April 10, 2017

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Uptown West Fest

UC throws yearly music festival

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Wichita State

Wichita State increases competition in the AAC

THE NEWS RECORD / UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI MONDAY, APR. 10, 2017

NEWSRECORD.ORG

Tamaya Dennard at Diversity Summit JUSTIN REUTTER | NEWS EDITOR

Cincinnati City Council candidate and University of Cincinnati alumna Tamaya Dennard delivered the keynote address at the UC Diversity Summit on Saturday, which was hosted by UC’s student-led Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Dennard graduated from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, with a degree in international business.

While Dennard was a student at UC, she was a member of the UC Racial Awareness Program (RAPP). RAPP was instrumental in forming her as a social justice advocate. “RAPP helped open my eyes to things I really didn’t see.

RAPP really put me on this quest for social justice and economic justice,” said Dennard.

Dennard urged social justice conscious students not to lose

hope due to Trump, but to focus on what they can do here everyday. “I turned off my phone notifications.

I don’t watch the news anymore, because I’m trying to hold onto my hope,” she said. Dennard noted that if anything good came out of electing Donald Trump, it is seeing people engaged at a local level. “I’d bet that before the election of 45, most of you had never written to your local representatives before.”

But marginalized people who are under represented are not just about Trump, she said.

“People who are most affected by problems often are the ones with solutions, but are often denied a seat at the table,” said Dennard.

Recent civil unrest has popped up by marginalized people who are left out of the conversation or are only asked for feedback later, said Dennard. She quoted from “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written

by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative,” said Dennard.

It is not even Donald Trump and other Republicans who are currently doing the most damage, but the bystanders who do nothing.

One specific concern that Dennard raised was about the UC women’s basketball team being forced to play in St. Ursula Academy’s gym while Fifth Third Arena is renovated. “These women are putting their body on the line and work hard…this is why we need your voices heard,” she said.

Meanwhile, the men’s basketball

team will be playing at NKU’s BB&T Arena.

“There is no way that the men’s team would have to play in a gym,” said Madison Filzer, a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council. “This is a clear breach of Title IX.” Dennard also discussed how in the midst of a heroin crisis, we must still work to create policies that encompass all addictions.

“What we have to realize is that the face of heroin is mostly white, as opposed to crack, for example, which is mostly black. So, what we have to remember is that addiction is bad, no matter what the drug is, and people with addictions all deserve to be treated with equal compassion. So we must create policy that targets addiction in general, and not specifically heroin.”

JEAN PLEITEZ | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTO PROVIDED BY TAMAYA FOR CINCINNATI’S FACEBOOK PAGE

City Council candidate Tamaya Dennard.

UC’s Social Media Week draws

attention to dangerous fake news

FILE ART

The University of Cincinnati’s Social Media Week generated a discussion of the role that social media has in generating and proliferating fake news.

Social media is instrumental in spreading misinformation that has even occasionally caused violence.

Jeff Blevins, head of the UC Department of Journalism, presented on several factors that social media has contributed to in the manufacturing of fake news and the toll it takes on the credibility of mainstream news sources.

The motivation behind fake news does not only reside in the benefits gained by politicians and authorities in power, but also by those who merely want money, said Blevins.

Fake news aids in this by getting clicks and advertising revenue. This is done with the help of bots and botnets.

These bots are a type of malware that allows a source or attacker to take control over a series of computers. Botnets are made of more than one machine that do the same thing on a much larger

scale. With the use of these bots, fake news is generated and is spread.

One possible solution is to implement more media education and literacy in the education system, so younger generations are more prone to check the source of their news, said Blevins.

“By the time they reach university level, it’s too late,” said Blevins. There are ways, however, to further check the credibility of these articles. “Check the article against other sources and news outlets, and check national and international sources, if necessary,” said Blevins.

Unfortunately, these fake news outlets – with the help of social media – are delegitimizing journalism and are taking credibility away from reliable news sources, said Blevins.

Social media sites are not obligated to combat this. These sites are not responsible for the content of the third-party posts due to section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and have no legal duty to police fake news.

Consistently reliable reporting is crucial for news media outlets in deterring the influence of

Diversity not translating to athletics DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR

African American Resource Center, April 5, 2017.

NOELLE ZIELINSKI | STAFF REPORTER

JUSTIN HILES | CONTRIBUTOR

Sophomore A.J. Bumpass (20) scores a run against Northern Kentucky on March 25, 2017, at Marge Schott Stadium.

fake news and maintaining credibility and trust among readers. “They have to keep doing good reporting. A news outlet could have 99 good stories and one bad one, and all anyone will focus on is the bad one,” said Blevins.

Dr. Ivan Ivanov, assistant professor and undergraduate director of political science, believes that more educated people are less likely to fall for fake news.

“Generally speaking, younger people are better educated, so I don’t think they are as likely to fall for ‘fake news’ that older and especially less educated people,” said Ivanov.

Social media can be used for marketing and creating a big reach for organizations.

“I wanted to see the trends of social media and to learn the analytics on how to best reach the students,” said Mae Hanna, assistant dean of marketing and communications for UC Clermont College. She also was interested in learning more about making data informed decisions for the school, as they purchase ads through Facebook and Twitter among other platforms.

Athletic organizations have worked to improve diversity in the workplace.

With stipulations like the Rooney Rule put into place – a policy requiring NFL organizations to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions – diversity in head coaching and management positions have improved through the years. But there is still a large margin in the racial makeup between athletes in specific sports.

During 2016 in Division I Collegiate Football within the Football Bowl Subdivision, about 53 percent of the studentathletes were African American, around 41 percent were white and the next highest percentage were Latinos with around 2 percent, according to NCAA College Sport Racial and Gender Report Card conducted by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

This is compared to the NFL in 2016 where nearly 70 percent were African American, about 27 percent were white and the next highest were Asian/Pacific Islanders with nearly 2 percent.

Dennis Bardwell, a white offensive lineman for the University of Houston, believes the numbers are just based around how athletes grew up and how their parents pushed them; however, he said he thinks the hitting of the game is what attracts everyone to football, but not him.

“Personally, what attracted me to football was the bonds you create with the players and the repetition to be perfect as a unit, not just as a person,” Bardwell said.

But while the gap between African Americans and whites playing football is 12.5 percent in college and just over 42 percent in the NFL, the numbers are even more crucial in baseball and basketball.

In Division I baseball during the 2015-16 season, nearly 82 percent were white. Latinos were second with 6.5 percent and about 3 percent of collegiate baseball players were African American.

In the MLB, about 59 percent of their players were white in 2016, 28.5 percent were Latino and about 8 percent were African American.

Basketball was on the other side of the spectrum.

In Division I men’s basketball, 55.6 percent of the student-athletes were African American in 2015 and 27 percent were white.

During the 2015-16 season in the NBA, about 74 percent were African American and about 18 percent were white.

When looking at the numbers, AfricanAmericans seem to gravitate more toward basketball and football than they do baseball.

William Richardson, who has a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies from the University of Connecticut and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, believes African-Americans are not attracted to baseball because it is a sport associated with class.

“They are associated with having money to buy all SEE DIVERSITY PG 4

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UC researches diet, depression JUSTIN REUTTER | NEWS EDITOR

FILE ART

University of Cincinnati Health Psychiatry residents are investigating the use of dietary supplements in curing mild depression and increasing brain function in young people who are at increased risk for bipolar disorder (BD).

Bipolar disorder is very heritable, according to the National Institute of Health. Children of a bipolar patient are at a much higher risk of experiencing BD or depression themselves. It is these children who are the targets of the study.

“This is not for a person who is already severely depressed, for that person they would have to go on established medication,” said principal researcher Fabiano Nery, a fourthyear resident of psychiatry

at the UC Department of Psychiatry.

The supplement, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), might modulate a neurotransmitter in the brain – glutamate – that is involved in the neurobiology of bipolar disorder. It might help with depression in BD, said Nery.

The idea of the study is to find out if NAC seems to help in curing depression.

If the results are positive, then long-term studies will be conducted, said Nery.

“A group from Australia is studying its effects on bipolar [disorder]. The group found out that it might help with depression and functionality. It might be because it is an anti-oxidant, and there is a whole theory about problems with oxidation.

There is a big interest now

in alternative strategies (dietary, omega-3, etc.) to help with mental health symptoms, and NAC is an example of that,” said Nery.

Test subjects first pass a phone screening to make sure that a subject meets some initial requirements, said Nery. After this, the subjects are brought in for a two-hour interview where they are asked about mental health symptoms.

An interview with the parents of the subject is conducted to confirm a diagnosis of BD. If a subject qualifies, he or she is given an initial MRI scan. “We want to see brain changes before and after using NAC,” said Nery.

The subjects are given NAC in a low dose, and then they come in once a week to talk about mood changes, anxiety and side effects. Initially, the subject

comes once a week for four weeks. They are then given a larger dosage and come twice a month for the second month. At the end of two months, the subject is given another MRI scan.

The study will stretch through this year and the next. The goal is to collect 22 participants, said Nery.

Nery stressed that NAC is a supplement, not a drug.

The difference is that it is a simple amino acid, not a compound created in a pharmacy. “It is not a complex molecule created with the idea of being a drug. It is available over the counter, at nutritional stores,” he said.

“It is still under investigation. It is not FDA approved because it is still investigational,” said Nery.

“It holds some promise.”

Ohio Democrats still lack unity TIM GOLDENBERG | STAFF REPORTER

In the months following Nov. 8, many Ohio Democrats still report a lack of unity and cohesion within their state-level ranks. Donald Trump carried Ohio, traditionally a swing state, by more than 8 percent and 400,000 votes in the presidential election.

With a Gubernatorial election coming up for the state, it would be critical for both parties to galvanize their base in preparation for 2018.

Identified as much of the problem for the Democrats, however, was Hillary Clinton’s choice to avoid discussing economic issues on the campaign trail, something that has persisted into 2017 among other members of the party.

“It’s a false choice to say we have to decide between economic issues and civil rights. They’re all part of the larger problem of inequality that we should be fighting against,” said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, to the Washington Post.

Some Ohio lawmakers have responded to calls for more action, though.

Senior Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) uploaded an extensive plan for more pro-blue collar initiatives, which the Democratic Party could use moving forward. Initially revealing it in early March during a speech at The Ohio State University, Brown’s plan was centered on principles that included raising wages and benefits for workers, as well as further empowering their influence in the workplace. “It’s not businesses who drive the economy, it’s workers. We grow the economy from the middle class out,” said Brown.

Meanwhile, Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH), of Youngstown, made a bolder move when he ran against Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for leadership of the House Democrats. Ryan, who recently declined a run for Ohio governor,

spoke in length about the importance of having a stronger economic agenda.

“Our economic message clearly isn’t penetrating.

I think we need to be focused on these folks who live in areas like mine, where the median household income is $57,000 a year, which means a husband and wife are working together and each making under thirty grand,” he said on PBS Newshour.

While Ryan’s move for the leadership of Congress’ lower house was ultimately unsuccessful, it demonstrated his willingness to challenge the status quo and push for ideas that had been, partially, put to the wayside in the past election.

In a state where, despite its swing state designation, Democrats only hold four of 16 congressional seats, 10 of 33 state Senate seats and 34 of 99 state House seats, Democrats have made clear they need to improve. Multiple highprofile Ohio Democrats have already declared for the Gubernatorial race, including State Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni and University of Cincinnati alum and former State Representative Connie Pillich.

Time will tell what the party’s restructuring will end up doing, but with some Democratic lawmakers appearing to show different opinions, the times could be changing for the Ohio Democrats.

CAROLE POSTER | CONTRIBUTOR

A farm in Lebanon, Ohio. Saturday, February 20, 2017.

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BRIANA RICE | CONTRIBUTOR

A panel of Black Lives Matter members discuss the Cameo Nightclub shooting. April 8, 2017.

Black Lives Matter Cincinnati discusses Cameo shooting BRIANA RICE | CONTRIBUTOR

Black Lives Matter Cincinnati (BLMC) hosted a discussion about the Cameo Nightclub shooting, as well as police and race relations on Saturday in the Bush Recreation Center in Walnut Hills.

At the start of the meeting, the organization stated that the police were unwelcome and asked any law enforcement present to leave.

Ashley Harrington, a member of the BLMC Steering Committee, began the discussion with a presentation on crime, legality and the circumstances that have hindered black people.

“Crime and legality are both social constructs in the U.S. that are tied to class, race and capitalism,” Harrington said.

She compared today’s mass incarceration to slavery of the past. Today’s prison system exists only as a form of free labor, said Harrington.

Harrington defined social alienation, which is an intentional high degree of distance between individuals and the society they live in.

There was equal representation of both races, as well as a variety of ages, and an almost equal amount of men and women in the room.

Three members of the Steering Committee that were present shared their ideas about police relations. All of the speakers agreed that police do not help, but only further create violence and fear within primarily black communities.

BLMC showed a video of Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, purportedly saying, “Cameo had a lot of people in there who are not good people…the majority had criminal records.”

The event included a moment of silence for all of the victims of the shooting and their families.

Following that, the speakers discussed ways for communities to rise up together and respond to police brutality together, and then they proposed coming up with a uniform solution in which all communities could respond together.

At the end of the meeting, all of the people in the room were given the opportunity to ask questions and share ideas.

A lot of the discussion centered on gun violence.

Throughout the meeting, the main idea was to combat the current narrative and representation of black people in the media, to reduce police presence in Cincinnati and to build a sense of community among those living in this city.

“We can’t allow for this rhetoric that it is the fault of the black community,” said BLMC Steering Committee member and University of Cincinnati student Mona Jenkins. “We are going to stand up and respond to this. We need to start creating community opportunities for ourselves because others are not going to do it.”

Jenkins spoke about issues like the closure of the Walnut Hills Kroger that many residents have relied on for years, as well as the opening of a gifted school in the area while the neighborhood school is failing.

Some leaders of Black Lives Matter Cincinnati offered information on black psychologists for anyone struggling with mental illness or coping with loss after the Cameo shooting.

Gov. John Kasich gives State of the State address MOUNIR LYNCH | STAFF REPORTER

On Tuesday, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) gave his first State of the State address when he wasn’t, as he claimed, “running for something.” He is currently serving his final term as governor, and his presidential campaign has ended indefinitely.

The speech was given in Sandusky, Ohio, where an extremely excited population near a strong lakeside economy greeted him for his speech. Kasich talked about the fun he had at Cedar Point and how he may have broken a law to look at the roller coasters at the Sandusky amusement park.

Kasich spent the beginning sections of his speech discussing the amount of jobs that have come to Ohio from

companies like Fuyao, the Chinese auto glass giant, Amazon Now, who has hired more than 6,000 employees in Ohio, Interstate chemical, IBM and more. This adds up to a total of more than 475,000 jobs added during Kasich’s time in office.

“When one sector goes down, another sector can lift us up. It is called diversification. Farmers are using the latest research so food scientists can meet the needs of a growing population...we in Ohio make things,” Kasich said about job diversification and the economy.

Democrats in the state legislature, however, claim that jobs are down, and Kasich is toting false information on positive job growth. To them, his focus is lowering taxes for the rich and raising taxes

on middle and low income Ohioans. Democrats in state government have told the story of an Ohio with a lower quality of life.

“Governor Kasich likes to brag about Ohio and its supposed miracle, but everyday Ohioans know the truth. Far too many families are struggling to put food on the table.

Cities, townships, and counties are unable to provide vital services because of the large cuts to local governments made by the Kasich administration over the last six years. Ohio was promised that if we kept making tax cuts, we would become leaders in the nation in job creation.

Instead, we have trailed the national average in job growth for over four years,” said Ohio State Senator Charleta Tavares.

Later, Kasich riled up an

enthusiastic crowd with empowering statements about the future. “I heard somebody talking, ‘Oh, you know, so much has been done. Can’t we take a break? Can’t we slow down?’Yeah, if you want to lose. We cannot slow down.

This is the 21st century.

We’ve got to put our foot on the gas. And I can guarantee you because I know other states see our success, and they want it,” he said.

After a presidential campaign with rhetoric much different from the rest of his fellow Republican candidates, Kasich has gained national attention from conservatives, and even some centrist Democrats, who hope to shy away from Trump-style rhetoric. His speech openly expressed compassionate Christian

values of loving thy neighbor, as he connected with the excited crowd in a preaching manner. Kasich’s latest budget has been met with criticism from fellow Republicans, but his latest State of the State speech hoped to sell his budget for a better future.

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Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks to members of the media outside the West Wing on Nov. 10, 2016 at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Broadcast Reporter Emily Wilhelm Videographer Michelle Fisk

LIFE & ARTS / 3 MONDAY, APR. 10, 2017

UC Farmers Market started from Sustainability Summit ISABELLA JANSEN | ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

It can be troublesome for students, especially those who do not have a car or are living in dorms, to venture out to Kroger or the Clifton Market to pick up an apple or other fresh produce. A new student organization may have provided a solution to this problem for University of Cincinnati students.

The UC Farmers Market got its start through the Sustainability Summit last school year. It is not yet an official student organization, but the group has already had two successful events.

Kyle Shuja, second-year marketing student and co-president of the UC Farmers Market, said with the organization being founded before the Kroger was rebuilt and other grocery options such as Clifton Market, they wanted to provide students with an option for fresh produce from local vendors.

“We wanted to end the food desert and try and bring local produce out,” said Shuja. “But I think as these grocery stores have come in, I think it is honestly just to support local economy to show UC students both local, international and transfer that Cincinnati is a place that has local vendors that come, that grow their own stuff and that want to sell it to this kind of population.”

The first market took place inside the TUC atrium, which Shuja said worked well at the time because of the weather.

TUC also had a lot of

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UC Farmers Market on McMicken Commons, March 23, 2017.

students who were hanging out, which allowed for them to check out the market.

The second market took place outside near the TUC steps. Some of the vendors sold out of their items, and Eli’s Barbecue sold over 100 sandwiches in the few hours they were there. Both of these events had six vendors.

“It is my goal to have more vendors than we did last time for every single farmers market, from here until we reach thirty, ”said Shuja. “I do not want to have a smaller venue at all.”

When first starting out, Shuja said they did an all-out guerrilla warfare attack. The small group of 10 to 15 members split up into pairs of two and went to every farmers market in Cincinnati.

The members would then get the name, contact information and what they sold from every vendor from every market in town.

They would then reach

out and let the vendors know that they wanted to provide a space for them to sell their goods, with no cover charge, while giving them access to college students.

Not only does the UC Farmers Market not require a cover charge, the members of this organization help vendors set up and take down their booths. Both of these are uncommon with a farmers market.

With the peak season being summer for a farmers market, Shuja said they are looking to put on three markers in the beginning of the fall semester and the end of the spring semester. This allows fresh produce to still be available for vendors to sell.

The next UC Farmers Market will take place on Thursday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside of the TUC steps.

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Uptown West Fest headliner, Vic Mensa performs at UC, Saturday, April 8, 2017 at Sigma Sigma Commons.

Programs and Activities Council holds Uptown West NOELLE ZIELINSKI | STAFF REPORT

The University of Cincinnati’s Programs and Activities Council (PAC) presented the annual spring concert this past Saturday: Uptown West Fest. This year, Uptown West Fest hosted artists Blackbear, Vic Mensa and Yugos. The annual concert was free to UC students and took place on Sigma Sigma Commons. It is one of the most attended campus events all year.

Los Angeles native Blackbear co-wrote Justin Bieber’s hit song “Boyfriend” in 2012. After that, he re-invented himself as a rap/R&B artist. One of Blackbear’s bigger debuts came with the release of “Deadroses,” a self-released, full-length album.

Vic Mensa, also a rap artist, made his debut appearance in 2013 on Chance the Rapper’s mixtape entitled “Acid Rap.” His career took another jump when he toured with artists J.Cole and Wale on their “What Dreams May Come” tour in 2014. Later, in 2015, he appeared on Kanye West’s single “Wolves.”

The Yugos, a local indie band, also performed on Saturday. Their first selfentitled full-length album debuted in 2011.

Anticipation followed this debut, and in 2013 they released their second full-length album called “Life Is Awesome and Then You Live Forever,” followed by their new 2017 full-length album “Weighing The Heart.”

The concert was lively, as students poured in and filled Sigma Sigma Commons.

Everyone was shoulder to shoulder. Others chose to sit back on top of one of the many hills to observe the concert from afar.

The concert started out sparse and there

was only a small crowd by the stage, but this eventually grew into a large mass of people.

The Yugos kicked off the night and set the stage for Blackbear, who got the crowd ready for the closing performer. Vic Mensa ended the night and left the crowd wanting more. He even performed his verse from “Wolves.”

First-year mechanical engineering student Karl Dierking said that prior to the concert, he had never heard of any of the performers. “I didn’t know who any of them were, but now, after the concert, I want to hear more of all of their music.”

For others, like first-year physical therapy student Joe Lauck, one or two of the artists were familiar to them. “I had heard of Blackbear before, and it was pretty cool to be able to see him in person for free,” Lauck said.

The beautiful weather also made an impact on the night, as it was the perfect temperature to be outside to enjoy the concert. Though many people had not heard of these somewhat “underground” artists, the crowd seemed thoroughly pleased with the performance and the artists throughout the entire night.

There was a slight power shortage during Vic Mensa’s performance, and the crowd wildly cheered through it, further creating a good vibe all around.

“It was a great concert! I had a lot of fun going and being here with my friends,” Dierking said.

The atmosphere of the night was incredibly inviting, making it almost impossible for those in attendance to not enjoy.

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4 / SPORTS MONDAY, APR. 10, 2017

Wichita State could make the AAC a power six conference ETHAN RUDD | STAFF REPORTER OPINION

Remember all that talk about the University of Cincinnati joining the Big 12? Remember how it all amounted to nothing?

In case you missed it, UC made a bid to join the Big 12 six months ago, hoping to enter a power five conference. Ultimately, UC and a slew of other schools in the American Athletic Conference were denied entry into the Big 12.

Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis weren’t outright rejected by the Big 12.

Instead, the conference decided that it was in its own best interest not to expand.

The non-move provided a lesson for UC and Bearcat fans: Moving to another athletic conference is by no means guaranteed, even for the most attractive candidates.

For now, it appears that UC will stay put in the AAC, whether they like it or not.

But maybe the Bearcats don’t have to join a power five conference. Maybe — just maybe — the AAC could help build a Power 6.

The recent addition of Wichita State certainly helps increase the level

of competition within the conference.

In terms of basketball, the addition could provide a much-needed spark of life into the American.

In 2016 the AAC sent the University of Connecticut, Temple University, the University of Tulsa and Cincinnati to the NCAA basketball tournament.

In 2017 the conference only sent two representatives to the tourney: Cincinnati and Southern Methodist University.

Traditional powers within the AAC faltered this year, and it showed.

What’s worse is that the conference’s poor performance is a cause for concern for every team in the conference.

With so many conferences realigning, the importance of revenue and results are greater than ever — that makes strength of schedule and ranking paramount.

Conference strength is doubly important for teams that can’t control whether they get accepted into other conferences.

Plus, it helps prevent competitive teams from bolting elsewhere as well.

That’s where Wichita

State comes in.

Wichita State has a resume that instantly boosts the credibility of the AAC. The Shockers have made six-straight NCAA tournament appearances and have at least one win in five of those showings. In 2013 they made it all the way to the Final Four.

It’s no wonder then that the AAC voted unanimously to add Wichita State.

The move is a win-win for both sides. Wichita State gets to play in a conference that is more competitive than the Missouri Valley Conference, which reps teams like Loyola and Bradley, and the AAC gets to add a great basketball program.

Perhaps the move could start a domino effect of sorts by attracting other teams like Gonzaga or Dayton.

Building the AAC into a more competitive conference may be the most realistic way for UC to play in a power conference.

Why not? Who needs a power five when you can create a power six?

TRAVIS HEYING | WICHITA EAGLE | TNS

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall acknowledges the crowd after cutting down the net after his team won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 71-51 win over Illinois State on Sunday, March 5, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo.

Shocking addition to the AAC JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER

FILE ART

Wichita State University has become the newest member of the American Athletic Conference.

The conference voted to add the Shockers Friday morning, and the move will take place immediately, as the school will participate in the AAC during the 2017-18 season.

With the majority of conference realignment taking place due to football reasons, such as the destruction of the old Big East conference, University of Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin is happy to see basketball get some love.

“Great for our league,” Cronin said to ESPN. “I love to see a move for basketball reasons.”

Wichita State has participated in the last six NCAA tournaments, now the second-longest streak in the conference next to Cincinnati, and reached the

Final Four in 2013.

Fourth-year business management student Brendan Wambaugh is among those who are excited to see another perennial top-25 squad in the conference with Cincinnati.

“I think this move is huge for us,”Wambaugh said. “Despite the fact that we had one of the best records in the nation, we got no respect this year because of our conference.

I thought we had a really good team, but SMU was the only game we had once we got to conference play where we could actually prove how good we are.

Wichita State adds validity to our schedule and should also help us become more battle-tested for March.”

University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie also believes the Shockers will provide a boost to the conference.

“Wichita State is just a tremendous addition to

UC and St Ursula: Unfair or Opportunity?

CLAUDE THOMPSON | STAFF REPORTER OPINION

With construction underway at Fifth Third Arena until 2018, many questioned where the basketball teams would play during the 2017-18 season.

The men got their answer in February, discovering they would be setting up a temporary home at Northern Kentucky University to play in the same arena as the Norse.

As bizarre of a move that was to not take the opportunity to showcase UC’s best men’s athletic team in Cincinnati’s premiere downtown location, US Bank Arena, the location for the women’s team proves even stranger.

The UC women’s basketball team will play at St. Ursula Academy, an all-women’s high school in the same vein as Seton High School.

This raised questions almost immediately. Why does the men’s team get to play in a 9,400-seat arena that dubs itself Greater Cincinnati’s live entertainment destination and hosts events like WWE matches, while the women have to play in a 1,000-seat high school gymnasium?

If you look at the raw numbers, there seems to be a blatant disregard for even the illusion of fairness when it comes to the representation, marketing and even the amenities afforded to the women in this situation.

There are even rumblings of the intervention of Title IX in this situation, which would make the contract null and void due to the unequal treatment between the men and women. But what’s the other side of this?

What if the women’s team playing at St. Ursula wasn’t unfair treatment, per se, but more of an opportunity to spread the women’s team toward its demographic?

What if this was an opportunity for St. Ursula to get much needed income that could be used for future renovations to their own gymnasium, which was recently constructed in 2003?

What if this was an opportunity to showcase the women’s team to female fans in an almost exclusive fashion?

That idea could not only drive potential students to UC and potential players to the team, but it could also show more of an active approach than, say, Mount Saint Joseph or Xavier.

This takes an almost campusexclusive event and takes it to the community to help spread the brand, something the UC women’s team could use coming off its most successful season in a decade.

If Title IX were to take the contract away, how would it be able to answer this question: Is it fair to take away this contract that almost exclusively

supports women in education and in athletics?

Yes, it’s not fair that the women’s team has to play in a smaller venue when not at Fifth Third Arena. Yes, it’s not fair that the men constantly get more praise, attention, marketing and investment than the women.

But does that mean that St. Ursula Academy can’t share in the success and fortune of a women’s athletic team? Can the Cincinnati community not enjoy a NCAA Division I basketball team on their side of the river?

If you asked St. Ursula Academy, surely they would insist that the contract wasn’t unfair for either side and that the benefits of the contract would help develop young women and UC’s community outreach.

It’s fine to see the scales as unbalanced in this equation, but remember that there is more than just the one side to this argument.

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our league,” Ollie said to ESPN. “Coach Marshall’s program is all about winning championships.

Year in and year out, they are nationally ranked and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. I know next season, they are already being projected as a top-10 team. In men’s basketball, the American Conference just went up a level.”

From a numbers standpoint, the move also seems to make sense.

The AAC has 12 football participants, but only 11 in basketball, since the United States Naval Academy participates in another conference in all sports other than football.

With Wichita State disbanding their football program in 1986, they would seem to be a perfect fit to fill in for the Navy in the other sports.

Third-year environmental science student Garrett King feels that going up to 12 teams is a move in the

right direction.

“It was kind of weird only having an 11-team conference, with Navy participating elsewhere in basketball,” King said.

“When you look at every major conference, outside of the confused Big 12, they all have at least 12 teams.

Having the even number makes things easier for scheduling purposes, and it seems that the more teams that you have in your conference, the more respect your conference gets.”

Looking ahead to next season, Wichita State figures to make an immediate impact, adding a third legitimate NCAA tournament contender to the conference.

According to ESPN “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi, projected No. 3 seed Wichita State joins UC and SMU as a third school with a No. 4 seed projection or better for next year’s big dance.

FROM DIVERSITY PG 1

the equipment you need to play the sport and then you need somewhere to play them,” Richardson said. “To play basketball, you really just need athletic shoes, a basketball and two hoops.

To play football, all you need is grass, a football and something to mark the end zones with.”

On the other side, white men seem to be more attracted to baseball than basketball.

Tyler Dietz, a white assistant men’s basketball coach at Lakota East High School in Middletown, Ohio, believes African Americans became a majority in basketball because of the way the game developed in the past.

“In maybe the ‘70s, early ‘80s, the game really migrated from a Midwestern-type game where you were shooting hoops on a barn in rural Indiana and Iowa to an urban game, where it became really big in New York City,” Dietz said.

“Those men that grew up loving the game and playing, for lack of a better word, they were playing on the streets, they were playing in the parks. Those men had kids and passed the love of the game on to their kids,” Dietz said.

Dietz, who played as a part of one of basketball’s minority races, said what drew him to the basketball was that he could improve his game even when working out by himself.

“You’re in complete control of your own destiny,

from an improvement stand point,” Dietz said.

“Basketball and golf are the only games that require an immense amount of skill rather than just sheer athleticism.”

Ty Fields, an African American who formerly worked for Five-Star Basketball (an instructional basketball camp who has had basketball greats like LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade go through their program), believes sports’ popularity can depend on the location of where kids grow up.

“I am from Dayton, Ohio, and played high school basketball at TrotwoodMadison [High School],” Fields said. “Dayton has produced many successful basketball players.

During the early ‘80s, the University of Dayton had very successful teams, and I always rooted for their teams. All of these dynamics influenced my desire to play basketball.”

Moving forward, Richardson believes stereotypes must be broken by individuals in charge of the sport to make them more diverse.

“I think in order to get more African Americans to play baseball and more predominantly white sports, there has to be an initiative to get black people to like those sports, first of all,” Richardson said. “There has to be genuine interest from players and sports leagues to want more diversity in the game.”