3-16-17

A GUIDE TO STUDENT SENATE ELECTIONS

From the first meeting to the final vote, everything you need to know about how student leaders get elected.

» page 3

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 | VOLUME 133 ISSUE 18

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

Senate denies Multicultural Student Gov. funding DARBY VANHOUTAN @DarbyVanHoutan

“Can I be very honest?”

This was the question Student Body President Stephonn Alcorn posed to a standing room only Student Senate meeting Wednesday evening — a meeting in which student fees for 2018 failed for a second consecutive time, but a surprise resolution regarding the elections process passed.

This “honesty” Alcorn was referring to seemed to begin when he kicked off the meeting by asking those in attendance to fail the bill delegating student fees for fiscal year 2018 due to the addition of a $2 fee for Multicultural Student Government (MSG).

According to Alcorn, the fee, which was added in its third presentation to Finance Committee on March 8, will do the opposite of what the fee’s advocates are intending.

“I think we need to reach a better resolution to benefit multicultural students,” Alcorn said during the meeting. “I do not believe that

how it is right now, that students should have to pay a separate $2 fee to fund a Multicultural Student Government, when we can all work together to make Student Senate more equitable.”

After only 10 minutes of

“

I think we need to reach a better resolution to benefit multicultural students.”

Stephonn Alcorn Student Body President

discussion, not including Alcorn’s plea during his officer report, the fee ultimately failed and will be heard for the fourth time in Finance Committee on March 29.

While the MSG fee, which advocate Trinity Carpenter described as the solution marginalized students on campus required, failed, a resolution that will ask the student body whether they support the process of coalitions in Student Senate elections, passed.

“I don’t understand why

Savanna Smith/KANSAN Trinity Carpenter debates Stephonn Alcorn’s stance on the funding of a separate Multicultural Student Government during Wednesday night’s meeting.

Student Senate is hell-bent on outmaneuvering Multicultural Student Government,” Carpenter said.

The resolution, which failed last week in committee, was introduced by

executive committee to Wednesday’s full senate in what seemed like a surprise to many senators who were involved in the bill’s failure in committees.

“Last week downstairs

at Finance Committee they voted a $2 fee for MSG, and upstairs in Student Rights Committee they voted to fail this referendum,” Alcorn said after the meeting. “I don’t think people saw the

vital connection between the two.”

After the resolution failed last week, Alcorn said he, SEE SENATE PAGE 2

Travel ban could discourage international student enrollment KATIE BERNARD @KatieJBernard15

Ashley Hocking/KANSAN In the past 90 days, there have been 22 reported crimes on campus at the University, according to crimereports.com. In order to stay safe on campus, take extra precautions at night, know where you are going and familiarize yourself with the University’s Public Safety Office.

Suspicious activity near campus worries students NOLAN BREY @NolanBrey

Amanda Ziesmer said she used to feel safe walking through residential areas north of Daisy Hill, but not anymore.

Ziesmer, a freshman from Chicago, said her view on campus safety was altered significantly after she was chased by a “creeper” earlier this month to the St. Lawrence Center, where she hid until police arrived.

University Public Safety Office Deputy Chief James Anguiano said incidents of students not feeling safe when walking happen from time to time.

“We do get calls occasionally, and officers will check it out and not find anybody,” Anguiano said.

In the past 90 days, there have been 22 reported crimes on campus at the University, according to crimereports.com. In 2015, the Kansan reported that most students feel less safe at night even though most crimes occur during the day. In 2015 of 751 crimes reported, 31 were assault according to KU Public Safety.

On March 2, Ziesmer had been walking on Westwood Road on her way to Daisy Hill when a man in a silver Mazda pulled up next to her, and she rec-

INDEX NEWS............................................2 OPINION........................................4 ARTS & CULTURE..........................................9 SPORTS.........................................12

ognized him as the driver who had circled her twice before.

As the driver began to roll down his window, she sprinted 300 feet to the St. Lawrence Center, Ziesmer said.

Ziesmer thought she was safe in the center, which is directly across the street from Daisy Hill.

However, as she began walking to her dorm, the Mazda drove into the St. Lawrence Center parking lot and straight toward Ziesmer.

Ziesmer ran back inside, where she met a priest who offered to walk her to SEE SAFETY PAGE 2

With the implementation of a new executive order halting immigration from six countries, students who had planned on attending the University in the fall semester may not be able to attend the University.

The University’s international programs have spent the past few months helping prospective students navigate the political climate in the United States while working to ensure students that are here now are taken care of.

Ryan Shannon, the admissions coordinator for International Programs, said that the program’s primary role with prospective students has been keeping them informed on immigration policy and its implications and to reassure them that they are welcome at the University through constant communication.

“We have a very serious multicultural community at KU and we want [prospective international students] to know that,” Shannon said.

Despite this work to communicate with students, Shannon said the recently-implemented travel ban could keep students in the

KANSAN.COM TOP OF THE HILL: Your Lawrence favorites, chosen by you. Vote on Kansan.com by March 31.

six affected countries from being able to obtain a visa in time to start classes in fall.

“There are several students who were in the process of completing applications who now will not be able to get here in the fall,” Shannon said.

International programs are unable to project how the numbers of incoming international students will be affected until students arrive on campus in the fall.

Commonly, when an international student chooses not to attend the University they simply stop communicating with the University.

Shannon said he wouldn’t be surprised by diminished numbers in the fall.

“The perception is that this could not possibly help the situation at all,” Shannon said He cited a warning given by the father of a shooting victim in Olathe telling parents not to send their children to the United States as a contributing factor to uncertainties among prospective students.

“There have been a lot of perceptions of students who are not sure they are going to be welcome here,” Shannon said.

These uncertainties are also affecting current international students. Hollie

Hall, president of the International Students Association, said she has heard increasing concern from international students who feel unwelcome since the election. Hall, a graduate student from London, cited instances in which students had been harassed based on the color of their skin and told to go home.

“There’s been a lot of stigmatization of anyone who’s brown and putting them into one category,” Hall said.

According to Shannon, international programs has instituted a wide variety of events and programs to reassure these students, including inviting international students to the homes of faculty for dinner. Hall, however, said the University community has not done enough because of the incidents which show that not all domestic students fully accept international students.

“I’ve been told if you don’t like it you can always go home,” Hall said. “I’m here to get a degree and I’m here legally, so why should I have to go home?”

— Edited by Casey Brown

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KANSAN.COM |THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017

KU police address increase in bike thefts EMILY WELLBORN @EmWellborn

Despite efforts to prevent thefts by student cyclists, the University has seen 34 incidents of stolen bicycles or bicycle parts on campus since September, according to online campus crime reports.

Deputy Chief James Anguiano of the Public Safety Office said that there has been an increase in bike theft in the last year and the early part of the semester.

“We saw 61 bike thefts last year which is significantly higher than the year before and we have seen constant patterns at the start of this semester,” Anguiano said.

Those thefts, and their remnants, have created a fear for students of their bikes being stolen.

“I’m scared whenever I leave my bike anywhere just because every single time I come back, there’s a bike that’s on the same rack that’s either half a bike or the lock has been broken off or something,” said Natalie Kogan-White, a freshman from Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I see it everywhere I go.”

Kogan-White said that she has friends that were already attending the UniverFROM SAFETY PAGE 1 the safety of Daisy Hill.

“I was freaking out, obviously, because this guy would not leave me alone,” Ziesmer said.

Twenty minutes after entering the St. Lawrence Center, the priest and Ziesmer headed towards Daisy Hill, but the silver Mazda was still waiting. Ziesmer ran back inside.

Ziesmer called the PSO to come help her. However, University police told Ziesmer to contact the Lawrence Police Department as the incident was out of their jurisdiction. When police arrived, they pulled the car over, Ziesmer said.

Ziesmer said police told her that the driver of the Mazda was known in the neighborhood for doing this to girls.

The LPD confirmed the incident. Officers at the scene determined that a crime was not committed.

The suspect was not arrested, but the investigation is still open, said Kim Murphree, a spokeswoman for the LPD. SEE SENATE PAGE 2 along as the 34 additional senators who serve as sponsors on the new bill, took the feedback that was brought up in the committees last week and implemented it into the final bill. Some senators had expressed concerns of bias in the referendum and the question that will go on students’ ballots was changed as a result.

“I know it’s hard to imagine a world without coalitions,” Alcorn said during the meeting. “This issue is bigger than me, bigger than Student Senate. We’ve gotten to a point where we really need student input.”

Opponents of the resolution said it will only confuse students. However, according to executive staff

Baxter Schanze/KANSAN A bike sits locked up in front of Budig Hall on March 10. Bike theft has been on the rise on campus.

sity before she started last fall who warned her about bike thefts on campus.

“They said ‘Bike theft happens all the time, Natalie. You’re definitely going to get your bike stolen,’” Kogan-White said.

She said that she always locks her bike with a Kryptonite bike lock. Her roommate, Kalekidan Yeshiwas, locked her bike with a wiring system recommended by her friends until her bike was stolen outside of Naismith Hall last semester.

“At the beginning of the semester I’d put my bike in my room, but when I started using it more, I started to leave it out,” Yeshiwas, a freshman from St. Louis, said.

She also said that she was warned about bike theft, but she did not think it was

as prevalent as her friends made it out to be.

“I knew that I had to watch out for that whenever I bought my bike, but I thought it wasn’t as common as it was before coming in,” Yeshiwas said.

The thief cut through her lock to take the bike. Yeshiwas filed a police report and was informed by campus police that thefts like these were not uncommon and that there had been a similar incident only a few days beforehand.

“I thought ‘How is this so common?’ But there’s not much I can do about it,” Yeshiwas said.

In February, there were eight bike-related thefts on campus and another one just the last week, according to the online campus crime reports.

Ziesmer said she no longer travels the residential paths to campus, which she used to do four times a day.

Every time she walks alone, Ziesmer now calls her mom, who helped guide her as she was followed by the Mazda.

“I don’t feel safe walking on campus alone at all,” Ziesmer said. “Every time I see a silver car, my heart races, and I have to make sure it’s a different brand and have to look at the license plate to make sure it’s a different number.”

As a member of a sorority, Ziesmer knows that many girls walk through residential neighborhoods at night. Ziesmer said she has done all she can to warn others.

“We’ve really just tried to put it out there and tried to share with almost everyone what has happened just so that they can understand that they need to be more cautious when walking through those neighborhoods,” Ziesmer said.

The LPD said they patrol neighborhoods within the jurisdiction, which includes neighborhoods adjacent to

campus.

Ziesmer was frustrated by the lack of communication surrounding safety concerns. She wishes that someone would have let students know that the driver of the Mazda has done this before, and she wishes that someone would have told her about the safest ways to get to campus from Daisy Hill.

“I’ve never even talked to any adult or KU employees about how to get from Daisy Hill to campus and which way is the safest way,” Ziesmer said. “They don’t do any education on any of that.”

However, according to Anguiano, students who live in residence halls are required to attend safety training. Every August, PSO works in conjunction with the Office of First-Year Experience to coordinate mandatory training on safety and wellness for new students during Jayhawk Jumpstart.

Anguiano also said that LPD and PSO share information on some cases. Ad-

like Alcorn, the referendum is not binding but rather a way to see how the student body feels about coalitions.

According to the resolution, the referendum must be presented to the student body no later than fall of 2018.

Some Student Senate members said Alcorn, who has just over a month left in his tenure as student body president, was right to push for the coalition referendum.

“As a student leader, he’s incredibly honest and accessible and straightforward and he’s going to get back to people, just like he did tonight,” Senate Communication Director Connor Birzer said after the meeting.

The PSO offers tips on their website including to “remove the seat and take it with you if the seat might be prone to theft or consider purchasing a seat tether.”

The PSO also recommends locking bikes from the frame and the front wheel.

Anguiano also recommended buying a U-Lock, because on of the main methods thieves are taking the bikes is by cutting the lock.

“A U-lock is harder to defeat than a cable lock because a cable lock can be cut with wire cutters or with bolt cutters or things like that,” Anguiano said. “A U-lock takes a little bit more effort. We haven’t seen hardly any bikes that have been cut that have U-locks.

You’re going to pay a little bit more than you would a cable lock or a chain lock, but in the end, it helps protect your investment.”

Anguiano said that bikes are being stolen because they are easy to sell.

“It’s a very cheap resale item,” Anguiano said, “They can get a pretty good quick return on it, sometimes even before the victim knows it’s been stolen.”

Anguiano also said the University’s Public Safety Office is patrolling more, watching security and com-

municating more with the Lawrence Police Department, but PSO still wants students to be aware of what happens around them to help cut down on the amount of thefts.

“The main thing is with the University community, is if they see people around the bike racks call us,” Anguiano said. “If they see something suspicious, give us a holler.”

ditionally, Anguiano said that if a safety threat is deemed ongoing, students are promptly made aware through crime alerts, which are sent out via text message and email.

“If it’s campus related or close to campus, we will put out a timely warning,” Anguiano said.

To stay safe, Anguiano advises students to stay on campus when traveling to Daisy Hill. He said main streets, such as 15th Street, are patrolled by campus police as well as well-lit and well-traveled with security cameras and emergency phones.

“Just be aware of your surroundings,” Anguiano said. “If you’re wearing your earbuds, to have one earbud in your ear and one earbud outside your ear so you can hear things that are going on around you, and if you do see something, call.”

Gang of Thieves

— Edited by Ashley Hocking

— Edited by Casey Brown

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

Red Money SATURDAY, MARCH 18

Thieves of Sunrise Ryan Manuel & The Getaway

SUNDAY, MARCH 19

Smackdown Trivia MONDAY, MARCH 20

Open Mic WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

Fools Brew FRIDAY, MARCH 24 Joel Bonner & The Boot Stompers Bayley Kate & The Running Late

Electric Rag Band SATURDAY, MARCH 25TH

Nite owl Chase Compton Star B SUNDAY, MARCH 26TH

Smackdown Trivia MONDAY, MARCH 27TH

Open Mic FRIDAY, MARCH 31ST

Dolewite

3

NEWS

KANSAN.COM

A guide to Student Senate elections DARBY VANHOUTAN @DarbyVanHoutan

Elections for next year’s Student Senate are underway, so the Kansan broke down what you need to know about the elections process.

ELECTION TIMELINE Feb. 2

The election process begins with KU students

Group of like-minded individuals come together This is called a coalition according to Student Senate Rules and Regulations.

Anyone is free to join regardless of prior experience in Student Senate.

They launch their campaign (referred to as a coalition) This typically involves a campaign launch, where coalitions announce their platforms or invite people in attendance to provide ideas for platforms and causes; it depends on the preference of those in charge of the coalition.

Members apply to different positions on the slate

Each coalition elects a presidential and vice presidential candidate

Those involved in the coalition can submit their name for a position with the coalition, ranging from campaign manager to engineering senator. The slate has to be approved by a majority of the coalition and can occur any time after the president/vice presidential caucus.

These individuals are nominated and voted on at a presidential/vice presidential caucus hosted by the coalition. If individuals vote on this they are in turn binding themselves to the coalition and are not allowed to vote for things regarding other coalitions.

Coalition members chalk, visit student organizations and table on Wescoe for your vote Although there are restrictions placed on coalitions and individuals running in regards to how and when they can campaign, active campaigning is a common practice.

Vote!

Voting occurs at when polls open on Wednesday, April 12 at 6 a.m. and close on Thursday, April 13 at 4 p.m.

Voting takes place online at Rock Chalk Central but there are physical polls set up at Wescoe Beach and Mrs. E’s Dining Hall on both days.

Official coalition registration may begin

Feb. 6 Students may begin filing with the Elections Commission

March 6 Organization visits may begin Campaign materials may be distributed

March 20 Filing deadline for Presidential/VicePresidential tickets

March 27 Filing deadline for Coalition Charter and senatorial candidates running with a coalition

April 3 Filing deadline for independent senatorial candidates Passive tabling begins

April 12 Active tabling begins

Old senate leaves, new coalition takes over The newly-elected coalition now takes over. There are no formal meetings, but they commonly work on platforms and work through the summer.

Joint senate is held On April 26, both the old Student Senate (who have served for the past year) and the newly elected one have one big full senate meeting.

Winners are determined by popular vote They are tabulated by the Elections Commission and certified by the Student Executive Committee.

Polls officially open at 6 a.m.

April 13 Polls officially close at 4 p.m.

April 17 All campaign materials must be removed

opinion KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017

FREE-FOR-ALL ›› WE HEAR FROM YOU

Overheard on a 43 red bus: “If I could have any superpower it would be to pull any type of cookie out of my pocket at any time” New Mexico State won’t go all the way but I’m willing to.

I remembered to bring my reusable bags to the grocery store today so global warming is officially over. *goes to the hawk* “Isn’t this fun? It’s like hell with a cover charge” k-state’s fake patty’s day is pretty such the same thing as KU on every saturday gameday Not to be dramatic but I would willingly throw myself into a dumpster fire rather than study for another midterm

Illustration by Erica Gonzales/KANSAN

Sanchez: Environment in danger under Trump

How do you know that an elephant is pregnant and not just, you know, elephant sized? what we learned from the game against TCU is that KU parking is the reason we lost “You know what, I’ll just take an L” has become my new life motto my relationship with my dad consists of us betting on which one of my cousins will get married next can’t wait to graduate so I can finally achieve my dreams of feeding myself three times a day, showering regularly and actually having a sleep schedule i almost got hit by a car and i was 75% okay with it.

SANDRA SANCHEZ @sssanchez26

O

n March 8, Mustafa Ali, the head of the Environmental Justice at the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned in protest as the Trump administration prepares for billion dollar budget cuts to EPA funds and large-scale layoffs.

A day later, shocking comments from chief of EPA, Scott Pruitt, illustrated Ali’s concerns for the EPA, as Pruitt strongly denied carbon dioxide as a primary contrib-

“Professor do we need a blue book for this exam?” “God no, I’m not that evil”

saint patrick is actually the patron saint of getting LIT

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

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

hardly bothered by the increasingly thin government.

Indeed, in his speech to Congress, Trump promised to cut two existing regulations for every new one, adding, “if we slash the restraints, not just at the FDA but across our Government, then we will be blessed with far more miracles...”

“

With Trump’s administration facing scandal, investigations and highly contested nominations, Ali’s resignation adds to the vacancies.”

For Trump, and the Republicans enabling him, regulations are the remnants of Obama-era executive controls which have only imped-

ed industrial developments, and therefore corporate profits. Pruitt, who has previously sued the EPA for placing regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, heads the EPA with an agenda to reform it into one which works alongside economic growth and “stakeholders,” meaning reducing environmental regulations which currently hold states and corporations accountable for environmental damage.

What will it take for lobbyists, corporations and narrow-minded politicians to see the true dangers of unregulated capitalism? Will it be when their water sources are polluted to poisonous levels, like they currently are in Flint, Michigan, or when their neighborhoods face irreversible flooding and land loss, like those currently living in Shaktoolik, Alaska?

Will it be when rising carbon

dioxide levels prevent crops from growing and the nation faces a food crisis?

While the Trump administration tries its hardest to ignore existing problems by lying and turning a blind eye to the people’s concerns, there will come a time when environmental concerns will stare them directly in the face.

This administration is hurtling towards a very near future where climate change and environmental damage will be too catastrophic to ignore, and certainly will not be “replaced.”

Sandra Sanchez is a junior studying history, Chinese, and global and international studies.

— Edited by Mara Kubicki

Adamson: Always proud to be a Jayhawk

Wizard of Oz culture has ruined my life

the thought of being productive today makes me want to vomit

utor to global warming, citing a “tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact” to substantiate his claims. With the rumored repeal of Obama’s Clean Power Plan, budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and H.R. 861 bill to terminate the EPA by 2018, it is clear the White House has turned over a new leaf (or rather, burned it) in the fight against climate change.

With Trump’s administration facing scandal, investigations and highly-contested nominations, Ali’s resignation adds to the vacancies caused by other resignations and large, unprecedented firings like Friday’s sweeping removal of 46 federal prosecutors.

It appears that the Trump administration, while still promising further cuts and department reductions, is

LAUREN ADAMSON @LeAdamson

I spent the entirety of last week bragging about the Jayhawks’ inevitable success in the Big 12 tournament. I could be found saying things like, “we’ve already won the Big 12 … so of course we’ll succeed,” “Frank Mason is the player of the year! How could we lose?” and the fatal, “you should come down to Kansas City to watch your team lose!” to my cousins at Iowa State.

The last comment inevitably led to them agreeing to come down for the weekend. I told them to bring their Kansas shirts for when they lost to the Jayhawks and needed something to wear to the finals.

However, after our heart-breaking defeat on Thursday, ticket prices plummeted from hundreds of dollars to $40, the Power & Light District was noticeably less crowded than usual, and I found myself showing up on Friday as one of the only KU-jersey-clad Jayhawks in a sea of aggressive red and yellow. I guess that’s what happens when the Jayhawks don’t succeed in “Allen Fieldhouse East” and the weather is as terrible as the announcer of Thursday’s game said.

The lack of comrades actually ended up being a great

experience.

Those of us that had stuck around with our Jayhawk gear on became even closer.

Among the rude remarks such as, “don’t you know you lost” and the “how does it feel to lose to TCU,” there were still a lot of “Rock Chalks” shouted by people I passed in the crowd, and quick discussions on how the time to rest up before the “real tournament” will do us good.

It made seeing fellow Jayhawks more exciting and brought me a sense of friendship with total strangers.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had this feeling.

While studying abroad in Paris, I spotted a man wearing a Jayhawk jacket and I approached him as I would any friend on campus. We had such a long and friendly conversation that the friend

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I was with asked if he was one of my friends from home when we parted ways.

“

It made seeing fellow Jayhawks more exciting and brought me a sense of friendship with total strangers.”

The same thing happened to me in Australia when I sat down at a bar to find out that a girl from Costa Rica that happened to be at my surf camp had a brother at the University, and in Washington D.C. when our Capitol tour guide was a fellow Jayhawk interning there for the semester.

Moments like this make

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

Tucker Paine Business Manager tpaine@kansan.com

me feel truly lucky to be part of the KU community.

No matter where I am in the world, even if it’s within a sea of adversaries, there are always friendly faces willing to go out of their way for me because we’ve shared this same special place and experience.

March Madness is an exceptional time to come together as the strong community we are as we cheer on our team. In the future, I’m excited to share even more happy moments with my fellow Kansas students and alums, no matter where life takes me.

Rock Chalk.

Lauren Adamson is a senior from Leawood studying economics and political science.

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

TURN “WHAT IF” INTO “WHAT’S NEXT” Emily Fletcher Director of Selection (913) 362-5000 leawood-ks.nm.com

05-4007 © 2017 The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (Northwestern Mutual).

arts & culture KANSAN.COM |THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017

HOROSCOPES ›› WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?

Aries (March 21-April 19) Attend to shared finances over the next two days.

Make long-term plans.

Study money, and review your resources. Heed a passionate call to action.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Relax and strategize with your partner today and tomorrow. Stay in rather than going out. Discuss how you’d like things to go.

Invest in practical dreams.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Local action can have long-lasting impact. The next two days favor physical movement. Get your heart pumping. Move quickly but watch your step.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) The next two days are reserved for fun. Love blossoms in relaxed moments.

You’re developing a new perspective. Share it with someone adorable.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Take family time over the next two days. Avoid silly arguments or insensitivities.

Consider the situation from different perspectives. Talk accomplishes more than action now.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Get the word out today and tomorrow, and it travels farther than imagined.

Write, illustrate and share your views. Study new developments. Polish your presentation.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) There’s money to be made today and tomorrow.

Financial obstacles could stall the action. Proceed with caution. Figure out what’s wanted. Hasty moves get expensive.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Pamper yourself today and tomorrow. Indulge a personal project with loving attention. Find what you need nearby. It doesn’t need to be expensive... savor homemade treats.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Find a peaceful, private hideaway to recharge over the next few days. Clean, sort and plan your next moves. Consider possible complications. Wait for developments.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Confer with allies over the next two days. Your friends are your inspiration. Avoid reckless or impetuous actions... get productive backstage instead. Use existing materials.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) A professional challenge with long-term benefit requires focused attention today and tomorrow.

Prepare, and winning is a distinct possibility. Study the underlying issues. Plan your moves.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Get into a two-day adventurous phase. Plan your itinerary, and study routes and options. Today is better for preparation than traveling.

Distant shores beckon.

SUCCESS DRIVEN BY

INSTINCT Ashley Hocking/KANSAN Comedian Maeret Lemons enjoys a craft beer at Barley’s Kitchen and Tap in Shawnee. Lemons has headlined in her hometown and across the nation. Lemons performed a comedy routine on stage at the Lawrence Arts Center on March 9.

How a Kansas City comedian made the jump from interior design to stand-up JOSH MCQUADE

@L0neW0lfMcQuade

M

aeret Lemons woke up one morning and realized that she was not happy with her life as an interior designer.

The Kansas City interior designer-turned-comedian, not only worried about her own happiness but also about being able to support her son financially. Lemons said she labels herself as purpose-driven and was worried that she was not accomplishing what she was put on Earth for.

“After 10 years of being a designer, I really felt like I was in the wrong place,” Lemons said.

Lemons is best known for performing around the Kansas City and Lawrence area. She recently performed at the Free State Regional Comedy Showcase at the Lawrence Arts

Center Thursday, March 9.

Her introduction to comedy began with a search for jobs looking for "outgoing women who were the life of the party." Lemons said the first profession she considered was stripping, but she quickly dismissed it. However, she stuck to the idea of working as an entertainer of some sort.

“

I was like the Forrest Gump of comedy — I just never stopped up there.”

Maeret Lemons Kansas City comedian

“I just kept coming back to this idea of an open mic,” Lemons said. “I just heard of it, I didn’t even know what it was.”

Lemons’ first stand-up

set was performed at an open mic hosted by Stanford and Son’s Comedy Club in Kansas City. Her first set, she said, was not good, but that made her realize that she needed to work hard to get better.

“I was like the Forrest Gump of comedy — I just never stopped up there,” Lemons said. “And it wasn’t cause I was good, I just knew I was home.”

While many people would find the worst in bad situations that arise in their lives, Lemons uses everyday events as material for her sets.

“Life just happens to me, I just can’t stop it,” Lemons said. “I get out of bed and something happens all day, and that’s how I knew I was a comedian.”

University graduate teaching assistant Rachel Blackburn is working on a doctoral dissertation on the study of comedy. Blackburn

said some comedians like Lemons are able to create humor out of any situation consciously, but some have the innate ability to do so.

"Instead of seeing a situation head on for what it is at face value, they are able to look beyond and consider it more deeply, or from another angle," Blackburn said. "Almost as if they were a bird, looking down on the world below and creating funny shapes out of what they see."

Much of Lemons’ comedy follows this, coming from her experiences as a single parent, her history of working design and other events that just so happen to pop up before a show.

Lemons said she writes her sets about 30 minutes before going on-stage, wanting to feel the atmosphere of the room first.

According to Lemons, every venue has a different sense of humor, especially when

she leaves Kansas.

“For some reason, sitting in the room, even if it’s still empty, I can feel what’s gonna work and what’s not gonna work that night,” Lemons said.

While she works hard to improve her comedy for every new set, Lemons said she relies on instinct during shows.

Comedy is a live art form, making it very hard to maneuver. But, during her shows, she makes sure to always play off of the feeling and reactions of the crowd in front of her.

Lemons said she hopes to one day make the leap to movies, an original passion that she had in mind before the fateful morning that took her to stand up.

— Edited by Casey Brown

New York Times bestselling author visits KU to discuss role of women in science fiction LIBBY FLOOD @libbyflood13

On Tuesday evening, New York Times bestselling author Karen Joy Fowler, known for “The Jane Austen Book Club," spoke on the role of women in science fiction for the annual Robert W. Gunn Lecture at the Kansas Union. The event featured a collection of her books, a Q&A with the author and a book signing.

Fowler spoke at length about women in the scifi genre and the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award, an annual prize for science fiction or fantasy that “expands or explores our understanding of gender.”

The award was co-founded

by Fowler and award-win-

ning author Pat Murphy in 1991. This year's winner was announced at WisCon, a feminist-oriented science fiction convention.

“The aim of the award is not to look for work that falls into some narrow definition of political correctness, but rather to seek out work that is thought-provoking, imaginative, and perhaps even infuriating,” Fowler said.

The award was named for science fiction writer Alice B. Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. for most of her literary career. It wasn’t until later in her life that her fans discovered she was a woman. The award's website says the revelation the works were penned by a woman “helped break

Yusra Nabi/KANSAN Karen Fowler, a New York Times bestselling author, speaks about the role of women in science fiction at the Kansas Union on March 14.

down the imaginary barrier between ‘women’s writing’ and ‘men’s writing.’”

Fowler said the award’s conception came from a car ride in which Fowler and

Murphy discussed the gender divide in the world of science fiction.

“It seemed as if the books that interested one part of the [science fiction]

community were being disregarded by the rest of the community,” she said.

Fowler and Murphy SEE SCI-FI PAGE 11

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Alumna fights for pets’ rights with law practice COURTNEY BIERMAN @courtbierman

T

hen-Shawnee resident Katie Barnett was at home when the police knocked on her door. They asked to see her dog. She was scared, but she was also pretty sure she hadn’t broken the law.

“They were like ‘We hear you have a pit bull.’ And I was like ‘I don’t think so,’” Barnett said. “’Come on in.

Check out my dog. It’s only 30 pounds. There’s no way!’”

Shawnee had a pit bull ban at the time. Although Barnett isn’t sure to this day that the dog was a pit bull, she ultimately had to move to avoid giving up ownership of her pet.

Barnett now runs an animal law practice out of her home outside of Lawrence. A lifelong animal lover, Barnett represents municipalities in the Kansas City metro area in cases of animal cruelty.

She also drafts animalrelated legislation and does contracted lobbying for institutions such as the Lawrence Humane Society.

The incident involving the police inspired Barnett to go to law school. She didn’t think Shawnee’s breed ban was worth a court battle at the time, but she still recognized the injustice of the situation. She didn’t want to be so powerless in the future, she said.

The decision wasn’t totally unexpected. She graduated from Missouri State University in 2002, and had been working for an intellectual property law firm in Shawnee as a paralegal. She went back to school and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2011.

Barnett and her husband, who own the Home Sweet Home Dog Resort in town, live in the country with their

SCI-FI FROM PAGE 9 began casually discussing an award that would approach gender and sexuality in a different way. They wondered how “irritated” people would be if the award’s panel consisted of four women and one man, as opposed to the typical male-dominated boards.

That idea became a reality, Fowler said, and they named the award for Alice B. Sheldon, who had re-

Caitlynn Salazar/KANSAN Katie Barnett, long-time animal lover and lawyer, works with Doris at the Lawrence Humane Society. Barnett’s work includes drafting legislation that impacts the humane treatment of animals.

new baby and five dogs — down from the eight they had when they got married.

“We’re like a Brady Bunch,” Barnett said.

Since graduating, Barnett has used her practice to do away with breed bans in the area, protect victims of animal abuse from returning to their convicted owners, encourage more training for animal control officers and generally improve the welfare of pets in northeast Kansas, according to Lawrence Humane Society Executive Director Kate Meghji.

Meghji said Barnett is a huge asset to the Humane Society and similar organizations in the area.

In addition to assisting with the shelter’s various animal cruelty and neglect cases, Barnett wrote a law that requires that municipal

cently passed.

Rachel Harvey, a University student and science fiction fan who attended the lecture, said science fiction is the genre best suited to explore the roles of gender and sexuality in our lives.

“It’s not really bound by the laws of nature,” she said. “So [the writing] can explore what it would be like if there were lots of socially-accepted genders, or what it would be like if society expected everyone to

shelters be reimbursed by the county for the costs of pets they care for during pending animal abuse trials.

“

Katie is really a tireless advocate for improving the laws.”

Kate Meghji Lawrence Humane Society executive director

“Katie is really a tireless advocate for improving the laws, and I think that without her it would be much harder to make the progress that’s already been made,” Meghji said.

Retired law professor William Westerbeke, who taught Barnett during her time at the University, said animal law is something of a novelty interest among

choose their own gender.”

The award is meant to leave the door open for discussion. Fowler said the line between being a “feminist” and “un-feminist” is thinner than she expected, a reality that the Tiptree award hopes to highlight.

This has led to some controversial winners in the past, but Fowler and Murphy always encourage the board to choose a book they truly enjoy.

“Any book is about

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law students. Although it’s possible to start a specialty practice, few people are able to carve a niche for themselves as Barnett has.

“I’m sure if Lawrence tried to enact an ordinance ban on pit bulls, Katie’d be charging to the forefront on that,” Westerbeke said.

One of the biggest threats to animal welfare in Kansas City is the cycle of poverty, Barnett said. There’s a positive correlation between low-income communities and instances of animal abuse and neglect.

Community policing, a system in which police try to address the problems that cause crime rather than just react to the crimes themselves, can improve the conditions of animals in the area, she said. For example, if a dog in Kansas City is not

gender,” Fowler said. “I would rather have them choose a story that really touches them.”

Harvey said having a touching story that looks into gender is exactly why she loves Fowler’s stories.

“Women aren’t just add-ons in her books,” she said. “They’re actually people.”

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money if she’d stayed in intellectual property law or gone to work for a firm, but she said that wouldn’t have made her feel good at the end of the day. She loves animals, and that makes everything worth it.

“I feel like I’m making a difference in my community, and making a difference in the life of people, and giving those animals a voice that they may not otherwise have,” she said.

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spayed or neutered, their owner could be faced with a fine. Barnett has been encouraging area police to provide a notice with a list of affordable options to get the pet fixed.

“They really kind of go that extra step and say, ‘How can we hook you up to get you compliant?’ Instead of ‘Here’s a citation. Hey, you’re fined,’” Barnett said.

Barnett admits that she could be making more

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DAILY DEBATE Missy Minear/KANSAN Junior guard Devonte’ Graham celebrates after making a three pointer late in the second half against Oklahoma on Feb. 27. Graham had 16 points in Kansas’ 73-63 victory.

Who will win the NCAA tournament?

KANSAS BRENDAN DZWIERZYNSKI @BrendanDzw

It’s said year after year, but good guard play is arguably the most important factor for a national championship-winning team. A strong performance from a team’s backcourt throughout the tournament instantly makes it a favorite to take home the title.

This reasoning is exactly why Kansas will win this year’s national championship.

The Jayhawks’ backcourt is composed of both superstars and capable role players, all of whom make a clear impact in every game. Assuming this unit plays to its full capabilities (and there’s no reason to believe it won’t) Kansas has to be the favorite to win it all.

The guard-play narrative is proven true with such regularity that it’s a blatantly obvious fact by now. Whether it was Ryan Arcidiacono and Josh Hart for Villanova last year, Duke’s Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones in 2015 or the heroic play of UConn’s Shabazz Napier in 2014, credence is given to this theory every season. With that in mind, the Kansas guards stand head and shoulders above the rest of the field, demonstrating why the Jayhawks should be heavy favorites this year.

When your unit is led by the best player in the country, you’re instantly in good shape for the tournament.

With senior Frank Mason III leading the group of guards, it would be foolish to expect anything other than a deep run for Kansas. With the combination of his tangible skills, like his strong shooting acumen, his toughness in the lane and his effective passing, and his intangible traits, like his veteran presence and leadership, the Jayhawks already have a leg up on their competition.

Mason isn’t the only playmaker for Kansas, however. Enter freshman Josh Jackson, whose 16.4 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game earned him Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, as well as a place on the All-Big 12 first team.

The fluidity with which Jackson plays is extraordinary, making nifty plays all over the floor look effortless.

His length is exceptional, his court vision is stunning and his ability to take over a game is the sort of trait you desperately want in March.

Second-team All-Big 12 selection junior Devonte’ Graham deserves plenty of hype as well. Over 13 points and over four assists per game speaks for itself, but where Graham really shines is in late-game situations.

When the lights are at their brightest, Graham is at his best, as evidenced by his play in comeback wins for

Kansas over West Virginia and Oklahoma this season.

It’s hard not to love a guard who plays a ton of minutes, is trustworthy with the ball in his hands late in a game and also plays well on both ends come tournament time.

As if those three studs weren’t enough, junior Svi Mykhailiuk and sophomore Lagerald Vick are also contributors, even in smaller roles. When he’s hot, Mykhailiuk can be a top-tier scorer, and Vick’s athleticism and energy challenges opponents on both ends.

Opponents need to pick their poison when it comes to facing Kansas, because the Jayhawks can kill you in so many ways.

As if the elite guard play wasn’t enough, don’t forget Kansas starts one of the most underrated big men in the country in senior center Landen Lucas. 10 rebounds per game in conference play is impressive, but his basketball IQ and fantastic defense are what make him stand out.

There are great players throughout the tournament field. When it comes to guard play, however, one thing that is absolutely necessary for NCAA tournament success, Kansas has a clear advantage over every other team. This formidable backcourt is why the Jayhawks will be cutting down the nets in Phoenix this year.

NORTH CAROLINA MIKE MAICKE @MJ_Maicke

Champ week is over, the field is set, and March is fully upon us.

What many consider the most wonderful time of the sports year began Tuesday with the First Four appetizer, then ramps up to full-on madness with the first round Thursday afternoon.

Brackets are being created only to likely be destroyed at the hands of intense parity and a group of about eight teams that truly have a good, realistic chance to win the entire tournament.

The defending champion Villanova Wildcats look as dangerous as ever, claiming the No. 1 overall seed. Arizona is peaking at the right time after an impressive run in the PAC-12 Tournament. Kansas is led by the best player in the country in senior guard Frank Mason III. And of course, Duke just completed an incredibly impressive run through the best conference in the country for another ACC Tournament title.

But there’s one team that I believe has the slight nod over the rest of the impressive field.

The North Carolina Tar Heels, winners of the best conference in basketball by two games, will be cutting down the nets in April.

Yes, they lost their senior leader in Marcus Paige last year, but the Tar Heels have not missed a beat. In classic North Carolina fashion, the huge void was immediately filled by arguably the best guard in the country, Joel Berry II. But it doesn’t stop with Berry, this Tar Heels squad is as battle tested as it gets after almost all of their pivotal players return from last year’s devastating loss at the buzzer to Villanova in the championship game.

And really, what’s more motivating than watching the opposing team celebrate the best achievement of their sports career while confetti and disappointment shower over you?

With some crazy anomalies (cough 2012 Kentucky), upperclassmen and strong guard play win tournaments.

When you can mix those together like the case with Kemba Walker, Ryan Arcidiacono and now Berry, you put your team in a very advantageous position.

Now the same thing is absolutely true for Kansas, as the Jayhawks sport arguably the best backcourt in the country with both Mason and junior Devonte’ Graham also being upperclassmen, but what separates the Tar Heels here is the balance, depth and interior presence.

Senior center Landen Lucas has been great for Kansas. But, if he gets in early foul trouble the Jayhawks

can have a difficult time rebounding the basketball, an area where North Carolina excels. In fact, it’s statistically the best rebounding team in the country, bringing in 43.5 boards per game.

Seniors Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks are two big, athletic forwards who are walking mismatches.

Freshman Tony Bradley is averaging over 7 points and 5 rebounds a game for the Tar Heels off the bench. They are deep, and the talent hardly drops off.

Speaking of mismatches, Justin Jackson is a 6-foot8 forward that moves like a guard and is comfortable around the perimeter. Jackson leads the team with 18.1 points per game and can score from anywhere on the court. Jackson can body up guards in the paint, or draw out bigs away from the basket with an honest jumper.

And, of course, they’re led by one of the greatest coaches of all time with Roy Williams, who is part of an elite group of coaches with multiple championships, and knows exactly what it takes to get your team to the Final Four.

It’s a year of parity, and like I said, about eight teams could win this tournament and it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

There is a pack of successful programs with title aspirations, but the Tar Heels are just slightly ahead of the herd.

After UC Davis win, KU focuses on tournament preparation SKYLAR ROLSTAD @SkyRolSports

Kansas learned its NCAA tournament Round of 64 opponent Wednesday night.

UC Davis weathered a close game against North Carolina Central in Dayton, Ohio, to advance, 67-63.

The Jayhawks will meet the No. 16 seed Aggies in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday in the Jayhawks’ first game of the tournament.

For Kansas, the tournament comes into focus after the initial excitement surrounding the bracket reveal.

Senior center Landen Lucas said on Selection Sunday that the team looks to narrow its focus.

“You look at what the path would be, because you envision yourself and expect yourself to make it all

Missy Minear/KANSAN Coach Bill Self gives directions from the bench at the Sprint Center on Nov. 21. Kansas defeated UAB 83-63.

the way,” Lucas said. “But I would say as soon as practice comes tomorrow, maybe even a little earlier than that, you start focusing on that first game and that first weekend ... But you give yourself a little time to look at everything, and then you quickly go back to focusing on game one.”

Kansas now turns to UC Davis, a team with a pow-

erful forward in Chima Moneke. Moneke averages 14.4 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game. He scored 18 points and hauled 12 rebounds in UC Davis’ First Four win over NC Central Wednesday night.

Kansas coach Bill Self said Sunday that the waiting game during the First Four to determine Kansas’ opponent was a disadvantage.

“I do think it’s a little bit of a disadvantage not knowing who you’re going to play the first game,” Self said.

“But obviously, the other teams have to do the same thing.”

The Aggies’ win Wednesday night could be considered an upset. NC Central won its league, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, while UC Davis finished

second and qualified for the tournament by winning the Big West conference tournament.

NC Central was ranked as the best 16-seed by far, according to KenPom. UC Davis, on the other hand, was ranked the lowest by KenPom. NC Central was ranked among 15- and 14-seeds in KenPom rankings.

Self meets up with a former tournament foe in UC Davis head coach Jim Les. Les coached his alma mater, 13-seed Bradley, to victory against the 4-seed Kansas in Detroit in the first round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. Les took the UC Davis job in 2011 and has brought the Aggies to their first NCAA tournament appearance in school history.

“I know Jim, obviously, from going way back,” Self

said. “Then of course he had probably one of the biggest wins of his coaching career against us when he coached Bradley, and he beat us in the opening round in Detroit, if I’m not mistaken.”

Lucas looked forward to the Jayhawks’ regional advantage as the No. 1 seed on Sunday when the bracket was revealed.

“Hopefully we’ve got a lot of Kansas fans out in Tulsa cheering us on,” Lucas said.

“And the biggest thing about getting the seed that we got is that we play in Kansas City. Our fans are great, especially helping us when we’re going on runs or maybe coming back in the game.

So we’re all looking forward to playing in front of them in Tulsa and seeing them out there.”