. “They have won the matches they are supposed to win. I
believe we have got better as we went. We managed a very difficult schedule, and we are good enough to be one of the best of 64.” K-State doesn’t have any seniors on its team, so making the NCAA Tournament is something Fritz said she is very proud of. She said because they are young, they may not “understand the magnitude” of playing in December, but that this experience will be useful for them later in their careers. “It’s a program expectation (to make the NCAA Tournament), and there are some that do not know what to expect,” Fritz said. “Sometimes it takes getting there, seeing it, feeling it and having that opportunity.” The winner between the Shockers and the Wildcats will face the winner of the other regional match in Lincoln between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Harvard Crimson, who face off at 8 p.m. Friday night. The winners of the two matches will meet up on Sunday.
Nathan Jones | THE COLLEGIAN
K-State volleyball players celebrate after scoring a point during the volleyball match against University of Texas-Austin on Oct. 21, 2015 inside Bramlage Coliseum.
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