The University Daily Kansan Nov. 7

Page 8

KU to take on UNC Greensboro in home opener Friday

Thursday, November 7, 2019

WHAT’S NEW AT KU News on deck at kansan.com

Page 3

Year-round farmer’s market opens in north Lawrence

The Student Voice Since 1904

Vol. 139/Issue 21

‘It destroys you’ KU graduate student Nikhil Biju came to the U.S. from India nearly 15 years ago. But when he turned 21, his future here became uncertain Corey Minkoff

@Corey_Minkoff

Rachel Kivo/UDK

QuikTrip opening

QuikTrip is planning to open another Lawrence location on Ninth and Iowa Streets in August or September 2020, replacing the Zarco gas station and car wash.

Non-Traditional Student Week

The University of Kansas is celebrating National NonTraditional Student Week.

The SILC office and others on campus are hosting several events to recognize nontraditional students.

Contributed photo

Basketball’s dark debut in Berlin

New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss, the author of “Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s Germany,” will speak about his book at The Raven Book Store on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

On the horizon

Natalie Hammer/UDK

KU Volleyball to face TCU Saturday

The Jayhawks will battle the Horned Frogs Saturday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m. in Lawrence.

When Nikhil Biju’s family immigrated to the United States in August 2005, they came in search of opportunity.

His mother, Shyla Biju ,worked as a school teacher in India for more than a decade, but she longed to accept the challenge of working as a public schoolteacher in the United States. When she was offered a job for Topeka Public Schools and received an H-1B work visa, she was thrilled.

The family left India within a matter of days of receiving visa approval. The three of them left behind nearly their entire family to start a new life.

After almost 15 years in the United States, Nikhil’s family didn’t expect to be in a race against time to keep its son in the United States.

Nikhil, an undergraduate at the University of Kansas at the time, was about to turn 21 years old — the year his legal residency would expire in the United States.

Although the H-1B visa held

by Shyla could be renewed on a continuing basis, H-4 visas held by child dependents expire the moment they turn 21.

Nikhil is one out of an estimated tens of thousands of H-4 child dependents who face the prospect of either self-deporting or applying for a new temporary visa to maintain their legal status, said Julia Gelatt, a senior policy analyst

Nikhil Biju, a first-year graduate student, has lived in the United States since August 2005.

at the Migration Policy Institute.

They fall into the category of “legal dreamers” — children whose parents are temporary immigrant workers and who have spent most of their lives in the United States. Most of them grew up thinking of themselves as Americans but are afforded no simple legal pathway to permanent residency, much less citizenship.

As one of those dreamers, all Nikhil wants is to stay in the country that has afforded him and his family opportunities he said he wouldn’t have received anywhere else.

“This is my home country,” Nikhil said. “This is where I’ve been a majority of my life. If I’m considering this my home country, but my home country isn’t considering myself to be a part of it — it destroys you.”

‘Why is my kid struggling?’

Nikhil, just 6 years old at the time he came to the U.S., said he struggled to connect with his new peers in the U.S. Shyla said she was forced to adapt to a different teaching environment.

But the family was committed to assimilating. It wasn’t until Nikhil was enrolled as an under-

Hy-Vee on Sixth Street closes after 20 years

Corey Minkoff/UDK

graduate at the University that the family considered going back.

“It didn’t really hit me until I came to college when my parents sat me down and kind of explained to me the situation that I was in,” Nikhil said.

Shyla and her husband, Biju Thankappan, applied for permanent residency in 2014, hoping to secure their family’s legal status before Nikhil aged out of his visa.

Uncertain of whether they would actually receive it in time, they had to come up with a backup plan.

Continue on page 2

Police arrest McDonald’s shooting supect

Katie Counts

Nicole Asbury

@CountsKatie752

@NicoleAsbury

Supermarket chain Hy-Vee closed its Sixth Street Lawrence location Sunday, Nov. 3, according to a sign left on its door and a press release from the company.

According to the press release, the 4000 W Sixth St. location did not meet sales expectations, and it “no longer reflects the current brand standard and amenities” of Hy-Vee. It had been open since 2000.

A Hy-Vee gas station and convenience store located next to the main store will remain open for the foreseeable future.

The other Lawrence Hy-Vee at 3504 Clinton Parkway remains open.

Hy-Vee still owns the Sixth Street location and will look for another grocery store to fill the space, according to the press release.

Hy-Vee, which is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, has more than 240 stores throughout the Midwest, according to its website.

A sign at the store thanked Lawrence for 20 years of business.

Sarah Carson/UDK

Lawrence City Commission candidates attend a KU forum in October.

Lawrence elects new city commissioners Nicole Asbury @NicoleAsbury

Sophia Belshe @SophiaBelshe

Lawrence residents went to the polls Tuesday to vote for three Lawrence city commissioners and four new members of the Lawrence school board.

With all precincts reporting, Lawrence voters chose newcomers Brad Finkeldei and Courtney Shipley as well as former commissioner Stuart Boley to fill the three open seats.

For the Lawrence school board, Erica Hill, Shannon Kimball, Carole Cadue-Blackwood and Paula Smith earned the four seats.

Kansas voters also passed a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would end adjusting federal census data to the permanent addresses of college students and military residents, rather than having it be where residents live at the moment.

Douglas County voted “yes” on the amendment, with 71.7 percent of voters in favor and 28.3 percent opposed.

The Lawrence Police Department arrested a man from Leavenworth County in relation to a shooting at the McDonald’s on Sixth Street, police said early Wednesday morning in a news release.

Howard Levite, 27, was identified as a suspect in the Oct. 26 shooting at 1309 W. Sixth St. He was arrested on unrelated charges in Jackson County, Missouri, early Friday morning, Lawrence police said.

Levite is being held in Jackson County for an extradition hearing.

Levite faces charges of attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated assault, police said.

Lawrence police were called to the McDonald’s in response to a shooting at around 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 26. Upon arrival, police found a 50-year-old man who was shot in his car. The individual was transported to the hospital with significant injuries.

The individual is out of the hospital and recovering, police said Wednesday.

2

News

The University Daily Kansan

NEWS MANAGEMENT Editor-in-chief Savanna Smith Managing editor Nichola McDowell

SECTION EDITORS

KU provost candidate emphasizes teamwork

News editor Sydney Hoover Associate news editor Sophia Belshe Investigations editor Nicole Asbury Sports editor Jack Johnson Associate sports editor Jakob Katzenberg Arts & culture editor Rylie Koester Associate arts & culture editor Katie Counts Opinion editor Elijah Southwick Visuals editor & design chief Philip Mueller Photo editor Sarah Wright Associate photo editor Chance Parker Copy chiefs Nolan Brey Asif Haque Audience engagement editor Grant Heiman Associate audience engagement editor Raeley Youngs Social media editor Hadley Oehlert

Johnny Meehan/UDK

Dave Cook is the vice chancellor for the KU Edwards campus.

Nicole Asbury @NicoleAsbury

The vice chancellor for the University of Kansas’ Edwards campus said he would focus on teamwork and collaboration in his pitch to be the next provost Wednesday evening in the Burge Union.

Dave Cook, the finalist, has been at the University since 1998 at its various locations — the Lawrence campus, the Edwards campus and the KU Medical Center.

He earned two of his degrees from the University. One of his children is a student at the University, he said.

“I want to be a provost. I think stability is critical, and I think we need it now more than ever,”

Cook said. “I have a deep respect for the University.”

With funding cuts coming to higher education across the United States, Cook said it’s a good time for the University to embrace its strategic mission.

“We need to celebrate our successes. We need to figure out how to get excited again about what we do,” Cook said. “There’s a lot of great things happening here.”

Cook pointed to the visioning day coming up this Friday as an opportunity for the University to get excited and dream, he said.

Cook, as the vice chancellor for the Edwards campus, sat in all the meetings on Bold Aspirations, the University’s last strategic plan.

“Let’s think about why we exist, who we are and who we want to

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2000 Dole Human Development Center 1000 Sunnyside Avenue Lawrence, Kansas, 66045 editor@kansan.com www.kansan.com Newsroom: (785) 864-4552 Advertising: (785) 864-4358

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Contributed photo

Nikhil Biju and his parents Shyla Biju and Biju Thanksappan

Immigration From page 1

“I told Nikhil this could be a challenge,” Shyla said. “We may or may not get the green card, so the best bet is if you could complete undergraduate in three years.”

The family decided their plan: Before completing his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, Nikhil would apply to graduate school at the University. Then, he would apply for an F-1 student visa.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” Nikhil said.

He found himself enrolled in as many as 23 credit hours a semester to stay on track for an early graduation. All the while, he stayed as involved as possible in clubs and extracurriculars to bolster his resume for future employers. It led to many sleepless nights, Nikhil said, and a lot of stress.

Nikhil often found himself unable to go out with friends on weekends or school nights. Instead, he devoted most of his time to studying.

As pressure mounted on him, it also affected his parents.

Aside from recognizing the stress of their son’s course load, his parents weren’t certain Nikhil could remain legally in the country until he received his F-1 visa.

His family hired an immigration attorney and contacted KU International Support Services.

ISS staff, however, was limited in ability to assist.

An international student adviser at ISS was among the primary advocates Nikhil worked with in preparation of his change from H-4 to F-1 status.

Two years earlier, that adviser handled a case similar to Nikhil’s, in which a student filed for a new visa well before they aged out. That student received a denial notice just days after they turned 21.

To make sure Nikhil did not meet the same fate, his attorney also filed for an international tourist visa.

According to the American Immigration Council, 86% of H-4 visas in 2017 were issued to family members of foreign workers from India. Federal law, however, mandates that no more than 7% of the

be,” Cook said.

The University should also prioritize its students’ needs, Cook said. He pointed to focusing on more resources to address students’ mental health needs and said the social mobility of students is another area that needs improvement.

Cook also mentioned allocating more resources toward research at the University would be one of his focuses. Research resonates with students, he said.

“Investing more in research has just got to be a priority,” Cook said. “It’s a mission that affects all of us.”

Susan Twombly, a professor in the School of Education, asked how Cook will get the funding for his ideas.

Cook said with the new budget model, there’s an opportunity to align it with the University’s strategic priorities.

“So part of the answer is aligning our priorities with the budget, and so, I think we’re backward on that, but I think we can get back on track with that,” Cook said. “I don’t want to be too critical with that.”

As a whole, Cook said he intends to use collaboration and teamwork to help make decisions on the process. He wants to bring more people with knowledge to make the best decisions, he said.

“I’m going to want to bring the best team possible,” Cook said. “I hope you hear me talking a lot about ‘we’ and not a lot about ‘I.’”

total green cards issued in a year can be distributed to immigrants from a specific country.

An increasing number of applications for a limited number of green cards has resulted in continuously increasing waitlists.

Indian immigrants like Nikhil have been hit especially hard by seemingly endless backlogs.

Some who apply for green cards today will have to wait decades for a decision, according to the Cato Institute.

“I think it’s a problem that’s possible to solve, but it would take Congress passing legal immigration reform … and Congress has shown a real reluctance and inability to get bipartisan agreement to change our immigration laws,” Gelatt said. “This is one of many, many issues in our immigration system that will need to be addressed when Congress finally has the will to reform our laws.”

Shyla said she still struggles to understand the logic behind her family’s situation.

“There should not be a reason the kid who grew up here, who went to school right from elementary, that now you are treating him as a brand new kid who just came here from another country,” Shyla said.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”

Nikhil Biju Graduate student

The monetary cost alone continues to strain Nikhil’s family.

Shyla said each visa renewal, including paperwork and attorney fees, typically costs around $1,000.

For breaking news, visit kansan.com

kansan.com

Mid-week in crime Emma Bascom

@ebascom3

Theft in Memorial Stadium An unknown individual took a black iPhone 8 from Memorial Stadium on Nov. 2 around 1 p.m., resulting in a loss of $400, according to police records. The investigation is ongoing.

Property Crime in Templin Hall Someone damaged two exit signs in Templin sometime between Nov. 1 and Nov. 5, resulting in a loss of $500, according to police records. The case is open.

Theft in Memorial Stadium An unknown person took a wallet in Memorial Stadium on Nov. 2 around 9 a.m., resulting in a loss of $100, according to police records. The case is open.

Theft in Downs Hall A crime categorized as larceny was reported in the residence hall on Nov. 5 around 2 p.m., according to police records. The records do not mention details of the incident or the status of the case.

Clarification The headline in Monday’s print edition “New pool on campus? KU students will vote in the spring” was unclear on the timeline for expansion on the Ambler Student Recreation Center. Students will vote to expand with a turf field in Spring 2020, and if this passes, a pool in 2021.

“I’m a public school teacher,” Shyla said. “I am teaching challenging kids since 2005. So, when I’m serving kids in America, why is my kid struggling?”

‘All we can do is pray’ Nikhil’s F-1 visa application was approved, but his fight to remain in the United States is far from over.

Now in his first year of graduate school at the University, he only has a matter of years before graduation, at which point he will likely pursue the most viable route of permanent residency by seeking temporary sponsorship from an employer.

“Now he is back at ground zero,” Shyla said. “He has to start everything from scratch now.”

Nikhil’s peers note that despite his struggles, he only seems to have grown into a more positive, resilient person.

Clay Meyers, a senior from Kansas City, Kansas, said he has been close friends with Nikhil since they met the first week of their freshman year of college.

“I couldn’t understand how he kept staying so hopeful throughout the whole thing,” Meyers said.

“He never has self-pity or felt bad for himself. He just used that to motivate him.”

Much of that positivity stems from Nikhil’s belief that he is living a better life here than he would be anywhere else.

“When I talk to my cousins in India, the opportunities they have are so limited to what I have right now,” Nikhil said.

Nikhil’s family remains hopeful its situation will improve, but with limited time and resources, its ability to advocate for change is equally limited.

“All we can do is pray,” Shyla said.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Arts & Culture

kansan.com

The University Daily Kansan

3

Students rescore Charlie Chaplin movies Connor Heaton @ConHeaton1111

Two composers rescored the music for some classic silent movies and showcased their own stylistic visions during the Charlie Chaplin Silent Film Festival at the University of Kansas on Nov. 4.

Brent Ferguson, a professor from Washburn University, designed the festival in honor of Chaplin’s 130th birthday. The festival featured two of Chaplin’s early films at Swarthout Recital Hall.

Emma Piazza, a graduate from the University of Kansas studying audio production and sound recording, said this was a great opportunity for her to get her work out to the public while she applies to universities in Nashville and New York.

Piazza said her love of Chaplin came from her mother, and she’d worked on her piece “The Vagabond” for over a year and a half and used KU resources to create it.

“We were asked to do it in the fall of 2018, and I made the outlines [of] what I wanted to do, but I didn’t sit down and actually start composing until January,” Piazza said. “I composed for over a month and a half, and I sat my friends down over spring break and banged it out there and edited it for two weeks before the premiere in April.”

Susana Diaz-Lopez, a student composer from Topeka, studies music theory and composition at Washburn University and also

created a score.

Diaz-Lopez said the process started with deciding what mood to express and in what format to create her music.

Many scores from silent films are performed with a live orchestra, but Diaz-Lopez chose to do it electronically because it was more portable.

Diaz-Lopez said she has had several of her pieces performed live before. The piece used in the festival was called “loops,” a score made of various musical loops that merge different instrument styles from deep bass to classical violin, changing the mood of the scene.

Diaz-Lopez said it takes a lot of time, practice and editing to make the music synchronized with the action on screen. She said she’d spend about five hours a day editing over the course of a year.

“It’s really interesting to me — to communicate without the ability to speak.”

James Guiraud Silent film enthusiast

“You have to go second by second to change the mood to correspond with the theme,” Diaz-Lopez said.

Ferguson said Chaplin’s films

Connor Heaton/UDK

Susana Diaz-Lopez, left, a student composer from Topeka who studies music theory and composition at Washburn University, and Emma Piazza, right, a graduate from the University of Kansas studying audio production and sound recording, rescored the music for Charlie Chaplin films.

were fair use and the student composers were free to experiment with their own versions of the each score.

“You can take a more stylistic approach,” Ferguson said. “Susana takes a departure by adding more genres, and Emma takes a more modern approach.”

Chaplin starred in many silent movies in the early 1900s. Each of his films typically featured a humorous plot with Chaplin’s exaggerated physical comedy. The festival featured two of Chaplin’s early films: “The Immigrant” and “The Vagabond.”

James Guiraud, a silent film

enthusiast, came from Topeka to attend the festival and described why he valued the movie medium.

“It’s really interesting to me — to communicate without the ability to speak,” Guiraud said.

“They have to communicate the emotion before you even know what they’re talking about.”

Ferguson said he used to teach a film class at Washburn University and introduced many students to silent film and Chaplin. He said Chaplin’s films serve a unique purpose for music students, especially in the realm of audio synchronization.

Ferguson said timing is important to music composition, and many silent films from that era require the music to go in time with the action on screen, which is a unique test for composers to match.

“It’s a really good exercise for young composers because one of the important things is synchronizing sound to a film,” Ferguson said. “When I was a young composer, I did a lot of synchronization, and I wanted to give these composers a chance.”

Weekend market opens in north Lawrence Rachel Kivo @RachelKivo

A new weekend market called Makers, Bakers & Acres had its grand opening at 608 N. Second St. in north Lawrence Saturday, Nov. 2.

Zoe Smith, marketing manager and owner of the market, said the idea came to her when she realized it was something the north Lawrence community needed.

“We haven’t had a grocery store [in north Lawrence] since I was a kid,” Smith said.

Inspired by her parents, who are business owners in Lawrence, Smith said she was always surrounded by the Lawrence art community in her childhood and adult life. Because of this, she said she called people she knew within the community to become vendors for her first-ever market.

The market features local vendors that serve sweets, locally grown produce and handmade goods. One of the vendors, The Bap Stop, serves all gluten-free Korean rice bowls.

“We have meat. We have yearround produce, and we have baked goods, and we have canned goods,” Smith said.

Smith said it took two months to make the idea come to life after calling the city to see how much work was needed.

“I like to put the cart before the horse,” Smith said. “I’m ambitious.”

Next year, Smith said the market plans to partner with the Double Up Food Bucks program that provides Electronic Benefit Transfer food stamps.

Right now, however, the weekend market mainly works as a platform for Lawrence locals to display their goods, Smith said.

“We were really surprised at how many year-round farmers came out of the woodwork needing a venue to sell their produce that isn’t just to restaurants,” Smith said.

Margot Self, co-marketing manager of Makers, Bakers & Acres, said she hopes using social media will help get a younger crowd to visit the market.

“This part of town doesn’t get a lot of student interaction because people don’t know we’re over here,” Self said.

Makers, Bakers & Acres plans to be open every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. year-round. Smith said tables will be set up outside at the

Rachel Kivo/UDK

Weekend market Makers, Bakers & Acres celebrates its grand opening in north Lawrence on Nov. 2.

north Lawrence location or inside River Rat Skate Shop, which is located around the market.

“When the weather’s bad, we’ll be inside, and when the weather’s good, we’ll be outside,” Smith said.

THINGS TO DO AT KU Art

Food & Dining

Movies & TV

Music

Theater

African Food & Film Festival on Nov. 7 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Burge Union

WheatFields 904 Vermont St.

“Jojo Rabbit” releases to all theaters Nov. 8

“In My Room” by Frank Ocean released on Nov. 2

University Dance Company’s fall concert on Nov. 14, 16 and 17

For the best arts, culture and entertainment news, visit kansan.com

Thursday, November 7, 2019

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SUDOKU

Puzzles

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CRYPTOQUIP

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Answers can be found at kansan.com

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Thursday, November 7, 2019

kansan.com

Opinion

The University Daily Kansan

Adding context to ‘Long climb out’

FREE FOR ALL

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Text us what you hear around campus to (785) 260-0518, and we’ll publish the best stuff.

Charles Bankart

FFA of the day: “I had sex for a whole hour and 2 minutes last night. Shout out to daylight savings.”

“I’m parked in the pussy pockets of campus” “Sometimes I don’t know how to respond to things except through memes.”

“I can’t hoe down. I only have one level and that is hoe UP.” “You don’t need emotions for a hoe phase.”

“She told me my reproductive organs were unremarkable.”

“I prefer talking to people who are depressed.” “does anyone have drugs right now? i need to wake up”

I am responding to provide additional context to Corey Minkoff’s Oct. 24 article “Long climb out” and to paint a clearer picture of national enrollment trends and the University of Kansas’ success at bucking those trends in recent years. The University’s international enrollment is a story of strong strategic planning, accurate analysis of a complex external environment impacting international student mobility, and effective program implementation. It is easy to lose sight of our effective stabilization and rebuilding efforts if a longitudinal view is taken only using the University’s all-time international enrollment high as a baseline metric.

Declining national visa application rates (showing declining interest in coming to the United States) and higher national visa denial rates (reflecting more restrictive immigration policies) are currently contributing to U.S. international enrollment declines.

However, the University’s enrollment decline began in fall 2016 under a different administration and set of immigration policies.

The University’s enrollment was hit particularly hard by national political turmoil in Brazil, which

Johnny Meehan/UDK

Charles Bankart gives further context regarding a recently published Kansan story, “Long climb out.”

reduced the University’s Brazilian student numbers from 133 in the 2014-15 academic year to 18 today. Furthermore, the passing of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the restructuring of its scholarship program resulted in a decline of Saudi students from 190 in 2014-15 to 95 today.

The longitudinal focus of the article, describing a 14% international enrollment drop since the University’s international enrollment high point in 2015, reflects in no small measure the successful graduation of our largest international intake classes in history and masks two years of effective stabilization in new international student enrollment. This year, the University reversed a three-year decline in new international graduate enrollment with an increase of

1.3%, a remarkable success as the nation experiences precipitous declines in international graduate enrollment. Fall 2018 saw unprecedented growth in new first-year international numbers with a 33% increase from fall 2017. Following that growth, this fall has 34 fewer new international first-year students, but the number is still 7% higher than our low point in 2017.

Taken in combination with increased competition abroad and China’s success as a regional higher education hub, the University’s enrollment stabilization becomes even more remarkable. We have done this through hard work and by promoting the strength of the University’s academic programs, as well as our open and welcoming community. A campus that ranks 24th in the nation for study abroad participation rates

now.” “imagine having a sugar daddy for lunchables” “You need your water bottle you dehydrated slut” Next Halloween I’m dressing up as a sexy “I voted” sticker “I LOVE an election. Democracy is my brand.”

Vending machines are stupid.

They’re just fridges that hand you the soda

Illustration by Elijah Southwick/UDK

Opinion columnist Sam Harder argues that rural and lower-income communities would benefit.

“Is Big Time Rush a tampon

OPINION

brand?”

Sam Harder

“Condoms prevent minivans”

@Sam_UDK

“You know you’ve shown up too early when the Bull bathroom smells like a normal bathroom”

around

Contact us Elijah Southwick esouthwick@kansan.com Grace Fawcett gfawcett@kansan.com Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Elijah Southwick, Savanna Smith, Nichola McDowell and Grace Fawcett.

and boasts the teaching of more than 40 languages is exactly the kind of institution that international students want to call home. The satisfaction levels for our international students are reflective of that. Furthermore, the University’s 16% increase this fall in international student diversity shows we are reaching more students from countries across the world than even before. Our incoming class comes from 66 nations around the world. The University of Kansas can be exceedingly proud of that.

Charles Bankart is the KU associate vice provost for international affairs

Legislature should vote to expand Medicaid

“i’m SO high on sudafed right

Sexy legs is allowed to hoe

7

When Gov. Laura Kelly took office in January, Medicaid expansion in Kansas seemed inevitable.

Yet, 10 months later, Kansas’ legislature, governed by a bipartisan coalition of moderates, has failed to reach a compromise on how to grant more Kansans access to health care.

This has negative consequences for rural and lower-income communities as costs remain high for low-competition markets and people needing more specialized care. To bridge this gap, the legislature must expand Medicaid.

During the 2018 midterm elections, voters in four out of five states approved Medicaid expansion via general election ballot measure. Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Kansas’ neighbor Nebraska all proved public support for expansion.

Despite its shortcomings, the health insurance market in Kansas has gradually become more competitive. Two additional health insurance firms will offer plans on the federal insurance marketplace during this year’s enrollment, according to KCUR. However, these new insurers are mainly concentrated in the largest metro areas, leaving large swaths of rural Kansas with only two insurance providers.

In its 2019 study of health insurance markets nationwide, the American Medical Association argues that competition between health insurance providers reduces prices and improves health outcomes. While there is now more competition and lower costs for patients in high population areas like Sedgwick and Johnson counties, it also means most other small counties without competitive insurance markets may not see costs fall.

Expanding Medicaid would ease the burden on lower-income Kansans in non-competitive markets with exorbitant costs.

Insurance policies statewide are including fewer large networks of specialists in 2020, according to the KCUR report. Under insurance policies popular in the past, when a patient needed access to an ear, nose and throat doctor or an allergist, the patient could visit those specialists even if those doctors were not part of the patient’s insurance company’s network. The patient would have to pay a fee, but they would still have access to care. Those plans are becoming less common, meaning fewer patients with specialized care needs will be able to directly access care.

Once again, this disproportionately impacts rural communities as rural counties naturally have fewer specialists. There’s no guarantee those specialists who remain belong to the appropriate insurance network. Medicaid’s wide scope of coverage could help more rural Kansans who qualify access specialized and long-term care.

Some insurance policies restrict patient choice, but many

rural patients don’t have many care options to begin with. Rural hospitals are closing at a much higher rate in states that have not expanded Medicaid, according to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. This in turn increases costs as patients must travel to cities for care.

The status quo is shutting out rural communities and low-income patients from care, which is unacceptable. Expanding Medicaid in Kansas would grant more Kansans access to care and lower the barriers to pay for it.

Of course, the state would have to increase spending to enact Medicaid expansion. This is where the deadlock at the statehouse has come from. However, despite months of wrangling, it appears leaders are finally willing to enact change.

Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning (R-Overland Park) has sponsored a bill to expand Medicaid access with funding coming from taxes on tobacco and e-cigarettes. Democrats would prefer that Kansas use more federal funding, as the Affordable Care Act obligates the federal government to pay 90% of the cost of state Medicaid expansion. However, this is a non-starter for conservatives in the legislature.

Although Denning’s plan is not perfect and still faces considerable opposition in the legislature, the bill recognizes that Kansas must improve healthcare access for all its communities. It’s a good thing the legislature has started to talk about Medicaid expansion, but now the legislature must act to finally bring down costs and expand access to care for its constituents.

Sam Harder is a freshman from Wichita studying economics, mathematics and French.

To learn more about what our University of Kansas community is talking about, visit kansan.com

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Sports Men’s Basketball Gameday The University Daily Kansan

Thursday, November 7, 2019

kansan.com

Kansas vs. UNC Greensboro, Friday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.

Emma Pravecek/UDK

Sophomore forward David McCormack looks to pass the ball. Kansas defeated Pittsburg State 102-42 Thursday, Oct. 31.

Jack Johnson & Jakob Katzenberg @KansanSports

Beat Writer Jack Predictions: Johnson

75-60

Kansas Jayhawks

Jakob Katzenberg

82-63

UNC Greensboro

Ochai Agbaji

Isaiah Miller

Sophomore guard

Junior guard

In the loss to Duke, Agbaji contributed 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 38 minutes of action. He also managed to lead the team in steals with four. However, of the Jayhawks’ 28 turnovers — which was three short of a school record — the Kansas City, Missouri, product totaled five of them.

Coming off 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season, Miller is the Spartans’ top returning scorer from a year ago. He is also known for his pesky defense as he averaged 2.9 steals last season and recorded three in UNC Greensboro’s crushing victory over North Carolina A&T. The Georgia native could have a big day in Allen Fieldhouse.

Marcus Garrett

Kaleb Hunter

Starting in the backcourt alongside Agbaji and sophomore guard Devon Dotson, Garrett led Kansas in field goal attempts against Duke. Knocking down five of his 13 shots, Garrett tallied 12 points and dished out five assists. His 13 shot attempts tied a career-high set back on Nov. 21, 2018, versus Marquette.

Last season, Hunter’s playing time was very limited.

However, he is off to a great start this season as he finished as the Spartans’ leading scorer with 17 points against the Aggies and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Hunter will be a player the Jayhawks will need to key-in on in UNC Greensboro’s guardheavy offense.

Tristan Enaruna

James Dickey

In his collegiate debut, Enaruna played 16 minutes, which was the most out of any freshman on the roster.

In his time on the floor, he picked up five points, two rebounds and two blocks. Enaruna was the only Kansas reserve to make a field goal in the 68-66 loss to Duke.

Listed at 6-foot-10, 210-pounds, Dickey was the tallest starter in UNC Greensboro’s lineup in its first game.

Now in his senior year, he is primarily in the lineup for two reasons: defense and rebounding. In the Spartans’ first game, he recorded four rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native will have to step up against the Jayhawks’ loaded front court.

Junior guard

Sophomore guard

Senior forward

Freshman forward

QUICK HITS

1.9 Soccer

Goals per game for Kansas

2.43

28

Volleyball

Men’s Basketball

Kills per set for Ashley Smith

Kansas turnovers against Duke

153.8

180

Football

Women’s Basketball

Rushing yards per game for Kansas

Bailey Helgren rebounds in 2018-19

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