VOL. 121, ISSUE 74
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© 2015 collegian media group
F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR KANSAS STATE UNIVERSIT Y
INSIDE
Manhattan pastors push for LGBT protection against discrimination
this issue 3: >> PAGE How much
TONY CANNIZZARO
caffeine is too much caffeine?
the collegian
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ine pastors signed a letter asking that sexual orientation and gender identity be added to the non-discrimination ordinance in Manhattan. Richard Gehring, co-pastor at Manhattan Mennonite Church, read a letter Tuesday during the Manhattan City Commission meeting to push for employment, housing and public accommodation protections for members of the LGBT community, according to the Manhattan Mercury. “Now this is a group that feels that the religious voice needs to be heard,” Gehring said. “That makes the case for civil rights for all.” In 2011, an ordinance was passed by the commission that would have achieved this, but it was appealed before it took effect. There were pastors and clergy in the community who had opposed the ordinance. “At this point, we’re just adding our voice (to the support),” Gehring said. “Ultimately, it is up to the City Commission to make that change. We are simply hoping to encourage them to do that.” David Jones, campus pastor of the Ecumenical Campus Ministry,
4: >> PAGE School
uniforms don’t create equality for students
Friday news briefs
said no one should be valued less than another person. “There shouldn’t be any second-class citizens,” Jones said. “This has been a persecuted minority population in recent years, and we just want to make sure that they’re welcomed in the community.”
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“There shouldn’t be any second class citizens ... we just want to make sure that they’re welcomed.”
compiled by
JAMIE TEIXEIRA
ATTORNEY GENERAL AIMING TO USE NATURALIZATION TEST IN SCHOOLS
The Kansas attorney general said he wants to use the naturalization test that is required to become a U.S. citizen in schools, according to the Salina Journal. Derek Schmidt said in a release Tuesday that he aims to have the State Board of Education implement the U.S. citizenship test in general education in Kansas schools. Schmidt said it will help those who get automatic citizenship appreciate it. According to Schmidt, the test can be used to promote learning between students and civic leaders in Kansas. Questions on the test range from history to government to other basic needs and knowing how the the government works.
George Walker | THE COLLEGIAN
The pastors of the Manhattan Mennonite Church, located on the corner of 10th and Freemont streets, are two of several Manhattan pastors who have signed a letter to the Manhattan city commissioners regarding the creation of an anti-discrimination ordinance.
David Jones Campus pastor, Ecumenical Campus Ministry
Lukus Ebert, Ecumenical Campus Ministry leadership board member, said that in the past, members of the LGBT community have not been treated the way they deserve. Ebert said that for him, seeing religious figures stepping in gives him optimism for the future. “It’s kind of a relief to know that the pastors are on the side of LGBT civil rights equality,” Ebert said. Gehring said that supporting the rights of LGBT members within the Manhattan community is important. “We may not all agree on questions of morality in regards to LGBT persons and behavior, but we do believe that all should be afforded to the same civil rights regardless
Women’s basketball to play final game before break RILEY GATES the collegian
PROFESSOR WORKS TO UNDERSTAND, PREVENT COCKROACHES
Ludek Zurek, professor of entomology, is part of a research team working to understand German cockroaches and the communities they form, according to K-State News and Communications Services. The roaches find larger communities by tracking pheromones in feces, according to the release. The research team discovered that the young roaches prefer specific bacteria in the feces. “This result is another example demonstrating the importance of microbes in biology of eukaryotes, including mediation of animal behavior,” Zurek said to K-State News and Communications. see page
of that,” Gehring said. According to Ebert, these Manhattan clergy members feel the need to speak out on this issue since religion is cited as a justification for discriminatory action against the LGBT community. “Personally, as a gay man who grew up in the church, it can be really difficult finding your place,” Ebert said. “Frequently, especially growing up for the LGBT community, there was a lot of disappointment and shunning from the church, and so to see this turn around is really awesome and definitely gives myself hope.” As of this week, three more pastors have signed the letter, and according to Gehring, more may sign in the future.
Rodney Dimick | THE COLLEGIAN
Junior center Breanna Lewis puts up a shot on Dec. 3 inside Bramlage Coliseum. Lewis had a total of four blocks in the game against UT Arlington.
6, “BRIEFS”
THIS DAY IN HISTORY After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne on this day in 1936. He chose to abdicate after the British government, public and the Church of England condemned his decision to marry the American divorcée Wallis Warfield Simpson. history.com
Final exams are just around the corner for students at K-State, and student athletes on campus will have a week off from games to focus on their studies. The K-State women’s basketball team, however, has one final game to play before this hectic week begins. The Wildcats will welcome the Florida Atlantic Owls from Boca Raton, Florida, to Bramlage Coliseum at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Owls will be no easy task for the Wildcats as they come to Manhattan sitting on a 5-1 overall record. Their only loss, however, came to an opponent familiar to K-State. On Nov. 28, just a little over a week after they faced the Wildcats, South Dakota squared up against the Owls in a Thanksgiving Tournament in Boca Raton. South Dakota fell to K-State 84-81 in overtime, but defeated Florida Atlantic, 76-53. The 23-point defeat of the Owls could provide Jeff Mittie with a successful game plan they can use to defeat head coach Kellie Lewis-Jay’s Owls. Florida Atlantic has been led strongly in 2015 by their guard play. Leading the Owls on the floor this year has been senior guard Ali Gorrell. She has averaged this season at 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5
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assists per game. The other side of the two-headed monster attack of the Owls is senior guard Morgan Robinson. She couples Gorrell’s play with 10 points per game and 1.5 steals per game. Stopping Gorrell and Robinson will be key for K-State, if they hope to get their eighth win of the season. In addition to stopping Florida Atlantic’s leaders, the Wildcats will need to get solid production out of their own leaders. K-State has been successful this season due to strong production from three players averaging double figures each game. Junior guard Kindred Wesemann runs the point on the floor and is a vocal leader when on the bench Wesemann averages 12.9 points and 3.4 assists per game. Senior guard Megan Deines couples Wesemann’s production at the guard spot with 11.3 points per game. Deines suffered an ankle injury earlier in the season, but said after the Wildcats’ last game that she is feeling more confident and closer to normal with that injury. Junior center Breanna Lewis, despite being a little inconsistent recently, is a strong threat for the Wildcats down low averaging 3.1 blocks per game and contributing 15.4 points per game. The Wildcats will be back in action again on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. when they welcome Sam Houston State to Bramlage Coliseum.
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Zits | By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
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ARREST REPORTS
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2015 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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THE BLOTTER
By Dave Green
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9
THURSDAY, DEC. 10
Amanda Michelle Bennett, of the 1200 block of Newfoundland Drive, was booked for failure to appear. Bond was set at $300.
Bobby Anthony Ryan, of Webb City, Missouri, was booked for driving under the influence and refusing a chemical test. Bond was set at $3,000.
Jianwen Li, of the 1700 block of North Manhattan Avenue, was booked for aggravated assault. Bond was set at $4,000.
Brandon Dorielle Harold, of the 900 block of North Third Street, was booked for failure to appear. Bond was set at $164.
12/11
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3
Finals Guide Caffeine craze pushes students through finals MALINA BARBER-REGIER the collegian
W
ith finals week looming, the level of caffeine in students’ systems seems to rise as their amount of sleep falls. “I’m often up a lot later and trying to get up a lot earlier during finals week, so I find that I drink tea multiple times in a day,” Michaela Richards, senior in public relations, said. Plenty of students seem to have habits like this, but when is enough, enough? “After further researching this topic, I found that the maximum limit of caffeine a person should intake a day is 400 milligrams,” Jenny Yuen, Lafene Student Health Center health educator, said. “This is around four cups of brewed coffee a day or two energy shots.” As far as caffeine intake goes, there are several benefits and a few drawbacks. According to Yuen, the pros of caffeine include memory improvement, decreased fatigue, an increase in mental functioning and a quicker reac-
tion time. There are only a few cons from reasonable caffeine use, but according to Yuen, “a prolonged use of anything is not the best.” One con is that if an individual already has high blood pressure, caffeine can increase the risk of heart disease. “There are actually a lot of teas that I will drink that are decaf or even help me sleep, but I usually have a nice cup of tea to boost my spirits or wake me up in the morning,” Richards said. “Herbal teas like green tea can help boost your metabolism, too. However, too much caffeine makes me extremely jittery and lightheaded. I have to monitor how much I drink.” Yuen suggested that instead of soda, regular coffee and tea, or energy drinks, an individual could drink lighter-brewed tea, half-caf or decaf coffee, all of which have an increasingly lower amount of caffeine in them. “These substitutions still allow for the intake of caffeine, but at a much lower and healthier level,” Yuen said. “While most people think decaf coffee
is completely caffeine-free, in reality it still has about 5 percent of the normal amount of caffeine.” While drinking products with caffeine is popular, it only provides for a short-term solution. Brittany Haynes, sophomore in hospitality management, said she tried to pull all-nighters last semester to study for finals with the help of a lot of caffeine. According to Haynes, her tired mind and body didn’t do very well on her finals, so she decided that studying earlier and being well-rested was the better option. “I really want to drive home the fact that caffeine gives a temporary buzz and doesn’t provide as much benefit as most think,” Yuen said. “The key to success is to get a good night’s rest, have good time-management skills and drink plenty of water instead.” Regan Tokos | THE COLLEGIAN
Molly Doyle, sophomore in veterinary medicine, studys for finals with a cup of black coffee at the student-filled Starbucks on Thursday.
Tips for keeping your test anxiety under control during finals LISA OLBERDING the collegian
Miranda Snyder | THE COLLEGIAN
Josh Gurnee, sophomore in life science, studies on the fourth floor of Hale Library during dead week on Thursday.
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With December comes the excitement of the holiday season, but one of the merriest months of the year is also one of most dreaded for college students. Finals week adds stress to an already hectic time of the year, and time for sleep is scarce. Students spend every possible moment finishing end-of-semester projects and studying for exams. Exams can bring even more stress to students who have test anxiety. According to the K-State Counseling Services’ website, experiencing anxiety before a test is normal, but excess stress can lead to making silly mistakes and going “blank” when trying to answer test questions. Alex Wilhelm, senior in elementary education, said he has experienced anxiety before a test, but that the key to beating it is to plan ahead so you’re better prepared. “Don’t cram for tests,” Wilhelm said. “Try to study at least 24 hours before in case something comes up.” CollegeAtlas.org’s article,
“Test taking strategies for college midterms and finals,” also has some tips and test-taking strategies to help combat stress and make exams less intimidating. Try deep breathing exercises, which calm nerves and help clear your mind. According to the article, eating protein-rich food on test day instead of drinking caffeine helps because caffeine leads to a caffeine crash, while protein gives you the energy needed to concentrate for longer periods of time. The best way to decrease anxiety is to study hard and feel well-prepared, the article said. This makes you more confident on test day, which may keep you from second-guessing yourself. While taking the test, you should also try to focus all of your attention on what you are doing. Try not to be distracted by how much time is left or by the shuffle of people finishing early.
It only leads to more anxiety. Wilhelm said he agrees that studying hard can definitely help with any nerves you may be feeling prior to an exam, but cautions that just reading something does not mean you have learned it. “Be sure to look over the study guide and quiz yourself,” Wilhelm said. “And make sure to get plenty of sleep the night before.” According to the Counseling Services’ website, chewing gum also provides a distraction from the nerves. Utilizing positive thoughts and doing the easier questions first can also help give you that much-needed confidence boost. Buckle down and get ready because that dreaded time of the year is here. Stay positive and remember that it is only one week. It will all be over soon, and it will be time for break before you even know it.
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OPINION friday, december 11, 2015
School uniforms create problems, not solutions Illustration by Kent Willmeth
COURTNEY BURKE the collegian
Although school uniforms and dress codes have traditionally been favored by private and parochial schools, public schools are slowly starting to adopt them as well. Thirty percent of public schools started requiring uniforms in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. I attended schools from kindergarten through 12th grade that required uniforms, and don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind wearing them. What I did mind was the reasoning behind the requirement.
UNIFORMS LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
If you ask school administrators, public or private, they’ll probably all tell you what my school told me: uniforms are a way to “level the playing field,” so to speak. Students from all socio-economic backgrounds look the same, allowing them to focus on school instead of on each other. Let me tell you why that’s not the truth, and why even if it was, it doesn’t work. First, uniforms did the exact opposite of leveling the playing field. I went to school every single day for four years in the exact same shirt and skirt as every other girl in the school. Did that make us all friends? No. Did we stop judging each other because we literally had the same clothes on? No. If anything, we got meaner. We judged each other on even more trivial things, like what kind of socks we had on, what color shirt we chose to wear that day (there were three options), or how expensive our shoes were.
UNIFORMS LIMIT DISTRACTIONS
Second, it wasn’t really about leveling the playing field. Why? Because every single day there was a girl asked to change something about her outfit because she was being “distracting.” You couldn’t wear leggings or yoga pants under your school skirt once you made it inside, even if it
was 12 degrees out. You couldn’t wear earrings that were too large, too colorful or too long. You couldn’t wear shorts or tank tops on “dress down” days. We even had random “uniform checks” where our skirts were measured by teachers with rulers to make sure they were long enough. Oh, and the boys were checked to make sure their shirts were tucked in. Have you ever been sent to detention because your earlobes were distracting? What about your knees? Or your shoulders? Girls all across the country have been for those exact reasons. According to the Time Magazine article “Schools are still slut-shaming girls while enforcing dress code” by Eliana Dockterman, dress codes and uniforms often encourage teachers to slutshame female students based on school rules that are sexual in their nature. “Instead of teaching boys to keep their eyes on their books and not on their co-eds’ bodies, schools think it better to tell girls that they are dressing ‘inappro-
priately’ or that their clothing is too ‘distracting,’” Dockterman said in the article. “In doing so, they make girls feel guilty for boys’ actions.”
UNIFORMS ARE BAND-AIDS
Are there pros to uniforms? In theory, yes. According to the GreatSchools.org article “Do uniforms make schools better?” by Marian Wilde, there are several benefits; uniforms help prevent gangs forming on school grounds, encourage discipline and encourage school spirit and community. But the same article also said uniforms are “simply a Band-Aid” fix to school violence, can be a financial burden on families and is a violation of student’s freedom of expression. Trust me, I understand the argument for uniforms. I get that hormones are raging and teens are immature, but teenagers don’t stay 16 forever. The problem is that we are teaching men at a very young age that they can objectify women and that it is the women’s fault.
According to the Time article, sending girls to detention for “distracting” attire is not a far cry from telling a sexual assault victim that it was their fault because they were “asking for it” by dressing a certain way. Do I think every girl should be going to school in a bandeau and short shorts? No, absolutely not. But I also think we should be teaching young women to respect themselves and their bodies and to demand respect from their peers. There are more positive ways to go about this than shaming them.
UNIFORMS CAN HELP
I’ll be the first to admit that uniforms made my morning routine so much easier and cheaper, and I think they really can bring students together. When the Royals or the Cats are winning, we all show up to campus in their colors, and there is a sense of community about it. Uniforms can accomplish this same feeling. You are representing your school through your uniform and should be proud of that, not worried about getting in trouble
for wearing it wrong. Uniforms also saved me and my parents money. We didn’t see them as a burden because we would have spent so much more if we didn’t have them. I didn’t come from money like some of the other students did, so keeping up with trends and buying nice clothes would have been hard. I would have stuck out without them. These are the reason uniforms should be used. They should beabout more than skirt length and covered shoulders. That’s a Band-Aid, not a solution. School uniforms are not the devil, but they need to be used for the right reasons. Stop pulling out rulers to enforce sexist rules and start fostering the sense of equality and community. 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.
Courtney Burke is a senior in journalism. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian. com.
Not all Muslims follow the same rules as the Islamic State group MIRANDA SNYDER the collegian
As we all know, there have been several acts of terrorism that have recently taken place around the world and in our nation. Specifically, the terrorist attacks that happened in Paris were horrific. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for these terrorist attacks that took the lives of countless people and injured many others. Though I agree that the attacks are unforgivable, we all need to recognize that what the group did does not reflect the beliefs of the Muslim people as a whole. In many news outlets,
Muslims have been getting lumped into the same category as the terrorists that are committing these acts of violence because of the Islamic faith. Not all Muslims hold the same beliefs as those who declare allegiance to the Islamic State. According to the CNN article “Don’t collectively punish Muslims” by Sahar Aziz, associate professor at Texas A&M School of Law, “Painting an entire religious community with the broad brush of criminality imposes harm on people with no direct connection to the act.” People need to understand that these terrorist attacks are being committed by a small group of people whose intentions and beliefs do not follow
the rest of Islam. It is unjust to discriminate against all Muslims when many of them have been, and still are, victims of the violence going on both overseas and domestically. They are, in fact, the most victimized by it. When members of the Westboro Baptist Church protest military funerals, almost everyone agrees that it is disrespectful and that their beliefs do not reflect that of all Christians, even though the members say they are Christians following Christian values and beliefs. So, why are we blaming all Muslims for the acts of a few who are using the Islamic religion to justify their hatred? Donald Trump, 2016 presidential candidate, has on
Street Talk compiled by Jessica Robbins
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several occasions prominently expressed his prejudice toward Muslims in response to the recent terror attacks and influx of immigrants looking to escape the violence in certain parts of the Middle East. According to a recent campaign press release, “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S. until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” This way of thinking will hinder us and only cause more problems, and that is without even mentioning that what Trump proposed it just morally wrong. We should not be trying to punish innocent people just because they follow a
religion that a terrorist organization has twisted to fit their violent ideals. Ahmed Alkhraissi, freshman in computer science, is Muslim and said he wishes people understood his religion better. “I want people to know that Islam is the religion of forgiveness, tolerance, compassion and morals,” Alkhraissi said. A simple way to learn and understand what Alkhraissi is talking about would be to do some research or to just sit and talk with someone who follows the Islamic religion and let them explain it. I have personally gotten the pleasure to know many Muslim students on our cam-
pus. Not only have I been able to learn about their religion and culture, but I have also made many lifelong friends. Remaining blind to the truths of the Muslim faith does not help anyone. We should be embracing our cultural and religious differences instead of pointing fingers at those who are just as confused and scared as the rest of us. 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.
Miranda snyder is a junior in mass communications. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN AGGIEVILLE AND WHY?
??
MCLAIN HYMER
LINDSAY WOODSON
TREVOR MASON
RANDY FRIESEN
EMILY MAY
“My favorite place in Aggieville is Acme because it has the cutest little things that are perfect for gifts.”
“My favorite place in Aggieville is Cold Stone because I love cake batter ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.”
“I do not go there often, but I like Chipotle.”
“Buffalo Wild Wings because there is no better combination of sports and wings.”
“Dusty Bookshelf; I like books and I am underaged.”
freshman, psychology
freshman, elementary education
sophomore, milling science
junior, finance
sophomore, fine arts
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friday, december 11, 2015
Be the change, make a difference
Let's not separate ourselves by groups LETTER TO THE EDITOR Being at a university where the population of African Americans is around four percent can be very challenging. At Kansas State we have over 475 organizations and groups to choose from. However, I don’t think it’s right to split students in groups based on gender, philosophy and backgrounds. At Kansas State University, we have the Black Student Union, and although I would love for African Americans to come together as one, I personally don’t think a separate organization is a good idea. Black lives matter, but so do white lives, Indian lives, etc. I do not think students should be separated based on the color of their skin. We have been brought in a world where color defines us. Today
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
is nothing compared to back in the ‘40s or ‘50s, when blacks and whites couldn’t drink out of the same water fountain, but we are still separated; it’s just not as noticeable. I have been in college for three years, and I refuse to join an organization because I will not be defined by the color of my skin or background. I’m sure anyone can join the Black Student Union or Chinese Student Union; however, students should not be separated by their skin color or nationality. Kansas State should have a Student Union welcoming all students regardless of skin color or nationality. 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.
Erica Young is a junior in mass communications.
What makes us seem unapproachable? The stereotypes? Media? Movies? Music? Somebody please tell me. When I say us, I am referring to the minorities on campus. Since I identify as African-American, I am mainly speaking for my race. I feel as though when I am walking through campus on a regular basis, people don’t acknowledge me, as if I am invisible. When I go into detail, I am sure others of my kind will agree. Just the other day, I was walking toward the library entrance, and these two Caucasian gentlemen had walked passed me to the door; I was less than 10 feet behind them. They entered the building and did not even think twice about looking back to hold open the door for me, knowing they just passed me. That really hurt my feelings, because that was the third time that had happened to me that day. Even
though I have dealt with this before, I have never been ignored like that three times in one day. I always hold the door open for others or look back to see if someone was close enough behind me to hold the door for them, no matter the age, race or sex. Plus, the majority of the doors on campus are glass, so you can see your reflection and whoever is behind you. Another thing that bothers me is when I am passing other students on campus; no one speaks or even tries to make eye contact with me. They might from afar, but once we’re closer, eyes wander elsewhere or a phone gets pulled out. Yes, I understand when classes let out everyone is rushing to their next class, so there aren’t any hard feelings there. Even I have tunnel vision sometimes while walking. But what about the times in between classes when the sidewalks aren’t so crowded? What makes it so hard for us to speak to each other? For the past week, I have been trying something new by actually speaking to whoever is walking past me because to me that shows a sign
of respect and acknowledgement. I have been practicing this because it is so hard to get someone to make eye contact with me as we are passing each other. You would be surprised at the many faces I receive — smiles and some blank faces. Not everyone spoke back either but the majority did. I am tired of labels and being treated like I’m invisible, so I am trying to break the stereotype and social norm by being bold and making the first move. We are living in a time when technology is everything, a time that we are losing genuine old-fashioned hellos, conversations and connections. We must stop robbing those around us of our attention and choose to look at what’s in front of us. Be the change. Make a difference. 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.
Jakira Witherspoon is a senior in social sciences
One December graduate's advice for the hopeless: look up
IRIS LOCOCO the collegian
I have insomnia. Sometimes, I wake up in them middle of the night and gaze around in the darkness of my room, scared and stressed. All of the things I am able to contain during the day threaten to break loose in dreams I can seldom remember; the echoes of these forgotten nightmares make my body buzz with anxious fear. I have much to be afraid of. In just one more day, I will be walking across the stage at Bramlage Coliseum with my classmates – many of whom, like me, are nontraditional students who have no idea what is coming next. On these sleepless
nights, I lean back and look at the sky over the streetlight outside my window and count the flashing lights of planes and helicopters drifting overhead, avoiding sleep. I don’t want to go back to whatever sent me here. My friends sometimes tell me I can be dark, depressing They’re telling me in a loving, tongue-in-cheek way, but there’s some truth in their jesting. I even write about depressing things and submit them to the newspaper for pay, though I try to spin it with humor. It helps, sometimes, to face the worst things about our lot in life with a scrap of laughter. I write horoscope entries joking about the youth homelessness and unemployment rates, exploitative labor practices, mass cyber surveillance and paranoia, and the high rates of medically uninsured millennials and the extreme unlikelihood that any of us will ever end up better off than our parents. The punchline is that we want to do something about our stagnating economy when we
can’t even stop our own citizens from gunning down people in churches, doctor’s offices and public schools. The punchline is worrying about paying back $50,000 of student debt when we already know we’re cutting out time here on earth short with outof-control carbon emissions and the slow destruction of our planet’s ecology. The punchline is that we’re worried about finding a job that will make enough to keep a roof over our heads while pundits on TV argue the merits of religious and racial segregation and whether it’s time to start lobbing nukes at each other. I’m a riot at parties, you know. I was talking to a friend recently who was complaining about trying to find a job after graduation ... She had been interviewed by a manager at a retail shoe outlet who had two degrees in engineering and ecology studies. Despite graduating with a fantastic GPA and a wealth of practical experience herself, she
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didn’t get the job ... or the five other jobs she applied for that week. The manager who interviewed her, she said, originally wanted to design eco-friendly cars and change the world, but now he sells shoes. What’s the point in trying? He wanted to change things for the better, but we can’t even change our own lives, she said. It’s easy to throw up your hands and say, “It doesn’t matter if I fail. Everything is so terrible, what’s the point in trying to make anything better? What’s the point in even trying to make ourselves better?” It very well may be, I told her, that our time cards were punched before we ever clocked in. It might be that our species was never intended to survive very long past the end of our ice age origins, and the fact that we have been able to build a somewhat-peaceful society with a functioning economy and
opportunities for growth was largely a fluke. The ice ages will cycle again, and everything will collapse because we are such amazingly delicate organisms, and it won’t matter whether you worked in a shoe store or not. Accustomed to my dark flavor of optimism, she laughed. “You have to choose to have hope, though, or else just throw yourself off of a bridge,” another friend told me as we were walking across the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. We were strolling along the road that runs along the length of the Arno River at sunset and contemplating all the ways our lives could be going very wrong very soon, and the many ways they already were going very wrong, despite our beautiful surroundings. She identified herself as a Utopian Socialist, but I don’t think she really was; she’d just thought of the worst
long before the rest of the us did and decided to try to head it off at the pass instead of throwing herself off a bridge. We can’t afford to treat our sick and disabled senior citizens. Young people with once highly lucrative and helpful skills can barely afford to feed themselves, and we never tire of thinking of excuses to kill invisible and imagined boogeymen on the other side of the world. I try to look at our lot and my own part in it. I chose a degree in the arts, not knowing what I wanted to do with it. I never aspired to change the world. I think about how very soon I may end up sleeping in my car again. I think about how I may never own a home. I think about how I have few close family relationships, no significant other and no safety net. see page
5, “ADVICE”
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friday, december 11,2015
Iwundu leads men’s basketball into showdown against Aggies ANDREW HAMMOND the collegian
The distance from junior forward Wesley Iwundu’s hometown of Houston to Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, is about 95 miles, which is more than enough of a reason to have an Iwundu homecoming of sorts as K-State visits their former Big 12 foe Texas A&M on Saturday. Averaging almost 13 points, four rebounds and three assists this season, Iwundu – along with senior guard Justin Edwards – has led this team to a positive start. After Iwundu’s performance against Coppin State, when he had 14 points, three rebounds and five assists, his focus was square on a game back in his home state. “I have close to about 40 to 50 people coming,” Iwundu said after K-State’s most recent victory against
Coppin State. “So it’s a big game for me.” In last season’s matchup against the Aggies, Iwundu had a coming-out party of sorts, as he came off the bench to score 10 points and posted a few highlight plays in the Wildcats’ 71-64 victory. Head coach Bruce Weber joked around with his star guard about last season’s game. “Last year, we didn’t start you,” Weber said. “Maybe we should do that again.” Coming into this game, the Aggies are currently ranked 25th in the country in the USA Today Coaches Poll and they have a 7-2 record, suffering losses to Syracuse and Arizona State. Despite those losses, Weber said he is very impressed by his upcoming opponent and knows the Wildcats will have to be ready to play. “We’ll have to take care of the ball,” Weber said. “They’ll run, but they play very deliberate. I’ve watched a couple of
those game in the Bahamas tournament ... as a fan. Today, Coach Brooks and I watched a little bit of last year’s game — they’ll be as talented as any team we play, not only in non-conference, but in our league too.” The Wildcats will have to contain big man and senior guard Danuel House, who is leading the team in scoring with 16 points per contest and is among the rebounding leaders with five rebounds per game. “They’ve got great depth, nine to 10 guys,” Weber said. “They had a top recruiting class — they bring those guys back, the transfers from Houston, Jones and House. (Alex) Caruso, he’ll do things in the history of Texas A&M basketball that other people haven’t done. The freshmen, they’re talented but they’re learning. We’ll have to be very focused. We’ll have to play our butts off.” Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.
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Junior guard Wesley Iwundu slam dunks the ball on Wednesday in Bramlage Coliseum. Iwundu scored 14 points and had five assists in the game against Coppin State.
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German cockroaches transfer germs between people and contaminate food. The bugs can also be a source of allergies, according to the release. “This research can lead to practical applications, such as devising more efficient traps
for cockroaches based on the specific blend of volatile compounds originating from bacteria,” Zurek said. John Ruberson, head of the entomology department, said to K-State News and Communications Services that the work is an important piece in the researchers’ findings.
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“This work adds a significant piece to our understanding of the role of microbes in shaping animal ecology and behavior, and raises new questions about these relationships and how to exploit them for managing pests — hallmarks of excellent research,” Ruberson said.
Street Talk
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compiled by Jessica Robbins
ELLIE NICHOLSON
friday, december 11, 2015
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WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR BEST STUDY HABITS AND WHY?
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freshman, hospitality management
BAILEY BROWN
freshman, hospitality management
TYLER MOORE
VICTOR VALDEZ freshman, political science
freshman, hospitality management
“My best study habit is spending hours in the library with a group of friends to get everything done.”
“My best study habit is studying in a group from the class, because it allows us to bounce ideas off one another.”
“My best study habit is to have consistency. It really is important for me to go and study every day during the week in order for me to retain the information.”
“My best study habit is studying with a group of friends, that way we have intervals of studying and not studying.”
“My best study habit is being comfortable. I do not like sitting at a desk and just staring at papers or my computer. I will remember information better if I am comfortable and at ease.”
freshman, accounting
ERIN GRABER
ADVICE | People have done much more with much less than us continued from page
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I think about how I still might be in the same boat if I had chosen a different path. I think about how in the end, it doesn’t really matter what I chose because things would probably still be more-or-less the same, and even if they weren’t it wouldn’t be able to stop radical fascists from deporting my friends for worshipping the wrong gods; it wouldn’t be able to help a young shoe salesman with two degrees find his footing so that he might be able to help make the change that I couldn’t. I look at the hand I might have had in all of this, and it’s overwhelming. I feel so powerless trying to comprehend all of the terrible things we face, much less thinking of ways to get past them to arrive at a better future. I can’t even make a better future for myself, let alone everyone else on our beautiful little bluegreen planet. I flew over the homeland of my ancestors this year, all wild
and warm and verdant below me. And there I was in a plane, contributing to its death. I think of all the beautiful things in my life that my friends’ children will never get to see, because we destroyed them before they got there. I wonder if they’ll be able to own homes. I wonder if there will even be any ground left to own a home upon. All of these adult monsters that live in my adult mind are there with me on the nights I wake up terrified and taunted by my own helplessness. When I feel so small against the overwhelming pressure of terror and death, when despair and worthlessness threaten to take me, I have a secret weapon. A talisman against the dark. I try not to use it too often so that it does not lose its power. I discovered it flying in my dad’s airplane when I was small, propped up on top of a phone book with my sticky hands pressed to the window, which was equally parts exciting
and strange and full of anxiety, discomfort and wonder. When I am very frightened, I look out my window at the flashing beacons of the helicopters and passenger planes drifting overhead and say very quietly to myself: “I have seen what clouds look like from above.” Clouds! And I have seen them! In the whole of human history, I am one of the few living humans who has ever seen what the top of a cloud looks like. Many tried to do so before me, and some died in their pursuit. I have seen clouds from above many, many times! I’ve looked down upon my little blue-green planet from space and twirled it around like a god to see what’s on the other side. We are the only conscious species we know of that has peered into the unknown and infinite dark, but instead of darkness we saw galaxies, other solar systems, planets and impossibly large nebulae beyond counting.
Then, we looked inward into ourselves and saw atoms, atomic forces of nature and beautiful systems that work exactly the same way in those other galaxies and on those other planets so impossibly far away. We have seen wonders that in the past would have been indescribable. We have invented words to describe the indescribable — thousands of them. In our worst moments of pain we find a sort of magic, and even in the meanest and worst human specimens we see the flesh of a common human experience. Our hearts beat red with it. I know the inner workings of mysteries that great philosophers would have died for, just to have them whispered in their ear upon their death beds. I can look them up on my iPhone. I live in the middle of a time of miracles, conceptions and magics that would take many lifetimes to learn, from which I can pick and choose the best and most interesting to explore.
We have entire institutions dedicated to exploring them. I was able to attend one. Knowledge and wisdom flow around us like a river — more than any of us could ever hope to learn in a thousand lifetimes — and we are still alive. Even if we end up killing ourselves with nuclear arsenals, starving in the backs of cars in the cold, spending our entire lives on the dole or walking off the edge of a high bridge, it is still good that we lived, that we did all of this, that we were around long enough to grow into something capable of dreaming of the future. The only thing any of us can say for sure if that we will die, but we will do so having soared so, so far above the primordial ponds of our primitive origins that we saw what clouds looked like from above. That takes the fear away for me. Not all of it, but enough that I can brew myself a cup of coffee and wrap myself in my blankets again to fall asleep and
dream of what I’ll do next. We can get past the horrible things our generation faces. We have the tools and the knowledge — far more than anyone before us has had. We have some unpleasant truths we’re going to have to come to terms with along the way, but we can restore ourselves. All I have right now is hopelessness about the world I live in, a lot of knowledge, a mountain of unmanageable debt and a piece of paper that says I went to college in Manhattan, Kansas. But I can get where I want to go with what I have. People have done much more with much less. Our ancestors built planes out of tubes of steel, bits of wood and scraps of fabric and lookedto the sky, not knowing what would come next. We have seen what clouds look like from above. Iris LoCoco is a senior in art history. Please send all comments to current@ kstatecollegian.com.
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friday, decemeber 11,2015
MONDAY
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