3-6-17

NEWS

ARTS & CULTURE

SPORTS

KU’s accessibility measures still need work, disability advocates say

University Theatre musical “Company” opens at Crafton-Preyer Theater

Bill Self, Frank Mason, Josh Jackson awarded by Big 12

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MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017 | VOLUME 133 ISSUE 15

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

Students hope to build activism with ACLU chapter HAILEY DIXON @_hailey_dixon

After seeing policies the current administration is enacting in the U.S., Amii Castle felt she needed to take a stand to help University students by organizing an ACLU chapter on campus.

“I think students are yearning, and they are hungry for an organization like this,” she said. “So I was pleasantly surprised at the response that I got.”

ACLU, which stands for American Civil Liberties Union, was founded almost 100 years ago, in 1920, to defend civil liberties, said Doug Bonney, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Kansas.

Castle, who is a law and business professor at the University, said she thinks the current administration is implementing policies that clearly violate constitutional rights, and the ACLU can help students combat the negativity that these policies may create.

“I know I was feeling a lot of the same things that Professor Castle was speaking about right after the election,” said ACLU vice president Aaron Morris, a junior from Kansas City, Kansas.

Miranda Clark-Ulrich/KANSAN The University now has a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, consisting of Professor Amii Castle, faculty advisor; Jordan Haas, chief officer; Aaron Morris, vice president and Sara Muench, president.

For ACLU President Sara Muench, a junior from Leawood, ACLU was the answer she needed to jumpstart her activism and make a difference on campus.

“There are groups on campus that we could be a part of, but they are just very dormant right now and haven’t been making any

moves,” Muench said. “So I wasn’t going to go out of my way to research something that wasn’t really putting themselves out there.”

Muench said that the group is dedicated to being active on campus consistently.

We want to be that group on campus that shows that

we are going to do something tomorrow, we are going to do something next week, next month, next year. We are going to be an organization that keeps carrying on,” Muench said.

All of the students who serve as officers are former students of Castle’s, including Muench, Morris and

Chief Officer Jordan Haas.

The campus organization welcomes individuals from all walks of life, no matter the political party, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, Castle said.

“We are all fighting the good fight together,” Castle said.

ACLU will focus on issues

that the students who make up the group are passionate about. The organization will conduct a poll to see what each individual is concerned with and go from there said, Muench said.

In addition to activism, Castle said this group is a place or “safe haven” where students can voice their concerns on what is going on throughout the U.S. Bonney said that students can also gain knowledge on civil liberties, in addition to activism experience, if they join the ACLU chapter on campus.

“They can gain knowledge of civil liberties, and they can participate in protecting civil liberties in Kansas,” he said.

Bonney said he is excited that Castle is starting a chapter on campus.

“We’re glad that KU students are interested in the ACLU’s work, and we look forward to working with the students,” he said.

For students interested in joining the group, the first informational meeting of the ACLU will be in the Capital-Federal Hall Business Building, room 1010 from 4-6 p.m. on March 9.

— Edited by Casey Brown

A look at KU’s new residence hall EMILY WELLBORN @Em_wellborn

The 19th Street residence hall, which will open in Fall 2017 as part of the Central District project, will hold 545 beds and have a dining hall. The new features to the residence hall will help the University’s need for more residential living space.

Some of these features will include upgraded security, dining and the way the hall is being built. Housing still has spaces available in the new dorm and is currently taking applications for students to move in when the building opens.

The space in the new dorm will also alleviate the demand for the University’s on-campus living, said Mark Reiske, the associate director of production services for the Office of Design and Construction Management.

“We know that’s already an issue,” Reiske said. “We could have used additional beds last fall.”

Similar to the Oswald and Self residence halls, each floor will have laundry facilities and common

Ashley Hocking/KANSAN Pam Keller, a clinical law professor, discusses a proposed amendment to a bill at the Faculty Senate meeting on Feb. 23 in Green Hall.

Senate prepares for guns at KU Andrea Ringgenberg/KANSAN The new residence hall on Naismith and 19th is looking like it will be completed in mid-July, ahead of its goal of being ready for move-in next school year.

spaces.

New features include safety measures for residents. The hall will replace keys with KU ID cards, which residents will have to use to enter the building, access the elevators and enter rooms. Reiske said rooms can still be accessed by a master key if necessary, but using an ID for all access points will reduce the chance that residents will lose their keys.

“It’s all a higher level of

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

security,” Reiske said. “This way we won’t have to access keys.”

The rooms will be updated by having their own wireless connections capable of supporting three streaming devices at once and independently-controlled thermostats.

There will be three different room options in the dorm: a two-person with private bedrooms and one bathroom, a four-person suite with private bedrooms

and two bathrooms, and a four-person suites with shared bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The dining hall will also have new features. It will prepare food on-site instead of having it shipped premade.

“The Union is starting to buy less food that is prepared,” Reiske said. “It will be all of our own meal prep, all of our own vegetable SEE DORM PAGE 2

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

NOLAN BREY @NolanBrey

University governance is working to prepare the campus for concealed carry by focusing on insurance and transparency, though members of University governance overwhelmingly oppose the presence of concealed weapons on campus.

In December, University Senate asked the Kansas Legislature in a resolution to extend the campus carry exemption for college campuses (the exemption is set to expire in July) and

to allow the Universities to choose whether or not they allow guns on campus.

The Faculty Senate expressed the same opinion in their resolution.

According to the resolutions, 82 percent of University students, staff and faculty who participated in a January 2016 Docking Institute survey, “expressed opposition to allowing concealed weapons on campus.”

“The goal is to put on record as saying that this is SEE GUNS PAGE 2

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news Kansan Staff

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KANSAN.COM/NEWS | MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017

Accessibility measures still need work Disability advocates say Hawk Route and elevators on campus are not inclusive or consistent enough.

ANGIE BALDELOMAR @AngieBaldelomar

Every time Alice Zhang uses an elevator, she crosses her fingers and hopes it will get her to the floor she needs without breaking down. A graduate teaching assistant in the department of applied behavioral science, Zhang can’t even count the number of times an elevator not functioning has prevented her from getting to her workplace.

Like Zhang, many people on campus rely on elevators to get to class or to work, such as wheelchair users, people with physical disabilities or senior-age people. Zhang said getting into an elevator is like “limbo” because you never know if it will break down.

Catherine Johnson, director of the University’s ADA Resources Center for Equity and Accessibility, said she does not believe elevators on campus break down any more often than any other elevator.

“My guess is that it’s not any more frequent than any other elevator in the world,” she said.

For Zhang, who spends most of her days at the Dole Human Development Center, and moving from her office on the fourth floor to her workplace on the first floor, elevators are essential to her everyday work life.

Just last Friday, Zhang and colleague Kelsey Shinnick needed to go to from the fourth floor, where they had a meeting, to the first floor, where they were to supervise the Child Development Center, but they could not go because none of the elevators were working.

FROM DORM PAGE 1 prep.”

Reiske said it will have a similar set-up to Mrs. E’s and will have an open terrace. It will be opened in May for Dining staff to start training on the equipment.

Reiske said the residence hall is also being built faster than most buildings,

FROM GUNS PAGE 1 something we oppose. This is something that’s being imposed by Topeka,” said Joseph Harrington, president of University Senate.

Harrington also said that the other five state universities have also passed similar resolutions.

Pam Keller, president of Faculty Senate, said that University governance still holds the same view today as expressed in the December resolutions.

“We’ve done, I think, what we can, which is to express what the large majority of faculty believe — that campus will not be safer or better off by allowing concealed weapons on campus,” Keller said. “In addition to that, though, we understand that we have to follow the law.”

However, Harrington

“It’s very inconvenient for a lot of us, especially for people with physical disabilities,” she said.

“There’s just no way for us to use the stairs.”

Shinnick, a doctoral student in the applied behavioral science department, said elevators not functioning properly affects their ability to get to places on time.

“It affects the timeliness to which we arrive to class, work or any event,” she said.

Another issue with accessibility on campus, according to Zhang, is the lack of signage in buildings and routes on campus.

Zhang said she once went to Chalmers Hall to go to a friend’s presentation, but she could not find the elevators or the accessible route on that building.

“I got through the main doors, and there were only stairs,” she said.

She said she eventually figured it out, but it took a while because people did not know where the accessible areas of the building were. The same happens for people when visiting buildings that they are not familiar with, Zhang said.

On that matter, Johnson said she is working on a project to improve signage along the Hawk Route, an accessible route connecting Sunnyside Avenue with Jayhawk Boulevard. The plan is to put up the signs this summer. She said she knows it can be hard to navigate the route, especially the first time.

“I wanted the Hawk Route to be something that an individual with a vision impairment or maybe

File Photo/KANSAN The University’s ADA compliance office is looking to improve communication about the Hawk Route, an accessible pathway through campus.

a memory or cognitive issue could use,” Johnson said. “We did an audio description of the route, a navigation assistant that people can download on their smartphones and use it while navigating the route.”

“

“If you take [an elevator] away, you take away a person’s ability to independently navigate through campus, which is not something we want to do.

Catherine Johnson Director of KU ADA Resource Center

She understands the importance of elevators working properly, especially for people with a mobility impairment, who cannot use steps and whose path of travel is stopped whenever an elevator breaks down.

“If you take that away, you take away a person’s ability to independently navigate through campus, which is not something we want to do,” she said. “It removes that

independence.”

As part of her work at the center, which is in charge of providing accommodations to anyone at the University, Johnson also runs the Accessible KU Twitter account, where she posts whenever an elevator breaks down and is repaired, among other accessibility issues.

Among her office’s other projects, she has created the Architectural Accessibility and Inclusion Committee, a group of people from the community and on campus knowledgeable in terms of building accessibility issues. This group is currently working on the transition plan, required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “It requires us to identify buildings or physical parts of buildings that we know are not accessible and then develop a plan to list them in priorities on and when they are gonna be accessible,” Johnson said. “That group is in the process of updating the transition plan. It will happen soon and will be posted on Accessible KU once it’s done.”

Shinnick said that although Facilities

including the apartments that are being built nearby, which are scheduled to open in Fall 2018. The building is using a press framing system that will eliminate most waste and will save time because each part of the frame has been tested, planned and labelled.

Dan Moylen, a real estate developer working on the residence hall, said this

is important to the University because it will allow for an earlier opening and to help with the issue of having enough housing for students.

“It allowed us to compress the construction process into a much shorter amount of time,” Moylen said. “When you think about the interest on the loans, there’s cost savings

there.”

Reiske said that he expects this building to last, though the construction process has been brief.

“This will probably be a 50-year building,” Reiske said. “It will probably be more than that.”

said the resolutions were not addressed directly to the legislature, as Kansas law makes it illegal to do so.

“You cannot be a state employee and talk to the legislature about gun control or anything related to it,” Harrington said. “The legislature passed a law last session. We call it the gag rule.”

More recently, University governance has been focused on insurance, specifically regarding whether or not the University needs additional insurance to protect students, staff and faculty from death, injury, long-term disability or lost wages due to weapon-induced incidents.

“As I understand it, basically, I think that faculty want to better understand what their current insurance is for an injury by firearms, whether it be accidental or intentional,” Keller said.

Harrington said an ad hoc

committee is being created to evaluate the shortfalls of current insurance and to evaluate the logistics and cost of adding additional insurance.

Harrington also said that University Governance is focused on communicating to students, potential students, faculty and staff that, as of

asking the University to link the campus carry page to the University’s main page, HR page and undergraduate admissions page.

“This is the time of year when prospective students are making their decisions about what school to go to, and I think a lot of us feel the University has an ethical obligation to notify people who are thinking about coming here,” Harrington said. “It’s like a product warning label.”

Harrington also wants to ensure that the University is transparent as possible.

“I hope the administration doesn’t wait until April or May to create those links.

That will make it look like we waited until prospective students had already made their decisions before we sprang the news on them,” Harrington said in an email.

“The issue is transparency.”

“

“The goal is to put on record as saying that this is something we oppose. This is something that’s being imposed

by Topeka.”

Joseph Harrington President of University Senate

right now, guns will be on campus in the near future.

As a result, another governance ad hoc committee is

— Edited by Ashley Hocking

Services are quick to respond to issues, the University should work on a more permanent solution.

“It’s a little scary to think it might fall down when you’re in there,” Shinnick said. “It makes you think it’s is a liability for the University if the elevator falls down.”

Zhang said elevators breaking down disrupts her ability to move around and her sense of safety whenever she takes an elevator.

“I just feel like now that every time I take the elevator, I’m like, ‘I hope that I’m lucky this time,’ that I will arrive to wherever I’m going safely and successfully,” she said.

—Edited by Paola Alor

3

NEWS

KANSAN.COM

Slander complaint against Onward coalition dismissed DARBY VANHOUTAN @darbyvanhoutan

A

complaint of slander filed earlier this week by Student Senate coalition KUnited was dismissed at an Elections Commission hearing Thursday evening.

The basis for the complaint, which was filed against the coalition Onward, came after a statement was made at Onward’s launch regarding a platform to make changes to parking on campus. A coalition member said that KU Parking and Transit had agreed to work exclusively with Onward going forward. That claim was later refuted by Parking and Transit Director Donna Hultine.

According to the complaint, this false statement constituted slander and broke rule 7.7.2.2.1 of Student Senate Rules and Regulations.

Chance Maginness, presidential nominee for Onward, attended the hearing in place of Election Commission Liaison Ryan Billups. Maginness argued that the claim KUnited brought forward was “petty,” as well as not fitting under the definition of libel or slander.

“They’re trying to say that something that was said somehow affects them and they’re doing it for press,” Maginness said during the hearing.

“They’re doing it to get more momentum and to get something out of it and instead they’ve turned out to look petty.”

Andrew Rosenthal/KANSAN The Student Senate Elections Commission listens to Chance Maginness’ defense against KUnited’s complaint. The Elections Commission decided to dismiss the claim and not fine Onward.

Maginness is Onward’s presidential nominee.

KUnited Campaign manager Victoria Snitsar represented the coalition as proxy for Election Commission Liaison Emma Anderson. In her first speech, which lasted less than three minutes of the 10 each side is allowed, Snitsar said Onward both “defamed” Parking and Transit along with perpetuating facts it knew to be false, as truth.

“We believe that this is slander because it is false information that has misled members both of our own coalition and the student body at large,” Snitsar said during the hearing.

However, after almost 30 minutes of presentation

by the two parties, the commission said it felt that the claims presented in KUnited’s original complaint and during the hearing were not sufficient to justify libel and slander.

“

The lack of information provided by KUnited on damages they sustained is the reason why we decided that this was not an actual libel claim.”

Garrett Farlow Elections Commission chair

“The lack of information provided by KUnited on

damages they sustained is the reason why we decided that this was not an actual libel claim,” said Elections Commission Chair Garrett Farlow after the hearing.

KUnited’s presentation at the hearing included concerns of transparency to students and what they saw as potential damages to other coalitions who may have lost student interest after the false statement was made.

Maginness countered the coalition's accusations during the meeting by presenting definitions of libel and slander. He also presented examples of Supreme Court rulings which,

although not completely applicable to a student government, carry precedent and show KUnited’s “true intent,” he said.

“I think it’s quite clear that KUnited did this just to harass and defame and delay us,” Maginness said after the hearing. “I think that the fact that they weren’t even barely able to defend their own claim during the hearing is proof that this was just a nuisance and it should be treated as such.”

Regardless of what complaints are presented to the Elections Commission, such as this one, the commission will contin-

ue to take seriously what is brought to it, Elections Commission Compliance Chair Harrison Baker said.

After the hearing, Snitsar said that KUnited is dedicated to making sure coalitions running in this election remain truthful.

“We feel that [the Elections Commission’s decision] was fair based on the arguments that were presented,” Snitsar said after the meeting. “However, our main intent was to hold Onward to their word and we believe that we did that by filing this violation. We are running a campaign of integrity and we want all others to do the same.”

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opinion FREE-FORALL ›› WE HEAR FROM YOU

KANSAN.COM/OPINION | MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017

People who run to catch 43 buses are on a different existential plane than me.

I need 12 margarita pitchers delivered to me as soon as humanly possible.

America’s got me f----- up.

It’s either flaming hot shit, or flaming hot cheetos.

I have a lot of friends that are pregnant and I’m just like did I even remember to pack pants.

Every time I forget to do my reading for class, there’s a quiz.

She gave me a side-hug, so we’re basically dating.

I’m guessing it’s a problem that I literally can’t write a paper without drinking a whole can of monster first.

“Heely’s culture” is a phrase I never thought I’d hear in my life.

Illustration by Erica Gonzales/KANSAN

Liston: Trump’s political rhetoric fuels hatred

I am a big waffle gal.

The amount of parking tickets I’ve got in my time at KU, I could’ve just paid for a permit.

That’s just too much BDSM for one week.

Nana I love you, but you were about to get cussed out. ... When you lock yourself out of your apartment so you have to wait for your roommate to get home.

Is student senate government? Or secretly actors for a reality show of the 2016 election?

Freshman orientation should include a mandatory bus etiquette lesson.

The Hawk has character.

RYAN LISTON @rliston235

A

bar shooting in Olathe, Jewish cemetery desecrations in multiple cities and bomb threats directed at Jewish community centers across the country are a few of the most recent hate crimes in the United States.

The political climate that President Donald Trump has fostered and has contributed to these hate crimes and the emboldening of white nationalist movements.

Why be athletic when you can be aesthetic?

I found Jesus in a red velvet donut.

NELLIE KASSEBAUM @nelliekudk

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

“

President Donald Trump has fostered and has contributed to these hate crimes and the emboldening of white nationalist movements.”

While the recent incidents do not specifically reference Trump or the political climate, they seem to be shaped by the ideas cultivated

by Trump. Trump’s shortlived travel ban on Muslim majority countries, his constant insistence on using the phrase “radical Islamic terror” and his abhorrent rhetoric calling Mexicans rapists, drug traffickers and criminals have all fueled xenophobic sentiments.

The Olathe shooter identified with these sentiments, and these sentiments led him to shoot at two Indian men, killing one, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, and injuring the other, Alok Madasani, as well as a man, Ian Grillot, who tried to intervene. According to the BBC, witnesses reported hearing the shooter yell, “get out of my country,” before driving to an Applebee’s and

falsely identifying the victims as “Iranian people” to a bartender.

These xenophobic sentiments also revered Trump to the white nationalists of the country who believe that white people should dominate the power structures of the country outright. These racist people, who often have a terrifying love of Nazi Germany, feel empowered and have begun targeting Jewish people through vandalism and threats.

Trump’s rhetoric cannot be overlooked as an influential factor in these hate crimes. As the president, Trump speaks from a powerful position. To some, his status gives him more credibility.

Aside from stirring up some of the most vile beliefs in the country and inspiring hate crimes, Trump’s words

can influence even the most tame minds. People may only associate Islam with terrorism and believe that people crossing the southern border are inherently bad simply because President Trump’s overarching message pushes those beliefs.

We cannot allow Trump’s rhetoric to encourage crime, xenophobia or hatred in general. We must all come together to deny xenophobic or white supremacist notions. These fringe ideas must never gain any traction in the mainstream. We need to humanize and empathize with those that differ from us religiously, racially, culturally and ideologically if we hope to preserve peace and acceptance in the nation.

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

Kassebaum: Students should vote this spring

Sweet tarts really cleanse the palate.

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

Some hateful incidents have explicit ties to Trump.

In late August of 2015, two men assaulted a homeless Hispanic man, urinated on him and cited then-candidate Trump’s anti-immigration stance as justification. Last November, after the election, footage was released of a white nationalist convention in which Richard Spencer raised his arm in a Nazi salute and said, “Hail Trump.”

The University of Kansas has an exceptional, influential, but little known powerhouse: Student Senate.

See, the fact that we have a senate itself isn’t what is so special. Most colleges and universities across

the nation have one. The student body of any higherlevel institution demands an organization that can represent the interests of the students themselves. What makes this senate so special is its ability to make change.

The Student Senate at this University can be a catalyst for change. If we agree that money is power, and we recognize that Senate oversees allocating $20 million worth of student fees, it is undeniable that the Student Senate at the University is more than capable of making lasting, positive changes.

These desired changes, of course, differ from student

to student, which is where the function of democracy is introduced. As individuals see different changes they’d like implemented, they can take comfort in knowing they have a representative, an advocate and a voice.

“

It is undeniable that the Student Senate at the University is more than capable of making lasting, positive changes.”

As students, our right to elect these representatives

HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR LETTER GUIDELINES: Send letters to editor@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.

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The submission should include the author’s name, year, major and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.

should not be ignored. If you dislike something about our campus and would like a change, Student Senate has enough power and confidence of the student body to initiate the change from a higher position.

This year’s elections are especially important because, with such a crowded field, the future of the University could look very different based on your preferred coalition. Also on the ballot this election is the “Redo Your U” student union renovation referendum. If you have a vision for the University — an opinion you would like voiced — or just have an interest in

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

Tucker Paine Business Manager tpaine@kansan.com

democratic processes, you should vote on April 12 and 13.

Finally, just as I believe it is a waste to forgo voting in state and federal elections, actively sitting out this vote come April seems a choice that directly says you, as an eligible voter, do not care about the future of your University. With such a simplistic voting process and so much at stake, I urge you: vote.

Nellie Kassebaum is a sophomore from Burdick studying English 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) Study, research and write your discoveries. Reinforce traditions. Don’t worry about money but don’t spend much, either.

Suspicions get confirmed.

Forgive miscommunications. Rules get enforced.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You can get whatever you need. Relax and enjoy it.

Profitable ventures abound.

Strengthen infrastructure and foundational support.

Work with someone who sees your blind spots.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Personal matters need attention. Get help to manage this and existing responsibilities. Consult an expert. Friends and colleagues offer solutions.

Follow through and win.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Slow down and contemplate. A conflict between love and money could arise. Consider what to say, rather than reacting automatically. Stand for honor and integrity.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Enjoy time with friends.

Meetings and parties reveal unexpected opportunities. Consider another’s view. Avoid provoking jealousies. A brilliant move would pay big dividends.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You’re attracting the attention of someone influential.

Smile for the cameras. Provide impeccable service, and earn valuable positive reviews. Quiet time later refreshes.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Expand your territory.

Study the possibilities. Fact and fantasy may clash.

Decrease clutter, and go for clarity. Weigh your options and choose. Make reservations.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) A lack of funds would threaten your plans... review the budget and adjust to suit the circumstances.

Don’t believe everything you hear. You’re gaining influence.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Negotiate to refine the plan. Be patient... you won’t have to defer gratification forever. Wait until the bills are paid. Take it easy. Work together.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Physical action generates satisfying results. Build, clean and exercise. Slow to avoid accidents. Get into a steady rhythm. Practice your moves.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Fun and romance entice you away from more serious pursuits. Old assumptions get challenged. Strike out in a new direction.

Bring friends and good music.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Get involved in household projects. Make repairs and improvements, without getting too grandiose. Resist the temptation to spend on stuff you don’t need.

KANSAN.COM |MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017

Five actors showcase themes of love and marriage in musical ‘Company’ JOSH MCQUADE

@L0neW0lfMcQuade

U

niversity Theatre delved into themes of marriage and loneliness in its performance of the musical “Company” opening night on Friday.

“Company,” a musical composed and written by Stephen Sondheim, follows a middle-aged man named Robert, played in the show by senior and Dodge City-native Cale Morrow.

Robert is friends with five committed couples, but is not in a committed relationship himself.

Both the assistant stage manager Martha Keslar and Morrow thought the show went great for opening night.

The play begins on Robert’s 35th birthday with all five couples at his house to celebrate. The cast then breaks out into the song heard much throughout the musical, “Company.” The song consists of the couples each branding Robert with a nickname — Bobby, Bobbo, angel and darling to name a few — and then one of the couples invite him over for dinner, saying it will just be the three of them, the husband, the wife and Robert.

“

It was a great cast, and it was a team. It’s called ‘Company’ for a reason.”

Cale Morrow Senior

As the play progresses, each couple discusses Robert’s plan to get married and offer to introduce him to various friends. The lyrics to the original “Company” quickly alter into saying it

Miranda Clark-Ulrich/KANSAN University Theatre performs the classic Broadway musical “Company” at Crafton-Preyer Theater in Murphy Hall.

will just be the four of them, not three, over for dinner.

The musical performances do a great job in illustrating the sanctity of marriage using the five couples, each with their own thoughts on marriage. Paul and Amy, played by Schyler Merrills and Francesca Haynes, are shown on their wedding day, with Robert as Paul’s best man.

While Paul is very excited to get married, Amy breaks into a comedic song, “Getting Married Today,” in which she sings and quickly speaks about how she will not be getting married today.

Robert sits down with Amy as she ponders over whether it is worth being tied down to one person for the rest of her life, even telling Paul that she does not love him enough. The breakdown proved to be pre-wedding jitters, as the

couple goes on with the wedding happily.

Morrow, reflecting on the play, said he believes that marriage, and questioning marriage, is something even at the age of 22 he has thought about.

“I think it’s a universal theme,” Morrow said. “I think about relationships I had and relationships I’ve seen.”

As the musical neared the end, Robert visits with his current and past girlfriends, wondering why they never got married.

However, after talking to three of the exes, he realizes that he was too focused on living a life of fun and parties instead of looking to settle down.

In fact, one of his exes, Kathy, played by Rendi Renee Doran, confessed that she wanted to marry him at one point, but he never asked.

Robert performed the final musical number, “Being Alive,” opening his heart to the idea of having someone to love him. Wanting someone to hold him close, someone to ruin his sleep and someone to know him all too well. Robert in the end finally understands the positive outlook on marriage.

“Find the one who’s your true love and spend the rest of your life with her,” Yinxiang Wang, a sophomore from China in the crowd that night, said in reaction to the discussion of marriage in the play.

The musical closes with Robert’s friends waiting to give him his cake for his birthday, but do not notice Robert hiding in another room. The friends all leave, realizing he wants to be left alone and leave the cake.

When they leave, Robert grabs the cake and blows

out the candles alone, ending the show.

The ending is left to the audience’s interpretation, as the entirety of the play may have been within the mind of Robert before realizing he wants to be alone in life. The play has no set timeline for the musical and Robert's friends throw him a 35th birthday celebration three times throughout.

University Theatre opened the two-weekend performance of “Company” Friday night and will hold the final performance of the musical Sunday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m.

“It was a great cast, and it was a team,” Morrow said. “It’s called 'Company' for a reason.”

The schedule of performances can be found on University Theatre’s website.

Ed Sheeran’s ‘Divide’ puts him in elite company OMAR SANCHEZ @OhMySanchez

It’s convenient to make the comparison. Here are two twenty-something starlets from overseas. Both with music that acts as the change-of-pace millennials and nostalgic suburban moms need. Whether that’s in between blaring party music and/or skin-deep pop anthems, the lawn chair and glass of ice-cold lemonade will be there ready on the front porch for the duo.

That being said, this comparison is not for convenience. Ed Sheeran, with the newly released “÷” (pronounced “divide”) has now matched elite songwriter Adele lyric-for-lyric.

They have become equals after reaching a level of songwriting that meshes past and present yearnings into stripped-down ballads and audacious pop singles, hits that drip with intellect gained from their troubled, young mistakes. Both Sheeran’s “÷” and Adele’s 2015 “25,” for which she won the Grammy for Album of the Year, have

placed the two in rarefied air at the peak of pop in the 21st century. “÷,” the third studio album from the 26-yearold from West Yorkshire, England, closes a chapter of contemplation in the songwriter's life seen with 2014’s “x” and 2011’s “+."

Beginning with Sheeran’s two previously released singles “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill,” the listener is thrust into uncharted waters, with Sheeran’s rich family story and fulfilling adult rendezvous as the compass. The track list lies as a map that takes them through a new backdrop of lyrics and musical stylings that have tact in a way never before seen in Sheeran.

“Shape of You” is the most familiar sound to the former Sheeran, despite it not being a song written for him in the first place.

After being released shortly after the new year, the track broke a Spotify record for best first-week performance. There is the similar waist-swaying pairing of rhythmic guitar strums and soothing synths that oscillate for the perfect

Contributed photo

dancing groove. But, just like tracks “Galway Girl” and “Barcelona,” there are now little signs of regret for his decisions throughout his story. No slight indication that he wants to return to where he once was. It is an acknowledgement of the pleasure and pain, while also accepting it as a small aspect of who he is.

It’s a different tone that takes hold completely by the time the album hits its middle and most critical with “New Man.” It’s no

longer the cupcake sweet love songs of “Photograph” and “Thinking Out Loud.”

Sheeran at his most vulnerable reaches back to a story of an old love and her new frat-boy love interest.

Hip-hop dominates here as Sheeran recalls the times they “sipped champagne out of cider cans.”

This would have been an opportunity for Sheeran to revert back to timid what ifs and bitterness, but behind cutting rhymes and DJ scratches Sheeran

breaks through and reaches a level of maturity and indifference. Sheeran goes as far with “New Man” to openly remember who he was in the relationship, as “the young boy trying to be loved.” But Sheeran quickly doubles down and describes his high road in the aftermath, while she can’t quite say the same.

If the first half of the album set sail to the new era of Sheeran, the second half drifts and rocks the listener into a canal of Celtic folk (“Nancy Mulligan”), tropical house (“Bibia Be Ye Ye”) and a closing, gentle piano piece in “Save Myself.” It’s a final punctuation that ties up a thread throughout “÷”: Sheeran — like contemporary Adele — can dig deep after long sought out answers. But, the journey to how he gets there and what he learns is self-affirming.

He is no longer waiting for a lover to show him the way. Sheeran is now focused on his own path, and it's a promising road of tales and wonders only yet to be heard by his beloved fans.

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Kansas falls to OSU in first round of Big 12 tournament JARED ANDERSON @JAnderson_383

M

arch 3, 2016, was a day that Kansas women’s basketball defied the odds, upsetting TCU in the first round of the Big 12 championship after failing to pick up a single regular season conference win in 2016.

Fast forward to 2017 and two regular season conference wins later, and Kansas (8-22, Big 12 2-16) was unable to repeat history, falling to Oklahoma State (1713, Big 12 6-12) in the opening round of the Big 12 Championship, 79-75.

Although the loss cut the Jayhawks’ season a bit short, this season, the team undoubtedly held greater aspirations. The additions of redshirtsophomore McKenzie Calvert and redshirtjunior Jessica Washington provided the team with additional talent and Kansas’ five active seniors instilled an undeniable drive for success.

However, even with their 67-49 win over the Cowgirls earlier this year, the Jayhawks’ failed to capitalize on their opportunity, but not without a fight.

In a matchup that was anticipated by many to result in a back-and-forth battle, the outcome did not disappoint.

As the first quarter unfolded, neither team managed to capitalize on their lead. While Oklahoma State concluded the first quarter up 1511, in the second, Kansas’ efforts amplified. The Jayhawks refused to let deficit get out of hand, staying on the tails of the Cowgirls throughout the quarter and capturing the lead with 2:57 remaining.

Yet, Oklahoma State took over in the closing minutes, entering the half up 32-29.

Unfortunately for Kansas, Oklahoma State furthered its momentum in the third.

Despite the Jayhawks' dominant play down the stretch — going on a 12-0 run in the fourth — the Cowgirls held the lead throughout the entirety of the half, ultimately propelling them to the second round of the Big 12 tournament.

Oklahoma State dominated on both ends of the floor in the win. Junior centers Kaylee Jensen and Mandy Coleman each had significant doubledoubles, with senior

Caitlynn Salazar/KANSAN Redshirt-junior guard Jessica Washington dribbles past a defender in a game against Kansas State.

guard Diana Omozee contributing 21 points and eight rebounds.

“Coleman had 18 rebounds, 14 points, and Jensen had 23 points, 12 rebounds, so if we get outrebounded 53-24, it’s going to be really hard to win those games,” Kansas Associate Head Coach Aqua Franklin said.

Kansas had its own

fair share of standout performances as well Washington — Kansas’ go-to player this season and 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year — stepped up once again, along with sophomore guard Kylee Kopatich, with their 18-point showings.

But the unsung hero in her final game as a Jayhawk, was senior

forward Jada Brown.

Brown embodied what it means to leave it all out on the floor, notching 14 points and six rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting.

“We put up a great fight,” Franklin said.

“Jada Brown, how about her play? Came out, gave us a big spark, hit a couple of three’s, but I thought we lost the game on the

rebounds.”

Although the loss of Kansas’ seniors will be difficult, Franklin and the coaching staff remain hopeful for next season.

“We’ll get some muchneeded rest, then get back in the gym and start working on next season,” Franklin said.

Softball can’t match batting power in loss to JMU @jacknadeauku

consecutive singles from Ridling and junior Erin McGinley gave Kansas another great scoring chance, as both runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch.

But, Bulldog pitcher Madison Good struck out the next two batters to end the inning and leave two runners stranded in scoring position.

Senior pitcher Sophia Templin was called to relieve Roberts, but even she struggled to retire Bulldog batters. A double and ensuing single pushed another run across and gave James Madison a 5-0 lead.

Reid did not look as sharp in her third appearance of the weekend and the loss dropped her record to 6-4. McGinley led the team with two hits on Sunday and stole her 11th base in as many attempts this season. The Jayhawks

left eight runners on base during Sunday’s matchup, including six left in scoring position.

The Jayhawks head home to their first home games of the 2017 campaign, with five games

scheduled March 10-13 in the Jayhawk Invitational.

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A shaky start to the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Florida, finished with a shaky finish as No. 12 James Madison (16-3) proved to be too much for Kansas (12-9) in a 5-0 loss Sunday morning. The Jayhawks finished the classic with a 2-4 record.

Sophomore ace Alexis Reid started for the Jayhawks, which was her third start of the weekend, fourth of the classic.

Reid, from Blue Spring, Missouri, had trouble with the Bulldogs all morning.

After giving up a double and RBI single in the bottom of the first inning, Reid surrendered a walk and three base hits in the second inning to put Kansas in a 2-0 hole early.

The Jayhawks were able to put a scoring threat together in the third

inning with sophomore Emily Bermel leading off the inning with a single.

A walk later drawn from senior Lily Behrmann and a base on error by junior Jessie Roane loaded the bases, but a ground out junior Harli Ridling to shortstop snuffed out any scoring.

Freshman Mandy Roberts was called upon in her consistent relief role after three innings of work from Reid. Roberts breezed through the fourth inning with little issues, but was hit hard in the fifth.

Roberts, from Lee's Summit, Missouri, allowed the first three batters to reach by way of a walk and singles, which plated a run. Then, after retiring the next hitter, Roberts surrendered another RBI single to leave the Jayhawks trailing 4-0.

In the sixth frame,

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Kansas basketball cleans house in Big 12 awards BRIAN MINI

@brianminimum

T

he same day senior guard Frank Mason III won Big 12 Player of the Week, he was named Big 12 Player of the Year.

He wasn’t the only Jayhawk to go home with an award on Sunday. Coach Bill Self won his fifth Big 12 Coach of the Year award and freshman guard Josh Jackson won Big 12 Freshman of the Year, as well as being unanimously named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team.

This was the second time in Big 12 history that one school has won Player, Freshman and Coach of the Year in the same season, according to the Big 12’s Twitter account.

In addition, Mason and Jackson were named AllBig 12 first-team. Mason was a unanimous selection to the first-team squad. Junior guard Devonte’ Graham was named All-Big 12 second-team. Senior center Landen Lucas took home an

honorable mention.

The Big 12 Conference announced the winners of its yearly awards on Sunday via Twitter, with Mason headlining with the Player of the Year accolade.

Mason averaged 20.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this year.

He also played over 36 minutes per game.

His points per game, three-point percentage and minutes played all lead the league.

Last year’s Big 12 Player of the Year went to Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, and the last Kansas player to win this award was forward Thomas Robinson in 2012.

Last week, Mason and Jackson were also named semifinalists for the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Jackson’s numbers jump out across the league as well.

The freshman is seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game, and sixth in rebounding, averaging 7.2 rebounds

Missy Minear/KANSAN Senior guard Frank Mason III motions to the crowd during the first half against TCU on Feb. 22. Kansas won, 87-68. Mason was awarded with the Player of the Year award by the Big 12 coaches.

per game. He’s also shooting 51.1 percent from the floor, good for seventh in the conference.

Kansas gets its postseason play underway on Thursday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m. Kansas will play the

winner of the TCU vs. Oklahoma game. That game tips off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8. All games are

played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

— Edited by Lara Korte

Dzwierzynski: Lucas awards snub shows underappreciation

Miranda Anaya/KANSAN Sophomore outfielder Devin Foyle swings at a pitch. Kansas defeated Northwestern State 8-2 on March 3.

Price reaches KU wins record WESLEY DOTSON @WesDotsonUDK

After a strikeout by Kansas senior closer Stephen Villines to end Saturday’s game, Kansas coach Ritch Price was overcome with emotion.

He hugged his assistant coaches, fought back tears and garnished a smile.

Price now sits alone atop the all-time wins list in Kansas baseball history.

An 11-7 victory over Northwestern State at Hoglund Ballpark secured Price’s status as the distinguished Kansas baseball leader in wins.

When Price made his way to the field to join his players, a video played on the videoboard featuring former players congratulating who many Kansas baseball players call “Skip.”

A Gatorade shower fell over Price when it ended.

With the victory, Price now has 439 career wins at Kansas, surpassing former Kansas coach Floyd Temple (438).

Price said passing Temple, who he considered to be a friend, was a special feeling. Temple passed away in 2012, and Price named 2016’s Kansas baseball alumni game after him.

“It’s pretty humbling, there’s no doubt about that,” Price said after the

game. “I’d just like to first off congratulate Floyd Temple on an unbelievable career. Him and I had a great relationship. Nobody knows how hard this job is more than I do. The best sport played in the Big 12 Conference is baseball, and to be here long enough to accomplish that … it’s a pretty special day.”

“I just want to thank the players that have played for me and the assistant coaches who have been with me. It’s been truly an honor to be the head coach here.”

“

It’s been truly an honor to be the head coach here.”

Ritch Price Kansas coach

But it almost didn’t happen Saturday.

A rough outing by junior left-handed starter Jeider Rincon actually put the Jayhawks in an early hole.

Rincon allowed three hits, four earned runs and walked two batters in 1.1 innings of work.

Kansas trailed 5-4 before heading into the sixth inning, which was an offensive outburst for the Jayhawks.

The team scored seven runs in the bottom frame,

including a bases-clearing double from redshirtsenior first baseman Marcus Wheeler, an RBI double from sophomore outfielder Devin Foyle and a game-deciding three-run home run from sophomore outfielder Rudy Karre.

“Those three guys are pretty darn good hitting in the middle of the lineup,” Price said.

Karre’s homer helped preserve the lead the rest of the way for the Jayhawks.

“He has tremendous bat speed, he’s a tremendous offensive player,” Price said. “It was really good to see him perform because obviously he makes our offense so much better when he’s going good.”

Karre said the thought of producing an effective outing for Price to secure his record-setting win wasn’t necessarily in his mind during the afternoon, but that the moment was still special.

“It’s pretty special knowing it’s his special day and I got to do that, but skip’s an amazing guy,” Karre said. “He deserves every moment, and he’s a legend, that’s all you can say about [him].”

In 15 seasons at Kansas, Price now has a record of 439-408-3.

Missy Minear/KANSAN Senior center Landen Lucas dunks the ball in the second half against Kentucky on Jan. 28. Lucas had 13 points and five rebounds in Kansas’ 79-73 victory in Rupp Arena.

BRENDAN DZWIERZYNSKI that Lucas dominated while @BrendanDzw effectively being the only regular big man for Kansas It’s hard imagining any- during Big 12 play. Maybe it one was surprised that Kan- wasn’t enough that the consas brought home a hefty ference’s best coach heaped number of end-of-the-year praise on his fifth-year cenBig 12 honors on Sunday. ter this season.

For all the accolades Kansas You can use whichever received, however, senior excuse you like, but the fact center Landen Lucas only of the matter is that Lucas being named an All-Big 12 was snubbed. honorable mention is arguably the biggest snub.

Senior guard Frank MaKansas would not son III winning Big 12 Playbe the best team er of the Year was no conin the country test. Freshman guard Josh this season Jackson winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year was without Lucas’ an easy choice. Those two performance.” being named first-team AllBig 12 was almost a given.

Sure, he wasn’t the best While you can make an ar- big man in the Big 12 this gument for Oklahoma State season. That honor deservcoach Brad Underwood, edly belongs to Baylor’s Kansas coach Bill Self win- Johnathan Motley, who ning Big 12 Coach of the was named first-team AllYear was a good choice.

Big 12 on Sunday. Even so, All of these selections Kansas would not be the seem to be obvious, or at best team in the country least easy, choices. But, this season without Lucas’ it feels somewhat absurd performance. that the conference’s secAfter freshman cenond-leading rebounder ter Udoka Azubuike went couldn’t even crack the All- down with an injury early in Big 12 third team. the season, Lucas became Maybe it wasn’t enough the go-to guy down low for that Lucas was one of two the guard-heavy Jayhawks.

Big 12 players to average 10 It’s just like how he became or more rebounds in con- the rock underneath for last ference games this season. year’s team alongside Perry Maybe it wasn’t enough Ellis. With inconsistent play

“

from sophomore forward Carlton Bragg Jr. all season, and minimal playing time for junior forward Dwight Coleby and freshman forward Mitch Lightfoot, the task of controlling the paint fell on Lucas’ shoulders, and he has thrived in that role all season.

On Senior Night, Self lauded Lucas’ toughness and intelligence, while also making note of the big man’s importance when he said, “I wouldn’t have thought when we recruited him, to think, ‘Oh my God, if Landen gets two fouls in the first half, what are we going to do?’ Because he’s become that important to us.”

Apparently, Self’s praise isn’t enough for Lucas to make any of the three AllBig 12 teams, or the All-Big 12 Defensive Team.

Mason is a frontrunner for National Player of the Year awards, Jackson is arguably the best freshman in the country and Self is still one of the best coaches in the nation. But, without Lucas, Kansas is not the No. 1 team in the country like it stands today.

One day, Lucas’ impact for the Jayhawks will be appreciated by everyone. It’s unfortunate that today isn’t that day.