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March 27, 2019
Volume 145, Issue 23
washburnreview.org Established 1885
Potential 2019 enrollment DeyJa Cardenas
Washburn Review deyja.cardenas@washburn.edu
photo by Mechelle Hogan
Triple threat: The Dancing Blues traveled to Denton, Texas, to compete in the American Drill Team National Competition. The team brought home two category championships and were named overall Division 2 champions.
Dancing Blues make history Joelle Conway Washburn Review joelle.conway@washburn.edu
The Dancing Blues have brought home championship trophies for three consecutive years. The Blues’ two routines placed them first in jazz and hip hop at the 2019 American Drill Team National Competition. The team scored a total of 288, placing them first overall for Division 2. This is the first year there was an overall category in the American Drill Team National Competition. Due to a tie in points, the 2019 national champion title is shared with another university. Although the team dances at home football and basketball games, nationals are the Blues’ main focus during their season. Learning both routines in a total of four days, the Dancing Blues put dozens of hours into perfecting their championship dances. Both Kassandra Hogan, a senior social work major, and Abby Price, a senior sociology major, feel honored to be national champions. “Nationals was surreal. Being my last year, it was sad, but very exciting,” said Hogan. Price added, “It just feels really good to end my 20-year dance career with a national championship.” “Being on the floor, holding hands with everyone and hearing
them call every single one of the runner-ups… We were just looking at each other shocked, waiting to hear our name,” explained Hogan. “Once they called us, we were crying and shaking and just so happy that all our hard work paid off.” Hogan transferred from the University of Kansas her sophomore year of college to become a member of the Dancing Blues. She has been a Blue for three years, serving as captain two of those years. Price has been a member of the Dancing Blues for three years. She is one of the three captains. Hogan feels she’s grown both as a dancer and a person since becoming a Dancing Blue. “It has taught me a lot about responsibility and what it takes to be a good leader,” explains Hogan. Now led by their former studio dance coach, the three captains, Michaela Trobough, Kassandra Hogan and Abby Price, have danced with Angie Price since they were young. Prior to 2018, the Dancing Blues competed at nationals only every other year. After lots of fundraising and hard work, the team made it a goal to attend nationals three consecutive years. To compete at nationals takes about $10,000. Thus, the Dancing Blues held fundraisers throughout their season to attain the funds. “During our season, we do all
kinds of fundraising to pay for nationals. We sold sponsorships, doing car washes, clinics and did a lot of other fundraising,” said Price. “We work hard. Not only in dance, but to fund our way to nationals.” They practice three times each week during their season, which spans from July to March. Being a Dancing Blue takes dedication, responsibility and hard work. During practices, the team tackles new dances for half-time performances while also perfecting their two national routines. “We put in hours and hours of work for those 3 minutes on the [dance] floor,” said Hogan. During basketball season, the Dancing Blues sometimes dance 16 hours a week because of double-headers and having multiple games in a week. Hence, dancing is a part-time job itself. All of the team members are full-time students, along with being dancers and working jobs. Although life can be busy at times for everybody, the team still maintains great chemistry, on and off the floor. “This year’s team has a really good relationship with each other. We have such a great team dynamic,” cheerfully stated Price. “I think [it’s] probably the best one I’ve ever had on a team here at Washburn!”
In the occurrence that a mission statement is born, the founding parents of that mission statement take into realization that a promise and expectation is being born with it. Washburn University’s mission statement concludes with “We develop and engage in relationships to enhance educational experiences and our community.” Executive Director of Enrollment Management, Richard Liedtke started his dedicated services to Washburn as the vice president of enrollment services, admissions, enrollment services and one-stop and worked his way up to the official director of enrollment management. As a North Carolina native, Richard Liedtke simply stated his reason on why he chose Washburn, he said, “Washburn is about opportunity and access.” Richard Liedtke emphasized his dedication by stating, “I believe in the mission and the vison of this institution and I wanted to work for somebody that had a great vision and Dr. Farley seemed to be that person, and Dr. Farley has done wonderful things at Washburn.” In 2011, the enrollment at Washburn was at the all time peak, reaching the almost record-breaking number, 7,303, which was only 3 enrollment applicants shy of the unsurpassed record breaking enrollment count of 7,306 that Washburn has held. “Each year, we want to grow a little bit, we try and grow. It de-
2011 (7,303)
pends on the environment we’re in. We try to exceed last year’s numbers.” Liedtke went on, “That hasn’t been the case recently.” As the peak of Washburn’s enrollment sat with comfort in the year 2011, following years, 2012 though 2015 the numbers that Washburn held for enrollment fell and in 2016, the enrollment at Washburn University slowly climbed back up. In the year 2017, enrollment jumped from 6,615, to 6,636. In the year 2018, Washburn University’s enrollment took a steady dip, it is unclear where the upcoming enrollment at the university will coast in the year of 2019. The challenges that Washburn faces determining whether enrollment spikes and plummets is the essential competition that Washburn faces against the universities, one of the biggest challenges that Washburn has discussed, focusing on the past 10 years, is the initial retention of students. Richard Liedtke explained, “One of the focuses we have is trying to retain more students and we’ve done a great job with first year and second year retention and growing at over 10 percentage points, which has the university sitting at 72 percent right now.” When the university takes into consideration that they are essentially a business upholding a service to thousands of paying customers, the pressure steepens as does the competing universities. Essentially, when putting this concept into the university’s STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
2017
(6,615)
2018 (6,636)
Students attend UN conference to discuss global status of women Kodee Christensen
Washburn Review kodee.christensen@washburn.edu
This past week, a group of seven Washburn and Washburn Law students had the opportunity to attend the United Nations as delegates for the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City along with faculty Sharon Sullivan and Lindsey Moddlemog. Joined by 10,000 registrants of all ages from all over the world, the group got to be a part of a global meeting of people with a shared conviction to address women’s issues. “I’ve wanted to go since my freshman year,” said junior Bayley Baker. “This just happened to be the year that it worked out for me to go. I was waiting for the opportunity to present itself, and when it did I was really excited, so I enrolled in the class with Dr. Sullivan.” For the undergraduate students, this trip was a part of their WTE class with Sullivan. The students received funding from WTE in the amount of half of their total trip cost. Students can attend most of the conference events for
free. However, the delegate status allows people to attend side events and higher-level discussions and debates not open to everyone else. The way this is done is through non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, sponsoring attendees by giving them passes to these events. Sullivan recently became the president of the International Public Policy Institute, the NGO that sponsors Washburn students. One mission of the IPPI is to develop young world leaders in their global understanding. “The first year that I brought students, the IPPI gave me a pass for one student,” said Sullivan. “Then the next year they said, ‘wow, your students are really smart,’ so they gave me a second student pass. The following year they gave me five passes. This year they said, ‘your students first; how many passes do you need?’ That says a lot about our students who have chosen to go.” “It meant so much to me as someone who is really passionate about empowering women and girls.” said Baker, “I learned a lot of really valuable information that
I can take back with me to campus and hopefully work towards creating a better campus climate for women and girls at Washburn. It meant so much to hear from so many different women from around the world; it gave me a new perspective.” Within the conference, attendees can go to panels, observations and question and answer sessions. Some of the topics discussed were how to create an environment for empowering women and the effects of climate change on women across the world. “Something I feel like I can take back to Washburn’s campus is how to create an environment to empower women and girls and give them the tools that they need to empower themselves and the women around them,” said Baker. “It made me look at my own problems as firstworld problems. I was hearing about the lived experiences from women and girls who live in very different communities than my own, and it made me recognize my privilege and inspired me to want to help people and create a change starting at our own campus. People like you and me making small chang-
photo courtesy of Bayley Baker
NYC Bound: (From left to right) Laura Politi, Brooks Whitney, Rosie Nichols, Bayley Baker, Ashley Hotchkiss and Sharon Sullivan were among those from Washburn who travelled to NYC for a conference at the UN. The group was a part of a international discussion on the status of women across the globe.
es can be really impactful.” In her years taking students to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Sullivan has seen the benefits that students receive from attending. “I get such joy from taking students,” said Sullivan. “And I really try to stay out of their way. I love seeing them really go after it on their own; their energy and
curiosity and desire to learn makes me so grateful to be able to offer them this opportunity. And I’m so grateful to Washburn and the WTE for supporting us; because that’s what makes students able to go.” To hear more about this year’s trip to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York City and how you can get involved
in the future, the group will be presenting through the Gender Brown Bag series on April 11 at 12:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Room of Memorial Union. Additionally, you may contact Bayley Baker or Sharon Sullivan by email at bayley.baker@washburn.edu and sharon.sullivan@washburn.edu.