8-20-18

THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

SPORTS

INSIDE KU has debuted a “retirement incentive plan” for older faculty.

Kansas soccer starts the season 2-0 for the first

p. 2

time since 2014 The University Daily Kansan

vol. 137 // iss. 2 Mon., August 20, 2018

The University’s Theatre and Dance departments have merged.

SEE SOCCER • PAGE 8

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‘Tell My Family I Love Them’

Erik Harken lost his older brother in a car accident four years ago. Now, he’s turning the tragedy into a short film COURTNEY BIERMAN @courtbierman To this day, Erik Harken isn’t sure exactly what the police officer said to his mother. The next thing he heard was his mother’s scream as she was told that her eldest son had died.

Harken lost his brother Mark in a car accident four years ago. Harken was 17.

Mark was 20. Now Harken, a senior studying film, is making a short film to honor his brother and the lessons he learned from his death.

The 14-minute film is called “Tell My Family I Love Them,” and is largely autobiographical, according to Harken. It follows high school student Thomas as he reckons with the loss of his brother. At the beginning of the story, Thomas is focused on his track career and nothing else — he’s “blatantly an asshole.” But losing a brother makes him reevaluate what’s really important. Thomas emerges from tragedy having learned to better appreciate his friends and family.

“I wanted to write something that was authentic to my experience and hopefully would be to other people’s, and also I wanted it to be something that dealt with grief in a positive way,” Harken said. “That’s the part that never gets discussed, that there’s a lot of hope in the whole situation. You can’t change what happened, but you can make something better out of it.”

The title “Tell My Family I Loved Them,” has a layered meaning. For one, they were Mark’s last words.

“I think the last thing that my brother said to the first responder was basically like, ‘Tell my mom and dad that I love them,’ or ‘Tell my family I’m sorry,’” Harken said.

The words are also the lesson Thomas learns from grief. Like Thomas, Harken hardly, if ever, said I love you before his brother died. He said he couldn’t remember ever saying it to his parents, and he certainly never said it to Mark.

“... I wanted it to be something that dealt with grief in a positive way.”

Erik Harken senior

“My biggest regret about the whole situation is that I never did get the chance to tell my brother that I loved him. Up until that point, I don’t think I really said it to my mom or my dad or anybody,” Harken said. “Once you get to know someone in a relationship, it’s really important to show affection and vulnerability toward people.”

It was the day after the Fourth of July in 2014.

Harken and his family were on vacation at Tru-

man Lake in Missouri.

Members of their extended family were there as well, along with family friends the Millers. Harken was on his way back to his family’s cabin with his mother Sarah, aunt, and best friend Cole Miller when they encountered a roadblock. The police wouldn’t let them pass, and Harken immediately got a bad feeling.

“I think at first Erik was pretty upset, and I didn’t really understand why,” Miller said. “I guess he had a feeling that something happened to [Mark].”

Hours passed. No word and no Mark. He had been in the car with Miller’s older brother, Clay, as well as four friends.

Finally a police officer approached Sarah and broke the news. Mark had lost control of the car on the gravel road and crashed into a tree. He died shortly after. The four other passengers, who had been in the backseat, had only minor injuries.

“At that point I didn’t even cry or get upset, I just kind of went into shock and I walked the other way,” Harken said. “And I just sat down on the curb, and was like wow, that just happened.”

They were on their way to the hospital to view Mark’s body when Miller got a call from his parents.

The accident had also killed Clay. Policy required police to notify the parents first.

Miller and Harken were

Contributed photo Harken shot the film over two weekends in Overland Park and at Lake of the Ozarks.

Above is a still from the movie.

friends before the accident, but they’re ever closer now, Miller said. Later that same day, they were sitting next to each other, still processing the events of the last few hours.

“And I said, ‘We just need to keep hanging out all the time now.’ So that’s where it started,” Miller said. “We just started hanging out more to try to make ourselves feel a little better and talk about it when we needed to. Ever since then we’ve been closer than ever.”

A scene in the script is

inspired by their conversation that day.

“I started reading it and I was like, ‘Oh my god. I cannot read this. This is too powerful,’” Miller said.

But Miller was supportive of the project. He visited the set and even appears as an extra.

Production of the film was completed over a twoweek period in July. Principle photography took place in Harken’s hometown of Prairie Village.

The remainder was shot the following weekend at Lake of the Ozarks.

Production went smoothly, but it wasn’t easy for everyone on set.

Harken said his family tried to visit, but it was too painful for them to stay. It was too familiar for them.

Many scenes are an almost exact retelling of what happened that day in July, such as a scene in which Laura cries over her son’s body at the hospital.

LAURA I love you so much Mark.

She clutches onto him waiting for a response.

SEE HARKEN • PAGE 4

University set to enter fall semester tobacco-free HAILEY DIXON @_hailey_dixon Jayhawks entering the fall semester will have to find a location off-campus if they want to take a smoke break.

After three years of lobbying from anti-smoking groups, the University is set to enter its first full school year as a tobacco-free campus, a policy that went into effect on July 1.

For campus leaders, it’s a point of pride. But for smokers, many of whom are international students, it’s going to mean hunting down a new spot to light up.

“We ask them to respect the policy,” said Aftan Jameson, Watkins Health Services education program coordinator.

The habit is most common for international students, she said, where smoking is more widely accepted.

“From their culture, their country, they came in where that is not only legal, but it is accepted,” she said, noting the Tobacco Free KU Steering

Committee spent the spring semester trying to inform international students of the impending change.

Zsofia Oszlanczi, president of the International Student Association at the University, said the group has been working to inform international students of the impending changes and consequences. Last year, then-president Hollie Hall worked with the steering committee to print informational flyers in five different languages.

Still, Oszlanczi said, the change is going to be tough.

“The intent is to ensure a healthy and positive learning environment,” she said. “However, what I can say is that I think it can still negatively affect international students.”

A survey issued last fall by the committee found that 87 percent of individuals did not smoke within the last 30 days or had never smoked at all. After that survey, the campus began looking at banning tobacco products, Jameson said.

“It took a year to get the policy up and running and [give] people a heads up,” she said. “There’s been a lot of work on this policy for a long, long time.”

“Although some smokers may not be pleased with the policy,” Jameson said she has received “a lot of positive feedback.”

“I see a lot of relief,” she said. “I see that perception; people are relieved.”

Although smoking is banned at the University, individuals can still smoke in their cars on campus, Jameson said.

There are no guidelines for whether or not windows must be closed.

Oszlanczi said she expects the change to be difficult for all students, but specifically those who come from a place where tobacco use is more accepted.

“For someone that’s specifically coming from a culture that allows tobacco use and it’s very common to smoke and they’re not regulated that much, they’ll probably feel a bit forced to quit,” she said.

“But after a while, if they

Bob(Jiatong) Li/KANSAN Tobacco will not be allowed on campus starting in the fall semester.

see there are resources available for them, I think that maybe it can encourage them to try to quit smoking.”

For those who are interested in quitting, Jameson said there are resources available on campus, including UKanQuit, a free, six-week program, which includes nicotine replacement therapy.

“And it’s private sessions with me to go over behavior techniques of

how to cope with quitting,” she said.

She said there is a similar program for staff and faculty.

Jameson said individuals can also take steps to cut back on smoking, such as only smoking during social events, and on the weekends or evenings.

“To come to Watkins, they have to be in a place where they want to quit,” she said.

As the school year commences, Oszlanczi said the group will focus on making sure everyone is well aware of the change.

It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be hard for everyone,” she said. “All we can do is make sure they understand what this is and how they can make use of the resources available to them.”

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KU debuts retirement buyout plan LARA KORTE @lara_korte

Earlier this month, the University announced it would offer lump-sum payments to tenured and tenured-track faculty willing to retire over the next two years.

Although the program, called the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP), is designed to mitigate the effects of the $20 million budget cuts announced over the summer, some faculty leadership are skeptical of how effective it will be.

Interim Provost Carl Lejuez said in light of the recent cuts, departments have had to reduce their hiring budgets. By offering one-time lump sums to tenured professors 62 years of age and older, the University can hire less-expensive, potentially younger staff, creating more room in the budget to fill additional positions.

“One of the primary places where the budget cut is coming from is a reduction in hiring across the schools and the colleges in the upcoming year,” Lejuez said. “Given the situation we were in it seemed like it made sense to do.”

Eligible faculty who apply receive a one-time lump payment based on their current salary. The sooner they agree to retire, the higher the payment is. If they agree to retire by the end of May or June 2019, the sum will reflect 100 percent of their salary.

If they leave by the end of 2019, they’ll receive only 85 percent of their salary.

By the end of May or June 2020, they’ll receive 70 percent.

Over 250 professors are eligible for the program, although Lejuez said he doesn’t expect everyone to participate. Depending on how many take the buyout, the program could

University Interim Provost Carl Lejuez presents details regarding budget cuts and future plans.

amount in thousands of dollars in savings over a few years for departments, he said.

“If a large enough number of faculty do this, those amounts of money add up in ways that allow us to do things that, we really are hoping that with the changes in our budget, that we’re going to be able to prioritize keeping tuition low, increasing and focusing on faculty and staff salaries,” Lejuez said.

This kind of retirement incentive program is not uncommon in the context of the budget cut, Lejeuz said. Earlier this summer, after the University announced it would have to cut 5.87 percent of the budget across the board, Lejuez said administrators started looking at ways to soften the blow of the cuts and support the community.

“When I got here in the summer, in the late spring, as we were identifying what the financial issues were and what the cuts might be, we were also generating a range of

possibilities that would help mitigate the impact of it and try to support our community as we work through it,” he said.

When asked if the VSIP program is an indication of looming layoffs, the interim provost said he can’t promise anything, but said the University has no intention of initiating layoffs and expressed that the administrators are doing everything they can to avoid such a measure.

“I think our jobs as administrators is to figure out all the different ways that we can do this that will minimize the impact,” Lejeuz said. “And who do we want to minimize the impact on? Well it’s our people.”

Others aren’t so optimistic about the VSIP program’s effectiveness.

Kirk McClure, a professor of urban planning and the Faculty Senate president, said he doesn’t foresee the program saving enough money to make a real difference.

“You’re going to have to release a whole lot of

people to make that work.

I just don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a solution at all.”

The program’s effectiveness is overshadowed by a larger problem of salary compression, McClure said. The University is in the low 80 percent of its peers in terms of compensation, according to data from the Office of Institutional Research & Planning. Even if the University were to replace high-salaried senior faculty with lower-paid junior faculty, McClure argued, the new faculty would be lured away by higher salaries.

“If you don’t give that person raises, they’re going to leave — they don’t have any loyalty to KU,” McClure said. “So salary compression, I think, renders the VSIP program not terribly effective.”

While Lejuez acknowledged that the financial problems present some concerns in terms of keeping quality professors, he still holds the university

Samantha Hsu/KANSAN

to a high academic standard.

“We are up against some schools that have much bigger budgets and just because we don’t have that doesn’t mean that we don’t have an obligation to provide the same educational experience and produce the same quality of research,” Lejeuz said.

The application period for VSIP runs from Aug. 6 to Oct. 5. The Provost said he has received a “fair amount” of inquiries from faculty and a few professors have filed paperwork.

McClure, on the other hand, has not received any feedback, and doesn’t expect a lot of pushback from faculty.

“These are procedures that universities adopt from time to time when they’re faced with financial difficulties,” McClure said. “And this is such a situation. And I don’t think there’s going to be any great faculty opposition to it.”

Fraternity homes expected to improve unity NICOLE ASBURY @nicoleasbury After months of construction and finishing touches, fraternities Zeta Beta Tau and Pi Kappa Phi officially moved into their new homes as of Aug. 16.

Leadership from both fraternities anticipate better unification in their chapters.

Roger Lantz, a developer from Greek Housing USA, approached both Zeta Beta Tau and Pi Kappa Phi about constructing new houses about a year and a half ago. The land he purchased had enough space for two fraternity houses and construction began in November 2017.

When Zeta Beta Tau returned to the University in 2008, eventually being housed all together was the goal, according to the executive director of Zeta Beta Tau, Jacob Milgrim.

At the time, membership rates were not high enough for a new home.

Temporarily, the fra-

ternity stayed in separate houses in Lawrence, with each home being based on class. Meetings typically were overcrowded, with 70 fraternity members trying to fit together in a smaller home, Milgrim said. The new space at 1503 Sigma Nu Place houses 40 people, but is large enough for all 80 members to meet.

“Now to have a space big enough for everyone to hang out—either casually after class or on weekends for events—is going to be huge,” Milgrim said.

The Theta Epsilon chapter of Pi Kappa Phi was made aware three years ago that they would have to relocate from their previous home at 1537 Tennessee St., in the current Alpha Tau Omega home. In 2017, the fraternity’s lease ran out, leaving them unhoused for one year.

Connor Hampton, president of Pi Kappa Phi, was the first member to move into the new home on Aug.

Hope Davis/KANSAN Zeta Beta Tau and Pi Kappa Phi moved into their new fraternity houses on Aug. 16.

5. Hampton said he believes the two, three and four-person bedrooms and facilities will help recruit more members to the fraternity, and improve respect for the home, as it belongs to them.

“That being said, every rush who comes through KU, I tell them not to join a fraternity because of the

physical house,” Hampton said in an email to the Kansan. “The strength of fraternity is not the physical structure, but the bond of brotherhood between each other.”

Hampton anticipates using the space to host philanthropic events for The Ability Experience, an initiative by the fraternity

to help disabled people, as well as being able to share a space with the other 74 members of the fraternity.

The new Pi Kappa Phi house is located at 1505 Sigma Nu Place, next to the new Zeta Beta Tau house.

NE WS

K ANSAN .COM

3

Attack survivor starts self-defense classes

Carrie demostrates self-defense techniques with chief instructor Jimmy Golden.

SYDNEY HOOVER @sydhoover17 After being attacked by an unknown man while on a run at the Prairie Park Nature Center in July, Lawrence resident Carrie is speaking out about her experience and empowering women to be capable of protecting themselves.

“I just want to make a dent in this. I want women to feel empowered, I want women to feel brave, I want them to feel confident and I want us

to step up and say this is not okay anymore. This is going to change,” Carrie said. “And so this town, we’ve decided, is going to be the town in America where every woman is trained and safe.”

When Carrie was attacked, she was able to use self-defense mechanisms she had learned at a young age to escape. With a father, brother and nephew all in the military who had trained her about self protection, she said she knew what to do to escape

from a man who was likely close to twice her size.

“When he first came up behind me, I was literally just flailing,” Carrie said.

“There was nothing that I was doing that was effective; I was just in shock ... I needed to get controlled and focused.”

With the help of ATA Prime Martial Arts, Carrie organized a free self-defense class for the women at the gym she works at. She said she didn’t expect the class to take off the way it did, though, and ended up

Bike share free trial expected to help numbers at Hawk Week

Nicole Asbury/KANSAN Students are able to use the KU bike share program for free until Aug. 29.

JULIANA GARCIA @slim_jim09

Students are invited to participate in a guided bike tour around Lawrence during the third annual Hawk Week Bike Ride on Aug. 23 from 6-8 p.m. as a part of Hawk Week 2018.

In addition to changing the day of the ride, the event offers free bikes for riders through the KU Bike Share program, a solution to previous years’ challenges.

“In terms of being able to accommodate that many people who didn’t have a bike, we didn’t have that many resources available,” said Kim Criner, education and outreach coordinator for the University’s Center of Sustainability. “So, I’m hoping that those two barriers— the time and bike availability—will really help the event this year.”

Cyclists trained by the League of American Bicyclists, also known as league certified instructors, will meet students at one of two starting points:

Downs Hall or Daisy Hill.

While the exact route has not been decided yet, Criner said riders will head toward Menards on West 31st Street to stop for a popsicle break and then head to Walmart.

Ayla Mellott, a fifthyear senior from Mercensburg, Pennsylvania, said she thinks the free, available bikes will encourage more students to participate.

“I think a lot more students will be inclined to join along with people who have their own bikes, since [the bike share program] is available for students on campus,” Mellott said.

Safety is another focal point of the event. Not only will students learn tips on how to bike around Lawrence safely, but the first 50 students at the event will receive a free helmet.

“Part of [giving away free helmets] is that we want to emphasize safe biking,” Criner said. “Currently, the bike share program doesn’t have a helmet rental [option], and we

really want to solve that.”

The bikes have been free for students since Aug. 15, and remain free until Aug. 29 as a promotional period for the first couple weeks of the semester, Criner said. Criner also said bikes will be unlocked for the Hawk Week Bike Ride. Volunteers will be able to help students at the event who wish to activate an account with the program.

“We will go through and show students how to download the app, how to use the app and how to get the student discount with your email,” Mellott said.

Past routes have taken students to downtown Lawrence, but Criner said this year’s route will steer toward areas with grocery stores, as there is evidence that students use the KU Bike Share bikes to run errands, according to Criner.

“We do have anecdotal evidence that students who don’t have transportation are riding bikes to Dillon’s and to do some practical shopping and chores,” Criner said.

Bob(Jiatong) Li/KANSAN

scheduling several more workshops to fulfill the demand.

“I was literally in the parking lot of the police station after I had done my interview, and I was shaking and I was angry,” Carrie said. “I was really upset and I decided something needed to be done to change this.”

At the class, ATA Prime instructors, led

by Jimmy Golden, chief instructor and owner, will teach women self defense tactics for vulnerable situations, such as the one

Carrie was in.

Because of her experience in self defense, Carrie and Golden both agreed she was lucky to escape, but that most other women would not have known the mechanisms she used that ultimately saved her life.

“Right away, I was like, we’ve got to make sure she feels comfortable, she feels confident and safe, and I want to hear what she did, what worked, what didn’t, and see if I can get ready tips and tricks to make it even better next time,” Golden said. “Anybody that she knows, she can tell her story to them and say ‘look, I did fight them off, and I did use this and I did use that,’ and you got to come to these seminars so we can make sure that you’re safe.”

What was meant to be a one-time class for her friends and coworkers has turned into a movement, with several classes scheduled throughout August and September, including a motherdaughter workshop. The first class was held Aug. 18 at ATA Prime.

“It is for women to be safe and feel aware and powerful, and [Carrie] is showing that. And so to be here today, I am really honored,” Judy Brynds, a participant in the class and close friend of Carrie, said before the event.

Carrie said the scariest

part of the experience is that her attacker has not been caught. An avid runner for as long as she can remember, she said some days she has troubles getting herself out of the house to practice the sport that she loves—which inspires her even more to make a difference in the lives of Lawrence locals.

“I just think she’s such a hero,” Golden said about Carrie. “She could keep this quiet and keep it safe, or she could share her story and save someone’s life, because she’s going to, she’s going to save someone’s life.”

Carrie also said that she hopes this movement will reach more than just local families, and wants her story to be known by college women as well.

With the help of ATA Prime, she has a class planned for all three Panhellenic sororities at Baker University, and is working on getting in contact with the University of Kansas Panhellenic community, as well as the athletics department.

Any organizations interested in hosting one of Carrie’s free classes can contact Jimmy Golden at ATA Prime, 785-749-7337.

The University Daily Kansan chose to use only Carrie’s first name due to safety concerns surrounding the attack.

arts & culture Monday, August 20, 2018

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

Theatre & Dance Departments debut rebrand

Contributed photo Above, a scene from ‘A Fine Romance’ by faculty choreographer Jerel Hilding.

RACHEL GAYLOR @RaeGay218 The worlds of theater and dance seem to go handin-hand. Before recently, the two departments at the University had been separate. But as of July 1, they have merged, creating the new Department of Theatre & Dance.

The merger has been discussed by administration since the spring of 2017, but wasn’t officially decided until a year later.

Michelle Heffner Hayes is a professor for the department and will help oversee the merger during its first year. She said the decision to combine the departments is artistically beneficial.

“If you look all over the world, the lines between theatre and dance are pret-

ty blurred,” Heffner Hayes said.

The merger will not affect the departments’ degree programs, Heffner Hays said. Both programs are featured in the School of the Arts in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Separate degree paths in theater and dance are still available.

When Jillian Armstrong, a senior dance student from Paola, heard the news at the beginning of last school year, she said she was skeptical at first.

“At first, I was definitely a little apprehensive,” Armstrong said. “I like having dance as a single department.”

Armstrong said she realized the benefit of the merge once the staff made clear that students can still major in dance or theater

separately.

“I think it’ll open up our classes to each other and we’ll find we have more opportunities to perform and meet people and just explore things now,” Armstrong said.

Jake Reitz, a junior from Seneca, Kansas, studying theater, had a similar experience. He was wary at first, but realized the benefits that the merger could have.

“Right now, I’m excited,” Reitz said. “It is an awesome opportunity for two different art forms to come together and make something even greater than what they are.”

The department will now serve 206 students combined in seven different degree programs ranging from undergraduate to doctoral studies. Heffner Hayes stressed that the

structures of the degrees remain intact, but the performance extracurricular opportunities will increase.

To help make the merger smooth going forward, the upcoming performance season for dance will be rich with adaptations, something that the theatre seasons feature yearly.

During the fall concert, the dance company will perform adaptations of Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” and Michel Fokine’s “The Dying Swan.”

While the performance opportunities are great, Reitz said he is also excited about the two tight-knit departments becoming one even bigger tight-knit community.

“I always considered [theatre] like a family,” Reitz said. “And now that family is just getting bigger.”

on location with a professional crew — and he did.

Supporters raised $4,200 in three days on the indie film crowdfunding website Seed&Spark. A month later, the amount was up to $7,000.

“Every once in a while you get someone who hustles this hard and works this hard, but not all the time,” said University theater professor Laura Kirk.

Kirk, an Equity actor, plays Thomas’ mother

in “Tell My Family I Love Them.” Kirk, along with other University faculty Kevin Willmott and Matt Jacboson served as advisors as Harken wrote the screenplay.

Kirk has a personal connection to the film. Her husband died in a car accident in 2009. She said she didn’t take the role lightly, given her own experience with grief.

“Especially when [the death of a loved one] hap-

pens to people at a certain age, there’s all these different ways people process it, and it has to do with what age you are, where you are in your life,” Kirk said.

It wasn’t intentional, but Kirk wasn’t the only member of the film crew who’d experienced a loss similar to Harken’s. Director of photography Gary Lange lost his father in April. Lange had already signed on to the project — he’d been on board since

Contributed photo University Dance Company performers in ‘The Four Seasons’ by guest artist Jen Weber of Decadance.

HARKEN • FROM PAGE 1 THOMAS (V.O.) He can’t say it back.

“Those are all experiences that I went through,” Harken said. “It literally has to be that cut-anddry for me to comprehend what I was looking at in the moment. I wanted it, for the audience, to be mostly the same.”

Harken set his sights high for “Tell My Family I Love Them,” his directorial and screenwriting debut. He wanted to shoot

Contributed photo Left to right: Lavel Schley as “Mark” and Alex Leondedis as “Thomas” Erik Harken’s semi-autobiographical film “Tell My Family I Love Them” follows a teenage boy in the wake of his brother’s unexpected death.

This still from the film depicts brothers Mark and Thomas in a tense moment.

Harken started writing the screenplay in February — but he said his father’s death gave the film a deeper meaning to him.

“After my father died, I had a better understanding of what [Harken] was trying to do,” said Lange, a 2018 University graduate.

“Understanding the grief aspect of it and realizing that there are so many people in this world who are touched by grief.”

Lange shot the Lake of the Ozarks scenes on Super 8mm film stock to give them a nostalgic feel. The unconventional choice was a compromise — Lange said he had to talk Harken down from shooting the whole project on Super 8.

That’s one of the few instances where Harken budged on his vision, said producer and University junior Jake Honer. In other instances, when Honer asked to divert from the script or change a detail, Harken said no. He wanted the story to be as honest as possible.

“He was incredibly driven to make sure that he told this story, that we paid attention to the details of certain things because he wanted to bring justice to the story,” Honer said.

“Tell My Family I Love

Them” is in post-production with an anticipated public release date sometime in 2019. Harken’s goal is to finish editing the film by October 10, the final deadline for South

By Southwest’s short film submissions.

Four years after Mark’s death, Harken said one of the hardest things to deal with is the fact that so many good things have happened to him since then because of that loss.

“I gained an emotional maturity from this happening to me that has allowed me to have more indepth relationships that I probably wouldn’t have had if I was a little more immature or self-centered or whatever,” he said. “For those first months or a year after, it’s shit. It’s sad and you’re lonely and you feel like no one can empathize and it’s shitty, but then goes away and then all of a sudden the emptiness and the reality of, ‘Oh my god, my life is never going to be the same. It’s going to move forward from here and I’m never going to see this person again.’

That’s when it hits you, and you realize how much it’s changed you as a person.”

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opinion Monday, August 20, 2018

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

Johnston: Freedom of assembly is for everyone SCOTT JOHNSTON @Scottawatomie On Aug. 11, a protest was held on Massachusetts Street in response to University of Kansas officials taking down a piece of art following last month’s flag incident. This demonstration included nearly 600 protesters who roamed downtown Lawrence, many with matching t-shirts reading “Art is the Voice of Freedom.” The protest was a testament to peaceful assembly and free speech.

But the people of Lawrence aren’t always so keen on demonstrations. After a protest earlier this year dubbed “Defend Our Flag,” many people spoke up at the following city commission meetings, bringing up that we shouldn’t allow protests of that nature because they instill fear and discomfort in bystanders.

One attendee stated that “the violence, even though it wasn’t physical, was still very present” and that we shouldn’t tolerate that type of behavior in Lawrence.

At face value, this seems unbalanced. The right to protest must apply equally to everyone, not just those whose ideas are in the majority.

The right to assemble is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Combined with protections for free speech, this can be powerful in the hands of the people. It allows them to voice their concerns, opinions and beliefs in public without fear of the government silencing them.

Kansan file photo This flag, displayed outside Spooner Hall on KU’s campus on July 5, as part of the “Pledges of Allegiance exhibition,” which has taken place at 13 locations nationwide. The flag sparked a community-wide debate.

In the statement made by the attendee above, the violence allegedly present in the “Defend our Flag” protest wasn’t physical; however the attendee nevertheless expressed that the way in which the protestors were making their stance was itself a form of violence. This is a common point you may have heard before: the idea that hate speech is violence. According to the CATO institute, 53 percent of Americans agree with that. Unfortu-

nately, these people are misinformed.

Violence, by its very nature, must be physical.

Speech that you disagree with does not equal violence. People can be insulting, repulsive individuals with awful opinions, but that still doesn’t make them violent.

In fact, the only speech that should legally be prohibited is speech that calls for immediate violence. If a protester is threatening to hurt someone, or vice ver-

sa, then that is, of course, reprehensible, and they should be prosecuted. But if they are simply stating an opinion you find abhorrent, calling that violence and asking the city to step in is a dishonest attempt at silencing their ideas through government.

The Lawrence City Commission should realize this. If any policy is to be taken to limit protests or create a permit system, it would have to apply equally to people of any political

alignment. Ideally, a permit system should be avoided as it invites opportunity for certain groups to be doled out permission and others excluded, from what would otherwise be a self-regulated process. The amount of large protests per year is small enough, and the ease at which you can avoid protests that you don’t wish to be a part of makes this a non-issue.

Let people protest whatever they want, let them voice whatever opinions

they want.

If threats of violence are directly made, then we have a duty to call them out, regardless of political affiliation. But if people are speaking out peacefully about issues they are passionate about, then we should be thankful we live in a country where we are able to do that, whether we agree with them or not.

Scott Johnston is a senior from Berryton studying microbiology.

health. Kelly is looking to expand Medicaid, common sense gun legislation, and develop rural housing.

I believe Kelly has a real chance at winning the governor seat, but she will face tough opposition because of her more liberal ideals when it comes to controversial legislation issues.

Republican candidate Kris Kobach takes a more direct and hardline approach to his party platform. On his website he talks about ending a culture of corruption, lowering taxes in Kansas, illegal immigration, abortion, and the Second Amendment.

Kobach knows exactly what words and issues will invoke specific responses within his Republican base, and you will see in the upcoming weeks that he will use harsh words to make his opponent seem like they are not abiding by “Kansan values.”

The idea that Kobach is looking out for fellow Kansans is almost laughable, and Kobach seems to think that his Republican constituents will take anything he says at face value.

While I hope people

will do their homework on Kobach, I know that when it comes time for the election, Republicans will have to take a long look at who they are choosing to represent them as governor.

While a Republican may be ideal for some, it is more important to vote for someone who is truly going to do what they set out to do – and that it is the best for all Kansans.

In contrast, I believe that Kelly is running on a platform that most people agree with, but because she has the Democratic seal of approval, it will be difficult for Kansas Republicans to give up their vote to a party they don’t belong to.

Independent candidate Greg Orman brings more trouble for Kelly, as he will work hard to pull in undecided or unaffiliated voters to earn the governor seat. Orman runs on ideals of leadership change, healthcare, a more transparent government and growing the economy. His stances are moderate compared to his more polarizing competitors, which means he can pull a substantial amount of votes.

While I applaud his efforts, throwing his name into the election mix can hurt Kelly’s chances.

Those who would otherwise give their undecided vote to Kelly will now have a third moderate option.

While it can be done, Kelly’s strong democratic ideals can isolate Republicans into giving their vote to someone that is not looking out for their best interest (hint: Kobach). Because Democrats have not chosen a moderate candidate for governor, they are going to face strong opposition on the GOP side and will have to work even harder to stay in the race for governor. Now that Kobach won the nomination, he is sure to come out strong and turn Kansans against Kelly.

I urge all people to stay informed and vote for someone who represents the real change they wish to see in Kansas. It is time to step away from party lines and look for real solutions to the problems that have plagued us for so long.

Haeli Maas is a junior from Lindsborg studying strategic communications.

Maas: Laura Kelly is best choice, but faces uphill battle

Associated Press Democratic candidate for Kansas governor Laura Kelly is congratulated by supporters at a watch party, in Topeka, Kan., after she won her party’s nomination for governor during a primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018.

HAELI MAAS @haelimaas With the nomination of Laura Kelly as the face of the Kansas Democratic Party, it is more important than ever to pay attention

to the gubernatorial race.

Now facing the Trump-endorsed Kris Kobach, Kelly must bring everything she has if she hopes to earn the governor seat this year.

Kelly’s platform high-

lights issues of education, healthcare, the economy, rural prosperity, and public safety. She wants to boost funding to K-12 schools, invest in children at an early age, and improve student mental

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K ANSAN.COM

SPORTS

7

Caster: Scherzer making strong case for NL MVP

Associated Press Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer throws during the first inning of the second baseball game of the team's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, in Washington.

FULTON CASTER @FCaster04 The MVP award is arguably the most prestigious individual honor a player can earn, no matter what league they are a part of, and this is no different in the MLB. A lot of new faces have been making a push for the honor of being the MVP in the National League this season. First baseman Freddie Freeman is having an absolutely outstanding year for the Braves so far, batting .323 with 20 home runs and a further 75 runs batted in.

His teammate Nick Markakis is also finally getting the respect he deserves. The right fielder is having his best season ever this year, which garnered him his first career All-Star selection. Markakis is second in the NL in batting at .321 and leads in doubles with 37, while also proving he is and is a reliable, elite-level defensive option in the outfield.

Then you have to factor in players like St. Louis Cardinals' infielder Matt Carpenter, who after starting off the season absolutely terrible, has become red-

hot and now leads the NL in HR with 33.

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado also has to be talked about.

Arenado has a slash line of .308/.393/.588, along with an OPS of .981, for one of the best offensive seasons of any player this year.

With all this being said and all those stats being taken into account, I do not believe any of those players should be the NL MVP this season.

I believe the NL MVP for this season should be none other than Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.

A pitcher winning the MVP award always stirs up some higher levels of controversy. The biggest reason I often hear for why a pitcher shouldn’t win the MVP is because they already have their own award for the top player at their position: the Cy Young Award.

While the Cy Young is still an incredibly impressive award to win, the MVP is something of another sort.

It is one thing to be the best at your position, but it is another to be the best in your entire league, and this year I fully believe Scherzer

is the best player in the NL. Just take a look at the raw numbers that Scherzer is putting up this year: A 2.19 ERA, 227 strikeouts, a .180 batting average against, a 12.1 strikeouts per game (K/9) and a wins above replacement of 7.7.

These are elite-level numbers for an elite-level player.

It is important to also note that it is not out of the question for a pitcher to win the MVP award, though it is rare. Since 1931, only 10 pitchers have won the NL MVP award, and only one since 1968 (Clayton Kershaw in 2014).

In fact, Kershaw’s 2014 season is a good place to examine how strong the case for Scherzer is. In 2014, Clayton Kershaw had an NL-leading 1.77 ERA, 21 wins and 239 strikeouts in 198.1 innings.

All of these numbers are astoundingly impressive, so let’s see where Kershaw and Scherzer compare in each.

As far as ERA goes, Scherzer's is stellar, but not as amazing as Kershaw’s was back in 2014. It is kind of easy to see why Scherzer's ERA is higher, and that is by looking at the

home runs allowed by each pitcher.

In all of 2014, Kershaw allowed only nine home runs, while Scherzer has allowed 17 long balls this season. You obviously don’t want your pitcher allowing home runs, but when it's the only way to get runs past a pitcher, it becomes less of an issue.

Scherzer rarely allows hits to be strung together, so to score off him, a player must hit the ball out of the park. You can’t rely on old school, small-ball tactics because Scherzer just won’t allow it.

When it comes to wins, that's a statistic that shouldn’t even be taken into account. The win is one of the most useless stats when it comes to evaluating starting pitchers. It is too reliant on extenuating factors out of a pitcher’s control, mainly the performance of his team's offense and its ability to give him run support.

However, it is worth noting that while Scherzer is only at 15 wins this year, he is still leading the NL, much like Kershaw did back in 2014.

The innings pitched number for both of these

pitchers is perhaps one of the more important numbers to look at when evaluating a pitcher for an MVP award. If a pitcher can handle a big workload while also performing at an elite level, he immediately becomes an incredibly valuable asset to his club.

Scherzer has thrown an NL-leading 168.2 innings thus far this season, meaning he is the biggest and best workhorse in the league.

When you know you have a pitcher starting who is going to consistently throw seven to eight innings each start, it allows your bullpen to rest and gives you a level of confidence that most pitchers just cannot give you. It brings so much consistency to a rotation, and allows the Nationals to rely on Scherzer whenever the team gets in a jam.

The final number to examine is strikeouts, a stat that is extremely basic but still tells the effectiveness of a pitcher. While it is true a pitcher doesn’t have to throw a ton of strikeouts to be elite, it is a stat most elite pitchers rank high in.

Scherzer’s ability to miss bats is the absolute best in

the majors, as he's already at 227 with a month and a half left in the season.

He will easily surpass Kershaw’s 2014 total of 239 and could eclipse over 300 this season, a feat that is not even close to common.

Since 1901, only 17 different pitchers have had over 300 strikeouts in a season, so if Scherzer is able to eclipse that plateau, it will even further cement his case for why he should be the MVP. There are many deserving candidates this season for the MVP in both leagues. I get the arguments for why a position player should get it over a pitcher and understand it is hard to compare the accomplishments of both.

To me, however, it is extremely simple. Max Scherzer is the most valuable player to his team and in the entire National League.

Each time Scherzer takes the mound, more often than not it will end in a win for the Washington Nationals. Pitchers deserve more respect than they are given, and Max Scherzer should be recognized for what he is: the NL MVP.

sports

Monday, August 20, 2018

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

Soccer opens season with weekend sweep LOGAN FRICKS @LoganFricks Coming fresh off a victory against the Pepperdine Waves on Friday, Kansas soccer was able to walk away with a 3-0 victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Sunday afternoon.

With kickoff being pushed forward due to light rain throughout the day, the Jayhawks were able to find consistent play during the match.

Kansas coach Mark Francis believed that playing under those weather conditions comes down to “the surface and adjusting to that.”

In a dominant first half, the Jayhawks would start with five shots in the first five minutes.

Kansas would not let up throughout the entirety of the half, finishing with 16 shots and five shots on goal.

The Jayhawks finally got on the board in the first half via a corner kick by junior forward Katie McClure which led to a header by junior midfielder Madison Meador.

Meador, a transfer from the University of Mississippi, finished the half with three shots, which totaled her shot count in the entire 2017 season. Meador’s header was the first of her collegiate career.

“It was pretty cool,” Meador said. “I’m not used to scoring. It was just a really good feeling to do that for my team.”

Despite Kansas’ dominance, the Jayhawks only managed to score one goal in the entire first half, which brought out some frustration for coach Francis and the players.

“Some of those shots we took, it wasn’t that we didn’t finish it, it was just a poor decision to shoot,” Francis said. “We were thirty yards from goal and we’re trying to shoot.

There was a much simpler option and maybe create a much higher percentage opportunity.”

“I’m not used to scoring. It was just a really good feeling to do that for my team.”

Madison Meador junior midfielder

Francis hopes to use these miscues as a chance to grow as a team and help the players learn when to shoot and when to pass.

Kansas refused to let up in the second half, scoring a goal within the first five minutes. On a pass from senior forward Grace Hagan, McClure faced a one-on-one con-

test against South Dakota State goalkeeper Maggie Smither.

McClure put in an easy shot to the left side, giving her a total of two goals and one assist in two games this season.

McClure hopes to use the two first games of the season as a momentum boost as the team progresses through the season.

“It helps me keep pushing and helps my team move up as well,” McClure said.

With a two-goal lead, the Jayhawks began to play conservative, making short, safe passes. Despite Kansas playing a much less aggressive offense, the Jackrabbits continued to struggle defensively.

In the 75th minute, with South Dakota State failing to find any type of momentum, junior forward Taylor Christie blew right by her defender to set up an easy goal, giving the Jayhawks a 3-0 lead.

The goal was not only Christie’s first of the season, but the first of her collegiate career.

Kansas, starting 2-0 for the first time since 2014, will look to carry its early season momentum to its match on Friday, Aug. 24 when they head to Omaha, Nebraska, to face the Oregon State Beavers.

Kansan file photo Then-sophomore midfielder Madison Meador brings the ball up the field against Colorado College on Sept. 1, 2017. Kansas won 2-0.

Kansas volleyball escapes in tight exhibition match JORDAN WOLF @JWolfAP

Chance Parker/KANSAN Sophomore setter Annika Carlson claps to encourage her teammates against UMKC. The Jayhawks defeat the Kangaroos 3-1 on Saturday Aug. 18.

athletes of the week

Kansas volleyball’s match against UMKC on Saturday was only an exhibition, but the Jayhawks’ battle against the Kangaroos felt more befitting of a conference match in November than a meaningless preseason tilt.

A relentless UMKC squad pushed Kansas to the limit, but the Jayhawks were able to ultimately prevail in four sets (28-26, 2628, 26-24, 25-19). The performance was anything but sharp, but Kansas coach Ray Bechard acknowledges that the lackluster performance is okay.

“When we’d get a break or a little bit of a lead, seems like we’d lose momentum,” Bechard said.

“We, defensively, didn’t do much to shut down their No. 3. But that’s why you play matches like this. And it was good that we were in some in-game situations already.”

Kansas looked shaky in some major departments, most notably the service game. As Bechard mentioned, seemingly every time a few points would roll Kansas’ way, someone would disrupt the rhythm

Katie McClure Soccer

As Kansas soccer begins the season 2-0 for the first time since 2014, junior forward Katie McClure has been the leading force. In Friday’s 1-0 victory over No. 18 Pepperdine, McClure scored a breakaway goal off a midfield turnover in the 61st minute. She followed that up on Sunday against South Dakota State with an assist off a corner kick in the 17th minute and a goal set up by senior forward Grace Hagan in the 48th minute.

with a mistake from behind the back line.

Struggles like these are natural for any team this early on in the season, but they can be amplified in a situation like Kansas’. Seven seniors graduated after last season, meaning there is largely a new identity within the team’s leaders.

Some of those leaders performed Saturday, but some did not. In the eyes of Bechard, though, Saturday night’s performance was acceptable considering the context.

“We had some players this afternoon that I know will give us a lot more statistically than they did today,” Bechard said. “But once again, that’s why we have the opportunity to throw the kids out there in front of a live situation.”

The biggest area one would think this applies to is the offense. Sophomore setter Annika Carlson is in her first season as the maestro of the Jayhawks’ attack and has big shoes to fill in the wake of former All-American Ainise Havili’s graduation last May. She seems to be responding well to that, though, as she navigated the offense Saturday to a .250 hitting percentage in

Patricia Montero

her first career start. She’s definitely still adjusting to playing at full game speed alongside her teammates, but she’s happy with the level their chemistry is at.

“I feel like it’s gotten so much better through the whole entire summer and two-a-days,” Carlson said.

“I feel like we’re completely connected now. We just need to keep improving, but I feel like it’s good.”

The biggest beneficiary of Carlson’s success was junior outside hitter Patricia Montero, who had a dazzling return to the court at Horejsi Family Athletics Center as the anchor of the Jayhawks’ attack. She finished with 21 kills, which would’ve been a career high had the game counted.

After missing both last year and the 2015 campaign due to season-ending injuries, Montero’s climb back to success hasn’t come easy. Understandably, she was grateful to return to the floor not only with a victory but with a stellar performance of her own to hang her hat on.

“It felt great,” Montero said. “It was so fun to be out there with my teammates.

We’ve put in the work, so I’m happy. I’m happy to be out there.”

Volleyball Even though Kansas volleyball stumbled into a 3-1 victory over UMKC in an exhibition match on Saturday, junior outside hitter Patricia Montero was the standout.

Montero finished with 21 kills, which would have been a career-high in a regular season match. She also combined with fellow outside hitter junior Ashley Smith for a .394 hitting percentage.