THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
SPORTS
INSIDE KU celebrates Neeli Bendapudi’s time at KU
How a Jayhawk has spent
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years laying a potential path to the MLB The University Daily Kansan
vol. 136 // iss. 30 Mon., April 30, 2018
Two local sculptors showcase collaborative work in new exhibit
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A NEW GENERATION’S SYSTEM
Stalking, domestic violence reports jump For students dealing with these types of sexual harassment, there are resources at KU and in Lawrence that can help
DARBY VANHOUTAN @darbyvanhoutan Editor’s Note: This story is the fifth and final in the Kansan’s series on sexual assault at the University in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every Monday in April, there will be a new story on the topic. In the past few years, as instances of sexual assault have increased at the University, the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access has reported that instances of domestic abuse and stalking have increased as well. At the University, the two areas in the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities that encompass sexual harassment and violence don’t just include things such as sexual discrimination and rape. They also include instances of domestic violence and stalking. “Stalking is not accidental. It is an intentional effort to get any type of attention from that person, even if its negative,” Shane McCreery, IOA director, said. McCreery said the IOA — which is responsible for investigating instances of sexual assault at the University — has seen a large amount of these cases in the last few years. And, as he described, these instances range in their complexity and seriousness, sometimes overlapping
Illustration by Gracie Williams/KANSAN with sexual assault. “We’ve seen a rise,” McCreery said. “And I think it’s because some students think, ‘If I ignore it, it’ll eventually stop.’” The KU Public Safety Office received three reports of stalking and four reports of domestic violence in 2017, according to Deputy Chief James Anguiano. Since PSO officers are mandatory reporters, all of these reports were forwarded to the IOA. Reports made to the IOA, in any case, result in an initial communication
to the reporting party, or survivor. Regardless of whether a party wants to move forward with an investigation, McCreery said that interim measures are offered. One of these interim measures is a no contact order. “That includes not just contacting face to face, but through any type of social media [or] through third parties,” McCreery said. “It’s not like a restraining order where one party can’t come within 500 feet of another, but it does prevent them from commu-
nicating as we determine what happens.” There are also options for resolving housing or academic conflicts between reporting and responding parties. McCreery said his office works with advisors and student housing in these instances if students need to change classes or housing. In past cases, McCreery said IOA worked with large apartment complexes to help students break leases or move apartments. One option available to students in these instances is Legal Services
for Students. Although Legal Services for Students can help with disputes between tenants and landlords, they cannot settle disputes between students. LSS Executive Director Jo Hardesty said this is because of the way the office gets its funding — through a required campus fee. LSS receives $16 per student. “Basically all students have pre-paid for the service,” Hardesty said. “So we’re on retainer for everyone in the student body.” Another option avail-
able to students and Lawrence community members at large is the Willow Domestic Violence Center. Will Averill serves as director of community engagement of the center, which offers copious amounts of outreach services, training, a 24-hour-hotline and a shelter. They also do preventive work focused on educating individuals, including students, on what healthy relationships look like. “People don’t always equate healthy relationships with college relationships. Or college is seen as a time when you’re supposed to be exploring all of your boundaries,” Averill said. “Therefore, it’s easier to forgive what is, in fact, an abusive relationship.” The Willow has established programs to help change and educate on these attitudes, according to Averill, and has brought them to middle and high schools throughout Lawrence. The Willow even has a local branch of students at the University that does advocacy and education work also centered on changing the attitudes of students. “Anytime you’re in a situation where you’re not in control of the situation and someone else is controlling the situation, it is an abuse issue and it is something to be taken very seriously,” Averill said. “We would love to see that attitude change.”
Coalitions complain of election mismanagement that [the 72-hours] was kind of a pipe dream,” Jetty said. “And that’s something I think we can re-examine next year.”
DARBY VANHOUTAN @darbyvanhoutan Faulty time frames, miscommunication and sections of the rules that were “overlooked” were all reasons for the mistakes made in this year’s Student Senate elections. The elections wrapped up more than two weeks ago and Senate officially saw a turn over at its last full meeting Wednesday night. The one complaint filed during this election, which resulted in a hearing, is minimal compared to the 19 filed last year. However, liaisons from the three coalitions running in this year’s elections — who were responsible for communicating with the Election Commission — as well as the commission chair himself have shared their frustration with this year’s process.
SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT IGNORED First, all candidates, regardless of whether they acquired the necessary signatures and completed
VIOLATION COMPLAINTS
Bob (Jiatong) Li/KANSAN Presidential candidates Zoya Khan, Anna Buhlinger, and Noah Ries field questions at the second debate of the semester, hosted by the Elections Commission. the online test or in person training required of them for formal candidate, appeared on the ballot. This, according to Election Commission Chair Jeremy Latronica, is because of the short 72-hour window the commission had to check signatures. “The [elections code] allows for only a certain timeframe for the completion of checking all signatures on all forms,” Latron-
ica said. “Because of the amount, and the timing of it as well, our advisor was not able to get all of them done.” Signatures were an area of contention in last year’s election when 32 candidates were barred from running after the Elections Commission held that those students had not gotten the 25 required signatures from their constituents. Last year, however,
there was no required time frame in which the commission had to review signatures. According to newly elected Student Body Vice President Charles Jetty, the election commission’s advisor Jane Tuttle, who is also responsible for reviewing the signatures, was involved in setting the 72-hour window for reviewing the signatures. “Looking back, I think we should have realized
Only one violation complaint this year resulted in a hearing. This complaint was filed by the Crimson and Blue coalition against the Jayhawker coalition and resulted in a $30 fine. The complaint alleged that the Jayhawkers had failed to elect their presidential and vice presidential candidates by the Feb. 19 deadline and should in turn be disbanded. Although the allegation was found to be true, both the Elections Commission and the Court of Appeals found it to be a minor violation worthy of a fine. Zach Thomason served as the Election Commission liaison for Crimson and Blue and filed the complaint on behalf of the coalition. “For me as a person, if someone does not apply by the deadline, well sorry you’re not in, but the in-
terpretation that the Election Commission had was that deadlines were not necessarily impactful to the matter of the election,” Thomason said. The Jayhawkers filed a separate, previously unreported violation that was eventually rescinded. “Because of the early violation against us, we were kind of frustrated. I think we had filed one and then we were just like, ‘You know what, whatever,’” Jayhawker Presidential candidate Anna Buhlinger said. Another complaint was filed by the third coalition, Rise KU, by their Election Commission Liaison Hannah Ehmcke. According to Ehmcke, nothing came of it due to a lack of response from the Election Commission. “There was little to no communication from the Elections Commission regarding it, and it was eventually dropped because it was not addressed by the E.C. before the election,”
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Provost leaves lasting legacy at KU EMILY WELLBORN @EmWellborn When the School of Business was being built, donors wanted to name a part of the building after her. Instead, she encouraged them to spend their money on something more worthwhile, according to her, like art to hang in Capitol Federal Hall. Provost Neeli Bendapudi will be remembered at the University for her kind and compassionate nature along with her determination, according to the University community members that came to celebrate her accomplishments before her departure. “When I was growing up as a child, this was a mythical place. For Venkat (Bendapudi’s husband) and me as immigrants, this was an aspirational place,” she said during her address to the crowd of about 100 people who had gathered to show their support. “Sentimentally, this is a holy place to me. This is the place that changed the trajectory of our family’s future.” University community members came to the School of Business, where Bendapudi was originally dean, for a reception before she leaves the University on Monday to become the president of the University of Louisville. The University announced April 3 that Bendapudi would be leaving. She has been the provost and executive vice chancellor since 2016. Bendapudi had been the dean of the School of Business for seven years prior. “She’s actually what they need right now,” Chancellor Douglas Girod said on her future presidency. Dr. Girod said that he is
FROM COMMISSION PAGE 1 Ehmcke said. According to emails obtained by the Kansan, the complaint was filed on April 2 — more than a week before the election.
COALITION REFERENDUM Before last year’s election, then-Student Body President Stephonn Alcorn drafted a bill that eventually passed through full Senate, requiring that one action needed to be taken before the end of 2018. This action was a referendum that is to be issued to the student body asking whether they want the coalition system currently in place for Student Senate elections. According to Student Senate Rules and Regulations, 10 percent of the student body must vote in the election for the referendum results to be binding. Because of this 10 percent requirement, Jetty — in his previous position as Chief of Staff — felt that
Emily Wellborn/KANSAN Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neeli Bendapudi greets a line of people waiting to say goodbye to her. grateful for his partnership with her during his transition from being the vice chancellor of the KU Medical Center. That sense of camaraderie will be something he hopes to see in the next provost. “My style is more of a team based style of leadership and so a partner is what I need,” he said, “and Neeli’s been a phenomenal partner.” When asked what her legacy will be at the University, Debbie Cohan, a family friend of Bendapudi’s, said “You’re standing in it.” Many of Bendapudi’s friends and colleagues at the reception believe that her legacy will be her leadership in the School of Business which led to the construction of the school’s new building. “She’s one of the rea-
sons I was attracted to KU to begin with,” said Bendapudi’s successor as the dean of the School of Business, L. Paige Fields. “I wanted to work with her.” Her leadership as a provost while being a champion for diversity and equity was particularly important to Precious Porras, the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Porras gave a short speech on her time working with Bendapudi and recounted the town hall meeting in 2015 over diversity on campus. Porras remembers the way Bendapudi gave hugs afterward and kept asking what she could do to make things better for students. “She’s never stopped asking that question,” Porras said. During her address,
Bendapudi attributed all her accomplishments while at the University to administrators and donors. “People think it’s one person, it’s impossible. No one person can do it,” she said. “It’s not about who’s at the top. They cannot make every change. All they can do is be great stewards, great custodians of the trust that is put in them.” Porras announced that there will be an annual scholarship given to a student with similar determination as Bendapudi in her honor. Interim Provost Carl Lejuez will start his new position in Bendapudi’s place on Monday, but hopes to continue the goals and policies that Bendapudi strove toward during her time as provost.
“Neeli left so much good behind,” Lejuez said. “She really built enthusiasm and hope and connection, and so to walk into that, makes it so much easier to do the job.” Lejuez said that he wants to be similarly open and transparent with the University. Bendapudi was well known for giving her cell phone number to students, which Lejuez does with students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences where he was the dean. “I don’t think anyone should try to be Neeli because she just has this authenticness with how she connects to people,” Lejuez said. “I think being accessible and being present is the most important thing we can do as leadership.”
the best time to administer it was the spring along with the elections. According to Jetty, he had no communication with the commission regarding the referendum until the ballot was released in early April prior to the election. “I noticed that the coalition referendum was not on the ballot there, so I had an exchange with them asking why it wasn’t on the ballot and they said, ‘Oh it is, but we just sent you the stuff we felt was relevant to your coalition, your candidates and stuff, and it’s just cut off,’” Jetty said. “I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll take you for your word on that.’” The referendum was not on the ballot. According to Latronica, the commission failed to put it on this year’s ballot because their role in the referendum was “overlooked” by commission members. “To be frank with you,” Latronica said, “after the Elections Commission reviewed the document that had two referendum questions, the part stating that the EC would be to create
the coalition question was overlooked.” Per the current bill regarding the coalition referendum, the next Elections Commission has until the end of 2018 to administer the referendum. Jetty feels the 10 percent re-
quirement is less likely to be met if it takes place in the fall, however, and feels there is a better solution. “I personally think that the best remedy is to write legislation to amend the referendum question,” Jetty said. “I would move it
to the spring of next year because that’s when, feasibly, there will be awareness of what’s going on, so it’ll clear the binding threshold.” — Edited by Erin Brock
NEWS
KANSAN.COM
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CAPS to expand staff in coming months SAVANNA SMITH @savsmith20
Counseling and Psychological Services is in the process of hiring three additional licensed staff, according to the director Michael Maestas. Currently, Maestas said in an email with the Kansan, CAPS employs four clinical social workers, seven psychologists and two psychiatrists. CAPS is also in the process of adding more initial assessment time slots, according to Maestas. In this way, CAPS will be able to provide for more students, Maestas said. Last semester 96 percent of students who came to CAPS for assistance received clinical services, leaving 4 percent who did not, said Pamela Botts a Watkins physician. She said that it isn’t out of the ordinary in psychological services for an agency to not have the “appropriate resources that meets standards of care.” But in cases like these, referrals are made.
“The issue here is not with licensed staff numbers or specialty areas of expertise, but with standards of care.” Michael Maestas director
Jaden Nussbaum, a former student from Wichita, said last year he was directed away from Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) and told that it did not have the capacity to treat his particular mental illness. Nussbaum chose to keep
Hannah Edelman/KANSAN Counseling and Psychological Services, also known as CAPS, did not ask for a fee increase this semester. his diagnosis private but said he was treated well by CAPS and was told promptly and kindly that they did not “have enough” resources for him. He said the doctor he spoke with suggested he seek services elsewhere in Lawrence. “She basically told me that my diagnosis was out of their hands,” Nussbaum said. He contributes his experience to lack of funding and qualified staff. Maestas said the funding issue goes beyond what they have to work with and would require a complete restructuring of the facilities and staff.
“The issue here is not with licensed staff numbers or specialty areas of expertise, but with standards of care,” Maestas said via email. He said that it would take “extensive funding” to expand facilities, add staff for assistance such as outpatient services, case management, health home support and 24-hour care. Maestas said this is where relationships with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and others “are essential to serving the clinical needs of the few students who are referred for needed comprehensive
mental health services.” Chance Maginness, 201718 chair of the Student Senate Finance Committee said he has had extensive conversations with CAPS, including Maestas, about how the organization is doing financially. CAPS did not ask for a fee increase this semester, though overall fees increased substantially. “We weren’t shying away from giving increases,” Maginness said. Simply, he said, CAPS relayed it was financially in a good spot and did not need an increase as they were still using an increase they received in fiscal year 2017.
Maginness said he also uses CAPS and while he said he has had his own frustrations with the services, he sees the issues of student concerns such as wait times in a different light. Funding isn’t the issue, he said. He said one should think of it as each time a new person comes to CAPS, an existing staff member has to create time in their schedule to accommodate the new client. The addition of more clients would mean less available appointments. Maginness said with the continuous addition of staff to remedy the issue
of wait times, eventually CAPS would run out of space and the next issue to tackle would be constructing new facilities. “It’s not this simple problem of ‘we can just keep hiring people and we’ll be able to fix it,” Maginness said. “That’s not how it works.” Maestas said wait times vary throughout the semester starting at just a couple days to a week, to more busy times of the semester where they can stretch longer due to increased demand for services.
KU appoints new interim vice chancellor of research EMILY WELLBORN @EmWellborn Chancellor Douglas Girod announced a switch in the position of interim vice chancellor for research on Thursday. Replacing interim Vice Chancellor John Colombo, who had held the role since Aug. 9, Rodolpho Torres
will take over the position on May 1. Colombo also serves as the director of the Life Span Institute and took on the second role of vice chancellor after then-Vice Chancellor James Tracy stepped down to a faculty role in the School of Pharmacy. “This was never in-
tended to be a long-term arrangement, and the reconfiguration we are announcing today allows John to transition back to LSI in a timely manner and provides me the opportunity to name a new interim leader,” Girod announced in his message to the campus. Colombo will become
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an interim associate vice chancellor, Torres’ former position, before transitioning back to become the LSI director full time “as key vacancies are filled,” Girod said. Torres has formerly held positions at the University, including vice president of KU Center for Research, president of Faculty Sen-
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ate and a distinguished professor in mathematics. “His institutional knowledge and academic experience give me complete confidence in his ability to lead our Office of Research and guide important initiatives on behalf of the university,” Girod said. A national search was
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Khaliq: Forget Kanye’s politics
FFA of the Day: just got hit by a metaphorical freight train w the realization next week is my last week of school. Ever. there are the friends you have for life and then there are the friends you tag in The Bull’s giveaways every day i wish more and more that Wescoe ended up being a parking garage I just got a ton of responsibilities off my chest so you bet your ass it’s time to make brownies at midnight and eat my stress away I should be working right now but I’m letting my cat lick my fingers instead. Sometimes, with the noises my cat makes, I wonder if he’s actually a Pokémon. Once when I was in middle school I read in a magazine that I should tie a ribbon around my waist to keep from overeating and honestly what the f--how does one graduate? still unsure. today i realized my stress levels are directly correlated to how much I obsessively clean on the weekends not sure i can actually live in a city as an adult bc i apologize for everything and get freaked out when someone doesn’t apologize back “This man just pulled out his wallet and spit on it” “I get Tech N9ne and Maroon 5 mixed up” Brb the Walmart yodeling kid dropped a single 2018 is a fever dream I just got followed by Anthony Scaramucci’s verified twitter account. Am I on a hitlist somewhere now? Is this how the mafia marks people today? “i’m thinking about fried chicken and d---. in that order.”
K A N S A N .C O M /O P I N I O N
AROOG KHALIQ @aroog_twt Kanye West, one of the best-selling artists of the 2000s, sparked social media outrage this week when he voiced his support for President Donald Trump on Twitter. The rapper posted a picture of his signed Make America Great Again hat and referred to Trump as his “brother,” stating also that they were “both dragon energy.” West’s esoteric comments could be, as some Twitter users allege, an elaborate publicity stunt tied to his upcoming album release, but millions of fans (among them artists like Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Ariana Grande) have unfollowed his account since his tweetstorm supporting Trump. Yet the mass unfollowing, public support and then retraction from Chance the Rapper, and a shout-out from the president himself aside, this buzzing debacle poses a broader question:
Why does this matter? As Chance noted on Twitter, “black people don’t have to be democrats.” Though he later clarified that he meant this statement in the context of Democratic politicians in Chicago doing little for the city’s black residents, there certainly are numerous high-profile black Republicans. Former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell and actress Stacey Dash all align with the Republican party, but the controversy surrounding their political affiliation pales in comparison to the controversy surrounding West. Many are comparing the rapper to Chris, the main character in Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror film “Get Out,” claiming that West is in “the Sunken Place,” a metaphorical space marginalized people use to describe the experience of oppression. West’s wife, Kim Kardashian-West, vehemently shot this down. She claims West is merely
a free thinker, and those opposed to his support of Trump are stifling his freedom of thought — a statement with its own faults. No one is preventing West from voicing his support for Trump; his recent tweets alone can attest to that. So what is the problem? Many disappointed fans cite West’s well-documented dislike of former President George W. Bush, his passionate rapping about the prison industrial complex, and his famous “Ima let you finish” moment in support of Beyonce at the 2009 VMAs as examples of West’s unique brand of pro-blackness.
Artists such as John Legend have criticized Kanye’s alignment with Trump as turning a blind eye to the anti-blackness that characterizes Trump’s campaign rhetoric (see: Trump’s racist tweets regarding the Central Park Five, violence in Chicago, and black unemployment rates). Is Kanye reneging on his previous political stance, or is he merely remaining true to his love of the provocative? The latter, given West’s persona, seems more likely. Fans and non-fans alike must ask themselves if art and the artist can be divorced and enjoyed separately. Gatekeeping one’s
own artistic pleasures on the basis of moral purity forces one into a game with shifting goalposts and no real winner. After all, there is always another disappointment around the corner, if one is on the hunt for it. Though critical consumption of media is an essential skill, a hyper-critical lens will leave nothing behind in its wake, and thus, one must make like a Heineken ad when it comes to art, and just enjoy responsibly. Aroog Khaliq is a freshman from Overland Park studying English and psychology.
Associated Press In this Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, then-President-elect Donald Trump and Kanye West pose for a picture in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York.
Shondell: Dams cause massive damage
JOSEPH SHONDELL @jshondy Hydroelectric power is generated by large metal turbines that spin when a river’s water is pushed through. Dams are essential to this. Primarily made to help river navigation and power small communities, dams have become a permanent mark on the American landscape despite their harmful effects and inability to be a productive source of energy. Dams only contribute around 24 percent of the total 10 percent of renewable energy used yearly in the U.S., according to the USGS Water Science School. Many wind farms in the American Northwest generate surplus energy that has nowhere to go, which ends up being wasted when it could replace large dams like the Grand Coulee. The word “renew-
able” should not be used by dam advocates because of the lasting negative impacts they have on fish habitat, recreation, water quality and nutrient flows. When a dam is constructed, it blocks a river wholesale. For example, take the Bowersock Dam in downtown Lawrence. The two main powerhouses on each side of the river generate enough power for 1,800 homes. On an urban development scale, that is a low number. In expense for that power, the river deals with silt build up and pollution from the Lawrence Energy Center upstream. Blocking silt passage hurts downstream ecosystems in the Missouri and Mississippi watersheds. All rivers are connected, and dams block that connection. One could compare it to blood vessels in a human body. Once they get clogged and nutrients
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don’t reach the heart, the body fails. Coastlines at the mouth of rivers have shown this problem. For example, the Colorado River’s delta has been almost completely wiped out by the large network of dams that support desert economies like Las Vegas. Furthermore, many dams in the U.S. are old and defunct. They served their communities many years back, but their hydroelectric output is too small for the cost of maintenance. Many of these dams, like Bowersock in Lawrence, are not essential to a power grid that can substitute wind or solar energy.
They served their communities many years back, but their hydroelectric output is too small for the cost of maintenance. Nutrients from silt being blocked is not the only problem. Dams restrict fish passage and their ability to breed upstream. This is a massive problem for outgoing salmon and other fish in the American
West. Connecting wild fish habitats to their natural breeding grounds upstream is not only important for biodiversity, but also for recreation. Being able to sustainably catch and enjoy fish is massive for fishermen. Native fishermen have also been affected by dams. The Dalles Dam in Washington was completed in 1957. Native fishermen’s livelihoods depended on Celilo Falls, a network of waterfalls where salmon were captured, but when the U.S. Army Corps built the dam, it blocked the falls under the reservoir. This obliterated an entire culture that depended on those fish. Dams have been contested since the early days. John Muir, an environmentalist who started the Sierra Club, was integral in trying to stop the Hetch Hetchy Dam in the Yosemite Valley. He ultimately failed, but his legacy continues today. The U.S. is now home to 80,000 dams that span the coast and dot the Midwest. Some rivers, like the Columbia, which was once a world renowned fishery, is now blockaded behind eight of the U.S. Army Corps’ gems. Fish hatcheries are now pumping
contact us Chandler Boese Editor-in-chief cboese@kansan.com
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non-native species into rivers like the Columbia. The native fish cannot compete with the new inbred fish. Artificially fed and non-native salmon are now wreaking havoc because of the need to “mitigate” the loss of wild fish caused by the dams. The only way to save the Columbia would be to take out some of the largest dams in the U.S. No small order, but it would bring back one of the best fisheries on the planet. Activists are currently pushing to leave the untamed rivers in the Balkans alone. A new Patagonia film, “Blue Heart” addresses this. As humans progress deeper into the current climate disaster, our need for clean waters and healthy rivers is vital. Economic development centered fishing and other water activities may help the removal of dams, but truly challenging dam construction, and removing non-vital dams, is our best chance to reconnect rivers to their biological past.
Joseph Shondell is a sophomore from Roeland Park studying journalism and environmental studies.
editorial board
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Chandler Boese, Erin Brock, Danya Issawi and Baylee Parsons.
— Edited by Hannah Strader
arts & culture Monday, April 30, 2018
K A N S A N .C O M /A R T S A N D C U LT U R E
Andrea Ringgneberg/KANSAN Jenny Doores and Andrew Cho come together to create the “Devil Take the Hindmost” exhibit for the Lawrence Arts Center.
Collaboration to showcase local artists
The Lawrence Arts Center’s new exhibit features works from two artists who address different perspectives on world events JAYA CHAKKA @jaiyaofthebees
Doores and Cho demonstrate incredibly different styles of art, though both are long-time artists who work with three-dimension-
al forms. The art tackles relevant, hard-hitting topics, including environmental exploitation, global warming, poverty, corruption, political polarization and the atrocities of war. Cho’s pieces tend to be more abstract, taking advantage of two-dimensional shades and texture. Doores’ pieces are blunt and bold, relying on nude imagery and often resembling political cartoons. “Their works in the same space, I thought, was kind of intriguing,” said Ben Ahlvers, the exhibition program director at the Arts Center who was also a driving force in bringing the artists’ proposed collaboration to life. “They’re both working with ceramics and they’re both working with imagery of humans in various ways with very distinct approaches.” Cho enjoys exploring the medium of sculpture because it “exist[s] in the solid world, and every change in viewing angle presents a new face of the piece.”
His featured art includes a series of ceramic vessels covered in handprints and drawings, as well as three wall-mounted bust — named “Martina,” “Hank” and “Harold” — with detailed drawings forming the features of the face and clothing. “I think I address topics the same way as I make drawings: quietly, with lots of open spaces where your eye/mind can rest and slowly draw your own conclusions,” Cho said via email. Doores said she strives to create art with a social message that will cause people to think and generate conversations. Art is her personal form of activism — the tool which she feels most capable of using to propagate social awareness. Her artwork includes representations of the nuclear missiles dropped during World War II (“Fat Man” and “Little Boy”), a blindfolded Mother Earth being suckled by a businessman, a nude Madonna crucified on oil pipelines,
three individuals sitting in a frying pan and a baby with a gun down its diaper (appropriately titled “Loaded”). “I really love the nude female body, and I like wellendowed women,” Doores said. “They have a Mother Earth kind of feel, both strong and vulnerable at the same time.” The artists’ individual works fringe the room, with a collaborative piece titled “The Weight” taking center stage. This piece features two humans, created by Doores, crushed by a globe covered with news reporters and scathing headlines, created by Cho. He said the globe alone weighs around 40 pounds. While the combination of the two art styles is jarring, this is part of what gives the piece its appeal and makes the viewer stop to take a second look. “I find a particular mean-ness in news anchors and outlets who make it a mission to attack the financially desperate — people in a position of
power who ignore all data that contradicts their angry narrative of a morally bankrupt population which chooses mooching over personal responsibility,” Cho said. “The term ‘information bubble’ suggests something gauzy and insubstantial, popped at the first exploratory prodding of its barriers. We wanted to show it as something with mass, that can and does exert force on real bodies, and so, ‘The Weight’ was born.” In addition to the month-long display of the exhibit, Doores and Cho will give an INSIGHT Art Talk at the Lawrence Arts Center on Monday at 7:00 p.m. Both artists are also instructors at the Lawrence Arts Center, offering a range of classes to those interested in art, especially ceramics. Currently, they co-teach a course called “3D Canvas.”
ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) Shift directions with shared finances over the next two weeks after this Full Moon. Balance old responsibilities with new. Work out the next phase together.
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) Your energy could seem challenged. Go for renewed physical health and fitness with this Full Moon. Revamp skills and practices. Are you having enough fun?
LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) Renovate, remodel and tend your garden. Domestic changes require adaptation under the Scorpio Full Moon. Begin a new home and family phase.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) Profitable opportunities bloom under the Full Moon. A turning point arises around income and finances. Cash flows both directions, in and out. Keep track.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) Adapt to transitions and changes. This Full Moon shines on a spiritual fork in the road. Love’s a requirement, not an option. Ritual and symbolism soothe.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) Focus towards current passions and prepare for a test or challenge. This Full Moon sparks a shift in your career. Begin a new professional phase.
TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) Reach a turning point in a partnership with this Full Moon. Compromise and collaborate for shared commitments to pass an obstacle or barrier.
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) Change directions with a romance, passion or creative endeavor under this Full Moon in Scorpio. Profit from articulating and expressing your heart.
VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) Start a new chapter. Shift direction with research and creative projects. Resolve a barrier in communications, connection and intellectual study after this Full Moon.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) This Full Moon in your sign illuminates a new personal direction. Push your own boundaries and limitations. It could get exciting. Go for it!
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) Friends come and go with community and group projects. This Full Moon illuminates a new social phase. Share appreciations, greetings and goodbyes.
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) This Full Moon illuminates a new educational direction. Begin a new phase in an exploration. Experiment with new concepts. To really learn, visit the source.
From April 20 to May 19, the Lawrence Arts Center will feature the works of local artists Jenny Doores and Andrew Cho in an exhibit titled “Devil Take the Hindmost.” Featuring a plethora of sculptures ranging from starkly grayscale to vividly colorful, the collection addresses socio-political issues from multiple perspectives. The idiom “devil take the hindmost” is akin to an older version of the phrase “every man for himself.” In a literal sense, the saying suggests that in a group of individuals being chased by the devil, those who look out for themselves and let the less capable lag behind are less likely to be captured by evil. Doores said on a deeper level, this phrase was chosen because it resonates with the contemporary societal issues embodied by the artwork. “It’s essentially the one percent’s feelings about
the 99 percent who are suffering and don’t have the advantages,” Doores said. “I think there’s a righteousness behind that whole mentality where you think you deserve to be at the front, somehow.” The exhibit space has stark white walls and black floors — virtually blank except for the artwork and large windows that face the street. There is little fanfare or explanation, allowing the art to speak for itself.
“Their works in the same space, I thought, was kind of intriguing.” Ben Ahlvers exhibition program director
— Edited by Margo Johnson
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7
KU vaulter's journey comes full circle
SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK
When senior pole vaulter Laura Taylor stands on the runway at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor National Championships in May, the Kansas vaulter will have a distinct advantage over many of her competitors. It's not because she holds the seventh-best vault in NCAA Division I, and not because she might have fellow Jayhawk sophomore Andrea Willis vaulting alongside her. But because she’s vaulted on this runway before — many times. She grew up in Tualatin, Oregon, 99 miles away. In the spot that first launched her pole vaulting career, Taylor will come full circle, as she runs toward the pit, just as she’s done so many times before. “I thought about it,” Taylor said. “But I'm just trying to focus on the end of my season here, before I really think about it.”
HIGH SCHOOL VAULTING
It all started with her brother, Matthew. Entering high school, Laura had only competed as a sprinter and was looking for a new event to challenge herself in. Her elder brother, a senior at Tualatin High School, was a pole vaulter at the time, so naturally, that was the first thing that captured Laura's attention. “I've kind of always copied him, everything that he did, so I just decided, 'If he's doing it, I'll try it,'" Taylor said after her Kansas Relays Quadrangular victory. Taylor captured the win in her last home meet with a jump of 4.01 meters (13.15 feet) which is almost taller than a one and a half story building. As her freshman season came and went, and her older brother graduated and went off to college, Taylor continued vaulting, slowly climbing her way up the Oregon state rankings. In her senior year, she
Then-junior Laura Taylor clears the bar in the pole vault competition at the Kansas Relays on April 22, 2017.
“I didn't see it coming. I dreamed of it, but I didn't think it would happen.” Laura Taylor pole vaulter
took home the state championship crown, setting a school and 6A state record in the event. Her dominance turned heads in the collegiate world, with schools taking notice of her prowess in the air. Still, she says, “I was never one of those who was always in the lead, best in the nation kind of thing coming out of high school.” Several, mostly regional, universities showed interest in recruiting her, including Eastern Washington University and the University of Oregon. But there was one school that hailed from a bit farther away — Kansas. "The University of Oregon is obviously an amazing program and it was right down
the road, but they don't really focus on their field athletes,” Taylor said. “They don't focus on the pole vault specifically, so I kind of had to weigh that into consideration and if I wanted to reach my ultimate potential, I just chose a coach that could get me there.” Kansas vertical vaults coach Tom Hays was on the recruitment trail, and had traveled to the prestigious Reno Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada, in summer 2014. While he was there, Hays began scouting for future Jayhawks. “We were recruiting [current junior vaulter] Alexis Romero. And Laura was friends with Alexis Romero and [former Kansas vault-
er] Nick Meyer,” Hays said. “They kind of introduced me to her there, and then we started the [recruitment] process at that time. We started recruiting her because the other kids actually liked her and kind of pointed her out.” Hays was impressed with Taylor’s passion on the field. He also liked that she could compete in multiple events, something that he believes indicates great potential in an athlete. It didn’t take much persuasion on Hays’ part to get Taylor to commit to Kansas. “It was kind of his track record that spoke for itself,” Taylor said. “On my visit, [Hays] was awesome and friendly, and he's such a good guy down at heart. He's such an amazing coach and he just kind of won me over and then obviously campus, the facilities here, everything else was kind of just the cherry on top. So, it was a pretty easy decision for me."
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VAULTING AT KANSAS An unknown quantity outside of the northwest U.S., Taylor lit things up in her freshman year at Kansas. She quickly put an average indoor season behind her with a stellar outdoor campaign. She made one of Kansas’ all-time top 10 vaults, clearing 4.07 meters at the 2015 Rock Chalk Classic. With vaulters to look up to like Meyer and Natalia Bartnovskaya, an indoor national champion, Taylor had teammates who prepared her for success. Taylor was also joined a year later by Romero, after she impressed Hays with her performance at the Reno Pole Vault Summit. Romero was also recruited by Eastern Washington but, like Taylor, the Kansas program spoke to her. The pair have leaned on one another throughout the years, becoming stronger through each other’s success. “Without her I probably wouldn't have gotten stronger [or] become a better vaulter,” Romero said. “I give some credit to her for that, for sure. She's definitely pushed me to be better." But an underwhelming sophomore year and junior indoor season put Taylor’s standing in the team in doubt. She only managed to reach the NCAA outdoor preliminaries her sophomore outdoor season, and she didn’t qualify her junior indoor season. Taylor said she was discouraged with that period of her collegiate career. But looking back, Hays said he wasn’t worried. He knew she would get back on track. “[Taylor] probably said that because people put expectations on themselves, and she didn’t realize her potential,” Hays said. A resurgent outdoor season as a junior got her back on track. She earned second-team All-American status after finishing 14th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. It was the first time she’d competed at Hayward Field since dominating the high school stage there three years earlier. “I just kind of had to dumb everything down,”
Missy Minear/KANSAN
Taylor said about rediscovering her composure. “Calm down, take the pressure off, kind of relax, and I just had to find the fun in it, and just kind of jump because I wanted to be jumping." While Taylor was figuring out her technique and getting back on track, a new vaulter to the team, Andrea Willis, saw Taylor as a role model. “There's a lot of things when you come in as a freshman where it's a lot different from high school and so just coming in and having the experience that she has, it's really good for us to learn from," Willis, now a sophomore at the University, said.
FINISHING STRONG
With just one meet left until the Big 12 championships, followed by the NCAA preliminaries, Taylor says she still has things to work on. “I went to a longer pole and I haven't quite connected with them yet, so we're working on them. If I think I can get on them, I think it would be really great,” Taylor said. With a longer pole comes adjustments to her run up, too. Taylor will tweak where she starts her run up, where she plants her foot when beginning her vault, and where she positions her hands on the fiberglass pole. Her dominance on the college stage has also inspired her teammates. "It's been really exciting to watch her do as well as she has, because she's been working her butt off for the past three years,” Romero said. “I'm really excited for her to see how she does at outdoor nationals." The return to Oregon for the championships will be the last time Taylor will compete in a Kansas uniform. She expects it to be an emotional time, with friends and family cheering her on, as proud as she is of what she’s accomplished. “I didn't think I'd be an All-American, definitely didn't think I'd be a Big 12 champion jumping as high as I am now and trying to get the school record,” Taylor said. “I didn't see it coming. I dreamed of it, but I didn't think it would happen."
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Monday, April 30, 2018
K A N S A N .C O M /S P O R T S
Pitcher’s attitude sets him up for success
BRADEN SHAW @bradenshaw4real
After holding Oral Roberts scoreless on the road during his freshman season, Ryan Zeferjahn finally felt comfortable and confident in the college game. “That was my best start of last year and that was really memorable,” said Zeferjahn, a sophomore pitcher for Kansas baseball. “That was something that I just built on and then worked and got better toward the end of the year.” Two months after that performance against Oral Roberts on March 15, 2017, an eventual 7-2 Kansas win at J.L. Johnson Stadium, Zeferjahn was named to the 2016-17 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie team. “I like to go to class as much as I can and that just really shows that a lot of us are school first and baseball second,” Zeferjahn said. “[As a team] we like to take care of our business off the field before we come on the field and take care of our business.” For a guy who has won numerous accolades at both the high school and collegiate levels, Zeferjahn is astoundingly humble, almost not wanting to talk about them. His humble attitude came from an upbringing surrounded by hard work and dedication to a craft. Growing up, Zeferjahn was surrounded by an athletic family. His mother, LaTisha, played softball and basketball at Washburn. Both of his uncles played college football; Lucas Yarnell at Louisiana-Lafayette and Lyndall Yarnell at Kansas. “Being around them helped me — whether it was soccer, baseball or basketball, they always helped me manage that,” Zeferjahn said.
A CULTURE OF SPORTS
Zeferjahn grew up in Topeka, some 30 minutes west of the University’s Lawrence campus. He was first introduced to the sport of baseball when LaTisha got him started in a tee-ball league as a child. However, baseball wasn’t the only sport that Zeferjahn fell in love with. He played multiple sports and, according to his basketball coach at Topeka Seaman High School, Craig Cox, he was the talk of the town. “I had known he was a good soccer player growing up and people had been talking about how he played soccer, basketball and baseball,” Cox said. He first met Zeferjahn when he came to a basketball camp during the summer Zeferjahn was entering seventh grade. Once Zeferjahn got to high school, Cox said that he made an imme-
athletes of the week
Sophomore Ryan Zeferjahn is one of Kansas baseball’s top pitchers. diate impact and was especially impressive his senior year. “He was a tremendous leader and a real do-everything guy,” Cox said. “He had a great attitude, enjoyed practice and loved the competition in games. He really set the tone for the team.” Along with basketball, Zeferjahn made an impact on the baseball field. Topeka Seaman High School baseball coach Steve Bushnell first met Zeferjahn when the then-elementary schooler attended youth camps that Bushnell was coaching. Because of his upbringing in multiple sports, Bushnell said that Zeferjahn was one of the easiest players to coach. “He was in tune to different coaches and philosophies that we instilled in him which made him very coachable,” Bushnell said. Zeferjahn was able to split his time on the hardwood and the diamond throughout his four years at Topeka Seaman. Yet, due to attention that he was garnering for baseball prowess, he was advised to not play basketball his senior year. Cox claims that he wasn’t afraid of the possible injury that could occur if Zeferjahn continued playing basketball, and was relieved that the then-senior decided to play his senior year. “It was cool to be able to go out on a sport that I’m not going to college for and be able to compete with the best,” Zeferjahn said. “Being able to be one of the top players in my class my senior year was really cool and made me have the confidence to play [at Kansas] and play with the best.” Playing multiple sports is something that all three men – Zeferjahn, Cox and Bushnell - believe helped get Zeferjahn to this point. According to Cox, having a background in several sports
is an attribute that Major League scouts are looking for in prospects. “They want all-around athletes, not just guys who stuck to one sport,” Cox said. Eventually, Zeferjahn got to the point where he had to choose what sport to pursue. Being only 6-foot-4, he knew his size would be a deciding factor. “I was a bigger kid in high school, so I played point guard, but post is what I was best at,” Zeferjahn said. “The big guys [in college] are 6-[foot]-10, 6-[foot]-11, so I knew basketball wasn’t going to be the best for me. Just being able to go out there and throw like I have been is where I veered off toward baseball.”
ENTERING THE COLLEGE STAGE
Once he chose baseball, the 2016 MLB Draft was an option — Zeferjahn was drafted in the 37th round by the Tampa Bay Rays — however, that seemed like a foreign concept to him and his family. “My parents and I, we had no idea when the draft came around,” Zeferjahn said. “College was really the best choice I could’ve made. I wasn’t really mature enough and I didn’t have the confidence [for Major League Baseball]. Coming here was the best thing that’s ever happened to me right now.” Bushnell believes that Zeferjahn could’ve pursued any sport, but that baseball was his best opportunity. “He knew, if he worked hard enough, the opportunity would follow to play professional baseball,” Bushnell said. Throughout the process, Zeferjahn believes both of his high school coaches helped his development — both as an athlete and a person. “They really pushed me to be the best I could be,”
Barden Adams Track and Field
On Saturday, senior Barden Adams hit a milestone in the triple jump at the National Relay Championships, taking second in the event with a jump of 16.59 meters and moving up to No. 2 on the all-time Kansas list and in the NCAA this season.
Zeferjahn said. “They knew I had a lot of ability and they helped me every day with things that would make me a better person on and off the court and field.” Zeferjahn was courted by a few schools across the Midwest, but deep down Zeferjahn knew that Kansas was the school that he wanted to play baseball at, in part, based on the support of his nearby family. “I wanted to stay close to home for college because my grandparents are getting older and I wanted them to be able to watch a few more games,” Zeferjahn said. “ Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price noticed the potential of Zeferjahn right off the bat. “He had a big arm,” Price said. “He just needed to learn how to pitch. That means developing his offspeed pitches for strikes and developing his fastball more.”
Missy Minear/KANSAN his potential. “He’s from a small school in Kansas and when you make the jump to a Power Five school there will be growing pains,” Price said. “He’s had his confidence shattered at times but I just tell him to keep working hard and he has shown improvements.” “The game sped up on me a lot,” Zeferjahn said on his freshman year. “I learned that I just needed to slow it down and take deep breaths when I’m out there. I’ve learned and used that to my advantage this year.” Zeferjahn’s sophomore year started off better than he expected. He started the year 4-0 with a sub-2.00 ERA, including victories against two ranked teams at the time — St. John’s and Texas Tech. He also had one of the best ERA’s on the team heading into his start against Oklahoma State on April 20.
“He knew, if he worked hard enough, the opportunity would follow to play professional baseball.” Steve Bushnell Topeka Seaman High coach
Coming into his first season, Zeferjahn knew that he’d have an important role immediately because Kansas was coming off what he described as a “down year.” However, the idea of playing in the Big 12 excited him. “I struggled a lot last year, but just getting my feet wet and just knowing what the college level was about really helped me,” Zeferjahn said. “I knew I was going to come here and play in the best conference in the nation.” Price knew that Zeferjahn would be a starter from the day that he committed to Kansas, but it was going to be a developmental process for Zeferjahn to reach
And that game is when his stat line took a nasty downturn. Zeferjahn gave up 10 runs, the most of his career, and his season ERA went from 2.70 to 4.29. After the start, Zeferjahn came up to Price and apologized for his struggles with command and locating his fastball. Price consoled him with added perspective about how that happens to major league players all the time. “They have to learn how to pitch into the sixth inning and beyond without their best stuff working,” Price said. “It was a great learning experience about respond-
Alexandra Emilianov
ing to adversity.” Even with that start, Price lists Zeferjahn and junior pitcher Jackson Goddard as the “key players for the ballclub.” “[Goddard] struggled his freshman year and he did better last year,” Zeferjahn said. “I’m kind of on pace for what he was doing last year. He was really maturing and getting a lot better.” By learning from older players, Zeferjahn has seen his personal performances improve. Zeferjahn sits near the top of Big 12 rankings for wins (6), strikeouts (70) and opponent’s batting average (.255), leading to him being included on the shortlist for Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. “I don’t really focus on it,” Zeferjahn said. “I’m more of a team guy and trying to get my team a win when we need one. I just really want to go out there and get a couple series wins.” Bushnell still sees Zeferjahn as one of the best student-athletes that he’s ever had the privilege of coaching in 20 years of experience. Bushnell and Zeferjahn text regularly, and Bushnell is able to make it out to most of his starts at Hoglund Ballpark. “I’m so proud of all that he’s accomplished,” Bushnell said. “I just do the small things to stay in touch and he always responds. I also try to stay out of his way and just be a fan.”
LOOKING FORWARD
Zeferjahn said he looks toward the future and, with the support of his friends and family, a potential berth in the Big 12 conference tournament. He believes the Jayhawks can make a good run in the tournament. Price shares Zeferjahn’s optimism in the future as long as he “trusts the process.” Price even said that Zeferjahn has the potential to be on this summer’s USA team and be a first round pick in the MLB Draft. “He’s the perfect student-athlete,” Price said. “He knew his goal was to play and graduate in three years and sign a pro contract after that. Every coach in America would love to have a player like him on their team.” From the beginning, Zeferjahn’s character and work ethic has shown through the most, according to Cox. “He’s very easy to get to know,” Cox said. “He’s approachable and easy to talk to. Sometimes with top athletes people are jealous of them or afraid to talk to them. Ryan wasn’t like that and he was easygoing off the court. Special guys that take their talent and utilize it have success, and that’s definitely Ryan.”
Track and Field This weekend, freshman Alexandra Emilianov took first place in discus with a massive throw of 54.49 meters. But Emilianov did not stop there. On Saturday, the freshman broke the school record in the shotput with a throw of 16.64 meters, which placed her third in the event and No. 15 in the NCAA.