K A N S A S
S TAT E vol. 125, issue 38
monday, dec. 2, 2019
kstatecollegian.com
K-State’s GTA program among lowest paid of Kansas schools DALTON WAINSCOTT THE COLLEGIAN
After completing their bachelor’s degrees, some students decide to continue their education in graduate school. This can be a daunting decision as it often proves to be more expensive than undergraduate degrees. Some students become graduate teaching assistants to alleviate costs. According to Kansas State policy, graduate students are appointed to work no more than 20 hours per week and are paid on a biweekly basis with minimum wage being the lowest dollar amount they can be paid per hour, which is currently $7.25. This adds up to $3,750 per semester for master’s degree students and $4,250 for doctoral students. GTAs also receive a full tuition waiver for spring and fall semesters for working a .4 full time equivalency appointment. “I feel like this amount is not adequate,” said James Lin, graduate teaching and research assistant and student in agronomy. “I feel like as grad students, we get paid just enough to cover rent and groceries. There isn’t really much to save after all the necessary expenses.” Lin started out as a graduate research assistant, but was offered an opportunity to be a GTA as well. “All graduate students are different in funding source,” Lin said. “My project pays me as a GRA, so I don’t have to be a TA.”
FOOD INSECURITY Nearly half of K-State’s undergrads qualify as food insecure
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ANALYSIS: K-State rides special teams, defense to win over Iowa State Page 5
K-State’s improv group celebrates 10 year anniversary on campus Page 6 Photo Illustration by Kandace Griffin| COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Lin is paid $100 every two weeks after taxes on top of his GRA stipend. His tuition is also completely covered by his tuition waiver. GTAs at K-State are among the lowest paid of Kansas schools. At Fort Hays State, full GTAs who work 19 hours per
week are paid $5,000 per semester in addition to resident tuition and nine hours of graduate tuition assistance. According to Wichita State’s policies and procedures regarding GTAs, stipends vary “according to the length of the appointment, the number of hours per week required by
the appointment, and the funding base within each program area.” One position within WSU’s Elliot School of Communication lists a stipend of $8,000 per nine-month period, or $4,000 per semester. GTAs are also eligible for full or partial waiver in-state tuition of up to 12 hours of 500-level courses
and above. Stipends for GTAs at the University of Kansas vary across academic departments, but compensation does include full or partial tuition and some campus fees. In fiscal year 2012, GTAs made a salary of $6,375 per semester.
Researchers develop solutions for rural resiliency Page 7
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EDITORIAL BOARD Kaylie McLaughlin Editor-in-Chief Molly Hackett Managing Editor Sports Editor
Julie Freijat Culture Editor Nathan Enserro Assistant Sports Editor
Rachel Hogan Copy Chief
Julia Jorns Assistant Sports Editor
Peter Loganbill News Editor
Abigail Compton Multimedia Editor
Bailey Britton Assistant News Editor
Dalton Wainscott Deputy Multimedia Editor
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Q&A: ‘We have a right to what we can pay Q&A: District 1 for,’ Kansas House majority leader says congressional candidate talks campaign priorities PETER LOGANBILL THE COLLEGIAN
Peter Loganbill, Collegian news editor: “One thing about this podcast is I try to have on as many different perspectives as I can. I’ve had someone look at me and say health care is a human right, and you disagree.” Dan Hawkins, Kansas House majority leader: “I do. I think that we have a right to what we can pay for. Do we want to help those who truly need help? Absolutely we do, and we do that with Medicaid, with our current Medicaid system. But if you can work, and there is a system out there called the Affordable Care Act, and if you work, you can gain access to health care through the Affordable Care Act. “So, we’re not saying you can’t have it, we’re just saying that you need to go to work. And if you can work, you need to work. And if you can’t work, you know, if you’re disabled or something, then Medicaid is there for you. We don’t want to hurt the very people who we need to help the most. And quite frankly, I believe Medicaid expansion is going to force some people out of the system, and it’s going to hurt the very people that we need to help. “So, you know, I think people would really get tied up on the fact that I say healthcare is not a right. Well, what is a right? So, my point is if healthcare is a right, what else is a right? Is owning a Lamborghini a right? Well, I don’t think so.” Loganbill: “Could you give a definition of what you think is a human right?” Hawkins: “I think that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which our Constitution says, but it does it say that somebody has to give you something? No. “You have the right to what you can work for and what you can gain personally, you don’t have the right to
PETER LOGANBILL THE COLLEGIAN
what somebody else, what you’re forcing somebody else to give you. There’s no right to that, and that’s what’s happening.” Loganbill: “You made the comment that you don’t think Medicaid expansion is going to save rural healthcare. What do you mean by rural healthcare and that whole statement?” Hawkins: “When we talk about rural healthcare, generally what we’re talking about is hospitals. In Kansas, we have 83 critical access hospitals. We have more than any other state in the nation. “When we say that Medicaid expansion is not going to save rural healthcare, where are most of the people who are on Medicaid? Not in the rural. Most
of them are where? In the urban centers. “The economic centers is where they’re at. And so, some of these critical access hospitals may get as little as $4,000 a year from Medicaid expansion.” “Fort Scott was a hospital that was losing $15 million a year, Medicaid expansion would have given about two million. So, if you’re losing 15 and you’re given two, do you stay in business? No.” Interested in learning more about Dan Hawkins and what’s happening in Topeka in this Q&A? Check out the “Collegian Kultivate” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Peter Loganbill, Collegian news editor: “National speakers that come through [Kansas] will talk about farming. When Jerry Moran was here, talked about farming quite a bit. So, you seem to know a lot about this, or, you’ve talked to people about it. What has been that experience?” Kali Barnett, 1st District congressional candidate: “To be honest, I know that there’s a big difference between being a farmer’s daughter and an ag policy maker. And that’s what I’m trying to bridge the gap with, and I don’t shy away from saying I’ve been a teacher. I feel like in a lot lot of ways, I’m an expert in music education, not complete expert, but in many, many ways, right? And I understand that there’s a big difference and there’s a big factor of trust that people need to know that is there. “I’ve met with many many ag professors since I announced, even before I announced. Last week, I met with the Kansas Farm Bureau. And to be honest, I went into that room feeling really nervous because I am a younger woman who is running as a Democrat in the 1st District of Kansas and I, you know, walked into the room fully expecting to be judged and criticized and humiliated in some ways and it was the exact opposite experience and I’m constantly pleasantly surprised by people’s reaction to someone who is literally putting themselves out there to make a positive change and putting the effort in to learn about ag policy and our current issues. And everyone knows with our trade war that’s happening, with our
farmers, the bankruptcy rate is skyrocket right now. “Our suicide rate among farmers is skyrocketing and it’s really, really challenging and it’s at a place where it’s almost irreversible, where we have come as far as our trade and even if we stopped everything that’s going on with that today, there would still be a lot of bridges that we have burned that are going to take a long time to rebuild.” Loganbill: “Would you call healthcare a human right?” Barnett: “Absolutely.” Loganbill: “Can you define ‘human right’?” Barnett: “That’s challenging. A human right is anything that we deserve as a living being on this planet and I truly believe that it is my job as the human that’s sitting next to you in the room that if there’s something that you are struggling with, that I can help you as much as possible, right? And we have to have a system in place that has that same ideal. If you were choking on a piece of gum, or something like that, I would be a terrible human being if I just watched you choke on that gum, and I was like, ‘Well, that stinks. Too bad, he shouldn’t have been chewing gum.’ “That’s not an ideal that is good for humanity. It’s not a Christian ideal. I say a lot, you can be a Democrat and a Christian too. Pretty sure that Jesus said that we should take care of people who are in need. And that’s how I feel about healthcare. That’s how I feel about our basic human rights is that we need to take care of each other.” Interested in learning more about Barnett’s campaign in this Q&A? Check out the “Collegian Kultivate” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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BRIEFS COURTS News from Dec. 1 PETER LOGANBILL THE COLLEGIAN
LOCAL
The Manhattan City Commission will consider whether or not to approve a new Douglass Recreation Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Manhattan Mercury reports the new center would be built near existing facilities in the Tenth Street area. The advisory board that oversees the Douglass Center plan to have basketball courts as well as pickleball and volleyball space.
REGIONAL
Geologists recorded six earthquakes in 27 hours near Wichita over the weekend. The Wichita Eagle reports the stron-
gest of the earthquakes measured in at a magnitude of 3.1 after 1:30 a.m. on Saturday. The final tremor weighed in at a magnitude of 2.0 after 4 a.m. on Sunday just south of Cheney.
NATIONAL
A plane crash Saturday afternoon left nine dead and three injured in South Dakota. Two of the deceased were children. According to NPR, 12 people were aboard the flight headed from South Dakota to Idaho. Legal recreational marijuana sales began in Michigan on Sunday. Sales are limited to people over the age of 21 with a valid state ID or driver’s license, according to USA Today.
KAYLIE MCLAUGHLIN THE COLLEGIAN
The plaintiffs in the Title IX lawsuits against Kansas State dismissed their cases on Tuesday. According to a press release from K-State's Division of Communications and Marketing, the university did not provide plaintiffs and former students Sara Weckhorst and Tessa Farmer any "monetary payment or other form of compensation." The two lawsuits pertained to the off-campus sexual assaults of Weckhorst and Farmer at fraternity events on separate nights. Afterwards, both women complained to the university. “KSU refused to investigate or take any action against the perpetrators, allowing them to remain on campus, and justified its indifference on the basis that the rapes occurred off-campus,” reads a statement made earlier this year from The Fierberg National Law Group, which represents Weckhorst and Farmer. Both women sued K-State on the basis of Title IX, outlining perceived “deliberate indif-
NEAR HALF OF K-STATE’S UNDERGRADS QUALIFY AS FOOD INSECURE BREE MAGEE
THE COLLEGIAN
A survey conducted at Kansas State found 44.3 percent of students qualify as food insecure. The survey of a random sample of undergraduate students — taken for a seven month time frame in 20162017 — found that food insecure students are affected by at least two of the following: they ran out of food and didn’t have enough money to buy more, they couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals, they cut the size or skipped meals, they ate less than they
felt they should because they didn’t have enough money or were hungry and didn’t eat. Food insecurity, according to the Department of Agriculture, is a “lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” This affects one in nine Americans, or 37 million people and 11 million children. One resource for students faced by food insecurity is Cats’ Cupboard, the on-campus food pantry. Sarah Hoyt, operations lead for Cats’ Cupboard, said the pantry has seen increased use since opening.
monday, december 2, 2019
PLAINTIFFS DISMISS TITLE IX LAWSUITS AGAINST K-STATE
ference” and inaction, creating a learning environment that left them “vulnerable” to further harm at the hands of their attackers. In 2017, Weckhorst's attacker Jared Gihring was convicted of rape and sentenced to 12 years in prison. "Ms. Farmer and Ms. Weckhorst are proud of the legal precedent they've established through their lawsuits including in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit," their lawyer Jonathon Fazzola said over the phone. "It has been a long journey and both women are excited to focus on with their careers and families." In March, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals denied K-State's motion to have the cases thrown out, upholding the district court's findings that Title IX anti-discrimination legislation is applicable in these cases. “A Title IX plaintiff’s alleged fear of encountering her attacker must be objectively reasonable, but under the horrific circumstances alleged here Plaintiffs have adequately alleged that KSU’s deliberate indifference
to their rape reports reasonably deprived them of educational opportunities available to other students at KSU,” the court of appeals wrote in their 27-page long decision. In regards to the decision of the plaintiffs to withdraw the cases, the university statement on the matter says K-State has a "longstanding practice of helping students" and these instances were no different.
"This result affirms K-State's long-stated position that it responded appropriately and in compliance with Title IX when Weckhorst and Farmer each reported they were sexually assaulted off campus," the statement reads. The lawsuits were dismissed with prejudice, which means Weckhorst and Farmer cannot bring forward a new suit on the matter in the future.
File photo by George Walker | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
STUDENT LIFE STAY UP-TODATE
Visits are up from six per day for a total of 485 in fall 2017 to 30 per day this semester by 800 different students for a total of 2,500 visits. Since opening, nearly 1,255 unique students have visited the pantry for food, hygiene items and cookware more than 6,815 times, Hoyt said. Hoyt said 48 percent of people who use Cats’ Cupboard are 16 to 20 years old while 32 percent are 21 to 23 years old. “The best way that students have learned about us is word of mouth,” Hoyt said. “Statistics show us that 65 percent had heard of us
because someone told them about us.” Another resource open to students and residents of Manhattan and surrounding areas is the Flint Hills Breadbasket. Maribeth Kieffer, director of the Flint Hills Breadbasket, said anyone who utilizes them can get supplies for week’s worth of meals, including fresh fruit and vegetables. “We have had an increase, too,” Kieffer said. “Our warehouse had a large hit over the summer months and we did a plea two months ago, and we helped a lot more than we did a year
ago.” The nonprofit organization Feeding America identifies several overlapping issues linking back to food insecurity including lack of affordable housing, social isolation, chronic or acute health problems, medical problems and low wages. Vickie James, coordinator for the Food and Farm Council of Riley County and Manhattan, commented on the rate of the local food insecurity as well. “Food is a necessity, not a luxury, and Kansas has a state sales tax on groceries of 6.5 percent,” James said.
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ANALYSIS: NATHAN ENSERRO THE COLLEGIAN
Special teams and defense came through big in a vintage win on Senior Night Saturday night. The Wildcats took out Iowa State 27-17 during a windy, cold game to round out an eight-win regular season. The game started off quickly for Kansas State when freshman receiver Joshua Youngblood took the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. “Phillip Brooks made two huge blocks, Landry [Weber] had a huge block,” Youngblood said. “I just had great blocking again. This special teams unit is crazy, our return unit is crazy.” The touchdown was Youngblood’s third of the season, setting
the record for the most kickoff return touchdowns in a season by a freshman. He mentioned that he had never returned kickoffs before coming to Manhattan and was not expecting to do so coming into the year. Youngblood’s return had such an effect on the Iowa State kicking team that they only kicked to him one more time the rest of the game, opting instead to kick it short and force one of K-State’s blockers to fall on the ball. “They gotta do what they gotta do, but if they kick it to [Brooks] he’s a dangerous return man, too. [Brooks] is going to break one soon,” Youngblood said. Junior kicker Blake Lynch was also 2-2 on field goals, including a 43-yard kick into a strong wind late in the third quarter to tie the game
K-STATE HEADS INTO THE BOWL SEASON WITH MOMENTUM AFTER FARMAGEDDON WIN up at 17. “The first five yards of the kick are the most important part with the wind like that, especially with the cross wind. Then when it comes back down it likes to move a lot,” Lynch said. “Trying to get good ball contact is key.” The other major key to K-State’s victory was third down conversions. K-State converted seven of 14 — Iowa State converted only one of 13. “Defense was dynamite,” head coach Chris Klieman said. K-State's eight regular-season wins are the most in program history by a first year head coach. The Wildcats will have to wait one more week before they know where they will be heading for their bowl game.
Dalton Wainscott | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Junior defensive back Jahron McPherson tackles an Iowa State player. The Wildcats beat the Cyclones 27-17 in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 30.
K-STATE HEADS INTO THE BOWL SEASON WITH MOMENTUM AFTER FARMAGEDDON WIN CODY FRIESEN
THE COLLEGIAN
Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Senior running back Jordon Brown runs in a touchdown duing K-State’s football 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 Wildcats finished out the regular season with a 27-17 win over Iowa State Saturday night. The win also gave head coach Chris Klieman his eighth victory of the season, the most by a first year head coach in school history. Underclassmen stepped up in the win, providing momentum headed into the bowl game. Senior day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium started off strong with a 93-yard kickoff return by freshman wide receiver Joshua Youngblood to take an early 7-0 lead. It was Youngblood’s third kickoff return touchdown of the season. Youngblood finished with 138 all-purpose yards in the game. The freshman made a name for himself on special teams even though he did not start the season as a return man. The Wildcats went up 14-0 with a run by freshman running back Jacardia Wright — the first touchdown of his career at Kansas State.
VICTORY
Wright had a career day with 60 rushing yards. Wright missed time this season due to an ankle sprain, but was able to learn from the top backs, and he was ready for his opportunity. “It’s good to be able to watch James Gilbert and Jordon Brown out there because you learn a lot from those two,” Wright said. “They’re really good backs, and coach always told me to wait my turn. I waited my turn, and today I was able to go out there and play my hardest.” After being held scoreless on 39 total yards of offense, the Cyclones woke up in the second quarter and got on the board with an eight-play, 43-yard touchdown drive. The drive included a fourth and 13 conversion capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy to redshirt freshman wide receiver Sean Shaw Jr. Following a K-State punt, the Cyclones drove down the field and tied the game 14-14 on a one-yard touchdown on fourth down by freshman running back Breece Hall. It was the second fourth down conversion of the game.
The Wildcats finished the half with 122 total yards with only 17 passing yards. Iowa State had 124 yards passing and 168 total yards. On the first possession of the second half, K-State turned the ball over on a fumble by junior quarterback Skylar Thompson, but the defense forced a three-and-out. Thompson threw an interception on the first play of the following drive. The Cyclones took a 17-14 lead on that drive with a 36-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Connor Assalley. K-State tied the game with a 43-yard field goal by junior kicker Blake Lynch late in the third quarter. The Wildcats then took a 24-17 lead on a 15-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Jordon Brown in the fourth quarter Iowa State did not convert a third down until halfway through the fourth quarter.
see page 6, “VICTORY”
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SPOTLIGHT K-STATE’S IMPROV GROUP CELEBRATES 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY NATHAN COX
THE COLLEGIAN
Kansas State’s On the Spot Improv troupe recently celebrated 10 years as a club on the Manhattan campus. Founded in November 2009, On the Spot became an official club and drafted its constitution after picking up Ben Hopper, the assistant director for National Academic Advising Association at K-State, as an adviser. Hopper first saw On The Spot during a Wildcat Warmup event. “I worked for UPC, and we booked entertainment, and I thought it would be great to work with them in the future,” Hopper said. “That’s when they said they weren’t an official group — so when they asked me to be their adviser I said, ’Why not?’” Since the club’s founding, the number of students and the level of talent has increased, Hopper said. “It has grown so well — the
VICTORY continued from page
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“Defense was dynamite, I think I saw [Iowa State was] one-of-13 on third down,” Klieman said. “I liked Coach [Scottie] Hazelton’s plan coming into it. I thought our coverage was good.” The K-State defense limited Purdy to 185 passing yards. Entering the matchup, Purdy averaged a conference-leading 320 passing yards per game. Getting pressure on Purdy was a critical defensive ele-
quality of the improvisers is so great that it would have been hard for some of the originals to get in because they’ve gotten so good,” he said. Since the popularity of the club is growing, they adopted an audition process to help limit the number of students. “Sometimes we set a hard cap of, ’We’re not taking more than this number of students,’ but some years the numbers are different,” Nate Kochuyt, president of On the Spot and senior in statistics, said. The number of auditioning students has increased — about 30 to 40 people audition every year. Kochuyt said improv is attractive because of the qualities it encourages. “Improv, in general, really helps people out with public speaking skills with as much as we perform — and interview skills, because you never know what you will be asked in an interview,” he said. On the Spot is not a group limited only to theatre majors. “We have such a wide variety of majors, obviously there
are theatre majors, but we have history majors, English majors, computer science majors — we are all over the place with our majors,” Kochuyt said On the Spot had its 10 year anniversary show Nov. 11. The event was full of festivities and alumni returned to participate in the show. “We have alums that are in Dallas, Chicago and even Kansas City pursuing improv so for everyone to come back was exciting,” Hopper said. Alumni members still stay in touch with the program through a Facebook page designated for On The Spot alumni. This allows them to keep in touch with one another and provide information about possible alumni shows, like the 10 year anniversary show. Hopper said he also stays in touch with past members. “This past summer I attended a wedding where they had met in On the Spot, and when former students come to visit we’ll go watch a football game or get something to eat — it’s definitely a family,” he said.
ment. “That’s what we really focused on in the defensive end room this week,” senior defensive end Reggie Walker said. “Just really rushing after their quarterbacks, and I think we did a really good job.” The defense held the Iowa State offense to only three points in the entire second half. Quarterback pressure throughout the game limited the Cyclone’s offensive game plan. “All four quarters we were coming after him pretty hard and making him think a little more with the ball,” Walker said. A 27-yard field goal by
Lynch sealed the game for the Wildcats. The Cyclones failed a fourth-down conversion in the final two minutes of the game. The Wildcats finished with a total of 288 yards with 231 on the ground. Brown led the Wildcats with 91 yards rushing and a touchdown. “Hats off to our offensive line,” Klieman said. “We were able to rush the football for about 230 yards against an exceptional defense.” The Wildcats are bowl eligible, defying low expectations and early projections of K-State finishing ninth in the Big 12 conference.
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INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCHERS DEVELOP SOLUTIONS FOR RURAL RESILIENCY WITH GRANT FUNDS BAILEY BRITTON THE COLLEGIAN
Interdisciplinary research by a team at Kansas State hopes to solve economic issues related to food, energy and water in southwest Kansas and beyond. Stacy Hutchinson, associate dean for research in engineering,
Nathan Hendricks, associate professor of agricultural economics, and Melanie Derby, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received a National Science Foundation grant to fund their research relating to rural communities. “What we’re planning around is the idea of developing engineering solutions for rural resiliency,” Hutchinson said. “And
We’re helping engineers learn some social science... and getting economists to learn engineering. Nathan Hendricks
associate professor of agricultural economics
so, what we will be looking at is how we can look at environmental quality, how we can look at engineer distributed systems and what information do we need in order to make that work?” The one-year planning grant helps the team work on “challenging problems,” Derby said. The team includes researchers from the University of Nebraska and Washington State University. “We also [are] bringing together ... engineers, geography, agriculture, economics and sociology, and coming together and merging our research together,” Hendricks said. Two of the team’s objectives are workforce development and beneficial research for sustainable economic theories. At the end of the planning year, Hutchinson said the team should have a story map showing desired solutions and workshops hosted in rural areas. Afterwards, Hutchinson hopes to apply for an Engineering Research Center grant. “Having a center validates that you are doing cutting edge research,” Hutchinson said.
EDUCATION
Even without the center, she said she will continue to look for solutions for rural America. Currently, the group focuses on the food, energy and water nexus in rural areas. “There are many aspects of healthy environments,” Derby said. “We are considering factors such as water security ... and appropriate processing of animal waste.” The team is currently working on an anaerobic membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment. This will be tested on a K-State swine farm before being presented to stakeholders. Hutchinson said implementing the bioreactor on a large scale poses challenges, but the great thing about the planning grant is the research aspect. Starting in January, residents of rural areas will be invited to workshops to tell the team what they need or want in their community. “The most important data we need are the opinions of stakeholders,” Derby said. “As engineers, we have many ways we can apply our engineering skills to help rural communities, but want
RURAL
File Photo by Jordan Koster | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
The Konza Prairie Biological Station is a 3,487-hectare preserve of native tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. to hear from members of the communities in order to understand what they need. We have planned a series of focus groups with rural stakeholders including stakeholders in Washington, Nebraska and Kansas.” Interdisciplinary research can be tricky, Hutchinson said. She doesn’t fully understand everything Hendricks researches for the economy, just as he doesn’t understand everything done in
engineering. However, he said students on the team pick-up on new skills easily. “There’s a lot of challenge doing this,” Hendricks said. “We’re helping engineers learn some social science ... and getting economists to learn engineering. I can go listen to what’s going on, but they — the students — do get it.”
THE RIGHT WAY TO WRITE: WRITING CENTER PROVIDES TUTORS FOR K-STATE STUDENTS TRISTAN ANDERSON THE COLLEGIAN
Dylan Connell COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Anna Richardson (right), junior in education studies, helps Bailey Hamaker (left), sophomore in accounting, at the Writing Center on Nov. 21, 2019.
Under the Department of English, the Writing Center helps students in the areas of critical thinking, consultations and more. The staff is comprised of a handful of instructors, at least five graduate students and about a baker's dozen of undergraduates are there to help students look over their papers, formulate ideas and improve their writing. Professors can recommend strong students to join, but student employees must complete the English 500
course "Writing Center Theory and Practice" before they can tutor. "It's benefited me to proofread my paper, and be able to get things factchecked," Nate Reichmuth, junior in business and minor in English, said. The Writing Center provides online tutoring, class visits and writing workshops. "It helps me find the right ways of wording my ideas on paper and getting them correct in my mind and organized on paper," Anya Gleichmann, junior in English, said. While the center doesn't keep track of students' grades, they use a national
data gathering survey that correlates GPAs and grades. "The students who seek help are typically go-getters in general," Cydney Alexis, director of the Writing Center and an assistant professor in English, said. "We assess our tutoring and look at the data through the end of the term survey to each student who came in for a tutoring service." According to the annual report in 2017, students within the College of Arts and Sciences go to the center the most, followed by the colleges of Engineering, Human Ecology (now Health and Human Sciences) and Business.
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Men’s, women’s basketball teams get prime spotlight for K-State sports this week ADAM MEYER
THE COLLEGIAN
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The men’s basketball team (4-2) returns home after a disappointing trip to the Ft. Myers Tipoff, losing both games after an encouraging 4-0 start. They will look to bounce back on the winning track with two
games at Bramlage Coliseum. The first game will be against Florida A&M at 7 p.m. Monday. This game will have an Operation Santa/ Team-Camper Night theme. It will be televised on ESPN+. The second game will be against Marquette at 8 p.m. Saturday. This game will have a theme of a white-out. It will be aired nationally on ESPN2.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The women’s basketball team (3-3) will also look to get back on the winning track after following a three-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak. The Junkanoo Jam dealt the Wildcats two close losses in the Bahamas. They will play two games this week, one at home and one
on the road. The first game will be against UIW at Bramlage Coliseum. This game has a theme of Ft. Riley Operation Santa and will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The second game will be in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as they will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. This game will tip-off at 2 p.m. Saturday.
FARMAGEDDON WIN Emily Lenk | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
K-State’s men’s basketball team took on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 19, 2019. The Wildcats came back strong in the second half and defeated the Golden Lions 62-51.
Pretend like youʼre taking notes and do the SUDOKU
Logan Wassall | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Freshman wide receiver Joshua Youngblood runs the ball during K-State’s football 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.