Kentucky Kernel: March 1, 2021

kentuckykernel

Monday, March 1, 2021 est. 1892 | Independent since 1971 www.kykernel.com @kykernel @kentuckykernel

!"#$%&'#()*+,& ()+-&)*.)"*.)/(& (/012,/&/#"2,/3& (+$*#"&40(/*$2

MEDIA MADE OFFICIAL | 4 • SGA CANDIDATES | 6 • SPRING SPORTS LOOK | 14

2

Research Research addition addition

12

Show us the data

20

Women’s SEC tourney

instagram_Black.png

Monday, March 1, 2021

news

Ground-breaking kicks off next phase for research campus

By Brooklyn Kelley news@kykernel.com

A who’s who of Lexington leaders gathered on Tuesday, Feb. 23, to take the next step in one of the university’s less flashy ventures.

Mayor Linda Gorton, Lexington commerce chair Ray Daniels, University of Kentucky president Eli Capilouto and industry leaders met to break ground on “The Core”, a $15 million research building to be constructed on UK’s Coldstream Research Campus.

UK first acquired the Coldstream land in 1957. The new laboratory will be home, not only to UK’s new research lab, but spaces rented out by other entities. Kentucky Technology Inc. is expected to lease a large portion of the space. The company’s president George Ward also serves as executive director of the Coldstream campus, which totals 735 acres.

The new facility is estimated to be 40,000 square feet in total.

“UK research projects/companies will also be housed at The Core, and of course students are both involved in and critical to UK’s research efforts,” UK public relations officer Jenny Wells-Hosley told the Kernel via email.

The Core will be a wet lab, meaning that materials can be experimented with using water and direct ventilation with pipes made specifically for this usage.

Wet labs require more overhead costs but can draw in many contributors since there is a need for this type of facility in central Kentucky. This type of lab is especially useful in dealing with biological matter.

“Research done on behalf of the Association for University Research Parks has indicated that the #1 reason a company locates at a research campus is to have access to talent – university students, graduates and faculty. Our goal at Coldstream is to continue to grow well-paying jobs of meaning and purpose that will provide more UK graduates a career path without having to leave Lexington,” Ward told the Kernel over email.

Ward said that there will be at least 10,000 square feet of laboratory space included in “The Core.” Since there is not currently much lab space available for private companies, most of this space has already been leased.

There is currently less than 1,500 square feet of space still available for companies to lease.

More than 50 STEM-related businesses, employing more than 2,000 people, already reside

University of Kentucky and Lexington leaders take part in a ground-breaking ceremony for the Coldstream campus on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo from event livestream.

at the Coldstream property. UK only operates 9,000 square feet of the existing structures.

According to a university press release, the new facilities were made possible “through a public-private partnership with the Woodbury Corporation, along with support from city, state and local officials.”

The site has undergone zoning changes to enable apartments and townhomes to be built on site. Up to 15 percent of the land may go to residential spaces, following an Urban City Council decision

in 2018. That decision made Coldstream a P-2 zone – the only one of its kind in Lexington – and was designated a “university research campus” by the city. The zoning change allowed for more density, smaller lots and removed the requirement that buildings be set 50 feet back from the road.

In his speech at the ground-breaking, Capilouto thanked the city of Lexington for the zoning change and for “establishing a tax increment financing district” tax change that provides incentives to those looking to

develop at Coldstream. UK will also receive funds from a state product development initiative grant.

In the next year, ownership of 200 acres next to Coldstream will transfer from UK to the city of Lexington for business development.

The Core research building is scheduled to be finished by early 2022. This construction is the latest in $2.6 billion in capital projects undertaken by the university since Capilouto became president.

find us at kykernel.com 2 | kentucky kernel

Monday, March 1, 2021

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

kentuckykernel

CONTACT Editor-in-chief: Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com

VACCINE CLINIC SEEKING STUDENT VOLUNTEERS Calling all Cats: UK’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic is now offering volunteer shifts for university students to be a part of the “pivotal moment in this institution’s history.” A Feb. 22 email from vice president for student sucess Kirsten Turner introduced the volunteer sign-up form for all UK students, not just those in healthcare colleges.

Students may serve in one of four roles: dose runner, registration, transporter and wayfinder. Students volunteering in the registration position “should be comfortable with computers and have basic computing skills” and will be confirming appointment times and patient information in one of the first stations at the clinic. Transporters will help patients with limited mobility to and from their cars. Wayfinders will direct patients through the clinic stations. Dose runners will carry vaccine syringes to the immunizations stations.

According to Turner, four and six hour shifts are both available. Three hour shifts will be available soon. The clinic runs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Volunteers can sign up for multiple shifts.

“Volunteer slots are being added regularly, so please check back at the same link provided above for slots that fit your schedule,” Turner said.

Students who sign up for a volunteer slot should get a confirmation email. Volunteers should report to the doors between gates 10 and 11 of Kroger Field with their UK ID and face covering. Prior to their shift volunteers must read the clinic training handbook provided in the sign-up form.

UK’s COVID-19 clinic has distributed more than 60,000 doses to the UK community and Lexington residents. The university recently partnered with the city of Lexington to bring pop-up clinics to minority communities who have lower rates of vaccination.

NATALIE PARKS I STAFF Community members sit for observation following their COVID-19 vaccinations at a mobile clinic held through a partnership of UK and First Baptist Church Bracktown on Saturday, February 27, 2021.

COUNSELING CENTER NEW LOCATION

HAS

UK’s counseling center, which offers mental health resources to students, is now housed in 104 Mandrell Hall. The center was previously housed in Frazee Hall. The new location, Mandrell Hall, is at 635 S Limestone Street.

The counseling center offers many of its services virtually to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Students can find a list of resources at https://www.uky. edu/counselingcenter/. Individual appointments can be scheduled via telehealth. Students in immediate crisis should call the UKCC office at (859) 257-8701.

SGA CANDIDATES DEBATE PLANNED FOR THURSDAY Ahead of student government elections for next school year, UK students will be able to see candidates debate and answer questions this week during a livestreamed debate.

Two tickets are running for the presidential/vice presidential seats. Rising seniors Michael Hawse and Maya Elias are running on the slogan “A Plan for Real Talk and Real Change.” Parker Tussey and Brandon Brown are running under “Build a Better Normal.” See pages 6 and 7 of this edition for profiles on both tickets.

The candidates will debate each other on Thursday, March 4, in an event hosted

by SGA and the election commissioner.

The debate begins at 7 p.m. and will be held in Worsham Cinema.

Elections will take place the following week. Voting opens on Monday, March 8 at 9:00 a.m. Commissioner Gabe Savage said most voting will take place online through BBNvolved though a physical voting location will be available for students with conflicts to online voting. Voting continues on Tuesday, March 4 and election results will be announced via social media at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Managing editor: Michael Clubb editor@kykernel.com Asst. news editors: Haley Simpkins Sports editor: Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com Opinions editor: Sarah Michels opinions@kykernel.com Asst. Opinions editor: Gillian Stawiszynski Asst. Photo editor: Jack Weaver Designers: Ryder Noah From Social media manager: Sarah Simon-Patches KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES 340 McVey Hall University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506

ON COVER: A model poses during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo

by Michael Clubb | Staff

CORRECTION: In the Feb. 22 article ‘Old space, new purpose for Lexington market’, Kristofer Nonn was misspelled as Nunn.

The Kernel regrets the error.

spring 2021 | 3

Monday, March 1, 2021

news

Media branding partnership made official through 2024

By Sarah Michels news@kykernel.com

The University of Kentucky wants to send a message, but with thousands of UK employees working in dozens of divergent colleges, departments and areas, it can be difficult to form one united front.

Creating a common brand - a standardization of all the slightly distinct variations used by each area of UK - is one of Wrigley Media Group’s new jobs.

Wrigley Media has informally worked with UK since 2012, but the pair formalized their partnership this February. Their contract runs from now until 2024, during which time Wrigley Media will serve as UK’s primary video production partner throughout the entire university.

As the university’s appeal is growing across the country and internationally, having this common messaging theme is increasingly important.

David Bertram, Wrigley Media chief revenue officer, said that they are one example of how UK’s communication efforts have evolved.

“It wasn’t that long ago where, for example, that the College of Agriculture could be using a differ-ent brand guideline than the College of Nursing or College of Engineering,” Bertram said. “No one was doing anything wrong, it just was inconsistent, because they were left kind of to do it them-selves.”

Students may be familiar with some of Wrigley Media’s past work, including the “Imagine”

4 | kentucky kernel

video for UK Athletics, which was created to contribute to K Fund fundraising efforts. The video includes footage of student-athletes, coaches and significant donors, as well as renovated athletics facilities, using smooth, creative transitions to tie the piece together.

Current UK freshmen or transfer students might also have Wrigley Media to thank for their college choice. Their virtual tour series, launched in 2020 when in-person campus tours were not possible, gave thousands of prospective students a glimpse into UK’s campus life and academic culture.

Bertram said that while many higher education institutions designed virtual tours for recruitment, UK’s stands apart because of the way it was produced, using a more personalized approach and stu-dents with expertise in giving tours.

These are only two of Wrigley Media’s over 50 joint projects with UK under informal terms.

So, why make the partnership formal now?

Misdee Wrigley Miller, the CEO and owner of Wrigley Media, compared the company’s partnership with the University of Kentucky to that of a longterm relationship that progresses to marriage.

“Quite honestly, we’ve had such a great relationship over the years,” Miller said. “We’ve done a lot of work with UK.” It all comes down to consistency across campus, Bertram added. Having one overarching

The Wrigley Media Group logo.

partner takes away the complexity and effort of dealing with multiple layers of partners for each individual part of the university landscape.

However, this doesn’t mean that Wrigley Media is replacing the groups already on campus, including partners like JMI Sports, which holds the rights to much of UK’s media landscape, and SEC Net-work, which holds some television rights. These groups pay UK a fee in exchange for the commer-cial rights to sell advertising and sponsorships through the university. Wrigley Media isn’t selling their rights, they are simply working to help these groups with their work, making sure everything is under one umbrella of marketing and branding.

Though Wrigley Media has many high-profile clients, including Keeneland, Geico and Buffalo Trace, Miller said that they are a quickly growing company and are prepared to do whatever it takes to give all their clients, including UK, as much time and as many resources as needed.

Wrigley has a 19,000-squarefoot facility just 15 minutes away from campus, giving it local ties and easy access to campus. Miller said Wrigley Media is a stand-

out company to UK because of their em-ployees.

“You just realize, you know, how talented these people are,” she said. “So, definitely our people set us apart.”

Bertram, a UK alum and former JMI Sports vice president of total campus marketing, offers the connections and inside knowledge Wrigley Media needs to hit the ground running. He said he’s formed not only business relationships but friendships around UK in his time with JMI and at UK, and therefore knows the right people to contact to get the right permissions to get things done.

“At the end of the day that’s probably more important than anything— working with people that you trust,” Bertram said.

“When those decisions were made, I would like to think it was because they know us and they know we’re gonna do a good job.”

Currently, Wrigley Media is helping the College of Engineering with a program intended to help educate middle schoolers around the state, but it has temporarily been put on hold due to Covid-19. Besides that, Wrigley Media doesn’t have any immi-

nent plans, other than continuing to find unique ways to set UK apart from other institutions.

Miller said that one objective of the partnership is versality, and that Wrigley Media aspires to reach many different parts of campus, including healthcare.

She emphasized that Wrigley’s number one goal is to let all the departments at UK know that Wrigley is providing resources for them.

“We’re really intent on developing a very robust internship program and introducing more stu-dents to the opportunities that exist, you know, career wise in media,” Miller said.

At the end of the day, Bertram said Wrigley Media’s job is to help tell UK’s story, and now that they’ve solidified their partnership, that task becomes a lot easier.

“We are right there at the table so to speak to help communicate that message very quickly,” he said. “It’s not sitting around thinking about these ideas forever and may or may or may not turn in-to something; We’re saying this is a great story, let’s help you tell that story right now.”

Brooklyn Kelley contributed reporting.

Monday, March 1, 2021

opinions

Are the Oscars a waste of time?

By Sarah Michels opinions@kykernel.com

I typically find out the Oscars are happening the day after they’re over. Same with the Golden Globes, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys and the dozens of other awards shows usually broadcast at the beginning of each year. The truth is, I don’t think they are worth either my time or yours.

While it’s indisputable that many great films have won the Oscars’ Best Picture— Spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire, Forrest Gump—just as many awards show victors miss the mark. For example, one of my closest friends went to the movie theater with her family to watch 2018 Best Picture, The Shape of Water, and was shocked at how much she hated it. After all, it had won what is arguably the most prestigious award a film can receive. But she said the movie was weird and over her head and overall, not good.

Of course, everyone has a different opinion. But there seems to be a pattern in which the films chosen for Best Picture seem a lot like the “try-hard” students in high school English who try to make everything artificially deep and profound to impress the teacher even when it’s completely unnecessary. Yes, those students might turn in good essays, but they rarely write the most captivating or genuine or entertaining essays that I would classify as truly great.

A great movie shouldn’t confuse half the audience or only be appreciated by filmmakers; it should be accessible and have widespread appeal across many demographic groups. The movie that wins the Oscars’ Best Picture should be like the English essay that would win “best essay” if everyone in the school voted on it, not just the experienced and knowledgeable English teacher.

And then there’s the diversity issue.

The Academy can’t honestly expect us to believe that out of the hundreds of films, directors, actors and screenwriters that could win an award, white creators, particularly men, deserve almost every one.

A 2021 Insider magazine investigation found that in the past decade, white creators received 89 percent of the Academy’s nominations for the top eight Oscars’ categories: best picture, best director, best actor and actress, best supporting actor and actress, best original screenplay and best adapted screenplay. In addition, men got nominations over women 71 percent of the time.

There is no excuse for this. It’s alright

if a person of color or female doesn’t win Best Actor or Actress every year, but there is no reason they shouldn’t be well-represented within the nominations. If the Academy has 100 films or actor nominations to choose a winner from, and only 11 are POC and 29 are women, those groups aren’t going to get their fair shot.

Ever since the 2015 Oscars, when people began speaking out about the diversity problem, there have been efforts to im-

prove. But until it’s clear that the Academy’s changes aren’t simply performative, but are actually making a significance difference, there’s little chance I will be tuning in to the show.

Speaking of performative activism, many of the acceptance speeches at the Oscars are all too reminiscent of the celebrity rendition of “Imagine” at the beginning of quarantine—all talk, no substance.

Of course, being the kind of person who only sees the highlights the next day, I may hear more about the tone-deaf speeches trending on Twitter than the better ones, so this may not be an entirely fair assessment.

So, what’s the solution? First, the Academy should look into its voting members and adjust for diversity. If an overwhelming majority of the voters are white men, then the Oscar winners only reflect one perspective.

Second, the Academy should find a way to make sure Academy members are actually watching the films they are supposed to be choosing between. According to a Vanity Fair article, some voters neglected to watch certain films they didn’t consider Oscar-worthy, like Get Out, or ones they didn’t anticipate liking, like Little Women.

The best decisions can’t be made without all of the information, therefore dismissing certain films or actors/actresses without even giving them a chance is unacceptable.

Third, the Academy should find a way to include the public’s opinion of a film, actor/actress or screenplay into their consideration of nominations and eventual winners. Maybe, the public can vote during a certain period and their opinion can be weighted as 10 or 20 percent of the final vote, with the normal Academy members’ votes making up the other 80 or 90 percent.

Moviegoers don’t want to watch an Oscar film only to ask themselves afterward, “Really, this won the Best Picture?”

They want captivating, entertaining and representative winners, and the Academy should give that to them.

Graphic by Michael Clubb.

spring 2021 | 5

Monday, March 1, 2021

news

Hawse, Elias ticket promises “real talk, real change”

By Daniel Jeong news@kykernel.com

As two veteran members of UK’s student government association, Michael Hawse and Maya Elias believe in serving their community.

Hawse and Elias are running for student body president and vice president. Hawse is a junior studying political science and hopes to find a career as a lawyer.

He’s from Lexington, Kentucky, with his home walking distance from campus. Currently, he is the current Appropriations and Revenue Chairman for SGA and an active member of Pi Kappa Alpha.

“I always say this campus in this community has given me so much,” Hawse said. “It goes into why we’re running, where we want everyone to have that same connection when they leave Lexington or when they always think of their opinion of Lexington and our campus.”

Vice presidential candidate Maya Elias is a junior pursuing a dual degree in mathematics and business communication. She is the current SGA Senate Chair and previously served as Operations and Evaluations Committee, freshman senator and Senate executive member at large.

She has just finished serving as the Philanthropy Chair of Kappa Kappa Gamma and served as Team Captain for Dance Blue for the past two years.

“I don’t think there’s anything that can’t be worked on, I think everything could use a little bit of improving,” Elias said. One of the main concerns of the Hawse-

6 | kentucky kernel

Elias campaign is amplifying student voices.

“It’s time that all students have that opportunity, no matter where you came from…no matter your race, or religion, no matter your gender, no matter how you identify, you should have the ability to make on this campus if you want it,” Hawse said.

COVID-19 and diversity are the greatest concerns of the Hawse-Elias campaign. Part of their concern is how students will adjust to campus life and university classes after the pandemic recedes.

“I think a big adjustment for students is going to be going back to those in-person classes, especially for freshmen or even sophomores that didn’t really have that college experience to begin with,” Elias said.

A big part of bringing back the voice of the students is set on “putting forth actual policies and putting forth actual change” regarding diversity and inclusion.

By doing so, Michael hopes that his administration will “make sure students and marginalized communities feel safe on campus and feel comfortable on campus.”

Hawse believes that effectively bringing the voice of minority populations into the important conversations needs to happen at three fronts: SGA, committees and task forces and through the administration. One recommendation they have is encouraging administrators to hold regular office hours.

“Organizations and students from traditionally marginalized communities have not had the

CORRIE MCCROSKEY Michael Hawse and Maya Elias pose for a portrait at the Gatton Student Center on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.

ability to speak to administration and advocate to the degree that you know organizations such as SGA have,” Hawse said, and he will advocate for regular access to the administration.

According to Hawse, one of his first steps if elected will be establishing of the Council of Student Leaders. It will “bring together the leaders of as many organizations on campus as we can get and talk about our issues.”

Hawse and Elias want to incorporate voices that come from outside of SGA in their committees.

“Personally I think COVID and racial injustice are perfect ex-

amples of things where it’s time to stop talking about them and it’s time to start you know, making that legitimate change and saying all right, how are we going to make this better than we left or than when we came here,” Hawse said.

Hawse and Elias say their experience in SGA is a strength.

“From our experiences, we have a lot of things that we’ve noticed and we’ve seen and we’ve been like actively, in our positions, we’ve been trying to fix these things for so long,” Elias. Serving as president and vice president would give them the leverage to make headway on

that list.

When planning their campaign, Hawse and Elias said they met with various organizations and individuals to receive input on campus issues and are willing to hear from more students.

“What is the biggest issue that you see on campus, you know?

How can we help you or how can we help you in the future because I think at the end of the day, this isn’t about me or Maya,” Hawse said.

Many students are concerned with how UK has handled the case of Gracyn Courtright, who See HAWSE on page 13

Monday, March 1, 2021

news

Tussey and Brown campaign on path to normalcy

By Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com

Friends and now running mates: rising seniors Parker Tussey and Brandon Brown are campaigning for student body president and vice president on a platform dedicated to helping students get back to normal.

Tussey, the presidential candidate, is a Nicholasville native and integrated strategic communication major. Running for vice president is Brown, a broadcast journalism major. He aspires to entertainment journalism and Tussey is thinking about law school.

The pair met through Interfraternity Council, the governing body for 19 of the university’s Greek life organization. Brown serves as IFC’s vice president of diversity and inclusion and Tussey was formerly IFC president before his fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi, was suspended for violations of the university’s COVID-19 protocols.

“The actions of few of my organization ended up being the downfall of the total, the totality of the organization, and having bad apples sometimes it hurts, but you can’t let that get to every single apple,” Tussey said.

Tussey said he respects the university’s decision and doesn’t think the ruling is indicative of his ability to serve students, but that his fraternity’s case is an example of UK needing to do more for students who want to hold gatherings.

“Students don’t understand how they can go through the pro-

cess through event services at UK and have safe events on campus socially distant, having a chapter meeting, having an SGA Senate meeting where everyone is together in a room,” Tussey said.

Tussey and Brown graded UK’s COVID-19 response as a C average. The pair felt that UK lacks compassion for students exposed to COVID-19.

Brown said that in his experience, UK has offloaded students with COVID-19 to other health departments. He said his roommate tested positive off campus and was told by the Health Corps that the Lexington health department would be in charge of his contact tracing and isolation.

Tussey said he witnessed employees at UK testing sites fail to follow sanitation protocols.

“When I see that, that malpractice where people are not washing their hands and they’re employed by UK, that’s kind of concerning for me,” Tussey said.

Brown also said the university has shown a double standard in terms of who they enforce COVID-19 guidelines on.

“What makes, let’s just say Greek life, different than sports?

Why are they able to go and sweat on each other and things like that, or go and play football, but you have organizations that are being limited on where they can go and what they can do? Do you care about the virus or do you care about how much money you’re making?” Brown said.

Tussey and Brown were also concerned about limited library hours during COVID-19.

“There’s also non-traditional

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF SGA candidate Brandon Brown (left) and Parker Tussey (right) pose together for a portrait on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

students that are veterans, or they are coming back here as a middle-aged person getting an education, and those people - how are they supposed to go to the library when they have a nine to five job?” Tussey said.

If elected, the pair would ascend to several committees that were formed because of the pandemic. Tussey first considered a presidential run after his fraternity was suspended and asked Brown to be his vice president.

“I met with him to see what he was working on, just to make sure that it was things that I believed in as well,” Brown said.

“He’s a person who really

cares about his school and every community he’s been a part of,” Tussey said of Brown. The cornerstone of their campaign is “build a better normal.”

Their priorities include safe social spaces for students, diversity and partnering with the greater Lexington community.

“Within four words, it’s just like unity, transparency, connection and community,” Brown said.

Tussey’s previous campus leadership includes freshman senator to SGA and various roles in IFC. Brown currently serves as director of campus life for the Student Activities Board and

as an office assistant for campus recreation in addition to his role at IFC. Tussey said the greatest challenge for student government will be maintaining the student experience. “[Students] are getting put through things they’ve never had to do before and it can be challenging for them. It can be challenging for them physically with COVID, mentally getting the resources they need to have good mental health, and I think the student wellness section is important to everything,” Tussey said.

See CAMPAIGN on page 13

spring 2021 | 7

Monday, March 1, 2021

editorial

JACK WEAVER I STAFF A pharmacist fills a syringe for distributing to stations at UK’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

Where is the data from UK’s COVID-19 vaccine clinics?

By Natalie Parks

Beginning in February, the University of Kentucky has partnered with the Lexington government to provide popup clinics as part of an effort to reduce the racial inequality of COVID-19 vaccinations in Fayette County.

This is good. Racial disparities in vaccine distribution are especially troubling given that communities of color are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 and minorities are dying of the disease at a higher rate than white Americans. Only 14.6 percent of Lexington’s population is Black, but they account for 17% of the city’s cases, 26% of hospitalizations and 21% of deaths. Yet Black residents account for only 5.7% of Lexington’s first-time COVID-19 doses, according to mayor Linda Gorton. Special clinics dedicated to bridging this gap are vital, but there is an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

8 | kentucky kernel

The public data on racial inequity is limited, primarily because the University of Kentucky - the organization partnering with city government to reach minority demographics with pop-up clinics - does not publish specific metrics on its vaccine distribution. UK’s clinic has not provided a racial breakdown of its doses given, nor does it regularly publish specific or timely data on other metrics.

As the largest distributor of COVID-19 vaccines in Lexington, this is a problem.

The last data update published on UK’s dashboard that included a specific number for vaccinations done by UK was on Jan. 28, and the relevant information was one line: “UK has vaccinated nearly 37,000 people.”

That data is a month old. Since then the clinic has expanded its hourly vaccination capacity, meaning that the

vaccination rates provided in that update cannot even be used to estimate a total since then.

Moreover, the university’s clinic has published no data about the breakdown of its vaccinations. Not by race, not by age, not by relation to the university – all we know is that the university is vaccinating all employees and some students. But how many students? Have more students been vaccinated than minority community members?

Have more white UK faculty been vaccinated than UK’s minority staffers, like many dining and custodial workers?

Have more athletics staff received vaccinations than dining staff? One could imagine many problematic scenarios arising out of vaccine distribution. But the problem here is we just don’t know.

See DATA on page 9

Monday, March 1, 2021

DATA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

The university has not voluntarily published specific metrics on its vaccine demographics and has repeatedly denied the Kernel’s request for more detailed numbers.

On Feb. 9, a UK spokesperson told the Kernel that UK had administered 20,000 total doses to UK community members, a “large percentage” of those being healthcare employees. At that time, doses among UK community members were 40% of total doses given by UK. The most thorough data yet was given to UK’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 19 by Eli Capilouto, who said UK had given more than 60,000 total doses. One-third of doses were to people over 70, one-tenth to K - 12 educators and “several thousand” to UK campus employees.

Doses given to UK HealthCare aside, how are we to know that UK is administering vaccines equitably to the community and to students if they don’t provide the data?

Furthermore, this closed information policy undermines the university’s claims to be transparent and provide continual updates on all aspects of its COVID-19 approach. Not only has data on vaccinations been slow and limited, but updates to the COVID-19 dashboard for cases among students have lagged by five and even six days – despite the university saying the lag would drop

editorial from last semester’s three-day wait and updates would be posted within one or two days.

We have all trusted, and we have trusted well so far.

The university runs the largest COVID-19 vaccination site in the region and does it efficiently. The facility is well-organized, appointments are simple to make and so far the university’s IT system has prevented crashes like those seen at other sites. But this lack of transparency could easily become a slippery slope. By virtue of its expertise and logistical might, the university is in a singular position to control vaccine output in our area.

If UK were to take advantage of its position in this case or in the future, we would have no way of knowing. Vaccine information is especially vital because vaccines are the most valuable currency in the U.S. Without shared and transparent data, how are we to know the the university is not abusing its power as a vaccine distributor to prioritize select groups, like students, to ensure they can keep campus open? A prioritization that would come at the expense of vulnerable community members like the minority populations that the virus has already taken a heavy toll from.

To be clear, the above scenario is hypothetical. We don’t know what the data would say about UK’s vaccination efforts because we don’t have the data, but we should. Specific, updated metrics would streamline efforts to reduce the racial gaps, and any other potential gaps, by

APPLY FOR KERNEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nfrC9Td0qaUwoCjQlov58HZedA3WWeHmkdg2jNoKK4M/edit?gxids=7628

putting numbers in the hands of the public. Vaccination data also speaks to a greater struggle of access during the COVID-19 pandemic and how information is vital to communities for public and personal heatlh.

Throughout the pandemic the university has taken opportunities like this to reduce access to information.

Kernel reporters have been made to go through the public relations department for all manner of stories that we previously did not have to. The university limited media access to its vaccine clinic under HIPAA, despite the fact that this situation does not fall under HIPAA and vaccination sites across the country did not have the same restrictions. The univeristy has a chance to make up for this with increased visbility for its COVID-19 vaccinations.

Let people see the numbers for themselves. Publish an at-least weekly update including total vaccinations, vaccinations by age, by race and by relation to university (student, faculty and staff). If the university is working to reduce racial disparities vaccine distribution, show us that racial disparity in the clinic’s numbers - and update us so we can judge for ourselves if institutions are doing enough to close the gap.

It’s really a simple equation. Public health, public university, public knowledge. The university needs to do more to uphold its role in the process. Start with the data.

We’ll go from there.

APPLY FOR KRNL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FTc3434Klc8uvgoukfmqFTJssKv9-gnQ32mK7ylQCD0/viewform?gxids=7628&edit_requested=true

spring 2021 | 9

Monday, March 1, 2021

news

‘Art of being’ show unites fashion and social justice, highlights Black creators

By Haley Simpkins news@kykernel.com

Several student organizations came together Friday night to host The Art of Being fashion show in celebration of Black History Month.

The show featured BIPOC designers from around the country and performances by UK students.

Newer student organization Fashion Crew spearheaded the event, but organizations such as the MLK Center, Black Student Union, Collegiate Curls, UK’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and the NAACP were all involved in the show.

Fashion Crew was founded this year by sophomores Brandy Jackson and Yasmin Ogundepo, who both organized the event. The group focuses on bringing together any students in fashion to explore that passion.

“We started it so it could be an outlet for people interested in the same things that we are which is fashion, and we try to be a foundation for students that are interested in like any avenue of fashion,” Jackson said.

Fashion Crew hosted their first successful fashion show last fall and was approached by the MLK

10 | kentucky kernel

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF Models walk down the runway during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

center to orchestrate this event for the Black History Month lineup. Jackson and Ogundepo have big plans for the organization’s future with networking events and a possible red-carpet type event later on down the road once COVID-19 restrictions ease up.

For now, Jackson and Ogundepo had their hands

full possible planning and orchestrating Friday’s fashion show, which has been in the works for two months.

Ogundepo even designed her own line for the show based on her love for both simple and expensive fashion. Ogundepo’s designs consisted of simple, almost street or lounge-

wear-like silhouettes but with a detailed Chanel band and trimming that meshed Ogundepo’s two loves.

“I wanted to do something that was very creative, but I know at the same time that people our age are very simple, so you can dress it up or you can dress it down. I just wanted something as simple

yet expensive as possible,” Ogundepo said.

The show also featured five other vendors: Pinksky Boutique, Afro Delight, Zoe Pizarro, Bag Behavior and Demestik.

Pinksky Boutique is an Atlanta-based boutique that focuses on both trendy and timeless affordable fashion and accessories. Afro

Delight is a company that focuses on fashion t-shirts, founded in 2017 by Pam Clark, a mother of seven who got back into fashion after putting her dreams on hold for 20 years to raise her children. Zoe Pizarro decided to create her own line of clothing just last November after graduating from college with a degree in medical sonography but a passion for helping others through fashion. Bag Behavior is a bag company focused on providing fashionable yet affordable bags and some clothing. Demestik (pronounced domestic) is a sustainable lifestyle brand full of vibrant color directed by Reuben Reuel.

With a crowd of over 100 students, the show was performed almost as if COVID-19 had never dampened in-person events, besides the occasional mask.

During the intermission, the crowd took to line-dancing, taking pictures at the photo booth and mingling while models changed for the second half of the show and student performers warmed up for their acts.

The show featured a performance of “Never Enough”, a song from The Greatest Showman by UK student Cymone Webb and an original choreographed dance piece by UK student See UNITES on page 11

Monday, March 1, 2021

news UNITES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

UK student Arianna White.

Students attended the event for a variety of reasons, but many said they were there to support friends and the cause.

Sofia Bonilla, a freshman pre-nursing major, said she came out to support her roommate who was modeling for the show. Bonilla jumped and clapped in support of the model each time she showed up on the stage.

Keyarius Kibler, a junior psychology and sociology double major, said he also came out to support his friend Arianna White, the show’s featured dancing act.

Kibler also said that as a member of Phi Beta Sigma, a historically Black fraternity, he and other members wanted to show support for the event and the Black businesses they were showcasing.

“We like to support Black-owned businesses, and of course, this is a fashion show featuring Black-owned companies.

So, I really just wanted to patronize and show my support,” Kibler said.

Social justice, Black history and celebrating Black joy were some of the major topics of conversation at the show.

The show opened with a moment of silence for those lost to police brutality in the last year and remarks on the hardships that Black people have faced throughout history and even today.

“In the last year that we’ve had, the fact that

we’re even here today means we’re truly overcomers,” Chandler Frierson, MLK Center intern, said at the start of the event.

The show’s host Junior Paul mentioned the importance of celebrating Black history and accomplishment several times, starting with the idea that each BIPOC person in the audience should be proud of themselves for just being where they are right now.

Paul went on to explain the meaning of the show’s title “The Art of Being” about halfway through the show.

“The art of being is way deeper than [a fashion show]. It’s the art of being Black in America. It’s the art of being accountable for your Black male counterparts. It’s the art of being comfortable in your own skin,” Paul said.

Jackson and Ogundepo said that fashion and art have a way of sparking these kinds of conversations and allowing others to express themselves in a way that may help to bridge those divides we see in society today.

“I think fashion for the African American Community is really important because a lot of people use fashion to express themselves and to show what you do support and what you don’t support,” Jackson said.

Jackson said that this often gives rise to a wide variety of styles, and she hopes that their show did a good job of showcasing a wide variety of styles and expressions, both low cost and high end.

See UNITES on page 12

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF A model dances on stage during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF Students mingle during an intermission during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

spring 2021 | 11

Monday, March 1, 2021

news UNITES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Ogundepo said she believes fashion has the power to open people’s eyes to new experiences and that is just one of the many things she loves most about it.

“I’m Nigerian so my style growing up and the way our fashion was was totally different from how it is now and how it is here.

I just felt it was important that when people know the differences, and they learn what they’re not used to and they see what they’re not used to, that maybe they’ll even accept it,”

Ogundepo said. Jackson and Ogundepo both said they hope this connection between fashion and the audience can create a sense of togetherness that extends far beyond the fashion show.

“I think fashion, art and music are parts of society that really influence, so they can really make a difference and make a change that people can bond over… When the world is so divided it’s really important to have things like that to bring people together,” Jackson said.

Jackson, Ogundepo and the other organizations involved with the show chose

to use their art and passion for this cause. They hope to keep the conversation about Black history going beyond the end of February in hope that their art can change the world and make it a better place for all of us.

“Although [the world’s] divided, I know we don’t want to stay that way; we don’t want to be like that.

We want to be together.

We want to be cohesive.

We want to like each other, and these are just different ways that we can bond. It’s like meeting somebody for the first time, and you want to find out what you have in common with them,” Jackson said.

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF Yasmin Ogundepo, a business management and merchandising, apparel and textiles double major, sings during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF Students pose for a photo together during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

12 | kentucky kernel

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF A model flips her hair during the Black History Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Monday, March 1, 2021

news TICKET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“I believe that breaking the federal laws should be punishable at the university level, I don’t believe somebody that’s sitting in jail right now should be considered a student,” Elias said. (Editor’s note: Courtright is not in jail. She is at home and limited to her county).

Hawse denounced the actions of Kendall Johnson, who posted controversial videos about Breonna Taylor online.

“When the actions you make can make an entire community of people feel unsafe, unwelcome on campus that is something that you know I don’t like, I just don’t stand for that because I want to be a leader on this campus who doesn’t stand for that, because that’s not my city and beliefs,” Hawse said. He expanded by saying that the university’s lack of response to these situations has left many students feeling unsafe.

“The University needs to take account for that, because I don’t think they have,” Hawse said.

Hawse and Elias also believe the university should be held accountable for its COVID-19 response. Hawse said it was an absolute crime that one out of nine students on campus had contracted COVID-19. (Editor’s note: at least 3,000 UK students have contracted UK this school year, which is 10% of the student body, but not all students are on campus).

Hawse said UK should realize that the decisions and actions on campus have a profound effect on the nearby community and the state of Kentucky as a whole.

“We all know that it was not safe, and I think the University needs to be held accountable for that not only to its students but to the community as a whole,” Hawse said. “My grandparents live on Kentucky Avenue like literally down the street.”

The pair acknowledged the improvements that the administration with COVID-19 protocol.

“I think the regular testing that they’re requiring students do, I think that should have been done last fall when they decided to have us come back,” Elias said.

Elias expressed concern over transition that students will have to make as the campus moves on from COVID-19.

“I think that they’ve done a really good job with [vaccines]. My hope for the future, I even think I mentioned this earlier for a minute, but I do hope that the University realizes that there will be an adjustment period for students transferring back into in person classes,” Elias said.

As such, their campaign is promoting is a college transition program to smooth out the transition into in-person courses for students. Elias additionally noted the importance of incorporating the input of faculty in the conversation as well.

Hawse and Elias are also advocating for the creation of a mental health bill of rights, inspired by a similar idea at Vanderbilt.

“We believe that mental health should be too priority as we’ve seen in the past couple years, and especially during COVID, it is [an] incredibly important issue that a lot of time is left in the dark, just because nobody wants to talk about it,” Hawse said. The bill would make sure that counseling centers are well-funded, that people from marginalized communities are hired and ensuring the privacy of students. “[UK] should care, should have that liability towards your mental health 365 all year,” Hawse said.

Other policies listed for the HawseElias ticket “implementing free parking coupons through students’ linkblue IDs” and more funding for multi-cultural organizations. This would help counteract the “SGA bubble” by bringing in diverse student voices.

More of their policies can be found at hawseelias.com. The pair encouraged all students to vote in the election and thoroughly read the platforms of all candidates.

Hawse stressed the importance of voting by reminding students that the SGA president also serves on the university’s Board of Trustees.

“If I’m not the best person to do that, that’s fine, but you have to make sure that the student who is sitting in that room and is representing the students is prepared to fight tooth and nail for every single issue that students stand for,” Hawse said.

CAMPAIGN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

The pair are concerned over how students will fare when the pandemic is over.

“Especially for those who are the uninvolved students on UK those that aren’t affiliated with a group or an organization or a club, it’s especially harder on them,” Brown said. Brown’s biggest concern for the university is transparent action on social issues.

“The university doesn’t speak on issues before they need to,” Brown said.

“They speak on issues because it affects one of two things: university’s money or its image.”

Brown and Tussey want the university to be proactive, not reactive, to real world events and not let the conversation stop when the pressure is turned off.

“There’s a lot of issues that aren’t resolved until people are blowing up the university’s Instagram DMs,” Brown said.

“That shouldn’t be the reason why you decide to then speak on something or put out a statement or an email and then never address it again.”

Some of the most divisive topics at UK relate to that topic. The university has faced public pressure to expel two students, Kendall Johnson and Gracyn Courtright, for expressing views other students say violate community guidelines.

Brown said UK should be consistent and honest in those scenarios.

“If they decide to expel them, if they decide to let them back on and stay on campus and continue out their education here at the University of Kentucky, let that be known to the student body,” Brown said, instead of just saying it’s under review.

Brown and Tussey believe student government can improve on being accessible and transparent to all students, which they will emulate by having an open-door policy for their office.

“People who end up being president and vice president, all those roles, have been in SGA their whole time at UK,” Brown said. “They kind of forget that there are students that have different needs and different desires and things like that on campus. And I just think that be-

ing mindful of that, no matter who ends up winning this election, just be mindful that there are students out there that don’t know what SGA is.”

If they were to be elected, Brown would like to work on sexual assault and prevention.

“I’ve seen it through my friends’ experiences unfortunately who have been victims of sexual assault and things like that on this campus,” Brown said. “The university doesn’t do enough to one speak on it and to educate others and the community about the effects, what happens, how to prevent it.”

Brown suggested having resident advisors give presentations during the first week of school. He said UK should do more than send out an email after an assault is reported so that students are better equipped to look out for their own safety.

Brown also said the university should start requiring an online training like Alcohol EDU for sexual assault. UK does already require all first-year students to complete an online sexual assault prevention course.

Brown’s other priority is creating an unexpected hardships fund where students can get financial relief “no matter what time of year it is, no matter if it’s a global pandemic or a crisis throughout the world or crisis in someone’s own home.”

Tussey suggested creating a safety task force for student orgs to negotiate group gatherings with the university.

“Currently, we are in a moment where being off campus and the university not providing enough resources for students to regulate their social lives is hurting them way more than it’s helping,” Tussey said.

Aside from more avenues for safe social activities, Tussey would like to diversify mental health resources to reflect social injustices and disparities.

That starts with listening, Tussey said.

According to Tussey and Brown, one of their campaign’s strengths is that their experience lies outside of SGA. Their other leadership roles have led them to engage with students more and better hear their needs. Their campaign is primarily using Instagram to communicate their policies to students and can be found at tussey. brown.2021.

spring 2021 | 13

Monday, March 1, 2021

sports

Spring sports in full swing

By Braden Ramsey

Following some postponements due to COVID-19 protocol, all of UK’s spring sports except women’s soccer have now started their seasons. Baseball is 4 – 0 in 2021 after beginning its season at home for the first time since 1983. Nick Mingione and team could be 9-0 this time next week if they can continue their strong play against EKU on Tuesday (4:00 p.m. E.T.), Evansville on Wednesday (4:00 p.m. E.T.) and Ball State over the weekend. Softball has rocketed to a program best 14-0 after sweeping this weekend’s double headers. Freshman sensation Erin Coffel has recorded five doubles, eight home runs and 25

14 | kentucky kernel

RBI, earning her several freshman of the week awards.

The team will travel to Florida this weekend to kick off a six-game stretch over four days. Absent its two top players from the fall, who went to the major leagues, men’s soccer has continued its strong start from the fall with two victories in overtime over Xavier and Duke and a 1-1 tie with Akron. Next up is Bowling Green on Tuesday afternoon (4:00 p.m. E.T.) at the Bell. Volleyball, alos carrying on from the fall, is now ranked no. 3 but has not played since Feb. 14 due to COVID-19 at other programs. They return to Memoria Coliseum an unbeaten 12-0 on Friday

(7:00 p.m. E.T.) versus LSU. Top UK singles player Liam Draxl and company spent last week on the road, battling Texas A&M, Alabama and Auburn after beginning SEC play in Lexington against LSU. The Cats rebounded from defeats to the No. 10 Aggies and Crimson Tide with a 4-1 win over Auburn ; they’ll battle Arkansas at the Boone Complex on Friday (6:00 p.m. E.T.) Women’s tennis went 8-0 in the non-conference portion of it schedule, but has cooled off with a 1-2 open to SEC play. They fell to Auburn 4-2 on Sunday and will next travel to Columbia for a matchup with Missouri on Friday (1:00 p.m. E.T.)

JACK WEAVER & MICHAEL CLUBB Enzo Mauriz heads the ball away during UK’s men’s soccer game on Feb. 25, 2021. Holt Jones pitches during the UK baseball game on Feb. 23, 2021.

Carla Gibrau returns a ball during the UK women’s tennis match on Feb. 20, 2021.

Monday, February 22, 2021

classifieds

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

Crown Vape Shop 227 Woodland Ave Visit us for: Vape needs. Smoking accessories.

Disposable E-cigarettes.

(Mr. Fog, Hyde, VaporLAX etc.)

E-cigarette juices. Regular and Salt Nics.

Glassware. Cleaners.

CBD. Delta-8.

Kratom(bulk, by the ounce, capsules).

Detox. Wraps. Lighters. Torches.

Grinders.

And everything else!!

HOURS: M-F - 10am-8pm Sat - 12pm-8pm Sun - 12pm-6pm PH. 859-327-3422

August 1. Newer 2, 3, 4 and 5 BR, 2 car garage homes near campus. From 499.00 per person per month including utilities.

James McKee Builder / Broker 859-221-7082 (call or text).

Lexingtonhomeconsultants.com

GREAT campus area properties for rent for August 2021.

(859) 619-3232. kmartin.lex@gmail.com www.myuk4rent.com

Newer houses for rent on Waller Ave and Sunset Ave. Ready for August 2021.

Walk to Class. Up to 5 bedrooms.

2 baths and W/D included, parking, private patio.

Call, text Collins Wathen Properties 859-621-3312

Want to work for the Kernel?

every day. every hour. kykernel.com

Email editor@kykernel.com to get started

spring 2021 | 15

Monday, March 1, 2021

sports

What went wrong in UK’s losses

By Barkley Truax sports@kykernel.com

DePaul (Dec. 16) Kentucky’s first loss of the season came from DePaul 86-82. Four Kentucky players scored in double figures led by Chasity Patterson with 22 points.

Dre’Una Edwards and Rhyne Howard both had 18. Despite this, the Wildcats shot only 25 percent (6-24) from beyond the arc and that was their downfall in this game.

All of DePaul’s starters scored at least 12 points.

Both teams kept the game close but in the end, DePaul came out with the victory on their home court.

The four points Kentucky lost by is the closest margin all season.

Texas A&M (Jan. 7) Kentucky was defeated by Texas A&M 77-60.

Great team basketball from the Aggies paved the way for the Wildcats’ first conference loss of the season.

Four of Texas A&M’s five starters scored in double figures and scored all but five points for their squad on the night.

Kentucky fumbled their chance at victory by relying too much on a single player. It was Howard against the world. Howard netted 22 points, five assists and six rebounds, but one all-star couldn’t overcome team play on the other end.

Howard’s presence was able to keep the game close until the fourth quarter. But with no help, Kentucky was outscored by 11 points

16 | kentucky kernel

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Rhyne Howard (10) drives the ball into the paint during the University of Kentucky vs. Ole Miss women’s basketball on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. UK lost 73-69.

after only trailing by six entering the final period.

South Carolina (Jan. 10) South Carolina defeated Kentucky 75-70 in their first matchup of the season. Howard had one of her most impressive performances of the season against the Gamecocks, notching 32 points on 52% shooting.

Despite leading the Gamecocks by nine points at halftime, South Carolina fought their way back into the game and outscored Kentucky 25-15 in the third quarter. Destanni Henderson’s 22 points and Aliyah Boston’s double double were too much for

Kentucky to handle and the Gamecocks escaped Lexington with a victory.

The lesson for the Cats is to not let their guard down in the second half by getting overconfident with a lead.

Tennessee (Jan. 24) Kentucky took on the then-ranked No. 25 Tennessee in Kyra Elzy’s first game against her alma mater as a head coach.

The Cats lost 70-53 with Tamari Key dominated for the Volunteers. Everything went Key’s way in the post, posting 19 points on 8-10 attempts. Rennia Davis made a statement on the glass as well, grabbing 20 rebounds – the most in

a single game for the Lady Vols since 2012.

The third quarter was the Achilles heel for Kentucky as they were outscored 229. Howard strug-gled from the field, shooting 3-16 and 14 points. Against a record performance from the Vols, Kentucky may only take away lessons in perseverance from this loss.

Ole Miss (Feb. 4) Ole Miss defeated Kentucky 72-60 in Oxford, marking Kentucky’s first and only loss to a nonranked opponent during the regular season. Despite Howard’s 26 points and 10 rebounds, the Wildcats looked defeated from the

opening tip.

Howard’s 26 points came on 7-26 shooting (210 on three-pointers) and other than Chasity Patterson’s 14 points, not a single Wildcat scored more than five points in the contest.

Meanwhile for the Rebels, Shakira Austin was shooting the ball lights-out, going 9-11 from the floor and notching 21 points. To avoid a repeat loss, Kentucky again needs to spread out their shooting and passing so they don’t have to rely on career performances from a select few.

South Carolina (Feb. 21) Kentucky suffered their

worst loss of the season on the road, losing to the Gamecocks 76-55. Zia Cooke’s 21 points, along with three other South Carolina players scoring in double digits, helped take Kentucky down for the second time this season.

Kentucky kept the score close in the first half, but looked sluggish in the second half and trailing by as many as 24 points. But rebounding was their real downfall - the Wildcats were out rebounded 49-30 (20-8 on offensive boards) and outscored 42 - 25 in the second half.

Ole Miss (Feb. 28) Ole Miss swept Kentucky in their season series 2-0 after upsetting the Wildcats during their senior day 73-69. Another stellar performance from Shakira Austin (22 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for the Rebel victory. However, their player of the game was freshman guard Snudda Collins, who knocked down four three-pointers – the four most important shots of the game. Howard scored 21 points, but on only 6-25 shooting.

This loss cost Kentucky their spot in top-four seeds of the SEC tournament, meaning they will have to win four games in four days forteh league title. To do it, they’ll need to stop relying on one or two players and play team ball like their opponents. Women’s basketball will also have to overcome fading second halves in order to hold onto their leads.

Monday, March 1, 2021

sports

Previewing women’s basketball’s path in the SEC tournament

By Eric Decker sports@kykernel.com

With the regular season dwindling down to the final days. Kentucky’s treacherous road to an SEC title is becoming clearer.

The Cats did themselves no favors on Sunday afternoon, dropping just their second home game of the year, 73-69 at the hands of Ole Miss. After defeating No. 17 Georgia on Thursday night, Kentucky was primed for the vaunted double-bye in this week’s SEC Tournament. The victory versus the Bulldogs vaulted them into fourth place in the conference standings with only the Rebel contest on Senior Day to play.

But that loss, coupled with a Georgia win at Florida, pushed them back into the five slot.

Generally speaking, there isn’t a major difference between the four and five seeds. Yes, it means only a single bye instead of two, but a Kentucky win against the winner of the No. 12 vs. No. 13 game (Florida vs. Auburn) will see them in the same position they likely would have been in if they had claimed the four: facing Georgia in the quarterfinals. Instead of being the designated home team in white though, they’ll be in blue.

Kentucky’s home dominance (11-2) has masked

some of its woes, which have been more pronounced on the road. Despite their SEC standings position, the Cats were merely average outside of the Bluegrass, going 4-4.

Each of their four losses, including the one to Ole Miss, came by at least 12 points. This brings a sense of pessimism ahead of the conference get-together in Greenville, South Carolina.

Kentucky seems to have a solid chance at a semifinal appearance, but further advancement is murky at best. Each of the current top three tournament seeds (Texas A&M, South Carolina and Tennessee) beaten Kentucky by 17 or more in their regular season meetings outside of Lexington.

The Aggies, the No. 1 seed for the tournament, were a surprise juggernaut this year. They followed up their 22-8 showing in 2020 with a spectacular 22-1 campaign this year, and claimed their first SEC regular-season title by knocking off South Carolina 6557 on Sunday. Texas A&M has been led by Aaliyah Wilson and N’Dea Jones throughout their dominant season, one that’s lone blemish came at LSU on Jan. 14. Kentucky traveled to College Station on Jan. 7, falling 77-60 as Jones went for 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Wilson had 18 points. If they were

JACK WEAVER | STAFF The Wildcats warm up before the University of Kentucky vs. Alabama women’s basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

to face Texas A&M in Greenville, a focus on controlling the boards needs to be emphasized if they want to have a chance to come out on top.

Greenville’s No. 2 seed, South Carolina, spent multiple weeks ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation.

The Gamecocks have beaten Kentucky twice those season, both times by capitalizing on UK’s slow second halves.

See PATH on page 19

MICHAEL CLUBB KeKe McKinney boxes out an opponent during UK vs. Wofford women’s basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

spring 2021 | 17

Monday, March 1, 2021

sports

Fresh start the right fit for Massengill to bring her A-game

By Eric Decker sports@kykernel.com

After nearly a year not knowing what her immediate future would hold, Jazmine Massengill now is a crucial piece of the Kentucky team that hopes to contend nationally once March rolls around.

“I just came in here thinking I was sitting out for a year and just had to bite the bullet, it was kind of already made up in my mind,” Massengill said.

While now comfortably in Kentucky’s starting lineup and slashing herself a significant role into this program, the path hasn’t always been so clear or simple.

A former McDonald’s All-American, Massengill has been no stranger to adversity and pressure packed conditions for some time now. Massengill was a key component of two straight NACA national championships for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in her last two years of high school ball. She played with Treasure Hunt on both of these national championship teams, which she did admit have some influence in her decision to come to Lexington this time around.

Massengill was set to be a Division 1 player before ever stepping foot into high school, receiving an offer to play at Western Kentucky University when she was in eighth grade. By the time she was a junior every SEC school had offered her at that point. Well, all but one.

“Tennessee was my dream school,” Massengill said. She

18 | kentucky kernel

eventually got the offer to go become a Volunteer, which she hopped on almost immediately.

Things were looking optimistic when she went up to Knoxville for the first time. As a freshman, Massengill broke through to become a regular rotation player for the Lady Vols. She averaged nearly 18 minutes a game, even earning a start for one game that year. But even after carving out a permanent rotation spot in Tennessee, Massengill planned to transfer after her freshman season. The firing of then head coach Holly Warlick convinced Massengill to hold out of the transfer portal for at least one more year.

“The team just really kind of agreed to try Kellie Harper here and give her a chance,” Massengill said. “And if you don’t like it or you just need a new environment or you see yourself somewhere else, they’d be open to me leaving.”

During that one trial year, Massengill still found a way to have an impressive campaign.

Sixth in the SEC in assists per game as a sophomore, she ended up starting all but one of Tennessee’s contests in the 2019-20 season.

In a game against a then top15 ranked Notre Dame team, Massengill went for 13 rebounds and nine assists, while blocking four shots in the process.

Despite finding clear individual success while in Knoxville, Massengill knew she wasn’t happy. Her previous connections with Treasure and Rhyne Howard, who she played AUU with in the past, had some influence on

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Jazmine Massengill (13) guards the ball during the University of Kentucky vs.

Tennessee women’s basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

her decision. Massengill is clear to say the transfer was about her personal interests and what environment suited her best.

“Yeah, at the end of the day they’re like family to me so I wanted to be with Rhyne and Treasure but also it’s bigger than them as well. I have to be happy, maybe it would be a fit for them but not a fit for me. It just happened to be a fit for me also,” she said.

Other than the bond she had already with players on the team, Massengill mentioned her almost immediate “fit” with Kentucky’s coaches.

“I gained early relationships with the coaching staff, even from the first time I got recruited.

We kind of just picked up where we left off when I entered the transfer portal,” she said.

Even with Matthew Mitchell stepping down as head coach,

Massengill had no regrets in her decision to come to the Bluegrass.

“Me and the other coaches gained such a strong bond and such a strong connection that I had no problem playing under Coach Elzy. We were excited when we found out she was the head coach. At the end of the day, he did what was best for him and we supported him 110% and now See A-GAME on page 19

Monday, March 1, 2021

sports A-GAME CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

we’re 110% behind Coach Elzy.”

With a significant coaching change right before the start of the season and a transfer waiver up in the air, Massengill had no idea whether she’d be able to even step on the court this year. “[Not playing] was already kind of made up in my mind. My focus coming in here was just being the best player I could be in the offseason; I was actually working on making my teammates better,” she said. She was aware of the possibility of the transfer waiver being cleared, but still didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“Me and Coach Butts worked really hard on that [getting the transfer waiver] but Tennessee didn’t want to sign it for whatever reason.” Massengill said. “Coach Butts just kind of kept me in the loop and she was like ‘There’s still voters so be patient, don’t get your hopes up but I don’t want you to be hopeless either.’”

That hope came to fruition in a busy December month for the NCAA. On Dec. 16, the DI Council granted a waiver that allowed all student-athletes to become immediately eligible to play. The decision came out of nowhere and what was once a lost

PATH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

But South Carolina lost to perennial powerhouse UCONN, Tennessee and the shocking Aggies. Ending the regular season at 19-4 is considered disappointing in Dawn Staley’s neck of the woods, but her squad remains as big a threat as any to cut down the nets in both Greenville and San Antonio.

The Gamecocks recently out-

season for Massengill turned into an opportunity to showcase her immense value on the court.

Now, Massengill can have her sole focus be on basketball and trying to exhibit the qualities needed to help bring this team to an SEC championship and beyond.

“I feel like I bring leadership, I feel like I bring energy. Basically, just togetherness, I’m a floor general,” Massengill said.. “I’m definitely a pass-first point guard, it’s my number one priority. Honestly, I’d rather see my teammates make big shots and get them open shots. I definitely really do take pride in getting assists and running the team.”

It took Massengill and the coaching staff a few games to really figure out her best position within the team, but once she entered the starting line-up everything seemed to click. After a double-digit loss to Tennessee a couple weeks prior, Massengill earned her first start as a Wildcat against her old school and showed out, scoring a season high 11 points in the Feb. 11 victory at home.

In the three games following that she’s gotten the starting nod, Massengill has had at least five assists in each game, dishing out 10 of them against Florida. “[Coach Elzy] needed me to push the pace, she needed me

classed the Cats 76-55 in Columbia, but only defeated Kentucky 75-70 when the two faced off on Jan. 10 at Memorial Coliseum.

Kentucky shot just 15% from three-point range in that one but showed it can compete with the country’s best. Remembering the game, even though it ended in defeat, should bode well for the Cats’ overall confidence.

In its first matchup with Tennessee, Kentucky suffered through a brutal 70-53 loss in Knoxville. The team was putrid

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Jazmine Massengill (13) drives the ball into the paint during the University of Kentucky vs. Tennessee women’s basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Rupp Arena in Lexington,

to run the offense. Just get us in the sets really, and just control the floor.” Massengill said about what advice from her coach. “She believed in me and she trusted me.”

With the SEC and NCAA tournaments looming right around the corner now, Massengill feels confident in the damage that this team can potentially do despite the daunting competition.

“We’re comfortable, we know what kind of team we have and our game. We just have to be able to put all four quarters together and stay locked in and focus mentally.”

from the field, hitting at only a 28% rate from the field. Rhyne Howard and Chasity Patterson went for a combined 9-of-31 during the loss.

The rematch in Lexington was a much different story. The Cats returned the favor at Rupp Arena with a big 15-point victory, in which they held the Lady Vols to 35% shooting. Jazmine Massengill shined versus her former squad that night, dropping 11 points, grabbing seven rebounds while dishing out six assists. Bar-

ring a disastrous shooting performance, the Cats have demonstrated the ability handle Rae Burrell and company.

Kentucky possesses the talent required to bring home the conference title. That much is evident, even with the road issues.

But there are two questions that need to be answered: - Did the Georgia contest mark the turning of the tide in terms of road performance, especially when playing top teams?

- Can the Cats avoid hemor-

rhaging points in the paint long enough to allow their guards to force turnovers and offense to build/hang onto a lead?

If the answer to both of those is “yes”, the possibility of bearing witness to the program’s first SEC Tournament championship is much higher than it otherwise would be. Clearly separated as one of the conference’s top teams, the Wildcats should be able to enter the tournament confident in their ability to win no matter who they match up against.

spring 2021 | 19

Monday, March 1, 2021

sports

Kentucky’s rankings ahead of tourney

By Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com

After a disappointing defeat in their rematch with the Ole Miss Rebels on Senior Day, *No. 19 Kentucky is headed to the SEC Tournament on a less than positive note. While they’d love to bring home the trophy from Greenville, Kyra Elzy’s bunch have a much larger prize in mind: the first final four appearance in program history.

Unlike the men’s team, this crew will be participating in the big dance regardless of the conference tournament result. Rhyne Howard will look to cement her status as the best player in college basketball, battling alongside the likes of Aliyah Boston and Paige Bueckers for the Naismith award.

The entire women’s tournament will be played in Texas – San Antonio, Austin and Marcos – so region location is not a concern. But on which seed line will the Cats end up, and which top-tier teams may they have to vanquish to accomplish their feats?

Here’s Kentucky’s resume: Conference record: 16-7 (9-6), 5th in SEC *NCAA NET: 18 Quality wins: vs. No. 11 Indiana, vs. No. 16 Arkansas, vs. No. 20 Tennessee, at No. 17 Georgia Bad losses: Ole Miss (x2) The Cats have mostly performed as expected this season, but with a couple

20 | kentucky kernel

notable exceptions: the losses to Ole Miss. The Rebels are not an awful team by any stretch – a pedestrian 10-11 during the regular season – but were just 4-9 in the SEC, meaning half their conference wins came over Kentucky.

Beating Indiana, Arkansas and Tennessee at Memorial Coliseum were nice notches on the belt, but the biggest win for the Cats came in Athens over Georgia. They were shellacked by currently-ranked teams on the road (77-60 Texas A&M, 70-53 Tennessee and 76-55 South Carolina) in 2021, and proved to the committee – and themselves – that they were capable of beating a top foe outside of Lexington with the victory.

When the committee first revealed its top-16 seeds back on Feb. 15, Kentucky cracked the list at No. 16 as the final No. 4 seed. The Hoosiers, somewhat surprisingly, came in at No. 15 overall despite the head-to-head result with the Cats, but didn’t have any defeats that compared to the Ole Miss one Kentucky suffered eleven days prior.

Due to COVID-19 postponing their LSU game, the Cats have suited up only three times since the initial placement: at South Carolina (L), at Georgia (W) and vs. Ole Miss (L).

Sunday evening’s reveal had Kentucky at No. 14 overall, up two spots from its first location. But the

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Jazmine Massengill (13) dribbles the ball up the court during the UK vs. Missouri women’s basketball game on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 61-55.

rankings were formulated prior to UK’s loss against Ole Miss. This likely sends the Cats back down the list, possibly outside of the top16 and onto the five line.

While the Rebel result did undo the work of the Georgia win, the upcoming conference tournament provides a potential remedy. As the No. 5 seed in Greenville, the Cats take on the winner of Wednesday’s No. 12/13 contest (Florida vs. Auburn) on Thursday. If they can avoid another up-

set, they would then match up with Georgia a second time. Semifinal advancement would likely offer a monumental opportunity to boost their resume: No. 1 Texas A&M. If Kentucky is unable to rebound in its first SEC tourney battle, meaning a loss to the currently SEC-winless Tigers or currently 3-11 SEC-record Gators, it would go tumbling down the board, possibly even to a six seed pending other conference

tournament performances.

As long as it can make a quarterfinal appearance, the floor seems to be a No. 5 seed.

Any victories the rest of the way – assuming chalk – would be monumental.

If the Cats somehow managed to win the whole enchilada, a No. 3 seed is a distinct possibility. This would set them up to have avoid a top-20 team in the Round of 32, and conquer only one top-10 squad on their way to the Final

Four’s doorstep.

Regardless of the tournament they’re in, Kentucky will have to discover the ability to defend on the interior. The likes of Aliyah Boston, Shakira Austin and N’Dea Jones have shredded them in the paint at times this year. When the Cats stand tall in the paint, they don’t lose.

Kentucky’s first SEC Tournament contest is 1:30 p.m. E.T. on Thursday. The game will be televised on SEC Network.