9 3 15 by Kansas State Collegian

VOL. 121, ISSUE 9

T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

THE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR KANSAS STATE UNIVERSIT Y

INSIDE

Union renovation begins with groundbreaking ceremony

this issue 3: >> PAGE Are “brain

RAFAEL GARCIA

training” games worthwhile?

the collegian

he K-State Student Union officially began a multiyear renovation project with a groundbreaking ceremony led by university administration and student leaders at Bosco Student Plaza Wednesday afternoon. Despite the high afternoon temperature, a large crowd gathered to hear student leaders and faculty speak about the significance of the renovations. “One of our themes (for K-State 2025) is facilities,” President Kirk Schulz said in reference to K-State 2025, the university’s plan for development and modernization by 2025. “We need to make sure that our students and faculty have the best facilities in the country.” Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students, also spoke about transforming the union into a campus “living room.”

5: >> PAGE K-State’s

returning defensive starters

see page

6, “UNION”

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

K-State and Union leadership, including (from left to right) Student Body Vice President Joe Tinker, K-State President Kirk Schulz, Student Body President Andy Hurtig, Union Corporation Board President Becky Brady, Dean of Student Life Pat Bosco, Union Director Bill Smirga, and Willie the Wildcat turn the first dirt at the K-State Student Union renovation groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

New Board of Regents members confirmed, including local resident JON PARTON the collegian

The state Senate Oversight Committee approved three new members to the Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday, including Manhattanite Dennis Mullin, Dr. Daniel J. Thomas, DDS and Dave Murfin, chief executive of Murfin, Inc. Of the three men, only Thomas holds a postgraduate degree. They join the existing six Board of Regents members, three of whom are attorneys and two former elected officials. Only one member of the board, Blake Flanders, holds a degree in an

education related field. The board is responsible for governing the six state universities, including approval of tuition increases and establishing standards and rules. According to state records, all three new members contributed to Brownback’s previous campaigns. Mullin donated $1,000 to Gov. Sam Brownback’s reelection campaign in 2013 while Murfin contributed $2,000 to the campaign the same year. The most contributions came from Thomas, a dentist from the Kansas City metro area. Thomas donated $5,000 to Brownback’s campaign for governor in 2009 and 2010, as well as a $1,950 in-kind contribution

Ask Me Live with Mike Dibbini

listed as food for a reception. And again on Sept. 25, 2013, Thomas gave a $1,945 in-kind contribution for expenses for a reception. When asked about the appointments, Brownback’s office declined to issue a comment, only offering a press release on the matter. Mullin, who only holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, is the Chairman and CEO of Steel Pipe and Supply. He serves as a board member for the Kansas State Bank of Manhattan and a member of the Business Advisory Council for the College of Business Administration at K-State.

File Photo by George Walker | THE COLLEGIAN

K-State women’s soccer coach Mike Dibbini speaks to students during the Week of Welcome pep rally at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Aug. 23, 2015. Dibbini will be answering questions during Ask Me Live starting at 10:30 AM.

ERIN POPPE the collegian

Today, the Collegian will host an Ask Me Live session with head women's soccer coach Mike Dibbini from 10:3011:30 a.m. To participate, simply post your questions in the comment section, and Dibbini will respond. There is no guarantee that every question will be answered, but we'll do our best. Please refer to the #AML FAQ if you have any more questions.

ABOUT DIBBINI:

File Photo by Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Kansas governor Sam Brownback speaks at the Engineering Phase IV groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 25, 2014.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Last December, K-State Athletic Director John Currie named Mike Dibbini as the university's first intercollegiate women's soccer coach. Before becoming a Wildcat, Dibbini led the soccer programs at Kansas Wesleyan University (2005-12) and Cal Poly Pomona (2013-15). During each of his coaching stints at the NAIA and Division II levels, Dibbini built winning

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programs and successful student-athletes. "As we searched nationally for our first head women's soccer coach, we wanted to attract a well-connected, energetic leader who is the right fit for K-State and possesses the drive and vision to build a program into a national contender," Currie said in a Dec. 26, 2014 press release. "From the moment we announced the launch of our new women's soccer program we heard from literally hundreds of coaches at all levels of soccer around the country who saw the potential of K-State Soccer and wanted the opportunity to build our program. In Mike Dibbini, we have secured a leader with deep soccer roots, proven championship coaching ability, a passion of building and teaching the game, and who has firsthand knowledge of the advantages and special family environment of the state of Kansas. I am pleased to welcome him and his wife Trina and their two children to the Wildcat family. Exciting days are ahead for soccer fans across the entire state of Kansas and the Big 12!"

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EDITORIAL BOARD Jon Parton editor in chief

Jamie Teixeira current editor

Cassandra Nguyen co-photo editor

Karyn Elliott managing copy chief

Jonathan Greig opinion editor

Erin Poppe online editor

Iris LoCoco design editor

Tim Everson sports editor

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The Collegian welcomes your letters. We reserve the right to edit submitted letters for clarity, accuracy, space and relevance. A letter intended for publication should be no longer than 350 words and must refer to an article that appeared in the Collegian within the last 10 issues. It must include the author’s first and last name, year in school and major. If you are a graduate of K-State, the letter should include your year(s) of graduation and must include the city and state where you live. For a letter to be considered, it must include a phone number where you can be contacted. The number will not be published. Letters can be sent to letters@ kstatecollegian.com Letters may be rejected if they contain abusive content, lack timeliness, contain vulgarity, profanity or falsehood, promote personal and commercial announcements, repeat comments of letters printed in other issues or contain attachments. The Collegian does not publish open letters, third-party letters or letters that have been sent to other publications or people.

CORRECTIONS If you see something that should be corrected or clarified, call editor in chief, Jon Parton, at 785-370-6356 or email news@kstatecollegian.com.

The Collegian, a student newspaper at Kansas State University, is published by Collegian Media Group. It is published weekdays during the school year and on Wednesdays during the summer. Periodical postage is paid at Manhattan, KS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 828 Mid-Campus Drive South, Kedzie 103, Manhattan, KS 66506-7167. First copy free, additional copies 25 cents. [USPS 291 020] © Collegian Media Group, 2015

Zits | By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

KenKen | Easy-Medium Use numbers 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 TUESDAY, SEPT. 1 Megan Dawn Sales, of the 3200 block of Valleywood Drive, was booked for failure to appear. Bond was set at $309. Burell Shadlow, of the 1000 block of Fremont Street, was booked for probation violation. No bond was listed. Lori Ann Bryant, of the 3000 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard, was booked for failure to appear. Bond was set at $108.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2 Joseph Edward Bennett, of the 3100 block of Lundin, was booked for driving under the influence. Bond was set at $750.

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Brain training games: how it really plays out EMILY MOORE the collegian

Advertisements to supposedly strengthen your brain can be seen fairly often nowadays. Brain training companies and programs often claim to enhance focus and malleability of the mind. This could be something to enhance college students studying abilities, as well as keep focus on tests and retaining information. If it works, that is. In fact, what I have found is that there have been a few studies on how these brain training activities help the nueroplasticity of the brain. An article published on the Scientific American website, entitled “Brain Games: Do they really work?” found that there are positive improvements in some brain activities, such as auditory information processing speed, which was enhanced by roughly 58 percent. However, the same study also said that the overall cognition and memory of those who did the brain training raised by only 4 percent, while the control group who did no brain exercises and just watched videos still raised their overall cognition and memory by 2 percent. One potential reason for the small percentage jump of improvement could, in fact, be that the players simply get better at the activities and not necessarily the gen-

Photo Illustration by Cassandra Nguyen | THE COLLEGIAN

With advancements in technology, there have been various program apps that have claimed to improve brain stimulation. eral task, i.e. memory, reasoning, attention and other thoughtful tasks. This conclusion was made in 2010 during an entirely separate study done by a neuroscientist named

Adrian Owen, according to an article entitled “Online brain-training: does it really work?” published on the Guardian website. These brain training activities

do often cost money, which is one reason to research and understand their effectiveness and outcome before handing out the money to companies claiming brain im-

provements. Another article published by the Stanford Center of Longevity entitled “A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry From the Scientific Community,” suggests several times that “there is little evidence that playing brain games improves underlying broad cognitive abilities, or that it enables one to better navigate a complex realm of everyday life.” That hasn’t stopped this brain training fad from growing, though. Lumosity, one brain training company, has over 70 million members, according to their website. To put that in perspective, if all of their members were U.S. citizens, then roughly 21 percent of the country would be participating with just Luminosity alone. That would be one-fifth of the U.S. population paying to enhance their brain power when the games effectiveness appears to be questionable. One thing did stand out, though. While the effectiveness of the games is questionable overall, some articles offered better alternatives. There are other free ways to enhance our brain strength and cognitive functions. These free ways to improve cognitive functions are things we engage in every day, including social interactions, exercise or even other mental engagements like reading a book or watching an informative documentary.

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thursday, september 3, 2015

Union breaks ground to jubilant crowd

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

K-State President Kirk Schulz speaks during the K-State Student Union renovation groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

K-State students and Manhattan residents enjoy Call Hall ice cream.

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

K-State students and Manahttan residents gathered on Bosco Plaza to hear remarks from K-State dignitaries and to witness the turning of dirt. Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Tuba players of the K-State Marching Band shout while performing “The Band is Hot!”

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Joe Tinker, senior in psychology and K-State Student Body Vice President, speaks of how the Union is the campus’ living room and hangout spot and enhances the K-State community.

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Shiny shovels and hard hats wait eagerly to turn dirt.

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Student Body Vice President Joe Tinker, senior in psychology, takes a selfie with K-State President Kirk Schulz, Dean of Student Life Pat Bosco, Union Corporation Board President Becky Brady, senior in elementary education, and Union Director Bill Smirga.

SPORTS

thursday, september 3, 2015

Wildcat defense will lead with experienced starters LIZ HEATH the collegian

Over the past two seasons, senior defensive tackle Travis Britz has accumulated 23 starts. On Saturday he will once again take the field along with a defense stacked with experience. “We haven’t played a game in eight months,” Britz said. “We’re obviously anxious to hit someone else, besides our own guys.” K-State will enter Saturday’s contest against South Dakota with new faces on the offensive end and experienced returners on defense, including 18 returning lettermen. Britz, who will serve as a team captain this season, said he does not believe the lack of experience in the offense puts additional pressure on the defense. “We just know that some guys have to step up, and we have all the confidence in the world that some guys are stepping in and doing that,” Britz said. Britz is one of six returning starters from last season, including senior defensive back Dante Barnett, senior cornerback Morgan Burns, junior linebacker Will Davis, senior defensive back Danzel McDaniel and junior defensive end Jordan Willis. “We’ve all had the playing experience and starting experience, so we can just get in there and get

File Photo by Emily DeShazer | THE COLLEGIAN

K-State defensive lineman Travis Britz leaps to try and block a pass by Oklahoma State quarterback Daxx Garman on Nov. 1, 2014 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. right after them,” Britz said. Sophomore Elijah Lee will move from defensive end to outside linebacker this season and agrees that the experienced defense is valuable. “You know if you mess up,

they’ll be there to correct you,” Lee said. “They’ll be able to help you out.” Davis is joined by junior Charmeachealle Moore in the linebacker position. Moore is returning after missing most of last

season due to an injury. Bill Snyder said he was pleased with Moore’s performance at camp, noting his focus and hard work. “It was very obvious he had prepared himself well,” Snyder

said. “He wasn’t making a plethora of assignment errors. I was pleased with how he’d prepared himself after the long layoff.” Snyder said he believes the linebackers have responded well together, and Lee said he agrees. “We just fly around and have fun,” Lee said. “We don’t put too much pressure on each other. If one of us messes up we let each other know and then help each other correct.” With so many experienced players returning on defense, K-State hopes to build a strong reputation. Snyder said that there were a lot of things in place that might suggest the defense has a chance to be good this season. However, Snyder worries about the possibility of inconsistency across the board. “I think the most important thing for us is just to show that we will be better on Saturday than our workout on Thursday,” Snyder said. “I’m looking for greater consistency out of the entirety of the offense, defense and special teams.” Britz said he feels that the talent of the defense falls upon the leadership stepping up, taking control and building on improvement. “We do have a lot of talent, and the sky is always the limit,” Britz said. “If you don’t strive for excellence what are you striving for?”

K-State has a tough road toward reaching sixth straight bowl game

ANDREW HAMMOND the collegian

Winning in college football these days isn’t easy, and winning consistently is even tougher. However, Bill Snyder’s program is a model of consistency. This season, that consistency and the road to six wins in 2015 will be one of the toughest journeys yet. The 2015 season is the perfect storm, creating a very scary, surprising and confusing

season. I’ll go ahead and go on record as saying this: the schedule sucks. And yes, I’m including the non-conference slate, as well. After the South Dakota game this Saturday, the Wildcats make a trip to a place that has haunted the Wildcat program and its fans for a long time. No, I’m not talking about Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s a more visually appealing place than that: San Antonio. The Wildcats are 0-2 in San Antonio, where they have lost two Alamo Bowls. Now they return to the site where their season ended last year with a loss to the UCLA Bruins. Although they aren’t facing the Bruins this time, their opponents, the UT San Antonio Roadrunners, are not to be

taken lightly. The Roadrunners were picked last in the Conference USA media poll for the western division, but they’ll be at home with an 11 a.m. kickoff. This could be a recipe for disaster since mixing an early morning kickoff with a place that’s given you heartbreak can be a major distraction. Then you have the final non-conference game against the cream of the Conference USA crop, Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs return 13 starters and now include Florida transfer quarterback, Jeff Driskel. The offense ranked among the best in the nation, averaging 37.4 points per contest, which might be good to see since the Wildcats will have a much taller task ahead of them.

I’m just gonna call it like I see it: the beginning of the Big 12 schedule is a death march. An absolute death march. The Wildcats’ first Big 12 game is in Stillwater against Oklahoma State where the Wildcats haven’t won since 2003, going 0-4 over that span. Trust me, it gets even better. Up next is prohibitive conference favorite TCU at home, which would potentially be the Wildcats’ first opportunity to pull off an upset. Opportunity number two comes the next week against a vastly improved Oklahoma Sooners team with a new quarterback and an impressive rushing game. The Sooners offense against the Wildcat defense should be must-see TV. The last two games of this

journey feature two other Texas schools. First up are the Longhorns, who may or may not be a threat in this conference, really depending on how consistent they can be within the offense. Then there’s the Thursday night showdown against Baylor. It’s no secret that Baylor struggles during road games in tough atmospheres – take their loss at West Virginia last year for example. This is the prime spot for a Wildcat upset of the highly ranked Baylor Bears. Following that brutal stretch, the Wildcats may already be in prime bowl position, or they could be looking at their final four games against Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas and West Virginia as a way of clawing their way into a bowl game. History would be on

K-State’s side. Their record against those schools since 2012 is 12-0. Miracles do happen and Bill Snyder seems to have his brand of magic trademarked and bottled, but the facts are that this schedule is one of the more daunting schedules that K-State has had to face in recent years. The way I see it, six wins and a sixth-straight bowl bid is this teams’ ceiling for the season. It’s not good, but it could always be worse. You could be playing football up in Lawrence.always be the Kansas Jayhawks. Andrew Hammond is a sophomore in mass communications. please send comments to sports@kstatecollegian.com

thursday, september 3,2015

UNION | Schultz, Bosco, student leaders kick off Union renovation project continued from page

“It’s not by accident that our union is called the Student Union,” Bosco said. “This building signifies our commitment to inclusiveness, responsiveness and to a family atmosphere – it really is a couch for our university family.” Bill Smriga, executive director for the K-State Student Union, said the goal is to make the building a community center on campus. “The building is a nice building, but it’s transactional in nature,” Smriga said. “Students come here to do things and then they leave. We want to create more

sticky places, places where students can come hang out and experience our lounges.” The K-State Marching Band, the Classy Cats and Willie the Wildcat were on hand to celebrate the occasion. A reception followed the ceremony, and Call Hall ice cream was provided for students and faculty while they browsed through the different presentations and illustrations of the upcoming renovation work. Bowman, Bowman, Novick Inc.– a Kansas design firm whose past work includes the Hale Library addition – and Workshop Architects Inc.– a national design firm with a particular

expertise in student unions – collaborated on the Union renovation. Before presenting their final plans, the firms met and worked with students and faculty to gain input on the design. “We picked these architects and contractors because they listened to our students,” Bosco said. “As we think about today, this is another chapter in our ability to respond to student interests.” The renovation will be done in phases and is expected to be completed at the end of 2016, with a formal opening of the brand-new Union scheduled for January 2016. According to the project

timeline, the first phase will concentrate primarily on the south facade and ground floor, and it will feature a remodeling of the K-State Student Union Bookstore. During the first phase, the bookstore will remain open with a smaller store area. Although construction work is set to begin on Sept. 8, the phasing of construction work will allow the Union to remain open during the entirety of the renovation, and offices within the Union will relocate as necessary. A full and current list of relocations is available on k-state.edu/yourunion. However, the food court will close after the fall se-

mester, as Sodexo will cease operations on campus after Dec. 31. The current plan is to renovate the food court, which will allow for a more modern and streamlined operating model. After the renovation, the food court will feature six different restaurants. While the food court will be closed next semester, Subway will remain open. According to the renovation website, there are also plans for food trucks to be parked at Bosco Student Plaza during the renovation. “The Union will probably be easier to navigate (after the renovation), but I don’t know if I can go a

whole semester without the food court,” Chris Bouska, senior in mathematics, said. Chase Phillips, sophomore in wildlife and outdoor enterprise management, said he would be affected by the renovation of the food court. “I probably won’t eat, or I’ll go home and make something instead,” Phillips said. Plans for the renovation began in April 2013 when the student body approved a $25 million proposal for the renovation. The funds for the renovation are to be collected from an increase of $20 per semester to the student privilege fee. This increase is expected to last 30 years until the renovation is paid off.