NEWS
PUZZLES
FEATURES
SPORTS
Marguerite Perret
Are On Page
Aldrick Scott
Wyatt Featherston
2
6
8
10
April 24, 2019
Volume 145, Issue 26
washburnreview.org Established 1885
Leadership Institute says Topeka celebrates goodbye to Director Gleason new laws Morgan Holloway Washburn Review morgan.holloway@washburn.edu
Matt Self Washburn Review matt.self@washburn.edu
Topeka was visited by an entourage consisting of a horse-drawn carriage, two coachmen and a spotted Dalmatian Thursday, April 18. This group is known as the Budweiser Clydesdales. The party came to Topeka to celebrate the recent changes with beer laws in Kansas. These laws allow grocery stores to sell new varieties and stronger types of beers. These changes have been met with applause from Topeka residents. The new changes will roll back a Prohibition rule that restricted certain stores in Kansas to only sell beer that was 3.2 percent or less alcohol content. Grocery and convenience stores will now be able to sell beer with an alcohol content of 6 percent. The new beer laws were officially approved to go into effect on April 1. The horse-drawn carriage accompanied by eight large horses bearing the insignia of Budweiser rolled into Topeka. The horses that made up the coach’s team are a breed called Clydesdales, known for their large size, pulled the carriage with the Budweiser insignia in front of the capitol building as a crowd gathered to witness. Office employees and others from the local area surrounded the area eager to hear the news about the new changes to Kansas’ beer laws. Simon Wuestenberg, vice-president of sales for Anheuser-Busch, was present to deliver a speech to the gathered crowd. “This is a momentous milestone in the state’s beer history, and if there’s anybody that I want to thank it would be Speaker of the House Ron Ryckman for all the work that he has done,” Wuestenberg said. Ron Ryckman helped make the change in Kansas beer laws a reality and was given an honorary plaque bearing a Clydesdale horseshoe for his efforts by officials representing Anheuser-Busch. “Just like the Clydesdales work together as a team to move things forward, Kansas is better when we all work together as a team to find solutions. Here’s to teamwork. Here’s to the future of Kansas,” Ryckman said. STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Since 2013, Michael Gleason has served as a mentor, advisor, lecturer and the director of the Washburn University Leadership Institute. As the Leadership Institute celebrated their accomplishments throughout the past year Tuesday, March 23 at the Topeka Civic Theatre, they also said goodbye to Gleason. Gleason reflects on one of his favorite parts about the Leadership Institute. “My favorite part is being able to see students grow, develop and go beyond their self-perceived, self-imposed limitations, try new things and then be able to reflect on that and do even more next time.” While serving as the director of WULI, Gleason has strengthened the community partnerships and relationships like United Way and the Aleshire Venture Grant Program, helped to develop the Master’s in Communication and Leadership program, worked to create the High School Leadership Academy with the help of the Topeka Community Foundation, worked to make LE100: Exploring the Concepts of Leadership became a general education course and broadened LE300: Leadership Skills Development. Associate Director of the Leadership Institute, Lauren Edelman, works closely with Gleason. Edelman began as the associate director in 2014. “He’s worked really hard to help us as a program continue to build our academic credibility, while offering amazing experiences for our students to learn real life leadership, not just in the classroom but in everyday context. He has definitely moved the program forward tremendously in his six years here,” said Edelman. He has also worked closely with Abby Price, the outgoing Student Leadership Council Fellow. Price has taken on many roles on the Student Leadership Council during her time at Washburn. “Michael pushed me to be a better student and also to believe in myself, even when I thought that I couldn’t do it anymore,” Price said. “Even though he may not have necessarily pushed me to take risks, he knew that I would challenge myself and
photo by Morgan Holloway
Leading leaders: Michael Gleason claps for students, faculty, staff and community members that support the Leadership Institute. Gleason made a strong impact on the Leadership Institute during his time at Washburn.
he would support me. He is very quick witted and has a timely sense of humor which is something that not a lot of people know about him. He is honestly one of the funniest people I know.” Not only has Gleason largely impacted the Washburn campus but also the Topeka community. Ron Brown, Chief of Police for Topeka Public Schools, is one of the many members of the community to work with Gleason. “Michael is an amazing professor who has done a phenomenal job with the Leadership Institute. He has been a pleasure to work with for these years that he has been here,” Brown said. “He’s always positive and upbeat, pleasant and does an amazing job with his students, and as a result of his effort, his students have been successful. He’s a great guy. We’ll miss him terribly.” Prior to coming to Washburn, Gleason worked at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, where he will be returning in the fall of 2019. Gleason will serve as the Irving R. Burling Distinguished Professor in Leadership. He is an assistant professor and will also direct the Institute for Leadership Education. Edelman has worked with Gleason for five years on daily tasks and projects. During their time together, Gleason has
positively impacted Edelman. “Michael has had such a tremendous impact on me as a person and a professional. He has been an amazing mentor, supervisor and friend. He’s one of the most collaborative people I’ve ever met. He’s such a team player. He’s just given me so much confidence and provided so much experience for me to grow, develop and learn. He’s one of the best people that I know,” said Edelman. While excited for the opportunity at Wartburg College, Gleason will miss the relationships he has made in Topeka and at Washburn. “I’ll definitely miss the people. Bottom line, the people, in terms of staff and the faculty. I get to work with the students and then also the community members because I think the community members are what makes what we do work. They’re the ones who allow students to come in and do community engaged projects and to practice leadership within those organization and support those students who provide mentorship,” Gleason said. “I think this is a really special place for the way that can happened in the Topeka community. I hope young people understand how they have the ability to craft this community around them and become a part of the action and the change right now.”
PTKAW partners with Doorstep, Inc. to collect shoes Matt Self Washburn Review matt.self@washburn.edu
photo by Matt Self
A good cause: Joanne Georgiana kneels beside one of the donation boxes located in Mabee Library. Other boxes similar to this are scattered in other buildings at Washburn.
This spring, Phi Theta Kappa Alumni of Washburn, PTKAW, will be continuing its tradition of collecting donated shoes that will be distributed to those in need in Topeka. The shoe drive, which runs until June 10, will have boxes set up in many different designated locations on campus where students and staff can drop off gently used pairs of shoes that will be handed off to PTKAW’s partner, Doorstep, Inc. All types and sizes of shoes and boots are welcome. Doorstep, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that includes 55 churches in the local area that focus on collecting items such as clothing, food and shoes. Thirty students at Washburn contribute to PTKAW and help collect the shoes each semester. A group effort is required to put flyers up around campus and transport shoes when June 10 arrives. Eight designated donation sites are set up around campus such as in Mabee Library, Henderson Learning Center and Morgan Hall. In the past, the shoe drive has col-
lected over 1,400 pairs of shoes for those in need. Joanne Georgiana, vice president for digital media on campus and junior social work major, plays a large role in the planning and execution of the shoe drive. She joined PTKAW last year and has helped with three previous shoe drives by spreading the word about the event not only around campus, but also in her hometown where many individuals have sent shoes to the needy. “My favorite part of this project is seeing everybody come together. I think it’s amazing to see how many shoes we can actually collect,” Georgiana said. “For me personally, I also bring in shoes from my hometown and I almost like to do a little competition to see how many shoes we can bring in compared to last semester.” Paul Flumen, who completed his masters in accounting in 2017 and is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at Washburn, founded PTKAW in 2016. Flumen is currently the secretary in the organization. He helps run the shoe drive each semester but mostly lets the students take the reigns. He was proud to announce the successes of the shoe drive in the past and his
positive feelings for the future of the event. “Every year we’ve managed to collect over 150 pairs of shoes. Last spring we even had 380 pairs of shoes donated just from campus,” Flumen said. “It’s unfathomable the enthusiasm this campus demonstrates when this event comes around. This is a godsend to many students who are wanting to get rid of shoes for the needy.” Georgiana also said that it’s not too late to donate your shoes if you haven’t done so already. “Definitely go through your shoes and if you haven’t worn them for a while or if you just have an abundance of shoes consider donating them because there are people in our community who can’t afford a new pair of shoes. They definitely go to a great place.” The shoe drive is a great way to get the community and Washburn University’s student body to come together for something that will benefit hundreds of people in the Topeka area. If you are interested or have questions about the shoe drive, Paul Flumen and the other members of PTKAW can be contacted at ptkaw@washburn.edu