Providing a voice for Washburn students since 1897 Volume 144, Issue 21
News Pages 1-3 International Women’s Day
Opinion Page 4 Midterm season strife
Sports Pages 5-7 Bods go to NCAA tournament
Ask, listen, refer WU implements 20-minute online suicide prevention course for faculty, staff, students Julia Eilert Washburn Review julia.eilert@washburn.edu
A shift in values has allowed for a more open discussion about topics that affect our peers and how we can help. Washburn is helping its students talk about hard issues, like suicide, with its online training program “Ask, Listen, Refer.” “It’s an awesome program- it’s designed to help prevent suicides, so it gives us some great tools to recognize warning signs, and it gives us some of the risk factors for suicide,” said Emily Meyerhoffer-Kubalik, university counselor. “It also does well with talking about how we actually talk to people we’re concerned about.” The course takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, and must be completed in one session. It is open to all students and faculty, and gives important lessons on suicide and factors leading up to it. “I just did the training recently, and I thought it was really good. There was broad information, but there was also specific information relating to Washburn and the area,” said Katey Staatz, sophomore, psychology major, “It was really useful because on campus everybody can be affected, so knowing how those things directly apply is important.” Starting off with hard-hitting statistics, the “Ask, Listen, Refer” program dives right in with its intention to educate. It includes numbers for college students,
washburnreview.org
March 7, 2018
as well as other age groups. According to the program, over 50 percent of college students have reported thinking about suicide at some point during their life, and during the 2015-2016 academic year, around 9.6 percent of college students reported “seriously considering” suicide. The curriculum is very inclusive, as it stresses that some of the main risk factors can be enhanced in minority groups, veterans and members of the LGBTQ+ community. “One of the strengths of the program is that it does allow us to get specific statistics on Washburn’s campus, so what our risk factors would look like based on statistics and stuff like that,” said Meyerhoffer-Kubalik, “We know that it’s happening, and we know that students and people in general deal with suicidal thoughts around us.” Following the informational portion, the program goes over ways to reach out and help those that might be struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. There are short videos outlining conversations and tips on bringing the subject to light.
“Being able to tie things together and know these risks is a huge benefit of the program,” said Staatz, “Being able to see this in other people, so maybe if they can’t come to you, you can instead come to them and be able to help.” This program acknowledges that talking about this sensitive topic can be hard, but being prepared can save lives. There are resources available on campus and off, starting with counseling services and support systems. Training can help students be more prepared and comfortable with helping others through thoughts of suicide. “I love this program because it applies for students, it applies for faculty and staff, we all work with people, so I think being able to have those conversations and recognize those warning signs is helpful for everybody,” said Meyerhoffer-Kubalik, “It’s okay to express concern for someone and ask that person if they’re okay or thinking about suicide.”
Photo and description by John Burns
A massive beach ball decorated the sidewalk in front of the Union March 6. “It [the beach ball] is in the name of Freedom of Speech,” said Shyanna Burns, president of Young Americans for Liberty. “Freedom of Speech should be anywhere and everywhere in the United States, because it is our constitutional right.” Many students wrote on the ball, and were given the freedom to write whatever they pleased. “They can write quotes, they can draw images, they can write a movement hashtag — whatever they want,” said Burns. One student even drew an elaborate illustration of Albert Einstein. “I would love for Washburn students to continue to spread the word of freedom of speech,” said Burns. “And to continue to let anyone and everyone know that—no matter what their views are—that they should feel free to say whatever they want and shouldn’t hold back.”
Features Pages 8-12 Recycle can and cannots
Mercader honored for outstanding work Steven Dennis Washburn Review steven.dennis@washburn.edu
The Student Life Achieving Excellence Award is a monthly award given by Student Life celebrating a faculty or staff member. “We give it out once a month, September through May, we don’t give it out in the summer months,” said Jackie Askren, executive assistant to the vice president of Student Life. “It is an award that we give that recognizes a faculty or staff Photo by Steven Dennis member who demonstrates Mercader of Washburn’s excellence in working with our Rodrigo biology department stands proudly students or student groups or having won February’s Student Life Achieving Excellence Award. organizations.” All Washburn faculty and what drove me to biology: staff members are eligible so understanding how species long as they fit the criteria and interact,” said Mercader. “It have not won the award in the kind of starts out with looking last five years. Any member of at a community, then you the community may nominate notice a community is just a faculty or staff member made of multiple interactions either by submitting a form between creatures. So, to online or to the Student Life understand how a community office in Morgan Hall. is put together, how “We have some criteria,” communities said Askren. differ, you need “Enjoying “We ask how the to understand person that you student their are nominating interactions.” interactions is helps educate what got me into notInteractions the students, only teaching. When brought how that person helps engage you start talking Mercader to the, whether to students, you the field of on campus or biology, but get completely also to a career the Topeka community, different versions in teaching. and then how “Enjoying of how the that person has world works. It is student enriched their interactions is experience here very exciting… what got me at Washburn, into teaching,” It is not one whether that said Mercader. directional at be leadership “When you skills, classroom all; you get start talking to or community this really cool students, you work.” get completely dynamic with Mercader different your students.” versions of is an associate professor of the how the world -Rodrigo department of works. It is Mercader biology, focusing very exciting… primarily on the It is not one organismal level and above like directional at all; you get this entomology. really cool dynamic with your “My primary areas of students.” teaching are organismal, and In addition to receiving ecology and evolution,” said the Student Life Achieving Mercader. Excellence Award, Mercader is In addition to teaching now eligible for the Muriel D. in lecture and lab classes, Clarke Award, which is given Mercader performs research. out toward the end of each “I study plant and insect academic year. interactions,” said Mercader. “Out of the recipients each “So, I am primarily interested month, we have an overall in how herbivores… evolved winner.” with plants, how those Nominations for the interactions evolved and “Student Life Achieving also [I] look quite a bit at Excellence award” are taken management implications of at all times of the year and are those interactions, particularly accepted for all Washburn staff with looking at invasive and faculty. species. So, I look at how to Any member of the try to control invasive species community can nominate an and what their management outstanding staff or faculty needs, conservation… or city member by either submitting or agriculture.” a form online found in Mercader finds these the achieving excellence interaction between organisms announcement emails or inand species both pivotal to person to the Student Life nature and fascinating to study. office in Morgan Hall. “So, basically that is