2-6-17

NEWS

ARTS & CULTURE

SPORTS

KU’s Senate issues of diversity and equity in student government

How a Lawrence author became a NYT bestseller

Kansas football turning the tide on its future

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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, FEB. 06, 2017 | VOLUME 133 ISSUE 07

THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

Home-court winning streak comes to an end JORDAN WOLF @JordanWolfKU

S

everal words could be used to describe the scene inside Allen Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon: somber, shock, disbelief.

But regardless of your word choice, one consistent thought hung in the minds of everyone in attendance once the final horn sounded: the streak is over.

After 1,126 days, Kansas let the nation’s longest home-court winning streak come to an end with a 92-89 loss to Iowa State. It comes as the first home loss for the Jayhawks since dropping a non-conference game to San Diego State in early 2014.

Following the game, senior center Landen Lucas was teary eyed. Despite being one of the longest-tenured players on the team, it was just his second home conference loss, so he’s still new to the feeling.

“I’ve been here for a very long time and really lost one time, so I mean it’s not something that we can take easy or anything,” Lucas said.

Kansas certainly did not

Missy Minear/KANSAN Coach Bill Self yells at a referee in the second half against Iowa State on Feb. 4.

have an absence of opportunities. After a red-hot start earned the Jayhawks a 14-point lead at halftime, they appeared to be a step ahead of the Cyclones in nearly every category. That didn’t last long however, as the Jayhawks were outscored 44-30 in the second period.

As the end of regulation neared, Kansas made a series of untimely mistakes.

In the final three minutes,

six missed shots (including free throws) accounted for a total of 10 potential points.

The story was the same in overtime, as the Jayhawks missed out on another possible 10 points due to poor shooting in the last three minutes.

Senior guard Frank Mason III missed what would have been a game-winner at the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime.

Junior guard Svi Mykhaili-

uk could’ve tied the game at the end of overtime with an NBA-range three-pointer, but his shot didn’t fall either.

The game was not decided entirely by Kansas’ mistakes, though. Iowa State played extremely well after the first half, largely thanks to its three-point shooting.

The Cyclones finished the game having hit 18 threes, the most of any Big 12 team this season and a new Iowa State program record. Kan-

sas coach Bill Self criticized his team’s ability to let the Cyclones shoot at will after the game.

“Most of their shots were not open, they made a lot of hard shots,” Self said. “But we did a poor job obviously of guarding the arc.”

Leading the way for the Cyclones was senior guard Deonte Burton. He finished with 29 points and eight rebounds, in addition to hitting seven of his team’s

threes.

“He was great,” Self said.

“I could be wrong on this, but I think he’s made 18 (three-point shots) coming in, and he made seven today…so obviously, it was a big day for him.”

With eight regular season conference games still to play and a road game against Kansas State looming Monday, the loss is not the end of the world for the Jayhawks. They know they still have business to take care of, and are trying to recover from the loss as well as possible.

“It definitely hurts,” Lucas said. “But we also have to look at the bigger picture and understand that we can’t let this affect any future games.”

With the loss, Kansas is now 20-3 (8-2 Big 12). The game is Self’s tenth-ever loss in Allen Fieldhouse. In good news, however, the Jayhawks maintain their sole possession of first in the Big 12, as Baylor fell to K-State later in the day.

No. 3 Kansas has a short turnaround and heads to Manhattan to take on K-State on Monday.

School of Education appoints Kamatuka as diversity director ANGIE BALDELOMAR @AngieBaldelomar

Recruiting and retaining faculty and students of color are some of the main goals Ngondi Kamatuka has set for himself as the School of Education's new director for diversity and equity initiatives.

Kamatuka was appointed director at the beginning of this calendar year, as part of the School of Education’s initiatives to address diversity and equity issues in the classroom.

Rick Ginsberg, dean of education, said via phone interview that the School of Education realized a few years ago that it was not doing enough to address these issues and developed a diversity agenda.

Ginsberg said he felt Kamatuka was the right person for the job given his work and experience with educational opportunity programs.

“He has love and passion for the School of Education and for the University,” Ginsberg said.

Kamatuka, who also works as the director of the Center for Educational Opportunity Programs, was born in Namibia, lived as a refugee in Zambia, and finally arrived in Hillsboro, Kansas,

in 1977, after meeting a man on a missionary trip who took an interest in him and helped him come to the United States. Kamatuka said he “went through issues of racial insensitivity” in Hillsboro, and can relate to people who have gone through the same.

“Students who feel alienated by the campus, who feel alienated by the comments we make, I’m one of those students,” he said.

These experiences, he said, give him a unique perspective on the issue and he hopes to bring that perspective to his role as director.

“There were people who believed in me, who gave me opportunities for me to be successful,” he said.

Now, he wants to do the same for students. He said the main reason he accepted the position was because he does not want to see the University as an unwelcoming place for students.

“I want to meet with my faculty and staff to talk about these issues on a public forum, so we can come up with how to make every student that comes to the School of Education feel valued, that we are there for every student, every staff and every faculty,” he said.

INDEX NEWS............................................2 OPINION........................................4 ARTS & CULTURE..........................................5 SPORTS.........................................8

He said he is aware of the impact it can have to have more representation in the classroom, both among students and faculty.

“When I look at the faculty, I feel left out if I don’t see someone who looks like me,” he said. “I understand that students feel the same because we all have different experiences.”

This is why he wants to recruit more faculty and students of color in the school, and support those who are already a part of the school and the University, he said.

Although Kamatuka is just starting his two-year commitment as executive director, Ginsberg said he trusts he will do a great job and hopes that Kamatuka will continue advising the school on these issues.

“He’s a national leader on work on equity, diversity, and inclusion,” Ginsberg said.

“We hope to have his immediate support and long-term guidance.”

Kamatuka said he knows that, to fulfill his goals, it will require effort from both the faculty and staff.

“I believe in the goodness of all of us,” he said. “We need to find a way to bring it out.”

Baxter Schanze/KANSAN Peter Federman, a doctoral student in public administration, is one of the creators of the Trump Track app.

Ph.D. student wants to help people track Trump’s promises DARBY VANHOUTAN

@darbyvanhoutan

Students can now quickly and easily keep up with the actions of President Donald Trump, thanks in part to the work of a student here at the University.

“If you’re a student, an activist, or just a citizen that wants to keep up to date on a lot of things that are changing very quickly, this is the tool for you,” P.h.D student Peter Federman said.

The tool that Federman

KANSAN.COM GALLERY: Check out the gallery from men’s basketball vs. Iowa State on Kansan.com.

is referring to is Trump Track, an application he helped develop. The app is downloadable on smartphones and has a desktop version.

The application’s creator, Sam Altman, had the idea for the app after seeing President Trump’s "Contract with the American Voter."

“The idea was that we saw a lot of promises being made and we thought that one thing we could do with our expertise and reach and tools is that we have

is track those promises,” Federman said.

Along with Federman, Altman recruited Greg Koberger of developer service ReadMe.io and Alec Baum, former organizer for Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

“I obviously have my own political predispositions; we all do,” said Baum. “I’m especially eager to create a resource that is useful for activists as well as people looking SEE TRACK PAGE 3

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How KU compares to other student governments UNIVERSITY

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

ELECTION SYSTEM

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Coalition

28,401

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Individual – Candidates can choose to support each other in campaigns

24,766

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Ticket

25,962

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

Ticket

31,250

IOWA STATE UNIVERISTY

Ticket

36,660

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Individual

16,787

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Ticket

50,950

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Coalition *They refer to it as ticket

35,893

TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

Individual elections for executive officers, representatives apply and interviewed

10,323

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

Coalition *They refer to it as a Block

28,776

Business manager Tucker Paine Sales manager Mitch Tamblyn SECTION EDITORS

News editor Chandler Boese Associate news editor McKenna Harford Sports editor Amie Just Associate sports editor Skylar Rolstad Arts & culture editor Omar Sanchez Associate arts & culture editor Courtney Bierman Opinion editor Vince Munoz Visuals editor & design chief Roxy Townsend Photo editor Missy Minear Copy chiefs Candice Tarver Brendan Dzwierzynski Ashley Hocking ADVISERS

Chief financial officer Jon Schlitt Editorial adviser Gerri Berendzen

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A

s the University approaches spring elections, Student Senate is undergoing a review to take a critical look at how its structures and processes include — and exclude — multicultural students.

Despite using election systems different from the University’s coalition system, student governments across the Big 12 are also facing challenges to increase diversity and inclusion in their ranks.

The University is one of three Big 12 schools in which a president and vice president can run together in a coalition with a roster of senate candidates. Other schools that use a coalition system are West Virginia University and Texas Tech University.

At three other schools in the conference — Kansas State University, Baylor University and Texas Christian University — all candidates run separately. At the remaining universities, candidates for president and vice president run together on a single ticket and candidates for senate or representative positions run individually.

The University’s coalition system has come under fire in recent years for making it hard for students of color to run and win elections. In the fall of 2015, students, armed with megaphones and picket signs, led public protests demanding a separate student government for multicultural students.

In a report released last April, a campus advisory group of faculty and students said the coalition system favors “white Greek-letter organizations” and recommended the system be reviewed and changed so that elections are not easily dominated by fraternities and sororities.

In early December, the University Senate, composed of students, faculty and staff, created a temporary committee to conduct such a review.

The committee will present its findings in April.

The University's Student Senate is composed of 105 seats, including 14 specifically for multicultural organizations, and is empowered to allocate money to student groups, activities and programs. This year’s allocations will total more than $600,000. Supporters of the recent effort to create a separate multicultural student government said students of color don’t get enough support for initiatives that matter to them.

Professor Clarence Lang, who co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advi-

sory Group, said the underrepresentation of students of color in student government is a longstanding problem at the University.

“This is no secret. It is a well-known problem, but no one before wanted to tackle the issue head on,” he said.

His group’s report noted two previous efforts to abolish the coalition system at the University. One was in October 2013, when student senators voted against such legislation. The following semester, in April 2014, the Student Senate rejected legislation for a referendum to put the issue to a vote of the entire student body.

Butch Oxendine, director of the American Student Government Association, said the ticket and coalition systems seem to be the two most commonly used systems in American universities to elect student governments. He said he doesn’t believe any one system is inherently “better” than another.

“I believe an elected student government leader can represent all students, despite the leader’s ethnicity, gender, or way they are elected. It’s a matter of demonstrating commitment to reaching out to all students,” he said.

OTHER UNIVERSITIES Like the University, other Big 12 student governments are grappling how to effectively represent students on their campuses.

At Oklahoma State University, which uses a ticket system, Mauree Turner, director of multicultural affairs for the Student Government Association, said she does not believe their organization represents all of their students, specifically minorities, very well.

Turner said SGA is trying to increase inclusion and representation by speaking to student organizations not only about opportunities for them within student government but also ways the current government can help and support them.

“We want to be a voice for all students,” she said.

At Kansas State, candidates run as individuals, not under a group, although the candidates have the option to campaign together if they so choose.

“It is hard to say if this system works better than any others. We are also not the most representative government,” said Jessica Van Ranken, the student body president.

One way Kansas State is making efforts to improve diversity and inclusivity is by creating a new membership committee that includes student leaders from diverse or-

ganizations to look at different options for ensuring their senate accurately represents Kansas State University’s diverse population, said Van Ranken.

West Virginia University uses a coalition system similar to the University. Adila Fathallah, the election chair for West Virginia University's student government association, said she thinks the coalition system can give the appearance of an inclusive group but isn’t necessarily a true representation of the student population.

“For example, we get the one black student, the one openly LGBTQ+ student, the one Muslim, Jewish, veteran/ROTC involved, band member, and a variety of students in different fraternities and sororities. Though this sounds like a perfect balance, it boils down to connections, friendships, and though it looks diverse, it truly isn't,” Fathallah said.

They have also been taking new measures to promote more inclusivity, by reaching out to student groups and opening conversations, she said. She thinks having only the president and vice president run together in a ticket system could be beneficial.

The University of Oklahoma’s student government association, which uses a ticket system, has also worked to improve inclusivity, said Student Body President Daniel Pae. He said they’re implementing freshman diversity training for senators and hosted an open mic style event on the anniversary of a scandal that involved fraternity members making racist comments on a bus. Pae said this event gave students a chance to share how they are feeling and what they think needs to change, giving the student government insight about what more they need to do to support minority groups on OU’s campus.

“It was a very emotional and very powerful night,” Pae said.

At KU, Student Senate has made it a priority this year to make student government open and accessible to all students, said this year’s president, Stephonn Alcorn.

Among the steps taken, he said, they have created a multicultural board of advisors to increase communication with the multicultural community.

He said his administration has also reached out to student groups to ask how they can help and will listen to what they have to say on a regular basis.

“That really helped us build relationships amongst the multicultural community,” Alcorn said.

Last year, Student Sen-

ate approved a measure to fund a Multicultural Student Government after students of color argued a separate organization was necessary to effectively represent their needs. But the funding legislation, which would have amounted to about $90,000, was later vetoed by the chancellor.

Nate Thomas, KU’s vice provost for diversity and equity, supported the creation of the MSG but said he now stands behind the chancellor’s decision. Thomas also praised the efforts of the current Student Senate to become more inclusive and representative of all students at the University.

“All the work they are doing, such as working with different offices that impact students, is key in accomplishing that goal of being supportive of students and students with diverse backgrounds,” he said.

DIFFERING VIEWS Richie Hernandez, a Hispanic student from Kansas City, ran unsuccessfully for student body president last spring as part of the CareKU coalition. He said it seems a Greek coalition gets an automatic 3,500 votes from students involved in Greek life.

With that in mind, he said, non-Greek candidates know they’re hard to beat, and ultimately lose motivation.

Neither Hernandez nor his running mate, Johnny Castellaw, were in fraternities.

“From my experience students do not see a point running against the Greek coalition,” Hernandez said.

But Michael Wade Smith, who identifies as black and Mexican, was president of Student Senate during the 2010-2011 academic year, said rather than trying to overcome the Greek system and its voters, he was able to get elected by connecting with them and other communities on campus by networking and communicating a vision other students could get behind. As a result, he said, he was able to form a more diverse coalition than there had been in previous years and won without being a fraternity member himself.

“There’s of course influence from the Greek community because there are a whole lot of them and you can communicate easily at group meetings, but that’s not the only community Student Senate reaches out to,” said Smith, who is now executive director of marketing and advancement for the provost’s office.

Alcorn, KU’s current student body president, is also black. He is a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and his

vice president, Gabby Naylor, is a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Alcorn said he recognizes how the coalition system can favor students who are part of the Greek system but believes the Student Senate is committed to helping address inequities.

“The Greek system has a network in place that has served Greek students a lot.

One of the things we’re focused on is, ‘How do you create those networks for multicultural students?’ I think that’s the next step,” Alcorn said.

But Lang said the conversation needs to focus on changing the current system as a whole not just on getting individuals elected. “This is a systemic issue,” he said.

“Electing a person of color wouldn’t solve the systemic issue at heart.”

3

NEWS

KANSAN.COM

The financial, educational costs of skipping class EMILY WELLBORN @em_wellborn

A

s the semester picks up speed, many students will inevitably encounter the age-old question: “To skip or not to skip?” Obviously, instructors have a preference, but the Kansan spoke with some of them about how they enforce their absence policies.

Every course is different and students have other responsibilities outside of class that they have to factor into their schedules, but attendance can be important to prepare for the future, instructors say.

“My class does not require attendance; we do have some form of quiz or activity almost every day that is designed to support student learning,” said Pro-

fessor of Business Tim Shaftel. “Overall, we find that attendance is highly correlated with successful completion of the course.”

Junior Deja Jones, from Converse, Texas, feels that if she understands the course’s material, her attendance shouldn’t be mandatory.

“If you understand the material, since you are already paying for it, then you shouldn’t be penalized if you don’t go to class,” Jones said.

She said that she doesn’t skip often — about three times a semester — but when she does, she says it is in her larger lecture classes where attendance isn’t usually taken anyway.

In a recent Twitter survey of 20 people, when asked if it was worse to be late to a class or miss class, 13 people

said that it would be worse to miss. Barbara Barnett, an associate professor of journalism, felt similarly.

“Being late is not going to have as dramatic of an effect on your grade as being out,” Barnett said. “Some days your mind might not be there, some days you may be too tired to come, but a lot of times if you just show up, through osmosis, you’re going to kind of get the flavor of the class and the feel of the class.”

She said that she is trying to prepare her students for real work experience.

“I understand that things can happen,” Barnett said. “I get that, but you also need to be thinking about planning because as harsh as I may seem, your employers are going to be a lot harsher.”

Barnett also said that she

understands that students have many different responsibilities outside of class, but wants her students to stay in contact about their situations.

“If it’s somebody who habitually does this, I start to worry that they don’t care,” said Barnett “It just makes you feel like this is a person who isn’t taking this too seriously. Especially if they don’t tell you what’s going on, because a lot of times you can work things out.”

Brent Metz, an assistant professor of anthropology, had a similar response when asked about student absences.

“I know how students’ lives are complicated and busy,” said Metz. “Nowadays students work a lot more than when I went to school — all though I

worked myself when I went to college, but it’s a lot more nowadays.”

on communication.

“I’ve written about digital dashboards and how governments use them to communicate with citizens,” said Federman. “I’ve decided to flip that on its head and use it (the app) as a citizen communicating what the government is saying.”

The "Trump tracker" is separated into eight sections: immigration, trade, energy and climate, federal government, economic policies, education, healthcare, and safety. Each section has a bulleted list of promises from Trump’s contract with bullets that change color depending on what, if any, progress has been made on

that promise.

The default gray bullet signifies that no action has been made. A yellow bullet shows that steps have been taken, a green bullet means that a policy has been implemented and a (not yet used) red bullet means a policy was proposed but failed to be enforced.

For example, the president’s promise of withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, located under the trade section, has a green bullet to show that a policy has been implemented. The app then provides a link directly to the memorandum President Trump signed withdrawing the United States from the TPP.

“

Overall, we find that attendance is highly correlated with successful completion of the course.”

Tim Shaftel Professor of business

Metz said he usually gives his students a few days that they can miss class in the semester.

“Students know how to manage — or at least they should know how to manage, that’s part of the thing about college is figuring out how to manage all these complicated things in their lives and prioritize,” Metz

said. “If they don’t prioritize my classes, well, that’s their decision. I don’t take it personal.”

He also said that it can also be should also prioritize how they want their money to be spent. Depending on what department a class a student is skipping is in, the student’s state residency and their tuition, students can waste $2.19 to $18.35 every time they skip.

When asked about having stricter attendances policies in his classes, Metz said that he didn’t think that would work because students have other obligations in their lives.

“I figure it’s their responsibility,” said Metz.

— Edited by Frank Weirich

TRACK FROM PAGE 1 for the new administration to succeed.”

The resource that the four men created in their app is exactly what America needs, according to Jonathan Peters, a journalism professor specializing in first amendment law.

“We ought to be able to have a mechanism by which we can learn about our government,” Peters said.

Transparency is important in every government, Peters said, regardless of who the president is.

“I think that if the White House, whether it’s a White House led by Trump or Obama or W. Bush or Clinton, if it wants to be respon-

Contributed photo A still from the Trump Track application.

sive to public concern about transparency in government, it ought to recognize that there is tremendous public support for transparency and respond accordingly,” Peters said.

Federman, who is work-

ing toward his P.h.D in public administration, joined the project because of his experience not only in public administration and digital dashboards like the one the app uses but, according to him, his unusual outlook

The digital dashboard has created quite a buzz, accumulating a total of 22,400 followers on Twitter.

With Friday marking day 14 of the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency, Federman said he looks forward to what the app will continue to do and where its creators will go afterward.

“We certainly are really passionate about this and I don’t imagine that it will be the end of our participation in democracy in this way,” said Federman. “It’s too early to know.”

— Edited by Casey Brown

opinion FREE-FOR-ALL ›› WE HEAR FROM YOU

KANSAN.COM | MONDAY FEB. 6, 2017

Liston: Reject Kobach’s proposed law

If I am sick, it’s a relief honestly.

I kinda like safe sex on valentines day I gotta say.

Best advice I’ve heard today: “Step back, scream into a pillow, and just do it.”

Just saw a chevy volt and rolled my eyes.

Then saw the trump/ pence bumper sticker.

Now my eyes are permanently rolled.

There’s nothing more college than making ramen before going out for cheap alcohol when you should be writing a paper.

I just want Frank Mason to notice me, and to love me There’s a lot of alcohol in my system and I have no idea how it got there.

Let’s see a movie instead of partying, idk if i wanna get my skank on in freezing temperatures Do you ever just remember Donald Trump is president and ruin your own day?

If you want to quiet a crowd, just yell penis I’m so hungry; I should go get some beer.

Dear dude with the Big 12 Victors/Title XI Violators sign, 1. KU is also investigation and 2. Sexual assault is not a punch line KU Debate Team Rocks!!!!!

RYAN LISTON @rliston235

R

acial profiling is an issue across the United States. Law enforcement stop, search or unfairly target racial minorities due to implicit or explicit biases against the minority groups.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach now wants to pass a law that would essentially make it legal to profile Latinos in Kansas.

The bill that would allow Kansas Highway Patrol to enforce federal immigration laws was “conceptually” introduced in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee on Thursday, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.

Kobach helped draft similar legislation for Arizona in 2010 that required police to check a person’s immigration status when they were stopped or if the police believed the individual was an illegal immigrant. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the law in 2012.

If the Arizona law is any indication of what Kobach hopes to enact in Kansas, law enforcement may begin profiling people based on their race without any repercussions. Allowing or requiring law enforcement to question

My outlook on life is positive...ly miserable

I aspire to look at life like Bill Walton does.

“You’re just about as drunk as a dry strand of spaghetti” -overheard at the hawk Perry leaves and shit hits the fan.

I’d like to thank my immune system for breaking down on a day I don’t have class

To send in an FFA, text 785-289-8351

READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM @KANSANNEWS /THEKANSAN KANSAN.NEWS @UNIVERSITY DAILYKANSAN

Ryan Liston is a sophomore from Lawrence studying journalism and political science.

Illustration by Erica Gonzales/KANSAN

McCarthy: Trump’s actions on Wall Street regulations contradict campaign promises

The toilets in cap fed are flush happy

Tequila shots chased by a Reese’s Egg= college

citizens who appear to be illegal immigrants is almost blatantly stating that law enforcement will legally be allowed to target Latino people because they fit the stereotype of illegal immigrants.

The Arizona law also did not work in practice. In Tucson, the law led to 26,000 immigration checks with only 83 people being taken into custody by the Border Patrol and fewer still being deported, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Furthermore, implementation of the law did not lead to any significant reduction in crime rates, according to the Arizona Republic.

No Latino in Kansas should fear that they will be discriminated against by law enforcement.

The only significant outcome of passing Kobach’s proposed bill would be an increase in racial profiling against Latino people.

We must oppose the proposition and let the state government know that we do not approve of legalized discrimination.

KEVIN MCCARTHY @kevindmccarthy

One of the central pieces of President Trump’s campaign was the promise that he would fight for the “forgotten men and women” of America. Many people have taken this to mean working class Americans who have lost their jobs and others who believe Washington is not working for their interests.

Trump’s slogan “drain the swamp” was a promise that he would rid our nation’s capital of special interests and lobbyists, but the President’s actions have not matched his rhetoric. In fact, all his actions thus far would indicate that he is filling the swamp to capacity with his own special interest friends.

President Trump has also begun taking steps to undo important financial regula-

tions that were put into place by the Obama administration with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act. On Friday, he signed an executive order that involves a review of a series of rules and regulations that were implemented after the 2008 financial crisis with the purpose of protecting consumers and preventing lenders from engaging in the nefarious behavior that led to a near global economic collapse.

While major rollbacks of Dodd-Frank would have to go through Congress first, it is still an unsettling position for the White House to take. I would argue that we need more regulation of Wall Street and large financial institutions because many of the same activities that triggered the Great Recession are still being practiced today.

Despite anti-Wall Street rhetoric on the campaign trail, President Trump has since embraced the financial industry by putting former Goldman Sachs employees on his staff and in his cabinet.

If this does not worry you, it should.

Sometimes it seems to me that people have forgotten

Associated Press President Donald Trump smiles as he announces Judge Neil Gorsuch as his choice for Supreme Court Justice during a televised address from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

what happened in 2007 and 2008. It truly amazes me how quickly people can have amnesia with regards to this subject.

We must recognize that another financial crisis is a real possibility in the future. Our economic system is based around patterns of booms and busts. Right now, our economy is in much better shape than it was eight or nine years ago, but that could change if these regulations

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are undone.

Keeping Wall Street accountable should be a top priority for our leaders. Past events such as the Great Depression, the recession of the early 80s, and the Great Recession of 2008, should be cautionary tales of what can happen when financial regulations are rolled back.

Progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. The point is that we cannot become complacent

CONTACT US Lara Korte Editor-in-chief lkorte@kansan.com

Tucker Paine Business Manager tpaine@kansan.com

on this issue. If we allow this administration and Congress to lighten regulations on Wall Street, it will have dire consequences for the people President Trump claims to be fighting for.

Kevin McCarthy is a senior from Lenexa studying political science, history and public policy.

THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Lara Korte, Christian Hardy, Tucker Paine and Vince Munoz.

arts & culture HOROSCOPES ›› WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?

Aries (March 21-April 19) Writing, communications and networking go well.

No emotional spending, okay? Don’t get all the bells and whistles. Keep written records, as communication glitches may arise.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Review budget and spending to make a beneficial discovery. Balance physical work with social demands. Find efficiencies to increase your profits.

Don’t fund a fantasy.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your energy surges... make a push and recharge after. Focus on personal matters. Consider what you want next, and make your move. Imagine an exciting future.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Complete tasks and clear space for what’s next.

Consider and plan before taking action or spending.

Think over your options.

Keep a low profile.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Teamwork makes a difference. Invent ways to crowdsource solutions.

Your friends really come through for you. Let people know what you’re up to, and invite participation.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Advance your career by saying yes to an opportunity. Accept responsibility and leadership. You don’t need to know how. One step leads to the next.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) You’re yearning to get out and explore. Travel exposes you to new vistas and horizons... check traffic before dashing off. Get reservations in advance.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Don’t lose what you’ve got to get more. Nebulous opportunities may not materialize. Review accounts and budget for shared goals. Handle administrative details.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Partnership helps you navigate uncertain waters.

Stick to practical objectives, and wait on a purchase. Compromise for a solution you can both live with.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Physical effort may be required to get the results you want. Quicken the pace, and step lively.

Balance action with peaceful rest and something delicious.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Enjoy time with family, friends and your sweetheart. Relax and practice your creative talents. It doesn’t need to get expensive... play together. Share your love.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Don’t be distracted by old fears. Make a change you’ve been wanting at home. Talk to family and housemates... they provide the support you need.

KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, FEB. 6, 2017

Student Dan Stewart’s experimental film featured in London-based film festival GUS HUNNINGHAKE @gushunninghake

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hen junior film studies studies student Dan Stewart started shooting a film for his expanded media class project, he didn't have a set plan or idea of what he wanted his work to entail.

That film played a professional film festival two weeks ago in London.

“I rounded up a bunch of people, said, 'Let's go film some stuff,' and then by the end I had figured out exactly what I wanted it to be,” said Stewart, a St. Charles, Missouri, native. “So I said, 'Okay, let's do this specifically,' but it came out of sort of an improvised nature.”

Stewart's film, now titled “No Gods, No Managers,” takes place in the Midwest, and examines teenagers in the suburbs and how they deal with the dark and mysterious situation of living in a dystopian society.

While shooting, Stewart found out that the content he was getting from his filming sessions were dark and expressive.

“My first seed of an idea was to create something very chaotic,” Stewart said.

“Like an expression of anger...the rest of the pieces kind of fell in after that.”

Once Stewart decided that anger was something he wanted to focus on, he sat down with two friends who served as his main ac-

Contributed photo Dan Stewart on set. Stewart’s film “No Gods, No Managers,” recently played at a professional film festival in London.

tors and started to figure out what specifically they wanted to express in the film.

“We kind of figured out what it is about being here in this place that makes us angry,” Stewart said. “What things make us angry? And we kind of based these characters off of those things.”

After finishing the film, Stewart decided to enter the film into local and international festivals. Two weeks ago, his project was screened at “Underneath the Floorboards,” a festival based in London that examines and celebrates the best in experimental film.

Although the festival screens less traditional

films, Stewart stressed that this film isn't just subject to abstract thinking.

“I think when something becomes too abstract you can't really engage with it as well,” Stewart said. “While [my film] is strange and abnormal, I wouldn't say that the layman couldn't watch it and find something to enjoy. I like to strike a balance between some kind of experimental and some kind of regular narrative.”

Because Stewart has submitted his project to more than 30 festivals, the film itself remains unlisted on YouTube until he can make it public.

"Usually festivals don't like when something is al-

ready available," Stewart said. "So I just keep it under that [listing]. If somebody wants to see it, they can ask me, and I'll send it to them."

Stewart's hard work on this film has seen recognition from the festivals he's submitted it to and from Benjamin Rosenthal, an associate professor of expanded media at the University.

It was in Rosenthal's class where Stewart was assigned the project that eventually led to the production of “No Gods, No Managers.”

Rosenthal said that Stewart has a strong work ethic, and his success is reflected in his ability to work hard, refine and constantly

submit his work to different places.

Rosenthal also said that he expects students to create works that show investment in their own vision, something that Stewart does well.

“Dan is an exemplary model of this ethic,” Rosenthal said. “And I am sure we will continue to see the success of both his videos, and videos produced in class on the international, professional stage.”

— Edited by Ashley Hocking

Local sculptor draws inspiration from childhood SEAN JESSE @sean_jesse

A dusty country road and U.S. 69 meet in Louisburg, Kansas, to form a corridor around Jacob Burmood's “sculpture farm,” as he likes to call it.

Burmood, a sculptor and 2013 University graduate in ceramics, owns the 15 acre plot of land, symbolically situated at the intersection of nature and art.

This clash of the remoteness of the country and clamor of cars leaving the city illustrates the similar notion of finding modern art in such a natural place.

Burmood has had his art showcased all across the country, everywhere from the Leopold Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, to the streets of Los Angeles. Burmood’s mediums include aluminum and bronze, resin sculpture, ceramic sculpture and most recently, drapery, which explores the flow of fabric.

“It’s a flexible field that illustrates the energy that flows through it, that otherwise we couldn’t see,” Burmood said of his drapery work.

Burmood recently received a grant from ArtsKC, a fund which makes grants to artists, arts organizations, and arts programs throughout the KC region, for his work with casting draped cloth into bronze. The grant gives him access to more of that bronze, a material that does not come cheap for

Sean Jesse/KANSAN Jacob Burmood, pictured at his farm in Louisburg, earned his Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from KU in 2013.

most sculptors.

In his artist statement on his website, Burmood, now 36, recounts his childhood hobby of “walking along a creek that had carved its way through a wooded area” in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri.

“I think that my childhood and my upbringing had a big role in determining my interests as an adult,” Burmood said. “This stream was constantly changing, and it was changing the landscape of the area that I would explore.”

The interconnectivity between the stream and surrounding ecosystem instilled a “sense of deep harmony and simplicity” that Burmood said he seeks to convey in the elements of his art."

"Form was something I was always very responsive to, and not just the form of an object, but the form of a landscape," he said.

The woods behind Burmood’s childhood home was also where he first started

crafting, starting with simple forts and bows and arrows. Even though he said he didn’t always think it was something that could “earn [him] a living,” sculpting was something Burmood always did.

Throughout high school, Burmood took art classes, before ending up at his hometown school of Missouri State University.

“I didn’t immediately know what I wanted to study,” Burmood said.

“Once I did decide for sure that I was going to study sculpture, I didn’t want to leave.”

When Burmood spent time as an adjunct professor in design at Missouri State and making ceramic sculpture out of his home-turnedstudio, Burmood also delivered pizza. Working part time jobs helped fund Burmood’s creativity, and his eventual master's degree.

When recalling applying for graduate school, Burmood said that he, “applied to eight schools and got re-

jected from all of them.” But, obstacles are something the sculptor has become used to.

“Rejection is one of those things that is a constant in the art world,” Burmood said.

Four years after undergrad, and with encouragement from his father, Burmood decided to apply to graduate school again. This time, to the University of Kansas.

“I was told that they had a good program, and I knew that they had a foundry, so I was interested in studying bronze casting,” Burmood said.

As fate would have it, Burmood was delivering a pizza when he learned of his acceptance to the University.

In his time at the University, Burmood was challenged by his professors, something he says helped evolve his work.

“They didn’t let me rest on my laurels," Burmood said. "They didn’t congrat-

ulate me for my successes.

They criticized my weaknesses. It was basically like art boot camp."

John Hachmeister, an associate professor in visual arts, recalled Burmood's work ethic during the sculptor's time at the University.

"Jacob was very productive and effective in creating artwork," Hachmesiter said.

"He had a singular vision for what he wanted to achieve and he just kept working and working with various materials until he succeeded."

The arts scene in Lawrence was also something that pushed Burmood through his years at the University. The sculptor described the community as “all Bohemia and no Babylon.”

Since last fall, Burmood has been an adjunct professor of sculpture at Johnson County Community College.

As an adjunct professor, he stresses to his students the importance of incorporating their own interests into their craft.

“Typically when you take a painting class, you’re going to be dealing with paint," Burmood said. "If you take a ceramics class, you’ll be dealing with clay. In sculpture, it can be anything, and there is literally nothing outside the scope of sculpture.”

— Edited by Ashley Hocking

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A Lawrence author’s road to the NYT bestseller list OMAR SANCHEZ @OhMySanchez

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utting through the hayfields of southeast Kansas in her old Ford Ranger pickup felt familiar to Bryn Greenwood. The Lawrence author had grown up in Hugoton, Kan., a rural community in the southwest region of the state, so nothing about the quiet landscape was going to surprise her. Not only did she know where she was going, but also what she had just left behind as her tires treaded through the dirt road.

Until she heard the motorcycle.

“I wonder who he is?” asked Greenwood, a recently named New York Times best-selling author, as she looked on through her car window. “I wonder where he’s going.”

Nearly eight years later, that question — the result of a prolonged state of boredom or a measly distraction to any other common driver — resulted in a surprise phone call at 5:05 p.m. on a mid-January day. A call that told her where she would really be going: onto a list of distinguished authors that pointed toward success.

“My editor called me,” Greenwood said. “So that’s why, whenever you get a call from an unknown number in New York City, you should always answer it.”

Her editor congratulated her after the weekly announcement of New York Times best sellers.

Her book “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things” that released in August 2016 had just pushed through the threshold to make the list. The fiction love story with the underpinnings of a grisly reality has connected with the hearts of many who have flipped through her third and most recently published novel.

It was an announcement months, if not years or decades, in the making.

On that day in October 2009, Greenwood was coming back from Arkansas after telling her then-husband her intention to file for divorce. She had moved to Lawrence four years prior and had no intention of leaving.

On her way back, when she focused her attention to the man on the motorcycle driving across that dirt road, she said her mind be-

Miranda Clark-Ulrich/KANSAN Bryn Greenwood was recently named a New York Times best-selling author with her novel “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.” She was raised in Hugoton, Kansas, and currently resides in Lawrence, Kansas.

gan churning for answers.

She began writing endlessly when she got home, trying to connect the dots. Some 300,000 words later, she said, that answer became Wavonna Wavy Quinn — the main character of “All the Small and Wonderful Things” — as Greenwood began to imagine a little 13-year-old girl hiding in those hayfields. The man on the motorcycle would soon be the model for the novel’s love interest: Jesse Joe Kellen.

“

So that’s why, whenever you get a call from an unknown number in New York City, you should always answer it.”

Bryn Greenwood NYT Bestselling Author

This method of writing wasn’t anything new to Greenwood. Ever since her childhood in a house of seven sisters — different combinations living together after her parents divorced at the age of 2 — she said she would rush to write and read as much as she could when she could find a quiet spot. But for her writing as a child, this was seldom the case, unless Greenwood was able to make it to the local Carnegie library or

wait until she went to her grandparents’ house in the summers.

There, the basement was cool and away from the scorching sun, but most importantly, away from the chaos.

“I didn’t join any clubs when I was a kid. I didn’t really have a lot of friends growing up. I’m still not a joiner or a group activity person,” Greenwood said. ”I’m pretty much a hermit.”

“Hermit” may not exactly be the way that Ben Nyberg, professor emeritus of Kansas State University, would put it.

Nyberg taught Greenwood during her master’s program in creative writing and they have remained friends since. For Nyberg, Greenwood is someone who is very much her own person, and that the best ways to see into Greenwood’s life is through her books.

In addition to 2016’s “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things,” Greenwood has written 2012’s “Last Will,” and 2014’s “Lie Lay Lain.”

“If you want to understand her, read her books.

They’ll give you everything you need,” he said in email.

In Greenwood’s time alone after her divorce — albeit with her two sphynx cats Flannery and Sipporah and two boxers Biggie Bigs and Josey — she took those original 300,000 words as clay and sculpted and molded them into an atypical ro-

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mantic thriller; each chapter is written in the voice of various characters in the book.

The primary storyline centers around Wavy and Kellen’s relationship, which was born from Wavy’s druglaced upbringing (her father a meth dealer and mother an addict) and then fostered after the care and attention Kellen could give her despite a barrier of age. Kellen is almost 13 years older than Wavy. “ Y o u spend a lot of times as a kid with everyone bossing you around and telling you what to do, and you are often told to obey adults even when they don’t have your best interest at heart,” Greenwood said.

Greenwood can relate to Wavy. She said she too had a upbringing intertwined with the drug culture of the 1970s and

housing

1980s. She also became involved with an older man at a young age.

But, despite stereotypes to the contrary, she said the relationship was a positive experience and helped her be who she is today.

“As a young person, when I was 13, to have an adult who respected my personal boundaries and respected me as a human instead of this child object, it was really liberating,” Greenwood said. “I finally

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felt like, here is someone who actually respects my opinion on things.”

Fans of her book relate to this bond and enjoy escaping their preconceived notions about the story’s romance. Danny Caine, a bookseller from the Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, said the unconventional love story speaks to a few key themes, but ultimately conveys one main point that is necessary to understanding the story.

“I think ultimately it is making a certain argument about what family means, so to get caught up in how shocking it is, is to ignore the point that she’s trying to make,” he said. “There’s no one single image of family.”

Greenwood today not only writes novels, but also works as a secretary for the University’s School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures. She said that most of her brainstorming for her current projects take place while walking, whether that’s to work or with her dogs. Once she finds the idea, she’ll come back home and sit on her couch with her dogs to get ready to tell another story.

“I like to write at my desk, but my dogs just won’t put up with that, so I end up writing usually sitting on my couch,” she said.

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Turnovers doom Kansas in OT loss to Iowa State WESLEY DOTSON @WesDotsonUDK

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ith 11:39 left in regulation of Saturday’s 9289 overtime loss against Iowa State, No. 3 Kansas had a seven-point lead, and junior guard Devonte’ Graham was trying to extend it.

Graham attempted a lob pass to freshman guard Josh Jackson at the rim.

Instead of a potential alleyoop finish by Jackson, the pass sailed out of bounds and turned into one of the Jayhawks’ season-high 21 turnovers that afternoon.

Iowa State (14-8, 6-4 Big 12) guard Monte Morris then drained a threepoint shot on the team’s next possession to cut the Kansas lead to four.

After the play, Kansas (20-3, 8-2 Big 12) coach Bill Self was visibly upset and called a timeout. He said Graham’s turnover was one that stuck out more than others.

“We throw it almost over the backboard and

Missy Minear/KANSAN Junior guard Devonte’ Graham fumbles the ball in the first half against Iowa State. Kansas lost 92-89.

they make a three on the other end, that’s a fivepoint swing right there,” Self said.

Despite taking a 52-38 lead into halftime, Kansas had trouble controlling the

ball for much of the game.

The team had nine of its 21 turnovers in the first half.

Self said he warned his team about Iowa State coming out and playing loose. The Cyclones have

lost close games to three top-25 teams in Gonzaga, Baylor and West Virginia.

“They played with house money today,” Self said.

I’m sure [Iowa State coach] Steve Prohm would say the

same thing. They played with a free mind.”

The Cyclones erased a 14-point deficit in the second half and forced 12 turnovers.

When asked if fatigue

was a factor down the stretch, Kansas senior center Landen Lucas said it was more of a mental fatigue than physical.

“If anything, you can get a little mentally fatigued throughout the season,” Lucas said. “Especially in the Big 12, but we’ve just got to make sure we don’t let that happen and not let one game become two.”

Self echoed Lucas’ comments.

“I thought we looked a little fatigued in the second half,” Self said. “But that’s more mental than physical.”

Kansas has played its last three games in a span of 10 days, and will travel to Manhattan to play instate rival Kansas State on Monday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.

“When you’re playing six guys, I think short turnarounds are hard,” Self said. “I can’t say that it’s good [to play again on Tuesday], but I’m not going to say it’s bad either. We’ll see how we react, which I’m sure will be a good atmosphere.”

Caelynn Manning-Allen keeps Kansas close in loss to TCU SEAN COLLINS @seanzie_UDK

Playing from behind has been an uncomfortable and common occurrence for the Jayhawks at halftime for most of their games this season.

On Sunday, the Jayhawks found themselves down early after an 8-2 run to start the game. Mental errors hurt coach Brandon Schneider’s team, but a strong game from senior forward Caelynn ManningAllen kept the Jayhawks in the game until the fourth quarter in their 80-68 loss to TCU. “I felt like to start the game off we were a lot more locked in than we were down the stretch which bit us in the butt in the long run,” ManningAllen said. “[The tide of the game changed] especially in the third when we kept sending them to the freethrow line.”

Manning-Allen brought defensive intensity to the floor, and this led to easier buckets and extra possessions. In the first half alone, the Jayhawks forced 13 turnovers.

Mental mistakes plagued the Jayhawks, especially late in the game.

While the defense was tight in the first half, the Jayhawks couldn’t buy a rebound.

“I was very disappointed with how we competed on the glass,” Schneider said. “I thought Caelynn offensively provided a bright spot for us.”

Manning-Allen hasn’t been a huge part of the offense this season, but she benefited from the driveand-kick ball movement offense Schneider ran.

Scoring 14 points on 6-of7 shooting, ManningAllen had one of the most impactful games of her career.

Andrew Rosenthal/KANSAN Redshirt-freshman quarterback Carter Stanley drops back to pass in the second half against Texas on Nov. 19, 2016. The Jayhawks beat the Longhorns 24-21 in overtime.

Dzwierzynski: A new era for KU BRENDAN DZWIERZYNSKI @BrendanDzw

Miranda Clark-Ulrich/KANSAN Senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen makes a move in the post against TCU on Feb. 5. The Jayhawks fell to the Horned Frogs 80-68.

The deficit was a manageable one all game.

Going into the final quarter, the Jayhawks were only down six. Having one of their most efficient shooting games of the season at 45 percent, the game was far from over.

“

I was very disappointed with how we competed on the glass, I thought Caelynn offensively provided a bright spot for us.”

Brandon Schneider Womens basketball coach

Or at least it should have been.

Schneider was disappointed in how many free throw attempts the Horned Frogs received.

Scoring 21 points from the

free-throw line, Kansas allowed TCU to control the game where defense can’t be played.

“We didn’t play with the kind of urgency to get back and let our defense set,” Schneider said. “Then they were coming downhill on us.”

Transition defense got sloppy for the Jayhawks in the final quarter, and this led to a couple of easy transition buckets.

“We didn’t play nearly as assignment correct as what we have,” Schneider said. “We made a lot of mental errors and you can’t do that in a Big 12 game.”

It was the mental mistakes that put away the Jayhawks more so than TCU taking control of the game. It will take another complete game to repeat a conference victory such as the Texas Tech game.

— Edited by Frank Weirich

It’s been eight seasons since Kansas’ last bowl appearance. In that time, the Jayhawks are 19-77 and finished in last place in the Big 12 every year except for 2014. Kansas finished second-to-last that year. The program’s poor performance is well-known nationwide at this point.

This particularly miserable era of Jayhawks football is waning, however. On the heels of a strong National Signing Day and the best single day of commitments in program history, Kansas is turning the tide.

Whatever shortcomings coach David Beaty may have in terms of in-game coaching is made up for by his great recruiting. Considered one of the best recruiters in the SEC during his time at Texas A&M, Beaty’s reputation sticks to this day, and it’s the main reason why Kansas’ future looks so bright. Pulling in 27 commitments on National Signing Day signals a huge influx of talent for the program.

While the Kansas coaching staff pulled in a good amount of talent for the 2017 recruiting class, their 2018 class is currently in a league of it its own. Three four-star and three three-star recruits

committed to Kansas on Feb. 4, the best recruiting day in program history. For reference, Kansas signed three 247Sports four-star recruits total from 2002-2016 (2002 is the first year star-rating data is available).

As of Feb. 5, Kansas’ 2018 class ranks above Alabama’s.

That’s not an alternative fact, that’s the honest truth.

A huge reason for the major recruiting success is running backs coach Tony Hull, whose prowess in Louisiana is creating one of the strangest but most impactful recruiting pipelines in the country, simultaneously making him one of the best recruiters in the nation. The start of this effective-yet-odd pipeline was freshman safety Mike Lee’s commitment in 2016. Lee’s debut season with the Jayhawks was nothing short of fantastic, earning Big 12 All-Freshman team honors while establishing a presence as an athletic big hitter prowling in the defensive backfield.

If the 2018 crop of prospects play as well in their first season as Lee did in his, Kansas will have one of the best talent pools in the Big 12 in short order.

You also can’t ignore the building blocks already in place on the roster.

The defensive line is in a great position going forward, with sophomore defensive

linemen Daniel Wise and Dorance Armstrong Jr. (an All-Big 12 first-team honoree in 2016) returning next year.

Offensively, the pieces are in place to make incoming offensive coordinator Doug Meacham’s offense run efficiently and effectively. With two cornerstone receivers in junior LaQuvionte Gonzalez and sophomore Steven Sims Jr. helping out redshirt-freshman quarterback Carter Stanley, the offense is in good hands going forward.

With all these blissful developments for the Jayhawks in mind, it’s important to remember nothing ever works out exactly as you hope when it comes to college sports.

As incredible as the 2018 recruiting class is right now, it seems unlikely that all six will go wire to wire with their commitments. After all, it’s a long time until next year’s signing day.

While this is a valid concern, the program is already in better shape than it’s been in years.

To even be considered strongly by four-star recruits is a huge boon for Kansas going forward. We’ll never forget that Kansas topped Texas in 2016, nor will the internet, but the time is coming when meme-worthy wins will be less commonplace for the Jayhawks, with and wins with postseason implications will take their place.