4-26-18

THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

SPORTS

INSIDE The story behind one of the names in the Campanile p. 2

How a love for the outdoors led to an award for one KU rock climber The University Daily Kansan

vol. 136 // iss. 29 Thurs., April 26, 2018

How ASL has shaped the life of University student Kirstin Slane p. 5

SEE CLIMBER • PAGE 12

Snapshot of Obama’s presidency

Pete Souza, photographer for the 44th president, spoke about his experience documenting Obama’s term

Sarah Wright/KANSAN Former Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza presents on his book “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” at the Lied Center on Tuesday evening. Souza spoke about the moments he got to witness in his role and the things his tried to do in documenting Barack Obama’s presidency.

REBEKAH SWANK @SwankyMama Notable photojournalist and former Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza gave a presentation at the Lied Center on Tuesday night.

Souza was the Official White House Photographer for President Barack Obama and President Ronald Reagan. His new book, “Obama: An Intimate Portrait,” features many moments of Obama’s time as commander in chief. From the 1.9 million photos Souza took during Obama’s presidency, the photographer chose

about 300 for the book.

Hundreds of students and members of the Lawrence community filled the seats of the auditorium as Souza began his lecture.

He clicked through photos of Obama in a multitude of settings, recounting names, events, dates and feelings.

Souza spoke about how well he had gotten to know Obama, and the trips he took with the Obama family.

“Even when he was on vacation, he was still the president of the United States and things might happen,” Souza said, while showing photos of the

Obama family vacationing in Hawaii.

Souza’s words about the former president’s competitive spirit and sense of humor incited roaring laughter from the audience.

Stories and anecdotes accompanied shots of Obama playing basketball with Secret Service agents, riding in limos with his wife Michelle, and playing in the snow with daughters Sasha and Malia on the White House lawn.

Audience members were also moved to tears when Souza described Obama on some of the tougher days of his presidency. During Sou-

za’s recollection of the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, exclamations could be heard around the auditorium. Souza explained the difficulty of keeping his composure on the job on days like that.

Junior Michaela Cantrell, one of the University students in attendance, is an amateur photographer and an admirer of Souza’s work.

“You saw a lot of humanity [in President Obama] and I think that’s something [Souza] had the power to do and he chose to do it,” Cantrell said.

Souza has toured the country to present to nu-

merous college campuses about his time as White House photographer. He enjoys speaking to audiences of primarily students because of the impact they will have on the United States.

“I think a lot of young people are now becoming more aware politically, and are really the future of our country. I think they’re sort of like-minded individuals,” Souza said. “I like doing these events with a lot of people all sort of feeling the same way about the world, and you can feel the emotion coming back.”

One thing Souza empha-

sized was his effort to incorporate historical elements into his photos. He captured pictures of Obama’s face framed by portraits of presidents before him, and Malia and Sasha Obama standing next to statues and monuments. Souza said he wanted to stay true to history in his book, while also showing Americans what the former president was really like.

“All I’m trying to do is show people what this guy is like — was like — as president, what he’s like as a person, what he’s like as a human being,” Souza said.

Black greek organizations push for permanent home

HANNAH THURMAN @hthurmanUDK Darius Jones, coordinator for sorority and fraternity life, was all smiles when discussing the campaign launch for “Give Black Greek Lettered Organizations a Permanent Home at KU.” This campaign aims to give students of historically black greek-life organizations a place to call home for their respective organizations. The organizations hope it will be a place of comfort, as well as a place that can bring students together.

“I think KU is in the place where they’re starting to recognize diversity and inclusion issues across campus,” Jones said. “Something like this could definitely help promote inclusion across campus and more awareness on campus.”

The campaign is hoping to raise $50,000 through crowd-funding and donations from faculty and students. If the money is raised, the Divine Nine Plaza will be created at the new Burge Union that will have nine monuments to represent the nine historically black organizations. It will also have a storyboard of the National Pan-Hellenic Council to provide education and

bring awareness to these organizations. NPHC oversees all historically black greek organizations and is one of the four greek councils on the University’s campus.

At one point in time, the University had all nine monuments to represent the organizations in the Divine Nine Room of the Kansas Union, which Jones said was rare at other universities.

However, due to low membership numbers and students graduating, there was no longer enough funding to keep them up.

NPHC has been on campus for around 100 years, and the Multicultural Greek Council has been on campus for about 10, but Jones said that despite this, most people only think of the Interfraternity Council or Panhellenic Association when they think of greek councils.

“When people think of greek life, they automatically go to IFC and Panhellenic,” Jones said. “You know, we can’t blame them because they have the presence, they have the chapter facilities, and that’s what people see, so people don’t see that there are other options out there as well.”

Jones told the Kansan that NPHC doesn’t have the numbers or financial

Bob (Jiatong) Li/KANSAN The Burge Union, the recently rebuilt Student Union building located at 1565 Irving Hill Rd., is the tentative site for the Divine Nine site representing all the National Pan-Hellenic Council. support to have a fully operating chapter facility like those in IFC or Panhellenic, but a space like this will promote visibility of NPHC and help spread education and awareness.

This plaza has the chance to change that for students.

Jones thinks that this will be a space where students can go to see themselves represented.

“These students are some of the most hard-working and dedicated students on this campus,” Jones said.

“And it just makes me so happy to see this project come to life.”

Shimeka Ayodele, a senior from Kansas City, Missouri, who is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, wrote in an email that she thinks this campaign can enhance students’ experiences at the University.

“This campaign has allowed us to raise awareness about our organizations in different communities around campus and the Lawrence area,” Ayodele

said. “The campaign will also provide us visibility and accessibility toward students who do not know much about our council and why we were founded.”

Taylor Pullen, the NPHC president, told the Kansan in an email that there is a great support system in terms of school, personal matters and being on campus.

“We are a community that really wants to see all its members succeed,” Pullen said. “And having this plot will really honor all the

work we have done and all the rich history we have on this campus.”

This idea has been in the making about a year now. It started with conversations between the previous NPHC President, Tyler Allen, and the diversity and inclusion chair of Student Senate.

They talked to Endowment to see what they were able to do, and to reach out to alumni. Pullen has been helping to get the project off the ground by working on the campaign, and also working on the layout of the plots and how the NPHC wants it to look. The conversation to start the campaign launch started up this April.

Ayodele said that being a part of NPHC has taught her many valuable lessons throughout her four years at the University.

“I enjoy learning about my history and working with other organizations to address joint problems in our communities,” she said. “I attribute much of my growth as a young African-American woman, first off, to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and secondly, to NPHC, and that is why this campaign is so important.”

People can make donations to the campaign at the Launch KU website.

news

Thursday, April 26, 2018

staff NEWS MANAGEMENT

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K A N S A N .C O M / N E W S

Long journey home for a WWII vet Irvin Rink, a 1941 KU graduate who was remembered in the Campanile, was assumed dead in 1946. His body was finally identified and returned to his family this month.

TIANNA WITMER @tiannajwitmer “I looked down about 60 feet or so and there was an American fighter plane laying on its back, a World War II fighter plane, and clearly it was a Grumman Wildcat,” said diver Mark Roche, who was taking a vacation to the Solomon Islands in 2008 when he came across an unusual site.

Roche, who had taken the trip to the Solomon Islands to explore wreckage from WWII, found a wrecked plane and its pilot at the bottom of the South Pacific Ocean, near Papua New Guinea.

“I found him in March of 2008, I went on a trip to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. I studied WWII all my life, and I especially wanted to go out there with the idea that I was going to dive on crashed aeroplanes and sunken ships for two weeks,” Roche said.

It was near a sunken Grumman F4F Wildcat where Roche recovered the remains of who he later found out was Lt. j.g. Irvin Edmund Rink, a WWII pilot and University alumnus from the class of 1941.

On Monday, April 16, Rink’s body was finally put to rest in Wichita, after having been missing in action since Aug. 4, 1943, according to the Wichita Eagle.

In actuality, Roche came across the particular plane with Rink’s body by chance. A collector himself, Roche owns a few types of planes from WWII, one of them being a Grumman F4F Wildcat, similar to the same plane that Rink went down in.

“I was showing pictures of them to my native guides and he said, ‘We know your aeroplanes and we’ve got a wreck we’d like you to look at,’” Roche said. “And the next day we took a boat ride for about an hour off of New Georgia Island — this was something special they wanted to show me on their own.”

Roche mentioned that on the islands, old plane wrecks are common among the local population, and are usually not thought twice about.

“When they told me about it, they said I would be the first white man to ever see it,” Roche said.

Getting into the water, Roche had about 30 minutes of oxygen in his tank to be able to survey the wreck.

“I swam around the plane to survey it and as I was going around the tale I found a canteen laying on the tale, kind of sitting upright — obviously somebody had picked it up and put it there — then next to the canteen, I saw something shiny, and it was a snap that fits onto a canteen pouch, and then a few inches from that I saw a human rib, and another rib, and then kind of followed a bone trail under the tail,” Roche said.

reads. “The student cannot start his actual flying until he had had two weeks of free flight training paid for by the government.”

According to the Eagle, Rink graduated in 1941 having completed the Civilian Pilots Training Course. Immediately after graduation, he enlisted in the air force.

“May, 1942, he was commissioned a Lieutenant Junior Grade,”said Karen Rink, the wife of Irvin Rink’s nephew.

MEMORIAL ON THE HILL Contributed photo Ensign William “Billy” Clifton and Lt. j.g. Irvin Rink are pictured here on the far right of the second row with the VF27 squadron. Rink is the farthest right and Clifton is next to him.

Bob (Jiatong) Li/KANSAN Lt. j.g. Irvin Rink’s name is memorialized in the Campanile.

After the dive, Roche scheduled another visit to the wreck in order to spend his last day of the dive trip investigating the sunken Wildcat further.

Roche said that “in addition to bones, I found his flying goggles, a radio headset, canteen, obviously, the buckle off of the chin strap of his flying helmet, and the soles of his boots.”

After the trip, Roche brought the remains he found back to the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

“This was 2008,” Roche said. “And we finally got him identified July of last year. Ultimately, the folks at the research lab came up with two pilots that had been shot down in the same engagement on Aug. 4, 1943. In the location where I found Lt. Rink, they were the only two Wildcat fighters that went down in that area.”

Both Rink and the other pilot where part of the same squadron, VF27, that was based on the U.S.S. Suwannee.

Roche was able to attend the funeral in Wichita on April 16 and spend time with the family, continuing to connect the dots to Rink’s life.

“I’m happy to say that I spent the whole weekend with those people and we had a great funeral [April 16] yesterday, and it was like a two-mile-long funeral procession going out to the cemetery,” Roche said.

During this visit, he was able to learn more about the

day that Rink went missing.

According to the family, as relayed by Roche, Rink’s unit was on a mission to escort a marine general when they were attacked

by Japanese fighters. Rink and another pilot, William “Billy” Clifton, were shot down in their planes.

Rink was not originally assigned to the mission where he and Clifton both lost their lives.

“The unit [he was a part of] shipped out that afternoon to go home,” Roche said. “He didn’t have to fly the mission; he flew the mission for somebody else who didn’t want to go because they didn’t want to take one more chance before they got a chance to come home. For whatever reason, Irvin went on the mission, and didn’t come back.”

The family also told Roche that Irvin was coming home to his girlfriend, Viola Ott, who he planned to marry shortly after returning.

THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, 1940 Rink graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in petroleum engineering.

“If he came back, he would have been in the oil and gas business,” Roche said.

During the 1940s, the University offered classes in math, engineering, journalism, English, and a wide variety of other studies. However, due to the start of WWII, the University offered

a handful of wartime specific training, including the Civilian Pilot Training Course. According to the Wichita Eagle, Rink was a participant of the Civilian Pilot Training Course at the University.

“Seven thirty a.m. is an ungodly hour. But there are students here at the great University of Kansas, who for the sake of learning and knowledge, arise five days in the week in time (we hope) to attend such and early meeting,” said an article in a 1940s University Yearbook in the Spencer Research Library. “They are the enrollees in the ground school of the Student Pilot Training Course being offered for a second time at the University.”

The class, according to the yearbook, would meet in Marvin Hall. Students learned the general principles of flight and air navigation.

However, not every student was accepted into the rigorous program.

“Of the 105 who turned in their applications about 75 passed the preliminary physical examination,” the yearbook said.

The course offered at the University prepared students for many aspects of flight and had an extensive training program, requiring 35 to 50 hours of work.

“Then, for the first 12 weeks a schedule will be drawn up where by each student will have three half-hour lessons per week,” the yearbook article

“To keep alive the memory of those K.U. men and women who served humanity so well in World War II, particularly those whose lives were taken in the conflict — that is the purpose of the Campanile,” said a commencement ceremony pamphlet for the Campanile on June 7, 1948, found in the Spencer Research Library.

After the end of WWII, the University created a memorial for all of the students who passed away during the war.

According to the program used at the opening of the memorial, the Campanile and Carillon cost a total of $250,000, and the scenic Memorial Drive costed another $250,000.

However, all of the money needed for the monument was donated by alumni and supporting groups.

“This living memorial has been provided by gifts. Loving contributions large and small came into a common fund for a common purpose,” the program said.

That purpose was to show gratitude to those who were lost.

“This memorial will play an active part of the daily life of the student body through all the years to come,” the program said.

Now, 78 years later, Irvin has finally been put to rest.

Karen said the memorial was excellent.

“The pastor was great, Mark Roche spoke, [the pastor] based some of his scripture that was in the memorial of Irvin in ‘46,” she said.

The memorial also included the Lord’s prayer, passages from the Bible, and a quote from Winston Churchill.

“There are over 72,000 MIAs from World War II alone,” Roche said. “People are still searching, and people are still missing, waiting to be discovered.

However, we know now that now, after 78 years, Irvin Edmund Rink may finally rest in peace.”

Roche intends to return to the Solomon Islands to continue searching for Clifton.

Karen concluded, “As we were processing out, since Irvin has in the [Campanile] his name, we played the bell choirs on the way out.”

K ANSAN.COM

NE WS

Agah named interim dean of engineering EMILY WELLBORN @EmWellborn

Bob (Jiatong) Li/KANSAN Mary Walsh from Tulane University speaks at the Union on Thursday, April 5.

KU’s next CIO will be Tulane administrator RYAN LISTON @RyanListUDK

On Tuesday, the University announced its selection for Chief Information Officer as Mary Walsh, the assistant vice president for academic and administrative systems at Tulane University in New Orleans.

“I am excited we are bringing someone with Mary’s vision, knowledge, breadth of experience and leadership style to the University,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neeli Bendapudi, in the press release. “I’m confident she will be able to lead KU Information Technology in directions that support and enhance KU’s strategic goals and also ensure students and scholars are able to achieve their professional and academic objectives.”

The CIO oversees the University’s “information technology services, infrastructure, hardware and software,” according to the press release.

Walsh was selected after three candidates gave public presentations earlier this month. The presentations focused on the future of

3

information technology in higher education in general and at the University specifically.

In her presentation, Walsh said IT needs to be more than just functional.

“Information technology is very effective in the operational area, but where we want to go to is moving to a trusted adviser to a strategic partner for the University,” Walsh said in the presentation. “I think right now this is an inflection point where we really can move into that position.

And the reason is technology has made great strides.”

Walsh said having a structured IT governance system is crucial to reaching the “strategic partner” role.

“IT Governance is a challenging undertaking, however it provides a methodology for Information Technology to ensure all priorities are carefully and thoughtfully aligned with the University’s priorities,” Walsh said in a previous email to the Kansan. “The focus [of] IT Governance is not to impose restrictions, but allows for guidance and visibility.”

Walsh also said her ini-

tial goal will be forming relationships with the University’s existing IT staff.

“My sense is KU is on a very good track with technology with a highly skilled team in the KUIT organization,” Walsh said in the email. “My initial focus would be on communication and building strong relationships throughout the community.”

The two other finalists were Max Davis-Johnson, CIO at Boise State University and an alumnus of the University of Kansas, and Kenneth Pink, deputy CIO and associate director of information technology at the University of Utah.

Carl Lejuez, interim provost and executive chancellor, served as the search committee chair during the selection process. Lejuez and Walsh did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Walsh will begin serving as CIO on July 1, according to the press release.

— Edited by Hannah Strader

The new interim dean of the School of Engineering, Arvin Agah was announced via interim Provost Carl Lejuez’s Twitter account Wednesday afternoon.

Current dean of the school Michael Branicky announced on March 29 that he will be returning to a faculty position within the school starting on June 30. He had been the dean

of the school for five years.

Branicky will be a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science since his research centers around “robotics, cyber-physical systems, artificial intelligence, and big data,” according to the message released last month.

“Associate Dean Agah brings a wide variety of experience as a KU faculty member of more than 20 years, as a researcher and

mentor, as an award-winning teacher, and as a seasoned administrator,” said Lejuez in a message sent out to Engineering students, faculty and staff.

“These factors and others put him in a strong place to lead the school in the coming year.”

The message said that multiple faculty, staff members and students had made recommendations for this appointment.

Andrea Ringgenberg/KANSAN Professor Clarence Lang moderates a symposium in February 2017.

Interim CLAS dean picked CHANDLER BOESE @Chandler_Boese On Wednesday, newly appointed interim provost Carl Lejuez announced that Clarence Lang, interim director of the Hall Center for Humanities, would fill in as interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences beginning Monday.

Lang, who is also chair of the African and African-American studies department, has been at the University since 2011.

In that time, he was cochair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory group, a committee assembled by former Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little in response to student concerns about the experiences of

students with marginalized identities at the University.

Lang was vocal throughout much of these discussions, including calling Gray-Little’s controversial decision to veto funding of the Multicultural Student Government “institutional racism” in May 2016.

The College itself has a concerted effort for diversity, equity and inclusion, including inclusive hiring initiatives and an effort for a more diverse curriculum.

These initiatives are overseen by the associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, Nicole Hodges Persley.

Lang will step in for Lejuez while the latter serves as interim provost. Lejuez starts his tenure on April 30, when current Provost

Neeli Bendapudi heads to Kentucky to take office as president of the University of Louisville.

The College encompasses the majority of KU’s academic units, including over 50 programs, enrolling roughly half of the Lawrence and Edwards campus’ student body.

Chancellor Douglas Girod said he plans to begin a search for the next provost soon but has not announced a formal search committee. It’s unclear how long the search will go for, but the last interim provost served for six months before Bendapudi was appointed in 2016.

— Edited by Alexandra Martinez

opinion Thursday, April 26, 2018

Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or in the Free For All section on Kansan.com

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

Lodos: Forget the past, let go of shame REBEKAH LODOS @rebekahlodos

FFA of the Day: i miss obama so damn much Dear Satan, could we reschedule for next week? i made a huge mistake coming to the union on junior day I said i would start my homework at 5pm but i wasn’t paying attention and missed it so now i’m just gonna call it a night i think This * May * be the coffee talking, but I think today might be a good day The feeling of walking outside and feeling heat is almost foreign to me at this point.

“Michael Bolton? is that Troy Bolton’s dad?” you know it’s the end of semester when 15 out of 45 people show up to class.

Capitalism is the worst bulls--- in the entire existence of the world Pretty sure I saw my first drug deal today This * May * be the coffee talking, but I think today might be a good day I witnessed Donald Trump and Kanye West have a Twitter exchange and now I feel like I need to go see a therapist I’ve run into exactly 783 people today that I used to know but don’t talk to anymore and it’s just been way too much small talk for me I’m not trying to love a mans. I’m trying to have fun lol.

My student just said she looked me up on fb and I’m scared Isn’t it kinda weird that at some point or another we are all asleep at the same time My stomach might explode I ate so much I look like a literal mushroom I CRIED FOR MARLEY AND ME. DONT EVER SAY I DONT HAVE EMOTIONS

“Is It Just Me?” is a bimonthly mental health column where we talk about things we all feel but aren’t brave enough to say. If there’s something on your mind, shoot an email to rebekahlodos@gmail.com.

Have you ever cried in the shower the morning after doing something stupid?

You wake up with memories that feel like they should belong to someone else. You’re supposed to know and be better. You never thought an experience like that would be part of your story, yet here you are. It’s difficult to recognize yourself.

Shame is the feeling you get when your actions don’t match the idea you have of who you are. Some get it worse than others — perhaps some of us have more grandiose expectations of who we are meant to be. Those expectations can range from good and reasonable to harmful and superfluous, like the deep disgrace often felt after bingeing an entire season of “The Bachelor.” (It’s fine, trust me, it’s fine.)

“It’s very hard to find an emotion that humans have that a chimpanzee cannot have,” famed primatologist Frans de Waal said in a 2012 interview.

De Waal, who studies the emotional behavior of chimpanzees, said that the only possible exception is guilt and shame. So far, we remain the sole proprietor of those. Evolution dealt us quite a hand.

It is easy to see the role

Illustration by Gracie Williams/KANSAN

shame has played in the human experience, dating back to the beginning of civilization. The oldest religions have moral codes that, if broken, induce the notion that the one in sin is defective and deserving of punishment. When social roles were not obeyed, shame often followed, both from without and within. We can look at shame as an outdated method of oppression — by religion, authorities and the socially privileged. We can look at shame as the sign of a working conscience or an inner moral compass. Shame can be

examined through psychology, history or philosophy.

Fascinating. But what I really want to know is how to cope when I can’t look at myself in the mirror.

It is important to remember that shame can be a good thing. It can mean your bar is high and your target is honorable, even if you fall short at times. Acknowledging that people make mistakes is perhaps more noble than rationalizing or justifying something that, deep down, you don’t like.

Still, the memory stays, haunting every quiet min-

ute of our day.

So, what if we tried a little thought experiment?

We could decide to think about the night before like a made-up story, one that has no bearing on our present life. “The past was a lie, memory has no return,” wrote Columbian novelist Gabriel García Márquez. Memories morph and change — our recollection of the past is hardly ever accurate. A medical study done at Northwestern University found each time our brain recollects an event, it gets distorted.

In truth, few things we remember are real.

The past is, in a sense, a lie.

And that is freeing. The storyline of things you have or have not done are just that: a storyline. Once you’ve acknowledged your behavior, shame has no more purpose beyond torment. You can choose to let it go, realize it isn’t real, and decide it has no bearing on who you are today.

Because really, it doesn’t.

Rebekah Lodos is junior from London studying journalism and international relations.

Hendrickson: Bike share lacked planning

WYATT HENDRICKSON @WRH_KU

This month the University partnered with bike rental company VeoRide to provide students the option to rent a bike to commute around campus and surrounding areas. This a new option offered in addition to the University bus system, which is free for students, faculty and employees. But, as promising as this sounds, this program was not well thought out and will not offer services that would be preferable to students instead of services already provided by the University bus system.

In the last week, ride sharing bikes have been popping up around campus, but no official communication has been sent to the student body as a whole explaining what the partnership program is, how many bikes there are and why students would pay to ride a bike around campus instead of taking the buses they already pay to use.

Kansan file photo A cyclist rides on Jayhawk Boulevard in April 2017. The bike share program at KU officially launched April 18.

In addition to the communication issues on the University’s end, the bike rental program logistically does not make sense. Most of the pick-up and dropoff locations, according to the VeoRide app, are located along the main roads of campus and do not extend more than a few blocks into the Lawrence community.

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Since the duration of most rides under VeoRide rental plans is 30 minutes, this effectively limits the bike usage to the University campus, which has a high density of bus routes at any time of the day.

Bike program partnerships at other Kansas universities have not fared well, even in conditions

more suited to a bike program. Green Apple Bikes, a free bike share program at K-State, has been in a constant struggle to maintain the program in the two years since its inception.

This failure has occurred even though it is a free service, and there is not a prevalent bus system at K-State.

Additionally, the Green

contact us Chandler Boese Editor-in-chief cboese@kansan.com

Baylee Parsons Business Manager bparsons@kansan.com

Apple Bike program is free to use, unlike the VeoRide program at the University.

For University students and faculty, there are multiple pricing options according to the VeoRide website, ranging from the pay-asyou-ride option at 50 cents for every 15 minutes to $13.99 for a monthly plan or $48.99 for a yearly plan, allowing for unlimited 30-minute rides. There are also prices available for members of the Lawrence community at a higher rate.

Hopefully this poorly thought out program does have a similar result as our neighbors out west. If the University wants this program to have a chance at success, they need to better communicate with the student body and faculty.

Otherwise, we can expect this bike share experiment to fall flat.

Wyatt Hendrickson is a junior from Olathe studying civil engineering.

editorial board

Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Chandler Boese, Erin Brock, Danya Issawi and Baylee Parsons.

arts & culture Thursday, April 26, 2018

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

Katie Counts/KANSAN KU student Kirstin Slane has been able to pursue and expand her love of American Sign Language during her time at the University.

How sign language transformed her confidence Kirsten Slane cites her experience in a specialized KU program for helping bolster her dreams of being an ASL interpreter KATIE COUNTS @countskatie752 Having taken years of American Sign Language, Kirstin Slane knows a lot of words.

But, according to Slane, one word that’s not in her vocabulary is “can’t.”

When Slane was born, the doctors thought she was brain dead. She was later diagnosed with Dandy-Walker syndrome, a malformation that can impair brain function and cause physical abnormalities. For Slane, this meant that she couldn’t walk or talk until she was nearly 3 years old.

Doctors thought she was deaf, and so Slane began to learn sign language when she was 8

months old. Later, they realized there was a buildup of fluid in her ears that had made it difficult to hear. After the fluid was drained, Slane regained her hearing. Since she was unable to speak for so long, Slane’s speech was a little stunted. In school, she was bullied for her slow speech.

of school in fourth grade. Slane was homeschooled through the rest of her education, graduating high school in 2013. Having fallen in love with ASL, Slane knew she wanted to learn more. She wanted to go to college but, as a student with a disability, was not sure how.

“It’s made me stronger. I can fight through things. I see myself as a fighter.”

Kristin Slane KU student

“That really hurt me and it got to the point where I was coming home crying every day,” Slane said.

Eventually, her parents took her out

Eventually, she found the University’s Transition to Postsecondary Education program, which is designed to help students with intellectu-

al disabilities pursue an education. TPE is a non-degree seeking program that results in a KU Career Development certificate. Slane applied and, to her surprise, was accepted.

Coming from homeschool to a college campus with thousands of students was not easy. Slane still carried the insecurity she faced as a kid.

“I was just the shy ‘don’t talk to me’ little girl,” Slane said. “Coming here, especially in my first year, it has been a change.”

Overtime her confidence grew, especially after she got more involved in her ASL classes. A turning moment for her was when she signed the song “Unsteady” by the X Ambassadors in front

of her entire ASL II class.

“I actually got the confidence to sign a song in front of the whole class,” Slane said. “I was so excited, so happy. I knew my element. I can’t explain it; I loved it.”

Music has always been a solace for Slane and she hopes to share the power of music to the deaf community.

“They don’t get a chance to hear, they don’t get a chance to know what the song means,” Slane said.

“They can feel the beat but they’re not grasping the words because they can’t hear. But I can be that person to sign the songs and show them what it means.”

Slane is set to graduate this May, and with

the education she’s received, she hopes to use ASL in a career as an international interpreter. Her mother, Sherry Slane, is grateful for the opportunity TPE has provided.

“Everyone just kept telling her that she’s going to work in fast food or hang clothes the rest of her life,” Sherry said. “Now, she actually has a want to live and work. She has a passion and before she didn’t. It really changed her outlook on life.”

Regardless of her path, Slane plans to carry her strength wherever she goes.

“It’s made me stronger,” Slane said.

“I can fight through things. I see myself as a fighter.”

horoscopes ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) Stick to practical health and fitness objectives.

Choose stability over illusion. Listen to a critic who may be right.

Strengthen the heart factor.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) Focus on home and family. Provide stability and emotional support to someone you love. Settle into domestic comforts and flavors. Share delicious touches.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) Monitor income and finances to stay on track with long-term goals.

Research a purchase for value and quality. Hold out for the best deal.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) Rest and finish up old projects before making new messes. Postpone travel or expense and stick to practical priorities. Private productivity satisfies.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) Team projects can advance if you avoid distractions and mirages. Keep your objective in mind. Stick to simple steps. Make sure you know what’s required.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) Join forces with another for funding. Get strategic rather than impulsive or reactionary. In a stalemate, don’t ask for favors. Avoid a conflict of interests.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) A romance doesn’t fit a fantasy. Something that used to work no longer does. Don’t argue with a brick wall. Compassion soothes. Family comes first.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) Study the situation before updating communications. Catch up on the reading. Welcome contributions from others.

A new assignment could disrupt the status quo.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) Plan a romantic adventure over five months with Pluto retrograde.

Prepare for an event later this year. Notice your dreams and intuition, especially today and tomorrow.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) Private discussion handles short-term priorities over five months with Pluto retrograde. Edit and prepare for a public conversation after direct.

Focus on career matters through tomorrow.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) Stick to reliable routes and sources. Determine your landing spot before departing. Resist impulsive urges and watch your step. Avoid risky situations.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) Get a partner’s view.

Reality could clash with a fantasy... support each other through a discovery.

What you get isn’t what you expected.

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9

Cider Art Gallery celebrating 5 years

The Cider Art Gallery is fine arts gallery as well as a venue for events. The gallery will be hosting Kansas Food Truck Fest on May 5.

GRACE MENNINGER @KansanNews

Amid old industrial buildings on the east side of Lawrence, a new art scene is emerging as numerous galleries, restaurants and apartments spring up in the area. One of those galleries is the Cider Gallery. Housed in a refurbished warehouse built in the 1880s, the establishment is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month, hosting local artists’ exhibitions and events.

The gallery is located at 810 Pennsylvania Street in an impressive, two-story brick building tucked between Bon Bon and the Lawrence Beer Company.

The space features dark wood but is well-lit to create an atmosphere perfect for a gallery. On a recent Tuesday morning, intern Olivia Schmidt arrived to open the shop, make posts on the gallery’s Facebook page and prepare for any upcoming events, including Final Fridays.

“Final Fridays is pretty big in the East Arts Dis-

trict,” she said of the regular neighborhood event, which falls on the last Friday of the month. “We showcase new artists every month.” The current exhibition features works

by Carla Tilghman.

In addition to displaying art, the gallery also serves as an event space for nearly 150 gatherings a year. Event director Jennifer Letner, who is in charge of planning and coordinating the gatherings, said events typically range from weddings to holiday celebrations or re-

tirement parties, to corporate get-togethers. There are also music and dance activities.

“KU’s jazz department even does their thesis final here every semester, and the Lawrence Arts Center uses us for a satellite performance space,” Letner said, adding that Rock Camp, a group that encourages budding young musicians, also does their dress rehearsals at the gallery.

Letner said it’s important to keep the gallery open and accessible.

“That’s why we have really good interns, so that they can help with the daily promotion and make sure the gallery’s always open and hosted and things like that,” Letner said.

Recently, it has become easier for anyone to buy art, especially in Lawrence, said Letner.

“Lawrence is really full of so many great artists, and local collectors are pretty saturated,” Letner said. “It’s not rare to go to someone’s home and find every wall is full of art that they bought. It comes and

Missy Minear/KANSAN

goes and then plateaus, but I’d say Lawrence is at a peak right now with regards to local artists being able to profit off their work.”

On May 5, a food truck festival will take place in the East Arts District, with proceeds going to help support the Douglas County Food Bank. The Cider Gallery, along with other local businesses, is sponsoring the event.

— Edited by Hannah Strader

Junkyard Jazz band has lasted through the years

KATIE COUNTS @countskatie752 Every Thursday night at the American Legion, the Junkyard Jazz lights up the night. As the band plays, the dancers slide across the floor, tapping and swaying to the rhythm of reminiscence. Many of the musicians and dancers are in their older years, but it’s the love of jazz that keeps them coming back.

The band has been performing for 37 years, with over 100 members involved. It first started in 1981 at the Elks Club, and its current home is at the American Legion. Every Thursday, there’s dinner, a bar, jazz music and dancing.

Many of the players are veterans or University alumni who use these nights to return to what they love: music.

“What keeps the musicians going is that there’s no other opportunity to play music like this on a regular basis,” former drummer Bruce Roberts said. “That’s why they come out. They don’t get paid. They get a drink if they want, but they come both for the playing opportunity and the camaraderie of playing together.”

These musicians don’t

just love to play; they love to entertain. The band brings in a crowd of about two dozen people, many of them regulars.

“They came back to dance,” Roberts said.

“There’s a broad range of dancers out there, but most are 80 years old or older. Alice, she’s 102 years old and she’s still dancing.”

For many, the music brings attendees back to nights spent dancing into the late hours of the night.

Roberts said there wouldn’t be a band if there weren’t dancers.

“My mom told me from a young age that the only way I could hold a pretty girl was on the dance floor,” 92-year-old attendee Chuck Benedict said.

But that does not mean concert goers have to be older to enjoy the music. In fact, one School of Music class requires its students to observe a performance.

For some students, this has been an impactful experience.

“I’ve learned, personally, to enjoy the little things in life and enjoy everything that you can in your prime or in your old age,” said Aubrey Maneth, a sophomore music student.

American Legion bar-

The Junkyard Jazz band performs every Thursday night at the American Legion. tender Troy Richardson truly believes this. At first, he started bartending there for some side cash, but over time the job became much more meaningful — and not because of the music. For Richardson, the people are the best part.

“I take a lot of inspiration from it — everyone’s will and strength,” Richard-

son said.

Richardson has been with the band for the past 15 years. When he first started, the band was drawing a crowd of over a hundred, but as people have passed away, the number has dwindled to the twenties.

Hanging behind the band is a banner with the

names of all the players.

When someone in the band passes, a star is placed next to his or her name. Richardson said there are a lot of stars on the banner.

Despite its diminishing numbers, the spirit of Junkyard Jazz is far from gone.

As long as there is a band and an audience to dance to its music, Junkyard Jazz

Katie Counts/KANSAN

isn’t going anywhere.

Band leader Paul Gray said, to him, performing is all about “the love of music and being together and making people happy.”

— Edited by Margo Johnson

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SPORTS

KANSAN.COM

Alhosseini: Chiefs’ top-priority positions ARMAN ALHOSSEINI @PERSIAsGREATEST

In 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs did something unbeknownst to their franchise — trading up in the NFL draft. Moving 17 spots to select quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, the Chiefs gave up their 2018 first-round selection to pick their quarterback of the future.

However, without a firstround pick when the NFL draft begins Thursday, the Chiefs are still on the lookout for how to upgrade to the next level.

Entering his sixth season with the Chiefs, Andy Reid, the third-longest tenured coach in franchise history, has given the Chiefs five winning seasons and four playoff appearances — the best stretch for the team since Marty Schottenheimer’s stint from 19891998.

Up and coming general manager Brett Veach has shown an eagerness to change the team’s mantra moving forward. Having lost 11 of their last 12 playoff games since 1993, including six-straight at home, the Chiefs need to be more than a consensus first-round exit playoff team, the 40-yearold general manager believes.

With the three-day draft taking place in Arlington, Texas, this year, starting on

Associated Press Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) runs between offensive lineman Zach Fulton (73) and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Cedric Thornton (91) during the first half of a game in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017 Thursday, the Chiefs are on the board with eight selections — five within the first four rounds. Although making the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the Chiefs have some obvious holes that are separating them from the conference greats.

Offensive weapons aside, the Chiefs are still looking to find immediate solutions for their obvious needs.

Here are the three positions they need to fill in the 2018 NFL draft.

DEFENSIVE SECONDARY Safety Eric Berry and newly-acquired cornerback Kendall Fuller will be head-

lining the Chiefs’ secondary next season — but that’s it.

After trading away 2015 Defensive Rookie of the Year Marcus Peters, the Chiefs will be looking at another young position player to help a struggling 2017 secondary.

In a cornerback heavy draft, the Chiefs could luckily have multiple options with their first pick at 54th overall. North Carolina’s M.J. Stewart and Alabama’s Anthony Averett are two athletically inclined availabilities that the Chiefs should look at in the second round. However, the Chiefs could choose to look away from Power-Five prospects.

Tulane’s Parry Nickerson had one of the fastest 40-

yard dashes this year at 4.32 seconds, and having forced an interception in a third of his career games, Nickerson is one of the draft’s exciting prospects from a less dominant school.

Whether the Chiefs select the best available in the second round or wait for someone like Nickerson in the third or fourth, secondary positions should be addressed immediately.

OFFENSIVE LINE The Chiefs’ offensive line has been a trouble for the team in recent years. Drafting left tackle Eric Fisher first overall in 2013 has been the biggest downside, with his play continuously

criticized each season. As well as considering center Zach Fulton is moving to the Houston Texans next season, the offensive line should be an area of need entering the draft.

With needs all around, this draft is nearly perfect for the Chiefs’ availability at the offensive line position.

With a number of prospects not at the top of the board, there will be an extensive selection available whenever the Chiefs pick. Both Fulton and right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff were selected in the sixth round, so it should not be a surprise if the Chiefs pick late.

Western Michigan tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and Mississippi State offensive lineman Martinas Rankin are two picks to watch out for. The two will likely still be available after the first two rounds, so the Chiefs could look at these wellbuilt but not well-known prospects to front their offensive line.

LINEBACKER Fan favorites Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson, and Tamba Hali have helped Kansas City’s defense toward superiority. However, in recent months, Johnson and Hali who are both in their mid-thirties, were released by the Chiefs to become free agents this sea-

son, so the Chiefs need to find exceptional young talent in order to not fall back.

The draft always has numerous availabilities at the linebacker position, and this year is no exception.

With options both at inside and outside linebacker, the Chiefs could find their next top player at that position, with some names Chiefs fans might recognize.

Kansas’ Dorance Armstrong, Jr., is one option the Chiefs may look toward, after a disappointing 2017 season and an unexciting combine performance. Armstrong’s availability in the third or fourth round could be a find for the Chiefs, but if that doesn’t happen, the options are somewhat endless.

Texas’ Malik Jefferson and USC’s Uchenna Nwosu are other availabilities for the Chiefs. However, the most exciting prospect has to be Central Florida’s Shaquem Griffin, who won the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year while playing with an amputated left hand his entire career. One of the most athletic players in his position, his adversity is unquestioned, and any team will benefit from his on- and off-field prowess.

— Edited by Margo Johnson

Kansas baseball falters 14-5 to Wichita State BRADEN SHAW @bradenshaw4real

In what started as a close, back-and-forth game, Kansas baseball fell to Wichita State 14-5 on Tuesday.

In their last meeting, the Shockers defeated the Jayhawks 11-0 in a completely one-sided affair at Eck Stadium. The second meeting proved to be more of the same.

Head coach Ritch Price has noticed the level of competition that Wichita State plays at and how the Shockers improved over the past several years.

“They’re a good team, they’re off to a good record,” Price said. “I know they’re disappointed in their conference record, but they’ve got to keep grinding just like we’ve gotta keep grinding to get back in this thing. We’ve pretty much beat them up pretty good the last six years, and they’ve beat us up both times this year.”

The Jayhawks struck first on the offensive side, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Senior first baseman Owen Taylor smacked a fly ball to left field, which was deep enough to score junior left fielder Devin Foyle from third base.

In the top of the third inning, the Shockers responded. Travis Young launched a ball to the gap in right-center field and scored Jordan Boyer, tying the game at 1-1.

Yet, the scoring didn’t stop there for either side.

Kansas sophomore shortstop Benjamin Sems started the bottom of the third inning off with a double to left-center field. Junior center fielder Rudy Karre then laid down a bunt, beat the throw and put runners at

the corners with no outs.

Just a few batters later, sophomore designated hitter Brett Vosik hit a bloop single to right field, scoring Sems and giving the Jayhawks a 2-1 lead.

Continuing the backand-forth nature of the game, Wichita State took the lead right back in the fifth inning. Kansas pitcher Jonah Ulane left a pitch up in the zone and Wichita State’s Luke Ritter got all of it, sending the ball over the left-center field wall, giving the Shockers a 3-2 lead.

Through the first five innings, Price was pleased with the play that he got out of his freshman pitchers, starter Conner VanCleave and reliever Jonah Ulane.

“We needed our starter to give us three good innings,” Price said. “That’s a big step forward for the freshmen. [Ritter] hits the home run off [Ulane], but it’s a learning experience for him. He left that fastball right out over the middle of the plate. When you’re throwing 87 mph, when you elevate the ball in the middle of the plate, you’re going to get hurt.”

Behind the performances of the young pitchers, the defense stood out. Junior third baseman David Kyriacou made several key defensive plays, including beating Young to the bag in the third inning and a diving stop to save a hit in the fourth inning.

For Price, this was a sight for sore eyes when it comes to Kyriacou’s glove, as he has struggled this year in the field, even affecting his playing time.

“Obviously his bat is ahead of his glove and he’s had a really tough time defensively for us during the

course of the year,” Price said. “ He’s struggled defensively and it was nice to see him play well today.

We could definitely use his bat on the weekend, but in order to play in our league you’ve got to play defense.”

Eventually, however, Kansas faltered on the defensive end, a trend that has plagued the team all season.

Wichita State scored four runs, three with two outs, in the top of the sixth inning.

Through a mix of walks, a sacrifice fly, a double, a single and Jayhawk miscues, the damage was done.

Senior Tyler Davis stepped in after the freshmen to pitch 1 1/3 innings, and Price was pleased with the effort, especially considering Davis had pitched over the weekend.

“We didn’t want to use him,” Price said. “But we were still in the game and we were trying to get out of the inning and give us a chance to hit again. He was our best chance to get out and that was a lot to ask for him when he pitched on Friday and Sunday.”

Things got even worse for Kansas in the eighth inning, when Wichita State scored six runs and had 10 batters up at the plate, extending the lead to 14-2. Four runs were scored with no outs in the inning.

In the bottom half of the eighth inning, the Jayhawks knocked in three runs to cut the lead to 14-5, but it would prove to not be enough to overcome the deficit.

Kansas will next play St. Mary’s on Wednesday at Hoglund Ballpark. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

K ANSAN.COM

SPORTS

11

Commission proposes drastic NCAA changes

SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK

After seven months of deliberation, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the Commission of College Basketball’s proposal to reform how the NCAA works with oneand-done players, as well as punishing coaches and programs for breaking NCAA rules.

The commission released a 53-page report on Wednesday, with proposals ranging from allowing high school basketball players to go straight to the NBA, to reinstating the rule that freshmen will be ineligible to play.

“The current sad state of college basketball did not appear overnight and it will not be repaired quickly,” Rice said during the presentation. “We know that there are many who argue that the problems facing college basketball are just too hard to solve. We strongly disagree. College basketball is too precious — and the fate of the young men who play it is too important — to not get it right.”

Along with proposing that athletes could skip college and head straight to the NBA, something that hasn’t happened since 2005, the commission also pushed for NCAA-certified agents to be able to get in contact with high school players about declaring for the NBA Draft.

In order to allow high school athletes to skip college and go straight to the NBA, NCAA president Mark Emmert admitted that the NBA and NBA Players Association will need to work alongside the NCAA in making it possible. ”I’m confident that they’re going to be very supportive of that and will be good partners with us and we want to work with them,” Emmert said, according to Fox Sports. “Even rules, like changing and how we can manage timing of issues around the draft.”

Although, if that proposal was not possible, Rice also

Associated Press Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks during a news conference at the NCAA headquarters, Wednesday, April 25, in Indianapolis. brought forth the idea of reinstituting freshman ineligibility, an NCAA rule that has not been in effect since 1972.

In a statement to KUJH, Kansas Associate Athletic Director Jim Marchiony said the University agrees with the Rice Commission’s proposals. The Kansan reached out to Marchiony but received no comment.

Additionally, Kansas Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger stood behind the efforts of Rice and her commission.

“We appreciate the hard work done by Condoleezza Rice and her commission, and the report they produced today,” Zenger said.

“The fact that the NCAA Board of Governors has already endorsed the commission’s recommendations shows there is a genuine appetite for change.”

Since 2005, if players weren’t forced to play a year of college, Kansas would

have lost out on many fan favorites, including Joel Embiid, Ben McLemore, Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson.

In addition to trying to solve the issue of one-anddone players, the commission was also tasked with creating harsher punishments for programs that break NCAA rules.

The committee created the following core penalty structure: • Increase the competition penalties for Level I violations to allow a five-year postseason ban, including the NCAA tournament • Increase the financial penalties for Level I violations to allow loss of all revenue sharing in post-season play, including revenue from the NCAA tournament • Increase the penalties for a show-cause order to allow bans of more than one season

• Increase the penalties for head coach restrictions to allow bans of more than one season • Increase the penalties for recruiting visit violations to allow full-year visit bans According to the NCAA, a Level I violation is described as “violations that seriously undermine or threaten the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model as set forth in the Constitution and bylaws.” The violations are described as giving a school a significant advantage in either recruitment or competitiveness “The commission is made up of a very diverse group that is committed to the charge put to the commission by NCAA president Mark Emmert,” said Kansas coach Bill Self in a statement sent to the Kansan.

“We appreciate their time and efforts on this project.

The recommendations by the commission will create

further discussions and implementations that will lead to significant changes for the good of our game in the near future.”

Additionally, Rice also said “we want to put the college back in college basketball” during her presentation.

Those sentiments are echoed by University of Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins.

In a statement to the Associated Press’ Ralph Russo, Jenkins said “What our commission believes, I think what the NCAA believes is that the interest in college sport is due to the fact that these are students pursuing degrees.”

The commission put a large emphasis on the fact that people enjoy college athletics not just for the entertainment value, but because the players involved are also chasing degrees.

It was this viewpoint that the commission stood on

to push back on the argument that college players shouldn’t be paid.

“One only has to think of the non-athlete whose family made tremendous sacrifices to send him to college and who works 20 hours a week and takes on loans that will need to be repaid over years and even decades in order to earn a college degree,” Rice said. “The student athlete who fully takes advantage of this privilege will get a head start in life.

And the college or university that truly provides that opportunity will fulfill its mission and its charge to educate and empower.”

All that can be done now is to wait on how the NCAA responds to the commission’s proposals. The NCAA Board of Governors must approve any changes before they officially enter the rulebook.

Kansas rowing sees success at George Mason Invite

ARMAN ALHOSSEINI @PERSIAsGREATEST After traveling to the east coast for the second straight week, Kansas rowing advanced all five of its boats to the finals on Sunday at the George Mason Invite in Occoquan Reservoir, Virginia.

Placing in four grand finals, the Jayhawks capped off their meet with their First Varsity Eight earning a first-place finish, timing in their 2,000 meters at 6:25.70, three and a half seconds ahead of the competition.

“It was awesome to see [the First Varsity Eight] showcase their hard work and skills in a race setting,” Kansas Coach Carrie Cook-Callen said in a Kansas Athletics release.

The Jayhawks’ Second and Third Varsity Eight also took home medals, earning third and second place, respectively. The Third Varsity Eight boat finished with a time of

Caitlynn Salazar/KANSAN Kansas rowers compete at the Jayhawk Jamboree, the rowing season kick-off event, on October 22, 2017.

6:47.70, while the Second Varsity Eight boat crossed the line in 6:52.73.

Kansas also earned a third-place finish in the Varsity Four final at

7:37.50 behind Delaware and St. Joseph’s.

Along with West Virginia, Kansas represented the Big 12 well, coming up against several schools

from the Atlantic 10 and Colonial Athletic Association.

“The whole team has continued to make strides and get faster each week,”

Cook-Callen said. “We look forward to returning to Kansas and racing at home next weekend to close out a busy month of racing.”

The Jayhawks started their month with the Big 12 Double Dual in Kansas City, before starting two consecutive weeks out of state with the Knecht Cup in Windsor, New Jersey, last weekend and then this past weekend in Virginia.

This Saturday, the Jayhawks will conclude their tumultuous month back in Kansas City with the Sunflower Showdown at Wyandotte County Lake, where they have come on top of Kansas State in three consecutive seasons.

After the team aims to give its seniors a career sweep against their in-state rivals, the season will conclude after a weekend break with the Big 12 Championship on May 12 and 13 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. That is followed by the NCAA Championship in Sarasota, Florida, on Memorial Day Weekend.

sports

Thursday, April 26, 2018

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

Climber named club athlete of the year

Missy Minear/KANSAN

Senior Anna Cohen was awarded club sport’s Female Athlete of the Year.

MADDY TANNAHILL @maddytannahill

When Anna Cohen decided sophomore year to embrace her love of the outdoors by joining the KU Rock Climbing Club, she had no idea that a mere two years later she would stand before an audience in the Burge Union, accepting Female Athlete of the Year at the University’s Sport Club Awards.

“KU Rock Climbing Club is one of KU’s sport clubs, where we promote outdoor recreation in the sense of rock climbing,” Cohen said, now a senior environmental studies major at the University.

“We take five trips every semester to various places like Arkansas, Illinois, Utah, Nevada, Kentucky and Colorado.”

In what started simply as an attempt to spend time outdoors, Cohen’s passion for rock climbing has skyrocketed in the last three years, transitioning from a novice member to the team’s treasurer this past season.

“I’d been interested in the outdoors, but I’d never pursued climbing in full throttle like I have now,” Cohen said. “My biggest accomplishment this year was taking off a climb called Epinephrine, which I’d been dreaming about

quick hits

“I’d been interested in the outdoors, but I’d never pursued climbing in full throttle like I have now.”

Anna Cohen senior rock climber

for the future of the Sport Club Awards.

“I just hope it keeps getting bigger and bigger and eventually we can make this into something where all members can get exposed to what we’re doing here at sport clubs,” Weingartner said. “If you go out and ask someone on campus what sport clubs are, they don’t always know. So I think it’s a cool way for us to get our name out there.”

Though a senior, Cohen’s time with the rock climbing club is far from complete, as she plans to return to the team next year while working on a graduate program in Urban Planning.

“I’ll still be around next year with the club, not in a leadership role but just as a general participant,” Cohen said. “I’ve got a laundry list of climbs already ticked up for the year and I’m really excited.”

climbing for a year now.

It’s 22,000 feet of vertical climbing. It’s beautiful.

It’s in Nevada and it’s got a great view of Las Vegas. It was incredible.”

This impressive feat, along with her many other climbs throughout the year, established her as one of three nominees for Female Athlete of the Year.

“For the individual awards for male and female athletes, that’s dependent on their accolades within their club sport,” said Hannah Weingartner, a program manager for sport clubs.

In the two weeks leading up to the event, officers could nominate athletes within their own club. Each club then sent their nominees to an executive board of five sport club officers who decided on the recipients of the awards based on their number of nominations and their respective accolades.

Cohen had no idea that she would be nominated,

let alone win.

“I was very shocked,” Cohen said. “When the slide changed and I saw my name up there I was just like, ‘What? Is this really happening right now?’

I didn’t know that the rock climbing club was even able to achieve anything like that.”

Though a small, informal presentation of awards for club athletes was held last year, this year’s event marked the first annual Sport Club Awards Night.

“The main goal started out that we wanted to have a chance to recognize the clubs for the accomplishments they had throughout the year as a team and as individuals,” said Dave Podschun, assistant director of sport clubs. “We wanted a chance at the end of the year to have a formal presentation of awards so that all of the clubs’ officers recognize what other clubs were accomplishing.”

Though a relatively new event, Podschun and Weingartner have high hopes

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Already one of the biggest sport clubs at the University with around 60 active members, Cohen and the new officers look forward to watching the rock climbing club continue to grow and achieve in the upcoming seasons.

— Edited by Alexandra Martinez

Contributed photo Senior Anna Cohen practices her climbing outside. The Rock Climbing Club regularly practices both inside and outside.

Women head coaches at Kansas Athletics

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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS

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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS

KANSAN.COM/SPORTS