Kentucky Kernel: November 10, 2022

kentuckykernel

‘Let this be a movement’

Students march after racial assault | 10

The Kentucky Kernel condemns racism, sexism and inequality in all forms. We stand with Kylah Spring and call for the University of Kentucky to take decisive, palpable steps to remedy this racial injustice.

Our campus community is only as strong as it is welcoming and inclusive to all people from all backgrounds, and the attack and assault committed on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, must be called what it is — a hateful, racist action that should not be allowed to be covered up or soon forgotten.

We must do better, UK. There is simply no other option. We owe it to ourselves, those who came before us and those who come after us to build a better, safer, more inclusive place to live, learn and work.

What a defeat of Amendment 2 means for Kentucky

By Laurel Swanz news@kykernel.com

Early Wednesday morning, the proposed amendment to declare abortion not protected by the Kentucky constitution was defeated.

The Associated Press called the race Wednesday morning after 86% of votes had been counted, with 53% of voters against the amendment and 47% in favor.

Opponents of the recently imposed abor tion bans in Kentucky will now be able to con tinue their legal fight against the restrictions.

Voting on Amendment 2 gave Kentuckians a say in whether or not abortion should be pro tected under the Kentucky Constitution. The proposed amendment states “To protect hu man life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abor tion or require the funding of abortion.”

A vote “yes” supported amending the Ken tucky Constitution to clarify that nothing with in it creates the right to an abortion.

A majority “yes” outcome would have meant those trying to secure the abortion ban in Kentucky could not be argued against using the state’s Constitution and due to the over turning of Roe v. Wade could not be argued against using the federal Constitution either.

This outcome likely would have put an end to the legal challenges seeking to overturn abortion bans.

A vote “no” opposed amending the Ken tucky Constitution, leaving abortion laws open to be challenged using the Kentucky Constitu tional rights to privacy, bodily autonomy, and self-determination.

Yes for Life ran the leading campaign for Amendment 2. They predicted a win, believ ing Kentucky to be among the most pro-life states in the nation.

Protect Kentucky Access, the opposing campaign of Amendment 2, believed the amendment was too restrictive and that cur rent laws banning abortion even in the cases of rape, incest or fetal anomalies should be combated.

The uproar of differences regarding abor tion reached a fever pitch on June 24, 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the piece of legislation that made ac cess to an abortion a federal right in America.

This decision opened the doors for states to make their own determinations regarding abortion regulation. This year saw six ballot measures addressing abortion – the most on record in a single year.

In Kentucky’s case, former Governor Matt Bevin signed a trigger law in 2019, which is a law that wasn’t enforceable upon being passed but was seeking one key factor to change. The overturning of Roe v. Wade caused that law to be immediately enacted.

Titled the “Human Life Protection Act,” House Bill 148 banned abortion unless the procedure was deemed “necessary in reason able medical judgment to prevent the death or substantial risk of death due to a physical condition, or to prevent the serious, perma nent impairment of a life-sustaining organ of a pregnant woman.”

This led to backlash from Planned Parent hood, the EMW Women’s Surgical Center and

the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU and the EMW Womens Surgical Center filed a lawsuit arguing that reproductive health care, including abortion for any reason, is a right protected by the Kentucky Consti tution due to its expressed rights to “privacy, bodily autonomy, and self-determination,” ac cording to Ballotpedia.

Additionally, the Kentucky Supreme Court found a “substantial likelihood that these laws violate the rights to privacy and self-determi nation” within the Kentucky Constitution as it currently stood in result of the ACLU lawsuit.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Mitch Perry ruled in favor of abortion rights, issuing a temporary injunction against Kentucky’s trigger law.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron contin ued to fight for the banning of abortion, claim ing, “a right to abortion is not grounded in the text and history of our state’s governing docu ment.” He appealed Perry’s order, and the case is currently pending.

Defeat of the amendment means prochoice supporters will continue to fight in the Kentucky Supreme Court for the total legaliza tion or lesser-restriction of abortion.

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On the front cover:

PHOTO BY JACK WEAVER | STAFF

Kylah Spring, the victim of physical and verbal assault while working at Boyd Hall, speaks during the March Against Racism on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF

A voter fills out a ballot with her child on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at Maxwell Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK DanceBlue organizes 5K to support Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Clinic

By Alexis Baker news@kykernel.com

UK DanceBlue hosted the Color Me Blue 5K to support children receiving treatment at the UK DanceBlue Pediatric He matology & Oncology Clinic on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m.

The event surpassed its goal of 650 participants and reached its limit of 1,000. Check-in for participants began at 1 p.m. at the South Lawn behind The 90 dining venue, where runners were given wristbands and pow der paint. There were students from all age ranges, as well as parents, children and dogs.

“I started planning this event right when I got this position, so last April. We’ve been work ing very diligently over the summer,” Grace Evans, the op erations chair for DanceBlue, said. “My committee has been a very big help. The chair team (and) the clinic staff has been such a huge support (and) my advisors.”

While waiting for the race to start, the crowds were dense, and excitement was shared among peers. Runners threw paint, groups stretched and Greek Life organizations took pictures.

“I’m going to win. I’m going to win. I’m sprinting probably the first two miles, and then I’ll keep it at a light jog for the last mile,” Jack Renaker, a freshman

biomedical engineering major and representative for fraternity Theta Chi, said.

The goal of the event, sup porting the children in the DanceBlue clinic, brought up personal reflections about one runner’s family member’s bat tle with cancer.

Katie Smith, a sophomore

marketing and management ma jorW, said that her cousin from Ohio was diagnosed with cancer at age 13 and had the disease two more times after that.

“That was shocking to our whole family. It was a really scary experience … Now she is 23 and she is finally clean of cancer … She is a really im

portant person in my life, and it was hard to watch her struggle,” Smith said. “I would like to sup port in any way I can for kids in similar situations.”

While students said the event was a fun opportunity to come together, they had a collective sense of awareness for the over arching goal of supporting the

DanceBlue clinic.

“The goal is to raise money for the DanceBlue Hematology & Oncology Clinic in Chandler Hospital to help the patients and their families with all of the expenses that occur with those types of instances,” Louis Bas er, a junior nursing major and co-captain for the event’s Col lege of Nursing’s team, said.

The attendees crowded around the start line and shortly after 2 p.m., counted down from 5, threw their paint in the air, and the race began. There was a large amount of trash left on the ground from the bags of pow dered paint, but it was quickly cleaned up by event staff.

The 5K route took the runners towards the Johnson Recreation Center, around William T. Young Library and eventually back near Lewis Hall, where organizers and supporters cheered them on from the side of the path and sprayed more paint at them.

“My favorite part was them cheering us on, just being there for us and also the color,” Mad ison Mitchell, a junior kinesi ology major, said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Finishers of the race crowded around the finish line and sup ported their fellow runners as the event came to a close. By the end, the finish line was crowded with runners laying on the ground and groups taking pictures.

TRAVIS FANNON | STAFF

Color is thrown over runners at the start of the DanceBlue Color Me Blue 5K on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS:

UK Indian Student Association celebrates Diwali

By Nate Lucas news@kykernel.com

UK’s Indian Student Asso ciation (ISA) hosted a Diwali celebration on Friday, Nov. 4, in the Gatton Student Center Ballrooms.

Diwali, known as “the festi val of lights,” is a holiday In dian and South Asian cultures across the world celebrate. The day centers around the tale of good defeating evil and invites all who celebrate to triumph in this victory.

Sharath Marashima, senior civil engineering major, is an ISA member who participated in the celebration.

“It’s filled with lights,” Marashima said. “Everyone dresses up, you see me wearing traditional Indian clothing, and Diwali’s known for fireworks in India. Everywhere you go, every street, it’s people doing fireworks and family getting together.”

Diwali is a five day celebra tion. This year it fell on the dates Oct. 22-26. The ISA held its event later due to a reservation list for the Gatton Student Center Ballrooms.

The event began with the marking of the red dot, most commonly known as a bin di. Members of the ISA came around with a lit candle, as par ticipants touched their forehead

COLMAR | STAFF

with its wax. It represents a light or blessing from God and is commonly worn during religious practices.

To begin the festivities, par ticipants sang the national an thems of India and the United States. The event featured mul tiple forms of cultural dance and song.

Most dancers used the style of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance that emphasizes worship and spiritualism. Some dance performances utilized

popular Bollywood songs for their routine.

Shrey Patel, 16, and Smit Patel, 17, are both dancers part of Bollywood Group Dance from Lexington Temple. They originally performed the dance at their Mandir, the term for a Hindu temple.

“You’re a little nervous be fore, but when you get up there it’s pretty smooth sailing,” Shrey Patel said.

Both said their mothers got them into dancing.

After the planned perfor mances, there was also the op portunity for attendees to dance with dandiya, decorative sticks used in traditional Indian danc es. Dandiyas are most com monly used in the folk style dance of garba.

Ilavezhil Iniyavan, a grad uate student studying forensic technology and analytical ge netics, serves as the graduate student representative for ISA.

“(Garba is) from the state of Gujarat, which is Western

India,” Iniyavan said. “It’s like celebrating God by dancing, which is really beautiful.”

This festival of Diwali held by the ISA marked the organi zation’s first big event since a hiatus due to COVID-19. Iniya van was a sophomore at the last Diwali celebration unaffected by COVID restrictions.

“It’s been really interesting to be a part of the planning this time. Last time I just danced,” she said. “I think it’s really touching to see people from dif ferent backgrounds in one room celebrating this holiday, what ever their reason is.”

Participants wore tradition al Indian clothing and ate au thentic Indian food catered by UK Dining and local restaurant Taste of India.

Vincent Le is a senior digital media designer at UK. Le is Viet namese, and this was his first time attending a celebration of Diwali.

“It’s like stuffing in a way,” Le said of the food. “It’s not really too unfamiliar to me.”

President of ISA and junior Naman Salvi said the event had been in the works since August and was the biggest one since COVID-19 restrictions. He said ISA aims to promote Indi an culture and is open to any one curious to learn.

“(For me) Diwali is a way to be connected with other people and grow spiritually,” Salvi said.

SAMUEL

Poonam Gupta poses for a polaroid photo at the ISA Diwali celebration on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Uni versity of Kentucky Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Anne Marie Gieske: A bright soul lost in Seoul

By Abbey Cutrer news@kykernel.com

The Holy Spirit Parish Catholic Newman Center mourned a light in its community after the death of UK stu dent and Newman Center member Anne Marie Gieske.

Gieske, a third year nursing major at UK, started her study abroad program in August 2022. She celebrated her 20th birthday by the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. Just a day after blowing out her candles, she died in a deadly crowd surge.

The Newman Center, located on UK’s campus, hosted a prayer service and memorial Mass Thursday, Nov. 3, with a turnout of around 120 people, ac cording to Newman Center staff mem bers.

As members of the campus com munity gathered to pray and reflect on Gieske’s life, many referenced the light she was in their lives.

“We (the Newman Center) have this really heavy air and really heavy hearts, but then there’s the other side; there’s no doubt in our mind that she’s with the Lord,” Leah Tepe, a friend of Gieske and campus ministry coordinator at the Center, said.

The Mass started after guests had the opportunity to pin photos of Gieske on a memorial wall.

Following several gospel readings, Rev. Ben Horn delivered a homily and a short message about Gieske.

“Anne Marie was different; she wasn’t like just anyone else. Maybe you

only knew her for a few moments, but if you look, you too will see it. You’ll find that light she had. Did you first notice her quiet humility or her profound kind ness?” Horn asked the crowd.

Additionally, Gieske’s discipleship leader, Kelly Steichen, shared stories of Gieske’s faith and hopes in life. Ste ichen said Gieske’s dream was to be a mother.

“Anne’s faith was a faith with the simplicity and the joy of a child, with the greatest desire to be (a) mother,” Steichen said.

Steichen said Gieske spoke about this dream frequently. She said humans were not created to grieve, and the Newman Center is doing its best to grasp some thing that cannot be understood.

“Her dream was almost too big for this world,” Steichen said.

Horn concluded his homily with a word of encouragement to the church.

“All of us know that Anne Marie is a testament that this life is worth living. Wherever the ups and downs of Anne Marie, whatever struggles she had, her life was a life of hope, so I will not say ‘Do not weep,’ for not all tears are evil,” Horn said. “Let your tears be filled with that same hope that made Anne Marie all she was and all she is.”

The Lord’s Prayer followed the hom ily, with the breaking of bread after. During Communion, the hymn “Ave Maria” played, which is often used as a meditative hymn.

Other family, friends and mentors shared their thoughts about Gieske’s death.

ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF

A photo of Anne Marie Gieske rests with flowers under the Mary statue on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, at the Catholic Newman Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

“What I can tell you is that Anne was a loving light that was extinguished far too soon,” Samantha Gieske, her aunt, said.

Anne Marie Gieske’s former high school band director at Beechwood High School, Austin Bralley, posted his condolences on Instagram.

“She lit up the room. She was magnetic, you know, everyone loved to be around her,”

Bralley said.

Gieske’s mother, Madonna Gieske, post ed on Facebook about her daughter’s death, saying “this is not the end.”

“Jesus brought my baby daughter Anne Marie to his side on Oct 29, 2022. Please pray for our family. Because of the love of Jesus, while we are devastated, we are not destroyed,” Madonna Gieske said.

ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF

ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF

Stephanie Shipley writes a note for a spiritual bouquet at Anne Marie Gieske’s memorial Mass.

ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF Friends and family mourn the loss of Anne Marie Gieske.

Rev. Ben Horn speaks at Anne Marie Gieske’s memorial Mass.

What students should know about monkeypox

By Paul Schlowak news@kykernel.com

After life began to feel like the pre-Covid era, cases of “monkeypox disease” were de tected in the United Kingdom in May 2022.

Within two months, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.”

“Monkeypox has been around for a long time and actually there’s sporadic cases of it reported in certain countries in Africa,” UK College of Pharmacy professor Frank Romanelli said. “But the current outbreak popped up in the United States in the summer of 2022, so it was linked to some gay pride events in Europe.”

Since then, there have been thousands of monkeypox cases in the US. The virus spreads when an infected person is in close contact with another person.

One or two weeks after being exposed to the virus, infected people get a rash as well as a lesion that may be agitating and pain ful. After two to four weeks, the rash usually crusts and falls off, according to Romanelli.

“Unless you’ve got some kind of immune suppression … it’s just an extremely painful rash,” Romanelli said.

With a death rate of 1-3%, the virus is considered more lethal than the COVID-19 virus.

Much of the outbreak spread occurred during a gay pride event in Europe since people were in a crowded space and had close body contact and sex even though “it (the virus) is not per se a sexually transmitted infection.”, Professor Romanelli explained.

Besides body contact, the virus can also spread via beddings since people roll around it on their bare skin.

Like almost any virus, the strategy to lim

from CDC | ALLIE HALL

it the virus’s threat is to control the spread and protect vulnerable groups. Eventually, a non-replicating viral vaccine was developed against monkeypox, which requires two shots.

“It (the vaccine) is a virus that has been treated with chemicals to make it non vari ant, so it can’t cause the disease but it looks like the disease, so it essentially stimulates your immune system to develop immunity to

monkeypox,” Romanelli said.

UK’s University Health Service offered two walk-up clinic dates on Oct. 4 and Nov. 1 where students could receive the monkey pox vaccine for free.

“We probably did about 60 injections in total between the two days,” Romanelli said.

According to Romanelli, additional walkin clinic dates are not planned. According to him, the spread has most likely already peak

ed in the U.S., and some of the most vulnera ble groups, like people with risky behavior or immune suppression, are already vaccinated.

He recommends that it is important that all people, not only those with immune sup pression, should get vaccinated.

“If you’re completely healthy, you should probably still get vaccinated if you consider your behavior to potentially put you at risk,” Romanelli said.

Information

What is known about the case of assault on UK’s campus

By Rayleigh Deaton news@kykernel.com

UK student worker and fresh man Kylah Spring was subjected to physical and verbal assault while working a night shift as a desk clerk in UK’s Boyd Hall res idence hall.

The former student charged with the crime, 22-year-old So phia Rosing, is facing criminal charges of assault and intoxica tion in a public place.

Here is what is currently known:

Sunday, Nov. 6

According to a video Spring shared on social media, Rosing arrived at Boyd Hall around 1 or 1:15 a.m. Sunday. However, be cause Rosing “did not look like a resident,” Spring did not open the door.

Spring said when Rosing came into the lobby, she was stumbling and began talking to the elevator, appearing intoxicated.

“It is a part of our job (as desk clerk) that if we see a student that’s, like, very drunk, we are to call an RA to … write up a re port,” Spring said.

The video Spring posted showed Rosing resisting Spring and another student’s attempts to sit her down, as well as repeated ly calling the students and a UK police officer racial slurs and hit

ting them.

Rosing was arrested and booked around 3 a.m. Sunday, charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place – 1st and 2nd offenses; assault 3rd degree – po lice officer or prob officer; assault 4th degree (no visible injury) and disorderly conduct, 2nd degree.

According to her arrest ci tation, Rosing bit the arresting officer and said she has “lots of money” and gets “special treat ment” while continuing to say racial slurs. Because she had no identification on her at the time of arrest, she was referred to as “Jane Doe” on the citation.

Later that day, UK posted a statement on Instagram, saying the university is conducting “an immediate review,” calling the incident “disturbing.”

Rosing had an ambassador position with Dillard’s and Col lege Fashionista; on Monday afternoon, both companies re leased statements condemning her actions and saying her affil iation with the brands was ter minated.

Monday, Nov. 7

While being held in the Fay ette County Detention Center, Rosing appeared in court Monday via video conference for her ar raignment hearing during which she entered a not guilty plea.

That afternoon, she was re

leased on fair cash bond, set at $10,000. Rosing’s bond is conditional on her having no contact with the victim or Boyd Hall and no use of alcohol. She will appear in court again on Nov. 15 for her preliminary hearing.

UK released a statement Monday from the Office of Stu dent Conduct, saying the uni versity had begun a disciplinary review process. Various campus and community organizations also released statements con demning the incident and call ing for UK administrators to expel Rosing.

A statement from UK’s chap ter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called the in cident an “attack” with “hate speech” and called for UK to “hold the perpetrator accountable to the highest extent in accor dance with the University Code of Conduct.”

At 6 p.m. Monday, students and campus community members gathered at William T. Young Li brary for a March Against Rac ism, during which Spring spoke to demonstrators.

“I was physically, verbally and racially assaulted by Jane Doe A.K.A. Sophia Rosing, a 22-year-old student here at the University of Kentucky,” Spring

said. “To my Black UK commu nity, I see you, I feel you, and I stand with you.”

On Monday, a GoFundMe was set up to raise money for Spring.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

According to reporting from LEX 18 on Tuesday, Rosing’s attorney, Fred Peters, said she is “apologetic, humiliated, and withdrawing from UK.”

Wednesday, Nov. 9

On Wednesday afternoon, UK president Eli Capilouto sent a campus-wide email saying Ros

ing is no longer a student at UK, as she was suspended on an in terim basis hours after Sunday’s incident.

Additionally, Capilouto said she is permanently banned from campus and is ineligible to re-en roll, calling her actions “disgust ing and devastating to our com munity.”

He said investigations will continue through the Office of In stitutional Equity and Equal Op portunity in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAYETTE COUNTY JAIL Sophia Rosing

‘Let this be a movement.’

ABBEY CUTRER |STAFF

By Alexis Baker news@kykernel.com

Protesters gathered outside William T. Young Library Thursday evening to march in solidarity with Kylah Spring, a freshman UK student who was a victim of racial violence on UK’s campus.

The event was organized by Phillip Foster, UK’s chapter president of Phi Beta Sigma, along with help from Vice President Troy Rawlins Jr.

“This is really huge, and hopefully the university will take note,” Foster said.

Protesters were conversing about the incident with their peers, some of whom held posters with messages in support of Spring.

“This is Kentucky, (so) you see racist events happen all the time, but growing up in Lexington it’s just so disappoint ing to see something like this happen on our campus,” Joy Ntakarutimana, a freshman biology major, said.

The protesters chanted “no justice, no peace,” “Black Lives Matter” and “protect Black women” as they walked from William T. Young Library to the Bowman statue, a monument on the

north side of campus.

Upon arrival at the statue, organizers of the event spoke out about the rac ism that people of color face on UK’s campus and the injustice Spring expe rienced.

“It’s disheartening. It’s hard when you’re constantly seeing the same thing and nothing is being done about it,” Rawlins Jr. said. “We have to get out, we have to advocate for our community … no student should ever have to face something like that on campus.”

Spring attended the protest alongside friends and family and spoke out about

the incident she experienced Sunday morning.

“I was physically, verbally and ra cially assaulted by Jane Doe A.K.A. So phia Rosing, a 22-year-old student here at the University of Kentucky,” Spring said. “To my black UK community, I see you, I feel you, and I stand with you.”

To conclude her statement, Spring gave words of advice and referenced Michelle Obama’s quote, “When they go low, we go high.”

She repeated the statement three times, each louder than the last as the crowd joined in.

Kylah Spring speaks at the March Against Racism on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Peaceful protest conducted for victim of racial violence on campus

Spring’s mother, Betsy Spring, also spoke out at the event, where she shared her thoughts and feelings in regard to her daughter’s incident as well as the future of the campus.

“Let the end of the story be the end of the story, and let’s turn a new page and write a new story,” Betsy Spring said. “We’re grateful for you, but we charge you to not just let this be a moment, let this be a movement.”

Attendees of the event were also giv en the opportunity to speak out about their opinions on how the university is handling Spring’s incident and other personal instances of racism.

The organizers then held a mo ment of meditation to promote further thought about solutions to racist behav ior on campus. Protestors were encour aged to submit their ideas to the Martin Luther King Center in the UK Gatton Student Center.

The event concluded with an option al prayer.

ABBEY CUTRER |STAFF

Betsy Spring, Kylah Spring and Kansas Perry stand hand in hand at the March Against Racism.

JACK WEAVER |STAFF

A demonstrator holds a phone up while Kylah Spring speaks during the March Against Racism.

JACK WEAVER |STAFF

A demonstrator speaks during the March Against Racism.

features For PEACE and PROTECTION :

UK’s Kempo Club teaches important lessons in self-defense

By Olivia Walton features@kykernel.com

Walk past the small room that sits under the weight lifting floor of Alumni Gym on a Monday evening, and one might see a group of students kicking, rolling and throwing each other all over the blue and black mats.

There is no need to be alarmed — after every move is completed and after all punches have been thrown, sparring partners bow to each other, and their meet ing adjourns with a series of hugs.

The UK Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Martial Arts Club, otherwise known as UK Kempo Club or UK Self-De fense Club, was originally founded in 1993 by Matt Dolan and John Curtis, two students interested in learn ing self-defense.

Chip Sebastian was a student at the time of the club’s invention. He had been training in martial arts for about nine years when the club formed. Sebastian took over after Dolan and Curtis graduated in 1997, giving instruction and pre siding over meetings un til 2001. The club was run by multiple students un til 2008, when it stopped existing altogether.

That was until last Octo ber, when Sebastian decided to reach out to the universi ty and attempt to start club meetings again. He said he wanted to create a space for

students that was dedicated to self-defense instruction after noticing a rise in crime in Lexington. Unfortunately, his observa tion is not mere speculation.

According to city crime data published by the Lex ington Police Department, there has been an increase in reports of forcible rape and aggravated assault since

2020. For instance, in the data published in 2022 thus far, there have been 381 reports of aggravated assault. That is 30 more cases of aggravated

OLIVIA WALTON | STAFF

Instructor Chip Sebastian smiles with members of the UK Self-Defense Club on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, at the University of Kentucky Alumni Gym in Lexington, Kentucky.

assault than the total num ber recorded at the end of last year.

Sebastian is determined to teach students, espe cially those more likely to be attacked, the skills and techniques necessary to protect themselves in dangerous situations.

room at Alumni Gym in the Gatton Student Cen ter. A typical club meeting starts with warm-up exer cises and casual conversa tion. The group then transi tions into instruction time, which is when Sebastian introduces the new skill for the week.

train

that

violence happens

Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei is a self-defense sys tem founded in Frankfort, Kentucky, by grandmaster William Durbin. According to the organization’s web site, this system is based on 10 principles and their re spective physical martial arts movements, as well as a phi losophy of peace, patience and nonviolence.

Training in the way of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei is not meant to en courage aggression but rather prepare students for whatever situation they may encounter.

The UK Kempo Club meets from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednes days in the multipurpose

Students in the UK Kem po Club begin by learning basic movements, includ ing throws, chokes, kicks and rolls.

For club president and sophomore Ashley Powers, a hospitality management and tourism major, master ing these seemingly simple movements gave her a sense of confidence.

She said that she feels secure in her abili ty to protect herself at all times because of the tech niques she has learned from being a member of the club.

“I walked yesterday at 2:30 in the morning, com pletely around campus, not worrying about my safety

WALTON | STAFF

one bit,” she said. “I’ve only been doing it for six months now, but I had no doubt in myself that I can handle it.”

Powers was first interest ed in self-defense as a way to cope with depression that occurred after she was sex ually assaulted. She decided to try Kempo Club in Febru ary 2022, and she officially joined in March 2022.

She believes self-defense is something every col

lege-aged female needs to learn. And for anyone want ing to join the Kempo Club, she highly suggests trying it more than once.

“If you’re wanting to learn self-defense, if you’re wanting to expand your workout routine, come in at least three times,” she said.

“It took me that third time knowing that I really wanted to do it.”

Sebastian hopes to make

all students welcome in his classes by maintaining a welcoming atmosphere.

“I keep a very lightheart ed class,” he said.

Like Powers, he also stressed that anyone inter ested in the club should start by just attending a meeting without expecting any pres sure to join.

“Come in and try it. There isn’t any commitment,” Sebastian said.

OLIVIA

The president of the UK Self-Defense Club, Ashley Powers (right), spars with Club Safety Officer Andrew Stevens on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, at the University of Kentucky Alumni Gym in Lexington, Kentucky.

“We

so

if

to us, we can do something and stop the violence.”

Injustice must inspire ac tion

By Karrington Aliyah opinions@kykernel.com

On Nov. 7, hours after So phia Rosing assaulted and ver bally attacked Kylah Spring, UK students marched on campus in support of her, chanting the phrase “Protect Black Women” and carrying posters with various slogans describing the shared outrage many in the UK com munity have felt in the aftermath of this horrific act of hate.

However, when it comes to the phrase “Protect Black Wom en,” how are we protected in a society that berates, criticizes and looks at us as angry, dra matic and as the enemy in many ways? Even moreso, how are we protected in a country with a history of not showing up for Black women in the past? The answer to this question lies in the complicated nature of the incident that took place this past Sunday.

Black women know that no one will protect us but our selves. There are so many ways in which the incident on Sun day could have played out. And Spring acted amazingly under the threat of violence, racism and under the eyes of those who were watching the incident un fold. Her Black female coun terparts who were also in atten dance handled themselves with dignity and restraint, even when they did not have to.

It is hard to not retaliate when someone is standing in front of you and attacking ev

erything you stand for and ev erything your identity encapsu lates. If Spring had retaliated, the outcome of the situation would have been entirely differ ent. Our white counterparts do not have to consider the impact of their actions on the rest of their lives or the lives of those around them.

These are things that Black women must consider: the outcomes of our actions, even in situations where our livelihoods and identities are being threatened.

We routinely must advocate for our needs and voices to be met and heard and in many instances instead of listening to our strug gles we are cast aside, labeled as Black and angry and our needs aren’t met.

In regard to Kylah Spring and her voice being heard, on Nov. 7, Spring was given the platform, the love and the sur rounding community of Black girlhood: her mother, her sister, and her friends and family to back her voice. And this is not to exclude the Black men in attendance who too stood with Spring in support, love and en couragement. But the struggles that Black women face in the movement toward equity and equality, have routinely been outshined by the men who are seen as the face of this fight.

Aside from Spring’s pow erful speech and unapologetic way in which she talked about the incident and the accountabil ity Rosing will be destined to

ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF

face, I couldn’t help but hone in on Spring’s tears as she spoke. They were silent but noticeable and a reminder that Spring is a freshman, in her first year of college. She is a young Black woman who had a horrible inci dent with a fellow student, and it will forever stick with her.

But Spring is more than what happened to her. I am always in awe and admiration of that power Black women hold to let things roll off our back and continue with our day. However, in this in stance, Spring let the incident roll off her back and into the palm of her hands, where she took con trol to the best of her ability and handled the incident on Sunday with grace. And by standing in front of the public, addressing the incident for herself and her peers,

I think she was able to take back her power and let the world know that despite this incident she will not let it define her, follow her or stop her from continuing to live her life. As Spring said at the end of her speech, “When they go low, we go high. Continue to address this situation with grace and humility.”

Don’t let this story die out. This is about more than Rosing being banned from the UK cam pus like she was on Wednesday; this is about more than the inci dent on Sunday. It’s about the fact that our campus has creat ed a place in which racists are complicit and comfortable to spew hatred. Drunk or not, Ros ing always had these thoughts deep down and felt perfectly comfortable spreading her hate

speech around the UK campus on that Sunday night.

Rosing wasn’t thinking of the consequences of her actions that night because she probably felt as though she would face none. And although UK has officially banned Rosing from campus and prohibited her en rollment for next school year, if there was no video evidence of this incident would the outcome have been the same?

And even then, the uni versity administration let her make the decision to withdraw first instead – which in the end doesn’t seem like much of a punishment. I wish her ex pulsion was immediate, but it seems as though racist remarks are not grounds for that at this university.

Betsy Spring, Kylah Spring and Kansas Perry (left to right) stand with flowers at the March Against Racism on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

By Quézia Arruda Cunha opinions@kykernel.com

Vacuum. Echo. Empty. Hollow. Words that reso nate in harmony with the silence. How to hear the unheard-of? How to give voice to the silent? These are the questions that made me delve into the pow er, negative and positive, of silence.

The power of silencing voices can be both positive and negative. The truth is that everything depends on the deep cause of such an act.

There are many mo ments when I want to hear nothingness. Listening to the silence, as paradoxical as it sounds, I give space for my anxious thoughts to rest before completely dominating me.

Being silent is much more than not making a sound. In fact, producing si lence is listening to yourself with peace.

However, when the cause of silencing someone is motivated by the fear of exposing their voice and the constant anxiety of not being accepted, it can be said that this phenomenon has a significantly nega tive and harmful nature for the individual.

Social media, for exam ple, represents a fertile sce nario for the development of this constant fear of re jection, since, behind a ma chine, people lose their hu

The beauty and danger of silence

man sensitivity and start to label other people as right and wrong. As frightening as this may seem, this is not just a current reality.

In 1974, social psychol ogist Elisabeth Noelle-Neu mann introduced the con cept known as the “Spiral of Silence” to the academic literature. In short, this the ory was based on the fact that individuals, especial ly within a media context, tend to follow popular opin ion just so that they can be included in an acceptable

group. Those, however, who do not agree with the positioning of the mass are excluded, whether inside or outside the media, com ing to be seen as inadequate and despicable.

Fear as a cause of silence for many is also configured in a more profound way regarding certain social groups, such as minorities and people in situations of extreme vulnerability. Women, for example, es tablish themselves in this sphere of silencing for

much of their history, wher ever it may be.

Just the fact of late voting power and politi cal participation, whether in developed countries or not, already represents the great stifling of the voices of those who were and still are seen as mere objects of pleasure, which at any mo ment can be discarded as garbage and worthless.

Unfortunately, the si lencing of these voices leads to sequels of deep scars that take time to heal. The

silence of minority voices induces constant repression and denial. An example that makes this even clearer is present in the movie “Luck iest Girl Alive” (2022) sponsored by Netflix.

This film tells the sto ry of TifAni: a highly suc cessful woman who works as an editor for a New York women’s magazine. Her life seems to be flowing accord ing to the calculations of Ani, the name she prefers to be called, until Aaron Wickersham, director of a documentary about school shootings, destroys her en tire programmed life by calling her to talk about her past at school in which there was a massacre. As a schol arship student at an elite school, flashbacks to her high school trajectory reveal crucial scenes to clarify her great fear of vocalizing her story. TifAni was raped in her first sexual relationship. The scene had no dialogue. The scene just screamed, in its silence, the pain of not being heard, even after say ing “no” to the act.

In fact, oftentimes, as exemplified by “Luckiest Girl Alive,” it’s painful to be silent for too long. It’s painful to just hear the screams of your past self. Silence heals tumultuous minds, but it also silences oppressed voices.

Vacuum. Echo. Emp ty. Hollow. Are these the words that harmonize with your silence?

ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE HALL

Elon Musk’s Twitter could become marketplace of harmful ideas

I’m sure by now we’ve all heard the news. Everyone’s favorite app for sharing intrusive thoughts, contro versial opinions and funny jokes has been bought by a more controversial figure, Elon Musk. Though this de cision seems inconsequen tial, it has big implications on the ways in which people interact with one another on the app, which could lead to big problems.

Elon Musk currently holds the title of “world’s richest man,” which is both impressive and scary. By scary, I mean with that much money comes pow er, which is not necessari ly something someone like Musk should have.

By Jennifer Sadler opinions@kykernel.com ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE HALL

Musk joined Twitter in 2010, and he had a vast ly different presence on the platform than he does now. From tweeting about his meals or a funny joke, Musk’s tweets did not stand out. He also didn’t have the cult-like following he has today. In 2010, Tesla wasn’t very well known or successful – at that point, Musk was just a smart guy trying to make a name for himself.

Now, Musk has a net worth of $223.2 billion and over 100 million dedicated

followers on Twitter. And though he is undoubtedly successful, he hasn’t been the best at avoiding conflict. He came under fire in 2020 over statements concerning COVID-19, saying that indi viduals concerned about the virus were “dumb.” He has also faced criticism regard ing sexist statements and jokes, often pointed at spe cific female figures in the public eye.

His recent drive to buy and run Twitter has con troversial roots as well. Musk disagreed with the company’s decision to ban individuals such as former president Donald Trump, in fear of the platform being a “digital town square” that restricts free speech. Though I am no advocate of the restriction of free speech, I do believe that there should be social con

sequences to hateful speech from people with social and/ or political platforms with large followings and social media platforms. Twitter’s decision to ban certain indi viduals stems from predict able and seemingly uncon trollable streams of harmful rhetoric that don’t reflect the company’s values rather than a way to prevent free speech.

One key example of this is the banning of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from the platform. After the Sandy Hook school shooting took the lives of 20 children and six teachers in 2012, Jones began to spread lies regard ing the tragedy, convincing his followers that the event was a conspiracy concocted by leftists in order to obtain gun control legislation. As a result, Jones’ supporters ha rassed the families and put them in danger. Multiple parents of victims filed law suits against Jones, which resulted in him paying near ly $1 billion in defamation charges.

Though the victims of Jones’s rhetoric got some justice, Jones still continues to spread misinformation about Sandy Hook and oth er events and phenomena, making him a potentially dangerous figure. Many other problematic figures in the media do this same

thing, making it even more important for them to be held responsible for their speech and actions.

For me, this is the most troubling aspect of Musk’s control over Twitter. It changes the power dynam ic from many individuals out of the public eye to one, extremely powerful person very much in the realm of popular culture and mod ern media. Having a person to “monitor” over harmful posts and speech who is a potential friend, ally or ac quaintance with other po tential perpetrators could be extremely dangerous and leave marginalized groups or downtrodden individuals damaged by the wrath of hate speech with little-to-no consequences.

Musk recently sealed the deal with Twitter for the price of $44 billion, and it is likely that he will allow previously banned accounts to rejoin the Twitter realm. Though Musk likely won’t do much to prevent hate speech on his platform, it’s important to think critically about socially, politically and economically power ful individuals and what they post. Holding the most powerful sector of the pop ulation accountable for their actions might be the only way to protect the people who need protection most.

Wildcats hope to sink Commodores

By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com

Kentucky football (6-3) looks to defeat Vanderbilt as it begins the final home stretch of the season.

The season thus far has not quite lived up to the ex pectations placed upon the program leading into the sea son, with narrow wins and a pair of losses many fans feel should have been wins.

That said, an 8-4, or even 9-3, season is still attainable for Kentucky and with that, a solid bowl game appear ance to continue the Wildcats’ streak of four straight bowl game wins.

That all starts this Satur day with Vanderbilt, a team that UK fans are not looking very closely at and haven’t been all season long.

Since the first year un der current head coach Mark Stoops, when Vanderbilt de feated the Cats 40-0, Ken tucky has won seven of the last nine matchups, including the last six consecutively.

With the win streak, Van derbilt is one of the few cur rent SEC teams that the Wild cats boast a winning record against, leading the all-time series 48-42 with four ties.

Last year’s matchup saw the Wildcats travel to Nash ville and win 34-17, snapping a three game losing streak in the process. Kentucky would then go on to win out to fin ish the season, including a win in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl over Iowa.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

The Commodores were far from where they would have liked to have been last year, finishing the year 2-10 without a single SEC win, and even suffered a loss to an FCS opponent in East Tennessee State.

This year looks to be more of the same for Van dy, defeating its FCS oppo nent but currently standing at 0-5 in conference play and 3-6 on the season as a whole.

The Commodores are led on offense by freshman quar terback AJ Swann, who has thrown 1,195 passing yards this season for 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions, with the interception total putting him tied for seventh

across all FBS quarterbacks for the metric.

On the ground, the Com modores are led by senior running back Ray Davis, who boasts 731 rushing yards for four touchdowns this season.

Beyond just Davis, the Commodores also have two other rushers – backup quar terback Mike Wright and run ning back Chase Gillespie, who have over 100 rushing yards this season.

As a whole the Commo dores average 26.7 points per game, though this figure drops to 14.4 against confer ence opponents including two games, against then No. 2 Al abama and then No. 1 Geor gia, where Vanderbilt was not even able to score five points.

On the defensive side of the ball the Commodores have allowed 36.7 points per game, but when factored for just conference play have al lowed 43.4 points per game.

The lack of a strong de fense favors the Wildcats who, for a variety of rea sons, have struggled offen sively this season despite boasting likely first round NFL Draft pick Will Levis at quarterback.

Kentucky’s offense con tinued to perform below the standard expected of them last weekend in Missouri, only scoring 21 points with a seven-point first half.

Despite that, Kentucky’s defense, which has held strong for the most part this

season, poses a serious threat to a Vanderbilt offense that, similar to Kentucky, has struggled this season.

The Commodores en ter the matchup in Lex ington off the back of a 38-27 loss at home against South Carolina.

That said, Vanderbilt faced off against Missou ri just one week prior in a matchup that resembled the one the Tigers just complet ed with UK, though Miz zou came out on top 17-14 over Vandy.

All in all, it would be hyperbolic to suggest that Vanderbilt was a 50-50 shot of beating Kentucky, even if anything is possible in the world of college football.

The real threat for the Wildcats comes in the trap-game potential the matchup holds.

The Vanderbilt game comes just one week be fore Kentucky’s match up against the likely SEC East winners and reigning national champions in the Georgia Bulldogs.

If Kentucky looks beyond Vandy in favor of UGA then the Commodores may be able to steal their first SEC win of the season, especially consid ering they have lost by just one score in each of their last three games at Kroger Field.

Kentucky and Vander bilt are currently sched uled to kick off at noon EST on Saturday, Nov. 12, with the game airing live on the SEC Network.

Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dane Key (6) and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (24) celebrate during the Kentucky vs. Missouri football game on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

Wildcats look for tone-setting win in Champions Classic

By Samantha Money sports@kykernel.com

The annual Champions Classic is just around the corner with No. 4 Kentucky basketball set to take on the Michigan State Spartans.

Played inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, the event will also feature No. 7 Duke taking on No. 5 Kansas, with the four teams cycling opponents every year.

The Champions Classic typically occurs on the open ing day of the season for each of the four teams, but the date had to be pushed back this year due to Election Day tak ing place on Nov. 8, mean ing all four teams will have begun play prior to meeting in Indy.

Duke currently sits atop the Champions Classic lea derboard, winning seven out of its 11 matchups over the years, including three over the Wildcats, most recently last season.

Kansas follows close be hind with six wins, Kentucky places third with five, and Michigan State is last with four wins.

Part of the excitement the Champions Classic brings every season is that the games could be a toss-up ev ery year with all teams just

beginning to find their re spective rhythms on the court so early on in the season.

Each team also represents a different conference and often a potential favorite to win their respective confer ences, so the opportunity to play each other does not come often.

Diving deeper into the Kentucky-Michigan State game, it will be the fourth time that the two will face off in the Classic since its incep tion in 2011.

The last matchup between the Cats and Spartans came in 2019 when Kentucky triumphed over Michigan State 69-62 on the back of a 26-point performance by cur rent Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.

This year, Kentucky is the higher ranked of the two, sitting at No. 4 in the presea son AP Poll. Meanwhile, the Spartans do not find a num ber next to their name.

Each team’s season open ers were successful show ings, with Kentucky de feating Howard 95-63 and Michigan State overcoming Northern Arizona 73-55.

That said, Kentucky’s starting lineup runs the risk of missing two of its stars in the forms of Oscar Tshieb we and Sahvir Wheeler, both of whom missed the season

opener with leg injuries. Currently, it is unclear whether or not the duo will be taking the court against the Spartans.

For Michigan State, play ers to look out for this season are junior AJ Hoggard and graduate student Joey Haus er, both of whom have no shortage of hype surrounding them early on in the year.

In MSU’s game against the Lumberjacks, Hauser racked up 18 points, showing he could potentially be dan gerous from beyond the arc.

Hoggard, who led the Big Ten in assists last season, is also seen as a significant ga mechanger on the court and, as a returner, has experience under his belt.

The Wildcats, despite the

potential absence of Wheel er and Tschiebwe, will still have a stacked bench with around nine players who could play consistent minutes this season, 11 including the injured starters.

Both Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick led the Cats in scoring against Howard and were complimented by freshman Cason Wallace, who

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF FILE PHOTO

Kentucky Wildcats guard Sahvir Wheeler (2) gets fouled in the air during the Kentucky vs. Saint Peter’s mens basketball game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 17, 2022, at Gain bridge Arena in Indianapolis.

finished the game just a single assist and two bas kets away from achieving a triple double during the season opener.

Wallace impressed both his teammates and head coach John Calipari with his character and work ethic thus far into the season with Calipari comparing him to former Wildcats such as Denver Nuggets guard Ja mal Murray and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Cats are complete ly capable of easily putting up more points in the paint against the Spartans, even without Tshiebwe, but last time Kentucky took a trip to Indianapolis, things didn’t quite go their way.

The matchup with Mich igan State will take place on the same court where the Saint Peter’s Pea cocks stunned the Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March of this year, with a fair amount of Kentucky’s current roster having played in that game.

The Spartans also have an advantage in the sense that they play a ranked team earlier when they take on No. 2 Gonzaga on Friday, Nov. 11, while Kentucky meets Duquesne that same day, meaning MSU will be its first real test.

The Champions Classic will tip off inside Gain bridge Fieldhouse on Tues day, Nov. 15, with the Cats and Spartans set to face off at 7 p.m. EST. The game will also air live on ESPN.

Kentucky mens soccer seeks 2nd straight conference title

By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com

Kentucky mens soccer de feated West Virginia 3-0 on Wednesday, advancing to the Sun Belt Conference champi onship match in the process.

With the win, Kentucky is set to host James Madison on Sunday, with a chance to secure a second-consecu tive conference title, having won the Conference USA Championship last sea son, and enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated.

The Wildcats have enjoyed a record-breaking season, working their way up to No. 2 in the United Soccer Coach’s poll and having been No. 1 in RPI at multiple points during the season.

The Cats are also project ed as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, meaning UK would host all of its post season matches up until the Mens College Cup, which is set to be played in Cary, North Carolina, among the final four remaining teams.

The impressive season shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to long-time fans of the program though, with many of Kentucky’s star players, including team captains Robert Screen and Luis Grassow, Danny Evans, Eythor Bjorgolfsson and Nick

ISABEL MCSWAIN | STAFF

Gutmann, being either seniors or older.

Last season’s team had similar success, not suffer ing its first loss until the first-before-last match of the regular season.

The team then went on to win the Conference USA championship, defeating its opponents by a combined score of 8-2.

The Wildcats then blanked Santa Clara in the second round of the NCAA Tourna ment, earning a first round

bye, before falling 2-1 in the final minutes on the road against eventual national champions Clemson.

Now just under a year lat er, the team has surpassed its regular season goals, com pleting the first ever undefeat ed regular season in Kentucky history, and has a chance to claim a second-straight conference title.

With a sturdy backline of defense and top level goal scorers it’s not impossible that the Wildcats will bring

home another trophy to Lex ington, though the team is not just setting its sights on the Sun Belt.

Both players and coach Jo han Cedergren alike have said that, while the team wants to take the season one game at a time, they all know what the ultimate end goal is: win the national championship.

Whether or not the team succeeds or not is to be seen, but a trophy will be on the line this Sunday, and Kentucky has a good chance to win it.

The Wildcats celebrate after scoring a goal during the No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 South Carolina soccer match in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky.

Across the (By)Line: Vanderbilt Commodores

The “Across the (By)Line” series gives Kentucky football fans an in-depth look at their opponent for this week — from the mind of the opposing school’s sports editor.

This week: The Vanderbilt Hustler, Lucas Rollfinke, Vanderbilt

By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com

Do you think Kentucky might be overlooking Vanderbilt too much going into this matchup? Do you see trap game potential?

Yes, but understandably so. Vanderbilt hasn’t won a con ference game in two years and has only come close on a hand ful of occasions so it makes sense why Kentucky, who fac es Georgia the following week, might be looking past them. That being said, I could see this becoming a trap game, es pecially if Kentucky’s offense gets out to a slow start. With Mike Wright under center, the Commodore offense is built to play with a lead. While Wright doesn’t possess the arm talent of AJ Swann (who will miss the game with an injury), he

and running back Ray Davis are a deadly tandem out of the backfield that can cause prob lems for even the best SEC defenses. If the Commodores commit to the ground game and sustain long drives, Ken tucky could easily find them selves in a one-score game late in the fourth quarter.

It feels like Vandy’s games at Kroger Field are always close, often even closer than in Nashville. Why do you think that is?

A lot of it has stemmed from game scripts. In recent years, Kentucky has relied heavily on the running game when taking on Vanderbilt. This keeps the clock moving and the games relatively low scoring, allow ing the Commodores to stay within one or two possessions. I also think Vanderbilt is com

JACK WEAVER | STAFF

fortable playing on the road because the culture surround ing their home games isn’t quite at the same level as most other SEC programs. Over the past few years, it has become common for opposing fan bas es to take over the stadium, forcing the Commodores to become accustomed to playing in environments similar to the one they will encounter at Kro ger Field. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues under Clark Lea, as this will be his first trip to Lexington as Vanderbilt’s head coach.

How do you see Vanderbilt’s defense holding up against Kentucky’s offense?

Not well. Vanderbilt’s de

fense has underperformed all season, especially in confer ence play, allowing 43.4 points per game to SEC opponents. The primary problem has been an inability to eliminate big plays, something Kentucky should be able to take advan tage of given the arm talent of Will Levis. I would be sur prised if the Wildcats don’t connect on at least one touch down pass of 50+ yards. That being said, the one area I could see the Commodore defense having success in is forcing turnovers. Kentucky has turned the ball over two or more times in four of their last five games and Vanderbilt is among the nation’s top teams in forcing and recovering fumbles. If they

can find a way to force a few turnovers this weekend, the defense could keep the game within reach.

Vegas currently has Ken tucky -18; do you think that’s fair? What do you think is going to happen on Saturday?

Given the recent perfor mances of each of these teams, that line feels somewhat steep. However, I still anticipate Kentucky taking care of busi ness on their home turf thanks to strong performance from Levis and the passing attack. I’ll take the Wildcats to win 30-20 in a game reminiscent of the one played in Nashville last fall.

Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis (7) throws a pass during the Kentucky vs. Missouri football game on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.