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KU students, faculty weigh in on Elizabeth Warren’s plan to cut student debt
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vol. 138 // iss. 30 Thurs., May 9, 2019
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Frats to ban hard alcohol
MADDY TANNAHILL @maddytannahill
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The solution to exploding cell phone batteries may be at KU A pair of assistant professors at the University have received thousands of dollars in grants to research overheating in lithium batteries, a problem common in cell phones
Crime: Vending machine theft
Kansan file photos All fraternities will go dry in the fall following a push by the North American Interfraternity Council. KU IFC implemented a similar proposal in 2015.
More than $160 worth of property was stolen from a vending machine in Marvin Hall May 3.
LUCY PETERSON @petersonxlucy
Rowing swept on senior day KU rowing was swept by Kansas State in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday.
On the horizon
Tennis heading to the Sweet 16 KU tennis will face off in its first Sweet 16 since 1998 on Friday against No. 3 Stanford.
The North American Interfraternity Conference adopted a standard that would ban hard alcohol from all fraternities in the United States as of Sept. 1, following a similar motion made by the University of Kansas Interfraternity Council in the spring of 2015 banning hard alcohol from all houses. The ban, which went into effect in the fall of 2015, prohibits any beverage with 15% or higher alcohol content-level from fraternity houses. It was created in order to target alcohol abuse, cultural competency and sexual violence, according to a previous article for the Kansan.
Since then, two fraternities have been cited for alcohol or drug related violations, according to the University’s conduct office:
It has been a little over a month since the Lawrence City Commission made the decision to lower the fines for first- and second-time marijuana possession to $1. But despite the significant drop from the original $200 fine, the city has not seen a fluctuation in reports of marijuana possession. In the month of April, Lawrence saw only four reports of marijuana possession filed, according to the City of Lawrence Crime Map. This compares to 16 reports filed in April 2018. Lawrence saw 16 total reports of marijuana possession in the first four months of 2019, setting April on average with the rest of the year thus far. In 2018, there were 105 total reports of marijuana possession. The idea for a decreased fine came from a member of the public, according to Assistant City Attorney
Maria Garcia. In December and February, the commission met in two informational meetings to review and consider the marijuana charges in Lawrence and surrounding cities, including Wichita. In 2017, community members in Wichita start-
to become completely dry fraternities. “I think that in years past, there was a concern that hard alcohol posed
“I think that in years past, there was a concern that hard alcohol posed many issues, and [the ban] just takes that out of the equation.” Aaron Racine Kansas Fraternity Landlords’ League
Delta Upsilon was put on probation in 2017, and Pi Kappa Alpha was removed from campus in earlier this semester. While alcohol above 15% is prohibited in all KU IFC fraternities, some chapters on campus have voted
Marijuana possession charges stay consistent LINDLEY LUND @lindley_mae98
4-star recruit commits
many issues, and [the ban] just takes that out of the equation,” said Aaron Racine, executive director of the Kansas Fraternity Landlords’ League. “If they’re going to do something like that, they need to do it outside of the house.”
The Kansan reached out to Amy Long-Schell, the director of sorority and fraternity life at the University, but she did not respond to request for comment by time of print. In 2017, the national Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter voted at the grand chapter conclave to adopt a substance-free chapter. In spring 2018, the KU Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter established themselves as a completely substance-free chapter as a disciplinary action following probation which started in the fall of 2017 and continued until March 2019. “One of the biggest challenges we’ve had is just READ MORE ON PAGE 2
Four-star forward Tristan Enaruna announced his commitment to Kansas via Twitter on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward out of Mount Pleasant, Utah, originally from the Netherlands, is ranked No. 53 in the 2019 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. At Wasatch Academy, Enaruna averaged 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game after seeing action in 29 contests. A 2019 McDonald’s All-American, the recruit received offers from many powerhouse programs including Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Creighton, Texas and Illinois before commiting to play for Kansas coach Bill Self. “We have been recruiting Tristan the entire year and have always been impressed with his IQ, skillset and tremendous athletic ability,” Self said in a Kansas Athletics press release. “At 17 years old, he is young for his class but his versatility is one of a guard. He would remind KU fans of a Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins-type from his size, athletic ability and skillset.” “We feel like Tristan’s ceiling is one that he could be one of the most complete offensive players that we’ve had here at Kansas over the last several years,” Self continued.
ed a petition for the Wichita City Council to lower the fines for first-time marijuana offenses, according to Wichita Chief Deputy City Attorney Sharon Dickgrafe. When the city held a READ MORE ON PAGE 3
Emma Pravacek/KANSAN Wonder Fair is opening a new location to house an art gallery, exhibitions and workshops. It will replace the discount tobacco store at 15 W. 9th St.
Wonder Fair to open second location, will house art gallery WYATT HALL @thewyatthall15
Philip Mueller/KANSAN Among the states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana, six are in the Midwest, including medical marijuana use in states like Missouri and Oklahoma.
Renowned downtown art gallery and print shop Wonder Fair will open a new gallery this summer across from its current location on Massachusetts Street. The gallery will replace the discount tobacco store at 15 W. 9th St.
and will essentially move the art exhibit side of the business to its own location. Wonder Fair co-owner Meredith Moore said this will allow the main store to expand its retail selection, also set to be finalized this summer. “The space that was an imperfect gallery before will now be the per-
fect playground for more notebooks and pens, as well as expanding our art on sale,” Moore said. “This new building is also kind of amazing. It wasn’t apparent when it was a tobacco store so it’s nice knowing that we can make this space really READ MORE ON PAGE 5
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KU weighs in on Warren’s debt platform SOPHIA BELSHE @SophiaBelshe Elizabeth Warren, one of 22 Democratic candidates for president, recently announced a platform to forgive student loan debt and make college free if she is elected president. Student loan debt is an issue affecting over 47 million Americans, totaling over $1.5 trillion dollars. Warren’s plan would cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for 42 million Americans, according to an announcement from her campaign. The plan also includes making public colleges free of tuition and fees. The plan is set to be paid for by the “Ultra-Millionaire Tax,” a 2% tax on 75,000 families with $50 million or more in assets. Burdett Loomis, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said some form of student debt policy is inevitable because of the magnitude of the issue. “The more you learn about student debt, the more disturbing it gets,” Loomis said. “People pay and pay and pay, the interest builds up and it is a huge drag on the economy.” Loomis said this policy could be a politically beneficial move for Warren, who will need to stand out in the most crowded field of Democratic primary nominees in history. “I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t have some kind of program or a set of proposals among Democrats,” Loomis said. “You’re directing your attention to younger age groups who are already supportive of you, and here you might be providing them with a really substantial benefit.” Loomis said, though, Warren could face difficulty in implementing the policy if she were to win the
Associated Press U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren takes questions from the crowd at the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich, Mass., in 2018 where the senator hosted a community event on the opiate crisis. nomination and presidency. Student loan debt is not a particularly partisan issue, so he said Warren may be able to compromise with Republicans.
“The more you learn about student debt, the more disturbing it gets.” Burdett Loomis political science professor
“It would still be very hard in this partisan era. No question,” Loomis said. Garrett Miller, chairman of College Republicans, said
he’s concerned about how the plan would be paid for, and how far debt forgiveness would go if this plan were implemented. But he said the cost of college is an issue that should be addressed. “The cost of college is a huge problem for everybody,” Miller said. “It’s not a Republican-Democrat, conservative-liberal talking point.” Miller said he would like to see a tuition freeze on universities, limit reckless spending within universities and increase the amount of athletics revenue allocated toward students. Ryan Reza, executive director of KU Young Demo-
crats, said he’s very in favor of relieving student loan debt and reducing the cost of college. “Senator Warren’s plan seems really exciting for me, because even if she doesn’t receive the presidential nomination, she’s making the idea of student loan forgiveness and trying to fight rising tuition costs more of a mainstream policy,” Reza said. Reza said while he’s excited about Warren’s plan, he would like to see increased public university funding at the state level. “Senator Warren and any Democratic nominee or potential president needs to handle the actual reason as to why students are
in debt, while also helping the students who are going through the problem and the process of dealing with student loan debt,” Reza said. “It has to be a twopronged approach.” With the start of primary elections still months away, Loomis said it’s largely unknown how this will end up affecting Warren and the outcome of the primaries, but it could play to her advantage. “It is the worst of all debts, in many ways,” Loomis said. “And it’s supposed to be this thing that gives everybody an opportunity, and to an extent it does, but it’s also kind of a millstone on people’s backs.”
a substance-free environment, while older members have grown accustomed to a damp chapter. “We’ve had some slipups, which we’ve handled internally, and we’ve made
sure there have been consequences because we like to practice accountability in order to ensure that what you do is a reflection of who you are,” Dornath said.
Dornath said he has noticed a change in culture in his chapter since the policy overhaul, through academic performance and building maintenance. “The maintenance of our chapter has been a lot nicer, you don’t see a lot of things that are broke or damaged or sticky,” Dornath said. Dornath hopes the recommendation from the NIC and the motion from KU IFC will push more chapters on campus to explore a substance-free environment in order to accurately represent Greek life nationally. He and Racine said they believe banning hard alcohol from chapters in 2015 put the University steps ahead from chapters at other universities. “In a way, this is the national organization catching up with something that KU has done on its own,” Racine said. “Really, this recommendation from NIC doesn’t have any impact on KU because it’s already what they’ve been doing for four years now.”
HARD ALCOHOL BAN buy-in from the general member,” said Keaton Dornath, chapter president of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Transitioning from a damp to dry chapter has been more difficult for the
existing members than for the latest freshman class, Dornath said, because they’re used to an environment with alcohol. Freshmen were recruited with the idea of being in
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Kansan file photos All U.S. fraternities will go dry in the fall following a push by the North American Interfraternity Council. KU IFC implemented a similar proposal in 2015.
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KU Libraries receive $129,000 grant
The grant will be used to turn humanities texts into free, digital resources. There will be 70 books converted through the grant. KYSER DOUGAN @KyserDougan The University of Kansas Libraries and University Press of Kansas received a $129,000 grant to convert humanities texts into free digital resources. The grant is provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The University Press of Kansas and the libraries will convert the texts to digital cover topics about history and political thought. There will be 70 books converted through the grant. The University Press of Kansas has previously published all of the books, and many of them are no longer in print. Kevin Smith, dean of KU Libraries, said the goal of the project was to encourage humanities scholarship. “NEH and Mellon want to encourage the role of humanities scholarship and public debate and that’s the idea of making them as accessible as possible to anybody who’s interested,” Smith said. All of the books will be open access and in addition to converting them to a digital format, the UPK will be adding new material, such as information about how to use the books in teaching. “The editors at UPK will be working on soliciting new material for some of these books to make them more
Johnny Meehan/KANSAN Watson Library is the oldest and biggest KU library, it has quiet and group areas in addition to over 80 free to use computers.
useable, more relevant to today,” Smith said.
a great deal to the University and will help
“This grant enables us to offset these costs and allows us to present this material at no cost to the public.” Conrad Roberts University Press of Kansas
Conrad Roberts, director and business manager for the University Press, said that the grant means
provide more affordable books for students. “There is a strong commitment from our universities to find ways
to make texts used in class more affordable to our students … This grant enables us to offset these costs and allows us to present this material at no cost to the public,” he said in an email. Smith echoed the importance of open access materials. “Any increase in the amount of openly accessible materials improves educational opportunities,” he said. Smith also said it is
important to have high quality information accessible to students online. “I often point out how easy it is to find really bad information on the internet and anything we can do to improve the intellectual climate is part of our mission as a library,” he said. Roberts said open access will help to provide quality content to faculty and students at an affordable costs.
“As a University Press, our peer reviewed content is essential to an institutions library, so by bringing back outof-print content for 70 of our titles, we are able to provide at no cost to the University and its students important scholarly works that remain relevant today,” Roberts said. Smith said he is excited for the opportunity for the library and UPK to collaborate.
ordinance. Gendler said he was happy when he found out the offense fines had been lowered. “It is so dumb to lock people up and such for it,” Gendler said. “It harms nobody.” According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 24 million people, or 9% of the population, in the U.S. report they are current marijuana users. This is higher than the percentages from 2002 to 2015. The survey has not yet been released for more current years. “What I want to do with this is to bring some reasonable and equitable justice to this,” Mayor Lisa Larsen said at the original commission meeting in March. “That’s what this is about for me.” The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office can still charge an offender for marijuana possession within Lawrence city limits
with the original $200 fine as a felony. Additionally, a judge is still allowed to have a drug evaluation performed for a first conviction, and it is mandatory for the second.
er to work toward creating a more equitable system, and that’s what I see this is doing.” Those convicted of marijuana possession will have to pay an additional $63 for court costs. If charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, the costs could be more than $400. It is still unclear whether lowered fines will result in a lower number of charges in the near future. However, it may shine a light on what is to come in the Midwest, as more states across the country choose to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use. “We have a role at the local level to legislate change that we want to see on the bigger picture,” Commissioner Matthew Herbert said at the original commission meeting regarding Kansas lawmakers potentially legalizing marijuana.
MARIJUANA
Illustration by Lindley Lund/KANSAN Though Lawrence recently lowered fines for firstand second-possessions of marijuana to $1, statistics from Wichita show this may not have a significant impact on how many charges for possession are filed.
FROM PAGE 1 poll for community members to share their opinions, the majority were in favor of lowering the fines. “I think that the consensus was that it was the will of the people to try to decrease penalties as much as they could,” Dickgrafe said. The council voted unanimously to lower the fine for first-time marijuana possession offense from $2,500 to $50 for people 21 and older, according to the meeting minutes. Since then there has been no significant change to the number of marijuana cases filed in Wichita, Dickgrafe said. In 2016, there were 800 possession of marijuana cases filed. In 2017, the amount raised to 896 and in 2018 to 901 cases filed. Many of the people arrested for possession in Wichita are under 21 or have other misdemeanors, felonies or convictions that exclude them from the lowered fine, Dickgrafe said. In Lawrence, the ordinance applies to people 18 and older, and possession is still considered a misdemeanor under state law. The third conviction of marijuana possession results in a fine of $200 and a felony charge. Nate Gendler, a sophomore at the University of Kansas, is supportive of the
“It is so dumb to lock people up and such for it. It harms nobody.” Nate Gendler sophomore
“This is not something we’re promoting as a healthy thing, but it is beneficial to some folks,” Vice Mayor Jennifer Ananda said at the original commission meeting. “I don’t think that it’s encouraging the use of marijuana, but I do think that it reduces the impact of a criminal justice system that rarely imparts justice unless the community comes togeth-
2030 Burge Union | Jo Hardesty, Director
4 ARTS & CULTURE
arts & culture Thursday, May 9, 2019
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Professor’s new book tells legacy of Emmett Till RYLIE KOESTER @RylieKoester Last week, University of Kansas communications professor Dave Tell published his latest book “Remembering Emmett Till,” which recounts the commemorative efforts in the Mississippi Delta region since Till’s murder. The book is the first to focus on telling the story post-1955 of the region affected by Till’s murder. “It’s really not the story of Till’s murder as much as it is the story of what the communities have done and how they have fared,” Tell said. 14-year-old Till was lynched in 1955 after he had been accused of making advances toward a white woman named Carolyn Bryant. His murderers were later acquitted by an all-white jury. In a 2017 book, Bryant revealed much of her testimony was untrue, according to Vanity Fair. While working on other Till-related projects in Mississippi, Tell said he knew a book was waiting to be written about what has happened in the region since Till’s murder. “These stories of what had happened since 1955 had not been told,” Tell said. The five chapters in Tell’s book give accounts of commemoration efforts in five regions of the Delta. Each chapter corresponds to a different
Brooke Boyer/KANSAN Professor Dave Tell holds his recently published book about Emmett Till’s legacy and commemoration in the Mississippi Delta. region. The first chapter is about Sunflower County, where Till was murdered.
spent, zero dollars of that $4 million has come to Sunflower,” Tell said.
“The moral of the story is that poverty has shifted the story of Till’s murder.” Dave Tell KU communications professor
The county doesn’t have any memorials dedicated to Till, Tell said. “Although there are now dozens of memorials in the Delta, and although over $4 million has been
Chapter two tells the story of Tallahatchie County, a neighboring county to Sunflower where the Till trial was held. Tallahatchie County is the opposite
high school — much like Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” provided in 2017. The movie features a duo of Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein in the lead roles.
man who gets hit by a bus and wakes up in a world where The Beatles never existed. He accidentally capitalizes on that and becomes a successful singer/ songwriter — performing songs by one of the greatest groups ever. The Danny Boyle/Richard Curtis production also stars Kate McKinnon, Lily James and Ed Sheeran.
of Sunflower County when it comes to commemoration efforts, Tell said. It has the greatest concentration of Till memorials in the world. The county has a museum, an interpretive center, more than 20 commemorative signs, a park and a renovated county courthouse, among other commemorative sites. Chapter three is also about Tallahatchie County, but explores how the county has come to sell itself as the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement. Chapters four and
five are the most controversial, Tell said. Chapter four chronicles Money, Mississippi, the place where Emmett Till was accused of whistling at a white woman at the convenience store, Bryant’s Grocery. Chapter five tells the story of Glendora, Mississippi, which is one of the poorest towns in the country. Glendora only has five roads, but has 18 road sign markers commemorating Till’s murder. “The moral of the story is that poverty has shifted the story of Till’s murder,” Tell said.
Tell traveled to the Delta region about twice a year since 2014 for his book, talking to locals while there. Tell said the people he encountered pointed him in the right direction to research for his book. “When you read it, it feels like all of the research was done in libraries or in archives, but in fact, I only found these archives because I spent a lot of time talking to people there,” Tell said. In the past, Tell has also worked on the Emmett Till Memory Project, which included a smartphone app that identified 50 sites in the Delta region related to Till’s memory. Davis Houck, a professor of communication at Florida State University, worked on the project with Tell, traveling around the Delta region and identifying sites for the app. “We wanted to educate a larger public about Emmett Till, and the way we thought we could do that most efficiently was through an app,” Houck said. Houck said Tell is a creative thinker, which is unusual for someone who is also willing to dig through archives. “Dave’s a meticulous scholar,” Houck said. “Working with him has been a real joy because he leaves no stone unturned.”
Summer movie preview: Spin-offs run the game RACHEL GAYLOR @raegay218
As the semester comes to a close and your (supposed) free time increases, check out my picks for the top movies you should check out this summer. To be eligible, the films must premiere in theaters after the semester ends but before the new school year begins. Two films were included in our 2019 preview but have been updated with trailers. Aladdin - May 24 The live-action adaptation of Disney’s beloved cartoon hits theaters Memorial Day weekend. I don’t know what it is, but this seems like the most promising of the live-action remakes. It looks to stay authentic to the original cartoon. Guy Ritchie’s take stars Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine and Will Smith as Genie. Booksmart - May 24 Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut screened at South By Southwest festival last month and currently holds a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. While it’s still early, the film looks to be an honest take on graduating and moving on from
The Dead Don’t Die June 14 An apocalyptic comedy, the film is set in a small town suddenly overrun by the undead. Our main characters must band together to stop the undead from their invasion. The cast list is massive with Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Rosie Perez, and Carol Kane all starring. Men in Black: International - June 14 “Thor: Ragnarok” costars Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth team up as Agent’s M and H in the newest installment of the “Men in Black” franchise. I don’t know how the film will do, but as soon as Kumail Nanjiani’s character called Thompson a queen in the trailer, I knew I had to see it. Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson (another queen) also star. Yesterday - June 28 The film stars Himesh Patel as Jack — an English-
Spiderman: Far From Home - July 2 After the emotion-fest of “Avengers: Endgame,” the world needs this sequel to help kickstart the new era of Marvel. While on a school field trip to Europe, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) must battle Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio while also keeping his identity a secret. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders reprise their Marvel Comic Universe roles as Nick Fury and Maria Hill. The Lion King - July 19 Another live-action adaptation of a beloved cartoon, this film features an all-star cast of Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Alfre Woodard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones, John Oliver, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen. Once Upon a Time in
Contributed photo Tom Holland returns as the titular superhero in this summer’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Hollywood - July 26 Quentin Tarantino’s crime thriller comes almost 50 years after the Manson Family Murders — the backdrop for the film. With the casting of Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, the movie should be a chilling reenactment of the brutal end to the golden era in Hollywood. The film also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning and Luke Perry in his final film role. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Aug 2
The “Fast & Furious” franchise spin-off features Dwayne Johnson as his character Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw. The two team up to stop a new global threat with the typical banter of a buddy cop movie. The film also stars Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Eiza Gonzalez and Helen Mirren. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - Aug 9 Based on the book series of the same name, the Guillermo del Toro produced-film translates the stories from the book to the big screen. Most of the cast are relatively unknown
except for Dean Norris and Lorraine Toussaint. Norwegian André Øvredal directs the film. Good Boys - Aug 16
Seth Rogen produced the film telling the story of three 12-year-olds trying to make it to a party to achieve their first kisses. I don’t know if it’ll be good, but it comes from the minds of “Superbad” and “Neighbors,” so do with that what you will. Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams star as our three main characters with Will Forte, Lil Rel Howery and Retta also starring.
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‘Booksmart’ is hilarious, chaotic and powerful WYATT HALL @THEWYATTHALL15
The coming-of-age story has been seen on the big screen countless times, with many following white male characters. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut “Booksmart” has a fresh, positive take on the trope that includes plenty of surprises, laughs and diversity. The story follows two high school overachievers
Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) who realize before graduation they may have missed out on making any special teenage memories during their time in high school. The two girls then decide to make up for it by setting out to have one last night full of partying and adventure that becomes chaotic very quickly. The film is phenomenal. If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t believe this is
Wilde’s first project. It’s well-paced, the characters are great, the humor feels new — and it tackles diversity like no other. It feels like “Superbad,” but better. The first thing you notice is the strength of the relationship between the two leads. Dever and Feldstein’s chemistry is palpable as the two go in and out of different situations that test them while also showing how
close the friends truly are. Their back and forth banter is hilarious, and their unrelenting support of each other is one of the most wholesome things I’ve seen in a movie. That’s not to take away from the supporting characters though. The cast features a multitude of different personalities that never feel onedimensional. There were some truly electric performances from the
Contributed photo Beanie Feldstein stars as Molly and Kaitlyn Dever as Amy in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release.
side characters that add to the dynamic of the movie and everything it takes you through. The main relationship holds the humor together. While the different situations are funny in their own ways, how the two react to everything thrown at them enhances it even more. Many of the situations or jokes in the movie feel new and not like something that you’ve seen before in other movies. There were quite a few times where I was completely caught off guard, but that made me appreciate it even more. That freshness just makes it all that more funny. It doesn’t go over-thetop though. While many comedies tend to fall apart when it comes to the actual story and the more serious aspects of the movie, “Booksmart” keeps from doing that. The character arcs are satisfying and focused while also not losing its comedic side. The movie is polished. Some of the shots are absolutely gorgeous, and the pacing and editing keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I don’t think there was a single boring point in the movie. It’s the perfect balance of quick bursts of action and humor before giving you just enough breathing room. What truly makes “Booksmart” a beautiful movie is how inclusive it is. Many films try to add in diversity because, obviously, diversity is good. The problem with that is sometimes it
feels unnatural how the different characters are shoehorned in and it often leads to subpar characters that don’t actually provide real representation. In other cases, they center the plot on how being a woman and/or being queer is something to pity, rather than something to celebrate.
“It just feel very natural and like it’s a good risk to take. If you don’t want to gamble on your arts community, then why are we an arts store?” Moore said. “I hope we can really help grow some lo-
cal artists’ careers in the long term while helping sustain the professional artist community in Lawrence. We’re fulfilling our purpose and that feels really good.”
The movie feels like it’s made with strong, confident women and LGBTQ+ people in mind.
“Booksmart” manages to go beyond all of that and flesh out these characters. The movie feels like it’s made with strong, confident women and LGBTQ+ people in mind. There wasn’t any patronization because they were girls or because Amy is gay, they make sure to show you it’s normal and that being gay doesn’t significantly change her character or the storyline. It feels intimate and it feels real. “Booksmart” is a mustwatch that deserves all the praise it is receiving. It’s chaotic, it’s hilarious, it’s heartwarming, and it’s powerful. It’s one of the best comedies I’ve ever seen. Take the opportunity to grab some friends and go see this gem in theaters, it’s beyond worth it. “Booksmart” releases nationwide on May 24.
WONDERFAIR FROM PAGE 1 gorgeous again.” While this is helpful for business, the main goal of this gallery is to help promote and expand Lawrence’s art community. “The gallery is an essential part of what we do for the community, especially the art community, so we needed to bring a quality space that’s promoting their work,” Moore said. “Traditionally with art galleries, it tends to be difficult to make ends meet, but we’re very fortunate with the shop helping keep the gallery afloat while the gallery supports the vibrant community. It’s all very circular, each part helping the other.”
“I’m not just looking for shock value — we want to show really beautiful artwork that could really motivate and show what else is possible.” Aaron Marable co-curator
The gallery will be co-curated by Moore and local artist Aaron Marable, who said he plans
to reach out to more than just visual artists. “We want to be able to provide a platform for a lot of artists that should have one,” Marable said. “Whether that be poets, musicians, or visual artists, we’re interested in surrounding this space with a community that really supports it and feels like it represents them.” He also feels separating the gallery and retail business will allow Wonder Fair to make a greater impact. “By moving the gallery from the retail space and giving it some breathing room, it’s doing the art and artists more justice while also providing more space for Wonder Fair itself to expand and keep being awesome,” Marable said. The displayed art will differ from what many will expect though, with the focus moving away from the narrative art commonly seen in a college town, and more into art that evokes emotion. “We want some work that’s challenging but accessible and easy to relate to,” Marable said. “I’m not just looking for shock value — we want to show really beautiful artwork that could really motivate and show what else is possible.” Dave, the in-house cat, will also benefit from the expansion, with the new location giving him the opportunity to stretch
his legs a little bit and get some fresh air. “I’m glad we can walk the cat across the street from Wonder Fair to the gallery on busy days. Maybe he’ll even deliver a couple packages back and
forth for us,” Moore said. In the end, Wonder Fair’s mission is to help artists in whatever way they can, and this project will help them gain more presence and attention to allow them to do so.
Sarah Wright/KANSAN Wonder Fair’s shop cat, Dave, greets visitors around the shop. Dave will enjoy short walks across Massachusetts Street this summer once Wonder Fair opens its second location.
KANSAN.COM
6 ARTS & CULTURE
Summer concert preview: Rock reigns
winner Bruce Hornsby, an artist who boasts a long and exceptional career. He’s played a diverse set of music over the years, collaborated with countless big name artists and even composed music for films such as the recent Oscar-winning film “BlacKkKlansman.” Don’t expect a single-genre show, Hornsby plays it all.
WYATT HALL @thewyatthall15
OddFellas/Shoebox Money/The Red and Blues - May 23 (Replay Lounge) Starting off the summer is one of Replay’s signature Three Headed Thursdays. This show will feature two well-known local artists: the 24th Farmer’s Ball winner Shoebox Money and native rock band The Red and Blues. They’ll be playing alongside OddFellas, a rock & roll band from Pampa, Texas. If you’re looking for some high energy rock, this is the place to be. TTNG/Le Grand/Via Luna - June 1 (Bottleneck) This Town Needs Guns, or TTNG, is a math rock band from Oxford, England, who will be performing their breakout album “Animals” for the 10th anniversary of its release. Two other local Kansas City indie rock bands will also be playing: Le Grand and Via Luna. This show will be for people who are wanting a nice night out with some chill rock to listen to. Bad Alaskan/Sheep’s Clothes - June 2 (Replay Lounge) For people looking for something a little more electronic, Replay Lounge will be hosting a Sunday
Lawrence Beer Co. 2-Year Anniversary Block Party - August 23 (The Granada)
Sarah Wright/KANSAN The Granada Theater is one of many homes to Lawrence’s bustling live music scene, hosting many concerts and parties throughout the year. Social media sensation Mason Ramsey will perform here on Oct. 19. matinee featuring two local artists who do just that. Bad Alaskan is a Lawrence-based artist who plays a variety of electronic music, from ambient to dance. Sheep’s Clothes is a Canadian-born artist who samples life sounds and manipulates them to bring out emotion in his music labeled “alternative electronic.” Pride for the Masses - June 8 (The Granada) Lawrence’s LGBTQ+ themed concert during Pride Month will be back in full force, and it’s a show you don’t want to miss. Current slotted artists include rapper Cuee, who is
accompanied by local funk band Glass Bandit, and Wick & The Tricks, both returning from last year’s show. There will also be drag performances and a dance party, all of which are free of charge. Pink Fuzz - June 14 (Replay Lounge) A groovy show is coming to Replay Lounge in mid-June headlined by Pink Fuzz, a Colorado band that describes themselves as “a red-hot bowling ball shot out of a homemade cannon into the side panel of a mid 80’s Ford Bronco.” Their explosive psychedelic tunes will be joined by L Y X E, a member of
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1712 OHIO
The Sluts, and V.I.S.I.T.O.R. New Found Glory June 25 (The Granada) A concert consisting of four different bands is coming to The Granada to finish off June right. Headlining this show is New Found Glory, a pop punk band known for their “From The Screen To Your Stereo” series where they cover popular film songs. They will be joined by Real Friends, The Early November and Doll Skin. Expect a good time with a few recognizable movie songs thrown in. Lawrence Field Day Fest - July 18-20 (Multiple Locations)
LFK Field Day Fest is back for its eighth year. The three-day music festival will feature artists from all over the country looking to rock the Lawrence music scene. With over 20 artists in the line-up, this is a must-see event for music lovers. Even if you’re not interested in all the music, there’s a variety of genres for everyone, from rock to rap. It’s also completely free. Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers - August 13 (Lied Center) In the Lied Center’s big performance of the summer, the feature performer is three-time Grammy
Lawrence Beer Company is hosting their second anniversary block party featuring three bands including the St. Louis alternative rock band The Urge, One Flew West and local Kansas City band Six Percent. The party will be a mix of music, local food trucks and beer releases that will be fun for beer and music lovers alike. Mason Ramsey - October 19 (The Granada)
While not a summer concert, it’s worth a shoutout nonetheless. The yodeling social media sensation Mason Ramsey will hit The Granada in the fall following the release of his first EP, “Famous” last year. The young star will be performing a mix of country and his signature yodeling alongside some yet-to-be revealed special guests. Look out for this one.
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OPINION
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Text your Free For All submissions to (785) 289-8351
FFA of the day: continuing my college tradition of making the minimum effort up until the very last day my ex bf just contacted me again about the fact that he’s having a kid so that’s how my day is going “Do you ever hold a baby and get the urge to just...throw it?” The smell of mildew from my roommates room just made me throw up The long John Silvers Twitter bio is “Yes. I still exist” and now it’s all I can think about I made a lot of dumb decisions in My Youth TM but stanning Harry Styles was not one of them i just had to google what year it was. it’s 2019 in case u were wondering i get genuinely stressed thinking about how i have to marry rich. what’s the point of life if i can’t have nice things. “Most of the men I know have the emotional range of a peanut” “I prepare for the worst and take my pants off for the best” “Can I borrow your face” an extended cousin posted on insta about how trump and tiger woods are both underdogs and “proved the world wrong” so i unfollowed him. self care. It has taken me all semester to write one page of my 20 page research paper if I keep up this rate I should be done by finals, yeah? What’s even the point of grape jolly ranchers? “Babies are my favorite brand of child” I took a DNA test. Turns out I’m 100% depressed The only thing worse than a toxic man is a toxic man who smells bad I wrote a 3 page MLA essay trashing my professor on the teaching evaluation. i just got calendar alerts for 4 things due tomorrow i’m gonna sob sometimes i just think about meghan trainor and get mad
KANSAN.COM
K A N S A N .C O M /O P I N I O N
10 ways to get ready for finals week AISHA MOHAMMED @aishaomolayo
The closer we get to the end of the semester, the closer we get to finals week. As dreaded as this week is, here are 10 essential steps to get prepared. 1. Have a plan: Many times, we feel stressed because we believe we have too much work to do and not enough time. Writing down what you have to do and allocating time to each activity gives you a visual representation of how much work you have to do and allows you to plan for certain activities that are not academically related. 2. Do not procrastinate: As easy as it is to put activities off for the next day, we all know the negative effects of not getting things done on time. Making sure you do the study set the day it is assigned is something that should be a top priority during this time. 3. Practice every single concept in the study guide: Sometimes you might feel you don’t need to read certain concepts even though you have not gone through them in weeks. It’s important to feel familiar and comfortable with all the material that could be on the exam so that you can feel more confident during it. 4. Only use the materials you are meant to use: With all the countless resources available for our courses, it can be overwhelming to determine which ones to use. A good rule of thumb is to use the resources your
Kansan file photo Students study at Anschutz Library ahead of finals week. Columnist Aisha Mohammed details several tips for students to prepare for exams. professors recommend and those that helped you study for midterms and tests. 5. Type less; write more: Studies show that writing things down allows you to retain more information compared to typing. When you type, it’s easier to get distracted by other applications, and since you type faster than you write, you don’t have to be selective about the information you put down and therefore cannot immediately identify key points. This should be done during classes and
study sessions. 6. Have a mind map: Some topics are so broad that it seems impossible to gather and connect them all. A mind map is a visual representation that shows how different branches of a topic are connected and is a good study method to make sure you understand how different things are interconnected. 7. Eat well: Nutritious and healthy foods give you the energy you need to do all the studying for final exams. With the right amount of energy, you feel
more motivated while doing work and during the exams. 8. Exercise: Exercise reduces stress levels and improves thinking skills. For this step, you don’t have to go to the gym; walking to class and dancing to your power playlist every now and then are other ways to exercise during finals season. 9. Sleep: It is very common to put sleep last this time of year, but sleep is vital. You do not want to fall asleep while studying, or even during the exam!
10. Start early: All the steps above are key in ensuring success in this season, and starting early allows you to keep calm and create a schedule that benefits you in the long run. If you need help, Passion Planner has free downloads you can access and print to help keep you organized. Hopefully, you can utilize these steps to be better prepared for finals week. Good luck, Jayhawks!
Aisha Mohammed is a freshman from Lagos, Nigeria, studying human biology.
There is no single path to heal mental health GRACE BRUNNER @Gracebrunner4 College comes with no shortage of stressful factors. According to ABC News, a study on mental health found that three out of four college students reported at least one stressful life event within the time span of a year. Mental health is one major influence on student well-being. Increasingly, conversations regarding self-care have been more prevalent. The University of Kansas provides resources for mental health support and student well-being, including the self-help library provided by CAPS. And yet, the stigma regarding medication usage for mental health is still prevalent on the KU campus. In conversation, it’s not uncommon to hear the opinion that perhaps medication for mental illness is not necessary. This is supported by a popular rhetoric that mental illness can be cured simply by pursuing activities that bring individual joy and lessen stress, like exercising or spending time outside. The fact is, there is no one right answer for how to deal with mental health.
Illustration by Gracie Williams/KANSAN In light of Mental Health Awareness Month, columnist Grace Brunner dispels myths surrounding treatment of mental illnesses. Every person is different, every person’s experiences are different, and the chosen paths of treatment must reflect that. For some, perhaps lifestyle choices and adjustments are enough to manage their mental health. However, for many individuals who suffer from mental illness, seeking medical treatment, including the usage of prescription drugs, is necessary for managing their illness.
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The stigma surrounding the usage of prescription drugs to treat mental illness is incredibly detrimental to an individual’s ability to seek out help. This further perpetuates the mentality that those who do seek out help are too weak to manage the condition on their own. This isolates individuals who do require treatment or medication, and that isolation does nothing to improve their condition.
If anything, it can worsen the condition. Even more so, this falsely classifies the act of seeking help as an act of desperation and weakness, rather than an act of strength, recognition of personal needs and responsibility. This has been a topic on my mind a lot lately, as I have personally been dealing with mental health struggles. Speaking from my own experience, the stigma surrounding treat-
contact us Shaun Goodwin Emma Greenwood Editor-in-chief Business Manager sgoodwin@kansan.com egreenwood@kansan.com
ment for mental health and the anti-medication rhetoric seeped deep into my fears that my professors, fellow students and even my friends would view me differently because of it. I was attempting to convince myself that I just had to be strong enough to manage the condition on my own. And yet, once I did start treatment and medication, I realized it was the spark I needed to ignite my own ability to regain control of my life. Not only did the medication and treatment help with the symptoms of the disorders, but I was also able to see more clearly the changes I needed to make to correct destructive habits. It is absolutely vital, during Mental Health Awareness Month and every month, that a positive and constructive conversation surrounding mental health continues. Every individual is different, and there is no “correct” path to achieving mental health, so let people handle their mental health in the way they need to.
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
‘Us’ vs. ‘Them’ mentality causes radical hate JEFFREY BIRCH @KansanNews
Last week, a gunman opened fire at a synagogue in the town of Poway, California, creating a cruel symmetry between the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, each of which has seen a deadly attack in the past couple of months. Yet, despite each of these targets being places of worship, I’d argue that religion played an extremely minor role in the horrors that have been occurring. Looking less at the specific religion of the victims and their place in their respective societies reveals something that’s both interesting and obvious. Christians in Sri Lanka make up 7.5% of the population. In the United States only about 2% of the population is Jewish. And in New
Illustration by Philip Mueller/KANSAN “Columnist Jeffrey Birch argues that the “Us vs. Them” mentality is the root of recent shootings in places of worship.”
little to do with religion, they have everything to do with the poisonous
People fear for their safety and think that getting rid of the Other will keep them safe, but this very act of targeting builds resentment between groups.
Zealand, only 1.1% of the population practices Islam. I’d argue that while these three most recent attacks (Sri Lanka, Poway and Christchurch) have
“Us” vs. “Them” mentality. All of these victims were minorities in their respective homes, and all were targeted by people who felt some delusional threat from these groups.
On some level, it’s very simple “monkey brain” psychology. “Bad Thing” happens, “Other” exists, “Other” confuses and scares “Us,” “Other” gets blamed for “Bad Thing”. It’s a knee jerk reaction that’s easy to push aside if you’re in a stable, relatively calm environment. But those impulses get much harder to push aside when people are scared, when they feel threatened, and when they feel like their group is being targeted. It can lead to irrational behavior and this can push people who were already unstable into doing something rash, something terrible. It creates something
like an arms race, a downward spiral that brings out the worst in us and creates a much more dangerous world. I’ve had these conversations; I’ve talked to people who think the border should be closed and Muslims should be deported. People fear for their safety and think that getting rid of the Other will keep them safe, but this very act of targeting builds resentment between groups. People that would sit in the middle or be cooperative start getting attacked and draw inward, get pulled more toward their own ingroup that makes them feel safe. Those that are
already sitting on the far end of the spectrum see something much more sinister and get it in their head that someone has genocide as a goal and decide that it’s “Us” vs. “Them.” I am scared, but not of being attacked by someone with different beliefs, I’m scared that someone will take my beliefs and turn them into a sword, turn them into a justification for something monstrous. At the University, we’re lucky enough to have a community that is remarkably welcoming to diverse groups of people, and as such it offers a unique opportunity that I beg students to take
advantage of. The opposite of hate and fear is love and understanding. To combat this death spiral we’re being pushed into, people have to reach out, they have to go outside of their comfort zones and reach out to other groups. At the University, we walk past groups of people that are remarkably different from us every day. Take the time. Reach out. Build bridges instead of raising the palisade. Our lives might just depend on it. Jeffrey Birch is a sophomore from Wichita majoring in accounting.
Community colleges don’t deserve negative stereotypes
GANNON MILLER @gannon_miller13
College debt is scary, right? For the class of 2017, average student debt was right around $37,000. Americans owe over 1.4 trillion dollars in student loans. That is ridiculous to me, but there are ways to minimize it. My idea is community college. Community colleges are two year colleges that grant associate’s degrees and other trade diplomas. The average annual cost for a community college is just over $3,000, while the average cost at a public four-year university is around $10,000. Why aren’t more people considering beginning their education at a community college? I attended a community college for the first two years of my college education. My test scores and grades were good enough to go to a four-year university right away, but I really didn’t know what to do once I went to college. The idea of taking out student loans right out of high-school frightened me, so I enrolled at a local community college. I had a full tuition scholarship there, so the only out of pocket cost were my textbooks. My fellow students at community college varied. Many were nontraditional students
Kansan file photo Metropolitan Community College (MCC), based in Kansas City, has an agreement with KU that makes transferring credits between the two institutions easier. The agreement also allows for KU students to easily transfer credits to MCC to gain an associates degree. getting a jump-start on their education after working tirelessly in a different field for so many years. Some were students like me, who were accepted to many four year colleges but were afraid of student
loans. And others were there because community colleges offered them an opportunity to get back on track. I don’t understand the stigma around community colleges. Many of my professors
there had PhDs and a lot of experience in their respective fields. My advisers were knowledgeable of the degree plans I needed to follow, as well as the courses I needed to take, and which ones I should
avoid for my transfer to the University of Kansas to be a smooth and successful one. I have told many people that I have transferred from a community college since I arrived here at the University,
and I have received varied responses. Some praised me for choosing the more affordable option and some belittled me. My two years at a community college were a learning experience right out of high school. I enjoyed my time there, and I learned so much, including what I want to do for the rest of my life by not first drowning in debt at 18 years old. I also feel like I am on par with my peers here that just jumped straight from highschool to the University. I experienced no setbacks. I still keep in contact with my friends from my first two years of schooling, as all of them have since transferred to larger four year schools. I still keep in contact with some of my professors I had there, as they care about what I am doing now, as they expected great things when they had me in class. The community was tight-knit, the memories were everlasting, the academics were challenging, and the tuition was cheap. Community colleges sell themselves.
Gannon Miller is a junior from Columbus studying history, business and pre-law.
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SPORTS
KANSAN.COM
ANALYSIS
Minor is major key for Kansas softball JORDAN VAUGHN @JVSmoove14
Last weekend, Kansas softball snuck its way into the final spot in the Big 12 tournament and now faces a tall task in taking on No. 19 Texas Tech and No. 1 Oklahoma. The Jayhawks will more than likely need to win both games in order to advance to the title game on Saturday, and there is only one way for that to happen. Senior Brynn Minor has undoubtedly been Kansas’ best pitcher this season, although her 6-19 record does not support that. Her 3.87 ERA over 164 2/3 innings, however, does.
Minor is the Jayhawks’ best weapon and she is the only one who can pull off the seemingly impossible in the coming days. In this tournament, Minor will have to shift to a gear she has yet to find this season. In the Jayhawk’s 6-4 win over Texas Tech on April 18, Minor had perhaps her best performance of the season holding the thenNo. 12 Red Raiders to one run over six innings. A similar, if not better, outing will be absolutely vital if Kansas wants to repeat in upsetting Texas Tech. Minor did allow eight hits to Texas Tech who could not do anything with those chances, leaving 10
on base. A good team like Texas Tech does not miss many opportunities, and Kansas should not count on that happening again. That game, believe it or not, will be the easy one. If Kansas can get past Texas Tech, it will then face the No. 1-ranked and defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma and be one win away from the tournament final. In the Jayhawks’ series against the Sooners earlier this season, they were swept and outscored 23-0. The good news for Kansas is it only faces Oklahoma once this this time, and if it can find a way to chink the armor of the Sooners it could find itself one win away from an NCAA tournament berth. This will only be possible if Minor can keep the Sooners off the scoreboard. Kansas struggled mightily on offense against Oklahoma, and pushing across one run will be difficult enough against a pitching staff with a combined 1.17 ERA on the season. Oklahoma on offense is just as good, with a team batting average of .367 and averaging almost eight runs per game. Minor is the Jayhawks’ best weapon and she is the only one who can pull off the seemingly impossible in the coming days. Minor has put together a great season in her final year, but if she can go up against the best of the best and find a way to go one notch higher, Kansas could find itself in the tournament final on Saturday with a chance to cap off an unbelievable run.
Natalie Hammer/KANSAN Senior pitcher Brynn Minor pitches against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks lost to the Sooners 8-0 Sunday, April 14.
“We’ve got about 1,200 sport club members, so this is an opportunity to talk about their successes over the course of the year,” Krone said. “They travel not only regionally, but nationally as well, and so it’s just a good opportunity here at the end of the year to get everyone together.” At the banquet, four awards were presented: Officer of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year and Sport Club of the Year. Executive board member Shelby Mulford said the awards were vot-
ed on by athletes. “The way we did it is we sent out a poll and the clubs are actually allowed to vote on it, that way it’s not just five [members on the executive board] choosing it,” Mulford said. “If they choose to fill out the poll, we get the results and we go through who has the most nominations and if there was a reasoning for their nomination then we’re more apt to choose that.” The ice hockey team collected two awards this year. Club president Jimmy Samuels took home the Officer of the Year
KU Sport Clubs hold second annual award banquet JAKOB KATZENBURG @KatzInHatz10 As the semester comes to a close, all 31 club sports united to celebrate their hard work and successes at an annual award banquet. KU Recreation Services hosted its second annual Sport Club Award Banquet on May 1 in the Burge Union. KU Recreation Services Director Jason Krone said the rec decided to create the event to celebrate the hard work of the students participating in club sports.
Jakob Katzenburg/KANSAN Emcee Sam Rider opens the Sport Club Awards Banquet.
award and the hockey club won Sport Club of the Year. Hockey finished with a 23-1-1 record and earned a No. 1 seed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III National Championship. Samuels said that while it is cool to be recognized, he feels as though his team as a whole deserves the most recognition. “I was just a small role compared to what everyone else was,” Samuels said. “We had Erin Cole, who coordinated so many things this year, Valerie Long, who worked dreams with financials and made so many things possible, and of course our head coach who led our team to the promised land.” Samuels said that before the banquet, he wasn’t sure many members even knew the Sport
Club of the Year award existed. “I don’t even know we knew it existed, to be honest with you,” Samuels joked. “Maybe it’ll be something to try and keep the reigning champs of.”
“It’s a lot of reward for all the hard work I put in.” Brendan Fowler crew club president
Male Athlete of the Year was captured by senior Brendan Fowler of the crew team. Fowler served as the president of the crew club. One nomination slip said, “Brendan seems to work really hard and clearly cares for his team. On their socal me-
dia results, he is typically at the top of the placers for the race.” Fowler said winning the award was a surprise to him, and credited his teammates for helping him win. “It’s a lot of reward for all the hard work I put in,” Fowler said. “At the same time, I know I’m not the sole reason that I won the award. My team has really pushed me and my coach has really helped me to get to that level where I can be there, win and do well in athletics.” The Female Athlete of the Year award was presented to junior Rylee Fate of the soccer club whose season was cut short after she tore her ACL. Nevertheless, Fate continued to cheer on her team from the sidelines throughout the season. Fate attributed her award to “being a team player.”
KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
11
Seniors shine in final year as Jayhawk athletes
JACK JOHNSON @JohnyJ_15
Sometimes things don’t go as planned for athletes during their final year at a university. Sometimes the team comes up short of its goal, or sometimes the numbers on the stat sheet don’t back up their claim for an award they were gunning for at the start of the season. In a worst case scenario, injury cuts the athlete’s season short, dashing any hopes of a proper swan song. But for the following individuals, they represented their sport on the field as best they could. Going out with a bang, the seniors listed will leave a mark on the program and in a better place than when they stumbled in as a freshman or transfer a few years ago. Although a handful of seniors in sports across this year have been deserving of accolades, here are a few to mention that have enjoyed their senior campaign.
Christalah Lyons Women’s Basketball Earning All-Big 12 honorable mention for the second straight year, senior guard Christalah Lyons started in all 31 games and averaged 28 minutes per game, ranking second on the team. Scoring in double figures for her final five games of her college career, Lyons logged totals of 12 points per game, 3.1 assists per game and swiped 43 steals over the course of the year. Despite shooting 48 less free throws in comparison to her junior year,
Rachel Griffard/KANSAN Senior outfielder Rudy Karre prepares to bat against Jackson State. The University of Kansas defeats Jackson State 2-1 Tuesday May 7. Lyons bumped her free throw percentage from 71.2 to 76.5. Lyons also posted four 20-point performances and scored a career-best 24 points against Iowa State on Jan. 5.
Brynn Minor Softball Things haven’t been easy for Kansas softball during a rebuilding sea-
son. Featuring a firstyear coach and numerous underclassmen, the Jayhawks have been tested through a gauntlet of Big 12 games against ranked foes in Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. In the difficult stretch of games and an equally as tough non-conference schedule, senior pitcher Brynn Minor didn’t struggle in facing the stout competition.
Working seven or more innings in 10 of her 24 starts so far, Minor has managed to post a 3.87 ERA, record nine complete games, notch two saves and punch out 69 hitters in 164 and 2/3 innings of work. On the offensive side, she currently displays a .339 on-base percentage while driving in six runs in 47 at-bats.
Rudy Karre Baseball Starting on Opening Day in center field for the Jayhawks, the senior from Peoria, Arizona, belted his first home run of the season against the Spartans on Feb. 15. Starting in 38 of the 49 games to date, Karre has been as reliable as any defensive outfielder, currently holding a .978 fielding percentage. That mark
is a career-high in his fouryear stint at Kansas. Limiting his strikeouts while remaining consistent on his on-base percentage, Karre has only been wrung up 26 times and has walked 20 times. His .380 OBP has been a bonus in addition to his above-average defensive abilities. Recording a hit in four of his last six games, Karre will look to finish strong en route to ending his final year in success.
5 sports you should keep an eye on after Stop Day MADDY TANNAHILL @maddytannahill
Baseball
Though the 2018-19 school year is spiraling to its end, many University of Kansas sports teams are reaching the peak of their seasons, rounding out conference play and entering postseason competition. With Stop Day just around the corner, here are five sports to keep an eye on as classes come to a halt.
Tennis Competing in its first Sweet 16 since 1998, Kansas tennis will travel to Stanford, California to take on the No. 3-ranked Cardinal on Friday. The road trip comes on the heels of a 4-2 victory over Florida at the Jayhawk Tennis Center last week, paving the way to the most successful season in coach Todd Chapman’s tenure at Kansas. Pending the Jayhawks outlasting the defending national champions in Stanford, they will then head to Orlando, Florida for the final three rounds of competition beginning on May 16. First serve on Friday is set for 4 p.m.
Track and Field Having rounded out regular season competition last weekend at the Ward Haylett Invitation-
Chance Parker/KANSAN Senior Janet Koch celebrates against Florida. The Jayhawks defeated the Gators 4-2 Saturday, May 4. al in Manhattan, Kansas track and field will return to action this weekend for the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Norman, Oklahoma. Currently, the No. 16-ranked men’s team has three athletes positioned in the top five in the NCAA for their respective events. Junior middle distance runner Bryce Hoppel clocks in at No. 2 nationally in the 800-meter run and will look to claim his first outdoor Big 12 Championship title. Freshman pole vaulter Zach Bradford and junior thrower Gleb
Dudarev round out the Jayhawks’ top performers, ranking No. 3 and No. 4 in the NCAA.
Junior middle distance runner Bryce Hoppel clocks in at No. 2 nationally in the 800-meter run... These three and the remainder of the men’s and women’s squads will begin competition on May 10.
Sitting just above .500 as it enters its final few series, Kansas baseball rests sits at seventh in the Big 12, ranking above Texas and in-state foe Kansas State. With conference play winding down, the Jayhawks will compete in two more series before the Big 12 Tournament. This weekend, Kansas will head down south to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU. The Horned Frogs, coming in at 8-10 in conference play, boast the same Big 12 record as the Jayhawks. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday. For its final series of the season, Kansas will return to Hoglund Ballpark to face off with the Wildcats in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown beginning on May 17. Following these final two winnable conference series, Kansas will head to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. for the Big 12 Tournament kicking off on May 22.
ment with a 3-15 conference record, the Jayhawks face a tough draw in facing No. 4-seeded Texas and No. 1-seeded Oklahoma on Friday. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. against the Red Raiders in Oklahoma City. After a short break, Kansas will return to the field to take on the Sooners, who have won the last two consecutive Big 12 tournaments, at 7:30 p.m.
Men’s Golf
For the fourth-consecutive season, Kansas men’s golf has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional Championship, where it will compete as the No. 7 seed beginning on May 13. Having finished in the top three in eight of their 11 tournaments this season, the Jayhawks currently rank No. 37 in the country.
Softball In an up-and-down season for a young Kansas program, the Jayhawks earned a spot in the Big 12 Tournament, competing in conference post-season play for the first time since 2010 after nabbing the six-seed. Entering the tourna-
Chance Parker/KANSAN Freshman Zach Bradford competes during the Kansas Relays Saturday, April 20.
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Trick or Cheer? Thursday, May 9, 2019
K A N S A N .C O M /S P O R T S
Sophomore Josh Ladevich fell in love with tricking and cheering, but his favorite part is performing in Allen Fieldhouse. HAILEY DIXON @_hailey_dixon Through his love of tricking, University of Kansas Spirit Squad member Josh Ladevich has been able to further his cheerleading, stunting and tumbling skills to an elite level. Tricking is a sport that combines moves from martial arts, kung fu and gymnastics, Ladevich said. He began tricking through martial arts at age six. “I remember going to a tournament and seeing people do all these crazy flips, and was just like, ‘Wow, I want to do that,'" said Ladevich, a sophomore from O’Fallon, Missouri. "And then, [I just] fell in love with it from there." Ladevich competed in a tricking tournament earlier this semester in Redwood City, California. “It was really cool to like be a part of something like that because I had never really done that,” he said. “Battling head-to-head with someone on who can throw the top tricks is an awesome thing." “It was a special experience to be a part of,” Ladevich continued.
Contributed photo Josh Ladevich, right, at his tricking competition in Redwood City, California. Ladevich said he plans to participate in more tricking competitions in the future. Ladevich also competed at the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Competition with the rest of the spirit squad earlier this semester in Florida. “Just being on the Na-
tional squad is a very cool thing,” he said. Ladevich said he enjoys the freedom tricking allows participants. “Everyone can do the same move and it all looks different,” Ladevich said. “It’s personal to you and what you want to do. What-
ever thing you enjoy most in tricking, you can do that. There’s no set of rules that confines you to do this, that or the other thing.” Ladevich began his cheerleading career during his junior year of high school, where he was able to showcase his tricking
skills. “I had friends that were in cheer, and they were like ‘You’re perfect for it,’ and so I essentially went out for it, and started from there,” he said. University Spirit Squad Coordinator Cathy Jarzemkoski said Ladevich always
has tremendous energy. “He’s always in a great mood,” Jarzemkoski said. Ladevich also said that both tricking and cheerleading have created cross-training and have helped him "stay in shape and build muscle." “Cheer’s really great outside of the tumbling aspect, like with the lifting and the stunts," he said. “And then all the while, being able to stay limber and still doing all the tumbling aspect of it.” Ladevich said his favorite aspect about cheerleading at the University is being able to perform at Allen Fieldhouse. “Just cheering at Allen is the coolest thing,” he said. “Just being courtside in a historic place is pretty special.” For those interested in trying out tricking, Ladevich advises them to just go for it. "Tricking has been probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me," Ladevich said. "I’ve met people now from across the world, so it’s cool to like have those experiences. It’s just such a cool sport, and I think people should try it.”
KU baseball splits one-run games with Jackson State JACK JOHNSON @JohnyJ_15
Rachel Griffard/KANSAN Sophomore pitcher Steve Washilewski throws against Jackson State.
quick hits
Slated to play in a doubleheader due to inclement weather on Monday, Kansas baseball began its series against Jackson State on Monday. Behind a strong start from sophomore pitcher Steve Washilewski, Kansas took down its non-conference opponent, 2-1. Firing a career-high 6 2/3 innings, the left-hander surrendered just four hits and one earned run. “He was outstanding,” said Kansas coach Ritch Price, according to a Kansas Athletics press release. “He gave up that run in the first inning and then settled in and got us to the seventh. When you use your whole bullpen multiple days during the weekend like we did, then we needed him to get deep in this game.” Holding down the fort on the defensive side, the Jayhawk offense wasn’t asked of much to secure the lead. In the second inning, redshirt freshman first basemen Dylan Ditzenberger and junior second basemen James Cosentino drove in a pair of runs thus holding the advantage for the final seven innings of play. Ditzenberger extended his hitting streak to four games and is six for his last 12 at the plate. “I thought we chased
too many of the really slow breaking balls out of the zone and got ourselves out,” Price said. “We did hit three balls right on the butt and they could have changed the game but obviously the left fielder made an unbelievable catch.” Redshirt junior Blake Goldsberry tossed the final 1 2/3 innings scoreless to slam the door on the Tigers and earn Kansas’ 27th win. In game two, the team’s bats sprung to life in a barrage of runs. Unable to surmount a comeback in the final innings of this one, Kansas came up on the other end of a one-run game, falling to Jackson State 8-7. Giving the ball to senior pitcher and Blue Valley West product, Ryan Ralston, the Jayhawks benefited from some early inning dominance from the right-hander. Maneuvering through four shutout innings while only allowing a lone hit and walk, Ralston managed to receive some cushion from his teammates on the offensive side. In the fourth inning, after freshman outfielder Casey Burnham and senior outfielder Rudy Karre drove in a couple of runs, Kansas jumped out to a 4-0 lead and seemed well on their way to sweeping the doubleheader. Yet following a break-
through by the Tigers in the top of the sixth, the Jayhawks coughed up the lead heading into the home half. Clawing back in the bottom of the eighth thanks to sophomore first baseman Connor VanCleave belting his third home run of the season and a pair of singles from Burnham and Karre, the deficit was cut to one at 8-7. “It got it started,” Price said on Vancleave's homerun. “When you put him in the game, he’s the guy that you’re hoping will get the ball elevated that can get in the air and hit it out of the ballpark.” With two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, the hero in Friday’s win over Texas last weekend, Burnham stepped to the dish. Unable to strike magic for the second time in less than a week, he grounded out to conclude matters in the final inning. “We had the right guys up,” Price said. “We battled back, we had guys in scoring position in several different innings. The really soft lefty gave us fits. Guys couldn’t stay back and wait long enough to see the ball get to them and I was disappointed.” Splitting the series with Jackson State, Kansas will hit the road to take on TCU to continue Big 12 play. Game one will begin on May 10th.
SOF TBALL
MEN'S BASKE TBALL
WOMEN'S BASKE TBALL
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24
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Team-leading homeruns hit by freshman Morgyn Wynne
Small forward recruiting rank of Tristan Enaruna, who committed to Kansas on Tuesday
Rank of recent signee Tina Stephens, a Florida Southwestern College transfer
Athletes earning positions on the Academic All-Big 12 team
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