University Daily Kansan Jan. 28, 2019

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Sebelius encourages politically active students Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius spoke about youth involvement in politics, Laura Kelly, health care and Obama in a Dole Institute of Politics

KU, NewYorkRep involved in new fellowship Two University theater students will be the first participants of a new fellowship between the University Theatre and a New York City theater.

Student Senate to host forum for women seeking STEMM careers Student Senate has partnered with the Emily Taylor Center to provide a forum to support women interested in STEMM.

Photo Illustration by Chance Parker/KANSAN Paul Davis (top left), Sharice Davids (top right), Bernie Sanders (bottom left), Elizabeth Warren (bottom right).

KYSER DOUGAN & SOPHIA BELSHE @KyserDougan @SophiaBelshe While the 2020 elections for the United States Senate Kansas seat and the presidency are still a long way off, it has not stopped any speculation among students at the University of Kansas about who will and who should run.

Josh Rosa, a senior studying civil engineering, does not have a hard checklist for candidates for president, but is looking for three things.

He would like the candidate to have some semblance of youth — ruling out Biden and Sanders —previous government experience, and not be a self-identifying socialist.

“That being said, I still like the idea of Beto [O’Rourke] running as he seems to have some level of charisma and was able to engage young voters, even though he lost his senate race,” Rosa explained. “And I personally like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, but my guess is her primary opponents are going to be quick to paint her as having etch a sketch policies.”

Gillibrand also has announced that she is running, according to CBS News.

Josh Svaty, who lost the Democratic primary to Gov. Laura Kelly, is someone who Rosa believes could be a good senate candidate due to his connections to the western part of the state.

“Truthfully, as long

as the candidate runs a competent campaign I don’t really care who it is. I couldn’t tell you the last time Kansas sent a democrat to the U.S. senate, and I doubt the state will be willing to in 2020,” Rosa said.

“[O’Rourke] seems to have charisma and was able to engage young voters.”

Josh Rosa Civil engineering student

Meanwhile, students like Edward Rosson, a junior studying political science, are looking for candidates with a deep understanding of every-

KU falls behind nation in diversity NICOLE DOLAN @NikkiDolan279 Pew Research Center released data showing the post-millennial generation is the most diverse and is even enrolling into higher education increasingly more than the millennial generation. Yet, these demographic changes aren’t represented at the University of Kansas.

The post-millennial generation, also coining the names “Generation Z” or “iGen,” includes people born years 1997 to 2012.

According to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, here at the University minority rates have been climbing since 1988. The number of female Hispanic-American students enrolled within the last four years are highest in school records.

Trey Duran, Student Senate’s director of diversity and inclusion, said these results are the most dramatic changes in the demographic composition of the student body. Even with the increased enrollment of

KU alumna gets hefty book deal

underrepresented students, however, the overall demographic changes seen in the post-millennial generation are not represented at the University.

“Hispanics are underrepresented by 18 percent, blacks are underrepresented by 10 percent, and Asians are underrepresented by 6 percent,” Duran said. “Whites are over-represented by 17 percent.”

“Representation of faculty and staff is critical if we intend to be a destination site for younger generations...”

Jennifer Hamer Vice Provost for Diversity and Equity

Freshman Diana Rodriguez from Wichita said she feels comfortable on campus, but the University should make more of an effort in admitting different minority groups other than specifically Hispanic students.

“To some extent I do feel

aware of it sometimes, but I’m not really sure on who represents us sometimes,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like [the University] should admit more people of color, and not just Hispanics either.”

Mariana Juarez, a freshman from Liberal, said the University should target communities with minorities to increase representation of students. Juarez said students of color should push to be more involved on campus through clubs and events to create a community space to come together.

“Generally, I feel comfortable on campus, but for me I just would like to see more people like me, not just the same race or anything but have more people I can relate to,” Juarez said.

“When I came here it wasn’t like KU was telling me to come here, it was kind of something I did on my own.

I think they should target minorities to have more people interested for coming here.”

Vice Provost for Diversity and Equity, Jennifer

Hamer, said the demographics do not fully partake in the post-millennial diversity trend, as minorities such as the Latinx and African-American populations are underrepresented.

“Representation of faculty and staff is critical if we intend to become a destination site for younger generations of Latinx students in the state of Kansas, the region and the nation,” Hamer said. “If students do not see themselves reflected on our campus and in our curriculum, then they will go elsewhere. The same is true for African-American/ black and Native American populations.”

Duran said despite this, the University is still making progress. The University has become more diverse in almost all nonwhite demographic categories since 2013, which is around when the post-millennial generation began college.

“KU is becoming more diverse, but diversity is not increasing at the same READ MORE ON PAGE 3

day issues, progressive policy proposal, and the charisma to be elected. “[Brent] Welder demonstrated strong support in Wyandotte county in the 2018 primary, which I think would scale well for more rural parts of Kansas.

His background in labor should be quite appealing among working class voters,” Rosson said.

Welder lost the 2018 Democratic House Primary to Sharice Davids in KS-3.

For president, Rosson said he is eyeing either Senate Candidate Beto O’Rourke from Texas, or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

READ MORE ON PAGE 2

After 18 years of rewrites, former University of Kansas professor Kate Russell sealed a seven figure deal with HarperCollins’ William Morrow publishing group, selling the rights to a novel she has been working on since age 16.

The novel, “My Dark Vanessa,” is about a 32-year-old woman forced to reckon with her adolescence after she learns the teacher she had an affair with as a teenager has been accused of sexual abuse.

William Morrow called Russell’s novel a “Lolita story for the #MeToo era,” according to Publisher Weekly. Without spoiling the novel, Russell said the story “engages extensively” with both #MeToo and Lolita.

“At its core, ‘My Dark Vanessa’ is about surviving sexual abuse and the decision survivors make whether or not to tell others about their experiences,” Russell said. “The novel is also about how people in power silence sexual abuse survivors who don’t embody the qualities of a so-called ‘good victim.’”

Told in alternating perspectives of present day and the main character’s teenage years, Russell said the novel is also about consent, memory and “the stories people tell themselves in order to stave off the truth.”

READ MORE ON PAGE 4

Self on Rupp Arena MADDY TANNAHILL @MaddyTannahill LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — In the week of anticipation preceding the highly-touted blue-blood matchup of No. 9 Kansas and No. 8 Kentucky, fans and analysts alike questioned how the young Jayhawk squad would handle the tradition-filled walls of Rupp Arena and the roar of 23,500 members of Big Blue Nation.

Though the Jayhawks suffered a tough 71-63 loss at the hands of the Wildcats, dropping them to 1-4 in road contests on the season, coach Bill Self and the Kansas roster were largely in agreement that the intensity of the heavily-praised atmosphere had little to do with the defeat.

“I didn’t think it [the atmosphere] was a prob-

lem today,” freshman guard Quentin Grimes said. “I feel like we kind of maintained a defensive composure and kept the crowd out of the game until like the last five minutes.”

While the impact of a hostile atmosphere away from the hallowed halls of Allen Fieldhouse would seem to serve as a cause of the road woes plaguing Kansas, Grimes and redshirt junior forward Dedric Lawson appeared confident that this did not contribute to the strife afflicting the team.

READ MORE ON PAGE 10

news

NEWS

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Monday, January 28, 2019

staff NEWS MANAGEMENT

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K A N S A N .C O M / N E W S

Local help in midst of shutdown

Editor-in-chief Shaun Goodwin

Managing editor Savanna Smith

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News editor Sydney Hoover

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Sports editor Maddy Tannahill

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Arts & culture editor Josh McQuade

Samantha Hsu/KANSAN Great Bread Harvest Co. is providing families affected by the government shutdown with loaves of bread as well as peanut butter.

Associate arts & culture editor Courtney Bierman

GISELLE ALMODOVAR @gisellealmodo

Opinion editor Aroog Khaliq

During the longest government shutdown in United States history, many government employees were forced to make tough financial decisions as weeks went by without pay.

Even now, as several federal agencies reopen while negotiations continue, some workers will not be receiving back pay.

Some Lawrence business owners are taking steps to ease financial stress for community members. Sarah Burtch, owner of Great Bread Harvest Co. in Lawrence, said she sympathized with government workers after reading accounts of their financial struggles.

“They have to decide between food for their kids or gas to get to work, for a job they’re not even getting paid for,” Burtch said.

Burtch said reading stories of their accounts gave her the idea to start a shutdown shelf to provide some sort of relief for struggling government workers.

“I was reading all these stories the night before

Visuals editor & design chief Huntyr Schwegman

Photo editor Sarah Wright

Associate photo editor Chance Parker

Copy chiefs Raeley Youngs Nichola McDowell

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about all the individual people who were being affected … I came in the next day like, ‘You know something, we can do that.’ I looked at all that bread we had and said, ‘We can help,’” Burtch said.

out about the shutdown help. He posted an image of a handwritten note on his restaurant’s Facebook page — the post has since then received almost four hundred likes and over five hundred shares.

“These are people who are living paycheck to paycheck. These are not people who are getting their salary no matter what happens..”

Sarah Burtch Great Bread Harvest Co. Owener

Mohammed Iskandrani, owner of local restaurant Aladdin Cafe, offered government employees and their families to come into Aladdin Cafe and receive a free meal. He said his actions were inspired by the kindness he saw from Lawrence residents two years ago, when his business was damaged by what many believe was a hate crime.

Lawrence residents responded by setting up a donation fund that raised over three times the amount needed to fix the damage.

Iskandrani took to social media to get the word

Burtch said she took action by creating a shutdown shelf in her bakery and posting it on her business’ Facebook page. From there, Burtch’s post was shared over 17,000 times and inspired other Great Bread Harvest franchises across the country to start their own shutdown shelves.

She said the shelf is a community effort and that many shoppers decide to buy loaves for the shelf in addition to their own.

Burtch said the shelf has also brought out the best in her employees and community members.

“I had one guest come in who said because of this, he went and donated one hundred dollars to Just Food,” Burtch said.

Douglas County food bank Just Food also announced on social media that they would be waiving their usual income guidelines to assist furloughed government employees.

Burtch has posted on Great Bread’s Facebook page encouraging followers to support and donate to Just Food.

Burtch said visitors who have taken items from the shutdown shelf have been very thankful for the help.

She said government em-

ployees are largely misunderstood by those who dismiss the issue.

“I think a lot of the trouble is people are confusing government employees and politicians. It’s not the same thing. These are people who are living paycheck to paycheck. These are not people who are getting their salary no matter what happens.” said Burtch.

Grounded in camaraderie, Burtch and Iskandrani’s actions reflect the supportive atmosphere of Lawrence, Iskandrani said.

“That’s the Lawrence community for you,” Iskandrani said. “We help each other.”

Samantha Hsu/KANSAN Peanut butter at Great Bread Harvest Co. is for families affected by the shutdown.

2020 ELECTIONS FROM PAGE 1

However, Rosson added that the ages of Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden worry him and he wants the candidate to be able to serve eight years. He also added that whoever he endorses will have to endorse single payer healthcare.

When it comes to O’Rourke he, “is a one-in-a-generation political talent. His campaign in Texas resonated with me and his cross party appeal could serve democrats well in rural and swing states,” Rosson said.

According to The New York Times, Sen. Warren has already announced her campaign, while O’Rourke has yet to announce his de-

cision.

“I admire Warren’s work with the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] and her leadership in the Senate. I think she can bridge the gap among the left and the establishment. I also value the appeal of a female

running for the Democratic nomination, with fellow Democrat Sen. Kamala Harris and Gillibrand, and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard also in the race.

But Teri Finneman, assistant professor of journalism at the University of

“It’s going to be really fascinating to see ... if, indeed, it will be enough to finally push a woman into the White House” Teri Finneman Associate professor

candidate in the aftermath of 2016 and 2018,” Rosson explained.

Warren is one of a historic number of women

Kansas, whose research focuses on news coverage of U.S. women politicians, said that the way women are portrayed in the news could

continue to be an issue for these candidates.

“When you have these embedded stereotypes that have gone on for decades, it is very difficult to overcome these types of patterns in our language in how we refer to women candidates,” Finneman said.

Finneman said that media outlets often focus on women candidates’ appearance and likeability, and that women often have to find a “balance of trying to appear competent without being overly threatening.”

“It’s basically the concept that if you are a woman and you are too assertive, you are a witch, but then if you’re too feminine, then you’re deemed as being incompetent,” Finneman said.

This historic election cycle coincides with the 100year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the U.S., which will include a year long celebration and discussion across the country. Finneman said this, among other factors including the #MeToo movement, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss and the “Trump effect,” make this election cycle interesting.

“It’s going to be really fascinating to see, as the next year goes on, all of these factors coming together, and if, indeed, it will be enough to finally push a woman into the White House,” Finneman said.

KU College Republicans did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

KANSAN.COM

NEWS

Emma Pravecek/KANSAN A November Pew Research Center study found the post-millennial generation is the most diverse and educated generation thus far.

DIVERSITY FROM PAGE 1 speed as it is changing nationally,” Duran said. “Diversity is a great strength for the United States, especially our educational environments. Our current levels of diversity promote the integration of members of marginalized communities into higher levels of prosperity and opportunity.”

Ashmika Behere, a freshman from Overland Park, said she feels well-represented through the South Asian Student Association (SASA). Behere said she is lucky to have a community like SASA provided for her and other Southern Asians on campus.

“I am pretty well represented because my family is from India, and with SASA we have a pretty big voice,” Behere said. “I know that is not always the case for other minorities, especially here at KU — even though there is that facade of having a voice or a representation they in reality don’t actually get to say anything.”

“I like that there is always a community present, and for me at least that is always an option,” she continued.

Interim Provost Carl Lejuez previously said to the Kansan in November a new budget model would partially evaluate how much money would be allocated to individual academic units by credit hour and merit. In part, it would be decided how much funding academic units would earn based off whether the units were in line with the University’s strategic priorities, such as diversity and equity.

Units meeting those standards would earn more money, he said.

“It will start impacting the way we think about things at KU. It will tell everyone right now, ‘What you do does matter,’” Le-

juez said. “We’re coming down on the fact that these things matter. You don’t see these in almost any other model.”

While the new budget model is still in development and projected to be completed sometime during the spring semester, students are still wary about how the University can be truly representative of all students, Duran said.

“For the student body, our current level of diversity is a source of frustration because it is not even close to being representative,” Duran said. “Many students have become disillusioned with institutional programs aimed toward promoting and celebrating diversity when the student body population is still overwhelmingly white.”

This year, the Office of Diversity and Equity, in partnership with the Office of Human Resources and Faculty Development, launched “Excellence in Diversity,” a set of protocols intended to guide faculty search and recruitment processes.

Hamer said the protocols are expected to increase the number of underrepresented candidates in the University’s search pools and, subsequently, hires. “‘Excellence in Diversity’ is the most intentional, university-wide, diversity-centered approach to hiring that we have had here at KU,” Hamer said.

“We are launching an online diversity, equity and inclusion professional development module for all faculty and staff that will serve as the first step to building a shared foundation of understanding about social identities and expectations for working in a diverse learning community.”

The significance behind these protocols is to help jump-start a campus open to growing diversity, reaching audiences as ear-

ly as middle school. Hamer said by following this protocol, the University will also ready students for a diverse society awaiting them post-graduation.

“Together, these and other new initiatives will move KU ahead of many of its peers, but, more importantly, it will begin to create a campus that is more inviting to the growing diversity that we see among middle and high school students, as well as those already enrolled,” Hamer said. “At the same time, it will mean that KU has the student body and faculty necessary to best prepare graduates for employer expectations in an increasingly global 21st century society.”

Even with the protocol and the online module, Hamer said the University must improve its demographic composition to rightfully represent minority/ethnic groups in order to match the post-millennial trend. In creating and encouraging a more diverse environment, Hamer said this only helps students get the most out of their education.

“If KU does not continue to intentionally improve our demographic composition, then we cannot expect to keep up with peers,” Hamer said.

“Students learn best and more when they are in environments with a diversity of others. A diversity of thought and backgrounds contribute to the development of more innovative scholarship and science as we consider how to address 21st [century] problems.”

The demographics mean more to campus than just a growth of numbers; they also represent what the University could achieve.

“Changing demographics have the potential to bring considerable promise to KU if we can continue to intentionally build a more representative campus,” Hamer said.

Illustration by Philip Mueller/KANSAN

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4 ARTS & CULTURE

arts & culture Monday, January 28, 2019

KANSAN.COM

K A N S A N .C O M /A R T S _ A N D _ C U LT U R E

Journalist, activist shares immigrant experience RYLIE KOESTER @RylieKoester Immigration is one of the most talked about but least understood issues in the United States today, Jose Antonio Vargas told a packed audience at Liberty Hall Thursday night.

“We so little understand it that we’ve shut down the government because of it,” Vargas said.

Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and immigration rights advocate. He spoke as part of the Kenneth A. Spencer Lecture Series hosted by The Commons.

Vargas is an undocumented immigrant who was sent from the Philippines to the United States by his mother when he was 12 years old. He spoke about his recently released book, “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen,” a memoir about his experience as an undocumented immigrant.

Vargas said he dedicated his book to his mom and to those who have made him feel welcome in the United States, which includes his mentors, colleagues and teachers.

The part about his undocumented experience that’s hardest to talk about, Vargas said, is his mom, whom he hasn’t seen since he left the Philippines more than 20 years ago. He said he

Sarah Wright/KANSAN Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and immigration rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas speaks about his book and life experiences to the audience at Liberty Hall on Jan. 24.

“How do we talk about documented person in “I don’t really know ing and hiding. resented his mom when When he applied for how we got to be where we America,” Torres said. “I he was young for sending how to be with my mom, him to the U.S., but as he and this book, in many jobs as a journalist in the are? And how would we feel like his message is grew up, he realized her ways, was my way of do- past, Vargas said he lied get to a point where being something that is very ing that,” Vargas said. “I on the applications by anti-immigrant is not only crucial at this moment sacrifice.

He said his mom has didn’t really know how to checking a box saying he culturally acceptable — in time in the Trump era, being anti-immigrant ac- but also in the state of been waiting to receive her explain what the separa- was a U.S. citizen.

As for hiding, Var- tually wins you the White Kansas.” own U.S. citizenship for tion has done to me and gas said he turned down House,” Vargas said. “How 16 years. Vargas also has what it’s done to her.”

At the end of his As he was writing his countless trips to go did we get there?” a sister and a half-brother speech, Vargas asked who Vargas called out to in the audience were lein the Philippines that he book, Vargas said he real- abroad whether for vacais only able to see through ized he has lived his life in tion or work because of the audience during his gal U.S. citizens and what three stages: lying, pass- his undocumented status. speech to see if someone they had to do to earn FaceTime and Skype.

He had to hide from his was in the crowd — Kris their citizenship. After Kobach. friends and colleagues. the majority of the audi“Is he here? I tweeted at ence raised their hands, “I didn’t realize that I wasn’t just hiding from him,” Vargas said. “I hav- they responded, “Noththe government,” Vargas en’t heard back. This man ing.” said. “I ended up actually has made an entire career “I sincerely hope you out of this, and I show up don’t take your citizenhiding from people.”

Vargas also spoke about here — he’s nowhere to be ship for granted,” Vargas his organization, Define found,” Vargas said. said.

Lawrence resident American, a nonprofit Vargas said he did a that seeks to change the Cynthia Torres attended “dangerous thing” by inway immigration is talk- the event and has been vestigating himself in his ed about today. The or- following Vargas since book — he also realized a ganization looks at how she was in high school. couple of things along the immigrants are portrayed As an undocumented im- way. in news articles and mov- migrant too, Torres said “It took me writing ies, such as the specific she connects with Vargas’ this book to realize that language used to describe story. humanity is actually not “Hearing his story is a box I should have to them. Define American is also concerned with kind of a big deal for me check and that home is Brooke Boyer/KANSAN how teachers speak about just because I also strug- not something I should immigrants in the class- gle kind of with identi- have to earn,” Vargas said.

Jose Antonio Vargas’ book “Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen” fying myself as an un- “I am home, Kris Kobach.” room. is on shelves at The Raven Book Store. Vargas spoke at Liberty Hall on Jan. 24.

BOOK DEAL FROM PAGE 1 Russell has already received praise from one notable author — Stephen King.

“I loved Kate’s writing, which was sharp and crystal clear,” King told the Portland Press Herald. “And I loved Vanessa — she simply jumps off the page. Her contrasting drives, to be loved and to grow into her own person, are extremely well drawn.

And too rarely have we seen this facet of the abuse question, where the girl in question believes — perhaps because she needs to — that she was in control of the situation.”

Though “My Dark Vanessa” is not autobiographical, it is inspired

by Russell’s lived experiences.

“As a teenager, I had

—what I thought of at the time as — romantic relationships with older men, and well into adulthood I continued to describe those relationships as intense and exciting, but never abusive,” Russell said. “Then in my late-twenties, I started reading works by women like Kathryn Harrison, Dorothy Allison and Margaux Fragoso, who wrote about sexual abuse in ways that felt so familiar and true that I was forced to re-examine my own experiences.”

Russell said the resulting “emotional paradigm shift” was what inspired her to write the novel.

Originally from Clifton, Maine, Russell received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Maine at Farmington, Maine; a Master of Fine Arts from

Indiana University and a Ph.D. from the University, where she taught creative writing.

University associate professor Laura Moriarty, Russell’s dissertation adviser through graduate school, read several drafts of “My Dark Vanessa.”

“[Russell] has that rare combination of innate talent and focused dedication to her work.”

Laura Moriarty Associate professor

“It was such a pleasure to work with Kate because she has that rare combination of innate talent and focused dedication to her work,” said Moriarty

via email to the Kansan. “I read ‘My Dark Vanessa’ as the final draft of her dissertation last spring, and it was absolutely captivating.”

Moriarty said Russell’s writing stood out to her as “precise and graceful” even in her 2013 application to the University’s creative writing doctoral program. She isn’t surprised by Russell’s newfound success.

“She wrote a powerful novel,” Moriarty said. “I’m excited to know it will have an impact on readers all over the world.”

“My Dark Vanessa” is set for publication in January 2020.

Russell is currently working on her second novel which will deal with teenage girls, obsessive friendships, creativity and “the internet circa 2004.”

Natalie Hammer/KANSAN Kate Russell, a former University of Kansas English professor, has received a publishing deal for her book, “My Dark Vanessa.”

KANSAN.COM

ARTS & CULTURE

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Renowned percussionist to perform with KU group RACHEL GAYLOR @raegay218 Renowned composer and percussionist Andy Akiho will perform with the University of Kansas Percussion Group Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center. Akiho has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra and in venues like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

University percussion professor Mike Compitello invited Akiho to workshop and perform with KU Percussion Group (KUPG) last year. Compitello met Akiho when they were both masters students at the Yale School of Music.

“I know from our friendship that he’s such a dynamic person to be around, and I thought it would be really great to feature him with all the percussionists at KU,” Compitello said.

Akiho’s primary instrument is steel pans — the

chromatically pitched drum made from industrial drums that originate from Trinidad and Tobago.

Compitello said it isn’t an instrument people usually associate with classical music, but Akiho includes it in his compositions with ease.

“His percussion music is especially inventive.”

Mike Compitello Percussion professor

Compitello wanted to bring in a guest artist whose ensemble could play and who could perform with KUPG as well. “[Akiho’s] music has the ability to get people that hate classical music interested and people who love classical music interested,” Compitello said. “[His compositions] have this vitality to it that’s really addicting

and this creativity to it that’s mind blowing.”

Lauren Molloy is a junior from Austin, Texas, studying percussion performance and music theory. She first heard and played Akiho’s music in high school and became a fan quickly. When she found out Akiho would be coming to the University to perform with them, she said she couldn’t believe it.

“It’s crazy and surreal.

A lot of schools have that same opportunity, so I feel really lucky to be able to.

And to have that connection between Mike and Andy is awesome,” Molloy said. “I’m very excited.”

What makes Akiho’s compositions special, Compitello said, is how unique each one is — full of vibrancy and energy in the rhythm, melody and overall sound of the pieces. Akiho writes for a variety of instruments but creates new sounds audiences haven’t heard before.

“His percussion music

Contributed photo Andy Akiho will perform with the University Percussion Group Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center. is especially inventive,” Compitello said. “It’s almost like eating an amazingly delicious piece of chocolate cake and finding out it’s also really good for you at the same time.”

Molloy, who is also a steel pans player, loves the different timbres Akiho

incorporates in his music.

Akiho doesn’t just utilize percussion instruments but includes woodwinds, strings, keyboard and even voice in some of his compositions.

Molloy said you don’t need to be a fan of percussion music or classical

Contributed photo Andy Akiho will perform with the University Percussion Group Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center.

music in general to enjoy Akiho and his work.

“I really hope that people realize that there are endless possibilities with percussion,” Molloy said.

“You can do so many different things, and it never stops expanding. You can create whatever you want with it.”

Compitello said he’s excited to see what Akiho brings to his students. He hopes they see what Akiho has done with his performances and compositions and take that into their own professions — whatever they may be.

“I hope that [my students] are inspired to be creative and entrepreneurial in their own lives,” Compitello said. “One thing about Andy’s music is that it really connects with people. I think being a part of a program like that might inspire [students] to try to find other experiences.”

Along with the 22 KUPG students, Compitello and Akiho, University professors Hannah Collins and Brandon Draper — who teach cello and drum set, respectively — will join the group on selected pieces.

Tickets for the performance are on sale now and are $25 for adults and $14 for students.

KU graduate’s critical art on display at Lawrence library GRACE MENNINGER @anarcho_seedism Using colorful acrylic paints and broken paintbrushes, local artist and University of Kansas graduate Tay Stark creates politically charged works of art, some of which are critical of the Trump

Administration. Stark’s work is currently on display at the Lawrence Public Library.

This style of art is cathartic, Stark said.

One such painting depicts the White House engulfed in rainbow flames. Stark painted the piece, titled “Trump Should’ve Raked (A

Queer Anarchist’s Dream)” in response to Trump’s reaction to the California wildfires, which distressed and disappointed Stark.

Trump blaming California wildfires on forest mismanagement seemed unrealistic, said Stark, especially with how frequent and devastating

Courtney Bierman/KANSAN Tay Stark is a 2017 graduate whose work is currently on display at the Lawrence Public Library.

the forest fires can be.

Stark was also inspired to paint when the Trump administration considered redefining gender to only refer to sex at birth.

Stark expresses their frustration with the Trump administration through their artwork.

Yet Stark doesn’t usually make political art.

Much of their artwork is abstract, and they frequently depict nature scenes like a setting sun or mountains. Stark also experiments with drip painting, a technique that involves creating colorscapes by dripping paint onto a canvas and rotating it to control

where the paint drips.

At the Lawrence Public Library, marketing coordinator Heather Kearns selects art to go on display. Stark’s work caught her eye. She also sets out a comments box by every exhibit for viewers to share their opinions.

“It’s important to have a space where people are able to express how they feel with visual mediums.

I really love having a place where anyone has an opportunity to express how they feel,” Kearns said.

Kearns estimated the majority of the comments on Stark’s artwork have been overwhelmingly

positive.

Despite the reactions Stark received, comments like, “You paint what I feel” warm their heart, they said. Kind words act as a motivator for them to keep making more art.

“People will say, ‘You paint what I’ve been feeling.’ And I say, ‘I’ve been feeling it, too.

That’s why I painted,’” Stark said. “So it gives me more connection to other humans. And that’s what I really, really value, I recognize.”

Stark’s art is on exhibit at the Lawrence Public Library until Jan. 31. Their art will also be shown at the Percolator Gallery Jan. 25.

KANSAN.COM

6 ARTS & CULTURE

Tiny Meat Gang heckled by Granada crowd JOSH MCQUADE @JoshMcQuadeUDK

Just like their meat, Cody Ko and Noel Miller’s jokes were short-lived among a bothersome crowd.

Tiny Meat Gang is a comedy duo created by Ko and Miller. Both originally reached stardom through Vine, but after Vine was killed, the two moved onto YouTube. Through Ko’s channel, the two post their most popular segment: “That’s Cringe.”

The comedians also host the podcast “Tiny Meat Gang.”

In normal podcast fashion, the two spend most of the hour discussing life stories, things they’ve heard and other random comedy.

The podcast is now up to 65 episodes and currently on its second national tour.

The podcast averages around 200, 000 views per episode, but the “That’s Cringe” series on Ko’s YouTube channel receives millions of views.

The sold-out show Wednesday night at the Granada was similar to their podcast, jumping into anecdotal stand-up comedy at some points.

The show was the eighth on the tour for the duo and the sixth city they’d been to since Jan. 15.

“This is the biggest

Chance Parker/KANSAN YouTube stars Cody Ko and Noel Miller perform at the Granada during the Tiny Meat Gang tour on Wednesday, Jan. 23. room we’ve done so far,” Miller said.

The direction of the show turned anywhere from poop jokes to phallic jokes, which the audience

seemed to appreciate.

It seemed when the two were put on the spot, most of the material was dedicated to roasting others, or toilet humor.

Ko did his research on Lawrence, as he was able to bond with the crowd over one phrase.

“F**k K-State,” Ko said.

The roasting of the audience came from the several obnoxious crowd members who were constantly heckling the comedians, ruining

the punch lines of several jokes. At first, it made the show very interactive, but once Ko and Miller tried to get into their actual material, they were distracted by the audience. Although, the two did play very well, firing back at any audience member who would interrupt them.

The best part of the show was when Ko and Miller pulled up a video on the projector behind them and began to do a live “That’s Cringe” segment on-stage. The video featured a Florida frat attempting to recruit new brothers. While it was definitely planned out, the two were able to send waves of laughter through the audience.

The show ended with Ko and Miller hosting an unproductive Q&A, as it gave hecklers yet another opportunity to speak while everyone listened to them. Some questions were answered truthfully, but most answers the comedians gave were for laughs.

Live podcasts are usually a personable time to learn more about the hosts, but due to the standing-room-only, rude crowd, Ko and Miller were unable to bond with their Lawrence fans.

KU Department of Geology develops field research app WYATT HALL @thewyatthall15 Geology is a field experience-driven discipline. In the past, when going out to work in the field, you would need all kinds of different tools to get all the information you need.

This all changes with a new app being developed within the University of Kansas Department of Geology: StraboSpot.

StraboSpot — commonly referred to as Strabo — is a field research app that brings all the tools a geologist would need together, as well as allowing easy recording and sharing of data from one person to another. The University has been leading the app’s development, but Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin both contributed heavily.

“With Strabo, you just hit a button, and it shows you exactly where you need to be.”

Carson Rufledt Geology student

“The system makes it so that all your notes, pictures and maps are in a single place and fully cross referenced. Rather than being in separate files or places, they are all together in a single system,” said J. Douglas Walker, professor of geology and principle investigator for the grants on the project.

“It’s less like Excel and

more like Facebook.”

Carson Rufledt, a master’s student of geology, has worked extensively on the app’s development.

“It’s really appealing to field geologists as we go forward because you can share and download each other’s data,” Rufledt said.

Another big part of the app is the difficulty to map things and find where you are when out in the field. The system integrates maps and GPS together to create smaller areas called “spots” that centralize all the different field maps and pictures for that area together into one easy to access place.

All of this together especially benefits students who are still learning the ways of field research and need a little extra assistance.

“When you’re out in the field as a student, it’s really hard to find yourself on the map when you’re in the middle of nowhere,” Rufledt said.

“With Strabo, you just hit a button and it shows you exactly where you need to be.”

The app isn’t widespread quite yet.

It’s mainly in use by the three schools that worked on it, but one of the long term goals of the project is to help educate future geologists across the nation.

“We really want other schools and geology programs to recognize that Strabo is a great tool in the classroom and can really benefit students,” Rufledt said.

The app has been in development for five

Natalie Hammer/KANSAN Top: Ritchie Hall, the north building of the Earth Energy and Environment Center at University of Kansas Right: Slawson Hall, the south building of the Earth Energy and Environment Center and the location of Dr. Walker’s office

years, with plans to continue expanding the feature. For now, the plan is to keep slowly branching into more areas of geology and smooth out bugs as they surface.

Strabo might seem to most as a simple app for assisting geology students, but for field researchers, both Rufledt and Walker said it’s changing the game as they know it.

“You can take more and better field notes as well as consolidating all of your tools into one program,” Rufledt said. “Instead of taking a backpack full of stuff, you can just take a tablet.

It really brings a new side to field geology.”

Strabo is available to download for free on both the iOS and Android app stores.

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opinion

OPINION

Monday, January 28, 2019

Text your Free For All submissions to (785) 289-8351

FFA of the Day: “why did we let the body glitter trend die why are we so afraid to shine” Depression? yeah I know her. we go way back Optimal Thursday: curled up on the floor eating Taquitos “Why am I just eating bread? Because that’s all I get.”

“I drink my Dumb Bitch Juice with extra pulp” “The couch pulls out but I don’t.” “lesbians love two things: knives and wine” Soccer and plagiarism are the two things in this world that make me angry Ted Bundy escaped jail twice in 6 months so he was nothing if not persistent.

“If you ever feel useless just know that there’s a share button for LinkedIn on Tinder” i hate tom brady. thanks for coming to my ted talk bye.

WHY ARE PARTNER PAPERS A THING Ted Bundy supported Richard Nixon which surprises me approximately 0% “who is aquaman saving the world from?” “fish” “I like my men like I like my wine-” “From a giant bag??”

Today I learned I’m paying an extra $1800+ per semester just to take business classes.

I’d like to die yesterday.

I’m at the point of alcoholism where a nightcap of Coors Lite is an essential. “do you ever just forget every single word you know” “yesterday during production I literally had to call my mom to ask her what the word for “weather encyclopedia” was, so yes” “glug glug, thot” “one time when I was 12 I took a shot of gin” “I nearly drowned every day when I had to clean the bottom of the pool over the summer at the aquatic center.”

“It built character”

KANSAN.COM

K A N S A N .C O M /O P I N I O N

Men must redefine masculinity ELIJAH SOUTHWICK @JustAGinger_

What is it about a painted fingernail that is so feminine? All people have fingernails, whether they are newborn babies or elderly, whether they are kept long, short or close to the cuticle and even whether they belong to a man or a woman. Nail polish products are available for purchase by any consumer who has the interest and financial resources to do so. Color is not owned by any specific gender, and more importantly, neither is self-expression. There is nothing inherently feminine about a painted fingernail, yet there are layers of societal pressure that keep men’s nails remarkably free of color.

Let’s try to break those down.

I’m not writing to rant about the evils of gender, or to fantasize about some fictitious society where gender doesn’t exist. Gender roles, as arbitrary as they are, do serve a function.

Having admitted that simple truth, there are many aspects of gender roles that are severely antiquated, and these outdated mindsets expand the worst qualities of being masculine and limit the advancement of femininity.

At the University of Kansas, students participate in very traditional gendered campus life. Fraternities,

sororities, scholarship halls and dorms all divide young and impressionable students straight down a line and create communities of men and women. This practice serves to create an equal and safe college experience for young women, an honorable goal, certainly worth striving for.

However, for young men, separation from feminine influences breeds patterns of masculinity that are incredibly problematic.

Groups of men tend to not foster environments that promote self-expression or a nontraditional exploration of identity.

Pressure to be masculine quashes crucial learning experiences, because conformity toward masculine gender roles is the easiest route, largely free of ridicule. This behavior in males, while very prevalent in college life, begins at a much earlier stage of development.

While growing up in Kansas, I lived with many women. I have a big family that features many strong and independent female figures. Naturally, these women influenced me, and as I’ve grown into a man I have always felt in touch and comfortable with my feminine side thanks to their influences. I was also a year-round athlete playing on all boys sports teams until the age of 14.

Today, it is easy to re-

flect on those boys teams and see there is something wrong with that environment.

I was always different, and not just because of my red hair, but because I valued self-expression and acted as an individual free from the pressure to conform to masculinity. I was teased relentlessly, but my commitment to individualism bred confidence and gave me an invaluable learning experience.

“Nothing can rattle you,” my old baseball coach told me one day at practice. It was this same mindset of individuality that pushed me to paint my nails over winter break and walk into the first day of classes with light pink and gray proudly showing on my fingers.

The recently released Gillette ad, titled “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be,” stirred controversy for expressing similar ideas. Those who disagree with the ad’s humble message may

not be fully comfortable with their masculinity or are not in touch with their feminine side. Men face a long and difficult road to eliminating our damaging behaviors and accepting that the current state of “being a man” has serious flaws, as the fervent backlash against the ad shows.

Embracing a healthier form of masculinity is also essential to an open and honest exploration of sexuality. As a heterosexual, I have welcomed many gender roles into my life during my pursuit of romantic relationships with women.

Along the way, I have also had moments of emotional and sexual attraction to other men. However, those moments and feelings have always been fleeting, and I’ve never felt

strongly enough to identify or consider myself as bisexual. Being comfortable and confident with my masculinity and sexuality was essential to learning that about myself, and I hope male readers can also embrace that same comfort and confidence.

Men and women will always be different, and neither bear the full responsibility of hateful ideologies such as homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, etc. The concepts of both femininity and masculinity need serious evaluation, but I believe men carry a special and significant responsibility toward creating an open and caring society, and each man must begin that process with individualism and self-reflection.

Elijah Southwick is a junior from Overland Park studying English.

Illustration by Nichola McDowell/KANSAN

Kansas’ foster care system needs reform GRACE BRUNNER @Gracebrunner4 Gov. Laura Kelly addressed Kansas in her State of the State address on Wednesday, Jan. 16, to outline her priorities for the state under new leadership.

Among these priorities was an extensive reform of the foster care system in Kansas, which the governor described as not only a “moral crisis” but a matter of “life and death.”

In her address, Kelly cited her personal horror upon learning during the 2018 legislative session that 70 children in the state’s foster care system were currently missing. Kelly was not alone; an alarming number of state officials spoke out about their own lack of awareness regarding the missing foster children. An established divide between the state agencies and the private contractors that handle placements has fueled a lack of transparency and caused the state officials who represent the interests of these children to be unaware of the system’s failures.

In November of 2018 a lawsuit was filed against the state of Kansas by the National Center for Youth Law, Children’s Rights and Kansas Appleseed, which claimed the foster care system of Kansas neglect-

Sarah Wright/KANSAN Newly-elected Gov. Laura Kelly has pledged to fix the foster care system in Kansas by implementing preventative resources such as the Families First Prevention Services Act. ed the civil rights of the children within the system and supported an environment of emotional distress and abuse. The constant cycling of children through single-night and temporary placements is an extremely unstable environment.

Furthermore, the lawsuit claimed these children were left essentially homeless. For instance, children who could not be placed would spend the night (or, at times, multiple nights) in the KVC or other contractor offices. The suit further claimed the children were

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being placed in homes that were not up to regulation, and children were being moved from homes at a rate more than double what the national average deems acceptable.

Kelly, in her address, cited specific children who’d been killed due to failures in the system. Among those children was Jayla Haag, an 18-month-old girl whose abuse-related death sparked a lawsuit against the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

Haag’s father claimed the agency failed to proper-

ly investigate or act upon knowledge of abuse toward the child. The office agreed upon a $75,000 settlement.

Additionally, the “adoption bill” came to life last year in the Kansas legislature. This bill, passed by former Gov. Jeff Colyer, allowed for sub-contracted agencies to refuse placements based upon deeply held-religious beliefs while still receiving state-funding. At minimum this legislation seems to set a precedent for state-funded discrimination by allowing agencies to turn-away LGBT individuals or individuals of non-Christian beliefs.

Perhaps even worse, the legislation raises the question of why agencies feel in any position to turn away safe and acceptable placements for these children.

Clearly, there is a shortage of placements available, and children are falling through the cracks. Former Gov. Colyer claimed he believed this bill would incentivize more agencies to facilitate placements, yet is the obvious neglect of children not already incentive enough for these agencies?

Kelly did not mention this adoption bill in her address, but in previous statements she has made clear her intentions to work against the legislation. The new administration’s budget focuses upon preventa-

contact us Shaun Goodwin Emma Greenwood Editor-in-chief Business Manager sgoodwin@kansan.com egreenwood@kansan.com

tive resources such as the Families First Prevention Services Act, the Children’s Initiatives Fund, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Fund aimed to lower the need for children to enter the system, according to KCUR. Approximately $7 million have been allotted to support these measures, and another $4 million to hire more social workers.

Additionally, Kelly has appointed Laura Howard as the new interim secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Department for Disability and Aging Services, a clear sign for her intention to move in a new direction.

It is abundantly apparent our foster care system has failed, neglected and abused the most defenseless children in our state.

However, it appears our current administration is giving the necessary and overdue attention to this crisis, which previous administrations failed to do. It is important in the months to come that we, as citizens, continue to place focus and attention upon these issues and ensure our government is working to aid these children, rather than funding their neglect.

Grace Brunner is a sophomore from Overland Park studying English and political science.

editorial board

Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Shaun Goodwin, Savanna Smith, Aroog Khaliq and Emma Greenwood.

KANSAN.COM

OPINION

9

Wall is not solution to irregular population SARAH GRINDSTAFF @KansanNews Irregular population: it’s an American problem with an American solution. And contrary to what a small minority of Americans may believe, a measly wall will not fix a decades-long phenomenon.

On the back end of the longest government shutdown in American history, talk of the Trump wall and other political distractions flooded the mainstream media, and unfortunately for the American people, the floor of Congress as well.

As millions of hard working American men and women worked without pay, struggled to pay necessary bills or even put food on the table, our leaders in government engaged in a toxic Mexican standoff against the “real” threat to our country...Mexicans.

This ignorant political distraction against the fierce domestic qualms that have been plaguing our country for decades is simply another mislabeling of our nation, as well as a perfect display of what it means to completely misunderstand the concept of cause and effect.

Trump recently temporarily reopened the government, but the reopening is exactly that.

Temporary.

If the President does not receive funding for his big wall, he will shut down the government on Feb. 15, or issue a state of national emergency, allowing the president to build the wall without congressional approval, a shadowy implementation of the unitary executive theory.

Chance Parker/KANSAN President Donald Trump holds a rally at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in an effort to help Kris Kobach win the race for governor.

According to recent ‘Trump Speak’ — reminiscent of a latenight infomercial — irregular population of America is the root of everyone’s problems. Yet all can be remedied with a magical wall for the low, low cost of $5.7 billion.

Nothing is further from the truth, and the current political landscape is an insult to federal employees, mothers and fathers who worked without pay, American students who were struggling financially, and most of all, the collective intelligence of the country.

It’s high time the government reopens for good, so that the American students and citizens no longer have to pay for the lack of political knowledge of presidential fearmongering.

Irregular population in our country can be solved with some additional legislation at only a small expense of the federal budget, rather than irreparable damage to Americans’ pocketbooks (because as we all know, Mexico is and never was going to pay for this wall).

The majority of unauthorized populace came to the US from

1990 to 2004. And it is no coincidence that this influx of irregular population occurred suspiciously around the time of the 1994 NAFTA agreement.

As a formidable piece of liberal trade legislation, NAFTA was put in place to boost international trade, as well as the American economy. And while NAFTA did improve the collective American economy, its negative impacts on Mexican agribusiness can still be felt today.

In the nineties, American imports into Mexico soared, devastating Mexican

farmers and crumpling a previously heavy agricultural export economy. Without the economic gains garnered from previous agricultural capital, production prices plummeted, and Mexican farmers were left financially crippled.

Seemingly serendipitous, 71 percent of the skyrocketing increase in irregular population can be attributed to Mexico alone.

As a country, we indirectly caused the current trends in irregular population.

The good news is that fixing our own problems is easier than building a

I know I’m not the only one who got those speeches when I was a little girl. I have since then noticed that speeches of the same vernacular are not given to little boys.

They are not coached on how to control their sexual appetite. They are not told “no means no” unless they have already done something they should not have done.

Much of their unruly behavior is categorized as “boys being boys” and everyone turns a blind eye, and this is unconscionable.

L a t e last year in Ireland, a young woman committed suicide after her thong was held up as evidence a g a i n s t her case to receive justice from her rapist.

The attorney even stated to the court, “you have to look at the way she was dressed” to justify the actions of the man on trial. The young woman was only 17, and her underwear

was presented to a room full of people as if it were solid evidence. Similar cases continue the trend of questioning women’s testimony of their traumatic experiences.

Disbelieving women is so common that it has become the status quo, even in the face of bounteous evidence.

Recently, the cases against R .

Kelly were investigated further and revealed in a docuseries called “Surviving R. Kelly.” Many of these women were ignored for years because no one believed them, so filmmaker Dream Hampton interviewed women who have spoken up about their abuse and gave them a platform to tell their truth. Since the

docuseries aired, support for these women has arisen, but detractors remain vocal, and other survivors of rape and other types of sexual abuse often do not get this opportunity.

Students and faculty on college campuses do not do any better. Many colleges hold meetings, have organizations, and constantly preach about the importance of consent and respect towards women’s bodies.

Unfortunately, when push comes to shove, these entities often don’t even abide by their own rules, as s h o w n at Baylor U n i ve r s i t y in late 2018, when f o r m e r fraternity pre sident Jacob Walter Anderson was indicted on four counts of sexual assault.

It was ruled Anderson will

multi-billion dollar wall, and the alternative will actually aid in limiting immigration rather than be a child’s solution to an incredibly complex population pattern. In order to reduce the influx of immigration from the 1990s, which doubled from 3.5 to 7 million immigrants, another rebranding of this agreement is required.

Trump’s recent rebranding of NAFTA, known as USMCA, provided little assistance to Mexican workers.

However, if Trump were to negotiate the agreement and adopt slightly less liberal trade policies, then irregular population in the USA would diminish.

Agricultural subsidies for some Mexican farmers would be lower than the rates at which they are offered to American farmers.

This reform would offset low wages in Mexico’s agricultural sector and provide increased economic stability.

With this simple reform to Trump’s USMCA, irregular population could decrease by millions in the next decade.

To best support c o m p re h e n s i v e immigration reform, contact your local officials and lobby for this plan. We must end the threat of a new shutdown and produce affordable, functioning immigration reform for our country. A child’s solution to a complex issue will do more harm than good for Americans and Mexicans alike.

Sarah Grindstaff is a freshman from Columbia, Illinois, studying political science.

We need to do better: combating rape culture in the US KELSI WILLIAMS @Kiwi_Writes

For as long as I can remember, my family has coached me on what to do, say and sometimes even feel when I go out in public without them.

When I was younger, I did not understand it at all.

So what if my shorts were a little too short? What’s the problem with wearing a shirt that shows my shoulders at school? Why did some of these rules still matter when I was around men in my own family? They didn’t tell me why I had to do all of these things, and it left me severely frustrated.

Rape and sexual assault are extremely common forms of violence against women. As a society, we have narrowed down the cause of these specific crimes to be what a woman is wearing or how promiscuous her behavior is. We tell women to pay close attention to their surroundings and to make sure they have on appropriate clothing, but why? Why is it all on us?

Isn’t it better to stop the crimes from happening instead of just being prepared for them to happen anyway?

Illustration by Philip Meuller/KANSAN

not spend any time in prison, but rather spend three years on deferred probation with a measly $400 fine.

The root of all of these acts of injustice, and the tepid responses to them, is the lack of respect and trust society has for women.

Yet this mistreatment of survivors and diminishing of these crimes can be stopped.

We can start by coaching and teaching young boys the same way that we do young girls. Tell them ‘no means no’ before they do something wrong.

Teach them how to respect women and avoid language that blames women’s attire or slut shames them to justify sexual assault or rape.

Combating rape culture at an early age and keeping boys and men accountable for their actions, are crucial factors that can lead to the safety of girls and women in the future.

Kelsi Williams is a freshman from Chicago, Illinois, studying journalism and mass communications.

10

KANSAN.COM

SPORTS

Absence of Washington plagues KU LOGAN FRICKS @LoganFricks

A second half surge was not enough as Kansas women’s basketball fell to TCU on the road 58-53, on Jan. 27. The Jayhawks fall to 11-7 on the season and continue to struggle in conference play, sitting at a lowly 1-7 in the Big 12.

Kansas went into the half trailing 35-23 and could not seem to buy a shot, especially with the absence of leading scorer senior guard Jessica Washington, as the Jayhawks made only eight baskets in the first half.

The second half started off well for the Jayhawks, with senior guard Kylee Kopatich setting the tone with a three-pointer. After the shot, however, the Horned Frogs went on a little run of their own, going on a 9-4 run.

Momentum shifted back in the favor of Kansas with 2:42 left in the third quarter, as the Jayhawks locked down on defense and found themselves offensively.

Soon after, senior guard

Christalah Lyons made a layup, which was then followed by a steal on the defensive end from senior guard Brianna Osorio. After being fouled on the other side of the court, Lyons made two free throws to bring the Kansas deficit down to 10.

Sophomore center Bailey Helgren then made a defensive effort with her first steal of the game. Kopatich followed it up with another three-pointer, starting a Kansas 7-0 run.

After a few misses from both sides, freshman guard Aniya Thomas gave Kansas a bit more momentum with a layup and once again, Osorio stepped up on the defensive side of the court with a steal.

Osorio was then fouled, which lead to two freethrows, cutting the lead to just three points.

TCU went on a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter, and once again, a shooting lull plagued the Jayhawks as they shot just 35.7 percent from the field. Two miscues by Kansas also led to two turnovers in the final 12 seconds of the con-

Chance Parker/KANSAN Senior guard Christalah Lyons dribbles the ball against Baylor. The Jayhawks fell to the Bears 94-68 on Wednesday, Jan. 16. test, ultimately proving to be too much for Kansas.

Kopatich led Kansas in scoring with 19 points, tying a season high for her.

Lyons was the only other Jayhawk to reach double digits, following right be-

Jessica Washington

37.7

FIELD GOLD %

junior, guard

15.1

POINTS PER GAME

41.9 3 POINT %

hind with 15 points.

Junior forward Mariane De Carvalho, who started in place of Washington, went 0-for-8 from the field, scoring only one point. Senior forward Austin Richardson was also shut out

39 ASSISTS

3.2 RPG

Kansas tennis suffers first loss DIEGO COX @x0lotl

Following the early success of the spring tennis season, Kansas tennis suffered its first loss of the year over the weekend on the road to Oklahoma State. Despite winning their first three top-25 matchups, the Jayhawks couldn’t pull through, losing by a close score of 4-3.

Like in their previous matchups, the Jayhawks started off with strong doubles play. It began with the duo of senior Anastasia Rychagova and freshman Sonia Smagina, winning the first doubles matchup, followed by the No. 5-ranked team of Janet Koch and Nina Khmelnitckaia completing

the doubles sweep to earn the doubles point.

Freshman Malkia Ngounoue fell in her first match to No. 40-ranked Marina Guinart — 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 — tying the score up.

Kansas continued to trade matches with the Cowgirls going back and forth with every match.

Junior Maria Toran Ribes was victorious in her singles match against Tamara Arnold, 6-3, 7-6(4). Following this, No. 34-ranked Koch fell to No. 21-ranked Katarina Stresnakova, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. Sophomore Plobrung Plipeuch then lost her singles matchup, putting the Jayhawks down 2-3, in danger of losing the match.

Rychagova proceeded to win her singles

matchup against Bunyawi Thamchaiwat, 7-5, 7-5, to tie the match at 3-3. With the match all tied up, it would come down to one final matchup between No. 70-ranked Khmelnitckaia and No. 73-ranked Sofia Blanco.

Looking to continue their early season success, Khmelnitckaia would need to fight hard in order to secure the win. Ultimately, after a close, hard-fought matchup, Khmelnitckaia fell to Blanco, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4, with the Jayhawks losing the match 3-4.

Despite the loss, head coach Todd Chapman said this experience will be invaluable to these girls in the future.

“We lost a great college tennis match today,” coach Chapman said, according

to a Kansas Athletics’ press release. “Hats off to Oklahoma State for making us better today.

At the end of the day, they made a couple more big shots than we did.”

“We played another good doubles point and we competed up and down the lineup,” he continued.

“OSU is extremely tough to beat at home and we played ourselves into some great situations Saturday.

Now we will look to learn from where we came up short in those situations and get better from Saturday’s experience.”

next match at Wichita St. Fri., Feb. 1 3 p.m.

Chance Parker/KANSAN Freshman Malkia Ngounoue returns the ball against Northwestern. Kansas defeated Northwestern 5-2 on Sunday, Jan. 20.

as she only managed four points in the game.

Simply, the Jayhawks struggled to score the basket, and without Washington, the lack of scorers on the squad became even more apparent.

Kansas has very little time to turn its season around and if the Jayhawks cannot start to win games

soon, a postseason berth will be long gone.

LOGAN FRICKS @LoganFricks

pole vault, including four in the top-three (sophomore Kyle Rogers and redshirt-junior Paulo Benavides tied for third).

Kansas had just as much success on the track as it did in the field, with numerous Jayhawks claiming a first-place finish.

Junior sprinter Jedah Caldwell got the ball rolling with a prelim victory in the women’s 60-meter dash, clocking in with a time of 7.62. She went on to follow up her success with an even better run of 7.60 in the finals, claiming first overall.

In the men’s 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Darius Releford ran an 8.12 to take first in the prelims, but was unable to finish, disqualifying him in the final race. Releford’s 8.12 would have given him first place overall.

Releford’s time was not only a personal record, but also put him eighth overall in the history of Kansas track and field.

Despite Releford’s historic run, sophomore Javan Reece would take first place overall, running an 8.14, .03 seconds better than his prelim run.

Releford did have other success, running a 1:14:67 in the Men’s 600-meter dash. Releford finished third in the A.M. session and his time was the ninth bet in both sessions combined.

Kansas went on to round out the meet with a victory in the 4x400 relay, lead by the combination of senior Marcus Davis, freshmen Ethan Fogle and Xavier Wolf and lastly junior Bryce Hoppel.

The Jayhawks will return to competition on Feb. 1-2, sending competitors to both Michigan and Texas to compete in the Power Five Invitational and the Texas Tech Open.

next game

vs Oklahoma Wed., Jan. 30 7 p.m.

Track and field underclassmen impress Continuing its home stand, Kansas track and field returned to Anschutz Sports Pavilion on Jan. 2526, exactly one week after winning Sunflower Triangular in the same building.

As a team, Kansas took first place in 23 events in the Jayhawk Classic and it was the underclassmen who impressed the most, with a combined 14 out of the 21 individual first place finishes.

Freshman Cameryn Thomas, participating in the Pentathlon, claimed three victories overall, winning the 60-meter hurdles, high jump and finishing it off with a victory in the long jump.

Thomas struggled a bit in the other two Pentathlon events, the Shot Put and 800-meter dash, finishing in fourth in both.

Overall in the Pentathlon, Kansas claimed the top-3 spots with Thomas taking first followed by senior Teri Huslig and finally freshman Toni Englund claiming third.

Freshman high jumper Rylee Anderson once again claimed a firstplace victory, clearing the 1.79-meter mark, giving her three victories in just as many meets. Anderson’s jump was a new personal record, half an inch higher than her previous best jump.

In the men’s pole vault, freshman Zach Bradford broke the Anschutz facility record, clearing the 5.58-meter mark, jolting him into second place and giving him his best jump of his career. Senior Hussain Al Hizam matched Bradford’s mark, putting Al Hizam solely in first place.

The Jayhawks went on to place six competitors in the top-10 of the men’s

KANSAN.COM

SPORTS

11

Rebounding unravels KU in loss to Kentucky BRADEN SHAW @bradenshaw4real

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — Kentucky forward Reid Travis — who scored at will in Kentucky’s 71-63 win over Kansas on Saturday — crashed the board once more at the 10:44 mark in the second half, driving his shoulder up into Kansas redshirt junior forward Dedric Lawson, scoring another physical, tough layup.

Problems like these arise when you’re Kansas and you’re handicapped by a season-ending injury to junior center Udoka Azubuike and an inability to play sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa.

And when it’s just Lawson against the length and athleticism of Travis, sophomore forwards P.J. Washington and Nick Richards, that’s an uphill battle for 40 minutes.

“Yeah, it’s definitely tough when you have to face two people like that,” Lawson said. “We play a small-ball lineup so I was often having to go up against [Reid] Travis, P.J. [Washington] and sometimes Nick [Richards].

That’s something that you have to step up to the plate

game statistics

with no excuses.”

Travis finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Washington had a double-double of his own with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Each brought a certain flair to this game.

“Travis was a more back to the basket guy,” Lawson said. “P.J. was more finesse; I know he loves to jab and go middle. Both of them are great players.”

To put it bluntly, the Jayhawks struggled with not only the athleticism of the Wildcats, but also the tenacity and aggressiveness on both the offensive and defensive glass.

Kentucky out-rebounded Kansas 49-36, while also out-scoring the Jayhawks in the paint 38-20.

That just won’t get the job done.

“From the field, we competed pretty well,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We just didn’t get to the free throw line and they controlled the glass. That was the difference in the game.”

Along with Washington and Travis, Richards had five blocks, truly making his presence felt inside in his time off the bench.

“Obviously their bigs played very well,” Self said.

“It was certainly two against

45-36 REBOUNDS

one a lot. I thought we did a pretty good job in the first half of neutralizing them to an extent, even though Reid had a good first half.”

“I think we just wore our guy out,” Self continued.

Lawson added that the length and athleticism of the Wildcats are things you “can’t teach,” and said that their attack on the boards pushed them over the top.

Kentucky coach John Calipari — who said that Washington had a “spirit about him” — was thoroughly impressed with the effort from his big men. “[Washington] had a confidence about him,” Calipari said. “There was no tentativeness. I’ve been waiting for a year and a half for this. He had nine rebounds at halftime and I’m mad he didn’t have 12. At halftime.”

Even with Kentucky’s bigs imposing their will on Kansas, the Jayhawks simply failed to execute on most fronts, whether it was getting back in transition, throwing the ball away or just not being in the right spot.

“The thing about our transition defense is that your defense sometimes doesn’t have a chance if your offense screws things

38-20

POINTS IN THE PAINT

SELF ON RUPP ARENA Struggling to put a finger on exactly what to attribute the reoccurring losses to, Lawson suggested that the cause has not stemmed from Rupp Arena, or Hilton Coliseum or Wells Fargo Arena.

“We just let them get away,” Lawson said. “There’s nothing that we can’t fix going forward and down the road. It’s not too late to make adjustments and come out victorious in league play.”

Fielding a nearly identical question, Self also reasoned that the young group remained largely unaffected by the daunting

arena and high-stakes atmosphere, noting that the length of Kentucky’s athletes induced the loss, not the prowess and history of Kentucky and its arena.

“I didn’t think that had anything to do with our play tonight,” Self said. “I actually thought we handled the atmosphere pretty good. In the second half, there was about a three or four-minute period where it got away from us, but for the most part I think our kids, that that wasn’t what affected us as much as their length did.”

Overall, while Self expressed nothing but high

levels of respect for Kentucky coach John Calipari, his program and his facility, Self’s overall analysis of Rupp Arena was one that will perhaps shed a minute amount of light to an otherwise disappointed Kansas fan base following the loss: “It was good. It’s no Allen Fieldhouse,” Self said with a smile.

next game

at Texas Tues., Jan. 29 8 p.m.

Chance Parker/KANSAN Freshman guard Quentin Grimes shoots the ball against Kentucky. The Jayhawks fell to the Wildcats 71-63 on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Chance Parker/KANSAN Redshirt junior forward Dedric Lawson drives to the basket against Kentucky.

The Jayhawks fell to the Wildcats 71-63 on Saturday, Jan. 26. up,” Self said. “They always have numbers coming at you. I didn’t think it was awful, but the worst thing we did was give up three and-ones. That’s free points.”

Lawson, always the focal point for Kansas, finished with another double-double — his 14th on the season — with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

As Self has said in the past, Lawson “always puts up numbers,” but even with that, the Kansas coach still thought this task of a constant double team was “a lot to ask of him.”

“We’re obviously very light in the butt, to put it mildly,” Self said. “And going against big, heavy guys and men, you’re going

against a fifth-year guy [in Travis], P.J. is beyond his years physically and Nick is as well. Basically we have one guy ready to go against that.”

Calipari was also complimentary of Lawson, whom he said he’s known for a “long time,” and pointed to just how difficult it is to slow him down.

“He has an unbelievable feel to get the ball in the basket,” Calipari said. “And we did try to throw some different guys at him. We tried to throw some length at him. I thought we defended him well.”

“20 and 15 and I think we did a pretty good job on him,” Calipari added.

Once again, Lawson can leave this game with his

head held high as he once again proved he is the best offensive option for this Kansas team.

Self and Lawson repeatedly said the loss “isn’t the end of the world,” as Kansas now looks toward another road matchup on Tuesday night against Texas.

But, even if this game doesn’t matter, Lawson now has an idea of what it’s like to play through this kind of adversity and still put up consistent numbers.

“They definitely threw a lot of bodies at me,” Lawson said. “The times that I scored, I felt like I was oneon-one. Some of the times it was more congested than others. But you have to give them credit, they’re a very good defensive team.”

12

sports

SPORTS

KANSAN.COM

Basketball Gameday Monday, January 28, 2018

K A N S A N .C O M /S P O R T S

Kansas at Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 6:00 p.m.

Chance Parker/KANSAN Freshman guard Quentin Grimes drives to the basket against Kentucky. The Jayhawks fell to the Wildcats, 71-63, on Saturday, Jan. 26.

MADDY TANNAHILL & JACK JOHNSON @KansanSports

Beat Writer Predictions:

JACK JOHNSON

73-77

KANSAS 16-4 (5-2 BIG 12) Marcus Garrett

67-71

TEXAS 11-9 (3-4 BIG 12) Kerwin Roach II

sophomore guard

senior forward

★★★★

After dropping at least 15 points for three straight games, Garrett came back down to earth, offensively, against No. 8 Kentucky on Saturday. The Wildcat defense dared him to shoot over them, at times not even contesting Garrett. He shot 1-for-9 from the floor, resorting back to his more timid offensive approach. Garrett will look to bounce back during Big 12 play against Texas, who he dropped 16 points against during the first matchup.

★★★★ Leading the Longhorns in scoring at 14.3 points per game thus far, Roach has been the go-to option on offense for Shaka Smart’s team. Known for his incredible leaping ability, the senior has become more consistent shooting the ball, knocking down 43 percent of his field goals.

Lagerald Vick

Dylan Osetkowski

★★★★

★★★

senior guard

redshirt senior forward

Outside of a spectacular performance in the last two minutes, Vick was almost non-existent on the offensive end against Kentucky. He’s still the best outside shooter for Kansas but his consistency and usual aggressive play was just not there on Saturday.

The big man from San Diego, California — who started his career at the University of Tulane — has given Kansas fits in the past. Now weaker than ever in the front court, the Longhorns’ leading rebounder at 8.3 rebounds per game has the second chance to feast on a drastically smaller lineup since the loss of junior center Udoka Azubuike.

Quentin Grimes

Matt Coleman III

★★★

★★

To say it’s been a roller coaster of a season for Grimes would be the understatement of the year. Granted, he was the second-leading scorer in the Kentucky game (13 points), but had gone five games without scoring in double figures before that, leading some to question his starting role.

The leading scorer for Texas the last time these two teams met, Matt Coleman was an efficient 7-for-12 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc for 16 points. Improving his three-point percentage by five points from his freshman season, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore has a proven capability of creating troubles for poor perimeter defendes. c

sophomore guard

freshman guard

quick hits

BRADEN SHAW

TR ACK & FIELD

5.58

MEN’S BASKE TBALL

14

TR ACK & FIELD

28

WOMEN’S BASKE TBALL

34

Anschutz Sports Pavilion pole vault record set by Zach Bradford and Husain Al-Hizam in the Jayhawk Classic

Season total of double-doubles for redshirt from junior forward Dedric Lawson

Personal records set by Kansas athletes at the Jayhawk Classic on Saturday

Combined points from seniors forward Kylee Kopatich and guard Christalah Lyons vs. TCU

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