Washburn freshman vying for City Council
Zach Haney, a Topeka native and 19-year-old entrepreneur known for his Carnival Guy business, is running for the Topeka City Council.
“I have been discussing ways to strengthen the bond among millennials and the city of Topeka,” Haney said. “When I heard that my district seat was open, I knew it was now or four years from now. I am inspired to add a fresh perspective to the city council.”
Having also recently won the Washburn Business School’s Elevator Pitch Competition with his haunted house idea, “Night Terrors,” Haney has chosen to place priority on his political campaign.
“While I would love to pursue ‘Night Terrors’ haunted house, right now the idea is sitting on the back burner. I might possibly pick up the idea once the election is finished. I found that there was a lot of interest for starting an attraction like that in Topeka,” Haney said.
However, while putting aside his “Night Terrors” business, Haney will balance running his campaign with running his Carnival Guy business. He believes that his campaign has allowed for more exposure for his company, but is currently only attending events and meetings with prospective clients for it.
Haney wants to provide a voice for millennials in the city of Topeka, should he be elect-
Zach Haney, CEO of Carnival Guy, recently announced his bid for Topeka City Council. Haney will run for the District Four seat.
ed. In particular, he hopes to encourage entrepreneurship among millennials as well.
“I wanted to find a way to encourage millennial retention among students and young professionals. As a small business owner, I am a strong supporter for the growth and development of small businesses,” Haney said, “I want to find projects and organizations that are promoting entrepreneurship and offer those to area high schools and people of Topeka.”
The political up-and-comer also sees benefits stemming from recent downtown improvements.
“I would like to see our down-
town become the hub for small business creation. If the city can work with business owners and hear their concerns we will create an environment that is a healthy place to start and grow a business.”
Aside from encouraging support for local startups, Haney also provides an interesting view on the rise of Wal-Mart and Dillons stores competing in Topeka, and how they might help with “adding a fresh light to the area.”
“I have seen studies that WalMart is responsible for taking over business when they come to town. We now have a cleaner and more attractive Dillons store because they wish to compete with Wal-Mart,” Haney said, “Other businesses around Wal-Mart are excited to ‘cleanup’ and provide more for people on this side of town.”
Additionally, a neighborhood cleanup plan is in the campaign plan.
“The abandoned houses and buildings in Topeka are only an eyesore and distraction to the beautiful things our city has to offer. Unfortunately, often times the reason the city is unable to move forward in the demolition of the property is because they are unable to locate the property owner. I wish to speed up that process,” Haney said.
Haney also wants to push for more support for the Fire and Police department of Topeka.
“I do not believe our fire and police lack the tools they need, but there is a connection which
must be made among Topekans and the local departments,” Haney said, “At one time, firefighters used to be able to pay another firefighter to cover a few hours or their entire shift. Instead of calling in sick, they could use their colleagues to cover if they had to be off. For example: a basketball game or special event. I believe we should allow firefighters this option. All in all, I stand to support the people who are providing the ability for me to live in a safe capital city.”
Altogether, Haney wants his campaign to serve Topeka in the best way possible.
“As a city, we should be focusing on the future of our citizens,” Haney said.
Looking beyond his city council position, Haney also hopes for the beginning of a career in politics and public service.
“I am unable to say if I would seek another term on the City Council because I have not been elected, but I will say that one day I wish to serve the state of Kansas in the United States Senate,” Haney said.
The Primary Elections for City Council for Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 will be held on March 3. The top two canidates from each district will move on to the General Election on April 7.
Mark Feuerborn, mark.feuerborn@washburn.edu, is a freshman radiology major
Alpha Phi sorority philanthropy event crowns King of Hearts
Adam Vlach WASHBURN REVIEW
The man who said his greatest fear was never finding love became the King of Hearts Tuesday night, Feb. 10.
Washburn senior Louie Cortez was chosen from among 13 candidates and crowned the King of Hearts in the Alpha Phi sorority’s annual pageant, a part of its Cardiac Care Week philanthropy.
The King of Hearts pageant is a male pageant in which candidates compete in categories such as: swim wear, formal wear, talent show and a “go red” attire portion.
“Go red” attire included cloth-
ing from dresses and heels to nothing but shorts, all of it red.
“The point of the pageant is to get men around campus, fraternities and organizations, just students around campus to get involved and have fun in our philanthropy week,” said senior Elizabeth Burgett, former vice president of programming and education for Alpha Phi.
The winner was chosen by a panel of judges. In past years, the panel has included faculty members. This year it consisted of sorority presidents. Cortez won after showing off some vibrant dance moves in the “go red” act.
Burgett said last year Alpha
Phi raised a little more than $5,000 during its philanthropy week, a record high.
“We are trying to exceed that goal, and every year we raise a little bit more money, which is great,” she said.
Donations were collected during the pageant. Spectators put money in a jar with the name of the candidate whom he or she wanted to win.
Proceeds from Alpha Phi’s philanthropy week go toward the American Heart Association. The pageant, which drew over 100 spectators, is just one of Alpha Phi’s events during philanthropy week.
Alpha Phi is hosting a chili feed from 5-10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 at the Alpha Phi sorority house. The feed, Burgett said, typically brings in the most money out of all of the week’s events.
Page 3: This April Washburn University will be taking part in the Topeka Metro’s Social Bicycles program
Page 12: Washburn history professor Tony Silvestri discusses his talent and exeprience in opera.
Page 9: Washburn men’s basketball’s Alex North joins the 1,000-point club.
Page 6 & 7: Local artists shine at first friday art walk.
Photo via Facebook.com/ZachHaneyOfficial
Mark Feuerborn WASHBURN REVIEW
From the Carnival to the Circus: Washburn’s
LOVE KING: Louie Cortez reacts with emotion when he is named king.
C
alendar
Briefs
FYE Scholars ceremony to recognize Freshman for academic achievements
Yearbook photo op at Career Fair next week
Daniel Coburn, New Works
Brown Bag International
Lecture: Vietnam
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Free Creativity Lunch Group
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Kansas Correctional Association Student Chapter
4:45 PM - 6:00 PM
Washburn Student Government Association
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Baseball vs. Bemidji State University
2:30 PM
Women’s Basketball vs. University of Central Oklahoma
5:30 PM
Nick Guerra – Comedian
7:00 PM
Men’s Basketball vs. University of Central Oklahoma
7:30 PM
Softball at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
10:00 AM
Softball vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State University
12:30 PM
Baseball vs. Bemidji State University
2:30 PM
Theatre Production: “The Other Place” by Sharr White
7:30 PM
Baseball vs. University of Minnesota, Crookston
12:00 PM
Softball vs. St. Mary’s University (TX)
12:30 PM
Baseball vs. University of Minnesota, Crookston
2:00 PM
Softball vs. Southern Arkansas University
3:00 PM
Women’s Basketball vs. Northeastern State University
5:00 PM
Men’s Basketball vs. Northeastern State University
7:00 PM
Theatre Production: “The Other Place” by Sharr White
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Washburn students completing their first semester of college with a 3.0 or higher GPA will be honored in a ceremony Feb. 12 as an extension of the university’s First Year Experience program.
FYE is currently a requirement for all incoming freshmen as of 2013 through the course WU 101. The program’s goal is to create a smooth transition for all first-time college students into campus life.
Invitations to the FYE Scholars ceremony were sent to 452 students from 12 states. The day begins with Registration from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Bradbury
Mulvane to host water symposium
On Feb. 20, Mulvane Art Museum will host a symposium from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. about Kansas water issues. This symposium is being held in addition to the current exhibition “Drift and Drag: Reflections on Water.” The event will boast several speakers, with the keynote speech at 10 a.m. by Rex Buchanan, Interim Director of the Kansas Geological Survery. Immediately following this will be a panel discussion facilitated by Buchanan. In the afternoon, there will be another panel discussion facilitated by Reinhild Janzen, Professor Emerita of Art History at Washburn University.
Thompson Alumni Center, followed by the ceremony at 2 p.m. hosted by President Jerry Farley and Vice President for Academic Affairs Randy Pembrook. Celebratory events will be held at 3 p.m. and followed by a discounted meal at 4:30 p.m. courtesy of Washburn University Dining Services.
At 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., discounted tickets to Ichabods women’s and men’s basketball games against the University of Central Oklahoma will be on sale.
FYE Scholars will be recognized on court between games.
Free cello concert
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, White Concert Hall is hosting a free concert on Saturday, Feb. 14th at 3 p.m. Cellists of all ages and abilities will gather to perform for Washburn’s very first I Heart Cello Day, sponsored by the Washburn Department of Music.
The musicians will participate in specialized instruction based on their ability level, instructed by Washburn music faculty members and students in the Washburn Cello Studio, a group of cello performance majors.
Registration is still open; interested musical participants can contact Erinn Renyer at (785) 670-1511. Pizza and a t-shirt will be provided.
WFebruary 2
15:57 - Information Report: Fraudulent Use of Financial Card, Dooney Bourke: Internet Relailer. Report Taken: Card used for a purchase from an internet retailer: investigation continues.
February 6
14:00 - Theft/Bicycle, Criminal Damage/Bike Lock, Stoffer Science Hall. Report Taken: No suspect(s) at this time: investigation contiunes.
Students who have not yet had their portrait taken for the yearbook will get the chace to do so during the Spring Career Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m in Lee Arena.
Student Media will also be providing students with the oppourtunity to have professional photos taken for their LinkedIn profiles at the Career Fair.
Professional or business ca-
sual attire is recommended for LinkedIn profile photos.
Free business attire fashion show, lunch
On Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center, Martha Piland, CEO of MB Piland Advertising, will be offering a free lunch and business attire fashion show.
The show is sponsored by MB Piland, JCPenney, and Dillard’s. Piland represents one of the top advertising companies in the area, and after the show will be discussing key job hunting topics such as networking, cover letters, resumes, dress attire and interviewing skills.
While aimed at declared business majors, all students are encouraged to attend and join in the festivities. RSVP by Friday, Feb. 13th by emailing charles. morgan1@washburn.edu.
Free tax assistance for low income students
Every Saturday, from Feb. 5 through April 11, Washburn University School of Law is offering free tax services to qualifying, low-income taxpayers when filing their returns.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program provides assistance to Kansas, Missouri and Illinois residents who make $52,000 or less per year and are not itemizing deductions.
Students working in the program prepared approximately
200 federal and state tax returns last year.
Coordinating the event this year is Professor Lori McMillan, assisted by 25 students.
The service is first-come, first-served; no appointments will be taken. VITA will be located on the first floor commons area of the law school, using the southern entrance off of 17th and Macvicar.
For more information, please visit washburn.edu/vita.
ashburn Campus Police Report
February 6
00:18 - Information Report, Intrusion Alarm x3, Garvey Fine Arts Center. Report Taken: Probable cause is a mobile suspended from the ceiling in the north gallery on the 2nd floor. This was seen swinging at the times the air handler was running. No other cause could be found.
February 6
12:56 - Motor Vehicle Accident, Washburn Institute of Tech. Report Taken: Photos taken.
February 8
15:21 - Information Report, Damaged Washburn Property, Parking Lot E. Report taken: parking sign found in the roadway: unknown how it got there.
February 9
11:35 - Theft/Motor Vehicle and License Tag, Parking Lot 9. Report Taken: No suspect(s) at this time: vehicle and license tag entered into NCIC.
February 9
15:04 - Attempted Theft/Motor Vehicle, Criminal damage/ Ignition Switch, Alpha Phi Sorority. Report Taken: no suspect(s) at this time: investigation contiunes.
Professor evaulation bias
Anamika Das WASHBURN REVIEW
Jennifer Ball, associate professor of economics at the Washburn school of business and president of the faculty senate at Washburn, revealed some intriguing facts about student evaluations of university professors across the United States.
“The students’ evaluation process was started as a part of the U.S. university culture to receive constructive criticism for improvements,” Ball said. National research has found that the same professor is often evaluated differently by sets of students under various courses taught by the same professor. Students under an intermediate course are likely to evaluate the professor with lower scores than students who have opted for a principal course under the same professor. Along similar lines, educators and professors teaching courses under hard sciences have been receiving lower scores than the ones teaching courses under soft sciences.
Apart from the levels and complexity of the courses, the demographics of educators have also been recorded as one of the factors for judgment during evaluation. In general, various
stereotypes or expectations arise due to the demographics. As found in the studies, students expect more warmth and leniency from female professors than male professors. Also, students seem to have higher expectations from professionally senior or biologically older professors than junior or younger professors, which may or may not always hold true. These stereo-
typical expectations often lead to biased evaluations.
“Although there is extensive data available for demographics, gender and level of courses, not much has been found about ethnicity or race,” Ball said. However, a few studies indicate that differences in accents or linguistic ability and differenc-
es between students and their professors can also be factors in deciding the evaluation scores.
“If an efficient professor fails to be awarded his or her tenure because of such stereotypes, then it becomes a huge deal,” Ball said.
During a session at the faculty senate meeting on Jan. 30, Ball announced the establishment of an evaluation review committee very soon, as one of the major aims of the senate is to avoid any such injustice taking place at Washburn.
The committee will not lay out policies or rules, since every department at Washburn follows its own way of evaluating. However, it will go through an in depth study of such available literature, review evaluations, document facts and findings and send out a final document comprising of all the above mentioned information, which shall further help in making policies to neutralize and eliminate any kind of biases in the evaluation process. This will help in a fair process of appraisals, promotions and raises for faculty members at Washburn University.
Anamika Das, anamika.das@ washburn.edu, is a sophomore mass media major
Faculty Senate discusses recruitment issues
On Feb. 2, The Faculty Senate conducted a meeting in the Kansas room at the Memorial Union, two months after its last session that was held on December 1, 2014.
The meeting commenced with Randy Pembrook, vice president of academic Affairs, announcing the beginning of the 150th birthday week for Washburn University. He then introduced the presentation of the Lincoln Harman lecture series, which would occur on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. Besides only celebrating Washburn University’s anniversary week they spoke about how they would be having a special 150th anniversary day on the actual anniversay, which was on Friday, Feb. 6.
The meeting proceeded with discussions regarding the faculty agenda item No. 15-04, which was submitted by Jennifer Ball, president of faculty senate, on Sept. 18, 2014. The agenda item was an effort to make essential amendments in order to increase the representation of various academic units in the Academic Affairs Committee. In general, the senators consid-
ered it essential to focus upon further details and implications of the amendment. Since it was not an immediate requirement, the amendment agenda paused, with a motion of postponement, and will be taken up again in the next meeting.
The next item of discussion was introduced by Richard Liedtke, executive director of enrollment management, and Kris Klima, director of admissions. They spoke about efforts to recruit fresh students for WU. Currently, the goal is to recruit 8000 students at the commencement of the fall semester. While discussions threw light upon departmental recruitment, Pembrook suggested that instead of looking at departmental student recruitment, the process should be more focused upon a generalized recruitment.
Suggestions were also made to compare and contrast the procedures of recruitment followed at WU with the other universities from the neighboring cities and states.
Another item of discussion was directed towards the issue of certain biased elements present in the teacher evaluation techniques.
“Women are often evaluat-
Bod Bikes: Washburn University’s collaboration with the Topeka Metro system will provide students and staff with a new, affordable transportation.
Social Bicycles
ed with lower evaluation techniques than men”, Ball said, mentioning an example on the topic. She claims that researchers have found out that biases do in fact exist in various evaluations and the topic deserves further exploration in order to neutralize such gender or culture specific biases.
This topic was also supported by suggestions relating to comparison of evaluation methods from across the United States for better judgment and improvement strategies.
Following the recommendation of Gaspar Porta, one of the main objectives of the senate is to establish a committee that would conduct research and reviews over evaluation techniques to eliminate any occurrences of bias.
The president of the senate promised to send details about the soon-to-formed committe via email.,
After deliberating upon the agendas and topics due for the day, the meeting was adjourned.
Anamika Das, anamika.das@ washburn.edu, is a sophomore mass media major
An exciting new transportation opportunity will be coming to Washburn University this spring in the form of the Social Bicycles program. “Topeka Metro Bikes is a bikeshare system launching in Topeka on April 15, 2015. The system will make 100 bicycles available for short-term rental throughout Topeka,” said Karl Fundenberger, Director of Bicycle Operations at Topeka Metro.
Membership each year will cost $25 for residents and $20 for Washburn students, faculty and staff. Members will be able to use the bicycles for up to two hours every day.
“Washburn will be host to about 25 bicycles, spread across campus bike racks and a few Topeka Metro Bikes stations.”
Fundenberger said. “Any member can use the website, topekametrobikes.org or the mobile application to find the nearest bike and reserve it. The bikes have a built-in lock and GPS unit so they’re always easy to locate, and they can be locked up at any bike rack in the city.”
“Each bike will have a driveshaft instead of a chain, and drum brakes and a three-speed transmission. They are designed and built to last.”
This collaboration between Washburn University and the Topeka Metro system began two years ago when all Washburn ID holders gained the ability to ride free on Topeka Metro’s fixedroute bus system.
“Almost a dozen departments have gotten involved in the
bikeshare launch, from WSGA, to the International House, to Facilities, and beyond,” Fundenberger said, “We are thrilled to be launching on campus!”
“More people should ride bicycles. In a culture that sometimes appears to be dominated by stress, but there is great freedom found on a bicycle. Imagine the health status of both the people and the planet if more people chose a bicycle instead of a car.” said Ben Marx, assistant director of Fitness & Wellness at the Washburn University Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
For those wanting to get involved with the program, there will be a launch event and open house on the Union Porch between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 15.
“The first people to sign up for membership at the event might win some Topeka Metro Bikes swag, and early members will be able to join us for a mass bike ride from Washburn to the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library,” said Fundenberger
“The goal is for bikes to be useful; Topeka Metro sees this as an opportunity to expand the transportation solutions we provide. Personal mobility is a challenge for many people in Topeka, especially students who may not have easy access to cars or other means of getting around, so we hope that these bicycles make it just a little bit easier,” said Fundenberger
Foiles, grace.foiles@ washburn.edu, is an undeclared sophomore.
Grace
Grace Foiles WASHBURN REVIEW
Photo courtesy of Social Bicycles
Photo courtesy of Washburn
Anamika Das WASHBURN REVIEW
Graduate project chosen for undergrad
Emily Kobzar WASHBURN REVIEW
Casey Woodward graduated from Washburn University in 2004 with a Criminal Justice degree. For 15 years she worked with and taught juvenile delinquents, then decided to go back to school for her secondary history teaching license.
“What makes me happy is working with kids,” Woodward said. “I’ve always had a passion for teaching and am interested in Kansas history.”
Her research project, “No One Listened,” was one of few chosen for Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol 2015. It digs deep into Kansas history and tells a tale of many Native American children forced to be assimilated into white culture by attending boarding school.
The four main points she brings to light are, health and nutrition, environment, everyday regimen, and basic education. Woodward did most of her research at the Cultural Center in Haskell Indian Nations University, which she found out used to be a boarding school it-
self. In addition, she researched at the State Archives in Kansas City. Both locations yielded an abundance of information, including microfilm, adding to the depth of her project.
“The more I dove into it the more I realized I had no idea and the more complex the children
appeared,” Woodward said. There were so many stories Woodward said she wanted to tell and so many voices wanting to be heard. One girl in particular that she really connected with was Bright Eyes, who in 1879 wrote to the newspapers about the wrongs that were be-
ing done. Like so many others, hers was a tale of injustice.
Woodward poured through stacks of letters and petitions sent by parents and children fighting the policies put in place to force the Native American children to be put in boarding schools.
“To be clear,” Woodward said. “Some were upset and others weren’t. Sometimes their home lives were bad so they were happy to go to the boarding school.”
For the most part though, she found that families and children were being torn apart and stripped of their native culture.
Woodward learned a lot about the struggle they went through, and she found more of a passion for Native American studies.
Growing up in the Rural Valley area as a child, Woodward remembered learning very little about the history of Kansas and the Native American children, something she doesn’t want to continue to happen.
“I grew up with Pottawatomi kids, but knew so little of their history or culture,” said Woodward.
Woodward’s mentor, Ker-
ry Wynn, sparked a flame that inspired her to learn and write about the Native Americans and Kansas history in her research project “No One Listened.”
“Talking with her helped me find that passion,” said Woodward. “To recognize how important Kansas history is and to pay attention to how much children affect society.”
Woodward added that children need to know what they are being provided with educationally and to have a passion for learning. There is a lack of information and curriculum being taught in elementary, and secondary schools about Native Americans.
Kansas is rich with their history and culture, yet it is rarely found in school books. Woodward wants her research project to be a voice to parents and children, urging them to look at what is really being taught in the schools. “We need to pay attention to how much children affect society,” said Woodward.
Emily Kobzar, emily.kobzar@ washburn.edu, is a freshman english major
Bench thrown down into Living Learning Center Lobby
Stephanie Cannon WASHBURN REVIEW
As stated in last week’s police report, on Jan. 29, at 10:59 PM, an incident occurred in the Living Learning Center. A property damage report was filed in which a man tossed a bench from the upper balcony into the lobby below.
Witnesses described the man as being 6’ 4”, 250 to 280 pounds, with brown hair and a scruffy brown beard. He was described as muscular and was wearing a green sweatshirt and dark grey sweatpants. Witnesses couldn’t agree on the man’s age but some thought he could have been college age.
The man wasn’t exactly angry, according to reports, but he was spouting incoherent, nonsensical phrases at individuals in the area as well as those passing through. Witnesses stated that
the individual wasn’t acting in a typical manner, though it was unclear if the man was suffering from mental health issues or if he were under the influence of an unknown substance.
After speaking to several individuals, the man then picked up one of the benches on the second floor of the Living Learning Center building and then threw it down to the lower level. It is unclear, from reports, if the individual looked to see if there were any students gathered in the lower level’s lobby before he tossed the bench over the balcony and it is fortunate that no students were injured in the incident.
This area of the LLC is open to the public because of the classroom and meeting space it contains, so it is effectively an extension of the Memorial Student Union. When asked, the Washburn Police Department
assured that the individual at no time had access to the secured living facility, so the students the man had contact with were minimal.
“Whoever this individual is, we’d sure like to find out,” said Chris Enos, Captain of the WPD. “At this point it doesn’t sound like it was anyone who is a part of the campus community, faculty, staff or student, so it may possibly be someone who lives in the area.”
If students wish to help police when incidents occur, Enos recommends,” Obviously don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Make sure you call police as soon as you can when you think it’s safe to do so.”
Enos also points out that in the age of cellphones that students, who act in a safe and discreet manor that doesn’t draw
attention to themselves, can take pictures or video to help with police investigations such as these.
“It might not hurt to videotape or photograph this person so you have a record of what they’re saying or doing.” Enos said. Anyone with information about the incident should contact WPD at (785) 670-1153.
Stephanie Cannon, stephanie. cannon@washburn.edu, is a junior mass media major
Photo courtesy of Casey Woodward
No One Listened: Casey Woodward’s research project probes into the past, looking at forced assimilation of Native American children.
Breakin’ the Law: The Living Learning Center was the scene of crime on Jan. 29, which involved property damage and a thrown bench.
Photo courtesy of Washburn.edu
Health hyperbole can be inappropriate, hurtful
Think about past few months worth of conversation, how many times has the phrase “oh I’m so OCD”, “I’m feeling pretty depressed”, or “gosh I’ve got a lot of anxiety right now” been heard in passing? Either the rate of diagnosis for mental illnesses has skyrocketed, or we have made a societal habit of using completely incorrect terms.
The blatant and abundant misuse of this clinical terminology fills me with a rage so hot that I could burn a hole through a dictionary with nothing but focus and my glare.
Words have power and when we lightly toss around these words it completely invalidates people who actually have anxiety, OCD, or bipolar disorder.
So no, a person does not have OCD because they like to color coordinate their sock drawer, or if their room is really neat, some actual symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder include excessive hoarding and incessant disturbing thoughts like the thought of murdering a close family member.
Anxiety isn’t just feeling nervous before the big interview. A person diagnosed with anxiety might experience the following: heart palpatations, shortness of breath, nausea, and fear of impending doom.
Many who have suffered an anxiety attack without knowing what these symptoms mean assume that they are dying.
Also depression is not just being sad when sad things happen. Its an over arching, all consuming weight that makes life incredibly difficult.
As a nice rule, next time someone goes to say something and plans on using a term for mental illness, instead replace that term with a different physical illness. For example lets replace the term depression with something people take seriously, “Look I know Jim has “cancer.” we all have a little cancer but he just needs to toughen up and work through it.”
See how absolutely awful that sounds? That is what you sound like when treat mental illness as a fad, instead of, you know, AN ILLNESS.
When we use these terms as a way to seem “cute” or “quirky” it makes it that much more difficult for people who actually suffer from these disorders to be taken seriously.
These illnesses, like any other, are treated with medication and therapy, they are not just something that you can brush off as an “ecentricity.”
The brain is an organ, and when something goes wrong with it, it needs to be treated and taken seriously. We wouldn’t tell someone with liver failure to buck up, grin, and bear it. So why do we treat mental illness this way?
If we want to improve the dialog on mental illness and reduce the stigma surrounding them, a great place to start will be in our everyday conversations.
Each week, the Washburn Review will recognize an individual or individuals who have thrust themselves into the public limelight, with actions and or statements that prove worthy of editorializing. Said person has gone above and beyond to prove themself A Societal Standout. Opinions expressed below are strictly those of the author and do not reflect upon the Washburn Review or Washburn University as a whole.
Recently our dear governor bestowed upon Kansas the great gift of media attention. Remember, no press is bad press! And with the way Brownback has been generating press, he might just be on his way to a presidential election.
2/5 -- Brownback makes sure to teach ‘his citizens’ that balancing a budget while continuing to give breaks to massive corporations is so necessary that we also must all share our portion of the burden. Child and adult alike must sacrifice the privilege of education so we can continue to receive our great bounty from those powers that be that guide Brownback’s hand every time he signs a bill into law.
2/10 -- Brownback announces to the world that his state will no longer follow the executive order, protecting LGBT state workers, because if Kansas is going to make the effort to protect certain classes against discrimination they had better damn well have a state law forcing them to do so! Where would we all be without our great leader? Soon, we’ll have no worries left. No schools, no jobs, no hope...?
While the weekend before Valentine’s Day might seem a little early to grab a date and hit the town, that didn’t stop a parade of local artists and art lovers from taking to the streets of Topeka for an unseasonably warm First Friday Art Walk.
Par for the First Friday course, the NOTO Arts District in North Topeka and the downtown area were both bustling with action.
Downtown retailers and businesses held their annual Valentine’s Day Choc-
Friday unites artists, businesses
olate Walk and offered a smörgåsbord of chocolaty treats - including a chocolate fountain, chocolate wine and chocolate beer - for attendees. Topekans strolled in and out of The Merchant, BOHOMojo, Hazel Hill, NexLynx and more for sweets and visual treats.
North of the river, NOTO-based galleries and shops hosted a wide variety of artists and performers. While the sidewalk performers and street musicians that frequent the
district remained in hibernation for the winter, the shops themselves remained packed throughout the night.
The night turned out especially well for photographer/painter Allison K. Smith, who celebrated her first-ever First Friday exhibition inside Matryoshka Tattoo.
“It was a great experience and I met lots of new people and put names to faces I had seen around the district for ages,” Smith said. “I am excited and
In Downtown Topeka
felt honored to finally make my debut in NOTO at Matryoshka. The amount of support I received was a blessing and a fabulous surprise!”
Held on the first Friday on every month in NOTO, downtown and at various locations across Topeka - including the Mulvane Art Museum - the First Friday Art Walks have become a popular outing for supporters and contributors to Topeka’s blossoming arts scene.
Ryan Ogle, ryan.ogle@washburn.edu, is a senior mass media major.
Howl at the Moon: Sarah Frizzell of ARTSConnect Topeka [left] and Alexander Lancaster, owner of Two Wolves Artist Den & Studio [right], spent time on First Friday hanging out in the lounge at Two Wolves. The NOTO-based studio is home to a diverse collective of local artists.
Below: Saxophonist Bob Wolfersberger serenaded the NOTO crowd with a selection of jazz standards and Valentine’s Day love ballads in front of 4 Girls Garage.
Below: Painter Maria Haag poses in front of her artwork during her exhibition inside American Family Insurance at the corner of 6th & Jackson. Haag recently graduated from Washburn with a BFA
Above: Artists Allison Smith, Staci Dawn and Jennifer Bohlander [left to right] laugh it up in NOTO’s Matryoshka Tattoo.
Above: Bluegrass/folk artist Kirk Drager crooned to the NexLynx crowd. Computer biz by day, art gallery by night, NexLynx celebrated its 50th artwalk.
Above: Kendra Palmer of Bunker Coffee kept the NOTO warm and caffeinated as an evening chill set in on First Friday.
Right: Mary Edison, Topeka, reaped the sweet benefits of NexLynx’s chocolate fountain. The downtown business offered a spread of goodies for First Friday’s Valentine’s Day Chocolate Walk.
Ichabods fall in rivalry game to Emporia State
Tyler Feist
WASHBURN REVIEW
The Washburn women’s basketball team took the turnpike to Emporia to compete in the annual rivalry game against Emporia State. ESU came into the game with a 17-2 record and looked to beat Washburn for the sixth consecutive time.
Merissa Quick sparked ESU and led the Hornets in a solid start to the game. After scoring 20 points in the first ten minutes, ESU was on pace to have a high scoring first half and had a 2011 lead.
Washburn tightened up the defense and held ESU to just eight points the rest of the half. The Hornets led almost the entire first half, but with 12 seconds left Casey Buchman tied the game with a free throw. The two teams were even at 28-28 at halftime.
The Ichabods turned the ball over on their first two possessions and got off to a poor start in the second half. Washburn scored only five points in the first seven minutes. However, ESU began the second half on a 7-0 run.
The rest of the game the two teams were even, but Washburn could never quite catch up to ESU. The major turning point in the game was the first three minutes of the second half. ESU gained a quick 7-point lead and that would be the difference in the end. Emporia State defeated Washburn, 62-55.
Despite the loss, Jayna Smith and Honor Duvall had great performances. Smith finished with her first career double-double, a career high 11 rebounds, and 11 points. Honor Duvall found her shot early and finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds. Casyn Buchman also had a respectable 12 points and 4 rebounds.
WU ended shooting just 31 percent from the field and missed all 13 of their three point attempts. The loss made Washburn 14-7 overall and 6-7 in the MIAA.
Emporia State finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field and made 5-13 3-pointers. With the win Emporia State is now 18-2 and 11-2 in the MIAA.
Tyler Feist, tyler.feist@washburn.edu, is a freshman business major.
Next Game
Thursday, Feb. 12
Washburn’s Lee Arena
After Further Review
Trevin Edelman WASHBURN REVIEW
Greetings readers, sports fans or otherwise.
Every week for at least this semester I will be penning my thoughts, observations and yes, occasionally my opinions about sports here in the Washburn Review. For the 21 years of my life, I have lived and breathed the world of sports. From the time I was in kindergarten I played organized sports. Now that my playing days are over, I need to keep myself in the sporting arena, so to speak, and I thought, “What better way to do it than write about my sporting observations?”
My goal with this column is to talk about issues and topics around the world of sports and give each and every one of you something to think about. Some of you may agree with some of the things that I say, and some may disagree. Either way, I don’t want you to read this column because you agree, or skip past it because you disagree. I want you to read it and take a second out of your daily hustle and bustle and have a little sports time – some time to reflect on what’s happening in sports and how it affects your favorite sports, teams or players. Now that we have introductions out of the way, let’s open up this bad boy and start the semester right.
address the nation regarding the State of the Sports Union. I would imagine that it would go something like this:
“To the people of the United States of Sports,
What a long, strange trip it’s been. We have had our ups and downs, our ins and outs, and all that is just in college football. We have come a long way in the last couple years in representing ourselves to the world, no thanks to running backs and lying homerun hitters. Nonetheless, people outside of the sports realm are taking notice of how we in the realm have handled these negative situations and they see that we are not all criminals and cheaters; instead we are hardworking and dedicated to providing the highest level of completion for the entertainment of all who watch. We are doing well to make money whenever we need it. I’m looking at you, college athletes that work seven days a week to bring in money for your schools and not seeing any of that. You are the real MVP.
erally.”
To end the column, I’ll leave you, the reader, with possibly a bit of wisdom that I heard during the week or a question to think about until the next week or it could be a mixture of the two. So for the first column, I want to challenge you to think a time when sports made you feel on top of the world or a time when sports gave you a refuge from what was going on in your life. After you soak in that moment, think about who made that moment possible. It could have been a teammate, a coach or as it was in my case, my parents who made all of my sports memories possible. Give that person a call, go visit them – just let them know what that moment meant to you. Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to go on this sports journey with you.
Women’s @ 5:30 Men’s @ 7:30 AT
As I drive home from a basketball tournament I turn on my radio to find someone to take along for the ride. I flip through and decide to listen to President Obama address Congress and the nation in the annual State of the Union Address. Listening to the president address topics such as the economy, community college, Mars and well, the economy again, I begin to think of what the fictional President of the United States of Sports would say if he or she had to
In closing, I would like to remind everyone that with all of the hate and the strife that goes on in the world, sports provide a place for the rich and the poor, black and white, big city dweller or small town farmer to come together, forget about their problems and just enjoy the spirit of competition. It’s a place where two people, even rivals, can just enjoy a few moments of peace in their lives. So remember to enjoy yourself during competition and knock ‘em dead in 2015. But please NFL, not lit-
Trevin Edelman, trevin. edelman@washburn.edu, is a junior mass media major.
Softball drops close game
By wusports.com
The Ichabods scored the first seven runs of the game, scoring five in the first inning capped by a pair of home runs as Savannah Moore hit a 2-run homer in her first collegiate at bat while Lauren Thimmesch had a 2-run home run and Jordan Erickson hit a solo shot staking Washburn to a 5-0 lead.
The Ichabods added two more in the top of the second as Kristen Bell led off the inning with a triple and scored on a fielder’s choice by Megan Stegman. Erickson drove in a run in the second inning as well. But the Drovers scored four runs in the second, added two more in the fifth and one more in the seventh tying the
score. Using the international tie-breaker, the Ichabods came up scoreless in the seventh and USAO finished the game with a solo run in the eighth for the win.
Erickson had two hits to lead Washburn and Thimmesch, Erickson and Moore all had two RBIs.
North breaks 1,000 points
Washburn men’s
North
Head coach Bob Chipman later said
Adam Vlach, adam.vlach@ washburn.edu, is
Men’s basketball comeback stymied by buzzer-beater
Tyler Feist WASHBURN REVIEW
After beating Fort Hays State 69-58, the Washburn men’s basketball team was headed to Emporia with some momentum. The Ichabods were hoping to get a meaningful road victory in their rivalry game against Emporia State.
Washburn got off to a very slow start and was held scoreless for the first five-and-a-half minutes. Emporia State had about as good as a start as a team can have.
With under 10 minutes to go in the first half, ESU had a 22-4 lead. Washburn chipped away at the lead a little bit, but the momentum remained on ESU’s side at halftime. Going into the locker room, ESU had a 34-22 lead.
The Ichabod’s leading scorer, Alex North, had committed his third personal foul halfway through the first half.
start was their offensive rebounding. The Hornets had 8 second chance points, 11 offensive rebounds, and 20 points in the paint in the first half. ESU shot 41 percent from the field and 29 percent from behind the arc.
Washburn started the second half on a 7-0 run, but ESU answered with a 10-0 run of their own. The score was 44-29, Emporia State with 14 minutes remaining. But the Ichabods continued to chip away at the Hornets’ lead.
Algie Key was a pivotal factor that brought Washburn back into the game. He cut the lead down to five after hitting a 3-pointer with under three minutes remaining. After an ESU turnover, Key made two free throws to make the score 57-56, Hornets.
ESU made a couple free throws and Key made another free throw to make the score 59-57 with 20 seconds left.
put Emporia State’s Michael Harris at the free throw line for a one-andone. Harris missed the free throw and Key took it all the way down the court and tied the game with a layup with 4 seconds left.
ESU threw the ball in quickly and Jay Temaat banked a 35 foot three pointer at the buzzer to win 62-59.
Washburn suffered a tough loss after an unlikely second half comeback. The difference in the end was free-throw shooting. The Bods missed a couple late opportunities by not making their free throws down the stretch. Washburn finished just 17-26 from the free-throw line and ESU made 14-18 of their free throws. That loss made Washburn 11-13 overall and 6-7 in the MIAA.
Tyler Feist, tyler.feist@ washburn.edu, is a freshman business major.
Graphic by Chelsea Howe
Reader’s Theater thrives in Washburn’s ‘The Other Place’
The Others: [Foreground, left-right] Austin Swisher and Abbey Geiss run through their lines during a dress rehearsal for “The Other Place.” Grace Foiles and Michael Anschutz await their cues in the background. “The Other Place” opens on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Andrew J. and Georgia Neese Gray Theatre.
Kenzie McCoy
WASHBURN REVIEW
For Juliana Smithton, life is complete chaos. Although she’s successful in her field of work (neurology), her home life and her health has taken a turn for the worse.
Washburn’s theater department is performing Sharr White’s “The Other Place” in the Andrew J. and Georgia Neese Gray Theatre on Feb. 1314 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 15 at 2:00 p.m.
The play will be performed in the Reader’s Theater style, with students reading directly from scripts.
“I really like [this play] because it’s different,” said Amy Reinhardt, junior mass media major, who plays Smithton’s daughter, Laurel. “We don’t have costumes and a set so [the audience] can focus on the words and language. The more I think about [the play] I realize that it’s sad. It pulls on your heart strings.”
Juliana Smithton, played by Abbey Geiss, senior theater major, is plagued by the recent tragic events in her life. Her husband is filing for divorce and her daughter has run away with a much older man.
However, Smithton has more to worry about when her health begins to fade and her thoughts become confused. Although Smithton says her poor health is due to brain cancer, her actions and the doctors may say otherwise.
Michael Anschutz, a freshman English education major who plays Richard Sillner, says that this play is interesting because with modern technology, there may be a cure for what Smithton is really dealing with.
“There’s also lots of cussing, which keeps the audience’s attention,” Anschutz said.
The play keeps the audience guessing about Smithton’s real health issues and mental state. However, Smithton’s decline is made obvious after she mistakes a random young woman as her own daughter.
Showings of “The Other Place” are free and open to the public.
In April, the Washburn Theater will run their production of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”
For more information on the Washburn Theater Department, visit www.washburn.edu/cas/ theather.
Kenzie McCoy, mckenzie.mccoy@washburn.edu, is a sophomore mass media major
Jandy Nelson spotlights teen drama in ‘I’ll Give You the Sun’
Colleen Kelly
WASHBURN REVIEW
In consideration of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would indulge in a young adult romance I had been chomping at the bits to read.
“I’ll Give You the Sun” is told from the dual perspectives of twins Noah and Jude at different times in their lives. Noah’s narrative takes place when the two are 13 years old and focuses on his struggles living in his sister’s shadow at home, social isolation, burgeoning sexuality and desire to attend a prestigious California art school.
Sun” was a romantic dramedy at its finest, with equal parts grin-inducing romance, fun dialogue and tragedy.
This novel was beautifully and succinctly written. Nelson wove together an intricately detailed story riddled with poetic metaphor in her incredibly honest portrayal of these complex, deeply flawed twins.
While I enjoyed Noah’s narrative more than Jude’s at times (largely because her love interest was disappointingly cliché), they both worked wonderfully as narrators.
is a lot of sex, drinking and swearing throughout the story. It's essentially everything one would expect from real life high schoolers without a filter.
Despite a few spoiler-filled issues I had with it, “I’ll Give You the Sun” was an ambitious, gorgeously executed novel and I’ll sing its praises any day. 4/5 stars
Jude’s story takes place three years later when the two are 16 and she is no longer the fearless, vivacious surfer girl loved by all, instead, she’s a superstitious recluse attending the very art school her brother applied to (without him) and racked with guilt over her role in their mother’s death.
But that’s not to say that the story was all gloom and doom. If anything, “I’ll Give You the
The nonlinear storytelling was fluid and gave me such a vivid outsider’s perspective to watch the twins deal with their demons and mend their relationship. I had no trouble distinguishing the twins’ voices and I felt like I got a pretty great handle on their personalities and motivations early on without being bogged down with convenient plot devices, which is always a welcome surprise.
I will say that the writing style could be irritating. While polished, the dreamy, metaphoric writing style had a bad habit of lessening the atmosphere of more intense scenes when I had to decode what was and wasn’t real.
Courtesy disclaimer: there
Colleen Kelly, colleen.kelly@ washburn.edu, is a sophomore English major
Graphic by Spencer Perry
Photo by Kenzie McCoy
Washburn history professor has talent in
Katie Wade WASHBURN REVIEW
Tony Silvestri, a beloved professor in the history department, has been described as a Renaissance man of the Washburn campus. While he is most well-known on campus for his uniquely taught history courses, he is also a successful artist and lyricist. Silvestri’s first full-fledged opera, “The Pastry Prince,” opened Jan. 29 in Houston, Texas.
Silvestri was commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera to write the libretto for the opera as per suggestion by Mark Buller, the commissioned composer. Houston Grand Opera has a program called Opera to Go! that brings opera to schools in the community.
“It brings children’s opera, or adaptations of adult operas, to elementary school, middle school, and high school audiences,” Silvestri said. “They’ve been doing it for twenty-someodd years and they’ve commissioned a lot of new works written specifically for children.”
While this is Silvestri’s first complete opera, he has published more than twenty collaborative works with composers, such as his friend, Eric
Whitacre.
Houston Grand Opera contacted Silvestri in the fall 2013 about commissioning him for the project.
“They contacted me and reviewed me and wanted to make sure that I could work with a composer,” Silvestri said. “So I explained to them that this is what I do, I accommodate to composers’ needs. I’m a singer so I understand opera and I understand what I’m up against.”
Silvestri was officially commissioned in Nov. 2013 and delivered his libretto in May 2014. Then the editing process began.
“I didn’t really understand how long 45 minutes would be,” Silvestri said. “So I wrote something that when I said it and sang it to myself it lasted about 45 minutes. Well it turns out that it was almost an hour so I had to cut 15 minutes out of what I had written.”
In Aug. 2014, Silvestri travelled to Houston for a workshop, where the entire team gathered together to get the show running smoothly.
“The actors had been hired, the singers were there, the director had been hired. They had the creative team in place – the set designer, the costume designer, the stage manager – and they
had the composer and the lyricist all together in one room for one week to practice the show and to see what it needs and to develop character work and so on,” Silvestri said. “I left the workshop in August really happy that we had something that was great.”
The show itself is an opera within an opera, as Silvestri described. A troupe of actors is preparing to perform for a duke that night and finds that their baritone has gone missing. Their panic is overheard by the duke himself who decides to have a bit of fun with the troupe. In disguise, he offers to play the baritone’s part, so that the show may go on.
The actors and the duke in disguise begin to rehearse their performance of “The Pastry Prince” about a baker’s daughter who makes for herself a husband out of pastry. When a magic queen decides she wants the pastry prince, she locks him in her castle and the baker’s daughter has to rescue him.
“It’s a gender reverse on the normal fairytale,” Silvestri said “He’s locked in the tower and she as to rescue him…there’s some tango music and funny stuff and yay and all things work out fine.”
“Kids loved it and the teachers loved it,” Silvestri said. “I tried to build in enough jokes for adults, sort of like ‘Shrek’, so that kids would laugh at the more slapsticky stuff, but then adults laugh at the clever lyrics.”
Silvestri is grateful for this opportunity he had to work with a creative team and to experience the process of putting an entire opera and performance together.
is an expert in history and
“I’m very proud of what I wrote and the music that Mark wrote just matches so perfectly what I envisioned,” Silvestri said. “When you bring in other creative minds you have to compromise and you end up seeing that together you can form and create a work of art that is better than any one individual could create on their own. In terms of that process it was very valuable.”
“The Pastry Prince” is scheduled to be performed at 70 different schools around the Houston area and expected to reach
about 25,000 students. But Silvestri’s work with the Houston Grand Opera will not end here with “The Pastry Prince.”
“They commissioned us to write another one so we’ll be going through the whole process again next year,” Silvestri said “I’ll sign the contract soon. They want a libretto by May. We’ll have another workshop in August and another premiere in front of school kids in January.”
Katie Wade, katie.wade@ washburn.edu, is a sophomore mass media major
photo courtesy of Tony Silvestri
MAN OF MANY TALENTS: Washburn‘s Tony Silvestri
opera.