VOL. 121, ISSUE 26
INSIDE
Itchy, red mite bites plague students COURTNEY BURKE
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PAGE 3: Honoring former lacrosse coach Donnie Tillar
the collegian
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tudents at Emporia State University, the University of Kansas, Pittsburg State University and now students at K-State have been waking up with mysterious red bites and rashes. Oak Leaf Itch Mites are to blame for these uncomfortable little bites that look very similar to spider bites. According to Robert Bauernfeind, professor of entomology, nearly 200 mites can live on a single leaf gall, which is a thickened, rolled-up area of leaves. The mites stay there until they are fully mature, falling from the trees when they leave. “They leave the fold of the leaf margin and sort of rain, or fall out of the tree,” Bauernfeind said. “If a person is under or even near the tree, the mites will land on them and bite.” The bites are relatively painless but are still uncomfortable. They usually take about 24 hours to appear and look like red welts with a pimple or small head in the center. The bites are usually in the neck and shoulder-area or on the upper torso and back where clothing is the loosest, according to the K-State Department of Entomology’s Oct. 22, 2004 Kansas Insect Newsletter. “A lot of my friends that have them thought they were bed bugs and were really grossed out,” Megan Anderson, junior in secondary education, said. “The worst one I had was on my stomach, and it was just really itchy. The bites I got lasted about two weeks, and there
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T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 5
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR KANSAS STATE UNIVERSIT Y
this issue
173 PINTS
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Oak Leaf Itch Mites are the cause of recent reports of red bites and rashed from students. These microscopic creatures have been seen at Kansas universities such as Emporia State, Pittsburg State and K-State. wasn’t much I could do other than put Benadryl cream on it.” Douglas Dechairo, director of the Watkins Health Services at the University of Kansas, said the center has been seeing nearly 20 to 30 students a day for the past two weeks complaining about three to four quarter-sized bites on their bodies. “We see these bites all the time, but never as many as what we’re seeing this year,” Dechairo said. “We didn’t even know what they were at first. The last time we had an epidemic like this was in 2004.” In 2004, studies estimated
that there were 300,000 mites falling from infested pin oak trees in Nebraska per day, according to a November 2014 publication by the K-State Research and Extension Center. The mites are tiny and barely visible to the naked eye. They go largely unnoticed, and there is no known repellent that keeps them away. “Itch mites are not new, but there’s little known about them or what makes their bites so uncomfortable to humans, or even how to avoid them,” Bauernfeind said. The mites emerge late in the
summer and continue on through the fall until the first freeze. Because they are so small, they may be carried hundreds of yards before actually landing on humans or pets, according to the K-State Research and Extension Center. “Because they itch so much, there’s a chance of getting a secondary infection from scratching the bites open,” Dechairo said. “If students start to feel pain instead of itching, the redness increases or the bite area gets hot, then we recommend that they come in to be seen to get an oral antibiotic.”
City seeks improvements to Water Treatment Plant
News Briefs compiled by
DANIELLE COOK I-70 CRASH SENDS TOPEKA MAN TO HOSPITAL
The Topeka Police Department responded to reports of a car crash along the lanes running east on Interstate 70 Monday around 2:30 a.m. According to WIBW, Topeka resident David Cottrell was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries as a result of the wreck. Police found Cottrell’s small truck majorly damaged against the interstate’s retaining wall. Firefighters cut Cottrell out of his vehicle so emergency crews could transport him to the hospital. The highway was shut down for approximately an hour while authorities checked the scene of the accident, and the crash is still under investigation.
YOUNG MALE WITH PAINT SCRAPER ATTEMPTS ROBBERY OF WICHITA QUICKTRIP
According to WIBW, a young male, between ages 10 and 12, armed with a paint scraper, confronted the clerk at a Wichita QuickTrip at around 5 a.m. on Sunday. see page
3, “BRIEFS”
Rodney Dimick | THE COLLEGIAN
Manhattan water is pumped from 19 different wells into four basins to be treated on Sept. 23, 2015 at the Manhattan Water Treatment Plant. According to Kenny Henry, Water Treatment Plant superintendent, the K-State campus uses around 1 million gallons of water per day.
KRISTEN LYNE the collegian
Improvement and expansion are two words that K-State students know all too well these days; however, the campus isn’t the only place in Manhattan being updated. Manhattan City Commission met on Sept. 15 to discuss improvements to the city’s water treatment plant, a project that will cost $7.3 million. The primary goal for these upgrades is to improve efficiency at the plant. According to a press release from the city of Manhattan, there are many improvements that will
be made. Some updates include installation of a backup generator that will be used in times of emergency to improve reliability; electrical upgrades that will eliminate the use of the low service pump station, medium voltage electrical equipment and Westar substation on site; and construction of a chlorine contact basin that will reduce the plant’s basement-flooding issue, while also allowing compatibility for future improvements. According to Kenny Henry, water plant superintendent the backup generator is the most-needed improvement. For example, Henry said it can get a little scary during electrical storms.
“Without power, we can’t supply a drop,” Henry said. Dakota Baccus, sophomore in kinesiology, said he finds these improvements reassuring, especially the generator. “Since I’m paying a water bill now, I have a lot more to worry about,” Baccus said. “It would be upsetting for water to be cut off just because it’s storming. I want to be able to shower whenever I need to.” The water treatment plant runs a 30 million gallon per day operation that supplies water to the entire city, according to Henry. Using 16 wells that pump groundwater to the site, the plant then softens, fluoridates, disinfects and filters Manhattan’s drinking
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY On this day in 1982, a sick 12-year-old girl in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, unwittingly takes an Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule laced with cyanide poison and dies later that day. She would be one of seven people to die suddenly after taking the popular over-the-counter medication, as the so-called Tylenol murders spread fear across America. Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, launched a massive recall of its product and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible.
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water. Henry said that although the plant is capable of 30 gallons of water per day, it supplies an average of seven to eight gallons and, on peak days, up to 16 and 20 gallons. Russell Still, superintendent of the wastewater plant, said he wasn’t surprised to hear about these upgrades because the city is ambitious in improvements of its facilities. He said the city was “really proactive” when it performed renovations on the wastewater plant a few years ago; the plant renovations accounted for future regulations the city knew would be put into place, according to Still. Henry said the staff is looking forward to the updates. With the city planning ahead, Henry said he was surprised the electrical upgrades didn’t happen during the 2005 project when new drives were put on the low-service pumps. Then in 2012, the plant underwent $16.5 million in renovations, and these upgrades were again not included. As for when these improvements to the water treatment plant are expected, Henry said to expect them in the coming year. Before then, the city will have a public hearing on Oct. 6 to apply for funds that will finance the project. Randy Dewitt, the assistant director of public works for water and wastewater, said the city has until Oct. 31 to apply for a loan. The financing is proposed to be provided from the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan fund, which has $32 million available, according to Dewitt.
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CORRECTIONS Due to a Collegian error, Skyler Harper was incorrectly identified as a woman in Monday’s article about the Bessie B. West Hall renovations. 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] © Collegian Media Group, 2015
Zits | By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
KenKen | Easy-Medium Use numbers 1-4 or 1-6 in each row and column without repeating. The numbers in each outlined area must combine to produce the target number in each area using the mathematical operation indicated.
THE BLOTTER ARREST REPORTS SUNDAY, SEPT. 27 Edward David Sutton Harrison, of Junction City, was booked for failure to appear. Bond was set at $2,500.
MONDAY, SEPT. 28 Michael Anthony Christoph, of the 2000 block of Jay Court, was booked for driving under the influence. Bond was set at $750.
6 4 5 7 8 7 6
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2015 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
8
By Dave Green
9/29
WHO ARE WE? All Volunteer Foster Network - we do not have a facility We do not run the City Shelter
WHAT DO WE DO? Rescue adoptable companion animals from euthanasia
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Donate --- We need a facility Foster • Volunteer • Adopt Riley County Humane Society P.O. Box 1202, Manhattan, K.S. 66505
Phone: 785.776.8433 Email: info@rchsks.org
3
tuesday, september 29, 2015
K-State lacrosse team remembers former coach with tournament BRYAN HUNTER the collegian
Photo Courtesy of Jed Dunham
As K-State’s first head coach for the lacrosse club, Donnie Tillar made a significant impact to the team. With his leadership and lacrosse background, Tillar taught young men how to play the game. Outside of the lacrosse club, Tillar was also a pilot for a flight school program.
BRIEFS | Inmate
played to honor and remember the late coach. For six years after his death, during halftime of the championship game, a Black Hawk helicopter would land midfield at Memorial Stadium. This year the Donnie Tillar Classic will be making a comeback on Oct. 3 since the last time it was played was in 2009. K-State will host Benedictine College, Creighton, Saint Mary and a K-State alumni team. “I’m proud that I could be part of bringing back the Tillar tournament and showing people that K-State lacrosse isn’t just a team you join, but it’s a family,” Sean Morris, senior in criminology, said. Dominic Liberatore, senior in entrepreneurship and current lacrosse president, said he understands what playing on the team stands for. “We realize, as a team, the sacrifices that are made that allow us to play this sport that we love,” Liberatore said. The number 10, which was Tillar’s West Point lacrosse number, can still be found on the back of the helmets and on patches in memory of the late coach. “Donnie gave lacrosse to K-State, K-State gave lacrosse to hundreds of young men,” Dunham said. February will mark the 25th anniversary of Tillar’s passing. There will be a ground breaking on Memorial Day 2016 for a memorial that is being built at Fort Riley in honor of the nine men who died in the Black Hawk crash.
BRITTʻS PUMPKIN PATCH
sent to hospital after fight continued from page
It was a chance encounter in the early spring of 1990 that Donnie Tillar was at Memorial Stadium playing lacrosse when Dave McConnel, a member of the newly created K-State club team, noticed him and began a conversation – a conversation that led to a K-State lacrosse legacy. At the first spring meeting, McConnel introduced Tillar to the team. K-State had just created a club program that was funded by the players and coached by volunteers. After watching the new team struggle with the fundamentals of lacrosse, Tillar volunteered as the team’s first head coach leading up to the spring season. With his leadership and lacrosse background, Tillar taught young men how to play the game. The team picked up its first victories that spring against the University of Kansas and Wichita State University. Tillar played lacrosse throughout his life and attended West Point. He played Division I lacrosse before graduating in 1988 as a first lieutenant. He then went to airborne school where he became a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. After graduating, Tillar was stationed at Fort Riley near Manhattan. He often came to Manhattan to shoot on the lacrosse nets at Memorial Stadium or to visit Aggieville. As K-State’s first head coach for the lacrosse club, Tillar made
a large impact on the team and individuals, according to Jed Dunham, who was a freshman on the 1989 team. Dunham said Tillar was known for embracing anyone who came out to the team and never shied away from a new player wanting to learn the game; Tillar became a mentor to the young team. “(Tillar) embraced what it meant to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” Dunham said. Dunham also said he remembers Tillar’s attitude and laid-back persona. “We felt bulletproof when he was on the field,” Dunham said. But as the team was prepping for its second season with Tillar as coach, the world soon changed for the team. Due to Operation Desert Storm, Tillar was deployed to Kuwait in January of 1991. Tillar and eight other soldiers were killed in action when their Black Hawk was shot down on Feb. 27, 1991. He was decorated with the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Air Medal. Tillar’s legacy has lived on for 25 years and has allowed past players to continue their love for the game and give back to the game as coaches. K-State graduate Matt Kimsey coaches at University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, and graduate Ben Coughlin coaches at Benedictine College in Atchison; both of them are participating in the Donnie Tillar Classic. The year of his death the team decided to start the Donnie Tillar Classic, a tournament
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Sgt. Roger Runft, spokesman for the local police, said the suspect announced robbery before demanding cigarettes from the clerk. When the clerk asked the suspect for an ID, he repeated his announcement of robbery before getting nervous and fleeing the scene after being stared down by the clerk. Authorities’ investigation of this incident continues.
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RENO COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY INMATE SENT TO WICHITA HOSPITAL
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After being beaten in his pod by two other inmates Saturday evening, Reno County Correctional Facility inmate Darrell Beachy, 30, was flown to a Wichita hospital, according to WIBW. Beachy’s attackers, inmates Antoine Alexander and William Alexander, had aggravated battery added to their original charges. Sources stated that the reason for the attack is unknown.
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4
OPINION tuesday, september 29, 2015
We must get over our obsession with pandas
JONATHAN GREIG the collegian
It is time to let pandas go into that good night. I’m not trying to sound cavalier by saying this. Death is incredibly sad – it always is. And the death of an entire species is enough to chill your very bones (especially chilling when we had no small hand in it). But as we know in our own human lives, in our own experience with the matter, there certainly is an appropriate time to let someone we love go. Though we humans certainly do love the black and white, bamboo-munching, YouTube-sneezing, giant pandas of China, it is now time to let them go. I, and others who would argue this, are not in any way unaware or unfeeling toward the tragedy of the pandas’ extinction and the collective guilt we humans must feel about our role in triggering it. What I would say is the opposite – I feel this tragedy, this species loss, so much in fact, I must try and vocalize concern that focusing so much of our conservation energies on the panda will in part drive other species to the brink instead. I worry about the roots of that focus. This was a hard conclusion to come to, but let me tell you why I believe we should curb our panda conservation efforts. While I do not believe that conservation is an absolute zero-sum game, I do strongly believe that inefficiencies and misguided efforts in this area can be very detrimental toward conservation goals as a whole. Pandas are a conservation inefficiency, which is hurting many other species that could use a fraction of the money, energy or attention that pandas are burning through. As of 2015, “There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List, and 16,306 of them are endangered species threatened with extinction. This is up from 16,118 last year. This includes both endangered animals and endangered plants,” according to an Endangered Earth article titled “Promoting the Plight of Endangered Species and the Efforts to Save Them.” Endangered Earth also detailed that “Extinctions are a natural part of evolutionary processes, but through most of the history of life on Earth, biological diversity has been increasing,” and that “In the last 500 years, human activity has
Illustration by Olivia Robinson forced over 800 species into extinction.” Giant pandas are, unfortunately, about to join that list. If we say that we won’t let that happen “at any cost,” then many, many others species will have to serve in their stead. Conservation, like any other area where crisis so outweighs resources, must include pragmatic choice and not get dangerously swayed by emotional attachment. The debate on the giant panda presses us to specify and better our goals in conservation in this, our anthropogenic wave of extinction. Science Alert in their article, “WATCH: Should we let pandas go extinct?” puts a voice to these questions. Do we focus on species closest to the brink of extinction? Or do we concentrate on ecological lynchpins - species that would have the greatest impact on the surrounding ecosystem if they no longer were around? Can we even consider
economy, make the most out of conservation funds and secure the saving of species that would cost the least with the best chance of future survival? The panda species are in their death throes. In captivity, they’re watching panda pornography and faking pregnancy, and in the wild their diminishing gene pool is resulting in inbreeding. Humans have destroyed their habitat; their reproductive and diet inefficiencies, while allowing them a long run of evolutionary success, also left them especially vulnerable to this wave of extinction. We’re at the point of no return where the cost of saving the giant panda has outweighed its chances and benefits. Naturalist Chris Packham, in the Guardian, argued this: “I’m saying we won’t be able to save it all, so let’s do the best we can. And at the moment I don’t think our strategies are best placed to do that.
We should be focusing our conservation endeavours on biodiversity hotspots, spreading our net more widely and looking at good-quality habitat maintenance to preserve as much of the life as we possibly can, using hard science to make educated decisions as to which species are essential to a community’s maintenance.” My side of this argument sounds like the hopeless side, like we’re too-quickly giving up on the beloved panda. But really, it takes quite a bit of optimism to argue this. Really, it’s the hopeful side. Panda advocates have to argue that panda conservation provides a protective shield for other species in their ecosystem, among other things, to justify their stance, while I believe that once we curb our panda obsession, conservation can still inspire people to raise money, attention and energy even without the cute, fuzzy, symbolic face.
We have to design better strategies than throwing money at the few animals that the public falls in love with and hoping for the best. In as big of a crisis as we find ourselves in (called by some the Sixth Great Extinction), we have to maximize the good we can affect and design efficient strategies around what our true conservation aspirations are. Let the giant panda go out into that good night; we’ve done our raging against the dying of the light. Let the panda go out into that good night, so that we can quicken the rise of the next day. 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.
Jonathan Greig is a senior in anthropology. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
Despite concerns, we must do everything we can to save the pandas TYLER GEHMAN the collegian
There is a growing chatter in the scientific community that we spend too much time, money and energy into saving the giant panda from extinction. The argument is the efforts to save the species are futile or better directed elsewhere or ignoring tough conservation choices that we have to make. Today, I’m going to argue on the panda’s behalf. First of all, there are sev-
eral stereotypes of the panda and its evolutionary chances that play into this debate. While yes, it is a carnivore who has changed its diet to almost solely bamboo which is a safer but inefficient diet, that doesn’t necessarily mean we should doom it to evolutionary failure. And while yes, breeding pandas in captivity is taking up a lot of resources and not producing a lot of results, this is only in captivity. The wild pandas, in their natural but shrinking environment, are much better at reproducing than we generally think.
In his BBC article, “The truth about giant pandas,” Henry Nicholls said, “A longterm study of radio-collared pandas in the Qingling Mountains in Shaanxi Province revealed that females reliably give birth every other year and 60 percent of cubs survive to see in their first birthday.” Second, pandas simply inspire more conservation effort in general. The Rock Center article from 2013, “Are giant pandas worth saving?” quoted Sarah Bexell, an employee at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. “I think pandas are
symbolic,” Bexell said. “We all love them. We all want to share the earth with them. And if we truly cannot save space for giant pandas, what does that say about us as a species? And how could we ever have hope for any of the others if we can’t save the one that we profess to love the most?” And thirdly, the efforts poured into the panda habitat has benefited other species as well. In the Toronto Star article titled “Why do we bother saving the pandas?” the pandas’ protective ecological umbrella is brought up. According to the article, “Pandas have been the
flagship species for conservation, and efforts made with the bears have helped pave the way to discussions with the Chinese government about other species and the ecosystem.” If the panda is bringing in money toward conservation, not only benefiting itself but many other species in its ecosystem, who are we to turn up our nose to that? So, some of the negative evolutionary stereotypes of the panda either do not hold up, or do not justify in any way lessening our efforts toward the animal’s revival. Besides, conservation is such an important
Street Talk
??
ALLYSON BOGEN
MATT CHAMPAGNE
JAKE YARBROUGH
RAELEE WRIGHT
“I would be a cat, I like to be lazy, and I can probably take care of myself but should not.”
“I would be a lion, I like to consider myself as a king.”
“A cat because they are laid back and always down to nap.”
compiled by Vail Moshiri
SOPHOMORE,
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION “A fish because I like water and swimming.”
SOPHOMORE, MICROBIOLOGY
worldwide effort that we should let it use its symbolic animals like the panda for good. Even though it seems like they take up a disproportionate amount of our attention, ultimately they’re bringing people to the fight. Save the giant panda. 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.
Tyler Gehman is a junior in psychology. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com
WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL AND WHY?
FRESHMAN, BIOLOGY
SOPHOMORE, PSYCHOLOGY
??
SIBA KHOJAH
SOPHOMORE, POLITICAL SCIENCE “A horse because they are fast and strong.”
5
THECURRENT tuesday, september 29, 2015
Near, far, wherever you are: Living away from home ELASSIA CUNNINGHAMYOUNGER the collegian
F
or some students, attending K-State means driving a few miles down the street to the university they grew up with. For others, especially international students, this can mean leaving their family and friends to travel across the world to arrive in a college town they may know absolutely nothing about. Lauren Sposato, special undergraduate in history, is an international student from Brisbane, Australia. According to Sposato, studying abroad in Kansas seemed like a unique experience. “I wanted the authentic college experience and I wanted to stay in a little college town,” Sposato said. “I never thought I would go to Kansas for any other reason. Like, if I’m going to go to America and tour the U.S. I’m going to go see the big cities, but nope, I wanted to see something I wouldn’t usually see.” To Sposato, Manhattan is completely different from what she’s used to. “It’s a lot smaller than what I’m used to,” Sposato said. “I live in Brisbane and that’s my state’s capital city, so this is quite an adjustment. It’s nice to be able to walk everywhere because I don’t have a car. But, it is a lot smaller.” Studying abroad has its ups and downs for Sposato. She said one benefit is that she gets to explore a new place like the U.S. “The semester abroad is great,” Sposato said. “I get to experience a new culture, a new place, I’m having a lot of fun.” There are still disadvantages to attending school a way from home,
Miranda Snyder | THE COLLEGIAN
Khalid Barbari, English language program student, travels to Kansas City to visit close friends and family Saturday. Barbari is an international student from Saudi Arabia so going home to visit his parents is not an option until winter break. however. “Obviously being away from family (is a con),” Sposato said. “Study abroad is kind of expensive. I mean, it’s great for world experience, but not so great for the pocket. When I call my parents, I have to make sure the time difference is OK. It’s a long way to be away from home if anything goes wrong, if I get sick, or not feeling good.” Hannah Sutherland, freshman in biology, said she also decided to attend K-State to gain experience being away from her Overland Park, Kansas home. Like Sposato, Sutherland said there are both pros and cons to go-
ing to school away from home. “I like being here because it’s like the median distance,” Sutherland said. “I’m not tempted to go home as much because it’s not as easy. So, it’s kind of forcing me to live on my own without mom and dad. But, on the other hand, if I needed to go home, for some kind of emergency or something happened, I could do it easily.” Elizabeth McVey, freshman in early childhood education, is also from Kansas. Like Sutherland, she isn’t too far from her home in Douglass, but she also doesn’t have the opportunity to go home frequently. “It sucks because I’m poor, so
I don’t get to go home every weekend,” McVey said. “It sucks not getting to see them and I have a twoyear-old brother, so I get to see him grow up without being there.” Though there are both benefits and disadvantages to attending a university far from home, there are also pros and cons to attending a school close to your hometown. For Sierra Chase, freshman in apparel and textiles, K-State seemed like a great school to attend because of the programs it offered and it wasn’t too expensive. Chase said she currently lives in Junction City with her family. According to Chase, some ben-
efits of living close to campus are not having to spend extra money on housing, as well as already knowing the area. “I already live close to campus, so there really isn’t a need to live in a dorm and pay $5,000 to $7,000 more,” Chase said. “You understand the area a lot (better) and some of the (people) you already knew, but you also get the experience of meeting other people.” To Chase, there are still some limitations to freedom when you live close to home. “You feel independent, but you don’t feel independent sometimes,” Chase said. Alyssa Frey, freshman in theater, also decided to stick close to home and go to K-State because of the quality of its theater program. According to Frey, who grew up in Manhattan, one disadvantage to attending K-state is that it’s not the full “going-away-to-college” experience. “Almost every time I turn around I see somebody I know and that kind of takes away from the experience of being new,” Frey said. “It just feels like more school. It doesn’t feel like how you’d expect college to feel because I grew up here. It’s very the same. It kind of feels like going from middle school to high school; it’s just a different class schedule.” Going to college can mean packing your bags and moving down the street, like in Frey’s case, or for international students like Sposato, it could mean moving to a different country and not being able to see your family. Both sides have their pros and cons, like having new experiences and learning how to grow up, or like having too much freedom or distance from your loved ones.
Student, faculty views on online classes TONY CANNIZZARO the collegian
Switching from turning in assignments in class on paper to turning in assignments on online websites can be a difficult transition for some K-State students and faculty. However, Matt Kaiser and Asif Chowdhury, both juniors in industrial engineering, said they believe that Canvas and online assignments are more beneficial for everyone. Kaiser said that taking quizzes on Canvas seems to be “more efficient” and Chowdhury said he agreed, and that Canvas is “easy to get used to.” “It can help make classes easier,” Kaiser said.
Kaiser said he found that classes with online quizzes and the feature that allows you to take those quizzes multiple times make Canvas and other online homework more useful and better study tools. “I like how it shows your grades with the percentages on the side,” Chowdhury said. When turning in assignments Chowdhury said he enjoys the feature that shows a green arrow next to the assignment as well. When it notifies him that it has been submitted, it gives him a “sigh of relief.” They both said that they favored Canvas and online assignments; Kaiser called Canvas more “user friendly,” and they both said they haven’t run into any difficulties using Canvas. Chowdhury said that the only problems he has heard about were professors having difficulties on their
ends. Steve Smethers, associate director for the undergraduate programs in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, said he recommends that his students find a reliable internet connection before taking tests. “I think the big disadvantage is, what do you do when you’re already under all this pressure, and your Wi-Fi cuts out?” Smethers said. “That destroys your concentration.” Smethers said the biggest problem he had was when he sent out a test incorrectly. He forgot to push a button that scrambles the questions for each student and cuts a pool of 100 questions down to 50 per student. see page
6, “ONLINE”
File Photo Illustration by Nicholas Cady | THE COLLEGIAN
With advancement in technology, students and faculty members have been switching from turning in assignments in class on paper to turning in assignments on online websides such as Canvas.
SPORTS
tuesday, september 29, 2015
Games to watch for week 5 GEORGIA (NO. 8)
CHRIS ROBINSON the collegian
WEST VIRGINIA (NO. 23) AT OKLAHOMA (NO. 15)
West Virginia is coming off a big blowout victory over Maryland last weekend, earning them the 23rd spot in the polls. Oklahoma is coming off a bye week and will put their unbeaten record on the line. West Virginia can be a team that plays spoiler this year in the Big 12, and this is one game where they can show that. This game can be seen on Fox Sports 1 at 11 a.m. Saturday.
ALABAMA (NO. 13) AT
This is an important SEC matchup for the fate of the glorified SEC west. Each team played out of conference last week. Alabama pitched a shutout against Louisiana Monroe winning 34-0, and Georgia is coming off a good overall performance, winning 48-6 against Southern. The last time these two teams met was in the 2012 SEC title game with Alabama winning 32-28. Check out the action on CBS at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
OLE MISS (NO. 3) AT FLORIDA (NO. 25)
Ole Miss did not play their best game against Vanderbilt, but the Rebels fought tough and won 27-16. Florida is coming off an emotional come-from-behind victory over Tennessee. Florida was down by double digits in the fourth quarter and scored the go ahead touchdown with under two minutes left in the game. They are going to need to ride this emotion into this game because, even with the game taking place on Florida’s home turf “The Swamp,” Ole Miss has one of the top offenses in the country and has been one of the surprises of the young
college football season. Catch this game Saturday on ESPN at 6 p.m.
NOTRE DAME (NO. 6) AT CLEMSON (NO. 12)
ESPN’s College Gameday is headed to South Carolina to check out this nonconference battle between the Clemson Tigers and the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish. Notre Dame just continues to win even though they have been depleted by injuries. They defeated Massachusetts 62-27 in a game that was close at times in the first half before the Irish pulled away for the blowout. Clemson is coming off a bye week. This can be a statement game for either team; it could show that, even with injuries, Notre Dame is still a legitimate playoff contender or that Clemson is finally ready to not be a yearly disappointment by rising to the top of the polls and losing to other big name programs. Game time is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. on ABC. Chris Robinson is a junior in mass communciations. Please send comments to sports@kstatecollegian.com.
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This caused panic among the students when they couldn’t finish their tests in the given 50 minutes, and it also panicked Smethers when he tried to figure out the best possible solution to this crisis. Besides the possibility of operator error, Smethers said he finds that online involvement has been beneficial to students, and he has seen test scores rise when he gave online quizzes a week in advance. He even said that students came up and told him they felt more confident on the test after having taken the online quizzes. Sam Mwangi, associate professor in mass communications, has been teaching online courses for seven years and said he loves it. “One secret to a successful online class is communica-
tion,” Mwangi said. Mwangi said he tries to create an environment in his online classes that mimics the classroom setting, encouraging peer-to-peer interaction so that the teacher isn’t the only means of information. “We are no longer limited by resources,” Mwangi said. “Now it is possible to bring in a guest by streaming them in. It doesn’t matter where they are or where you are, as long as you are able to access that connection, we can bring them in electronically.” All in all, online assignments, classes and involvement are now part of many classes at K-State. Some glitches can still be problematic, but the overall consensus from Mwangi, Smethers, Chowdhury and Kaiser seems to be that the online transition is a positive one.