Kentucky Kernel: October 26, 2020

kentuckykernel VACCINATE(D)?

Monday, October 26, 2020 est. 1892 | Independent since 1971 www.kykernel.com @kykernel @kentuckykernel

STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON FLU SHOTS | PAGE 4 FOOTBALL IN TROUBLE

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FRESHMEN ADAPT

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ELECTION ANXIETIES

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Monday, October 26, 2020

sports

Can UK fix its offensive struggles in time to pull off an upset over UGA?

By Barkley Truax sports@kykernel.com

Coming off a tough loss last Saturday against Missouri, Kentucky football will next take on the no. 5-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Kroger Field. will try to bounce back from a tough loss this Saturday against Missouri last weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Wildcats struggled on both sides of the ball against Missouri, losing to the Tigers for the first time in five years. Kentucky only managed to gain 145 yards total and allowed 421 from Mizzou.

Georgia is 3 -1 for the season, defeating Auburn, UT and Arkansas before succumbing to no. 2 Alabama on Saturday.

The biggest question headed into the match-up with Georgia is the quarterback situation.

Kentucky’s featured quarterback, Terry Wilson threw 3/9 for 35 yards and a touchdown. Wilson got off to a slow start, leading to changes in the lineup in the second quarter. He would go on to start the second half.

Sophomore Joey Gatewood, a transfer who was only cleared last month, saw action for the second time this season, throwing one completion out of four attempts for 12 yards.

After the game, head coach Mark Stoops said that he will have to look at the tape to decide who will be Kentucky’s starting quarterback against Georgia on Halloween.

Georgia has also had some quarterback issues early this season. But in recent weeks, Stetson Bennett has emerged as their guy. Bennett has thrown for 958 yards and seven touchdowns through four games.

The Bulldogs’ passing game is where they hurt teams the most. Star receivers George Pickens and Kearis Jackson lead the way for the receiving core with a combined 463 yards.

This high-powered offense will be a challenge for this Kentucky defense. Kentucky has excelled defensively through the air at times, and at others, has looked dreadful.

In the two games prior to Missouri, Kentucky’s defense hauled in nine interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

Despite no turnovers for the defense last Saturday, Kentucky did not allow a touchdown through the air.

The defense was exhausted last week; Missouri ran 92

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STAFF FILE PHOTO Kentucky and Georgia football battle for the SEC East title on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

plays, compared to Kentucky’s 36. Turnovers are key to stopping this Georgia offense – the ball needs to be in the offense’s hands.

Kentucky’s offensive game relies on running the football efficiently. They couldn’t get it going against Missouri, rushing for only 98 yards.

Three weeks ago, Kentucky rushed for 408 yards against Ole Miss. The running game needs to find their identity this week and get back on track if they want a chance against Georgia’s defense this weekend.

Georgia’s defense prides themselves on being able to stop the run. The most yards they’ve given up this season is 147 against Alabama two weeks ago; the week prior,

they held Tennessee to -1 yards total.

Kentucky has by far their biggest challenge yet on Saturday. Georgia is a national championship contending team year-in and year-out and has everything to lose coming into Kroger Field; so, if nothing else, Kentucky has that on their side. The two teams last met in 2019, when UGA held UK to a 21-0 shut out. The previous season they faced off in the SEC East championship, which UK lost 34 - 17.

This Saturday will be the Cats’ chance to break an 11year losing streak against the Bulldogs. The game will kick off at noon eastern on Oct. 31 in Lexington and will be available on the SEC Network.

Monday, October 26, 2020

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

kentuckykernel

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

UK, KERNEL CASE HEARD BY KENTUCKY SUPREME COURT The Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a lawsuit between UK and the Kentucky Kernel on Oct.23.

The case arose from a 2016 open records request about a sexual misconduct investigation into former professor James Harwood. Open records is a law requiring public agencies to provide documents to members of the public. UK denied the Kernel’s request on the basis of student privacy, setting the stage for a legal The dispute has worked its way through the circuit court system and the Kentucky Court of Appeals during the last four years; UK won in circuit court and the Kernel won in appelate. The Supreme Court agreed to review the case last December.

During the hearing, UK’s lawyers focused on student privacy concerns, especially the identity of the students involved and potential damage to their well-being if their names were to be released. The Kernel’s lawyer Tom Miller focused on precedents set in open records disputes, suggesting that privacy concerns could be solved by the redaction of the information rather than a complete denial.

Supreme Court justices questioned both councils, hoping to clarify the over 500

documents in question and seeking the lawyers’ viewpoints on the implications of a case like this if a professor were to go on to a different university without their investigation publicly available.

According to Miller, a decision from the Supreme Court is not likely until after Christmas.

COURSE REGISTRATION BEGINS THIS WEEK Beginning on Monday, Oct. 26, UK students can register for their courses for winter intercession and spring semester.

Students with priority registration will get to choose their classes first; students can check their registration window on myUK and use the course catalogue to view available classes. Under the class description, classes are marked with their modality. The spring semester begins on January 25 and runs through the second week of May. UK has not announced significant changes to it’s COVID-19 response for the spring semester besides cancelling spring break.

KERNEL, KRNL WIN NATIONAL AWARDS

Last Thursday, Associated Collegiate Press announced the Pacemaker awards

winners. The awards are given to student newspapers and magazines that display excellent writing, storytelling and design.

The Kentucky Kernel was a national finalist for four-year newspaper and KRNL won a Magazine Pacemaker after being one of 28 finalists. Together the two won over 17 awards, including a first place in the Best COVID-19 News or Feature Story category. Arden Barnes and Rick Childress won first place in Best Multimedia - Feature and Michael Clubb won first place in sports photo. Kendall Boron, Jordan Prather and Bailey Vandiver also placed in individual categories.

The Kernel and KRNL also won 11 Pinnacle awards. These awards are given by the College Media Association and recognize news coverage, advertising, broadcasting and design.

The Kentucky Kernel won second place in Best Sports Section, while KRNL won second place in Best Online Main Page and third place in Best Magazine Sports Page.

Brittany Lyden, Kendall Boron, Haley Robey, Erika Bonner and Rick Childress won individual awards.

Arden Barnes, Jordan Prather and Michael Clubb have also won awards in the College Photographer of the Year competition. Judging is ongoing and will continue through Monday, Nov. 2, after which the full list of winners will be released.

STUDENT CASES CONTINUE TO DECLINE

Even as cases across the state of Kentucky rise, reported instances of COVID-19 have dropped among UK students in the month of October, The previous seven-day reporting period had the lowest tally, 54, of any week thus far into the semester, with several days in the single digits. Oct. 14 was a semester-low for a single day total of just four newly reported cases. Fayette Conuty is currently in the orange “accelerated” zone on the state’s incidence rate map.

All data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department’s daily COVID-19 updates.

Managing editor: Michael Clubb editor@kykernel.com News/features editor: Lauren Campbell news@kykernel.com Asst. news editors: Haley Blackburn Emily Girard Sports editor: Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com Opinions editor: Sarah Michels opinions@kykernel.com Asst. Opinions editor: Gillian Stawiszynski Photo editor: Tori Rogers Designers: Mya LaCLair Ryder Noah From Social media manager: Sarah Simon-Patches KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES 340 McVey Hall University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506

On the cover: Omar Al Mamari, a material science and engineer major, receives his flu shot on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

Photo by Michael Clubb | Staff.

— STAFF REPORT

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Monday, October 26, 2020

news

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF Venessa Cordero Liberato, a digital media and design major, receives her flu shot on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

Public health, personal concern on students’ minds as flu shot deadline approaches

By Callie Justice news@kykernel.com

The University of Kentucky is requiring all students and faculty who live on or visit campus to receive a flu shot by Nov. 1.

Initially announced on Oct. 8, this new mandate is part of UK’s ongoing response to COVID-19 but has left some students upset and reluctant to comply.

UK partnered with Kroger for the flu vaccinations; the shot is free of charge for students living on campus and will be billed to a student’s insurance if they have it. If not, the cost is covered by UK. Students can make an appointment to receive their flu shot at one of several campus locations by visiting https://www.uky.edu/coronavirus/ do-your-part/flu-shots; students should bring their student ID, insurance card if available and the voucher found on the website.

According to UK spokesperson Jay Blanton, only

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2,500 students have complied with the flu shot mandate as of Oct. 21 – leaving another 22,500 shots to be given in the next two weeks. Each shot is costing the University $25, meaning roughly $625,000 is going towards this precaution. Blanton said it is too early for UK to comment on student compliance with the vaccination but plan on reminding students to make their appointments and emphasizing the importance of the flu shots.

National leaders like Dr. Anthony Fauci and local health departments across the country have stressed the importance of flu shots this year, amping up their public health campaigns around and aiming to vaccinate as many people as possible to prevent the spread of a second disease this year.

“Flu shots are especially important this year because we don’t want to have widespread flu outbreaks in the middle of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The flu season in a regular year creates additional visits to medical offices and hospitals, and we want to make sure the burden

isn’t too great this year during COVID-19,” said Kevin Hall of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Reducing flu cases, a positive in the first place, has the added benefit of opening up space in emergency rooms and intensive care units so hospitals can cope with a rising wave of COVID-19 cases. Nationwide, the average number of flu deaths has ranged from 22,000 to 61,000 in the last eight years, according to the CDC. The pandemic has already killed 225,000 Americans this year according to Johns Hopkins’ COVID-19 tracking page.

Students are uncertain of the required flu shot, wary of UK overstepping its bounds as a university.

Regan Martin, a senior studying business marketing and neuroscience, shared that sentiment.

“I was planning on getting a flu shot, but when I heard they were requiring it I was like ‘oh that’s kind of aggressive,’” Martin said.

See FLU SHOT on page 5

Monday, October 26, 2020

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FLU SHOT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

This is the first time UK has required flu shots for students, though some vaccinations - such as meningitis — are mandated prior to a student’s freshman year.

“I don’t think anything medically should be required by the University that isn’t the typical routine booster shots, but I see where they are coming from. I don’t agree with it, but I understand it,” said Ethan Sharp, a sophomore studying integrated strategic communications.

Some students share Sharp’s opinion that although they might not agree with the requirement, they understand both why the university is doing it and how it benefits public health.

“I would have settled on making it an available opportunity for people if they had wanted to go get a flu shot,” Martin said. “I love that they are doing them in the student center and giving vouchers for it to go to Kroger but I’m not so sure about them mandating it for every single student.”

Kentucky state law does say that “ in the event of an epidemic in a given area, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services may, by emergency regulation, require the immunization of all persons within the area of epidemic, against the disease responsible for such epidemic.”

However, that law would primarily apply to a COVID-19 vaccine, which is not available yet. Flu is not the disease responsible for the pandemic, although its medical relevance to public health in general could be used as justification for the mandate.; and, in bad flu years, the flu can be considered a local epidemic.

Still, some students feel that getting a flu shot should be

HANNAH ADDINGTON I STAFF Sophomore Catherine Clay gets a flu shot on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 at the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

a personal decision, not a requirement.

“I don’t feel like we need to be forced to take it, it should be a choice and students should go if they want to,” Abriel Mansfield, a freshman and art studio major, said.

Quin Yessin, a first year medical student, said he wished students had been given a warning coming in about the requirement.

HANNAH ADDINGTON I STAFF Flu shot syringes wait to be used at the student flu clinic in Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky’s campus on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020.

“I think that UK should have announced that they were going to mandate flu shots at the start of the semester rather than deciding to wait halfway through,” Yessin said.

While exemptions exist, students have to appeal to the Disability Resources Center for medical risks such as egg and mercury allergies or Guillain-Barré syndrome. Students who wish to opt out of the flu shot for religious reasons are supposed to contact UK Health Corps.

And while many students recognize the benefits of the flu shot, especially for protecting the larger community, they fear the precedent UK has set of a mandatory vaccination and would rather have a choice in the matter.

Freshman Wychofflyn Morris was not planning to get a flu shot, but will because UK requires it.

“I feel like once you make us take flu shots you are going to try to force people to take the corona vaccine,” Morris said.

Yessin, Mansfield and Sharp shared the same concern over UK instituting a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.

Though no vaccine has been approved yet, several are in development. Prior to COVID-19 the fastest a vaccine has been produced was four years for mumps. According to National Law Review, private employers could mandate a COVID-19 vaccine, though under the Americans with Disabilities Act they would have to allow for exceptions.

Employers would have to consider cost, applicability to remote workers, re-vaccination of the first dose is temporary and how workers should prove they got the vaccine.

UK’s flu shot program is sponsored by Kroger and students prove their compliance by uploading a photo of a form, given to them at their flu clinic, to a QR code link on the form. Students can also upload proof of their flu shot if they receive it at a non-UK sponsored site.

MICHAEL CLUBB I STAFF A flu clinic worker shows two students a form for them to fill out for their flu shots on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Monday, October 26, 2020

news

Freshmen focus on positives, adjust expectations in altered first semester

By Haley Blackburn news@kykernel.com

In today’s post-pandemic world, life as a college freshman is much different than what UK’s class of 2024 expected it to be when they applied last winter.

Late night study sessions at the library, eating lunch with friends at Champs, visiting your friends in their dorm on the other side of campus, hanging out in the dorm common areas waiting to turn strangers into friends - these are all things this year’s freshmen class have missed out on during their first semester.

This year’s freshmen decided on which school to attend in late spring and early summer, before many schools had announced if and how they were reopening. With the economy quickly shrinking, many colleges also prepared for fewer students - but UK welcomed a freshmen class of just over 5,000 students, comparable to previous years.

Alexis Back, a freshman biochemistry major, said her first semester has been okay, but it has been different than she expected as a pre-COVID applicant.

“Coming into freshman year, I did not expect corona originally,” Back said. “ I expected to be able to walk around campus without a mask, the library open until midnight and to have in-person classes.”

None of Back’s expectations became a reality for her this semester. Signs all across campus read “Masks are required in all

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public places on our campus” and events have had serious restrictions placed on them. William T. Young library stays open until 10 p.m. Monday - Thursday and only 5 p.m. on Friday and the weekends, which is a major adjustment from its pre-COVID, 24-hour schedule. As for Back’s third expectation, only 37.2% of all class sections offered were fully in-person due to COVID-19.

Back said the limited library hours make it harder for her to study with such a limited time frame that works with both her class schedule and the new library hours. Back also said she would prefer some of her online classes to actually be in-person, if COVID-19 were not an obstacle.

Despite these challenges, Back has made the most of her first semester and is happy to be on campus, no matter the differences she’s seen.

“I am struggling with time management, but I have been improving and adapting,” Back said. I make time to study, socialize and workout.”

Being on campus has also given her the advantage of utilizing the on-campus resources, Back said.

Mason Brewer, a freshmen psychology major, said he has had a great first year so far, except for the social aspect.

“The big negative that I have is it’s impossible to safely and effectively meet new people,” Brewer said. “I’ve tried by best to be safe and meet new people, but I’ve had to quarantine because of

accidental exposures.”

Unlike returning students, freshmen did not have already have a network on campus to turn to for support and help. Brewer said the pandemic not only has made it physically hard to meet people, but it has also affected his mental perception of socializing.

“Now, I came to UK for an education, and I know I can’t be parading around in a pandemic, but being able to hang with other people is really hard, because I get paranoid of catching COVID once there are more than five people in a room together,” Brewer said.

Brewer said he also fears the university’s strict policies may be pushing people to gather more at off-campus parties; earlier in the semester, UK students were holding game day parties that led to the creation of a weekend police patrol. But in the last month, with away football games and midterms, student cases of COVID-19 have decreased significantly.

As for next semester, Brewer said he thinks the school’s policies may change next semester if there is a vaccine.

“I don’t really have any expectations for next semester right now, but if a vaccine comes out around January, then my answer will change,” Brewer said. “With a vaccine, I don’t really expect the university to be as strict as they have in recent months, but I guess we will all find out how that plays out next year.”

See FRESHMEN on page 5

JACK WEAVER | STAFF UK students work in William T. Young Library on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Monday, October 26, 2020

FRESHMEN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Fortunately for freshmen, there is hope that campus life may return to normal before they graduate so they can recoup the missed experiences of their high school senior year.

Marilyn Hosey, a freshmen theatre and arts administration double major, said her first semester has actually been better than she expected.

“COVID hasn’t dampened my enjoyment of college one bit,” Hosey said.

Coming from a small town, Hosey said she expected to have a hard time adjusting to college life in a city, especially with COVID-19 restrictions limiting her opportunities to meet new people; however, that wasn’t the case.

“I have fallen into the groove of things far more easily than expected, and I think overall UK has done a great job of trying to keep students safe,” Hosey said.

“I met a group of friends through the Creative Arts LLP, whom I love dearly, and we are all able to get tested regularly for COVID through the free testing site at the 90 so that we can hang out without fear of passing the virus to one another.”

Hosey said aside from her normal social life, her first semester has also brought about new opportunities that she never thought were possible, even in a pre-COVID world.

“I even had the opportunity to perform in a play, which was livestreamed for COVID reasons, which I didn’t think I’d have the opportunity to do even if COVID weren’t a thing,” Hosey said.

As the uncertainty about next semester looms, Hosey said she has high expectations for how the next semester will play out.

“I have high hopes for next semester to be even better than this one,” Hosey said. “I’m excited to see where the next few months take me.”

JACK WEAVER | STAFF A group of UK students walks in front of White Hall Classroom Building on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Ryan Crane, a freshman neuroscience and psychology double major, said his experience has been positive as well.

“My first semester has actually gone well, considering the circumstances,” Crane said.” I think UK has done a great job with the transition to more online learning, but I still have a couple in-person classes.”

Crane said any expectations he had for his first semester were all formed pre-COVID and he soon realized they wouldn’t become a reality for him this semester.

“I expected to spend more time at the library, less time in my dorm, and to be able to go out with friends and have a good time,” Crane said.

Crane said even though this semester has looked different, it’s still gone pretty well, and he has set quite a few expectations for the coming semesters that he hopes will still happen even in a post-COVID world.

“I think that things will maybe start to open up more and [there will] potentially [be] more in-person classes,” Crane said. “I think [the spring 2021 semester] will be similar to this fall semester, but next fall, I think there will be quite a bit more activities and things to do around campus and Lexington.”

Patti Doud, a freshman integrated strategic communications major, said she came into her first semester without any expecta-

tions.

“I didn’t really have many expectations because I wasn’t even sure if we were going to be able to come in person at all,” Doud said. “The whole situation has been incredibly uncertain and didn’t really give me time to set up expectations or prepare myself for the semester.”

However, she did expect most of her classes to be true to their modality listing on UK. As an out- of-state student, she decided to schedule mostly hybrid classes to at least have a partial in-person element to her class that would make her move to campus worthwhile.

“Most of my hybrid classes just ended up being almost com-

pletely online anyway, which surprised me a bit,” Doud said.

Doud said she isn’t setting any expectations for next semester either, especially since COVID uncertainty continues.

“I feel like as soon as I have expectations, everything will change,” Doud said. “I honestly have no clue how it will work out next semester, but I’m hoping I can have equal opportunity for in-person learning at the very least.”

UK has already announced the revised academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester; course registration opens this week, with modalities listed on the course catalog for each section of a a class.

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Students, ready and willing to vote, express concerns about election

By Haley Blackburn news@kykernel.com

Election day is a little over a week away and UK students are gearing up to do their civic duty. Pandemic aside, this election is unlike any other, which has left many students anxious for the election itself and the result that may come of it.

The validity of mail-in voting and the process itself has been a major point of contention during this election season.

Many states, including Kentucky, expanded absentee voting to accommodate COVID-19 concerns, although earlier issues with the United States Postal Service caused a scare about votes being received in time. As such, voters were encouraged to mail in their ballot as early as possible.

UK students are also taking part in the conversation over voting methods.

Kayla Woodson, a junior political science major, said she doesn’t have any concerns about mail-in voting.

“I find it completely safe,” Woodsen said. “It’s a system that’s always been available during elections, granted on not such a large scale, but it is the safest option given the pandemic.”

However, Woodson did find herself questioning if she was anxious about other things this election season.

“No [I don’t have any concerns], because I don’t want to speculate or create/ feed into the conspiracy theories about what horrible things may happen as a result of the election,” Woodson said. “Yes [I do have concerns], because in my opinion, we’re in some very strange and unprecedented times that may have some dramatic effects on the election.

Aidan O’Brien, a junior biology major, said he isn’t necessarily worried about the validity of the mail-in voting process, but he does have some anxieties about the mis-

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MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Early voters fill out their ballots on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, at the Lexington Senior Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

takes voters may make on their ballots.

“My anxieties concerning voting are centered around the rejection of ballots due to the extra steps required to have a mail-in ballot counted,” O’Brien said. “With every additional step in the process, the risk of error increases. I worry that votes won’t be counted due to the added complexities.”

Despite this concern, O’Brien did vote by mail and received confirmation that

his ballot was received. Aside from mailin voting, O’Brien also expressed anxiety about the result of the election.

“I’m trying to be hopeful, but I’d also like people to know that they should not let their guard down, regardless of the outcome,” O’Brien said.

Concerns over a peaceful transition of power were amplified after a September press conference where President Trump

told media “we’ll have to see what happens” if he loses. Trump had also cast doubt on the validity of mail-in voting.

“Get rid of the ballots, and you’ll have a very - you’ll have a very peaceful - there won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation,” Trump said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in a letter to ConSee VOTE on page 9

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VOTE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

gress that the military would not get involved in settling a dispute over the election outcome. Because mail-in ballots postmarked before Nov. 3 can be counted, it is likely the final results will not be tallied until a few days later.

Dagen Rash, a sophomore mining engineering major, said his concerns were more about the accessibility of in-person voting for students.

“Unfortunately, many students especially those who live in dorms do not have access to transportation and may not realize the process of a mail-in ballot,” Rash said.

UK is offering free rides to the Dunbar Center polling locations between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the early voting period. Students can find more information on the specific pick up locations and days that the service is available by visiting https://calendar.uky.edu/. Students can also visit the state’s election updates page to find answers about the mail-in voting process.

McKenzie Ryan, a freshman political science and philosophy double major,

said she decided to vote by mail, but the COVID-19 pandemic is a concern that she has for those who are voting in-person.

“I did not have any anxieties for me personally, but I am nervous for others, particularly those who chose to vote in-person and who are in the ‘at risk’ category for the COVID-19 virus,” Ryan said.

Fayette County Clerk Don Blevins Jr. urged citizens last week to take advantage of the early voting locations to prevent long lines and wait times on Election Day. He said that Lexington so far has not had enough people voting early to prevent long lines on Nov. 3. For those who are interested in voting in-person either early or on Election Day in Lexington, visit https:// www.lexingtonky.gov/vote to see locations and hours.

Jennifer Osting, a junior political science major, said she has a different type of concern for the upcoming election. Osting said she is anxious to see how the winner of the election will handle some of the nation’s most important and devise issues like race or getting back to ‘normal’ after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My greatest anxiety for this upcoming election is empty promises,” Osting said.

Osting said all candidates make “broad

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Early voters fill out their ballots on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, at the Lexington Senior Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

promises” on how to address these important issues, but she is anxious to see which of those promises are kept.

“These promises are important to the American people as it is the foundation of why we elect these candidates to begin with,” Osting said. “I hope that whatever promises are made by each candidate are able to be kept and backed up through policy and reform.”

Despite these anxieties and concerns, all of the students interviewed expressed the importance of voting no matter the circumstances.

Woodson said her vote was not only for the future but also a way to appreciate those who have fought for her right to vote in the past.

“So many Black people before me have risked their lives for the right to vote, so I owe to them, myself and others to vote,” Woodson said.

O’Brien said people should vote not just as a direct way to use their voice, but also to show the politicians already in office what issues they care about.

“Politicians respond to votes, so voting is one way to signal your dissent or support with a politician’s actions,” O’Brien said.

Rash said he votes because it is his duty and right as an American citizen, plus it can have a lasting impact.

“The least we can do as Americans is express our rights and contribute to choosing who you believe should be elected into the highest positions,” Rash said. “I just want to encourage everyone to get out and vote because it could impact your life forever!”

Ryan said she votes for what she hopes will be a better future.

“I vote to better our country,” Ryan said. “I want a country where minorities don’t fear for their rights and are comfortable voicing their opinions and living their lives.”

Osting said she hopes college students won’t let their anxieties and worries stop them from casting their vote, no matter how they do it.

“Elections are so vitally important for us as college students because we have the potential to secure the future that we want for ourselves through voting,” Osting said.

“Candidates may change each election, but the issues remain. So, it is important that we have a voice in deciding who will best represent those wants and needs for our futures.”

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A family arrives at the Lexington Senior Center to early vote on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Monday, October 26, 2020

news Inclusivity, diversity, expansion hot topics for women in gaming and gaming at UK

By Clare Egan news@kykernel.com

Over the last few years, UK has seen an increase in student interest in gaming; as the industry itself expands and becomes more recognized as a legitimate career path, the College of Communications and Information has striven to meet the demand with new offerings.

On Thursday evening, the CI and its Committee on Diversity and Inclusion hosted a “Women in the Gaming Industry” panel in an effort to encourage women to join the male-dominated field. The panel was held on UK’s Twitch channel and currently has over 900 views on the gaming livestream platform.

“I felt it was important that women knew there are no limits and they shouldn’t let anything prevent them from doing what they are passionate about,” Nathan Stevens, panel organizer and Media Arts and Studies instructor, said of the event.

The panel was comprised of Rebecca Heineman, CEO of game development studio Olde Sküül; indie game developer Manuela Malasaña; Dr. Kishonna Gray, commu nications professor at University of Illinois-Chicago and author of “Intersectional Tech”; Lizzie Killian, founder of interactive entertainment PR firm Fiftycc; Dr. Shira Chess, entertainment and media studies professor at the University of Georgia and author of “Play Like a Feminist” and “Ready Player Two”; and Sienna Douglas, a UK student and streamer. Journalism major Gillian Stawiszynski served as the stream moderator.

Indie game developer Manuela Malasaña speaks during the “Women in the Gaming Industry” panel hosted by the College of Communication and Information on Thursday, Oct. 22, over gaming streaming platform Twitch.

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Lizzie Killian, the founder of public relations firm Fiftycc, participates in a “Women in the Gaming Industry” panel hosted by the College of Communication and Information on Thursday, Oct. 22, over gaming streaming platform Twitch.

“We were able to show viewers that no matter your talents and interests, if you are interested in video games, there is a place for you,” said Dr. Kyra Hunting, panel organizer and Media Arts and Studies professor.

“All of these women are powerful figures that have paved their own path into a male dominated industry.

Knowing that all the[ir] jobs are possible and have been established will hopefully inspire a younger generation to travel down these paths or inspire them to create their own path,” Stevens said. Visibility was a key topic of the event.

“I believe that the more we talk about the importance of video games to diverse audiences, the more we can see those conversations helping to effect change,” said Dr. Shira Chess. “Right now, we are at a moment where people are really beginning to see the potential for video games in terms of their value for building empathy, for teasing out identity, and for creating communities.”

Chess also emphasized the importance of welcoming gaming newcomers and helping them become involved within the community.

“The more non-gamers that play video games, the better they will become. Diversity is not only about who is playing, and who is making, but also about what we are playing and what we are making,” Chess said.

The panelists answered questions prepared by the event

organizers and livestream viewers.

The discussion covered a plethora of topics, including overcoming the stereotype that gaming isn’t “meant for girls” and how the industry itself can become more inclusive to female gaming professionals and feature more female characters.

“It often gets framed and constructed as spaces created by and for men. I think it’s really important that we bring women back into the conversation and always elevate the contributions of women, so folks know that we have been very central in [the] development of gaming,” Dr. Krishonna Gray said.

Manuela Malasaña said that changing the way that society views math, science and arithmetic is imperative to make the industry feel less exclusive.

“One of the biggest barriers to girls entering any of the sciences, is this perception that if they’re poor at arithmetic, they’re not capable of doing that kind of work. Which is really unfortunate, because nowadays, you know, we all carry a calculator in our pocket” Malasaña said.

The entire panel was in agreement that it is imperative that the gaming industry works together in both the AAA and indie levels to make the gaming community accessi-

See GAMING on page 12

Monday, October 26, 2020

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Monday, October 26, 2020

Dr. Kishonna Gray introduces herself during the “Women in the Gaming Industry” panel hosted by the College of Communication and Information on Thursday, Oct. 22, over gaming streaming platform Twitch. Gray, a professor at the University of Illinois, wrote “Intersectional Tech”.

GAMING CONTINUED FROM 10

ble, inclusive and diverse.

“We need to open the door for the opportunities for women and do our best to help encourage the next generations” Rebecca Heineman said.

One way to increase diversity and game participation is to extend the range beyond mainstreaming gaming.

“Indie games can appeal to completely different audiences, or traditional games can be modified to offer a wider variety of representation of characters” said Kakie Urch, associate professor in the School of Journalism and member of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.

Malasaña said that the gaming community needs to uplift the development studios that already are producing inclusive and diverse games. Without awareness and promotion of indie games, it will be nearly impossible for them to compete with mainstream gaming publishers.

Gray said that oftentimes conversations about diversity and inclusion in academic gaming programs remain in the background.

“I want to highlight the things that UK is doing in particular, to ensure that these kinds of conversations are at the forefront.

So often we see a lot of these programs that are doing things and they don’t think about marginalized folks. They don’t think about women and people of color,” Gray said.

CI has proposed a new Media Arts and Studies course taught by Dr. Hunting that will focus specifically on diversity within

12 | kentucky kernel

the gaming industry.

The MAS program has offered gaming-related courses since 2008, in areas like Video Game Design, Interactive Game Narratives and Storytelling and History of Video Games and the Industry. Dr. Erika Engstrom, director of the School of Journalism and Media, said that she is thrilled to be expanding gaming focused course offerings.

“It’s like the new frontier for addressing gender inequality and misogyny. The virtual world is reflective of the real world and there are a lot of ways that we can address real world problems through video games,” Engstrom said.

As student involvement in gaming increases in popularity, the academic value of gaming grows, which will result in a continuing expansion of new gaming courses offered at UK. In 2019 UK announced a partnership with Gen. G, a professional esports organization. Through the Gen. G foundation, the company would commit $100,000 to the university annually for the next 10 years to fund scholarships for gaming students. The partnership is another leg of UK’s Smart Campus initiative, whcih began with giving an iPad to all incoming freshmen in the fall of 2019. Significant space in the new Cornerstone building will be deciated to gaming and esports, including an “Innovation Lab”.

Stevens said that the growth of the presence of gaming on campus is thrilling to watch.

“An inclusive community will start forming to make gaming on campus into something beautiful. The future is bright, and the present start is encouraging.”

A study of emergency care involving victims of severe traumatic brain injury is to be performed in this area.

The University of Kentucky is conducting a research study to identify the best way to deliver high dose oxygen under pressure (hyperbaric oxygen) so that severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients can recover with less disability.

All patients will receive standard of care for their TBI. Because head injury is a life threatening condition requiring immediate treatment, some patients will be enrolled without consent if a family member or representative is not rapidly available. Before the study starts, we will consult with the community. We welcome your feedback and questions.

For more information or to decline participation in this study, please visit: hobittrial.org Contact study coordinator: Theresa Mims, RN, Phone (859) 218-5540 Email theresa.mims@uky.edu Study Survey: https://redcap.uky.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=JFK74ATX4N

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