Fall Issue September 2, 2010

Fashion Show Page 5

The students’ voice since 1901 • Vol. 110 No. 3 • Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010 • Emporia State University

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State cuts high school journalism funding K enzie T empleton templeton@esubulletin.com

Photo Illustration by Jon Coffey & Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

Former student charged with animal cruelty L iz C offey coffey@esubulletin.com

The Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) has announced that by 2012, Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding will be cut for high school journalism classes, and VE-2 funding will be limited to Information Technology, Web and Digital Communications programs.

According to Laurie Folsom, a member of the KSPA’S ad hoc CTE action committee and Lawrence Free State adviser, CTE funding helps pay for the technology used to create high school journalism publications. Additionally, the KSDE said VE-2 funding supplements high-cost, low-enrollment vocational education programs

that lead to occupational-specific programs. The emphasis is on technical skills needed for employment and related to a specific occupation.

“Design programs such as InDesign are expensive, as well as equipment like digital cameras; both of which are somewhat essential in teaching high school students about the field of journalism,” said Anna Altwies, a senior Secondary English and Journalism Education major.

In order to compensate, “individual high schools that depend on CTE funding will have to decide if they can afford to continue offering journalism courses. In this economy, high schools are already faced with a lot of financial decisions in terms of what to keep and what to cut. Hopefully,

Kansas high schools will be able to find a way to keep journalism programs in our schools,” said 2010 journalism BSE graduate Mallory Raugewitz, former Editor-inChief of The Bulletin.

Although CTE funding is seen as an integral part to journalism programs, Altwies and others in the field do not believe that the programs will die altogether.

Jeff Browne, Executive Director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association (KSPA), said, “The cuts are bad for smaller schools and districts. Most large districts will have difficulties (surviving) without the funding, but they will probably stay.”

Additionally, Browne said that students will have to “work behind the curve” in ac-

See Cuts...Page 2

‘Adalante’

HALO hosts events on campus for membership drive

Kristin Chambers, a former Emporia State student, faces charges of animal cruelty and neglect after the Coffey County Sheriff’s Department seized more than 80 horses, miniature horses and donkeys from her property on July 30.

A police report filed with the Coffey County Courthouse confirmed the seizure.

Karen Everhart, owner of Horse Calls LLC and director of Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue and Retirement, is in charge of overseeing the placement of the horses from the rescue.

She said at the moment, the police have placed the horses are in an undisclosed location near

See Horses...Page 6

Campus goes ‘Coke’ for cash L auren L au lau@esubulletin.com After Emporia State’s 10-year contract with Pepsi expired on June 30, the campus officially switched to Coca-Cola products.

ESU started the new 10-year contract with Coca-Cola on July 1.

Raymond Hauke, vice president of Administration and Fiscal Affairs Department, said that Coca-Cola offered a better deal than Pepsi. Now, the university will receive a 10.5 percent cut of products sold, and the Coca-Cola Company also provides an amount based on the total cases and products consumed at the end of the year.

“So, how much money ESU can make depends on how much the products are

See Coca-cola...Page 6

HALO hosted a traditional dance performance Wednesday afternoon in the Sunken Gardens in front of Plumb Hall.

Ashley Wells/The Bulletin.

L iz C offey coffey@esubulletin.com Where can you get piñatas full of candy and Hispanic sweet bread?

Emporia State’s chapter of the Hispanic American Leadership organization hosted activities all of this week in an effort to increase membership.

“We are the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO) and represent one of the minority groups on ESU campus,” said Manny Requenes, sophomore pre-pharmacy major and president of HALO. The week was organized to have HALO more visual to the ESU students. “(HALO Week was established) to get more people involved in the organization,” said AraceliBaena-Pineda, senior biology major and secretary of HALO. This week’s activities included a piñata decorating workshop held on Tuesday which was a way to allow students converse with the leadership of HALO and to make colorful piñatas full of candy. Members also performed an authentic dance in the Sunken Gardens yesterday afternoon.

The Pan Dulce bake sale is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow in Union Square from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The message conveyed by the members is one that includes the ed-

WEEKLY Freshman Pharmacy major Nicolas De La Torre buys a Coke from a Coca-Cola vending machine Wednesday afternoon on the ESU Campus.

Alissa Miller/The Bulletin.

Q&A

ucation of students and the community in the Hispanic culture. Claudia Gomez, senior biology major and community service and fundraising chair, said being Hispanic is not a requirement. “(We’re) getting the word out there, for people to know that there are more cultures out there. You don’t have to be a Hispanic to be in the organization, so you blend all the cultures together and see how we are different and similar at the same time,” Gomez said.

HALO has plans to take part in the National Hispanic Culture month taking place from Sept. 12 to Oct. 13. They plan to bring various speakers to talk about their experiences as Latinos in adapting. They are also co-sponsoring events with the Department of Agriculture.

The organization has also taken part in the Multicultural Day sponsored by Admissions.

“The HALO members go through training provided by Admissions to go through the entire day and take groups of students to each activity,” said Concha Dikin, HALO’s adviser.

HALO is always looking for new members, Hispanic or not. Dues are $10 a semester, which pays to get into all the events, regional conferences and presentations. For membership through the year, HALO is requiring $15 for dues ending on Sept. 22.

HALO’s website said, “The vision of HALO is ADELANTE, which means, move forward.”

How do you feel about being a Coca-Cola Campus? “(I’m from) a really small town and we’re mainly Pepsi, so the Coca-Cola thing is kind of new to me and not exactly what I’m used to.”

Jessica Wilson, senior Business Education

“I don’t really care, I don’t really drink pop. In small amounts, I drink Pepsi, but I don’t care either way.”

John Callan, senior English

news

Page 2

Police Reports

Reports given to The Bulletin from ESU Police and Safety Department August 25

Officer stopped KS 665AWA in 800 Mechanic. Citation for expired tags over 30 days in same location.

Officer admitted Michael Halleran into Butcher Educational Center Room 126.

Officer admitted swing dance class instructor on campus into HPER Dance Studio.

Officer admitted Jeff Prendergast into Science Hall Room 150.

Officer checked Trusler Sports Complex.

Officer dispatched to Memorial Student Union for a subject locked in building. Subject was not pushing the emergency bar hard enough.

Officer checked the Earl Center.

Science Hall alarm panel 102. Unknown error.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a break-in call at 2611 W Hwy 50-Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply.

Officer checked packages found on steps of Anderson Library and moved them inside.

Officer stopped KS 645BDO in Sector 4. Verbal warning for a one-way violation in the same location.

Resident of ESU Apt. 1201 Triplett Dr. reported a male subject unconscious in front of building ‘F’. Officer was unable to wake subject. Ambulance was dispatched to same location. Contacted Marc Runge. He advised to contact Cass Coughlin. Contacted Cass Coughlin and advised of situation. Subject was not a resident or student.

Subject refused transport. Alternate transportation to his residence was arranged.

August 26 Officer contacted occupant of KS VRS558 at 1104 E 12th and advised not to drive the vehicle with expired plates.

Parking enforcement immobilized KS 384BJQ in Sector 2.

Officer provided jump start assistance for KS 16BFY at the physical plant.

Two female students requested to speak with an officer at ESU PD HQ in reference to a roommate problem.

Officer checked KS 837BQM in Sector 8 in reference to an ongoing investigation. No problem was found.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a shots fired call in 1100 East.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a suspicious person call in 1400 Center.

Officer checked the President’s residence.

August 27 Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a loud music call at 1621 Center.

Officer checked the Earl Center.

Officer checked the west campus.

Resident Assistant reported students smoking marijuana in 7th floor stairwell of North Twin Towers. Officer contacted several subjects.

Officer checked Trusler Sports Complex.

Kalie Peters reported a suspicious vehicle outside 1519 Merchant-Chi Omega Sorority. Vehicle left the area prior to officer’s arrival. Extra patrol requested.

Miguel Johns requested to speak with an officer at Twin Towers reception area. Case pending.

Officer stopped 093BWG in 1800 Highland. Verbal warning for speeding in same location.

Officer checked the President’s residence.

August 28 Student Guard reported black BMW parked in between Plumb Hall and Memorial Student Union. Vehicle left the area prior to officer’s arrival.

Officer shut off a shower in restroom on 2nd floor North Twin Tower.

Officer stopped KS 839BOF in 1200 Cottonwood. Verbal warning for speeding in 100 E 12th.

Officer stopped KS 090AWQ in 1500 Market. Verbal warning for defective brake light.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a car stop/ test for alcohol at 12th and State.

Officer checked the President’s residence.

August 29

Officer secured Beach Music Hall.

Officer secured Science Hall/Brighton Lecture Hall door ‘D’.

Officer checked Trusler Sports Complex.

Officer checked the Earl Center.

Officer checked the west campus.

Emporia Police Dept. requested officer provide lock out assistance for KS 451DBF at 12th and Congress. An infant was inside the vehicle.

August 30 Officer responded to a blue light call at Beach Music Hall stairwell. No contact was made.

Officer took accident report involving KS 422CBP and KS UMU541 at 12th and State.

Resident of ESU Apt. 1201 Triplett Dr. reported a verbal altercation in apartment Officer provided lock out assistance for KS XSI611 at 3601 W 18th.

Officer stopped KS 904CBP on 11th between Union and Exchange. Verbal warning for driving without headlights in 1000 E 10th.

Officer stopped KS 340CSX in 1100 Exchange. Verbal warning for speeding in 100 E 12th.

Christopher Thero was allegedly taken into custody on a Lyon Co. warrant and transported to Lyon Co. jail.

The Bulletin | September 2, 2010

Tom Ryan and the ‘Freshman 15’ A lison L i

li@esubulletin.com

President and founder of Dallas Sports University and Dallas Athletes Tom Ryan is going to present his “Fight the Freshman 15” lecture for students at 7 p.m.tonight in the Memorial Union Ball Room.

“Basically he is going to talk about how to be healthy during college life,” said Katie Moldenhaver, adviser of Union Activities Council and graduate student.

Ryan is a triathlon athlete. He is also a body builder who is familiar with body shape fitness.

“It gives people a good idea about how to be in a college lifestyle and yet stay healthy, especially for students who live in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria, this speech definitely helps

State cut...from page 1 quiring new software and other equipment.

According to Kathy Martin, District 6 representative, the KSDE’s decision to cut CTE funding and limit VE-2 funding for high school journalism results from the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.

“Under this legislation, states are required to support and fund programs that lead to high-demand, high-skill and/ or high-wage career. We have (also) focused on courses and programs that prepare Kansas students to be both career and college-ready by the time they finish high school,” Martin said.

A survey by Jim McCrossen, KSPA president, found

everyone stay fit in their busy school life,” Moldenhaver said.

Moldenhaver said college students found themselves gaining 15 pounds on average during the first year of college.

“I’ve gained 31 pounds since I came to college. College life is so busy, it makes me addicted to high calories junk food, especially pizzas. Moreover, because I grew up in another country before entering college here, the diet difference makes my situation even worse,”said Songshan Bai, sophomore psychology major.

According to his website, Ryan’s information comes from a combination of personal experience and extensive hands-on training.

“Tom Ryan is a motivational speaker. I think he can definitely provide useful nutrition information to students

that both parents and students agree that journalism and yearbook classes help develop the “10 unifying themes” of today’s college-ready learner.

“These classes use skills such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration… while other courses offered in high school may teach these skills, it is argued that no one course does as much in all these areas as journalism,” Browne said.

The survey also listed innovation, flexibility, self-direction, leadership and accountability as skills gained in the journalism classroom.

“Journalism programs are excellent for developing many of the ‘real-world’ skills that high school is intended to help students develop. By participating in (these) programs,

and help them avoid gaining weight,” said Karie Nicholson, sophomore accounting major and chair of UAC Talks & Topics committee.

Ryan has spoken at over 200 colleges regarding health, fitness and nutrition, offering students “how to” programs for successfully fighting the “Freshman 15” and staying fit with a hectic college lifestyle, according to his website speech introduction.

“I definitely gained the ‘freshman 15’ during my first year. Luckily I have lost that weight, but I still remember I was so upset at that time,”said Alli Jordan, senior secondary English education major and vice chair of UAC Talks & Topics committee.

Jordan can relate her own experience to the themes of Ryan’s speech.

“We are so excited to bring this presentation to ESU students,” Jordan said.

students develop highly functional communication skills, learn to work cooperatively to finish a product, practice meeting deadlines and explore and perfect their abilities in writing, art and many other areas,” Raugewitz said.

In response to the KSDE’s decision, the KSPA has put together an ad hoc committee that has been lobbying privately for flexibility in journalism CTE funding.

“We hope that there is some leeway (and that) the decision is not final,” said Browne.

Still, most in the field agree that the face of journalism is changing.

“I think it very important for traditional journalism to remain as much a part of society as possible. In a way, jour-

nalism is a foundation of our country,” said Altwies.

Browne adds that there is a misperception of newspaper loosing readers, but journalism as a whole is not.

“It is still a vital part of what our country is about,” Browne said.

Altwies advises current and future high school journalists to take a stand.

“My advice would be the same I would give to any person at any age who is willing to fight for something they have a passion for; don’t give up,” Altwies said. “If you truly love to do something, you will exhaust every option. I think there are plenty of teenagers out there who are interested enough to keep high school journalism programs alive.”

Prison in Stockton to reopen Wednesday

Attorney General: DNA backlog shrinking

STOCKTON (AP) — The state Department of Corrections on Wednesday is reopening its minimum-security facility in northwest Kansas, a measure that will help address prison overcrowding in the state.

Budget cuts led the department to close the Stockton Correctional Facility in Rooks County in April 2009. During the last legislative session, however, $1.7 million was put back in the state’s 2011 budget to cover operating costs for the last nine months of the fiscal year.

Department spokesman Bill Miskell said about 20 inmates would move into the 128-bed facility Wednesday afternoon, with the remainder of inmates from across Kansas moving in over about a five-week period.

Miskell said the state had a total male inmate capacity of 8,259, which includes the additional 128 beds at Stockton. The male population, however, stood at 8,331 inmates as of Wednesday, still about 72 inmates over capacity.

The move to reopen the Stockton prison will also add about 30 jobs for Stockton, a town of about 1,600.

“As of this morning, there was a pronounced increase in activity down there,” Roger Hrabe, director of the Rooks County Economic Development Commission, told The Hays Daily News.

When the possibility of reopening the Stockton prison first started, the Rooks County Economic Development Commission pledged its support to get the prison back in operation. That $50,000 pledge, however, came before the money was added back into the state’s budget.

TOPEKA (AP) — The backlog of DNA sampling in Kansas is being reduced thanks to $1 million in new state funding, state Attorney General Steve Six said Wednesday.

Six said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has slimmed down the backlog of more than 38,000 unprocessed DNA samples in September 2009 to just over 11,000 as of late August. The samples were taken from people under arrest and collected at crime scenes.

“An issue local prosecutors and law enforcement officials brought to me time and time again is the delay in processing DNA samples that are crucial to bringing criminals to justice,” Six said.

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Sept. 15, 2010

The Bulletin | September 2, 2010

PROFILE: JOELLA MEHRHOFF

news

New Faculty Senate President aims to connect with students Y un L auren L au

lau@esubulletin.com

After teaching in Emporia State for 26 years, JoellaMehrhof, professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER), is now the new Faculty Senate President.

“My personal goals for the faculty are to connect to the community, students and the colleagues and renew collections,” Mehrhof said.

As a new Faculty Senate President, Mehrhof said she is looking forward to going to faculty offices. She said Faculty Senate will try to connect with the students better by attending to certain issues of ASG and offering assistance or gaining student insight.

“Hopefully, we are going to do things to recognize members, and become more involved in the community,” Mehrhof said.

Mehrhof received a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Missouri Western University, a master’s degree in dance at Colorado State Universityand her doctorateat Kansas University.Mehrhof said teaching is always the only thing she knew she wanted to do, even when she was little.

“It was something in the heart, it just came out. It was something I supposed to do,”Mehrhof said.

Shawna D. Shane, assistant professor of HPER, has known Mehrhof for 13 years.

She said Mehrhof looks out for everybody and students call her “Mama Mehrhof.”

Marci Henderson, junior physical education and health major, said that Mehrhof is welcoming and interested in getting to know her students.

“In Mehrhof ’s dance and elementary classes, she takes pictures of students to learn their names easier,” Henderson said.

Henderson said last year Mehrhof was named the AAHPERD (American Alliance Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance) Physical Education Adviser of the Year.

“At the local level, every student I have talked to respects and looks up to Dr. Mehrhof,” Henderson said.

Having been the adviser for the undergraduate students for a long time, Mehrhof now is the graduate adviser.

“I love the students and they make my day. It’s just nice to see them in the hall, yell at you and ask you how are you doing and give you a hug,” Mehrhof said.

If you have a suggestion for a profile, please email editor@esubulletin.com.

Page 3

Kansas taxes in August $38M more than expected

TOPEKA (AP) — Kansas collected nearly $38 million more in taxes than anticipated in August, raising hopes Tuesday that the state can avoid major reductions in its current budget.

The state Department of Revenue issued a preliminary report showing that the state collected $414 million in taxes during the month.

That’s 10 percent more than the $376 million that had been forecast by the state’s official revenue projections.

Both retail sales and individual income tax collections were stronger than anticipated. The surplus made up for a small shortfall in tax collections in July, the first month of the state’s 2011 fiscal year. For the two months, tax collections were a net $35 million ahead of expectations.

Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson saw the latest figures as confirmation that Kansas’ economy isn’t going to suffer even though the state raised its sales tax from 5.3 percent to 6.3 percent on July 1. The revenue projections account for the increase.

Parkinson pushed for the tax increase to avoid further significant cuts in education funding, social services and other programs following multiple rounds of budget reductions in 2009. Critics of the tax increase predicted it would blunt any recovery.

“Higher than expected revenues this month is another clear sign that Kansas is on the road to recovery,” Parkinson said in a statement.

“Kansas continues to show great progress and I remain optimistic for our bright future.”

But even Parkinson acknowledged that revenues still might fluctuate in coming months, and other officials said Kansans shouldn’t read too much into the August figures.

Alan Conroy, director of the Legislative Research Department, said September collections will include some quarterly individual income tax payments as well as the last sales taxes collected on back-to-school purchases.

“We certainly don’t have the recession solved yet, but at least the numbers are a step in the right direction,” said Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican who supported the sales tax increase. “That’s such a breath of fresh air after what we’ve been through.”

If the state’s month-to-month tax collections were to fall significantly short of expectations, the state could be forced to revise its $13.7 billion budget. Last year, revenue shortfalls led Parkinson to impose cuts in July and November, when lawmakers were out of session.

Conservative Republicans still believe the sales tax increase will dampen economic activity. But GOP House Majority Leader Ray Merrick, of Stilwell, acknowledged that the August figures could indicate a positive trend.

“Let’s just hope it continues,” he said.

The state collected almost $193 million in individual income taxes in August, about 4 percent more than the $185 million predicted.

Retail sales tax collections were almost $169 million, compared to a projection of $143 million. The surplus was $26 million, or about 18 percent.

Air Force: Sergeant may have exposed others to HIV WICHITA (AP) — The military has arrested an Air Force sergeant and accused him of having unprotected sex with partners he met at “swinger” parties in central Kansas even though he knew he was HIV positive, according to a military affidavit.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said Tuesday the man has not been charged but was ordered into pretrial confinement at a military jail on McConnell

Air Force Base in Wichita by his commander while the investigation continues. The 43-year-old airman was arrested Aug. 9 and was expected to be charged in mid-September, said Air Force OSI spokeswoman Linda Card.

The Air Force was working with local law enforcement and public health officials as part of the investigation, Card said.

“The public health people outside the

base are all working with the military health people, the mayor’s office and our law enforcement people — so this isn’t being kept secret from the public,” Card said.

The airman faces an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing, in September to determine whether there is enough evidence to refer his case to a general court martial, Card said. Two earlier military hearings found that his pretrial confinement

was “correct,” she said. Military law allows for confinement without charges while investigations are ongoing.

Under military law, having intercourse without first informing a sexual partner of HIV-positive status constitutes as aggravated sexual assault, according to the Air Force affidavit, which was filed in federal court. It was not immediately known what punishment he could face if charged and convicted.

Wichita Tribe to regain artifacts from museum WICHITA (AP) — Members of an American Indian tribe will retrieve some pieces of their past this week from a south-central Kansas museum that has voluntarily decided to return the artifacts.

Legislation passed by Congress in 1990 requires museums and universities that receive federal funding to identify certain types of Native American artifacts in their collections and consider returning them if asked by a tribe.

The law covers human remains, funereal and sacred objects, and artifacts that have historical, traditional or cultural importance.

The Towanda Area Historical Museum doesn’t receive federal funding and isn’t required to return artifacts, but museum officials sought out the Wichita tribe and offered to return the items, according to The Wichita Eagle.

“We didn’t have to give these things back,” said Hank Burchard, the Towanda museum treasurer. “But it is the only thing that crossed our mind. We could have sold it on eBay, but we wouldn’t want to do that. We wouldn’t sell it for a profit or anything like that.”

The artifacts include a 5-foot replica of a grass lodge, the sort of structure that the Wichita lived in along the banks of the Little Arkansas and Arkansas rivers in the mid-1800s. There are also 15 painted figurines, some of them representing humans, with ancient tribal markings.

The artifacts were created by Wichita tribe member Frank Miller and his wife in the 1930s. The tribe, which has never seen them, is eager to claim them.

Several representatives of the tribe will travel from their headquarters in Anadarko, Okla., to Towanda on Thursday

to get the items.

“Our tribe is small, and it’s important to preserve all of that for our children and grandchildren to know who we are and how we lived,” said Loretta Partridge, a member of the Wichita who has researched the tribe’s history and culture.

“It’s a way to maintain who we are.”

The museum received the pieces in 2006 from the Butler County History Center, which had them for nearly half a century after they were donated by Charles Heilmann, an El Dorado judge. The Butler County center gave them to Towanda after its focus shifted to the farming and ranching industries.

The tribe will try to incorporate the artifacts into display cases in Anadarko that already are filled with artifacts.

opinion

Page 4

The Bulletin | September 2, 2010

STAFF EDITORIAL

RSOs spell opportunity for ESU students Now that we’re about two weeks into the fall 2010 semester, it’s time to dig in for the long haul and prepare ourselves for a productive year.

College is about many things, but primarily it is about getting an education. We go to classes everyday to make sure that our futures are what we want them to be. College offers us the opportunity to improve academically so that the future is bright.

But the classroom setting is just one aspect of the very multi-faceted definition of “education.” Every day spent here at ESU provides us with another opportunity to learn, to better ourselves and to get involved in many different ways.

Yesterday, the Center for Student Involvement sponsored a “Huge Activities Fair” to educate students about the different Recognized Stu-

dent Organizations (RSOs) on campus.

Members of the many different student organizations on campus set up booths to educate students about what each group was about and encouraged interested students to join.

It is unfortunate that the publication schedule of this newspaper could not sync with the time and date of the fair, but it is not too late for us at The Bulletin to encourage students to be as involved as possible on campus.

As previously stated, the classroom is only one place where students have the opportunity to learn.

There are over 120 RSOs currently on campus covering a wide spectrum of interests, from recreation-oriented clubs such as the ESU Airsoft Club and the ESU Old Yellow Rugby Club,

to politically and socially driven organizations such as the College Republicans of ESU and the ESU Environmental Club. Each club or organization represents a particular interest group, and each offers an equal opportunity for students to get involved on campus.

There is almost certainly something for everyone here at ESU, and every student should take advantage of the opportunities available.

By joining these clubs, volunteering time and speaking out about global and local issues, we make ESU a more diverse and academically stimulating place to attend school.

The Bulletin challenges every student to join a club or organizaIllustration by Ellen Weiss tion they are interested in. Information on the many RSOs at ESU can be for Student Involvement, www.emporia. office in the Memorial Union to find out found on the website for the Center edu/csi. Also, students can go to the CSI what clubs match his or her interests.

No News Not Always Good News A recent decision by the Kansas Department of Education would have William Allen White rolling in his grave.

The department plans on cutting the career and technology education funding, which helps subsidize the technical side of publications, including cameras and software, for journalism classes in 2012. The reason? The state has decided that journalism is no longer a viable career and does not prepare students for “high demand,” “high skill” and “high wage” jobs. Apparently those are the standards of success in Kansas.

So why should you care?

These high school journalism classes feed collegiate programs across the state, which in turn produce practicing journalists who help inform the electorate.

As someone who took journalism classes at a high school with a strong program, this course of events is especially troubling for me, as I’ve seen how the skills students learn in journalism courses often go beyond the classroom.

Mary Anne McCloud and Erica Rickard, my journalism teachers at Newton High School, taught courses that focused on critical thinking, interpersonal communications, writing and working with the latest design software, while encouraging students to create a product that examined the world around them.

White would be disturbed by KSDE’s move because he was a proponent of journalism education – even the J-School at the University of Kansas is named after him. White, who won two Pulitzer Prizes, knew the value of journalism in a democracy and stood up to the Ku Klux Klan in the pages of the Emporia Gazette during the racist ‘20s.

Letters to the editor should be no more than 350 words and can address any issues, concerns, ideas or event you choose. Letters may be edited for content and length. Email letters to editor@ esubulletin.com. Include your name and student email so we can verify authorship.

Online Commenting Policy K elsey R yan , editor@esubulletin.com Journalism serves as a pillar of a democracy, a watchdog of the government that, at the local level, can connect our communities and, at the state and national levels, give us perspective on our society.

Aren’t you tired of those pundits on the national networks? That’s not real journalism. But if we teach our youth the fundamentals of journalism and its importance in a society, we might be able to win back an honest media.

Thomas Jefferson said it best: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

I’m starting to agree. Perhaps the Kansas Department of Education should focus its efforts on making better citizens, not just better employees.

Time to Stir the Melting Pot This summer, I spent two months in Korea teaching English to college students. It was an experience I will never forget for more reasons than I have room to write. My students were excited about learning, and it made my job easier than I initially thought it was going to be.

But throughout the entire teaching process, I could not shake the thought that the reason it was so much easier for me as a teacher was not merely because the students simply wanted to learn the language, it was that they had a prior knowledge of the language that was essential to what I taught them.

The first day of class, I asked where they had learned English initially and the response that all my students gave me was that it was required of them from an early age to learn a second language.

From the time they are toddlers, Korean students begin the process of learning English at the same time that they are learning to master their native tongue. To me, this was not only inspiring, but also a difference in culture that stuck with me throughout the entire process.

What I thought then, and continue to think, is that America, being one of, if not the most powerful nation in the world, has somehow been convinced that learning another language is not beneficial or even necessary. This is a huge problem.

With the rapid globalization we are experiencing, having the ability to speak more than one language is an incredible asset. Language connects people. Being able to speak to person from a different culture in their native tongue will go a long way in terms of building a relationship with that person.

Korea is not the only example of this occurrence. When I studied in Europe, I found that not only did most of the Europeans I met know English as their second language, they were fluent or at least semi-fluent in a third language as well. It’s the norm in these countries.

America should be no different. For America to call itself the

Letters to the Editor Policy

To comment on portions of The Bulletin’s website, commenters are required to enter a legitimate email address and first and/or last name before a comment can be published.

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The Bulletin Phone: 620-341-5201 • Fax: 620-341-5865 Email: editor@esubulletin.com Published weekly on Thursdays by the staff of The Bulletin. Offices are located on the third floor of the Memorial Union on the campus of Emporia State University, Emporia, Kan. One free copy per ESU student. Additional copies are $1.50 per issue or $30 for a yearly subscription.

E ric H emphill , opinion@esubulletin.com greatest country in the world, it needs to continue to be a place where cultures meet and blend, where people from any culture can find a home and feel like they belong. That is what this country was founded on. The Melting Pot must continue to be stirred for future generations of Americans to stand a chance.

It starts with the small things. Teaching other languages to young children is just one way that America can continue to carry on the spirit of multiculturalism that has somehow been lost along the way.

Elementary schools should implement foreign language curriculums nationwide. Learning another language should not be postponed until high school or college. It should not be considered going above and beyond what is required. Learning a foreign language from a young age should be the norm in this country.

The poet Ezra Pound once said, “The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language.”

Childhood is the beginning of the acquisition of knowledge.

Why, then, is America trying to limit the amount of knowledge a child can learn from the very beginning?

Seen&Heard

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

-Henry David Thoreau “All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.”

-Francois Fenelon “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”

-George S. Patton

EDITORIAL STAFF Kelsey Ryan Editor-in-Chief

Kimber Mitchell Design Editor

Lauren Walbridge A&E Editor

Kellen Jenkins Multimedia Editor

Eric Hemphill Opinion Editor

Brandon Schneeberger Sports Editor

BUSINESS Clint Gorton

Advertising Mngr.

YiFeng Lin

Business Mngr.

Adviser Max McCoy

Assistant Professor of Journalism

The Bulletin | September 2, 2010

a&e

Page 5

‘Carnivale Couture’

Steven Says

C hris H opkins hopkins@esubulletin.com For over two months, 22-year-old fashion designer Angelia Barbee had been putting the finishing touches on her fashion show, The Carnivale Couture, and promoting the event locally.

The event was scheduled to take place last Saturday night at Old Winter Furniture, located at 709 Commercial.

But the events that took place before the show resembled a circus more than a carnival.

At about 5 p.m., just an hour before the doors were to open, the entire crew was informed that the show would not be able to take place in the building. Emporia Fire Captain Bill West informed the group that the furniture store was strictly to be used for the selling of merchandise and not for general assembly.

“709 and 711 Commercial are zoned for merchandising only and not for assembly, especially for a showing of this magnitude,” West said.

Although the show was to have four live bands playing there as well, West verified that the noise was not part of the complaint or problem.

“They let us know less than an hour before the show, even though it has been pretty well promoted for the last two months. It’s amazing that it came together the way it did,” Barbee said.

The show was moved to Beer:30’ beer garden. Moving the 40 models, four live bands, the crew and materials delayed the show only an hour from the original starting time of 6 p.m. and the estimated 300 people that attended hardly noticed, packing the outdoor venue.

The Carnivale Couture was Barbee’s second showing of her work,

S teven S tanek , stanek@esubulletin.com

Before the finale walk the models of the “Carnivale Couture” fashion show were given red balloons. The fashion show was hosted by Post Abandoned and Angelia Barbee on Aug 28 at Beer 30. Erica Cassella/ The Bulletin. with the inspiration coming from the HBO show,“Carnivale.”

As early as sixth grade, living in Austin, Tex., Barbee said she knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. It was at this age she started making her own clothes. Barbee and her husband Josh Barbee, a former ESU student, are the owners of Post-Abandoned Thrift Store, where Barbee finds most of the material to make the clothing.

“She would get scraps from anywhere she could find them, sometimes spending 14-15 hours a day working on the outfits,” Josh Barbee said.

Angelia Barbee said that she wanted to do the fashion show to give the people of Emporia something new to do.

“We wanted to do an event

that could be entertaining, different and have a little something for everybody,”Barbee said.

Senior art major Katie Donley has known Barbee for nine months and said that more time and publicity was spent on this show compared to the first show Barbee did in January.

“She is really trying to get her name out there. In this show, she focused more on an older, classic style rather than what is necessarily popular right now,” Donley said.

Barbee is not wasting anytime as she is aiming to have another show with her line in early January. The theme for that show, she says, is going to be inspired by the Mel Gibson hit “Mad Max.” Barbee’s work is for sale at her store, located at 504 Commercial Street.

Carrie Nation to perform ‘punk rock-circus-Americana’ A lex P edersen pedersen@esubulletin.com Many people who live in Kansas are familiar with the alcohol-axing exploits of Carrie Nation, the woman who mercilessly attacked the booze of pre-prohibition bars with a hatchet. But this weekend, a new Carrie Nation will be visiting a Kansas bar.

Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy will be playing at 10:30 p.m. on this Friday at Beer:30.

“We always try to make the show as entertaining as possible,” said Jarrod Starling, lead singer and guitarist.

“It isn’t music that is best played quietly, sit-down music. We try to bring something to the stage every time we play that is going to make you remember the music through your visual and aural memories of the night.”

The Wichita-based band has been around for about three years, but the latest incarnation has only been around for a year. The members are Zach Starling, washboard and snare; Tyler Grubb, mandolin and trombone; Matt Dreher, banjo; Brody Wellman, stand-up bass and Jarrod Starling.

“We all love what we’re doing and we’re obviously not getting rich off of it,” Starling said. “It’s just something that we love doing, we love bringing it to different people. It’s great to be able to bring a little bit of Wichita to the rest of Kansas and a little bit of Kansas to the rest of the country.”

Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy has been across the nation and, in October alone, they have tour dates set from Santa Cruz, Calif. to Osage, Ark., and several places inbetween.

Although their instruments may

Next Week... the debut of an original comic

by Ellen Weiss, junior art major.

“The Last Exorcism” (PG-13): In the name of the father, the son and the HOLY SMOKES! “The Last Exorcism,” directed by Daniel Stamm, is a horror film that questions the state of faith and has been crafted to look and feel like a documentary film, following the roots of past documentary horror films, such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity.” Like these two, the movie is capable of delivering unapologetic thrills that may or may not be as bone chilling as expected, but is a pretty enjoyable movie for the most part.

The setting takes place in Ivanwood, La., which is a rundown old place that looks forgotten. Strolling into town is Rev. Cotton Marcus (played by Patrick Fabian) with a documentary crew tagging along. Cotton is hired by two members of a highly religious family, Nell Sweetzer (played by Ashley Bell) and Louis Sweetzer(played by Louis Herthum), to perform an exorcism on Nell because they believe there is a demon inside of her.

Rev. Cotton states early in the film that he doesn’t truly believe in ghosts, leading to the fact that he is a hoax just trying to make money to support his family. But after entering the home of the Sweetzer family, Cotton doesn’t realize what kind of trouble he is going to face.

As said, the movie is shot in a documentary style, which makes the movie a little more convincing with its characters and believability. What also made the movie enjoyable is that the characters’ dialogue seemed unscripted, which I really enjoyed because it was like watching real people and not just actors reciting lines – not to mention Ashley Bell’s performance as the sweet and possessed Nell, which creeped me out a lot.

One of the few cons I found in the film is that there is music in the background. I don’t mean to be a stickler, but the movie’s thrills would’ve been much more thrilling if there was silence in the background, enhancing the tension of the scene.

The main flaw with the film is around the last 10 or 15 minutes of the movie. The story structure towards the end of it all is creative but falls apart completely by throwing in a ridiculous twist.

What I really liked about this movie is that it tries to actually scare the audience by not being an ultra-violent gore fest with nude teenagers running around acting dumb as rocks and getting their heads chopped off.

Despite the unnecessary ending of the movie, “The Last Exorcism” is one of the few better horror movies I’ve seen since “Drag Me to Hell.” I wouldn’t call this a great movie, but it provides enough fun and scares to bake a loaf of banana bread at home and make it a WORTHYRENTAL.

Coutesy photo Carrie Nation make them seem like they are a bluegrass band, Starling referred to their music as “punk rock-circus-Americana.”

“We try to stay away from being too pigeonholed,” said Dreher, who is also an adjunct instructor of social anthropology at Wichita State. “Whether it’s the kind of music that we play or the themes or content of the music or individually, how we express ourselves, we try not to be boxed in to anything specific. We try to stay relevant to anyone, a little bit of something for people to latch on to.”

This is not their first time playing in

Emporia, or even at Beer:30. They were introduced to the venue by bands they were opening for like The Deedles and Granny Tweed, but this is their first time headlining a show there.

“They put on a really good show,” said Josh Olsen, owner of Beer:30.

“They get the crowd moving, they’re really energetic and they have upbeat music. It’s just a good show in general... what really caught my eye was when they covered a Wu Tang song in bluegrass.”

Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy will also be bringing a friend of theirs to open

Cover charge $3 for 21+ $5 for 18+

for them named Ryan Windham. Windham is a solo artist who plays several different instruments, including guitars, spoons and slide whistles, and records them onto a loop machine, creating layers upon layers of music live and by him.

“One track will be seven minutes long, but you won’t even notice that it started out with a little guitar part. Then there’s this big sound coming out at you at the end of it with 12 different tracks he’s recorded on stage live,” Starling said.

The band is releasing their first album, which is self-titled. They also have a MySpace page that can be found at www.myspace.com/carrienationband. The band also said that they are looking forward to the show and are excited to play at Beer:30 again because of all of the energetic people in the audience.

“We try to keep the energy high so there are always people having a good time, knocking things over, breaking stuff and spilling stuff, every time is its own slightly creepy affair,”Dreher said.

news

Page 6 Horse...from page 1 Burlington.

“The shape (of the horses) is across the board, we have some very, very emaciated horses, we have a number of thin horses and then we have some that are marginally acceptable, we don’t have any fat horses there at all,” Everhart said.

Everhart said the majority of the animals appeared to have little to no wellness care, little sign of grooming, and she is unsure if they’ve had their vaccinations.

“We have very sketchy details, we don’t know a lot about them, we have no idea about their training or their wellness status, but they certainly are deserving of a loving home,” Everhart said.

On Sept. 18, 2008, Chambers was featured in an article in The Bulletin called “Local horse rescue: A thrifty solution.” The article chronicled how Michael Soyez, a local businessman, donated one-fourth of the profits of his business, Winding Road Thrift Store, to Chambers’ Winding Road Equine Rescue and Retirement.

“WRERR is a public charity that rehabilitates horses that have been abused or neglected. They save horses from slaughter and often work with law enforcement in animal cruelty cases,” the article stated.

Chambers had worked with volunteers to care for over 50 neglected and abused horses at her farm located outside Waverly.

WRERR had received national media attention in 2009 when Chambers rescued Clever Allemont, a champion thoroughbred, from slaughter.

Chambers did not return calls for comment by press time.

Everhart said she’s trying to find homes for the animals before the court orders that they are put up for public sale. She said that it is not certain, but possible that they could have to go up for sale in two weeks. Anyone interested in adopting the seized animals can go to Horse Calls’ website, www.horsecalls.com.

Kristin Chambers stands with one of the horses at her rescue in the fall of 2008. File Photo by Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin.

ESU Pre-law Club begins H an Y an

yan@esubulletin.com Pre-Law Club’s first meeting of the semester is on tonight at 7 p.m., in KSTC room on the upper level of Memorial Union.

“Our biggest purpose is to form a support group, a group of students.

They can share their experiences and get into law school,” said Miriam Gray, sophomore political science major and president of Pre-Law Club.

As a new student organization established last March, Pre-Law Club is not familiar to most students.

“Last semester when we started it we only had five or six members.

This semester, instead of recruitment, we are trying to make some big announcements,” Gray said.

This semester, Pre-Law Club is going to invite speakers from Kansas University and Washburn University to speak to students and answer their questions. The club hasalready had a

GRAY

library check out system and is building a resume writing workshop.

Phil Kelly, political science professor, is advising the Pre-Law Club.

“Pre-Law club is open to students that are interested in pursuing a law degree. We have a series of classes that students can take, any major,” Kelly said.

Gray said even though there isn’t a law major or law curriculum at ESU, there is a pre-law concentration.

“We like diversity. We like students to have their own major, because that’s their interest, but they can still go to law school,” Kelly said.

Animal researchers warn of animal virus threat KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Their names seemed to be pulled out of a science-fiction novel: Rift Valley Fever, exotic blue tongue, Chinese porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

But on Monday at the Biosecurity Research Symposium in Kansas City, Mo., animal researchers warned that those viruses were a very real threat to national security.

They could arrive by animal or terrorist, cost the livestock industry billions of dollars and put human lives at risk.

And, one day soon, many of those diseases could come to Kansas as researchers study ways to prevent, diagnose and protect against them.

That research will take place in high-security labs at Kansas State University’s Biosecurity Research Institute, which is now working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to gain approval to study some of those diseases.

That lab’s work will prepare for the arrival of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, a $650 million project that will be operational in Manhattan in the next decade.

Right now the country doesn’t have a facility that can study the most dangerous biological agents on animals. That will change with NBAF. The work done in these laboratories protects the country, said Larry Barrett, who is the director of Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the aging facility in Long Island, N.Y., that NBAF will replace.

“People think we are the threat. But the threat is the 50 million people coming into the country that could be bringing other diseases in,” he said.

The Bulletin | September 2, 2010

Coco-cola...from page 1

After Emporia State’s 10-year contract with Pepsi expired on June 30, the campus officially switched to Coca-Cola products. ESU started the new 10-year contract with Coca-Cola on July 1.

Raymond Hauke, vice president of Administration and Fiscal Affairs Department, said that Coca-Cola offered a better deal than Pepsi.

Now, the university will receive a 10.5 percent cut of products sold, and the Coca-Cola Company also provides an amount based on the total cases and products consumed at the end of the year.

“So, how much money ESU can make depends on how much the products are considered and it really depends on how much product people drink,” Hauke said.

The contract with the Pepsi Company provided a flat amount of money plus $30,000 at the beginning of the year with a percentage. The campus had been a “Pepsi campus” for the past 12 years.

“We felt that Coca-Cola, offer is

better arrangement for the university,” Hauke said.

There will be 38 vending machines selling Coca-Cola products on campus, and Hauke believes that people will find that the arrangement and service of machines is better than before. The price of soft drinks went up from $1.25 for Pepsi products to $1.50 for Coke products.

Senior Rehabilitation Major Lauren Lowry said she felt Coke burns her throat, and it would be better if they had both Coke machines and Pepsi machines on campus.

“It never bothered me until it changed this year. I was upset that I found out last week that I can’t get Mountain Dew on campus and I get used to get Mountain Dew and do homework in the library,” Lowry said.

Hauke said that if Pepsi and Coke both had machines at the university, the school wouldn’t get any money.

“So at least the university and

the students of the university get some money from the products that they are consuming,” Hauke said.

Hauke said Coca-Cola Company is local in Emporia, so it is an advantage because the company is able to refill the Coke machines more frequently than Pepsi.

“Over the last few years, since Pepsi served out of Wichita, it took longer to get products in the machines,” Hauke said.

Jeff McCullough, General Manager for Sodexo, food services contractor for the Memorial Union, said he has had good experience with the new vendor during the transition.

“Coke has been instrumental in helping us upgrade the concession program at the stadium, as well as supporting our recycling and sustainability efforts,” McCullough said.

Hauke said he thinks the new contract will work out well.

“I think the Coke Company enjoys doing business with us,” Hauke said.

Garden City Muslims seek separate cemetery GARDEN CITY (AP) — Muslim leaders in southwest Kansas are considering opening a private cemetery after city officials turned down their request to create a separate burial area at a municipal cemetery.

Currently, the bodies of many Muslims who die in the region must be taken to Wichita to be buried in a cemetery that better serves the religion, said Abdulkadir Mohamed, vice president of Somalis of Southwest Kansas. For example, Muslim bodies must be buried in a white shroud and facing the Islamic holy city of Mecca.

A growing number of Muslims, many from Somalia and Burma, have settled in southwest Kansas, mostly to work in four meatpacking plants within a 70-mile radius of Dodge City and Liberal. An estimated 500 Muslims live in Garden City.

Mohamed said finding a separate cemetery is “very important to us.”

“As long as we work here and we live here, we need a place to bury our people,” said Mohamed. “Most will stay here. It’s not easy to move.”

Mohamed and Saw Min, a Garden City resident and leader in the Muslim

Burmese community, asked Garden City officials in early June to create a separate burial ground at Valley View Cemetery for Muslim burials.

The leaders, who belong to the Coalition of Ethnic Minority Leaders, said Muslim religious law dictates that the grounds be separated by a fence or other structure.

City Commissioner Nancy Harness and cemetery sexton Jim Hahn told the Muslim leaders Saturday the commission would not agree to segregate the cemetery.

Hahn said the city has moved away from former practices and tries not to discriminate against racial, ethnic or religious lines in two municipal cemeteries.

“We can only offer what we offer everyone,” Hahn told The Garden City Telegram. “If (the Muslim community) were to purchase a section of plots specifically for themselves, chances are all the churches will want to do that, too, and we’d have a whole lot of little cemeteries in our cemetery. And it would go against everything we’ve been trying to do in the last 30 years.”

Hahn said establishing a private

cemetery is difficult because it involves buying and registering property that must be properly zoned. The cemetery officials would also have to follow state rules and regulations, which include maintaining the cemetery for at least 100 years.

Hahn said he would advise Muslim leaders to continue transporting their deceased loved ones to Wichita until a long-term solution could be found.

Shaykh Mohamed El-Ghobashy, an imam of the Islamic Society of Tulsa in Oklahoma, said the body of a deceased Muslim must be buried in a Muslim cemetery if one is available, shrouded in white cloth, and laid on its right side. The body must face Mecca, the Saudi Arabian city that is the holiest meeting site in Islam.

El-Ghobashy said the Tulsa community has had its own cemetery for the past dozen years. Before it was established, bodies were buried in other local cemeteries.

“If there’s no other place (to bury a body) then we can do that, but as long as a Muslim cemetery is available, we have to use it,” he said.

The Bulletin | September 2, 2010

news

Page 7

Gubernatorial election in November H an Y an

yan@esubulletin.com The 2010 Kansas gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 2. The winning candidates will commence on the second Monday of January after election, and serve a four-year term from 2011 to 2015.

After the primary election on Aug. 3, Senator Sam Brownback, the nominee from the Republican Party leads in polling against the Democratic Party’s Tom Holland.

“Probably, I will not go (to vote). I am more neutral than anything. I don’t believe that either side is doing good job. That’s pretty much why I stay out of it,”said Megan Anderson, se-

nior art major.

Anderson’s family is Republican. She said most people in Kansas are Republicans, but a lot of the people in college towns are Democrats.

“I’ll go vote. I’m a Republican, so I will vote for Republican,” said John Duch, junior Elementary Education major.

A qualified voter must be 18 years of age or older, a U.S. citizenship and a resident of Kansas, without federal or state felony conviction or declaration by a Kansas court of law.

Once the voter registration form has been completed and signed, the voter needs to return it by mail or hand-deliver it to county

election office. Lyon County’s election office is on 402 Commercial Street.

As Kansas electors, people have rights to ask questions, to mark their ballots privately and free from coercion or intimidation. They must register to vote at least 15 days before the election and follow all federal and state voting laws.

Oct. 18 is the deadline to register to vote,while Oct. 29 is thedeadline to apply for an advance ballot to be mailed.

Wayne Stallard, freshman International Business major, said he voted for president, but has never voted for governor.

“I haven’t thought about it, but I really

Activities Fair

should. I should find out what their issues are (and) what will they do for Kansas. I think it depends on the person not necessarily (on) the party,”Stallard said.

Since becoming the “Sunflower State” in 1861, Kansas has had 45 governors, including 32 Republicans, 11 Democrats, and two Populists. The incumbent, Mark Parkinson from the Democratic Party, took office on April 28, 2009, when previous governor Kathleen Sebelius was appointed United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

For more information about guide to voting, please visit www.voteks.org/guide/voting. html

Manhattan struggles with defining gender identity

Lauren Brown, junior elementary education and Spanish education major, waits to speak with with interested students at the Spanish Club Booth Wednesday afternoon on the Pedestrian Mall. Alissa Miller/ The Bulletin.

MANHATTAN(AP) — When city commissioners last week authorized research into adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s list of protected classes, the process hung up on one point. What exactly is “gender identity” and can it be defined for purposes of law?

The city administration, with help of the city attorney’s office, drafted the proposed amendment to the city’s discrimination ordinance.

But city administrators chose not to define gender identity in the proposed amendment because there was a question of whether commissioners wanted to include it along with sexual orientation.

Now that a majority of commissioners support adding it, the city has been charged with finding a suitable definition to add to the ordinance.

The amendment would also create a local process to enforce the protection of the sexual orientation and gender identity classes. The Human Rights and Advisory Board would become an investigative and quasi-judicial body, with subpoena powers and the ability to issue fines/penalties. Additional staff might be necessary to take on additional responsibilities if the amended ordinance is passed.

Larry Hackney, city human resources specialist and liaison to the HRSB, said the city is looking at communities that have implemented similar ordinances, such as Boulder, Colo., and San Francisco, for guidance in formulating a definition of gender identity. Hackney also said it might be a good idea to ask an organization such as the Flint Hills Human Rights Project for their definition.

Some states haven’t changed coke-crack disparity

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police found such a small amount of crack cocaine in James V. Taylor’s car that investigators described it as unweighable. It was enough for a 15-year prison sentence in Missouri, where the courts make an enormous distinction between crack and powder cocaine.

Missouri and several other states followed the federal government’s lead in creating such disparities decades ago, but now federal law has changed and prisoner advocates say it’s time for the states to do the same. Most drug cases are prosecuted at the state level.

Defense attorneys and other critics of the tougher crack sentences say they subject mostly blacks to long prison terms while those caught with powder cocaine — mostly whites — get far more lenient treatment.

Some prosecutors defend the disparities, saying that because crack is smoked, it gets into the bloodstream faster than snorted cocaine, produces a more intense high and is generally considered more addictive.

The federal government imposed tougher sentences for crack in 1986, when use of the drug was rampant and 22-year-old basketball star Len Bias died of cocaine intoxication. Early news reports said Bias had used crack, but after the federal law was passed a teammate of Bias’ testified that Bias had actually snorted powder cocaine the night he died.

A person convicted of crack cocaine possession got the same mandatory federal

prison term as someone with 100 times as much powder cocaine. President Barack Obama signed a law last month narrowing the federal disparity to 18-to-1.

Fourteen states also passed laws treating crack cases more severely than those involving powder cocaine, though only 10 states currently have such laws on the books. Missouri’s is by far the toughest: Someone with 6 grams or more of crack faces the same prison term — at least 10 years — as someone with 75 times more powder cocaine.

“It was too extreme,” Taylor said of his case, which began during a February 2005 traffic stop where a Farmington police officer found a crack pipe in his car.

Taylor, 46, of Park Hills, Mo., was convicted twice in the case. The first conviction was overturned because it was based, in part, on a second crack pipe and a halfgram of crack found in his wife’s purse. But Taylor was convicted again in 2007 based solely on the residue on his crack pipe. He also had assorted previous felony convictions for theft and credit card fraud.

“They found the crack pipe, washed it out and found trace evidence, and gave me 15 years,” said Taylor, who has since been paroled and now works as a hotel maintenance man. “If someone had a drug test and tested positive, that’s trace evidence. That’s no more than what I had. They should be locked up, too.”

Taylor, who is black, said blacks are more likely to use crack than whites, whose addiction of choice in Missouri is metham-

phetamine.

The only states with crack-cocaine disparities greater than the one in the revised federal law are Missouri and New Hampshire, where traffickers face a maximum of 30 years in prison for 5 grams or more of crack or 28 times more powder cocaine.

Other states that have a sentencing disparity are Arizona, California, Maine, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia.

Unlike Missouri, New Hampshire does not have mandatory minimum sentences, except in the cases of drug enterprise leaders or dealers selling within 1,000 feet of a school.

“The mandatory minimums are the biggest obstacle,” said Jeff Levin, a former New Hampshire state public defender who is now a federal public defender. “You could have the most sympathetic defendant and that doesn’t make a difference unless the judge is given the option to go under the mandatory minimum.”

Dan Viets, a Missouri defense attorney who handles a lot of drug cases, has a client who was convicted last month of trafficking 9 grams of crack and faces a prison term of 10 years to life when he is sentenced in October.

“The effect of having these incredibly harsh crack cocaine laws is we have a great deal more African-Americans behind bars in this state for crack offenses,” Viets said.

“It’s just another form of cocaine, after all,” he said. “The hysteria around crack co-

caine in the ‘80s pretty much has been disproved.”

Viets said he has urged lawmakers to reduce or eliminate the disparity, but he added that even the most progressive politicians are not optimistic about reforming the law.

“The implication is if you’re not for this (disparity), then you’re soft on drugs,” Viets said.

Jason Lamb, executive director of the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services, said the disparity recognizes the more addictive nature of crack.

“Federal law did not eliminate the disparity, it narrowed the gap,” Lamb said.

“Congress recognized there’s a valid reason for a disparity.”

Taylor can attest to the addictive nature of crack. He moved from St. Louis to St. Francois County, about an hour south, in part to make it tougher for him to get the drug.

“You can take a person that’s got everything and a year later they got nothing,” because of crack, he said. “I’ve been through that several times in my life.”

Taylor also said that although he thinks his sentence was excessive, he knows where the blame ultimately lies.

“I look at it like well, if I’m not doing what I’m doing they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do me like that. In my pity party, I realize it’s all my fault,” he said. “As long as I steer away from crimes and drugs, I don’t have to worry about going to jail.”

September 2, 2010

Page 8

MIAA conference changes for 2010 C hris D vorak

dvorak@esubulletin.com With the potential Big 12 break up over the summer, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association’s (MIAA) prosperity was overlooked.

As the Big 12 lost two teams, the MIAA – the conference that Emporia State University competes in – gained another official school, Lincoln University. With The University of Nebraska at Omaha added last school year, the conference now stands at 12 teams.

The MIAA has four more applicants that are being strongly considered, including The University of Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State University, The University of Nebraska at Kearny and Lindenwood University. These additions, if accepted, will bring the total confer-

ence teams up to 16.

According to Emporia State Athletic Director Ken Weiser, there are several reasons for expanding the conference.

“Division I schools look to increase revenue, (Division II) is looking to expand to decrease spending,” Weiser said.

Although not making big television contract deals as Division I schools are vying for, the MIAA universities benefit by having closer schools to compete against and cutting traveling costs saving teams traveling budgets.

As an added convenience, planning non-conference games can be difficult, and with a larger conference, there will be more conference games, which in turn will make scheduling easier.

The MIAA is also looking to

Soccer Schedule

prevent potential collapses, similar to what almost befell the Big 12 this summer. Having a larger conference creates a buffer. If a team decides to leave, then the conference can remain viable and competitive without reeling for more teams.

Increased conference size means increased competition for all sports.

Oklahoma Central will enter as one of the most winning football teams in Division II, and Lincoln’s track team will bring their national successes to the MIAA. Many teams will also have seasons of facing entirely conference teams, football being one of those teams.

“We will play the schedule,” said Head Football Coach Garin Higgins.

“We will treat every game the same as any other.”

Furthermore, the greater depth of competition will only serve to bring

more popularity and attention to the MIAA and ideally bring more recruits to MIAA schools. The MIAA as a conference has had multiple national championship appearances in the last couple of years, including Emporia State’s Women’s Basketball DII National Champions.

“The toughest league in the country just got tougher,” says Assistant Athletic Director of Media Relations Don Weast. “(The MIAA) is the toughest top to bottom conference in the nation.”

Furthermore, the greater depth of competition will only serve to bring more popularity and attention to the MIAA and ideally bring more recruits to MIAA schools. The MIAA as a conference has had multiple national championship appearances in the last couple of years, including Emporia State’s Women’s Basketball DII

National Champions.

“The toughest league in the country just got tougher,” says Assistant Athletic Director of Media Relations Don Weast. “(The MIAA) is the toughest top to bottom conference in the nation.”

Furthermore, the greater depth of competition will only serve to bring more popularity and attention to the MIAA and ideally bring more recruits to MIAA schools. The MIAA as a conference has had multiple national championship appearances in the last couple of years, including Emporia State’s Women’s Basketball DII National Champions.

“The toughest league in the country just got tougher,” says Assistant Athletic Director of Media Relations Don Weast. “(The MIAA) is the toughest top to bottom conference in the nation.”

Intramurals Organized Changes bring order to non-competitive sports

B randon S chneeberger sports@esubulletin.com

Cross Country Schedule

For Mike Wise, assistant director for the Recreational Services Department, improving intramural sports is the name of the game.

Wise began noticing grievances about the intramural system in past years, and has since helped institute some changes.

“In the last few years we’ve been getting a lot of requests from the students. The majority of them were wanting something where they would play a wider variety of teams,” Wise said.

Furthermore, Wise recognized the need to develop competitive and non-competitive leagues.

“Before, we had to divide them up into resident hall teams, fraternity teams and independent teams. This year we’ve restructured our divisions into competitive leagues and just-for-fun leagues,” Wise said.

The non-competitive leagues will be five-week leagues with no post-season tournament. Those involved in competitive league games will compete in a campus championship, the winning team receiving a t-shirt.

Scheduling concerns were also brought to Wise attention. In previous years, teams would be scheduled to play any day of the week, whereas beginning this year, leagues will either be held on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, freeing up the rest of the week for classes and work.

Intramural supervisor Trevor Steinbacher also recognized the benefits to the new scheduling system.

“The main problem was just all the scheduling conflicts,” said Steinbacher, a junior physical and health education major. “With the new (system) they can pick the two days they want to play on, so they’ll know in advance they’ll play on those two days.”

One final change is the adoption of online registry. As opposed to using paper forms, this year students are able to register online, and team captains have the ability to manage their teams online as well.

“In the past anyone that was added to a team would have to come in and fill out the appropriate paperwork to be eligible to play,” Wise said. “Now a team captain can manage all that information online.”

Becca Holman, a senior elementary education major and in-

WISE tramural supervisor, sees the positive things the new system will bring for everyone involved.

“Once people understand how to use it it’s going to be a lot easier for everybody,” Holman said. “For me personally, and Trevor, we wont have to manually put in all the information. I think this software is going to be really beneficial.”

To sign up for intramural sports, visit www.emporia.edu/recsport

Q & A: Coach strives to focus team C hris H opkins

hopkins@esubulletin.com

What is your personal background?

I grew up playing soccer, baseball, football and basketball in St. Louis. Soccer is just the one that stuck. Being from St. Louis, it’s natural to be a baseball fan and root for the Cardinals. After I saw my first curveball, I knew my days of baseball were numbered. After high school, I attended Benedictine University from 1986-1990 to play soccer as a goalkeeper. My major was Journalism, with a minor in Business.

Did you step right into the coaching field?

Actually I took some time off. I worked for a service company of my father’s for three years, and then was a commercial photographer for two and a half years. I went back to Benedictine to get my teaching certificate to teach history at the high school level, and coach soccer at that level. That’s when I started coaching in the KC area for a soccer club until I got offered a job at Tulane University. I was the number one assistant, and the recruiting coordinator from 2000-2005.

What brought you to ESU?

I was there during Hurricane Katrina, which obviously had a big impact of where I am today. I lived just outside New Orleans, and my area was fortunate not to be flooded. However the building in which I worked had anywhere between five to 10 feet of water. Tulane suspended 11 other sports besides soccer. One thing I will never forget though is that many of our students were taken in as Tulane students by Texas A&M University. The work and hospitality that university showed is something I will never forget, and I will be appreciative to them for. In that summer, a personal friend contacted me about a job opening up here, and that May I moved back to Kansas.

one of, if not the, best conference in the MIAA. The challenge is going to be week in and week out, playing tough competition. This year’s team isn’t as deep, so the team will have to really be more focused on what we are trying to get done.

It sounds cliché, but we just need to take it one game at a time and get better every day.

What were your thoughts on last weeks’ exhibition game?

I liked about 80-85 percent of what they did. They did a nice job creating opportunities to score, but just didn’t capitalize on those chances. It is very critical to finish those plays when you have chances.

What are the biggest challenges going into this season?

Head Coach Jim Schneiderhan talks to his players before their exhibition game against Ottawa Friday evening at the ESU Pitch.

Most people don’t realize that this is Megan Gartner/ The Bulletin