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Search for new vice provost of diversity and equity begins With Vice Provost of Diversity and Equity Jennifer Hamer set to take a job at Penn State University, Vice Provost Carl Lejuez has begun the search for her replacement.

KU student’s art wins award KU senior Trevor Bashaw won the Brosseua Creativity Award for his piece ‘Some Queer Shit.’

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KU disciplines 13 students Sexual misconduct findings cover two years, according to newly revealed data

NICOLE ASBURY @NicoleAsbury The University of Kansas expelled six students and disciplined a further seven students in 20172018 for violating its sexual harassment policy, according to data recently released from the Office of Student Affairs.

The data shows a comprehensive list of disciplinary action Student Affairs has taken in the past two years against students on campus for violating its sexual harassment

policy. Each sanction followed an investigation by the University’s Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, which investigates complaints involving discrimination and harassment.

Thirteen disciplinary actions were taken against students in 2017 and 2018.

The 13 sanctions are part of a longer list of 65 sanctions Student Affairs has taken against students in the same period.

The complete list of sanctions are as follows:

Suspension (one semester), campus ban (one semester), conditions on re-enrollment Expulsion, campus ban (five years), transcript notation Expulsion, campus ban (five years), no contact directive Expulsion, campus ban (10 years), transcript notation Expulsion, campus ban (five years), transcript notation

least two academic years for renovations.

The renovations seem to be welcomed by students, especially current residents. Stephanie Wa-

lujo, a freshman resident from Indonesia, described it as outdated.

“The conditions there are kind of like crap… I’ve been to other dorms, and it’s definitely the worst…

Even though it’s a crappy place, we survive together,” Walujo said.

Walujo is not the only resident who thinks this.

Joseph Duong, a freshman from Wichita, had similar comments about Oliver’s current condition.

“Oliver is pretty run down… Even though it’s not as great as the other dorms, it gets the job done and provides a place to live,” Duong said.

Even with its reputation of being run down, Oliver is the cheapest dorm option the University of Kansas offers for

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students expelled students suspended students placed on probation student banned from campus

Illustration by Huntyr Schwegman/KANSAN

Oliver Hall to close for 2-year renovation KATHERINE VU @KansanNews

Earlier this year it was announced that Oliver Hall will be closed for at

KU women’s golf struggles A tough final round caused KU women’s golf to finish last at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic.

On the horizon

National Poetry Month kicks off KU students celebrate their favorite art forms to celebrate April as National Poetry Month.

p. 2

Emma Pravacek/KANSAN Oliver Hall, a student housing dorm, will be closed for renovations the next two academic years.

freshmen. Its closing may pose a problem to some students looking for affordable housing options.

“It gets the job done and provides a place to live.”

Joseph Duong freshman

However, KU Student Housing has taken action to help incoming freshmen and current residents planning to stay on campus. It has announced that there will be a 0% rate increase for Hashinger, Ellsworth and GSP next year.

“Flexibility as well as affordability is important to students,” KU Student

Housing Director Sarah Waters said. “Students who study abroad, graduate early or leave during the summers never have the hassle of finding someone to sublease when they live in KU student housing.”

An estimate of the cost of living following the renovations has not been discussed yet, but all housing rates are typically discussed during the fall semester. “[Costs] may be presented to the Kansas Board of Regents,” Waters said. “In previous years, KBOR approval has been in December, and therefore no Oliver rate has been proposed yet and won’t be until the school year before the building would reopen.”

19th Street construction to continue through August 2019 TIANNA WITMER @TiannaJWitmer Students returned to Lawrence from a week of spring break and were greeted by construction from 19th Street between Naismith Drive and Ousdahl along the southern border of the University of Kansas campus.

Sparking both outrage and delight among University students, the latest installation of construction isn’t moving any time soon. The 19th street construction project is scheduled for com-

pletion in August 2019, said Andrew Ensz, project manager of the construction.

“This project will complete the final phase of the 19th Street reconstruction from Naismith Drive to Iowa Street,” Ensz said over email.

The construction will include several renovations to the road, including a right turn lane from Iowa Street to 19th Street, traffic signals, pavement replacements for the Lawrence Fire Department Station No. 5, street reconstruction and

pedestrian tunnels under Iowa and 19th Streets.

“This project will improve traffic flow, sidewalk access, and storm water drainage,” Ensz said. “A northbound right turn lane on Iowa Street will improve traffic flow.

The pedestrian tunnels will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety crossings of 19th and Iowa Streets.”

The total cost of the project is $6,034,000, and the funding comes from a combination of the city, the University, state and federal funds, Ensz said.

Illustration by Philip Muller/KANSAN

While the construction on 19th will bring improvements to the road condition and accessibility, the start of the project came as a surprise to some of the residents that live along the road.

“We didn’t get any notice; we didn’t get anything, like nothing in the mail, no note on our door, no email from our leasing office or anything,” said Matthew Moeder, a sophomore nursing student from Hays. “They did have a couple signs on the street for warning, but besides that, if you don’t pay attention to the giant road signs around Lawrence, you wouldn’t know.”

Other than the short notice, the blocked road hasn’t been much of an issue for Moeder.

“Personally, I love it only because there is so much less traffic on the street,” Moeder said. “I love people, but I also hate people, and so when I’m walking to class, it’s just so much less busy.”

For students not so close to campus, it’s been

Sarah Wright/KANSAN Portions of 19th Street between Naismith Drive and Iowa Street will be closed until late summer. more of a hassle to get to classes. Olivia Federico, a sophomore in molecular cellular developmental biology from Wichita, is one of those students.

“I don’t really know what they are doing to be honest, but also it’s a real inconvenience,” Federico said. “I park in Cap Fed parking lot, and so

getting to school it kind of takes a lot out of time because you have to go through 23rd and deal with all of that traffic, and then going through the residential area, I feel like that also affects [students] as well, and it really kind of hinders people from getting to school.”

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KU squirrels take over Instagram

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Sarah Wright/KANSAN Squirrels on campus often exhibit fearless behavior near students, especially when near food sources such as trash cans.

BROOKE BOYER @brookeboyer422 At a coffee shop one autumn afternoon in 2017, University of Kansas alumnae Katie Phalen, Insia Zufer and Zaara Baig began discussing the unusual habits of squirrels.

Earlier that week, one of them had spotted a squirrel eating a Pop-Tart. Another saw a fluffy-tailed rodent eating from a bag of Cheetos.

This influenced the trio to start an Instagram account dedicated to the squirrels on the University’s campus.

“Everyone at KU knows that the squirrels are notoriously comfortable around people, and are often seen

doing unusual things,” Phalen said. “We figured that other students likely had funny encounters with the campus squirrels themselves, and thought it would be fun to create a space online dedicated to them.”

More than a year-anda-half later, their Instagram account “@kusquirrels” has more than 1,000 followers.

“It definitely started as kind of a joke, but I think once we realized how much people liked it, we started trying to make it grow and post more frequently,” Phalen said.

The account is now run by sophomore Laura Phillips,

who met Phalen, Baig and Zufer through her work as a program coordinator with the Center for Community Outreach.

“We knew when it came time to graduate that we had to pass it on, and Laura has done such a great job of running the account since we’ve left,” Phalen said.

The account’s bio also encourages people to send in their own photos and videos. According to Phalen, the numbers of submissions they got the first year was overwhelming.

“We never expected it to become what it did, but we’re so happy that it did,” Phalen said.

The account has 1,082 followers from its 35 posts dedicated to the squirrels.

Our initial intention

post more often,” Phillips said. “I just get very busy and forget to post as much as I would like.”

Phillips joked about being intimidated by the squirrels and agreed college squirrels are truly a different breed than other squirrels.

“I hope that the account makes people smile or laugh,” Phillips said.

“We need more of that in our lives.”

Sarah Wright/KANSAN

was honestly just to have the account for fun, and maybe follow a few of our friends and tell them about it,” Phalen said.

“We never expected it to get over 1,000 followers.”

The account has posted a new picture or video once or twice a month since Phillips took over as admin. The account posted around three to five times a month during its first year.

“I don’t get a lot, but I have enough that I could

not update the data [if] the new batch of data is too small — smaller than 10, for example,” she said in an email, adding that “could constitute a FERPA violation because of potentially identifiable information.”

FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law designed to protect student privacy.

The initial list of data was released by the University’s Sexual Assault Task Force created by then-

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little in 2014, Barcomb-Peterson said.

The data does not include complaints made to IOA against University employees, according to the Student Affairs website.

Employees found in violation of the University’s sexual harassment policy face disciplinary action from their unit. Additionally, the data does not include complaints made against third parties.

IOA investigates the complaints and has the

ability to recommend punitive action. Where IOA finds a violation in the University’s Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, it refers the case to Student Affairs for disciplinary action, but should IOA say there is insufficient evidence to support a violation, no disciplinary action is recommended.

The data does not include how many complaints were reported to IOA in the past two years.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT FROM PAGE 1 Expulsion, campus ban (three years), transcript notation, conditions on re-enrollment Suspension (two years), campus ban (two years), conditions on reenrollment Expulsion, campus ban (three years), transcript notation, conditions on re-enrollment Campus ban (10 years) Suspension (two years), campus ban (two years), conditions on reenrollment Suspension (one semester), conditions on re-enrollment, education/training Probation (one year), education/training, withdrawal from course/ activity

Probation (one year), education/training (sexual misconduct and alcohol) The Kansan obtained the data after reaching out to University spokesperson Erinn Barcomb-Peterson with a media request for the sanctions since Dec. 31, 2016. Previously, the website that showed that information did not list sanctions during 2017 and 2018.

“Although the goal is to have updates at a regular interval, we do

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arts & culture Thursday, April 4, 2019

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KU students celebrate National Poetry Month DEASIA PAIGE @deasia_paige

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month in April is a recognition of the art form’s contributions to literature. At the University, undergraduates across campus are using the month as a way to celebrate poetry and share it with their friends.

For Rachel Atakpa, a senior studying English, National Poetry Month is just an extension of her love for poetry, which is why she’s made an effort to commemorate the holiday.

“I’ve been doing a 30 for 30 writing exercise, in which I write one poem a day in April,” Atakpa said.

“It takes a lot out of me, but I’m getting some friends to do it again this year. For me, National Poetry Month is just some time for spring and to think about poetry.”

Atakpa, whose favorite poet is Audre Lorde, said her writing mainly focuses on the body and environmental politics.

“It’s a lot of exploring identity and how it manifests in the body and how that’s affected or is affected by the environment,” Atakpa said. “It’s also about thinking on the environment in and of itself in relation to humans, in terms of climate change.”

Senior Trevor Bashaw, a creative writing student from Manhattan, Kansas, uses poetry as a tool for personal reflection, and to make sense of various cultural issues. Bashaw said they’re fortunate to have been able to join a community of friends who also write and collaborate with each other on different

Connor Heaton/KANSAN Student Rachel Atakpa explains what poetry means to her: “The two most important aspects of poetry are healing and communing with the self and nature and others, so it’s like a collective act.” projects.

“If I’m hanging out with anyone, it’s like so ripe for an opportunity for creating with them and they’ll

and what isn’t,” Bashaw said. “Doing that has been pretty fruitful for me.”

For Bashaw, National Poetry Month is a way to gain

“It allows me to read other poets’ work and engage with it and allow it to fill me with inspiration, and, in turn, hopefully do the same for others.”

Trevor Bashaw senior

influence your work just because you’ve spent time with them, and so I’m definitely interested in trying to deconstruct sort of the artificial categories of what is art and what is poetry

new inspiration for writing.

“It’s just a reminder that there’s an appreciation for poetry out there,” Bashaw said. “It allows me to read other poets’ work and engage with it and allow it

to fill me with inspiration, and, in turn, hopefully do the same for others.”

Anita Patel, a junior communications major from Topeka, first started writing poetry in sixth grade, at which point one of her teacher’s recommended she write competitively.

“When I got on stage, I remember feeling very powerful and felt like it was the place where I was supposed to be, and so I just continued writing because of that,” Patel said.

Although she hasn’t written in about 10 months, Patel said she enjoys writing about nature and her personal experiences.

“I wrote a lot about na-

ture and appreciating the sun and trees especially,” Patel said. “Also, I’m a Hindu and I’m an American, so I write about the struggles between having two cultures within you and wanting to be a part of both but not necessarily knowing how.”

Although she’s not doing anything this year for National Poetry Month, Patel said last year she started a club at the University, Writerly Friends, in which she and her friends wrote and edited their work and did things relating to poetry.

“The idea of having a month dedicated to poetry is just to slow down

and see the world through somebody else’s eyes, and that’s what poetry month helps me do because you take more notice of it,” Patel said.

For Atakpa, National Poetry Month serves as a reminder of the impact that poetry has on society and how it’s a community effort.

“The two most important aspects of poetry are healing through rituals and communing with the self and with nature and others to kind of make the poetry, so it’s like a collective act,” Atakpa said. “So I think those are things to think about in terms of how poetry is valuable and beautiful.”

‘Shazam!’ is heartwarming, corny take on DC Universe GUS HUNNINGHAKE @gushunninghake The DC Extended Universe has gone through a recovery period since the disappointing releases of films like “Batman v. Superman,” “Justice League” and “Suicide Squad.” Although each of these films performed well at the box office, the angsty direction of these films was not popular with fans or critics.

In contrast, “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman” have shown that the superhero series might have deeper stories to tell. Each of these movies keep things light with hilarious, heartfelt but badass stories that present its characters through lenses that capture the true nature of the heroes. Director David F. Sandberg’s latest film, “Shazam!” is a rare epic comic book that seeks to continue on this newfound track, with a film that’s less about superheroes and more about the idea of heroism in the most unlikely places.

“Shazam!” stars the energetic Zachary Levi (Shazam) and Asher Angel (Billy Batson). Baston is a 14-yearold runaway orphan who travels the East Coast in search of his birth mother.

The foster system never

Contributed photo DC’s “Shazam!” stars Zachary Levi (left) as the titular superhero and Jack Dyland Grazer as his best friend and foster brother. felt quite like home to him and his search is fruitless.

When a new family takes him in, a string of events leads him to newfound abilities gifted by a cave wizard (Djimon Hounsou). His new magical powers endure him to save humanity from evil forces released onto Earth.

What ensues beyond the main superhero setup is a

timely, self-aware comedy with a lot of heart. For starters, Levi fits into his role of Shazam like a glove and is highly deserving of the exclamation mark proceeding his name in the title. He and his foster brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), a kid on crutches with a smart mouth, have an overgrown kid-like comedic chemistry,

which makes for unforgettable moments.

The backbone of this story, though, comes from Billy’s foster family. This leads him to his new parents, Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) who provide a raw layer to Billy’s development. His desire to reconnect with his

mother yearns him to bolt from his new family, but he stays because of his close relationship with Freddy, who also happens to be his roommate. His new parents and siblings slowly inject love into his psyche, which captures a solidly emotional viewing.

Sandberg balances the film’s comedy with the

more sinister plot lines and the impactful family drama. But the comedy never trumps the solemn moments. It’s the supplemental scenes that keep the action flowing developing into a smooth ride.

Sandberg’s handling of the comedy creates a corny style to most of the film.

This creates an equally dry and self-aware environment for the characters and their overarching narratives. The characters act as if they know they’re in this fantastical story. Because of that, everything has a lightness to it.

The villain, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, played by Mark Strong, comes off a bit stale. The narrative devotes plenty of time to his backstory, which makes him more memorable, but even that isn’t quite enough to make his screen time as valuable as Levi and his kid companion’s.

In the end “Shazam!” has a lot going for it. Its cast is on point, especially with Levi and Grazer’s chemistry, the action sequences and CGI are serviceable, and the dramatics of an orphaned boy trying to find his family aren’t overshadowed by jokes. This film will satisfy genre fans and casual attendees alike.

IT’S ALL FOR YOU Whether you are a student, faculty member or staff person--the Office of Diversity and Equity is at your service. As I leave KU for another institution, I am proud to report that in the past two years we have implemented a set of new protocols, practices, and policies that have created a KU that is more aware, willing, and capable of demonstrating care for the diversity of those who study and work at our Lawrence and Edwards campuses. These steps offer KU a strong foundation and continuity as the Office of Diversity and Equity transitions to new leadership over the months ahead.

The fact of the matter is that KU actually has the capacity to provide most of what you need to do well. Yet, our resources are only helpful when you (1) know about them, (2) know where to find them, (3) feel confident enough to use them, and (4) are treated with care and kindness when you seek them out. Some of us feel safer braving it alone than to ask for the help we want and need. This sense of belonging and care affects how we experience the classroom, residence halls, and work environments. Let’s face it, institutions are not “one size fits all” entities.

They Th work better for some groups than for others. For the past three years, my job has been to foster the ability of KU to function at its best, for everyone.

The Office of Diversity and Equity team is not made up of superheroes (though there are a few). The team just does its best to anticipate issues, assess institutional problems, identify solutions, and assist in your accomplishment. The goal?

For you to know that you belong at KU. Below is a partial list of that new foundation that I mentioned above. Take a look and take pride in a new KU where equity and inclusion are increasingly integral to all that we are as a Jayhawk community.

Best, Vice Provost Jennifer Hamer

For students:

For faculty & staff:

Community Table A time and place for students, faculty, and staff to gather for a free lunch and take a moment to informally meet others from across campus.

Diversityedu An online equity and inclusion professional development learning module intended to improve the ability of faculty and staff to work with a diversity of students and colleagues.

DEI Calendar A real time clearinghouse of events and activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Diverse Graduate Students Fall Welcome Established in partnership with Graduate Studies to grow a cross-campus social network for marginalized graduate students.

Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity Moved to Burge Union and enhanced to create more welcoming and interactive space.

Expanded Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity Improved resources for intersecting identities, professional development for faculty and staff who work with a diversity of students, a permanent budget, and a new full-time professional staff position.

Hawk Link/Lawrence Public Library Internship A partnership that offers paid internships at the local public library and an opportunity for undergraduates to learn more about potential library careers.

Jayhawk Student One Stop Don’t stress, call Jayhawk S.O.S.! A resource for all students experiencing challenges.

Need help? Make this your first stop.

Multicultural Scholars Program Enriched to serve new and continuing marginalized students before and after graduation.

Office of Academic Inclusion Always ready to work with faculty and students to build inclusive classrooms and teaching practices.

Office of Multicultural Affairs The home away from home for marginalized students and “the” primary resource for students seeking to build knowledge and engage around matters of diversity and equity.

Support services for undocumented students The Office of Multicultural Affairs now offers assistance for undocumented and DACAmented students, as well as those from mixed-status families.

The Diversity/Inclusion Badge An easy way for all undergraduates to build knowledge, skills, enhance their majors, and prepare for careers and life in a global society.

Excellence in Diversity Hiring Handbook New guidelines and expectations that center equity and inclusion in the faculty and staff search and recruitment processes.

Gender Diversity and Inclusion Project The collection and coordination of gender diversity data to foster the growth of a more inclusive Jayhawk experience.

Local Queer and Trans Youth Resource KU led community partnership created to build a supportive network for K-12 students and families in the Lawrence community.

Resources, Guidance, and Collaboration for Unit Leadership Diversity and Equity consultation services for Lawrence and Edwards campus units.

Support Pathway: Consultation, Mentorship, and Retention A primary point of contact for faculty and staff who need assistance as they navigate workplace concerns.

The Council of Councils: A Social and Professional Support Network. An umbrella that facilitates collaboration between faculty and staff identity councils: Asian and Asian American, Black, Disability Inclusion, Latinx, Native, Sexuality and Gender Diversity councils and the newly formed International faculty and staff council.

The Family Friendly Policies and Practices Workgroup Reviews, clarifies, and makes more accessible policies that affect all employees as they care for themselves and their families.

The KU Workplace Improvement Team (KU-WIT) KU-WIT offers a holistic and collaborative approach to the development of greater fairness in the workplace.

The Women and Gender Workplace Equity Commission Launched to prioritize attention on matters of gender and the experiences of women in the workplace.

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FFA of the day: “I feel like in my natural state I’m the sexy leg Jayhawk.”

Today someone knocked on the door of the bathroom I was in and all I could think to say was “ope” Imagine if people just broke out singing like in musicals and it was completely acceptable My ex-girlfriend bought a mystery pack from Cirilla’s once and we broke up a month later. Fun times. “are you ever so touchstarved you get hung up on a guy because he hugged you two days ago?”

Do people still use hover boards? finding out the heights of famous people is a trip “Imagine being an April fools baby; as if life needed less meaning.”

“Menopause is the best birth control” “I mean, I paint my own nudes.”

“Why you always in a existential panic?”

“Oh that’s just my face.”

“Only sport I played in high school was red rover” i won’t find happiness again until i compulsively buy things online do you just ever have those days where you accidentally bring canned wine instead of an energy drink to an 8 AM meeting “I’m a horse girl at heart” “that’s disgusting, you’re so adorable!”

I love when my whole backpack is in front of a seat I’m saving for someone and some random dude STILL comes and sits down there “Aw, that’s stupid” - my professor when told he still can’t do this one thing in excel correctly and a TA corrects him “Wichita is the crackhead step brother of Kansas City” “First off he’s British so he’s not allowed to have emotions.”

“I’m gonna name my first dog FERPA.”

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

Who wants to be a billionaire?

JAMIE HAWLEY @onlynarrative

The United States is the land of the rich. According to CNBC, the U.S. accounted for 25 percent of the global billionaire population in 2018.

That’s 680 people, and the average American has no clue who most of them are.

Ever heard of John Malone? He’s a cable TV bigshot, known in some circles as the “Cable Cowboy.” The Cable Cowboy has a net worth of $7.1 billion.

While most American billionaires have avoided the limelight, some can’t seem to stay out of it.

Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are all household names, and each has been heralded for his own rags-to-riches story.

They started their companies in their basements, garages and dorm rooms, and in the end, they all ended up with the true American dream: billions and billions of dollars.

But what can you do with a billion dollars?

Let’s pretend I started a website in my basement and now I’m being rewarded for all my hard work. Wow, look at me go!

I must be something really special.

The first thing I’m going to do is make sure I never have to work again.

I’m going to set aside an annual “salary” for myself at $250,000 a year. If I live to be 100 years old, that means setting aside $19.75 million. I have

Illustration by Savanna Smith/KANSAN Columnist Jamie Hawley rejects the glorification of billionaires that has taken hold of U.S. society, and argues that for all Americans to access a secure, healthy future, this capitalistic mindset must be degraded. $980.25 million left.

At this point, I realized it is difficult to write out large numbers in a way that is helpful for the comprehension of their size, and also that my phone calculator does not allow me to do math involving billions.

Now I want a place to live. In fact, let’s make that many places to live.

I want to live in Lawrence, Los Angeles, Orlando, New York, London, Vancouver and Estes Park.

I found myself a nice home in each city, some of which were probably meant for more than one family. When I add it all up, I have more than $846 million remaining.

Now let’s make sure I have transportation. I want some cars (at least two for each house), and

a boat, and a plane. Screw the environment, I have a billion dollars. All of that leaves me with $729.36 million.

Time for the fun stuff.

I want annual passes to both Disney parks, Universal Studios, all the National Parks, and the London Zoo until I die. I want to spend every day of my life in some kind of park.

When I close my eyes, I want to see mountains, mouse ears and monkeys.

I still have $729.05 million left.

At this point, I’m out of ideas, and it’s time to grant some concessions.

I did not factor in the costs of maintaining all my houses, my yacht, and my plane. I did not factor in taxes of any kind, because taxes are complicated. I’m an English ma-

nominee Hillary Clinton, a female politician notorious for not being likable.

Clinton’s history with this is a result from her many scandals, but also from her supposed “unfeminine” traits, such as being “too cold, too calculated, too ambitious.”

Predictably, the other female candidates were targeted with this same line of thinking the moment they announced their campaign.

Gillibrand’s first question while campaigning was whether she saw her likability as a selling point. Harris was criticized by former staffers to be “hard-driving” and “aloof.” And Klobuchar has faced reporting on her reputation as a difficult boss with a high employee turnover rate.

Biases are hard to fight when they’ve been ingrained so deeply from lived experiences and culture. The things one would expect from a president — ambition, strength, toughness and other masculine traits — should not be reported on as negatives within female candidates, but they are.

It’s important for us as

young, informed voters, to realize that these are things we want to see in a politician, no matter their gender, because it ultimately factors into their ability to be an effective and powerful leader. Along with this, focusing on politicians themselves instead of policy is a risky voting behavior. Perhaps it would be ideal to have a president who you can “have a beer with” or is “likable,” but does that guarantee a successful presidency?

Regardless of your party, it’s in good practice to critically evaluate the information presented about a candidate. Not all criticisms of female candidates are sexist, but a good chunk of them are.

Look for gendered words (the use of “shrill” and “scoldy” with comments about Warren being an example), blanket statements suggesting one facet of their personality being linked to their ability to lead (Klobuchar’s temperament being listed as a significant weakness) or even facts presented as negatives that can be said for any male candidate

jor. There’s only so much math I can do before my brain caves in on itself like a mushy banana.

I see these points, and I raise you the fact that I had over $729 million dollars remaining to pay for all that. I also raise you this fact: I did this math based on a starting net worth of a billion dollars. Jeff Bezos is worth $146.6 billion.

Here’s my real point: The median net worth of the average American household is $97,300.

More than 13 million children live in “food insecure” households.

Nearly 553,000 people in the United States are homeless. The wealth gap between the richest and the poorest is only growing wider.

No one should be al-

lowed to have a billion dollars.

Yes, many billionaires give to charity. But the problem is not the individuals, it’s the capitalistic system that created them. Billionaires alone are not the problem; anyone in the U.S. who makes more money in a year than most will make in a lifetime is part of it.

Any system that allows hundreds of citizens to have lifetimes of money while thousands more starve on the streets is fundamentally and egregiously broken.

We have convinced ourselves that wealth disparity is an inherent part of society. It’s not. The redistribution of wealth in the U.S. is not only possible, but also necessary.

Destroy the myth of the rags-to-riches billionaire working his way up with nothing but the privilege on his back. We must break ourselves of the mindset that a billion dollars, or even a million dollars, is something to strive for.

Instead, we must focus our energy on ensuring that every person in this country has food, shelter and security, be it funded through taxes or limits or a total breakdown of the capitalistic structure that will always oppress the American working class.

We owe it to ourselves.

More importantly, we owe it to each other.

Jamie Hawley is a junior from Salina studying English, political science and communications.

Be wary of sexism in political coverage RHEA MAHESH @rheam_

In hopes of defeating incumbent presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Democratic party has enlisted a group of candidates varied in race, gender and ideology in an attempt to do so.

Yet gender is perhaps the most important factor on the list, with a record number of female candidates running for president.

Among the Democrats, the list includes prominent female politicians such as Senators Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand.

While having multiple female contenders present within the primary is good for a focus on policy instead of identity, it also sheds light on a double standard in reporting and perception of women running for office.

As seen in previous elections, much of a female candidate’s electability is based on her likability.

When Warren announced her bid for presidency, she was immediately compared to the previous Democratic

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(Klobuchar again being criticized for being a difficult/angry boss, when this is also an occurrence among the many male leaders in Congress).

These things could very well be negatives to consider when deciding who you will vote for. But would the things that vilify a female candidate have the same effect when regarding a male

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

candidate? In an election as important as the upcoming one, decisions cannot be made rashly. Pick your candidate, female or male, on the policies and beliefs they hold, instead of other traits that shouldn’t be given a second thought.

Rhea Mahesh is a freshman from Lenexa studying Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.

editorial board

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

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SPORTS

7

KU baseball quieted in loss to Wichita State DARBY HAYS @derbhays11

Kansas baseball welcomed in-state opponent Wichita State on Tuesday for a one-game series at Hoglund Ballpark.

In a one-sided affair for the Jayhawks, Kansas lost 9-1 to the Shockers.

Although the Kansas bats struggled in the game, large credit should follow the Wichita State pitching staff, which only allowed five hits and one run. Along with that, the Shockers’ bullpen allowed just a single base runner in two innings pitched.

“I thought we had good at bats against them. We hit three balls right on the button that stayed in the yard that they caught on the warning track or up against the fence,” Kansas coach Ritch Price said. “He found his rhythm and started to mix better and locate his fastball away, and then once we got behind we pretty much went dormant with the bats.”

During the opening inning of play, sophomore lefty Steve Washilewski threw a 1-2-3 inning to begin his fourth start of the season. Offensively, the Jayhawks were able to put together two base hits, coming from junior catcher Jaxx Groshans and sophomore first baseman Conner VanCleave.

The pitchers’ duel

Johnny Meehan/KANSAN Sophomore Steve Washilewski pitches against Wichita State. The Shockers beat the Jayhawks 9-1 Tuesday, April 2. continued until the third inning when the Shockers broke the 0-0 tie off three straight two-out hits, resulting in a threerun inning.

Aside from the runs being earned, Washilewski was able to battle through the next two innings, only allowing four

runs on five hits total.

“He’s done a really good job for us, that’s the only bad start he has had all season,” Price said. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Following the fourth inning, the Jayhawks dug into the deficit with a solo home run off the

bat of Groshans, his 11th of the season. After that home run the Jayhawks offense wouldn’t tack on another hit until two outs in the ninth inning.

Behind Washilewski on the mound was a slew of Kansas relievers such as freshmen Hunter Freese and Kahi Bisho, who

were tacked for another five runs, allowing two and three, respectively.

Rounding out the last two innings pitching for the Jayhawks were sophomore Daniel Hegarty and redshirt senior Zack Engelken, both providing scoreless performances.

After the Tuesday

night loss, the Jayhawks’ record dropped to 15-13 on the year. They will be back in action on the road in Lubbock, Texas, for a weekend series with the Texas Tech Red Raiders starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.

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8

sports

SPORTS

Thursday, April 4, 2019

KANSAN.COM

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

Miles hits Wescoe Beach with students DIEGO COX @x0lotl

Out of the blue on an ordinary Wednesday morning, football coach Les Miles tweeted that he would be stopping by Wescoe Beach to play games with students and hang out for the afternoon.

Soon after, the beach was bustling with activity, a horde of students milling around in hopes that they could meet Miles and possibly have a shot at beating him in cornhole, ladder golf or flip cup. With a win, students could earn prizes ranging from koozies to t-shirts to hats.

“I feel like it’s a really great way to connect with the student body, especially being a new coach on a new campus,” said Jeddrek Rowden, freshman political science major. “I think he’s trying to make a connection and it’s working and we really appreciate it.”

Another student, Malik Dickerson-McKinn, a freshman mechanical engineering major, also appreciated the effort Miles made to connect with students.

“I feel like it’s pretty awesome,” McKinn said.

“I wasn’t here last year, so I don’t really know if the old coach did that, but I’m really happy he’s out here. It seems like he

Brooke Boyer/KANSAN Coach Les Miles celebrates after winning a game of flip cup against students at Wescoe Beach on Wednesday, April 3. cares about the football team, trying to build a culture of football, one that we haven’t had in a minute, so it’s pretty cool.”

Around noon, Miles arrived at the Beach and the students immediately flocked to him. Despite the mass of students waiting, Miles made time

to greet people and have a small chat with nearly every student.

Ready for competition, Miles began with ladder golf. Students were eager to let him join their game and everyone in the crowd went silent as soon as it was Miles’ turn. Soon after, he turned to cornhole, but this time with

prizes in hand.

Miles organized teams of students, and whoever won would receive an autographed hat and a KU Dining gift card as a prize. While watching, students bombarded him with questions, ranging from the football team to mundane questions and funny jokes, which he

readily answered.

“Jayhawk fans are sincere and they really like football, too,” Miles said. “[Kansas men’s basketball] coach Self has done a magnificent job here, and if we can only come alongside that, that would be great.”

Miles also mentioned an open practice for the

football team on Thursday, April 11, inviting all students to attend. Cementing himself as a fan favorite on campus already, KU students can’t help but look forward to this upcoming football season to see what he can do.

team, working through these struggles seemed to be apparent on Tuesday.

Participating in their first contact scrimmages over the past week, the Jayhawks battled through some difficulties on both sides of the ball. The goal is to improve the overall outlook before showcas-

ing their abilities on April 13 for the spring game, “Late Night Under the Lights.”

“We’re a very sloppy team right now,” Kansas coach Les Miles said. “But we are also a very capable team.”

In the midst of working through some areas

that need fixing, Miles indicated some of the early struggles he has noticed on the offensive line. Yet to unveil its starting quarterback heading into the spring game, the team has been rotating the offensive line in an attempt to find the strongest unit to complement the start-

ing quarterback.

The competition for starter is currently between JUCO transfer Thomas MacVittie and senior Carter Stanley.

Although frustration could ensue due to the growing pains, Miles has voiced that it isn’t the case.

“It’s not coaches getting mad at players,” Miles said. “We’re all in this thing together.”

Miles also was unable to give any new information on sophomore running back Pooka Williams, who was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery in December 2018. Williams’ offensive impact in 2018 alone was strong enough to rank him among all skill players in all-purpose yards.

Waiting to hear back on when his return to the team will be, senior running back Khalil Herbert is taking over as starter for the time being.

Seeing mishaps occur on the offensive side, Miles was pleased with how the defense has continued to make strides in the early stages of the offseason. Surprising to most, last year’s defense

proved to be stronger than expected. However, after losing two captains in linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. and defensive tackle Daniel Wise, the progress in restructuring the defense may just be the most important note

Football works through growing pains in spring practice JACK JOHNSON @JohnyJ_15 When conducting offseason practices with plenty of new additions, facing some miscommunication and sloppy execution of plays can be a common procedure. As for the Kansas football

Emma Pravacek/KANSAN Junior wide receiver Stephon Robinson Jr. receives the ball under pressure at practice Tuesday, March 26.

quick hits

“We’re a very sloppy team right now. But we are also a very capable team.”

Les Miles football coach

heading into next fall.

“I think the defense is coming along. They have made fewer mistakes each week,” Miles said. “Overall, I’m pleased with that.”

Since Miles took over the program, nothing but positivity has buzzed around him. But as even with all the optimism, the growing pains will surely come about as the team moves through 2019. It may not be the smoothest transition, but over time, practices like these will benefit the Miles era in the long run.

TENNIS

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National ranking of the senior duo of Janet Koch and Nina Kmelnitckaia

Days until Late Night Under the Lights

Home runs hit by junior catcher Jaxx Groshans this season

Conference-high-tying onbase percentage of Big 12 Player of the Week Jennifer Marwitz

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