Kentucky Kernel: March 2, 2023

By Amy Oakley news@kykernel.com

DanceBlue, a University of Kentucky student-run organization, raises money for the Golden Matrix Fund through year-long fundraising that concludes with a 24-hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon. DanceBlue 2023 is set to begin Saturday, March 25, and conclude Sunday, March 26.

Jennifer Mynear collaborated with the university to create DanceBlue over 18 years ago to honor and keep the legacy of her son, Jarrett Mynear.

Jarrett Mynear was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer at two years old. By the time he was 13, his cancer had multiplied into six different types.

Before his passing in 2002, he created a list of requests. One was to raise funds to improve the Pediatric Oncology Outpatient Clinic at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

“Jennifer Mynear wanted to keep Jarrett’s legacy alive and just be able to spread his journey of childhood cancer and just give a little bit of joy back to DanceBlue,” DanceBlue 2023 Overall Chair Grace Bush said.

DanceBlue, entering its 18th year of fundraising, has accumulated over 19 million dollars since it began in 2006. The money raised through

DanceBlue to host 18th year of raising money ‘For the Kids’

DanceBlue is donated to the Golden Matrix Fund, a fund established to support the current and future children in Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic.

Although DanceBlue works all year to fundraise, the main dance marathon event will take place at the end of March. The 24-hour no sitting, no sleeping marathon takes place in Memorial Coliseum and brings hundreds of participants throughout the day.

The marathon will be held in person this year, with media and spectators allowed to come at any time during those 24 hours. In order to dance in the marathon, participants must raise at least $400 before the marathon starts, according to Bush.

“We have had engagement on all sides. Not in just fundraising and the dancers, but also engagement to our events like tabling events and our fundraisers. We are seeing some record breaking numbers this year that we are excited about,” Bush said.

Between dancers, committee members and volunteers, Bush expects the floor capacity to be around 1,000 people. In Oct. 2022, 100 teams had already registered for the 2023 marathon.

“The goal of DanceBlue is to expand it further than it ever

has been before and to really create that memorable experience for everyone regardless if they’re a dancer, regardless if it's a reporter, like whoever it might be who’s coming. We want them to see the impact,” Bush said.

If students are interested in participating, they can become dancers, volunteers or donors for DanceBlue. More information can be found on the organization website, danceblue.org.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF FILE PHOTO

Students participate in the hourly line dance during the 24-hour DanceBlue marathon on Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Sophomore Madelyn Trent does a flip on stage during the American Idol hour during the 24-hour DanceBlue marathon at 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

Humans of UK:

Johnny Kirkpatrick reflects on lost time and his battle with cancer

By Laurel Swanz features@kykernel.com

This is Humans of UK, inspired by the Humans of New York Instagram series by photographer and author Brandon Stanton. This series dives into the individuals of UK as well as their stories, strifes and passions.

Johnny Kirkpatrick was less than three months into his freshman year of college when he got the news.

He had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A healthy, varsity soccer player in high school, Kirkpatrick found the diagnosis hard to believe at first.

He started feeling sick in early October 2019.

Like most college freshmen, Kirkpatrick was focused on adjusting to his new environment at the time. He was keeping up with his classes for his chemical engineering degree and making new friends. He even joined the UK mens club soccer team.

But when he tried to play soccer or exercise, he would feel sick and often throw up. He was constantly exhausted and slept at least 10 hours a day.

“I didn’t really know what was wrong and as a normal 18 year old boy, I just refused to go to the hospital because I thought it would resolve itself,” Kirkpatrick said.

When it didn’t resolve itself, he caved and went to University Health Services. They conducted

blood testing and sent him home to wait for the results.

At around 10 p.m. that night, Kirkpatrick was in his dorm room getting ready for bed when his phone rang.

He answered to a woman saying she was from the Office of Hematology and Oncology and that he needed to go to the emergency room immediately.

With his parents almost four hours away in his hometown of

Paducah, Kentucky, Kirkpatrick called his brother, who was attending pharmacy school at UK, for help.

“I knew something was very wrong. I called my brother,” Kirkpatrick said. “I was kinda freaking out, and he took me to the ER.”

Around 3 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2019, an attending told Kirkpatrick he had cancer.

“He did not deliver the news well,” Kirkpatrick said. “He was

just like, ‘you probably have cancer, like, you have leukemia.’ It was not very comforting. I honestly didn’t have that much of an initial reaction. It was more shock than anything.”

Reality didn’t set in for him until the next night, when he told his closest friends from home that he was sick and cried for the first time.

His brother handled telling their parents.

“He called them and told them to pack a bag for a few days, Johnny might be in the hospital for a little bit,” Kirkpatrick said.

His mother ended up staying in Lexington for six months.

The weeks that followed his diagnosis were some of the worst of Kirkpatrick’s life. He stayed in the hospital until just before Thanksgiving.

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KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES

9 Blazer Dining University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506

On the front cover: JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) gestures at guard Kareem Watkins (25) during introductions before the Kentucky vs. Auburn mens basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

COCAINE BEAR ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE HALL

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Johnny Kirkpatrick, a junior chemical engineering major, poses for a portrait on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Kentucky Theatre hosts real Cocaine Bear at movie screening

By Nate Lucas news@kykernel.com

For the highly anticipated movie premiere of “Cocaine Bear,” the Kentucky Theatre partnered with the KY for KY Fun Mall to bring the real taxidermied bear to the red carpet on Friday, Feb. 24.

The KY for KY Fun Mall details the true story of the cocaine bear on its website. In 1985, drug smugglers dropped around 80 pounds of cocaine off a plane into the Georgia wilderness. Three months later, a 175-pound bear ate the cocaine and died instantly.

Examiners said the bear’s stomach was packed to the brim with cocaine.

The film “Cocaine Bear” dramatizes the story, depicting a coke-addicted bear as it rampages through a national forest.

The Kentucky Theatre held a red carpet event on Feb. 24 for “Cocaine Bear,” featuring the taxidermied bear for which the movie is named. The KY for KY Fun Mall, which currently has ownership of the taxidermied bear, sold its own Cocaine Bear merchandise.

The event included a Cocaine Bear mascot that attendees could take pictures with. Moviegoers showed their excitement by wearing the namesake’s merchandise. The line for the event went out the door.

Moviegoer Brian Overwein heard about the event through a

friend and agreed to attend the red carpet.

“This is the nicest I’ve dressed in my life,” Overwein said. “It kind of tickles me that it’s for ‘Cocaine Bear.’”

As Overwein waited outside for his plus one, he had no idea the taxidermied bear was inside.

“Oh wait, he’s in there?” Overwein said.

Jill Smith attended the red carpet event with her daughter, who wore a Grateful Dead Bear and Cocaine Bear mashup shirt.

“I just found out about him (Cocaine Bear) a couple days ago,” Smith said.

Although Smith is afraid of bears, she was still excited to go to the movie and see the taxidermied animal.

While the red carpet event

was happening, viewers from an earlier showing of “Cocaine Bear” emerged from the theater with excitement.

Gabe Hall was among them, decked out in a NFL Bears script hat that spelled “Cocaine Bear” and a D.A.R.E. inspired “Cocaine Bear” shirt.

“I loved it,” he said. “I’d rated it a 8.5 out of 10.”

Hall said he heard about the movie, and after doing some research about the original story, knew he needed to see the bear in person at The Kentucky Theatre.

“It was just cocaine. There was a lot of cocaine in the movie,” Hall said.

The real bear has a complicated history of owners, adding to the level of legend already

surrounding it.

According to the KY for KY Fun Mall’s website, after a Georgia medical examiner performed a necropsy on the bear, they gifted ownership of the bear to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

After a wildfire caused the park to evacuate, the park moved the Cocaine Bear taxidermy to a temporary storage facility.

Then the bear appeared in Las Vegas, where country star Waylon Jennings found it and gifted it to friend Roy Thompson.

Adam Lewis, an employee at the KY for KY Fun Mall, clarified the bear’s history of ownership.

“One thing I want people

to know is Waylon Jennings did not own him,” Lewis said. “That’s a rumor that goes around, but it’s not true.”

Thompson passed away in 2009, causing his estate to be sold, and the bear switched hands once again.

In 2015, the KY for KY Fun Mall contacted the current owners of the bear and obtained ownership.

“The last people to own it was a couple in Reno, Nevada. The husband had passed away, the wife hated the bear, it was in his pharmacy,” Lewis said. “We got in contact with her, she said if we pay for shipping that we could have it.”

Lewis said since the KY for KY Fun Mall received the bear, the taxidermy has been on Roadside America, a website used for tourists to find “offbeat” attractions.

“That kind of made him semi-famous,” Lewis said. “Then when the movie released, it started getting international traffic. So we’ve had people from all over the world come visit the store.”

Lewis said the movie’s premiere brought the KY for KY Fun Mall to the full focus of national news networks.

“The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo, Peacock, probably every news channel in Kentucky, within the last month for sure, we’ve been interviewed by everybody,” Lewis said.

BRADY SAYLOR | STAFF

Moviegoers pose for photos with the real Cocaine Bear during the "Cocaine Bear" premiere on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky.

‘People are hungry.’ Christian organization hosted revival at UK’s Rupp Arena

By Bryce Towle news@kykernel.com

Pulse, a Christian evangelist group, hosted a “revival” at Rupp Arena on Feb. 24. When doors opened, floods of people came in and participated in worship, prayer and music during the service.

The free service began at 2 p.m. and brought in hundreds of guests from different states. Attendees ranged from all ages, but “priority seating” was given to those aged 1525, according to an Instagram post from Pulse on Feb. 24.

Chairs lined all sides of the stage, while one section had flyers reading “reserved for prayer.” All 22,000 seats

in Rupp Arena were open to the public.

A sole wooden cross stood about seven feet tall along with musicians and speakers on center stage as the crowd sang.

Attendees observed the event, listening to testimonies, scripture readings, music and prayer. Some guests could be seen praying on their knees, while others stood with arms open wide.

Pulse is technically not a church but is considered a “501 C3 Christian nonprofit” according to Forrest Limon, a 23-year-old young leader of the organization

Nick Hall, the founder of Pulse, organized the revival; he traveled from Minneapolis to the Asbury revival in

Wilmore, Kentucky.

“Nick had actually come before I did, really to just experience it,” Limon said.”He was so impacted by what was happening at Asbury that he created a space back in our Minneapolis office for the same thing to break out.”

Limon went on to describe how the planning and brainstorming for Pulse’s Rupp revival came from prayer and inspiration while attending the Asbury revival.

“God just laid down on our hearts to say what would it look like to create a bigger space, because we knew that Asbury was tapering down services,” he said. “Obviously, they're overwhelmed and we just honor the leadership there for even going as long as they did.”

While the organization expected attendance to be in the thousands, the event received hundreds. Attendees, many of whom were from Kentucky, traveled from multiple states to attend the service.

Alex Rains, accompanied by his wife Alexis Rains, said they heard about the event through social media.

Some attendees said they came to the event after not being able to take part in the Asbury revival.

Others felt conditions at Asbury weren’t welcoming, so the event hosted by Pulse suited their needs for an easily accessible environment.

“Well, I wanted to go down to Asbury so bad, but I heard it was so crowded and standing around … I couldn't go down there and stay in the cold,” attendee Nancy Ford said.

Rebbecca Thornberry felt the need to attend both.

“I was in tears the entire time. You could really feel the vibration of it. It was just an emotional event,” Thornberry said about her time at the Asbury revival.

Attendees such as Anselmo Rodregues traveled from Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the revival.

“It is amazing, everything is very simple. It's hard to explain … we drove all the way here to see what was going on and it is impressive the way God makes precedent here,” Rodregues said. “It’s clear people are thirsty for God, people are hungry, and God is ready to free us”

The Rupp revival was not a formal continuation of the Asbury revival; however, the event brought people together to experience something they may not have had the chance to.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Pulse, a Christian evangelist group, hosts a “revival” on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

Combating the opioid epidemic: Increasing awareness of Narcan on UK’s campus

By Laurel Swanz news@kykernel.com

The Prevention, Outreach, Wellness and Education Resources (POWER) department of the Office of Student Success and the Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) hosted a Narcan training on Feb. 22 to fight the opioid crisis on college campuses.

Voices of Hope is a nonprofit recovery community center and longstanding partner of the CRC. They provided one box (two doses) of Narcan to attendees of the training.

Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a nasal spray that removes the opioid molecules from an affected person’s opioid receptor sites, according to Alexander Elswick, professor of substance use prevention and recovery at UK and co-founder of Voices of Hope.

Voices of Hope employees trained participants on how to recognize an overdose and safely administer Narcan and complete rescue breathing, if needed.

Administering Narcan temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, allowing the individual to breathe again within two to three minutes, according to UK researchers. If the person does not respond in this time, a second dose can be administered.

Anyone helping an overdosed individual should call 911 to ensure they access medical care and prevent re-overdose, according

to Elswick.

Reporting a suspected opioid overdose to authorities will not incriminate the person responding “in good faith” or the victim for drug violations under Kentucky’s Good Samaritan Law.

In addition to training sessions, UK has installed more than 60 “Opioid Rescue Kits” in academic and residential buildings across campus to combat the opioid epidemic. Each rescue kit contains two doses of Narcan spray.

Elswick said it’s more likely for college students to encounter opioids than they might realize.

Fentanyl is a potent opioid being produced to look like common medications causing consumers to

mistakenly overdose, specifically on college campuses, according to Elswick.

CRC Coordinator Hayleigh Tharp hoped the event would prepare students to save lives and open their minds to the non-discriminatory nature of addiction.

“You never know when you'll need (Narcan) no matter where you're at,” Tharp said. “Substance use doesn't discriminate against age, race or socioeconomic status, so even being a college student at UK, it could still happen to anyone.”

Elswick believes Narcan is especially important for Lexington residents to be able to access and use.

“Lexington, for a variety of reasons, has been hit very hard by the opioid crisis,” he said. “Kentucky was targeted by pharmaceutical companies because of the high rates of people in eastern Kentucky working in coal mines and on disability. Also, Lexington is at a nexus of interstate 64 and interstate 75, which makes it something of a drug trafficking hub.”

According to the Office of Drug Control Policy website, naloxone is available for purchase at UK pharmacies and can be located in Kentucky using the online map.

Elswick encouraged naloxone to be administered even in cases when overdose is uncertain, be-

cause there are no known negative interactions with naloxone.

“It’s safe no matter what medications people take, and it’s safe even if they don’t have opioids in their system,” he said.

Regardless of personal connection to opioids or lack thereof, Elswick believes everyone should be prepared to use Narcan in the case of an overdose to save someone’s life.

“It might be easy to say, ‘Why should I be trained, why does this affect me?’” he said. “Laypersons are more likely to respond to an overdose (than first responders), and you’re talking about saving someone’s life. It’s hard to overstate. It’s hard to put a price tag on it. It’s a pretty powerful thing.”

POWER Director Kimberly Rufra said 55 students attended the training, and she hopes that number continues to grow.

“We know that there is a need. It doesn’t matter if students are here on campus or in the home, whether they live in Kentucky or they live in another state,” Rufra said. “We know that this is something that’s a challenge throughout our nation and throughout the world.”

Another Narcan training session will be hosted on March 20 in Jacobs Science Building room 221 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The training is sponsored by the Appalachian Health Initiative, Neurocats, the Apollo Society, Phi Delta Epsilon and the Pre-Dental Society.

JACK WEAVER| STAFF

Chad Baugh, a recovery coach for Voices of Hope, demonstrates how to administer Narcan nasal spray on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Art brought to light: The UK Art Museum

By Nate Lucas features@kykernel.com

Inside of the UK Art Museum at the Singletary Center for the Arts, visitors might notice the soft sounds of the orchestra.

As soon as visitors enter, they’re met by two student workers of tranquil temperaments. The museum is free for all to explore, but guests are asked to sign in to monitor the attendance of visitors.

Unbeknownst to guests, those in charge of bringing the exhibits to life are not in the spotlight.

Today, Janie Welker is wearing a light blue bandana, a light blue collared shirt and light blue jeans. She looks on with light blue eyes.

It’s ironic, because as the UK Art Museum’s curator, Welker illuminates the art of her choosing from a storage of over 5,000 pieces.

Welker describes herself as a storyteller by heart. She first worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for 12 years. At the Express Times in Eastern Pennsylvania, she created the arts beat.

“That was about an hour and a quarter from New York and I was going in and covering mega exhibitions at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney all in New

York,” Welker said.

Welker said she used her vacation days to take up the days of the week where she could take courses on contemporary art at the New School.

In the world of art, there is a noticeable hardship to job hunting. It was no different for Welker trying to find a full time gig.

Welker worked part time at The International Center for Photography and The Brooklyn’s Children museum until she was brought onto the staff at Heckscher Museum of Art on Long Island.

“I think my first job was actually something like collections assistant, and then I became the assistant curator, and then I became the photography curator there — photography was always one of my passions,” Welker said.

Welker was there for eight years until she came to UK in 2005. She will have a tenure of 18 and a half years when she retires.

Welker's continued interest in photography, with which she talked about with great enthusiasm, is reflected in one of the museum's current exhibits.

The works of photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard are featured in the exhibit “Georgetown Street” on display at the museum now.

“He’s an extraordinary example (of a photographer),

because he’s internationally known,” Welker said.

Meatyard did the majority of his work in Lexington.

Before Meatyard, there was a historic precedent of documentarian photography of candid subjects. Meatyard made specific decisions with his subjects to wear masks and pose, which set him apart from others.

Welker said that traditionally in art history, one would show work by a specific artist or time period like the Meatyard exhibit.

However, that’s not the case for Welker and the museum.

“We tend to overall do more kind of thematic shows, and so I did one show called ‘Illumination,’ and so it included painting such that showed really kind of nice illuminated skies, but it also included a Tiffany lamp,” she said.

The goal of shows like these is for viewers to create their own ideas of what art means and that something in their minds will “just kind of spark,” Welker said.

Similarly, the UK Art Museum’s educational coordinator, Dan Solberg, aspires to shed light on the museum’s collection.

As part of his job, Solberg runs formal education programming.

“I’m sort of the face of it,

and I developed tour programs, education materials that might correspond with different exhibitions, handouts, gallery guides, that kind of thing,” Solberg said.

The most important part of Solberg’s job is making sure that the art remains approachable and accessible. He said that it’s important to “avoid artworld jargon” and not alienate a visitor.

Before he was at UK, Solberg worked at the Smithsonian Institutions, where he developed programs similar to the ones he uses in the UK Art Museum today.

Solberg is also a part time instructor at UK.

“My introduction to working in education honestly came from working in museums. So I carried a lot of that stuff into my classroom teaching,” Solberg said.

Looking at his calendar, Solberg pegs the tours he conducts at about four per week during a semester. The most important tour he said he directs is the “first impressions tour” for new visitors of the museum.

Solberg said he usually picks artwork that can be easily interpreted instead of ones that would involve deep interpretation exercises. He said it’s important for the visitors to have a positive experience that reinforces the museum as an inter-

esting place.

Solberg has plenty of ideas for the future of the museum, too.

He said he hopes that students can work in greater capacity with the museum, especially those in curatorial studies and art history.

“But, long story short, kind of reinvigorating a docent program and how they get tied into student population really directly so we could have a situation where classes are coming to the museum and taking a peer led, you know, tour of the museum, I think could be a really nice thing,” Solberg said.

Another idea included building online galleries out of the UK Art Museum’s online collection. Solberg said that the collection is currently internal between staff.

“I would like to find ways to make that collection more, if not publicly accessible at least to the student population, campus population, accessible for searches of research and that kind of thing,” Solberg said.

After his interview Solberg clarified that these comments were just aspirations of his and were in no way future plans of the UK Art Museum.

The UK Art Museum is open Tuesdays-Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays noon to 5 p.m. and closed on Mondays and Sundays.

‘If you have faith, you have everything.’

Oscar Tshiebwe finds God on and off the basketball court

By Samantha Money features@kykernel.com

Going from growing up in a hometown over 7,000 miles away to finding a home in Kentucky basketball, Oscar Tshiebwe traveled to America with very little English but a lot of faith in God. Discovered in the small town of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tshiebwe could have never imagined how much he was going to

touch the hearts of the University of Kentucky community.

The 6’9” senior started his collegiate career with the desire to help as many people as he could. He said it wasn’t until he was welcomed with open arms into Big Blue Nation that Tshiebwe realized how God wanted to use him to spread his message.

“When I transferred to Kentucky, I used to be a little shy. I didn’t speak much, just listened and stayed away from

groups of people,” Tshiebwe said. “But once God started getting people more attracted to me, I said, ‘How can I help these people?’”

Before coming to Kentucky, Tshiebwe created a social media account to post Bible verses to keep him encouraged in his faith. Once the account became popular with people in Lexington, he saw an opportunity to connect with the community outside of basketball.

“It gives me more courage every

time I stand in front of people and speak about God,” Tshiebwe said. “People are receiving my message and really accepting it, and it makes me say, ‘Wow.’ I have another gift of speaking, so let me just continue to do that, and I love it.”

While it is evident that the 2022 Consensus National Player of the Year has the gift of basketball, Tshiebwe spent the majority of his youth kicking a ball instead of dribbling it.

See page 9

JACK WEAVER| STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) claps during the Kentucky vs. South Carolina mens basketball game on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

Continued from page 8

When Tshiebwe began to skyrocket several inches as a teenager, his friends told him he needed to pick up basketball if he ever dreamed of going to America.

Showing up to the court with no experience and still wearing his soccer cleats, Tshiebwe practiced until four in the morning while skipping school for weeks, determined to stand out when college recruiters came to his town.

“Leave me alone. I trust in God,” Tshiebwe would respond to the players who told him to get off the court because he would never become good enough in time.

Yet, two months later, the high schooler found himself on a plane to New York City to play basketball in America. It was there when Tshiebwe would watch Kentucky basketball play on television for the first time, sitting in a hotel room with other high school players who told him that only the best

of the best five-star players in America play for Kentucky.

Only being in the states for a few weeks, Tshiebwe had just one thought after watching the Wildcats.

“It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to start for Kentucky one day,” Tshiebwe said.

Although Tshiebwe’s trust in God encouraged him to stay confident in his basketball abilities, he said his faith was not always steadfast. Tshiebwe was just a boy when his father died, causing him to question his beliefs.

“When I lost my dad, life was tough. I lost some faith,” Tshiebwe said. “If God loved us so much, why would he take away my dad who was the holy one for us and who provided?”

Tshiebwe’s father worked as a preacher at the New Apostolic Church where his entire family would attend. Through his struggles, it was his father’s words that got him through the most

doubtful time in his life.

“There’s one thing my dad used to tell me — there’s one thing in life and if you lose it, you have nothing left,” Tshiebwe said. “If you lose your faith in God, you have nothing left in life. You can lose everything, but if you have faith, you have everything.”

When flooding devastated Eastern Kentucky in 2022 and tornadoes tore through Western Kentucky in 2021, Tshiebwe and the rest of the Kentucky mens basketball team traveled to different areas of disaster to help the communities.

Tshiebwe said he drew from his experiences with trauma in his past to share with the impacted communities that God is always there for them, even in times of suffering.

“Sometimes God will send a storm not to destroy you, but to clean up all of the things around you,” Tshiebwe said. “Sometimes God tests us. His plan is not

to harm us, but to give us hope. Sometimes God will let you be so down, so that he can raise you up to the top.”

Tshiebwe knew exactly what God planned for him when a door was opened to transfer to Kentucky for the 20212022 season.

Since then, the basketball star has captured the love of college basketball fans in Kentucky and throughout the nation with the talent and character he brings to the court.

“Sometimes we have to know what things we’ve been praying for that God is reserving for us,” Tshiebwe said. “If He doesn’t give it to you then maybe he is protecting you. But the thing I was praying for, God gave to me, and now I’m in Kentucky.”

From a small town in the Congo, Tshiebwe has found a home in the hearts of Big Blue Nation where his faith is known for making up more of him than just basketball.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) celebrates the win after the Kentucky vs. LSU mens basketball game on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) high fives forward Jacob Toppin (0) after the Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt mens basketball game on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.

By Savannah Garnett features@kykernel.com

Dating apps are completely changing the way college students date.

More college students are turning to these apps for a myriad of reasons, and dating is just the beginning. The University of Kentucky is no exception.

Dating apps are often marketed to young adults and are specifically popular on college campuses around the U.S. There is plenty of discourse about whether dating apps are positively or negatively affecting society.

One University of Kentucky student said it can go either way.

“It depends on how you use it, I guess,” Megan Leibold, a freshman majoring in integrated strategic communication, said. “Honestly, people either are wanting a relationship or people are looking to hook up for a night.”

As dating apps continue to polarize users, UK students have found that most people are either looking for a short-term relationship or something more serious, and navigating that online is difficult.

Since the late 2000s, dating apps have become increasingly popular with younger crowds. Pew Research Center found that,

Swiping left and right: Dating at UK in the digital age

County, Kentucky, also agreed that dating apps have changed dating interactions.

“It could go either way, because it’s kind of awkward to run into somebody that you’ve matched with, but it’s also nice to match with people and have a connection,” Swartz said.

While navigating dating apps is seen as difficult by some, Sophia Macre, a landscape architecture major at UK, believes students use dating apps for different reasons.

“I think people use dating apps because they are bored, at least that’s what it was for me. I went to the University of Arizona before this and I had no friends, so that was a good way for me to meet people,” Macre said.

Alex Alston, a marketing and finance major from London, England, agreed that dating apps are “an easy way to meet new people.”

The use of dating apps on campus received mixed reviews.

in the U.S., three out of every 10 adults use some kind of dating app, and 53% are under the age of 30. Hinge, Tinder and Bumble are among the most popular dating apps.

Brady Trosper, a civil

engineering major, shared a similar sentiment.

“I think dating apps have made relationships more short-term and made them less focused on the person and more on the idea of the person,” Trosper said. “Neg -

atively, it desensitizes people and treats them like they are not real, but positively, there are people who get married from dating apps.”

Karalyne Swartz, an information communication technology major from Bath

A few students like Leibold and Trosper agreed that it really depends on what the person is looking for. Leibold believes people’s intentions make dating apps positive or negative.

Each student discussed that while dating apps can be positive, they do fuel “hookup culture” and shortterm relationships.

ILLUSTRATION BY AKHILA NADIMPALLI

‘A learning experience.’ UK student workers find a balance between school and work

By Liberty Gilbert features@kykernel.com

Students at the University of Kentucky are finding that, with friendly work environments and flexible schedules, there are plenty of benefits and opportunities that accompany being an employee on campus.

According to some students, those benefits and opportunities have escaped them in past jobs.

Katie Ray, a UK freshman majoring in nursing, works at Panda Express in the Gatton Student Center. She said that, because her job is through the university, she can enjoy working with a full staff, working with a mix of students and non-students, and having a better pay than other jobs that she’s had before.

“I’ve honestly really enjoyed working here, my coworkers are all great and my manager seems pretty nice and … it makes for a good experience,” Ray said.

For some students, working at the university that you attend doesn’t always mean that it feels like a “student job.”

Jeongho Kim, a UK junior majoring in psychology, works as an usher at the Singletary Center for the Arts, helping patrons enjoy the shows and providing them with assistance and information.

“Even though it’s campus work, I feel like it becomes a society where you’re meeting various persons and engaging with them and learning about those experiences and as a student it’s also a learning experience,” Kim said.

However, some students say there are some drawbacks that come with working an on-campus job.

Logan Lee, a UK senior majoring in

business management, works full-time at Chick-fil-A at The 90.

“Overall my experience has been pretty good,” Lee said. “I come into work when I want and if I have a test or homework, they let me take off. But other full-time workers get holiday pay, overtime, paid time off, vacation time and all that, and since we’re student workers we don’t get any of that.”

There are a multitude of different job opportunities on campus including full-time, part-time, temporary work

and federal work-study positions. Areas of on-campus employment include fast food, healthcare, academic, office jobs, research oriented positions and even jobs for aspiring journalists or photographers.

Whatever a student’s interest or requirements, there is sure to be a job on campus to fit the bill.

For students who don’t have any work experience, getting a new job can be stressful and scary, but they should know that they aren’t alone.

Joud Almbaidin, an international student from Jordan is a freshman on the pre-law track, majoring in political science with a minor in international studies, works at Chick-fil-A at The 90.

“This is the first job that I ever got in my life and it’s going good so far,” Almbaidin said. My friends here help me all the time and it’s just nice to get to know and meet new people here and I’m so proud that I’m working and studying at the same time because that’s not an easy thing to do.”

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Freshman nursing major Katie Ray stirs a bowl of orange chicken at the Panda Express in the Gatton Student Center on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Muy caliente takes on Lexington Mexican restaurants

By Gracie Moore and Jennifer Sadler opinions@kykernel.com

Mexican restaurants definitely have a market with University of Kentucky students.

The different choices of food, the range of prices and the closeness to campus make finding a favorite pretty easy.

The Kernel’s opinion staff has a few hot takes regarding their favorite and least favorite Mexican restaurants that students at UK rave about.

Agave & Rye

Although Agave & Rye has locations across several states, its two locations in Lexington have made it a staple for many college students and residents. But is it worth the hype?

Agave & Rye has its perks. It has an expansive menu including an array of appetizers, sides and non-taco items.

However, their main attraction is their selection of à la carte “Epic Tacos,” which are their signature tacos with fun names and unconventional toppings.

For foodies and adventurous eaters, these options may be appealing. But for others, some of these specialty tacos may seem a little off-putting.

For example, the “Happy Meal” taco, which contains ground beef, fries, pickles, ketchup and cheese, may not be for everyone.

However, the “Plain Jane” appeals to all taco lovers with its classic ground beef, lettuce, cheddar, tomato and sour cream.

Regardless of whether these tacos sound enticing, there are some drawbacks to this expansive menu. For one, it’s pricey.

The Epic Tacos range anywhere from $6.75 to $13.50 per taco, which might be out of the price range of many

college students.

I have tried many of their tacos and have found them to be less than satisfactory, especially for the price.

Even though some of them have good flavor profiles, the tacos tend to fall apart, and it’s hard to justify $15-20 for two tacos for me.

Though it’s an interesting sit-down place to try with friends or family, I think there are lots of better and more affordable places to get tacos in Lexington.

The Local Taco

The Local Taco has the market on street tacos for college students around Lexington, but like Agave & Rye, it may not be for everyone.

The Local Taco has two locations in Lexington: one directly off campus and one in the Hamburg area.

The restaurant closest to campus is the main location for students at UK.

Their menu has plenty of “TexMex” basics, including tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas. But, within these

there isn’t much room for specialization or unique options.

The taco choices for meat include steak, chicken and barbecue. They also have shrimp and a vegetarian option. But beyond that, there isn’t much variety.

The menu is also fairly expensive for the portion sizes. Their lunch specials aren’t too bad, although I think for a restaurant so close to campus it’s still a bit pricey.

A basket with four tacos is $14, while a basket with two tacos and one side is $10, and the prices do not include drinks.

Individual tacos sit at $4.25, and quesadillas are $10.50.

I understand that, as a local business, prices are expected to be higher than chain restaurants, and I am all for supporting local businesses. But, I find that the lack of variety and the prices are overrated for the hype.

I’m not a huge fan of street tacos and the Southwest type of food, so of course, that plays a large role in my opinion.

For fans of Tex-Mex and Southwest Mexican food for a little higher of a price, The Local Taco is a great choice. I can understand the love for the restaurant, as it’s so close to campus and draws plenty of families from out of town.

But I find that there are plenty of other authentic local restaurants where you can get more food for a lower price.

All in all, these restaurants, despite their popularity, probably don’t provide the best food for their prices or flavor profiles.

With the various Mexican restaurants around Lexington, you can get a better bang for your buck at other places.

Quick picks

One of my favorite local Mexican restaurants is Papi’s.

They have great food at fairly reasonable prices, and that is my priority as a college student. It’s casual yet has a great atmosphere, and their lunch specials are hard to beat.

Another place to find authentic Mexican is Que Taco, a taco truck parked on Plunkett Street. Though informal, they have great carne asada and birria tacos served directly to your car.

For a nicer sit down restaurant, Corto Lima in downtown Lexington has a good vibe and interesting takes on Mexican classics.

Though their prices are comparable to those of Agave & Rye and Local Taco, I would argue their food is much more worth the price.

Overall, everyone’s tastes are different. While some love the street taco scene and others prefer authenticity, Lexington has Mexican restaurants for everyone.

So whether you agree with the hype over these local eateries or they’re your last resort, you won’t have trouble finding something to please your taste buds.

TRAVIS FANNON | STAFF

A person exits Agave & Rye on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.

‘Blood at the Root’ play explores race, sexuality and justice

By Karrington Garland opinions@kykernel.com

Going to see “Blood at the Root” by Dominique Morisseau in Briggs Theatre took me straight into the heat of the Deep South with how humid it was there.

On Sunday, Feb. 26, the tiny theater was packed. But the busy chatter and body heat couldn’t distract me from the set, especially the tree glowing bright in the far-right corner.

The play immersed me in Deep South Louisiana. It led my fellow audience members and me into a complex story of race, sexuality and the idea of justice and how it tends to get served in communities that are racially divided.

What first interested me about this play was its title. “Blood at the Root” is also a phrase repeated throughout “Strange Fruit,” a haunting and eerie song about the lynchings of African Americans in the South.

Before it became the song that launched Billie Holiday into the national spotlight, it was a poem. The poem was called “Bitter Fruit” and was written by Abel Meeropol.

The concepts throughout “Blood at the Root” were shown through intense dialogue and high-pressure scenes. Difficult conversations were had on stage, and they all lasted with me afterwards.

It was set in Deep South Louisiana at a high school divided by racial tension.

The play is based on the Jena Six. In 2006, a Black student at Jena High School, in Jena, Louisiana, asked their principal for permission to sit under a tree only white students sat under on school grounds.

The day after the Black students asked to sit under the tree, nooses were found hanging from it.

The play reflected the story of this incident and the aftermath of it.

Six students in the play were charged with attempted murder after beating up a white student at school.

The fight was played out for us on stage by an ensemble of silhouettes lit by their phone screens, which were full of text messages and rumors spreading like a wildfire through the school, until we got to see the individuals involved pleading their case.

“Blood at the Root” explores the juxtapositions of race and sexuality through the conservative white gaze. The incident occurred because homophobic and racial slurs were exchanged between the boys, and it resulted in a physical altercation in the

aftermath of the noose incident.

The heated tension bubbling and referenced throughout the play came to a head when the sister of one of the boys arrested visited the boy who her brother beat up and asked him to drop the charges.

This was the most intense scene for me in the play, and the actor and actress on stage did such an amazing job — I was almost brought to tears.

In the sister’s pleading for the charges against her brother to be dropped, the intricate way in which marginalized communities are pitted against one another and the warped way everyone sees justice is put under a microscope.

Both poor and gay in a conservative southern town, the white student on the receiving end of the beating is angry that he was targeted because of his sex-

uality and, rightfully so, wants justice.

The six Black teens charged with attempted murder want justice, too. Young Black men are routinely disenfranchised by the policing system and statistically receive harsher charges or longer sentencing. Although they were wrong for beating him up, attempted murder is a stretch, and their youth was hanging in the balance.

This could take their lives away like so many other Black men that have been incarcerated or policed in our country during their teen years, and Black families are left picking up the pieces from a shattered incarceration system.

I didn’t know what to expect when I bought tickets to see this play, but I was also happy to see the dilemmas of the journalism world thrust into the spotlight as well. One of the characters oversees their high school newspaper, and also happens to be Black and very distant from the racial incidents playing out at his school.

Meanwhile, his white female counterpart wants to tell the story to the best of her ability, even if it means standing with the Black students in their rage over the multiple injustices depicted throughout the play.

This play left me thinking about how far we’ve come in American society in our battle to acknowledge, reform and combat systemic racism.

It also made me wonder what justice means to different people and how the act of it being carried out impacts entire communities sometimes — whether it's deserved or not, especially in marginalized communities.

If this play ever makes its way back to UK, students should be sure to go see it.

MARK CORNELISON | UK PHOTO UK Theatre presented “Blood at the Root” on Feb. 23-26, 2023, at Briggs Theatre at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Tips and tricks for a healthy exam season

By Gracie Moore opinions@kykernel.com

Midterms are one of the most stressful times of the year, especially falling right before the long-awaited spring break.

Every major has a different level of difficulty when it comes to these exams, and every person handles the stress differently.

Some people don’t have to study at all even for the most difficult exams. Others start studying weeks in advance.

But regardless of your major or the midterm, the stress of your own and trying to help your friends through them can be difficult.

As a journalism major, the majority of my midterms are papers or article assignments.

This semester I have more physical exams, as I’m taking a few integrated strategic communication and media arts and studies courses.

However, many of my friends are in the College of Engineering or are pre-med.

Their exams are extremely difficult to say the least. It can be hard to help them through their midterms when mine look so different.

Because of this, I sometimes feel like my major or my exams aren’t as difficult, or I don’t deserve to complain about being overwhelmed with school work.

But midterms and courses can be difficult regardless of the major.

Just because I’m lucky to not have to start studying weeks in advance doesn’t mean that my classes aren’t just as important as anyone else’s, and the same can be said for any major.

As for exams, I have a few pieces of advice that I’ve gathered from my personal experience and from helping others study.

It’s important to start studying in advance. I’m as terrible at procrastinating as the next guy, but when I work on assignments and articles before the day they are due, my work is higher quality and I’m a lot less stressed.

It’s scientifically proven that trying to cram for exams can cause brain fatigue and anxiety.

Studying for about 20 to 30 minutes a week or so before an exam creates better retention of the mate -

rial and less overall stress.

But if you just can’t help yourself, there are a few things you can do to cause less brain fatigue while cramming.

Taking small breaks is vital for allowing your brain and your body to rest. I use the Pomodoro technique for the best studying sessions. The technique involves studying for 25-minute intervals with a five minute break in between.

I have ADHD, which makes it really hard to study and manage my time, but this structure works wonders for me.

During these breaks I try to avoid

going on my phone. Instead, I take a lap around wherever I am to move my body or get a bit of fresh air.

I use these techniques for writing papers and articles as well, with a few added tricks.

I love listening to movie scores while writing. My favorite composers are Hans Zimmer and Michael Giacchino. I also try to find new places to write. The change of scenery inspires different emotions and thoughts.

Aside from tips and techniques for studying and writing, taking care of yourself during midterms is the most important thing.

If you aren’t getting quality sleep and enough of it, then your brain and your body won’t be focused.

Eating full, healthy meals and drinking plenty of water in addition to getting your caffeine fix are simple things that make a huge difference in learning and test-taking.

But the biggest thing to remember is that your best is enough.

Of course, grades matter overall, but nothing matters more than your well-being and mental health. If you are putting your best efforts into what you’re doing, whether that be school or anything else, it’s enough.

Don’t allow a poor grade or a difficult course to take a toll on your mental health and your overall happiness.

And avoid comparing your midterms and classes to your friends, because every major is different, and every person handles school and stress differently.

Your best is enough and you are always allowed to find difficulties in school, regardless of your major or what anyone else says.

BRADY SAYLOR | STAFF

Ethan Staten, a freshman electrical engineering major, studies on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, at the William T. Young Library in Lexington, Kentucky.

At the buzzer: Kentucky womens basketball defeats Florida 72-57 in first round of SEC Tournament

By Samantha Money sports@kykernel.com

No. 14 Kentucky womens basketball took down No. 11 Florida 72-57 in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Wildcats ended their regular season this past Sunday with an 83-63 loss to Tennessee to finish conference play 2-14 with a 10-18 overall record.

The loss to Tennessee marked Kentucky’s seventh consecutive loss while the team traveled to South Carolina in hopes of starting the SEC Tournament off on a better foot.

As the reigning SEC Tournament champions, the Cats may have taken the court in Greenville with the lowest seed this year, but did so with the confidence of having taken the 81-75 victory over the Gators back in January.

The Cats got to work right off the bat as Senior Robyn Benton notched Kentucky’s first bucket of the day, quickly followed by a 3-pointer by Blair Green.

However, leading-scorer Maddie Scherr walked back to the locker room early on after seeming to suffer from a fall on the court.

The Wildcats would then regroup to go on a 7-0 scoring run over the Gators to put them up by six points at the end of the

first quarter.

Sophomore Jada Walker ade her presence known after picking up two steals during the scoring run for the Cats and contributing to Florida’s two-minute scoring drought.

The second quarter saw quite an interesting turn of events in Greenville, as a scuffle breaking out on the court resulted in three Gators and four Wildcats getting ejected from the game.

Fortunately for the Cats, Benton was able to stay in the game with an intentional foul and Ajae

Petty with a technical foul. Continuing with the game, Scherr stepped back on the court with a couple minutes left in the second quarter to help put the Cats up 22-21 to finish the first half. Hoping for much less chaos in the second half, Kentucky started off the third quarter with a 6-0 scoring run led by Scherr while Walker took a hard fall at the 5:28 mark that sent her to the bench, but only for a few short minutes. Despite Kentucky’s offensive efforts, the Gators trailed close behind to keep the Cats on their toes.

The third quarter proved high-scoring for both sides as Kentucky put up 21 points, eight of which coming from Scherr, and the Gators staying right there with the Cats with 20 points.

Going into the fourth and final quarter, Kentucky led 43-41.

Giving the Cats confidence was a notched 3-pointer by Benton along with two free throws to put the Cats up by four points, but Florida could not be put down as the Gators consistently stayed within a one or two basket range of Kentucky.

With five minutes left to play, Kentucky went on to hold a six point lead over Florida with crucial field goals from Green and Benton. Now on an 8-0 scoring run, the Cats led the Gators by 12 points with just over a minute left to secure the first round victory. With the win, Kentucky will advance to take on No. 6 Alabama on Thursday, March 2, in Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. The game is scheduled to start tentatively around 8:30 p.m. EST or 25 minutes after the conclusion of game 5 at 6 p.m. EST.

CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats guard Robyn Benton (1) shoots the ball during the Kentucky vs. Florida womens basketball game in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Kentucky mens tennis continues to prove itself as legitimate title contender

By Sara Gibson sports@kykernel.com

Kentucky mens tennis has been dominant in the 2023 season, remaining perfect through 12 matches before dropping its first to No. 3 TCU.

The team’s noteworthy performance on the court comes as little surprise to the collegiate tennis world after its Cinderella story arc to finish the 2022 season.

Going into 2022, ITA preseason polls had Kentucky ranked No. 12, facing a difficult schedule with nine ranked opponents ahead of it.

Kentucky certainly had its doubters before the season and, after a loss to Florida in the SEC championship game, a deep run in the NCAA tournament seemed possible but unlikely.

After five long matches against the best teams college tennis had to offer, including the No. 1 seed in the tournament, TCU, Kentucky found itself playing for the National Championship against Virginia.

The storybook ending Kentucky dreamed of came to an abrupt end as it was swept in by the Cavaliers 4-0.

Despite the speed bump, the Wildcats wasted no time making a name for themselves this season, beating four top 25 opponents in their first 13 matches.

Kentucky has established itself as a powerhouse in college tennis for the 2023 season and, for a variety of reasons, the Cats are in a better place to win a na-

tional championship than they were one year ago.

Kentucky’s transfers have adjusted to the team well and stepped up big early on. Alafia Ayeni, a fifth-year senior transfer from Cornell, plays with pure strength and is currently the No. 31 singles player in the nation.

So far this season, Ayeni is 7-5 in doubles matches and 8-5 in singles with a key win over Duke’s Garrett Johns, who was No. 6 at the time.

Senior Taha Baadi from Wake Forest has also made an immediate impact for the Cats as he has yet to drop a singles match, going 9-0 thus far.

After clinching the win for the Wildcats over No. 1 Virgina, Baadi was named SEC player of the week.

“The new guys coming in you know they’ve really quickly established themselves as a part of the family this year,” junior JJ Mercer said to BBN tonight on Feb. 10.

Freshman Charlelie Cosnet has transitioned well and gone 6-2 in singles matches this spring and named SEC freshman of the week after going 2-1 in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, securing Kentucky’s win over Florida.

Fellow freshman Jaden Weekes has also had a hot start to his Kentucky career, going 5-2 in singles matches and sparking the Wildcats’ comeback against in-state rival No. 23 Louisville after defeating Sergio Hernandez in straight sets.

For the Wildcats that were present for last season’s run, maintaining a high level of play has not been a problem either.

The 2021 National Player of the Year, No. 27 Liam Draxl, consistently plays on the top court for Kentucky, taking on some of the nation’s top competitors.

Draxl has delivered on the biggest stages, going 9-2 in singles play and 7-4 in doubles. Despite the team’s loss to TCU in the semifinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, Draxl took down No. 13 Jake Fearnley.

The highest ranked singles player on the team, No. 23 Joshua Lapadat, has gone 9-2 in singles play so far this season, also going 7-1 with doubles partner Mercer.

The Lapadat-Mercer duo is currently ranked the No. 43 doubles pair in the country.

The increase in doubles success is a major step forward from last year’s team after the Wildcats lost the doubles point in four straight matches in the NCAA tournament.

Starting each match in a 1-0 hole put the Cats at a major disadvantage entering singles play throughout the tournament.

The chemistry of this year’s team is unmatched with the Cats being one of the loudest teams in college tennis.

“When you love the coaching staff and you love your brothers, you love the school. It just makes it a lot easier to

leave it all out there,” Draxl said after the team beat Duke to improve to 10-0.

The Kentucky sidelines are electric during matches with chants led by Draxl, echoing through the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center.

During the clinching match point at home against Duke, Baadi said the team’s support helped him secure the win.

“I was very grateful for the support of my teammates,” Baadi said after the match. “It made it so much easier.”

The final piece to the puzzle is the coaching by Kentucky native Cedric Kauffmann. The 2023 season is his eleventh as head coach, having taken the team to eight NCAA tournaments.

As a former professional player himself, Kauffmann

understands each player is different and works to implement strategies to highlight individual strengths.

Vital to the team’s success, assistant coach Matthew Gordon, former ITA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, brought in a top 10 recruiting class in 2019, which included Liam Draxl.

Going on a 12-0 run to start the spring season, everything appears to be clicking for Kentucky mens tennis.

After the loss to TCU, Kentucky fell to No. 5 in the team rankings and will face three more teams currently ranked inside the top 25 during the regular season.

Kentucky mens tennis returns to action on Thursday, March 2, as it takes on the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks.

BRADY SAYLOR | STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats fifth year Alafia Ayeni hits the ball during the Kentucky vs. Duke mens tennis match on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center in Lexington, Kentucky.