Kentucky Kernel: December 1, 2022

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Most days, the first items listed on UK’s daily Event Calendar website are early morning workouts at Alumni Gym and the Johnson Center. These workouts are varied, with the fitness centers offering sunrise yoga, cycling and weights train ing – all before 8 a.m.

‘And that’s the sound’ … of UK students not paying full price for Lizzo tickets

By Laurel Swanz news@kykernel.com

UK’s Student Activities Board (SAB) announced a col laboration with Rupp Arena to provide students with dis counted “Lizzo: The Special 2our” tickets for next spring on Nov. 14.

The concert will be Satur day, April 22, 2023, at 8 p.m.

SAB provided students with the opportunity to get tickets for $30 with a $4 processing fee, according to an SAB Ins tagram post, available only to those with a valid LinkBlue ID.

The tickets are for seats lo cated in the lower bowl of the arena, according to Maddie Gatewood, vice president of promotions for SAB. Tickets in this section are selling to the general public for anywhere from $195 to $423, according to ticketmaster.com.

Ticket vouchers went on sale Thursday, Nov. 17, at noon via the UK box office website, the post said. Vouchers were limited to one per student.

Students could purchase ticket vouchers via the link in SAB’s Instagram bio. Students were instructed to sign in using their LinkBlue credentials.

Physical tickets will be distributed to those who pur chased a voucher the week of the concert.

According to UK’s tick

et website, there was a limit ed number of ticket vouchers available. These vouchers sold out within the first half-hour of sales. According to a story post, those who weren’t able to obtain vouchers have been placed on a waiting list.

Tickets vouchers are

non-transferrable, according to the website.

Gatewood said SAB has put on other concerts for students in the past. This included a virtual Jason Derulo concert in spring 2021, according to SAB’s website.

“Although this is not the

first concert we have done as an organization, we hope to continue partnerships like this in the future if it is what stu dents want to see!” Gatewood said in an email.

SAB anticipated they would sell out quickly, Gatewood said.

SAB’s concert series is meant

to offer UK students the chance to do something they otherwise might not be able to do.

“Our goal was to give stu dents the opportunity to see an artist that they may not have been able to see otherwise during their time here at UK!” Gatewood said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AB+DM. UK’s Student Activities Board will offer student discounted tickets to Lizzo’s upcoming tour, coming to Rupp Arena in 2023.

Humans of UK:

Winter graduate Hollie Clifton looks ahead to life after college

By Olivia Walton features@kykernel.com

This is Humans of UK, in spired by the Humans of New York Instagram series by pho tographer and autho Bran don Stanton. This series dives into the individuals of UK as well as their stories, strifes and passions.

For many seniors, De cember symbolizes the be ginning of the final leg of their time at the University of Kentucky, but for some, the month marks the end of their undergraduate journey.

Senior neuroscience major Hollie Clifton is one of the stu dents who will walk across the stage and receive a diploma at the December commencement ceremony at Rupp Arena.

“I’m so excited because I feel like I’ve just given 110 percent every single semester. There is not any easy semester of the pre-med curriculum, and every semester has brought a new challenge,” Clifton said. “I’m viewing it as more of a reward instead of thinking, ‘This is sad.’”

After graduation, Clifton will spend a semester commut ing between her apartment in Lexington and her hometown of Corbin, Kentucky, where she works as an emergency

room technician. She will start at the UK College of Medicine in July.

During her time as an un dergraduate, Clifton has been a part of the UK Dance En semble for three years, and she just finished up her time on the Family Relations Committee for DanceBlue. She is a mem ber of Alpha Phi sorority, Phi Delta Epsilon fraternity and Neurocats as well.

She credits her time in Phi Delta Epsilon as a point of encouragement while on the pre-med track.

“I joined Phi Delta Epsilon sophomore year and it has been one of the most rewarding ex periences. The community of PhiDE — everyone is super ambitious and super invested in medicine,” she said.

After the next four years of medical school and three years

of pediatric residency, Clifton plans on practicing in a rural community in her home state.

“I really want to be able to serve Kentucky later on as a doctor,” she said. “I’ll be curi ous to see where I end up and what I end up doing.”

Staying in Kentucky is very important to Clifton, and it is a decision she made even af ter traveling to 20 countries and volunteering abroad in Ecuador twice through the Shoulders to Shoulders Glob al Brigades program. These opportunities, she said, have given her a new perspective on medicine and education.

“It was interesting to see the difference between rural Kentcuky and rural Ecuador. It’s honestly similar; they have the need there for the same reasons. They’re experiencing the same problems— lack of resources, lack of education,” she said. “It’s crazy that you can go that many miles away and see the same problems as your hometown.”

Just because Clifton plans on pursuing her career in Kentucky does not mean she expects her desire to travel to dwindle.

“Even though I do want to stay in rural Kentucky and be a pediatrician, I think I’ll al ways want to do those abroad service trips,” Clifton said.

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JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis (7) walks on the field after the No. 22 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Mississippi State football game on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

MARIA RAUH | STAFF

Hollie Clifton, a medical school winter graduate, poses for a por trait on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK Alumni Association hosts 16th annual Multicultural Student Thanksgiving Dinner

By Nate Lucas news@kykernel.com

The UK Alumni Association hosted its 16th annual Multicultur al Student Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 22, in the Gatton Student Cen ter Grand Ballroom.

The Alumni Association empha sized spreading the Thanksgiving experience to multicultural students, but all UK students and their fami lies were welcome to the free meal and event.

Jill Smith, executive director of the UK Alumni Association, attend ed the festivities.

“We realize that not all of our students on campus understand the Thanksgiving tradition, so we try to use this as an opportunity to teach them a lot of history and also let them taste some of the Thanksgiv ing food that many of us enjoy every single year,” Smith said.

The food catered consisted of traditional Thanksgiving foods such as turkey and stuffing, along with options for vegetarians and those with dietary restrictions.

The event included trivia and interactive games throughout the evening along with performances from various musicians. The games were meant to bolster knowledge about Thanksgiving and educate those who might be unfamiliar with the holiday.

Sue Roberts, the associate pro vost for internationalization, runs the UK International Center and helped to advocate the event to in ternational students.

The International Center helps

students get their immigration docu ments and visas, as well as host ori entations for international students on how to settle and succeed at UK.

“I think students understand the meaning of (Thanksgiving),” Roberts said. “And I think while they might not know everything about American Thanksgiving, the turkeys or the traditions, I think they’re really excited to

have a window into American culture like this.”

Roberts said she thinks in ternational students are eager to make friends when they come to a new campus. For her, hav ing events like this is a perfect relaxed way to meet new peo ple and enjoy a meal in a setting where grades and tests are absent.

Karolina Kopyonkina, a se

nior neuroscience major at UK, is in her second year on the Inter national Center leadership team. The team acts as a peer mentor group to international students and also hosts community events

Kopyonkina is originally from Ukraine, but was able to celebrate with her mother’s side of the fam ily who live just 20 minutes away in Versailles. For her, Thanks

giving is a time for family and being grateful.

For international students at UK, it is a harder holiday season and sentiments of missing family are definitely there.

“But I think we try to make a community where everybody feels welcome and we become like a family. So I feel like that really helps,” Kopyonkina said.

BRYCE TOWLE | STAFF

Guests make plates of food at the UK Alumni Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the Gatton Student Center Ballroom in Lexing ton, Kentucky.

Big Blue Nation’s International Day celebrates cultural diversity at UK

By Laurel Swanz news@kykernel.com

UK’s Student Activities Board (SAB) and International Center collaborated to host International Day at UK, an event dedicated to embracing the diversity of UK’s international student population, on Monday, Nov. 21.

Home to over 2,000 interna tional students, UK offered the chance to bring unique cultures to life in Gatton Student Center Ball rooms B and C.

International Day at UK con sisted of speeches and musical performances from international students, free snacks from around the world, informational booths of various campus communities, cul tural attire, a flag ceremony and arts and crafts.

“We know that there’s an inter national presence here, but I feel like it hasn’t been celebrated as much,” Princess Magor Agbozo, director of multicultural affairs for SAB and a junior from Ghana, said. “So we wanted to give inter national students that platform to express themselves through food, performance, your outfit – all these different factors.”

The event provided sushi, chips and salsa, nachos and more to attendees. Less than an hour into the event, which over 250 people attended, all the food was gone.

International Day at UK host ed many different organizations including the Iranian Student Organization, which had a booth

informing attendees of the pro tests for women’s rights occuring in Iran.

Students working the booth explained the history of sexism in Iran and encouraged attendees to sign a petition for women’s rights. They handed out flyers that read “Sanction oppressors, not the op pressed. Justice for the women of Iran.”

The Iranian Student Orga nization led a performance of “Baraye” by Shervin Hajipour, a protest song inspired by the death of Mahsa Amini and its aftermath. Students stood on stage holding the Iranian flag and singing while a presentation of Iranian struggles played behind them.

International Day at UK also

included performances by mem bers of the Cameroonian Student Organization and the Brazilian Student Organization.

Cameroonian senior computer engineering major Elnoel Akwa delivered a speech about his expe riences as an international student and his hope for peace and under standing across nations. He spoke in English, French, Cameroonian Pidgin English and Camfranglais to honor his home country.

“I was up there trying to give a message to everyone in positions of power that from the top to the bottom of the ladder, technically, we are all human,” Akwa said. “Things has to change in the sense that we have to treat one another in a way we expect to be treated.”

Akwa said International Day made him feel closer to Cameroon from 6,000 miles away.

“Often, it’s easy to feel far away from home, and occasions like this are what unite us, bring us together and kind of give us moti vation to go forward,” Akwa said. “We are never that far away from home because home is within us and within our community.”

Ana Carolina, a freshman aero space engineering major from Bra zil, sang and played guitar for her country with a World Cup themed song. She said it was to root for Brazil and show its strength, as well as why they are there.

“It’s time to wake up and show the world that we’re not here to play,” Carolina said. “We are here

to show our talent.”

Carolina saw International Day as a chance to share Brazilian cul ture with her peers.

“This event means to me an opportunity to show that I also come from a rich culture, and that I also have a background,” Caroli na said. “This is just a new journey but I have much more before it, so it’s a chance to show the world the good things that my country and me has to offer.”

International Day at UK wel comed students that are not of international descent as well, pro viding them the opportunity to expand their horizons and explore other cultures. They tasted new foods and tried crafts like sand art and henna.

“That’s what this event means to me, to my community espe cially as an international student, as well as coming together to just celebrate alongside the locals,” Agbozo said. “They can also come and see what international representation we have and kind of celebrate with us.”

Agbozo said that over 90 coun tries were represented by Interna tional Day at UK.

Tofunmi Oyetan, a senior com puter engineering major from Ni geria, dressed in Nigerian attire from head-to-toe and said she ap preciated the representation.

“I feel seen, heard, represented … and it just provides that warm community,” Oyetan said. “See ing diversity, everyone in their native attires, it just brought me closer to home basically.”

BRADY SAYLOR | STAFF

Students walk and wave flags during International Day on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK under legal pressure for planned removal of Memorial Hall mural

JOEL REPOLEY | STAFF FILE PHOTO

Ann O’Hanlon’s 1934 mural located in UK’s Memorial Hall has been the subject of controversy for several years, due to its depictions of people of color. On Nov. 22, president Eli Capilouto announced that it would be removed and relocated.

By Alexis Baker news@kykernel.com

After years of controversy surrounding a mural in Memorial Hall, UK president

Capilouto announced the university’s plan to remove and relocate it on Nov. 22.

The mural illustrates segregation of races by showing people of color hunched over working on farmland. Both African

American and Native American individu als are represented in the mural.

According to Harriet Fowler, a contrib uting author for The Kentucky Review, Ann O’Hanlon completed in 1934 for the

Public Works of Art Project. The Civil Works Administration funded the Pub lic Works of Art Project, which provided job opportunities for artists to embellish non-federal structures and parks.

Student protests of this mural date back years. In 2019, the Black Student Advisory Council partnered with the Ba sic Needs Campaign to conduct a sit-in at the Main Building on campus and de manded that the mural be taken down.

After the case of assault of a UK stu dent in November, Capilouto said in a campus-wide email he is committed to making changes on campus to pro mote diversity, equity and inclusion. The removal of the mural is included in these changes.

However, moving the mural is a legal ly complex process.

“We don’t have a specific timeline for removal and relocation as we are in court-ordered mediation with Wendell Berry about that process,” UK spokes person Jay Blanton told the Kernel in an email. “But we are committed to doing so.”

Berry is a University of Kentucky alumnus and author who has deep-rooted agrarian values, according to the Berry Center website. According to The New York Times, Berry’s lawsuit argues that the mural is a federal project belonging to the people of Kentucky – therefore re stricting Capilouto from removing it.

“Mr. Berry said that they are also try ing to prevent the potential removal of an other work, one by a Black artist, Karyn Olivier, that was commissioned by the university and installed in the same cam pus building in 2018 in response to the mural,” The New York Times said.

Olivier’s work is in the vestibule of Memorial Hall and is called, “Witness.” Her work took the figures from O’Han lon’s mural and put them on the goldleafed ceiling.

According to Whitney Hale, a con tributor for UK Libraries, Olivier said, “I hope one reading of my use of gold leaf is to elevate the oppressed represent ed – those who were deemed lowly – to the divine.”

Olivier said her work is reliant on the 1934 mural and removing it would censor

hers in the article.

Blanton told the Kernel the plan to move the mural has been in motion since June when the Board of Trustees approved multiple construction projects.

Members of the student body are confident that this is a step in the right direction to increase diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Now that they (UK) are taking the initiative to listen to student responses and take it down, I think it provides some closure,” Tyler Johnson, a senior comput er science major, said.

With the imminent removal of the mu ral, students voiced opinions about how to replace it.

“Representing history, making sure people still know what happened is very important, so maybe using a mural that is uplifting people of color in those commu nities is a better approach than having that kind of mural,” Brooke Hall, a freshman agricultural and medical biotechnology major, said. “Something that shows the positive side of colored communities and their history.”

While there is an overarching consensus among UK and the surrounding communi ty that the removal is a positive change for the campus, there is still lingering criticism about how the university is responding to the act of racial violence as a whole.

“The law requires that the employer or the organization takes immediate and appropriate action … looking at UK’s re sponse to this issue it looks like they’re on the right track,” Raymond Sexton, the ex ecutive director for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commis sion, said. “Obviously there is still a lot of distrust with the student body.”

Blanton told the Kernel that going for ward the university will be forming a com mittee to recommend what will best fit into the new space.

“We will work to tailor an initiative to meet the needs of our campus and our goals as a diverse and inclusive communi ty,” Blanton said.

JOEL REPOLEY | STAFF FILE PHOTO

Although the university does not have a finalized plan for removing the mural, spokesper son Jay Blanton said UK is “committed” to the project.

ARDEN BARNES | STAFF FILE PHOTO

Controversial depictions of Black individuals have led to members of the campus com munity calling for the mural’s removal.

State of the First Amendment Address:

What social media can learn from gamers

By Morgan Loy news@kykernel.com

The annual State of the First Amendment Address took place via Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 17, in celebration of First Amend ment rights, hosted and spon sored by the UK Scripps Howard First Amendment Center.

The event began with Eri ka Engstrom, director of UK’s School of Journalism and Me dia (JAM), presenting the James Madison Award to Scoobie Ryan, an associate professor and associate director of JAM. This award honors those who champi on First Amendment rights.

“Professor Ryan has taught courses in media law and broad cast journalism, and has devel oped numerous courses that un derscore the application of First Amendment principles,” Eng strom said.

Ryan accepted her award and told stories of how she encour aged First Amendment rights inside her classrooms and in her own home.

She said she passed out pocket-size copies of the Bill of Rights to her college students and in high schools. Ryan re peated how important she finds understanding the rights de scribed in the First Amendment to be.

“When someone tells you, ‘you can’t listen to that record,’ ‘you can’t go to that protest,’ ‘you can’t wear that Black Lives

Matter t-shirt,’ yes you can,” she said. “The First Amendment says you can.”

In light of the College of Communication and Informa tion’s School of Journalism and Media offering a new minor in video game design and devel opment, media law professor at the University of Kansas Genelle Belmas delivered the State of the First Amendment Address.

Belams used her lifelong ex perience in gaming to explain the current state of the First Amendment in the age of so cial media with an address titled ‘Wizards, Sentinels, and Mods: What Gamers Can Teach Social Media About Free Speech.’

Belmas explained early cases of online gamers taking advan tage of the few rules surrounding online interactions. She said that gamers engaging in unaccept able behavior led online commu nities to begin creating models of self-governance.

Online communities decided they would begin deciphering what types of speech and actions they would tolerate within their platforms, Belmas said. These communities created roles for players, titled sentinels, that would empower those selected to patrol and enforce the codes of conduct.

Sentinels are meant to create better gaming environments. Belmas said gaming communi ties attempted to balance pro tecting their players from harm

PROVIDED PHOTO

and free speech rights.

She explained her interest in learning if social media could regulate itself similarly to how gaming communities had.

Citing Section 230 of the United States Communications Decency Act, she described how the law protects social media companies from being sued by individuals offended or harmed by content posted by other users on a site. Section 230 designates social media companies as “dis tributors” and not “publishers” of information.

Belma said courts have broadly interpreted this law and protected social media compa nies. She said Section 230 is cur rently under attack by those who believe it has become too wide spread in its protections.

“Social media has gotten to be so big that people consider it to be essential to their ongo ing lives,” she said. “Social me dia permits there to be move ments, permits things to happen that matter.”

Belmas said these social media websites are private com

panies not bound by the First Amendment, but the Supreme Court has discussed how the government could regulate so cial media in the future.

She said she believed there will eventually be a system for social media websites to balance the right of free speech while still defending its users against harmful content.

“There will be something that manages this, I don’t know what it is, but I would like to believe that gaming could help,” she said.

Belmas gave examples of recent online communities that have managed themselves and the content posted within them. She used Wikipedia as an example, ac knowledging that even if it is un reliable, it is an example of collab orative moderators who attempt to ensure the validity of their site.

Belma mentioned Mastodon, an online site recently being dis cussed as an alternative to Twitter, as an example of a decentralized social media site.

She said that this type of self-regulation is helpful when attempting to make a virtu al location more engaging and inclusive while securing First Amendment rights.

“That idea of a bottom up management style increases en gagement and buy-in from the community as a shared responsi bility between the platform and its users,” she said. “Make it an environment that’s supportive, helpful, useful and non-hateful.”

Genelle Belmas, media law professor at the University of Kansas, delivered the State of the First Amendment Address on Thursday, Nov. 17, on Zoom.

At Alumni Gym, students are up and moving before the sun

By Emily Girard features@kykernel.com

Most days, the first items listed on UK’s daily Event Cal endar website are early morning workouts at Alumni Gym and the Johnson Center. These workouts are varied, with the fitness cen ters offering sunrise yoga, cy cling and weights training – all before 8 a.m.

But is anyone willing to start an already busy school or work day with a fitness class that takes place before sunrise? A twohour survey of Alumni Gym on Monday, Nov. 28, showed that though the schedules are not al ways accurate, many students are willing to start their days with early exercise.

Wildcat Weights was the first event listed on the UK calendar on Nov. 28. Though the website said it takes place in Alumni Gym Group Fitness B at 6:30 a.m., it was not listed on the printed group fitness schedules posted around the gym.

When 6:30 a.m. arrived, Group Fitness B had no occu pants. The exception was Kait lyn Hornsby, a marketing assis tant for UK Athletics who used the empty group fitness room to work out.

Hornsby said the electronic schedule outside the room always says the weights class takes place there, despite the room always being empty.

“I don’t really know what that

is. It says Wildcat Weights, but I don’t think there’s ever a class in here during that,” she said.

Hornsby’s early workouts can be attributed to the fact that her workday begins at 8:30 or 9 a.m.

“(I work out early) just to get it done, so that I can do more during the day,” she said.

Besides occasional students and staff, the main group at Alumni Gym at 6:30 a.m. was the UK Army ROTC. The ROTC has physical training, or PT, on Mon days, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6-7:20 a.m.

“We do first probation, which is like accountability (and) atten dance, and then we also have a final probation, which is for any outstanding announcements that we have,” senior computer sci ence major Kenny Starks said. “My company always meets at Buell Armory for the morning and then (goes) to Alumni.”

Starks said that the ROTC does “release PT” on Mondays; in other words, after attendance is taken, members are free to go to Alumni and focus on whatever strength or skill they choose.

Starks also shared a similar sentiment to Hornsby, in that ear ly workouts allow her to get her physical training out of the way for the day.

“It kind of blocks off time throughout the week where you can work out,” she said. “I proba bly wouldn’t work out as much if I didn’t have ROTC.”

Conversely, Alumni Gym’s

MARIA RAUH | STAFF

7:30 a.m. cycling class did have attendees. Reece Wilson, a junior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in pharmacology, led the class.

Wilson said her teaching style is “a little bit of everything,” and she tries to combine speed, resis tance and different muscle exer cises into the allotted 30-minute workout time.

“It’s super quick,” she said. “Everybody comes in, they get the work done in half an hour and they’re out of here. I think people like having it in the morning.”

Wilson said anywhere from two to 14 people attend her class es. The Johnson Center also has early cycling classes, which Wil son said get larger turnouts de spite being an hour earlier.

“The morning classes are usu ally a little bit smaller, especially with this (Alumni Gym) being on the north side of campus,” she said. “The (Johnson Center) is usually a little bit busier … All the freshmen are over there since all the dorms are over there.”

Wilson said more people come to her class on Wednesdays than

Mondays. However, there are some exceptions, such as fresh man integrated strategic commu nication major Amelia Terry.

Terry’s class schedule conflicts with the 7:30 a.m. cycling class on every day except Monday.

“Mondays, I don’t have a class until 1, so my morning is pretty available,” she said. “(Cy cling) helps me be productive for the rest of the day, because if I didn’t get up for this class, I probably wouldn’t get up until 10 or 11. It just helps me get up and start my day.”

Students attend a morning cycling class at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at Alumni Gym in Lexing ton, Kentucky.

The 2023 Grammy’s new spoken word category brings visibility, but is it enough?

By Karrington Garland opinions@kykernel.com

As an avid lover of spoken word and poetry, I am excit ed for but critical of the 2023 Grammy nominations for the Spoken word category for this upcoming awards show. Offi cially titled “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album,” this new cate gory exclusively for poetry is packed full of Black pain, love and the retelling of narrative trauma Black men face.

The albums up for nom ination are “Black Men Are Precious” by Ethelbert Miller, “You Will Be Someone’s An cestor. Act Accordingly.” by Amir Sulaiman, “Hiding in Plain View” by Malcom-Jamal Warner, “The Poet Who Sat By the Door” by J. Ivy and “Call Us What We Carry: Poems” by Amanda Gorman.

Largely dominated by Black men, this category is almost an ode to a universally succinct need among the Black community to reclaim the ste reotypical archetypes perpet uated throughout the years. Many entries deal with absen tee fathers, drug addiction and the overall violent and danger ous persona imposed on Black men from their inception.

Ethelbert Miller’s album “Black Men Are Precious” takes us back in time to a jazzy rendition of his childhood and his interactions with his father and the other Black men in his life with the poems “Black Men

Are Precious,” “Jazz and Sex Education” and “Ken Griffey Sr.,” which contrasts with poems “Crossing the Line,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Divine Love,” in the album. These last three poems call into question the role of Black women in his life and the unfair circumstanc es many of them go through at the hands of their male counter parts and the longing and admi ration he feels for their strength and endurance.

Many of the poems in the album sound from another de cade, a 70s feel reminiscent of the Black diaspora and fight for freedom. Yet, the subtle and soft way in which Miller regards his Black counterparts is contrary to the belief some bear when thinking about how Black men communicate with their loved ones. I enjoyed the quietness of his voice and it greatly contrasted from “Hid ing in Plain View” by Mal com-Jamal Warner.

“Hiding in Plain View” by Malcom-Jamal Warner felt like a tribute to Gil Scott Heron and the legacy of his album “Pieces of Man.” The use of archival audio used in context with his poems sets up an unapologetic narrative of redefining his life as a Black man and the way he takes hold of the negative ste reotypes settled onto him and gives them a new meaning. The second poem on his album “Dope” does this perfectly. He compares himself to the drug in a way to remix the power of not

ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE HALL

becoming susceptible to it. Throughout the album, Warner details blunt slam po ems about vulnerability, selflove, violence and the act of running back in time to save all his Black heroes. And much like Miller’s album, it sounds reminiscent of another decade, trapped in the need to honor past traumas collectively felt in the Black community.

“You Will Be Someone’s Ancestor. Act Accordingly.” by Amir Sulaiman, is a more modern approach to the spoken word poetry album. More of an insight into his own poetry and the cadence of his opinions on the prison system set on the backdrop of biblical allusions paints a ceremonial and gos pel-like approach to poetry. While listening I felt his need

to call into question and re flection of a higher power and the belief in his relationship with Allah.

His earnest questioning causes the listener to reflect on their own beliefs and reveals to us he too struggles with his faith. I think out of all the nom inations in this category, Su laiman’s is my favorite.

With only six poems, it is concise and calls into action the duty Black men and wom en face to honor their ancestors and make them proud. Wheth er through prayer or action in life he urges his listeners to hold their heritage close and to not fear destiny when they are cheering from the sidelines.

In J. Ivy’s album, “The Poet Who Sat By the Door,” all of the poems were set in more of

a musical sense then the oth er poets in this category. The musicality of it was nice and flowed well. It is an album that urges poets to really cement the goal of their art and the job he believes they hold to heal but also spark insight and change in others – especially among those in the Black communi ty, where poetry has routinely operated as a tool for healing and retribution.

The only woman nominat ed in this category is Amanda Gorman, former inauguration poet for Joe Biden’s presiden tial swearing in. Gorman’s po etry book, “Call Us What We Carry: Poems,” is brought to life in the audio version. Sans music, the album forces you to hear the poet with no interrup tions or distractions.

Gorman’s cadence as she reads is soothing, her inflec tions throughout leave the reader with lasting thoughts of the points she is making.

Her poems are more of a universal experience we all feel in the wake of shootings, COVID-19 and the perils of the last three years.

Not solely focused on the Black experience, her album calls us all into a collective conscious of understanding. I think because this album is so different from the tracks of Miller, Warner, Sulaiman and Ivy, critics will face the challenge of discounting it at the get go due to the lack of musicality and creativi ty it holds in comparison to its competitors.

Or critics will see the power in her poetry and honor poetry without the flash of jazz, or drums, or steely tracks reminis cent of the 70s. And although, “You Will Be Someone’s An cestor. Act Accordingly.” by Amir Sulaiman, is my favorite nomination in the category, I of course hope that Gorman, as the only female, brings home a Grammy win this upcoming year.

The lack of female diversi ty in the category is unfortu nate – I do not know if there is a lack of spoken word al bums by Black females or by other non-minority poets, who did not enter their work into this new category. And although spoken word is ad opted into an integral part of the Black community in ref erence to healing, I hope in the future we will see more women and non-minorities in this category.

The suffocation of a chaotic kitchen: ‘The Bear’ series on FX

By Quézia Arruda Cunha opinions@kykernel.com

Injured people in the same room. Yelling and fire. Tension and fear of the unknown. The new series released on FX, “The Bear,” exhibits for me one of the most faithful representations of grieving.

The plot is based on the life of Carmen – a young, talented chef who spent most of his life in the world of haute cuisine. His world, once clean and calculated –each seasoning in its proper amount and meticulously well-chosen dishes, every thing transparent.

However, this apparent ly balanced life starts to plunge into complete cha os after the death of his brother Michael, who until then managed a tiny diner in Chicago. The eight-ep isode series, directed by the brilliant mind of Chris topher Storer, illustrates for the viewer a scenario of suffocation.

After Michael’s death, the scenes are limited to the tiny diner kitchen where Carmen starts to work.

To represent the griev ing mind, the scene changes from clean to dirty. From meticulously calculated, to complete chaos. All the cooks at that diner grieve the loss of Michael. Every

one is suffocated by their own pain, and the tightness and discomfort that the kitchen represents is anoth er sign of this agony.

This series is for those who want to board a sinking ship. On a boat where all passengers no longer look at the sea with affection, but with fear and terror. A boat adrift – this is perhaps the best description of the soul and mind of all those in mourning.

Mourning: that word came into my head from the beginning to the end of “The Bear.” The series made me understand that being in mourning is not limited

to the moment we lose a loved one. Grief manifests itself in the banalest type of daily change.

The simple insertion of a new figure (Chef Carmen) within the dynamic and irregular kitchen of the din er is a symbol of mourning. They mourn because all the old systematization of the kitchen has been annihilated, forgotten and removed.

This artistic produc tion doesn’t depend on well-structured dialogue to bring the series to life. With the disorderly and chaotic performance of the camera movements, it is possible

to interpret a moment of extreme tension, as well as the panic attacks of the boss and everyone around him, without expressing a single word.

If you’re going through a time of conflict or anxiety, take a deep breath before watching. Know that the world you are about to face is a world of extreme vul nerability among those after successive moments of loss and changes in reality.

While “The Bear” can be a great trigger for those experiencing anxiety, it can also serve as an excellent human identification when it comes to the constant fi nancial pressures of the nat urally wild and competitive world we live in.

The series shows the gray scenario the chef goes through when he notices that debts only increase and there is no immediate solu tion to this problem. In the seventh episode, Carmen freaks out. He gets out of control. Everything seems to be in an ugly, disorder ly dance. That tiny kitchen seems to squeeze him out because of the vivid pres sure around him.

Mourning. Pressure. Screams. Those are the words that run through my mind when I try to de scribe one of the most hu manistic series of this year, “The Bear.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeremy Allen White in “The Bear” (2022).

Column: The 2022 season was disastrous hiccup for Kentucky football

By Cole Parke opinions@kykernel.com

Before the season even be gan I published a column ti tled: “This season may be do or die for Kentucky football.”

If that’s true, well, it died.

In that column I touched on a number of facts, includ ing that, for the first time in his tenure, Mark Stoops’s pro longed success at Kentucky was finally being recognized, with the Wildcats earning a preseason AP Poll ranking for the first time in 44 years.

The team finished the sea son without a record beside its name, and I would be stunned if the preseason AP voters throw anything Kentucky’s way next season.

While it’s understandable the team lost certain games this season and had some struggles, doing so in the first year where the team properly has a national spotlight on it from the start is not.

While revisionist histori ans may say things like, “It all went wrong after Ole Miss,” this is simply not the case. The signs were always there.

The Cats started the 2022 campaign with a lopsided win over Miami Ohio, but it’s im portant to remember that the win wasn’t met with enthusi asm, but disappointment.

Starting quarterback Will Levis said postgame that he’d “never been more disappoint ed in 300 yards.”

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Now former offensive co ordinator Rich Scangarello agreed with the sentiment, saying, “I think there were some good plays and some easy layups that I think he would’ve been able to make in his sleep, and for whatever reason (he didn’t).”

Also in that game, Miami Ohio’s starting quarterback Brett Gabbert was injured, which ultimately ended his season, and the RedHawks left Lexington to go on to fin ish the season 6-6.

All was forgotten in week two, though, as Kentucky marched into the treacherous swamp and defeated then No.

12 Florida in Gainesville for what some thought could be a season-defining win.

Well, it wasn’t.

The Gators finished 2022 6-6 as well, finishing 3-5 in the SEC with a loss to Van derbilt, but don’t worry, we’ll get to the Commodores.

The Wildcats then went on to defeat Northern Illinois, who entered the season after a MAC Championship-winning season, and FCS Youngstown State to make it to 4-0 and be come ranked No. 7 overall.

Northern Illinois finished 3-9 and Youngstown finished 7-4 in the FCS, though the Penguins did manage to sack

Levis four times during their matchup with Kentucky.

Then came the Ole Miss game. The matchup in which the Cats traveled to Ox ford, Mississippi, and shot themselves in the foot again and again, culminating in a self-inflicted cannonball shot that negated a game-winning touchdown and saw UK lose its first game of the season.

But it’s okay, Ole Miss was really good right? Better than most, but UK fans may find it nicer to ignore the three-game losing streak the Rebels end ed their season on.

Let’s also not forget that the Ole Miss matchup is what

led to Levis’s foot injury that even further hampered his rushing game and held him out of the next matchup against South Carolina.

Now how did that South Carolina matchup go? UK lost 24-14, marking the 45th consecutive season in which the Cats have lost back-toback games.

Kentucky managed to bounce back from the perfor mance with a win over then No. 16 Mississippi State, who ended its regular season ranked, before traveling to Knoxville to face Tennessee, where UK was absolutely throttled 44-6.

While this may have been easier to swallow when Ten nessee had the No. 1 beside its name, the Volunteers stood no chance against Georgia and, after losing Heisman contender Hendon Hooker to injury, lost to South Carolina by four touchdowns, ending any chance the Vols had at even making the playoffs.

Kentucky then recorded an ugly win in Columbia over Mizzou, which also finished 6-6, before coming home and losing to Vanderbilt.

Not even looking at the fact that the Commodores did go on to beat Florida, the win marked the first time in 26 consecutive chanc es that Vandy defeated any SEC team at all and the first time in 10 years that it beat Kentucky.

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Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver DeMarcus Harris (4) attempts to block a camera as offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello walks off the field after the No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Ole Miss football game on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. Scangarello has since been fired.

opinions

To make matters worse, UK had No. 1 Georgia next and, while the defense put up a fight, the Bulldogs were simply the better team and won 16-6.

The Cats finished their 2022 season with a win over Louisville which, while fun for fans, was essential ly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. The only difference it truly made was ensuring Kentucky finished 7-5 instead of 6-6.

Stoops was aware the sea son was unacceptable, firing both Scangarello and Co-Spe cial Teams Coordinator John Settle just days after the end of the season with the poten tial for more heads to roll in the coming days.

That said, I fear the dam age has been done on the national scale.

Kentucky can earn its way back to getting ranked next season and maybe even gar nering a preseason ranking in a few years, but with Le vis off to the NFL Draft and program-leading rusher Chris Rodriguez Jr. following him, there’s no certainty as to what UK’s team will even look like next year.

All in all, Kentucky’s 2022 season was nothing short of a disaster after the hype the team entered the season with and, when it comes to rival fans or internet trolls, disas ters are not so easily forgot ten. This year is one that will stick with Kentucky for at least a few seasons to come – and that’s if it’s lucky, be cause the alternative is be ing ignored by the general public instead.

Column: Kentucky womens basketball is on the right track

By Samantha Money opinions@kykernel.com

Almost a month into regular season play, Ken tucky womens basketball is on a slow but steady track to becoming a top-level SEC team.

Before the Cats’ trip to the Bahamas, the team was hold ing a four-game win streak but knew its first matchup against a ranked opponent would be no easy battle.

Kentucky ultimately went 1-1 in the Bahamas, losing its first game 82-74 to No. 11 Virginia Tech and winning its second 70-44 over Dayton.

While the Virginia Tech game proved that the Cats are not quite ready for higher level matchups yet, there is still something to be seen in how the team played during that matchup.

The first quarter was weaker on Kentucky’s end. The Wildcats found diffi culty against the Hokies’ de fense and struggled to com municate offensively with each other.

Regardless of why it happened, it was far from the best start for the Cats thus far in the season and they were outscored 29-8 in the first 10 minutes.

That said, the bounce back that was to come was what was most notable for Kentucky.

From the second quarter

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through the rest of the game the Wildcats accumulated 51 points and shot 55.9% percent from the field, out scoring Virginia Tech 66-53 after Kentucky’s unfavor able first quarter.

The resilience the Cats demonstrated is no doubt a powerful tool that will prove beneficial if the team continues to work on its of fensive game.

In light of this, it’s worth mentioning that the dynam ics of this season’s team are much different compared to last season.

Rhyne Howard was the star of the team last year, leading the Cats in points, as sists, steals and rebounds.

Her leadership on and off the court was like the glue that held the team together and, with her absence after being drafted No. 1 overall into the WNBA, it would have been no shock to fans if Kentucky struggled this season to find their groove again, something that was apparent in Kentucky’s open ing matchup against Radford.

That said, with the right amount of new faces on the team, the Cats have proven their potential to triumph without having that one star player that dominates the court.

Instead, they have built a team full of leaders ear ly in the season with se

nior Robyn Benton leading in points average, Oregon transfer Maddie Scherr lead ing in rebounds and assists and sophomore Jada Walker racking up the most steals per game.

This year brings a much more well-rounded team and, while Kentucky has yet to re ceive a ranking this season, that should not take away from the incessant effort from these players.

With some better looks outside the paint and more Walker-level aggression on defense by the team, Ken tucky seemed primed to en ter conference play as a team that SEC opponents dare not take lightly.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Jada Walker (11) attempts to steal the ball during the Kentucky vs. Bellarmine womens basketball game on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at Memorial Collusium in Lexington, Kentucky.

sports Late wonder goal stuns Cats, ends Kentucky’s undefeated season

By Luke Fetzer sports@kykernel.com

Kentucky mens soc cer (15-1-5) was defeat ed by Pittsburgh (11-4-5) 2-1 on Sunday, ending the Cats’ unbeaten season and championship hopes in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The rain and the wind set the stage for a tightly contested showdown be tween the No. 1 overall seeded Kentucky Wildcats and the unseeded but hot Pittsburgh Panthers.

From the opening kickoff, the Cats looked off their game with errand passes, sloppy losses of possession and continuous pressure from the Panthers that all served to let Ken tucky know that the match wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Head Coach Johan Ced ergren was overall pleased with his team’s perfor mance, but wished his players had more fight going forward.

“We’ve got some real ly good chances, we just weren’t able to then deliv er that final pass, or may be take a touch and then shoot or we don’t have time to just take the first time shot instead,” Cedergren said. “I think it’s just one of those where it happens in games sometimes and

again. I would be even more disappointed if we didn’t play well or if we played 10 men, or if we didn’t play up to our potential, but I felt that we played really well.”

The first half left both teams scoreless, possibly because of the poor condi tions, but midfielder Clay Holstad thought otherwise.

“Once the rain came down it was just a slick night,” Holstad said. “I re ally think it wasn’t that bad. I think at first it was kind of dry and we had to get used to over the top balls skip ping through and overplay ing passes, but honestly, especially this time of year wasn’t too bad.”

In terms of shots, both teams had their chances with the Cats ending the first half with five shots and the Panthers with four. Despite this, the Cats failed to register as many shots on target, with many of their chances missing high and wide.

The start of the second half made up for the lack of action in the first as the Cats took the lead just five min utes after the restart courte sy of sophomore midfielder Casper Grening from an assist by assist leader Nick Gutmann, giving Grening his 11th goal of the season. The total saw Grening over take Eythor Bjorgolfsson as

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UK’s leading goalscorer.

Just two minutes later the Panthers surged forward and earned themselves a corner. With the ball hang ing in the air, UK goalkeep er Casper Mols came out to catch it, but the wet ball slipped out of his grasp and onto the feet of midfielder Valentin Noel, who slotted home the equalizer.

After the equalizer, it was a battle of wits and who could convert their chances but in the 78’ catastrophe struck both sides.

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Kentucky Wildcats midfielder Brennan Creek (19) processes the loss after the No. 1 Kentucky vs. Pitt soccer match in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky. UK lost 2-1.

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Kentucky Wildcats midfielder Casper Grening (10) runs the ball down the field during the No. 1 Kentucky vs. Pitt soccer match in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.

A loose ball made its way towards the middle of the pitch, with UK’s Martin So ereide looking like he would recover it first.

Charging forward to chal lenge was Pitt midfielder Hen rique Gallina who slid in, and caught Soereide with his studs up.

Getting to his feet after spending a couple minutes on the ground, Gallina was shown a straight red card, dropping the Panthers to ten men, but Kentucky and So ereide weren’t so lucky.

Writhing in pain, the med ical staff was told to bring the gurney to assist Soereide off the field and bring the Nor wegian to the hospital with his lower body covered on the way out.

To the relief of the crowd, Soereide clapped and gave the thumbs up as he was stretch ered away.

“He’s in the hospital right now and we won’t know any thing more until tomorrow morning,” Cedergren said. “It was a very brave tackle of Marty (Soereide) and he played great.”

Now up a man with ten minutes remaining, the Cats had the numerical advantage and threw men forward hop ing to capitalize on it. They even had a handful of chances with the clock winding down, but none were able to be con verted.

A foul in the 86’ saw the Panthers take a quick free kick over the top of the UK back line, leaving forward Josh Luchini ample time to find his teammate Bertin Jacquesson, who took on a 26-yard shot

that he buried into the side netting, leaving Kentucky stunned.

The goal left Holstad and his team disappointed, know ing that the curse of the Sweet 16 appeared to still be alive and active.

“We’re pressing forward and we’re dying chasing the game and we let up for five seconds and it goes in so it’s not exactly the ideal way to lose,” Holstad said.

The Cats had two great op portunities in the dying min utes but it was the Panthers who stood strong and saw the game out, advancing to the Elite Eight for a matchup against Portland.

“Lessons were learned and we got this far and hope that, you know, with a quality team like Kentucky is just anoth er lesson of what we have to do against Portland this next weekend,” Pittsburgh head coach Jay Vidovich said.

Despite the loss, Ceder gren believed that the season put Kentucky soccer in the upper echelons of collegiate soccer not just in the Blue grass, but in the nation.

“I feel like we’ve definite ly put the program on the map, and there’s lots of successful programs and sports here at the University of Kentucky, but mens soccer is definite ly one of them,” Cedergren said. “So we’re really thank ful for the big blue nation and we can’t wait to host them in August.”

With the loss Kentucky’s 2022 campaign officially came to an end, bowing out as the No. 1 overall seed and final remaining undefeated Division-1 team.

Wildcats hope to sink competition across the pond

By Ali Cetinok sports@kykernel.com

After a shaky game against Bellarmine on Wednesday that didn’t see John Calipari’s squad pull away until deep into the second half, Kentucky now looks ahead to London where it is set to take on Michigan.

The game across the pond marks the first of a three-game series between the two teams, with the Wildcats hosting Michigan in Rupp Arena next season and traveling to Ann Ar bor in the 2024-2025 season.

Michigan currently sits at 4-2 with a narrow 70-68 loss to No. 3 Virginia on Wednesday, proving that the Wolverines squad led by Juwan Howard is capable of giving the Cats all they can handle when the pair meets up in England.

The Wolverines currently average 76 points per game with an average margin of vic tory of six points, with Mich igan also currently shooting 45% from the field as well as 32% from beyond the arc.

Hunter Dickinson is the Wol verines’ current leading scorer, shooting 58% from the field, while Jett Howard has also prov en to be a threat, averaging 31 points a game as well as shooting 43% from beyond the arc.

Kobe Bufkin is a very capa ble scorer for the Wolverines, averaging 30.9 points per game.

The game in London is in tended to be a learning experi ence according to Calipari, but

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Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) reacts to a foul called against him during the Kentucky vs. Michigan State Champions Clas sic mens basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

after the Bellarmine game, UK’s head coach is adamant that there’s plenty of work still to be done.

“It will be a great experience for these kids, (a) really hard game. We better not play how we started this game,” Calipari said after the final whistle against Bellarmine. “They’re (Michigan) well coached and they’re a good team, so it will be a hard game.”

This game is part of Ken tucky’s plan to schedule high-level competition during the regular season, a trend that can be seen with teams such as Kansas, UCLA, Michigan State and Gonzaga on the 20222023 non-conference schedule.

It also serves as good practice for an eventual NCAA Tourna ment appearance.

“You’re trying to get match ups that we could have at home,” Calipari said. “Next year Gon zaga and Michigan are coming here. Juwan, I’ve known him for a long time, (I) really like him. I said, you know, if you want to do something (then we can), and then the Hall of Fame called us about playing in London for the Hall of Fame. I said, ‘maybe that will be the third game.’”

Kentucky and Michigan are set to tip off on Sunday, Dec. 4, with the game scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EST and air live on ABC.

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Kentucky volleyball officially begins hunt for second national title

By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com

Kentucky volleyball earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament during Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show, officially kicking off the hunt for UK’s second na tional title.

The Wildcats finished the 2022 campaign 20-7, tying with Florida for a share of the SEC Championship, marking the sixth consecutive confer ence title for UK.

Unfortunately for Ken tucky, the tiebreaker for the automatic bid to the Big Dance favored Florida, mean ing the Wildcats would have to get into the tournament with an at-large bid.

The team did just that the next day, earning the No. 3 seed in the bottom left corner of the bracket, first matching up with Loyola Chicago.

The Ramblers finished their 2022 campaign 258, claiming the Atlan tic-10’s auto-bid into the NCAA Tournament with a win over Dayton in the A10 Championship.

While the two did not face off this season, Loyola Chica go and Kentucky have a num ber of common opponents that include Dayton, Tennessee and Marquette.

The Wildcats faced Dayton in an exhibition on Aug. 20, winning 3-1 in Ohio, while the Ramblers faced the Flyers a total of three times, finishing with a 2-1 record.

Dayton won its first match up against Loyola Chica go 3-2 before dropping the second match 3-1, with the A10 Championship being the final meeting.

Both teams also faced Ten nessee, with Loyola Chicago losing 3-2 on Aug. 26, while the Wildcats beat the Vols 3-1 on Nov. 16.

Finally, both teams suffered defeats at the hands of Mar quette, with Kentucky losing its season opener 3-2 on Aug. 26 and Loyola Chicago losing 3-1 on Sep. 6.

If common opponents is all there is to go off of then the first round matchup may be closer than many expect, though the Wildcats will cer tainly be favored.

Kentucky boasts a talented roster that includes SEC Play er of the Year Emma Grome as well as three other All-SEC Team members in Azhani Tealer, Reagan Rutherford and Adanna Rollins.

Assuming Kentucky is suc cessful against the Ramblers, the Cats would advance to the round of 32, where their tour nament run was cut short last

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Kentucky players celebrate during the No. 10 Kentucky vs. Tennessee volleyball match on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

season, to face the winner of No. 6 Western Kentucky and Bowling Green.

A win in the quadrant would either see Kentucky travel to No. 2 San Diego in the Sweet 16 or host any of No. 7 Washington State, UNLV or Northern Colorado if the Toreross are upset.

Looking more broadly around the bracket, Kentucky faced off with a whopping 13 NCAA Tournament teams over the course of the regular season, amassing an overall record of 11-6 against tourna ment-level opponents.

Kentucky lost its season opener to Marquette as pre viously mentioned, with the Golden Eagles going on to earn a No. 4 seed, before sweeping the Bluejay Invi

tational against three NCAA Tournament teams.

With the Bluejay Invita tional being held in Omaha, Kentucky first swept Northern Iowa before beating the hosts, eventual No. 4 seeded Creigh ton, 3-1 and finished the job with a sweep against eventual No. 6 seeded USC.

Following that event, Ken tucky returned to Lexington, where it was swept by even tual No. 1 seeded Wisconsin and No. 2 seeded Nebraska.

In between those matches Kentucky also lost a 3-2 battle against another eventual No. 1 seed: Louisville.

Moving into SEC play, Kentucky split its series with LSU before it eventually trav eled to Fayetteville, where it recorded back-to-back wins

over eventual No. 6 Arkansas.

The Wildcats also record ed back-to-back sweeps over Auburn before also sweeping Georgia in Athens and defeat ing Tennessee.

The final tournament cal iber opponent the Wildcats faced was the other co-SEC champions, Florida, with both teams sweeping the other on consecutive nights in Gaines ville. The Gators, much like the Cats, went on to earn a No. 3 seed.

Whether or not Kentucky will return to the promised land as it did in early 2021 is yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain: when it comes to experience against NCAA Tournament teams, this sea son’s Kentucky squad ranks near the top.