Despite the sensitive nature of the reported incident, the
has students questioning the university’s emergency notification policy.
Response to sexual assault raises concerns
distinction was made that the incident did not place the student body in danger.
As reported last week, university police are investigating a reported rape on campus.
According to Washburn University Police Department Capt. Chris Enos, the incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 11 between the hours of 8:30 - 8:55 a.m. in Carole Chapel.
“It’s an ongoing investigation. We’re talking to all the parties involved and witnesses,” Enos said. “We want to protect the rights of the victim, so there is very little I can say about it at this point.”
The official police report states that a possible suspect has been identified.
In October of last year, when reports of sexual assault in the area of Washburn Village were made, the university was quick to send an email alert to the student body to warn them of possible danger.
However, no such alarm was sounded after the incident at Carole Chapel.
According to Director of University Relations, Patrick Early, no alert was sent because the
Washburn President Jerry Farley addressed the situation in an email sent to all faculty and staff on Tuesday afternoon. In the email, Farley stood behind the decision to not issue an alert.
“I can’t give you any further information about the incident itself since there is an ongoing investigation, but I concur there was no threat to the campus community involved and therefore, our police department properly followed our published policy in not issuing an iAlert in this matter,” Farley wrote. “We will begin, however, a thorough review of our timely notification policy.”
When news of the incident broke, a number of students expressed concern about the university’s decision to remain quiet.
“It’s irritating that students going to Washburn and their safety is in danger because they’re not aware of whats going on,” said Christian Sauerman, junior BFA. “Rape is serious. Rape shouldn’t be covered up. We should be getting this out to the public as soon as possible and
not five or six days later after the incident happened.”
Junior mass media major Monica McDougal agrees that the university should have been more proactive in their response to the report.
“I think it’s interesting how they’ll send out alerts for thefts or suspicious characters, then when a student is assaulted and broad daylight, on campus, you don’t think that’s not important to let people know? Especially considering we’re on the list of universities facing investigation over how we handle sexual assaults, you’d think they would take it seriously,” McDougal said. “We just need to stop covering up sexual assault. It’s a reality and the less we talk about it the more it’s going to happen and clearly no one expected the police to send out the name of the victim, but it would be good to let people know, ‘Hey, this happened and we’re doing everything to make sure it doesn’t happen again,’ and they just didn’t do it.”
Last summer, Washburn was included on a national list of more than 70 universities placed under federal investigation for their response to reports of sex-
ual assault reports. Inclusion on the list does not mean that Washburn was in violation of any laws, nor did the list give details regarding why Washburn was being investigated.
Campus resident and freshman English major Teagan Thomson believes that, not only do students have the right to be made informed when violent crimes occur on campus, but that Washburn should increase its already existing safety measures.
“People who live on campus deserve to know when things like this go on,” Thompson said. “And maybe put in more of the emergency phones in high traffic areas, like Mabee Library and other buildings on campus.” Anyone with information relating to this incident can contact university police at 785670-1153.
Aaron White and Stephanie Cannon contributed to this article.
decision made by campus officials to not alert students of an alleged sexual assault in Carole Chapel
Page 4: WSGA is moving forward with a propsed smoking ban on campus.
Page 12: ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is coming to Washburn Feb. 27 - 28.
Page 9: League of Legends is paving the path for e-sports.
Page 6 & 7: Gabriel Palma’s senior art exhibit is showing in the Art Building.
Ryan Ogle WASHBURN REVIEW
Photo by Ryan Ogle
C
alendar
God’s Bods
Neck up check up
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
American Business Women’s Association
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Brown Bag International
Lecture: Haitian Happiness
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Free Creatiwvity Lunch Group
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Cultural Conversations with Dan Coburn
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM WSGA
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Daniel Coburn, New Works Drift & Drag: Reflections on Water
Masters at the Mulvane: Ninety Years of Collecting Neck up check up
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
C-TEL Workshop: Flip Your Class
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Daniel Coburn, New Works Neck up check up
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Baseball at Fort Hays State University
2:00 PM
The Vagina Monologues
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Baseball vs. Southwest Baptist University
2:00 PM
Saturday, February 28
Softball vs. William Jewell College (Mo.) in TBD
12:00 PM
Baseball at Fort Hays State University
1:00 PM
Men’s and Women’s Tennis vs. McPherson College
2:00 PM
Baseball at Fort Hays State University
3:00 PM
Women’s Basketball vs. Pittsburg State University
5:00 PM
Men’s Basketball vs. Pittsburg State University
7:00 PM
The Vagina Monologues
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Briefs
Wasburn observatory open house
The Crane Observatory will be hosting another open house on March 5, 2015 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. as long as the weather is adequate for viewing. Join other Washburn students as they gaze skyward through a Warner & Swasey refracting telescope from the late 1800s.
Heavenly bodies that will be observed include the full moon through a moon filter, the planet Jupiter and the constellation Orion. Mars and Venus will be viewable until about 8:30 p.m.
The Observatory is located on the fourth floor of the Stoffer Science Hall. Visitors may use the southwest entrance and take the stairs to the fourth floor. The event is free to all adults and children, students and non-stu-
Fiber art night
Potwin Presbyterian Church on 400 SW Washburn is hosting an Open Stitch, Learn and Market Night on February 25. There will be beginner spinning kits available as well as resources to help you sell your handcrafted items. There will also be fiber and yarn for sale.
The guest speaker for this event is the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library’s own Lissa Staley. She will be discussing the resources for fiber arts and artist that are available at the library.
The event will be from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. A $5 donation to the church is appreciated. Feel welcome to bring a project. For more information about this event call the church at (785) 235-1311
dents alike. Those interested can call (785) 670-2264.
Theater Ensemble
The Ad Astra Theater Ensemble has announced their 2015 season. They will open their sixth season with the classic American dark comedy “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” by Edward Albee.
The cast for the show includes David Pomeroy, Linda Boyd, Jeff Boyer, Melissa Morris Boyer. The play is directed by Craig Fisher, and the set is provided by Warehouse 414 and Grandmontagne Designs.
The show will run from March 12 to March 15 at the Topeka Scottish Rite Center at 2300 SW 30 St. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and the doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door and online. To reserve tickets call (785) 409-3207 or visit www.adastratheater.com.
Sigma Phi Epsilon Fundraiser
Sigma Phi Epsilon is having its philanthropy week from March 2 to March 6. They will be raising money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Topeka. They will have a table in the Union March 2 through March 6 from 11a.m. until 1 p.m.
On March 3 SigEp will have its annual SPEghettii Feed from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at the SigEp house, 2001 Macvicar Ave, Topeka, Kansas. The cost is $5 for a serving or $10 for unlimited Spaghetti. Both meals also include breadsticks, meatballs, and salad.
On March 5 SigEp will have
its first ever Casino Night from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at their house. There will be a variety of casino games and prizes. A $5 suggested donation is appreciated.
For more information visit the Sigma Phi Epsilon facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/SigEpKSDelta
Senior psych majors host art lunch
On Wednesday Feb. 25 from noon to 1 p.m. there will be a free creativity lunch group meeting in the Lincoln Room of the Memorial Union.
Students will discuss readings from “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. All reading material will be provided for free and students are encouraged to bring their lunch-
Comedian at WU
On Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. comedian Emma Willmann will be performing at Washburn University. Willmann was named by TimeOutNY as one of New York’s Ten Funniest Female Comics and headlined her own show in the 2014 New York Comedy Festival.
For more information, and for the venue, contact Angela Valdivia with Student Activities and Greek Life at (785) 6701723 of at getalife@washburn. edu
es.
The meetings will run from Feb. 11 to March 25. Masters-level psychology students conduct the meetings and registration is limited. To sign up or for more information contact Delaina Thomas at (785) 827-5950 or at delania.thomas@ washburn.edu.
Bods Quidditch
Potterheads on campus have united to start an official Washburn quidditch team. Students interested in joining Bods Quidditch may call or text (785) 224-7904, leaving their name and phone number. Students are also encouraged to follow @BodsQuidditch on Twitter for updates about the team’s development. For more information on muggle quidditch, interested participants may visit usquidditch.org.
ashburn Campus Police Report
February 16
13:22 - Information Report
Suspicous Activity, Washburn Uni. Foundation. Report Taken: Suspicious Letter Picked Up; Investigation continues.
February 17
23:36 - Information Report
Intrusion Alarm, Morgan Hall.
Report Taken: Accidently set off by custodian: No forced entry: Alarm cleared and reset
February 20
13:09 - Information Report
Disturbance, Living Learning Center. Report Taken: Accidental contact between individuals previously ordered to stay away from each other.
February 21
20:50 - Information Report
Medical Call, Living Learning Center. Report taken: Indiviual refused all medical treatment including the hospital.
February 23
11:00 - Criminal Damage to Property Items Posted on Hall Door, Living Learning Center. Report Taken: No suspect(s) at this time: Investigation contiunes.
February 23
12:03 - Motor Vehicle
Accident Hit and Run, Parking Lot 9. Report taken: Investigation contiunes to identify the hit and run vehicle.
February 24
05:49 - Information Report
Intrusion Alarm, Facility Services. Report Taken: Area checked: all was found secure: no one found in the area: no forced entry: alarm reset.
Photo courtesy of Washburn
Bill looks to change Kansas liquor laws
Uncork Kansas, is a movement hoping to change the sale of alcohol in Kansas.
Currently a bill is being worked by the house commerce committee, which is expected to pass out of committee this week.
“Our bill will allow grocery and convenience stores to sell higher than 3.2 beer and will allow grocery and liquor stores the option to buy a liquor license from existing liquor license holders and with that grocery stores would be able to sell wine and spirits, for liquor stores they would be able to open another location.” said Jessica Lucas, Uncork Kansas spokesperson.
Katelyn Meyer, a Junior Biochemistry major who works at Dillon’s grocery store, is among those who could be directly impacted is the bill is passed.
“I work primarily up front which means I deal with cashiers and baggers, often up front workers are under the age of 18. They cannot sell this alcohol so that actually puts a restraint on the time it takes to check customers out. If this law goes into effect an older worker would have to be present to
scan the alcohol and check the customers age. It’s actually going to be a little bit harder for us since our store is very busy.”
The bill is meant to improve the economic opportunities for liquor, grocery, and convenience stores.
“Currently liquor stores are only allowed to have one license per name so the bill effectively allows them to expand if they choose it will also allow liquor stores to sell non-alcoholic products like ice and mixers and chips.“ Lucas said.
The bill has met some opposition from liquor store owners because it will increase competition in the industry.
“Of course liquor store owners have been opposed to this and have enjoyed protection by the government for many decades and so change is hard. Its hard to give up their ownership of the market but Kansans believe and have seen in other states that liquor stores will be able to compete and that the government shouldn’t stand in protection of one industry over the consumer,” Lucas said.
Should Uncork Kansas successfully change Kansas liquor laws, consumer shopping habits
could change as well.
“I might go to a liquor store less, because if I can get it while I’m grocery shopping I wouldn’t have to make the extra trip to the liquor store, and if I do go to a liquor store and don’t have to go anywhere else for a mixer that would be cool too,” said Sarah Minneman, a Senior communications major.
“Our bill is a bill designed to meet the needs of Kansas consumers and the reality is that Kansans do not believe the government should dictate where they shop and they particularly see that the government is mandating they shop at liquor stores and they want the freedom to buy their beer, wine, and spirits where they choose.“ Lucas said.
“Kansas has a fairly strict legislature so I’m surprised that this bill is even being brought forth,” Minneman said.
But Uncork Kansas seems hopeful, “We’re very confident that it will pass out of committee this week and that it will ultimately prevail through Kansas legislature during this session,” Lucas said.
Grace Foiles, grace.foiles@ washburn.edu, is an undeclared sophomore
Human trafficking in Kansas
Stephanie Cannon WASHBURN REVIEW
For most Americans, human trafficking, the modern form of slavery, doesn’t have the same kneejerk reaction as prostitution and forced labor may induce but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening inside their own communities.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Kansas is an originating state for human trafficking. This means that children, who were born in Kansas, are being sold into slavery.
Statistics also suggest that within 15 miles of any location there is some form of human trafficking occurring.
Human trafficking doesn’t only mean sexual exploitation. Though it doesn’t look the same as a pimp selling a 12-year-old girl into sexual slavery, labor trafficking is slavery. It can take the form of an immigrate being paid less than minimum wage or a van of teenagers traveling across the nation, selling products that don’t make them enough money to survive or to freely leave of their own free will.
Homeland Security first took up the cause of reigning in and tracking the human traffickers themselves. Until 2006, Kansas had no state laws that allowed for the arrest of suspected human traffickers. They had the power to arrest for prostitution but if there was a case in which a trafficker carried a victim across state lines the police were required to contact federal agencies to have the power to press charges against them.
“Homeland Security are the leaders in human trafficking,” said the Topeka Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Specialist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of their work, “They’re the ones I’ve learned the most from when it comes to labor trafficking and sex trafficking.”
The main reason Homeland
Security is involved is because it would be difficult for the local police to file charges in cases involving a trafficker taking a person from state to state.
Homeland Security also has more resources to track traffickers because they’re involved with other governmental agencies that monitor labor trafficking. Agencies, such as the IRS, may have records that help Homeland Security verify information, or verify employment to figure out where the trafficking occurs and how it’s happening.
“What they primarily do is get info from the Polaris website, which is a national human resource center that has been contracted by the federal government. They’re basically the ones who get all the human trafficking calls. ,” said the Human Trafficking Specialist, “Once they get a call they’ll send it out to all the agents. They’ll be the ones who get the calls, especially with juveniles.”
According to the Human Trafficking Specialist, for those who wish to help fight against those who exploit other’s bodies for money, there are a few suggested routes they can take.
First, be aware. The signs of children or adults who are either being exploited or are vulnerable to exploitation are clear once one knows the signs. Any suspicious activity can be reported to the national human trafficking hotline at 1-888-3737888.
Secondly, they suggest making others aware about the situation. It’s a tendency not to think that anything as bad as slavery is happening in your own community but in reality it’s happening every day.
For those who wish to know more, the Kansas Human Trafficking Information and Referral hotline is 1-800-8289745.
Stephanie Cannon, stephanie. cannon@washburn.edu, is a junior mass media major
Photo by Ryan Ogle
Grace Foiles
Photo courtesy
Uncorking Liquor Sales: Grace’s Retail Liquor, located at 2617 SW 21st St., is among Topeka’s many liquor stores that could see increased competition if Kansas passes legislation allowing liquor sales in grocery stores.
Student government resolves to make campus smoke free
Derek Richardson WASHBURN REVIEW
A resolution to pursue a smoke free campus was passed on Feb. 18, 2015 by the Washburn Student Government Association.
At the full senate meeting, senate resolution SR 14-15 #002 passed 13-9 with two abstaining. It was a non-binding statement of commitment by the senate to
pursue talking to school administrators about converting Washburn to a smoke free campus.
“We’ve come together. We’ve talked about it. We know what is going on. We’re deciding to go in this direction,” said Cassandra White, president of the WSGA.
The plan discussed at the Feb. 18 meeting would have Washburn smoke free by the fall 2015 semester. Consequences for
NO
Food Court. This student and others would be required to go off campus if WSGA convinces the school administration and board of regents.
smoking on campus during the initial semester would only be a warning. Starting Jan. 1, 2016, the warnings would become tickets.
Initially the White/McAfee administration looked to persuade Washburn administrators to build smoking installations, but they were told that would not happen because of cost and liability.
After an unofficial survey was conducted by WSGA, it was found that 68 percent of Washburn students wanted the campus to be smoke free and 62 percent of people have been bothered by smoke on campus.
White said the survey was given by WSGA senators in their classes, at the library, residence halls and student organizations. She said that about 10 percent of the student body was questioned.
White said she can’t say if there were any biases in the survey. She said if there were, results would have matched the senate vote, which they did not.
White said the next step will be for the WSGA executive staff to talk to school administrators and come up with a proposal to
send it to the board of regents. She said if the board of regents chooses to do it, then they will take it on.
White said that as of Oct. 1, 2014 there were 1,478 campuses in the United States that are smoke free. Of those, 976 are tobacco free and 292 prohibit e-cigarettes anywhere on campus.
“I do think that smoke free is something real and actual and should be done,” White said.
White said the main concern are people smoking near intake vents and doorways. People have complained about smoke in areas around Morgan Hall, the tables around the Memorial Union and people walking on campus sidewalks. She said its hard to enforce the rule that smoking can not occur within 10 feet of doors and air vents, especially when its cold or wet outside; people want to be warm.
“It’s human nature,” White said.
“We are worried about infringing upon what [people who smoke] view is their right,” White said. “We should also be worried about the 62 percent
and their ability to function on campus.”
“If [smoking] is part of your lifestyle,” White said, “then you can craft your schedule around it.”
White said that Washburn buildings are pretty much on the periphery of campus, and even if you are at the center of campus, its not more than an eight minute walk anywhere.
“It’s an individual choice. You should make it an individual responsibility,” White said. “So take responsibility for your habits and your choices.”
White said that we are past the point where society is asking if smoking or secondhand smoke is bad.
“It’s kind of a no brainer at this point,” White said.
“Now the question is, ‘where do we keep it’?” White said. “If its a personal choice, but has public ramifications where is it appropriate to do so?
“I think we’ve reached our verdict and that is we should be smoke free,” White said.
Derek Richardson, derek. richardson@washburn.edu, is a junior mass media major
Mulvane hosts a symposium on Kansas water issues
The U.S Department of Arts and Culture, a non-governmental organization for artists, organized a symposium exhibition, Drift and Drag: Reflections on Water, to explore and discuss water related issues in the state of Kansas on Feb. 20, in the Mulvane art museum.
The event was divided into two halves. The first half focused upon scientific, statistical and political data and information about various water related issues and problems. Information regarding river basins and the distribution and policies related to water in eastern and western Kansas separately, were discussed in detail. Also, a small discussion was focused upon funds and financial aid dedicated to water policies and plans in the state. However, the latter part concentrated on the impact
of artists and their work on policy making.
The U.S department of Arts and Culture is an organization that helps people gather together and discuss about the integration and role that art can play in building up of policies. Various art forms considered by the organization include poetry, paintings, drawings and stories.
“Culture is the most powerful, yet an underused resource in the country,” an event coordinator said.
The second half of the symposium essentially concentrated on organizing a smaller scale gathering similar in form to larger main galleries.
The attendees present in the symposium were divided into groups and were given instructions on composing a poem of three lines. Each member was instructed to contribute to the composition with one memory
related to water, one question that arises in the mind relating to water as well as a solution to a water related issue. At the end of the activity, several poems were composed and read out in front of all the attendees present. After the activity, attendees were asked to share their experience.
“As a child, I had an unspoilt and unlimited image of water and as I was composing the poem, I realized how different the grown up images are,” an attendee said.
The symposium was also accompanied by exhibits of various video stills, graphic paintings, movie stills and photographs. As the attendees moved around the room, admiring the stills and photographs, a female dance troop presented a contemporary dance performance with the movements and steps choreographed on sounds of waves, ripples and droplets. The
Photo via Facebook.com/MulvaneArtMuseum
REFLECTIONS: Symposium attendees discussed data on water issues in Kansas. Later, they compiled a poem of water related memories.
audience, members and event organizers highly praised the performance in particular and the event as a whole.
Another attendee said, “The dance was the best, followed by everything else being second bests. I hope we have more of such creative symposiums that help clarify vague existent policies.”
Anamika Das, anamika.das@ washburn.edu, is a junior mass media major
SMOKING ALLOWED: A student smokes outside the Stauffer Commons
Photo by Derek Richardson
Anamika Das WASHBURN REVIEW
Review Executive Staff expresses disappointment
What does it take for Washburn University to alert women they are in danger?
An incident with a flasher, of course. That warrants two emails sent out to every woman and man on campus.
But a rapist? Nah. Yes, he is still at large, but he probably won’t do it again, so no need to go to the trouble of sending a text.
He wasn’t an “imminent threat,” whatever that means. Not a threat for the next hour? For the rest of the day?
“Not an imminent threat” means he was not a threat at the time, but he was/is still a threat.
After publishing an opinion piece a week ago promoting
the idea of a female Ichabod, The Review’s executive staff now has to step back from the offensive and go on the defensive for all women on campus (as sad as it is that the student staff has to do that).
But we feel we need to, even if just for our own colleagues.
It’s terribly sickening to the executive staff to see its female employees leave the office on this Tuesday night and legitimately feel worried for them.
University relations said it did not send out an iAlert because it did not believe a rapist on the loose constituted imminent danger for the campus. Of course, university relations
This week we would like to recognize a societal standout that needs no introduction. This one, ladies and gentlemen, is big. In fact, it’s as big as you think.
Hello, Kansas.
Look at you, sitting there in the middle of the country with your wide-open plains and amber waves of genetically-modified grains. Reaching the stars through difficulty while the rest of the world flies over your skies without a second glance. Have you ever thought about why those planes don’t land here? Have you, Kansas?
Is it the weather? You’re hot, you’re cold. It’s raining, it’s thunder-snowing. Is that the tornado siren I hear? Nevermind, it’s sunny again.
Maybe it has something to do with your budget-butchering and regressive tax plan. Or perhaps the fact that you seem more concerned with the sexual orientation of your state employees than you are their civil rights, a move that undoubtedly pleased members of a certain, infamous church located within your borders, factors into the equation.
What about the 293 public
had recently sent out a test for the iAlert system, so at least students know the system works. Thank goodness.
It works but wasn’t used because rapists, evidently, are not dangerous, even when they are not in custody.
Or, perhaps, the system wasn’t used because alerting the public that there had been a rape on campus would make the university look bad, and passing along such information would get someone fired.
Just sweep it under the rug, let the victim file a lawsuit, and settle.
Students, students and more students expressed their rage and, in some cases, fear on
Tuesday. To think, a higher education institution would accept this on such a large scale just to save face.
This may all come across as harsh. But at the end of the day, a woman was raped on campus, and despite having knowledge of it, no one did anything about it to protect the students.
So, harsh words or covering up a rape – which is the greater crime?
It’s not fun writing editorials like this – it’s fun to write about going to Mars or a female Ichabod – but it’s less fun not feeling safe at school.
- The Executive Staff
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.
school districts whose heads you’ve thrust under the guillotine while your governor grins behind his executioner’s mask?
Speaking of your governor...
What in the hell was going through your collective minds when you checked the box next to his name on the ballot? Here’s a guy, who is so Republican, he pisses off other Republicans! You’re already wearing a bright red blazer. Did you really need to highlight those hues with buckets of blood?
No wonder you’ve become ready-made fodder for comedians turned political commenta-
tors and ranting college newspaper editors (hi there...).
In all seriousness, I really do love you, Kansas. I was born and raised in you and, for the most part, have enjoyed my time here. But you really need to get your act together before your soil is as tarnished as your current reputation.
How many of those young, open-minded and forward-thinking leaders and innovators of tomorrow do you have to chase off before you’re left with little more than a broken down tractor in the middle of an over-tilled field?
‘Greens and other outside Things’ gives breath of fresh air
Gabriel Palma, senior fine arts major, will begin displaying his senior show this week. “Greens and Other Outside Things” is the title of the exhibit.
“I centered my work around landscapes,” Palma said. “I did this because earlier on I had always struggled with making and composing the background of my other works. I wanted to show my progress with the subject.”
His work is primarily drawingbased instead of sculptural.
“I worked mainly in 2D medium such as pen, pencil and paints,” Palma said. “My favorite piece is the oil on canvas painting of a sunset over an
ocean aptly named ‘Rad Ballz.’ I named it this due to my friend’s first response to seeing it. The most difficult aspect would be the fact that I worked outside for most of my works.”
Palma has plans to travel and teach English in other countries where he hopes to experience cultures outside of the USA.
The exhibition will be upstairs in the John R. Adams art building for two weeks, starting Feb. 23. The building is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Improptu art building visit: This photo in the paper and cutline cannot do these pieces justice. Just go to the show and see for yourself! These are merely samples. If any suit your fancy, do not miss this show.
Grace Foiles WASHBURN REVIEW
Grace Foiles, grace.foiles@washburn.edu, is an undeclared sophomore
Keep realsitic expectations, Royals fans
WASHBURN REVIEW
Although it is cold outside in Topeka, temperatures in Arizona and in Florida are perfect for some baseball. That’s right; baseball is back as we start spring training in Major League Baseball. As a fan of the Kansas City Royals, I am entering spring training as a playoff team for the first time. Not only did the Royals make the playoffs,
but they made one of the most historical runs of all time.
So what should I and other young fans expect out of a team that gave us memories unlike any that we have ever had? Unfortunately, the experts say that standards should be relatively low. This is going to be hard to do for some fans and easy for others.
The fan that has been repeatedly let down by the team may have no trouble having low
expectations.
The fan that will struggle with that is the fan that is still living in October. These are the fans that feel like the run of the 2014 postseason is the way that the entire 162 is going to be like in 2015. I caution this fan because of the sheer rarity of what we saw at the end of the season. Remember that the Royals almost didn’t make it into the playoffs and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Low
expectations will be easy for us fans that have been beaten down.
How will the American League Central end up? Well, I would have to guess something like this:
Detroit- Until someone can beat them over the course of the year, I’m going to say the Tigers are still the best team in the division. Even with an aging roster and the loss of Max Scherzer, Detroit wins the division.
Cleveland- I went with my mom to see the Indians play in KC last year and at that point, I thought it would be the Tribe in the Wild Card game against Oakland, not the Royals. This team could play and made the near homerless Royals look bad in their own ballpark, hitting multiple long balls. Speaking of the long ball, the Indians added Brandon Moss to the roster, who hit two home runs against the Royals in the Wild Card game.
Kansas City- The returning
AL pennant winners could, along with Chicago, be the most fluid in this chart. The Royals did do a great job keeping the stout bullpen in tact over the offseason, and will add an arm that was heating up as he got hurt, Luke Hochevar.
Chicago- As I mentioned, this team could exceed my expectations, but I’m just not sure what to expect. Many people say that this is the year the White Sox get back to the postseason, but I’m not buying in quite so easily.
Minnesota- What is there to say about the Twins, other than they are a mess. It would take a minor miracle for the Twinkies to be relevant. Maybe they could use a 12-year-old owner/ manager to turn things around. No matter who you root for, it is time to get ready to board the great roller coaster that is baseball.
Trevin Edelman, trevin. edelman@washburn.edu,
League of Legends paves way for eSports
WASHBURN REVIEW
Being good with virtual weapons and magic pays dividends – millions, to be exact.
ESports, which are essentially certain video games played competitively, are emerging, and the industry is being led by a game that draws almost 30 million players every day.
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game, or “MOBA.”
“It’s essentially just this map, and you pick five characters that you want to play with, and after that it’s essentially a tower defense game after that,” said Nate Purcell, a junior computer information science major.
In tower defense games, the goal is to stop enemies from reaching a certain point by putting obstacles in their path or fighting them. In League of Legends, the goal is to cross the map and destroy the opponents’ nexus.
“There’s three main lanes on the map, and you either go into a lane with a partner or you go in by yourself, and you essentially try and get into the opponents’ base and destroy the opponents nexus,” Purcell explained. “That’s like
the last piece that you have to destroy. You destroy a whole bunch of towers and other structures along the way to get to it.”
Each player plays as a “champion.” Different champions have different strengths, weaknesses and abilities.
“I don’t read a lot of lore, but champions are supposed to be like warriors from their local cities,” Purcell said. “There’s a lot of lore behind it.”
Purcell said that League of Legends is very competitive and “absolutely” an eSport. He said it does take a lot of skill to be good, though.
People will play in championships around the world and can win hundreds of thousands of dollars. The prize for winning the 2014 League of Legends World Finals was $1 million.
Purcell said that people watch others play it year round, though.
“When I was watching it the other day, just live, there were over 450,000 people watching it live, just on Twitch. And they still stream on other streaming stations,” he said.
Companies also pay to advertise on popular players’ channels, buying ad
spots for the site or banner ads that scroll across the screen. Some players will endorse advertisers over commentary while playing.
Companies will also sponsor entire teams. The winning team of the 2014 World Championship was “Samsung Galaxy White.”
The team “Samsung Galay Blue” took third place.
Two American colleges - Robert Moris University and the University of Pikeville - consider League of Legends a varsity sport and offer scholarships for it.
Purcell said he thinks eSq1224444ports will become more prominent in the United States, but it will take time.
“I think it will get there,” Purcell said. “It will be a while because nobody’s super ambitious about making video games a big deal. It’s just weird. I think it’s just our culture is going to take a little bit of warming up to it because you look at places like Korea and they had like an entire football stadium full of people just watching the world finals.”
Adm Vlach, adam. vlach@washburn.edi, is a senior English and mass media major.
Trevin Edelman
Adam Vlach
Miss Fortune: League of Legends offers players over one hundred diferent champions to play as. “Miss” Sarah Fortune is just one of them, and like all champions, comes with a deep backstory.
is a junior mass media major.
Graphic by Chelsea Howe
Ichabods dominate ESU Hornets in Turnpike Tussle
FIRST DUNK OF THE NIGHT: Kyle Wiggins scores with a dunk against the Emporia State Hornets. Wiggins led the team in points with 19. Washburn won by score of 79-54.
NEVER GIVE UP: Taylor Ignoto dives while attempting a layup. Despite great effort, though, the Ichabods couldn’t top the Hornets in a 54-73 loss.
White Concert Hall to host 19th annual silent film festival
Kenzie McCoy WASHBURN REVIEW
Washburn is hosting its 19th silent film festival this Friday, Feb. 27, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the White Concert Hall. Admission is free to all students, who will be watching an array of famous silent films.
Bill Shaffer, director of the campus silent film festival, says that the silent films speak volumes. A live band will also be accompanying all the films.
“[The festival] is a real experience and it’s unique in the way that the movies are shown the way they were meant to be shown, on a large screen with live music,” Shaffer said.
Friday night, also known as comedy night, will begin with a showing of "Grandma’s Boy" which was made in 1922 and features actor Harold Lloyd.
“Lloyd had a long career and even did some sound films, but he had his greatest success in silent films,” said Shaffer.
After "Grandma's Boy," actor Buster Keyton’s 1927 comedy, "College," will be shown. Saturday’s activities will start
off with the 1926 film, "The Little Church Around the Corner" which stars former Washburn alumni, Claire Windsor. Memorabilia relating to Claire Windsor will be shown in the lobby, along with other displays and merchandise relating to the films.
D.W. Griffith’s controversial film, "A Birth of a Nation," will be shown Saturday afternoon and "The Seahawks" will be shown Saturday evening to conclude the festival.
“I highly recommend [The Seahawks] and I think it will be the highlight of the event,”
Shaffer said. “It just has one of those things that gets you cheering.”
The festival will also be offering a catered dinner in the Bradbury Thomson Center Saturday evening between the last two silent films. All those who want to attend the dinner, which will also be accompanied with live music, must purchase tickets.
For details and a full schedule of showings, visit kssilentfilmfest.org.
Kenzie McCoy, mckenzie. mccoy@washburn.edu, is a sophomore mass media major.
The DUFF explores important coming of age themes
Colleen Kelly
WASHBURN REVIEW
Originally, I was gearing up for a predictable opposites attract romantic comedy, but The DUFF proved me wrong. Bianca is a snarky high school senior blissfully unaware of her low social ranking despite her group of top-of-the-foodchain friends. When Wesley, local obnoxious heartthrob, clues her in that she is regarded at school as her friends’ DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), her confidence takes a nose dive as she reconciles the confirmation of her worst insecurities and her home life becoming increasingly unbearable in the wake of her parents’ divorce. Surprisingly, she turns to Wesley as a distraction from her problems and the two
establish a long-standing series of weekend flings.
Bianca and Wesley’s unorthodox relationship revealed a surprising amount of depth in both of them as we peeled back their layers. Bianca is an incredibly cynical, quick-witted girl who swears like a sail-
or and I loved her. Her no nonsense attitude was balanced out nicely with a level of emotional maturity and charming vulnerability that made it all too easy to sympathize with her even at her worst. It bugged me how nutty her logic was at times, and it was clear that this novel was written by a teenager. An extremely talented teenager (I could never have written something half as good at seventeen), but that did not excuse the occasionally overly sappy scenes or annoying dialogue. The DUFF never hesitated to call itself out, though, when it crossed those lines, so it was a self-aware novel at least.
The narrative was straightforward without a lot of fluff and gave me plenty to think about, touching upon physical
insecurities, absent parents, alcoholism and no-stringsattached sex. None of Bianca’s revelations were exactly life-changing, like with other coming of age stories, but they effectively struck a chord in me. Interestingly enough, the main cast were still at their core the same people they were as when the story started, I just held a clearer understanding and a lot more affection for them after all was said and done. They all grew as people, sure, but they never
lost their initial essence, and I appreciated that. Overall, "The DUFF" was a self-deprecating dramedy rife with interesting characters and themes bound to resonate with teens and adults alike. It’s only real flaw was that the writing could have been more polished and with less melodrama.
Colleen Kelly, colleen.kelly@ washburn.edu, is a sophomore English major
Graphic by Spencer Perry
"College": Made in a time when America was crazy about anything college, this film follows a nerdy brainiac who knows nothing about sports. He must win his girl back from the college jock by using his smarts to learnhow to play sports.
"Grandma's Boy": This film follows a timid young man, Harold, who lives with his grandma. Becaue his fear is beginning to affect the girl of his dreams, his grandma tells Harold a story about his grandfather in the Civil War.
According to director Heather Ives, “The Vagina Monologues” is exactly what it sounds likea show featuring a number of monologues all surrounding the theme of vaginas.
The monologues themselves range from silly to serious to quirky. Overall, specific monologues are used consistently from year to year, however this year a very popular monologue entitled “My Short Skirt” is being re-inserted into the show.
The Vagina Monologues aim to inform, speaking on behalf of vaginas. Venues who are hosting the show from Feb. 1 to Apr. 30 work together to participate in what is referred to as the ‘V-day movement’. Participating venues, like Washburn, will stage benefit performances or host other related events.
“The show we’re putting on is a part of the V-Day movement. Those who want to come see the show are encouraged to come early and check out the informational fair before. There will be booths with representatives from the YWCA, STARS Topeka, and
more,” Ives explained. In addition to participation in the V-Day movement, Ives
pointed out that the show would sometimes have a spotlight piece that highlights an area
of the world where women are in need of help. In the past, such spotlights have benefited the women of Haiti, women of the Congo and other areas in the world. She explained that since there is no spotlight piece this year, 100% of the proceeds go directly to a local organization in Topeka. This year, the organization that will receive the money is the Topeka organization called Stop Trafficking and Reject Slavery, or STARS.
Participant Sarah Minneman, Washburn University student and actor, enjoyed being a part of the show this year and felt she had a positive experience while working on the production.
“The show is really interesting. It’s all about empowerment and bringing awareness to issues that come along with having a vagina; It’s not normally something that’s talked about a lot, people don’t normally just talk about their vaginas,” Minneman said, adding, “There’s a lot of happy moments, sad moments and everything in between – It provides all of the emotions.“ Ives felt the same and expanded upon the complexity of the Monologues.
“The Monologues contain some difficult pieces. The set of ladies in this show are talented, intelligent and have worked so hard on their pieces. Each one of the ladies in the show has really done some good work with what they have. I’m proud of the work they’ve put in,” Ives said.
Minneman, a past viewer and recent performer, felt that her experience was different as a participant, but no less meaningful.
“It’s a different experience, being in the show rather than just watching it. You get to see more. It’s definitely fun to be a part of and it’s fun to watch too! So, people should watch it,” Minneman urged.
The Vagina Monologues will show Feb. 27 through Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free for students with a suggested donation. To facilitate ticket purchases, a booth has been placed in the Union. Students will also be able to pick up buttons and bracelets as well as decorate their own vagina cookies.
Photo via Facebook