News 2

Design students
produce
innovative
bicycles.

Sports 13
Kansas to face off against
West Virginia.

Arts & Culture 5

Alumnus Eric Melin
competes against other
air guitarists.

MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 7

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN

THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

KANSAN EDITORIAL:

Why the Kansan is suing

KU and what it means for
our readers
KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
@KansanNews

The Kansan Editorial Board

consists of Vicky Diaz-Camacho,
Gage Brock, Kate Miller and
Maddy Mikinski. Because Diaz-Camacho is a plaintiff in the
lawsuit, her position on the board
for this editorial was filled by
Candice Tarver.
The University Daily Kansan
filed a lawsuit against Chancellor
Bernadette Gray-Little and Vice
Provost for Student Affairs Tammara Durham on Feb. 5 in response to what the Kansan alleges
are violations of its First Amendment rights.
The decision to file this lawsuit
was not made lightly. As an organization composed of students
who attend the University of Kansas, the Kansan has taken this
step as the last possible solution
to an issue that has been escalating since May 2014.
The Kansan published a
strongly-worded editorial written
by Mark Johnson, chairman of
the Kansan Board of Directors, in
May 2014 criticizing the Student
Senate election process and calling attention to the fact that the
president and vice president did
not receive the majority of student votes. On Feb. 27, 2015, the
Student Senate Fee Review Committee voted to cut the Kansans
funding in half. By reducing the
student fee from $2 to $1 for each
student, the Kansan lost $45,000.
The official reasoning for the
funding cut was the Kansans reduced print schedule, from four
to two days per week. However,
Senate member Garrett Farlow
said the 2014 editorial was repeatedly referred to during the
decision-making process. Farlow
reported in a testimony that Morgan Said, student body president
at the time, had said the reduction
was also an opportunity for the
Kansan to fix its content.
Other Student Senate members shared similar sentiments.

According to the official complaint, Tyler Childress, a Finance

Committee member, said March
4, 2015, that the papers quality
was in a steady decline. Emma
Halling, another committee member, said on March 25, 2015, that
the Kansan could request more
funding the following year if it
improved the quality of its content, and, in an interview with a
Kansan reporter, said that some
of the Kansans coverage had
been really problematic in the
past. Further appeals by Kansan
leaders to reinstate the full funding were met with the same reasoning.
Kansan leaders met with University officials on April 1, 2015,
to raise the First Amendment
concerns this cut would entail.
Durham, as vice provost, had to
approve the student fees budget
before it was sent to the chancellor for final sign-off. Gray-Little
had the ability to veto it; on May
6, 2015, she signed off on the Senates 2015-16 budget as approved
by Student Senate and Durham,
which included the funding cut to
the Kansan, with full knowledge
of what the cuts would mean for
the publication.
By using our content as reasoning for reducing our funding,
Student Senate is violating the
Kansans First Amendment rights.
By not stopping this funding cut,
the chancellor and the University are endorsing these violations,
despite the editorial freedom the
U.S. Constitution guarantees the
Kansan.
Our responsibility to our readers and all people with any interest in the University is to hold
those in power accountable. By
doing that, the Kansan has been
punished with a budget cut that
required us to eliminate 13 paid
student staff positions. The Kansan has been without a full-time
news adviser since the fall, and we
are financially unable to hire one
as a direct impact of the reduced
funding.

The bottom line: This cut has

impacted our ability to properly
serve our readers, and although
we will always strive for excellence in our coverage, less funding makes this more difficult than
ever.
Filing this lawsuit is the last
step in a drawn-out, exhaustive
process. Kansan leaders and
board members have made the
ramifications of this budget cut
clear to many Student Senate
leaders and campus administrators, including the chancellor, and
no resolution has been made. We
hoped it wouldnt go this far, but
we are left with no choice if we
aim to effectively serve our readers, as we have done for 112 years.
Heres what this means for
you as a reader: It is our duty to
you that the Kansans content be
unaffected by these legal proceedings. We will continue to produce
high-quality, objective journalism
regarding the University and Student Senate, as well as all aspects
of University life. We will also
treat coverage of this lawsuit as
we would any other lawsuit by reporting on it accurately and fairly.
Editor-in-Chief Vicky Diaz-Camacho, who is listed as a plaintiff
in the complaint, will not be involved in any of the Kansans coverage of the lawsuit and Student
Senate. The managing editor,
Kate Miller, will oversee Student
Senate coverage and report on the
lawsuits proceedings, remaining
uninvolved in the details of the
case except for what reporting requires.
The mission of the University
Daily Kansan is to serve as a primary, credible news source for
the University community. Despite the obstacles that have been
placed in our way, we will strive
for that. The Kansan Editorial
Board hopes to have our funding
reinstated and our First Amendment rights restored quickly, with
as few unnecessary proceedings
as possible.

Lara Korte/KANSAN
Freshman Zoya Khan from Kansas City said she wears the hijab as an
outward manifestation of her faith, even though she sometimes feels
judged for it.

OMA opens
womens only
lunchroom
CONNER MITCHELL
@ConnerMitchell0

At the conclusion of the

Student Senate meeting on
Jan. 27, Diversity and Inclusion Director Omar Rana
announced the creation of a
womens lunchroom in the
Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Room 102 of the OMA
is available from noon to 1
p.m. on weekdays, mainly
for women on campus who
require a safe space to eat
lunch due to religious attire
that cannot be removed in
public, Rana said.
He said the process to
get the lunchroom approved
was lengthy and required the
exploration of many campus
resources, including Student
Senate.
Before taking the job as
Diversity and Inclusion Director, Rana was a conversation leader with International Student Services. While
talking to women from the
Middle East who wear burqas and niqabs, he asked
how the Universitys campus
could be more accessible.
One thing that they mentioned is that they didnt really have a place to go for lunch
hours, Rana said. They
cant really eat in the Union
because they would have to
take off their burqa or niqab,
which they cant do, or they
would have to eat under it,
which isnt always the most
comfortable.
Zoya Khan, a freshman
from Kansas City and secretary of the Muslim Student
Association, said the creation
of the lunchroom was an important step forward for the
University.
I think its about creating a safe space for Muslim
women on campus, and I
think thats really allowing

for that. I think its creating

an environment of inclusivity and acceptance, she said.
We are part of the KU community, and KU is allowing
for us to feel comfortable.
Rana commended Precious Porras, director of the
OMA, for her work in providing the accommodations
for the lunchroom.
The OMA really came
through for us, and I do think
they really deserve that gratitude from myself and from
the student body for being an
entity on campus that really
does work, when sometimes
its hard to find those entities
that do work, he said.
Kahn said she heard a
lot of positive support from
women within the Muslim
Student Association about
the creation of the lunchroom.
[The reaction has been]
overwhelming support and
happiness. People are really
excited that KU is willing to
take this step forward, she
said.
Rana said there were 25
to 30 women on campus that
could use the accommodation, and it was likely that
three to five women would
use the lunchroom on a daily
basis.
I think as long as there
is that need for a student to
have that sort of accommodation, the University should
make that accommodation,
he said.
Every other Friday, Rana
said, the location of the
lunchroom will move to the
Wheat Room in the Kansas
Union due to a schedule conflict with the OMA. He said
when the room is available in
the OMA, students are asked
not to bring eggs for lunch,
as an OMA staffer is severely
allergic.
Edited by Skylar Rolstad

New vice provost brings international experience

Baxter Schanze/KANSAN
The University named DeAngela Burns-Wallace as Vice Provost for
Undergraduate Studies.

FOREST LASSMAN
@ForestLassman

While working for the

U.S. State Department,
DeAngela Burns-Wallace educated young people about
different cultures and international issues. Now, shes

returned to her midwestern

roots to be part of the campus-wide conversation of
inclusion and student retention.
Burns-Wallace began her
new position as University
vice provost for undergraduate studies last month.

She previously worked at

Stanford University and the
University of Missouri, but
before that, Burns-Wallace
worked for the U.S. Department of State.
I love all things international. I love learning
cultures and languages and
meeting people, Burns-Wallace said. The world of a diplomat gives you a lot of those
types of things.
During her time at
the
State
Department,
Burns-Wallace worked to
bring young people into government positions. While
doing that, she came in contact with a former mentor
and teacher who convinced
her to start working in admissions at Stanford, her
alma mater.
In that work it was a really fun time to kind of open
the boundaries of who went
to Stanford and who was

applying to Stanford, and

our charge was to go all over
the country and all over the
world and find students that
brought a richness of experiences and backgrounds to
the University, Burns-Wallace said.
Later,
Burns-Wallace
moved to the University of
Missouri to work as the assistant vice provost for undergraduate studies. She
grew up in Kansas City, Mo.,
and came to the University
as an American Council on
Education fellow two years
ago.
Burns-Wallace said she
had the opportunity to shadow University leadership and
learned about the University
and undergraduate education.
So when the opportunity
became available for this position, given the work I was
already doing at MU, which

was very similar, given the

knowledge base I had about
KU from my time here and
just my affinity for the region
and in general being closer
to Kansas City, I think it was
kind of a trifecta to bring everything together with a really unique opportunity.
Tom Volek, associate
dean for undergraduate
studies, led the search committee that helped select
Burns-Wallace. Volek said
he thinks Burns-Wallace
will do well at the University
and that he looks forward to
working with her.
The
University
has
worked on a plan this school
year for better diversity and
inclusion, and Burns-Wallace has experience with diversity issues on other campuses.
Part of it is being a part of
the conversation. Its about
being in there and working

with students, understanding student voices and bringing those perspectives into
the conversations that we
have as an administration
as we develop our course as
faculty, Burns-Wallace said.
Burns-Wallace said her
goal is to ensure every students success at the University.
Success means many
things: it means they are
coming back year after year,
it means they are graduating with the degree that they
came to the institution to
pursue [and] it means they
are engaging in the enrichment activities that we know
make an educational experience powerful.
Edited by Deanna Ambrose

news
Kansan
staff

NEWS MANAGEMENT

Editor-in-chief
Vicky Diaz-Camacho
Managing editor
Kate Miller
Brand & creativity
manager
Hallie Wilson
Digital operations editor
Anissa Fritz
Print Production Manager
Candice Tarver
ADVERTISING
MANAGEMENT

Business manager
Gage Brock
Sales manager
Katie Bell
SECTION EDITORS

News editor
Kelly Cordingley
Associate news editor
Cassidy Ritter
Sports editor
Scott Chasen
Associate sports editor
Shane Jackson
Arts & culture editor
Ryan Wright
Associate
arts & culture editor
Christian Hardy
Opinion editor
Maddy Mikinski
Visuals editor & design
chief
Roxy Townsend
Chief photographer
Caroline Fiss
Investigations editor
Miranda Davis
ADVISER

Sales and marketing

adviser
Jon Schlitt

The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper

of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid
through the student activity fee. Additional copies
of The Kansan are 50 cents. Subscriptions can be
purchased at the Kansan business office, 2051A
Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside
Avenue, Lawrence, KS., 66045.
The University Daily Kansan (ISSN 0746-4967)
is published on Mondays and Thursday during the
academic year except fall break, spring break and
exams. It is published weekly during the summer
session excluding holidays. Annual subscriptions by
mail are $250 plus tax. Send address changes to
The University Daily Kansan, 2051A Dole Human
Development Center, 1000
Sunnyside Avenue.

KANSAN MEDIA PARTNERS

Check out KUJH-TV on Wow! of
Kansas Channel 31 in Lawrence
for more on what youve read in
todays Kansan and other news.
Also see KUJHs website at tv.ku.
edu.
KJHK is the student voice in
radio. Whether its rock n roll
or reggae, sports or special
events,
KJHK 90.7 is for you.

KANSAN.COM/NEWS | MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2016

Kansan files First

Amendment suit
against University
KANSAN STAFF
@KansanNews
Editors note: Editor-in-chief
Vicky Diaz-Camacho was not
involved in the production of
this story.

In response to alleged violations of its First Amendment rights, the University

Daily Kansan filed a civil suit
against University Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little
and University Vice Provost
for Student Affairs Tammara Durham on Friday,
Feb. 5.
The lawsuit alleges University Student Senate cut
the publication's funding in
response to concerns about
content.
Editor-in-chief
Vicky Diaz-Camacho and
former editor-in-chief Katie
Kutsko are listed as plaintiffs
on the case, as well as the
publication itself.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs ask a federal court to
reinstate the Kansan's funding, which was cut last year
by the University Student
Senate. The plaintiffs name
defendants Gray-Little and
Durham, who both allegedly
allowed the First Amendment violations to follow
through despite the Kansan's meetings with them
demonstrating the effects of
the funding cuts.
The complaint details action by the University Student Senate stemming from
May 2014, when the Kansan
published an editorial calling for reform of the Student
Senate election process.
According to the complaint, when the Kansan
came before Student Senate
the following year for annual fee review, funds were cut
from $2 per student to $1
per student, which resulted
in a $45,000 loss of funding.

The official reason for the

funding was a reduced publication schedule, but the
complaint alleges Student
Senate members used the
negative coverage as a basis
for cutting the funding in a
retaliatory move.
The complaint alleges that
committee-member-at-thetime Emma Halling told a
Kansan reporter a significant reason for the funding
cut was "because some of
the coverage had been really problematic in the past."
The lawsuit also claims committee members said the
funding cut would allow the
Kansan to "fix their content"
and seek funding again the
next year.
The $45,000 cut forced the
Kansan to eliminate 13 paid
student staff positions and to
leave its News Adviser position unfilled, the complaint
says.
"As a result of defendants
actions, plaintiffs [the Kansan] have been chilled in
the exercise of their fundamental rights under the First
Amendment," according to
the complaint. "Plaintiffs,
therefore, have suffered and
will continue to suffer irreparable harm for which there
is no adequate remedy of
law."
The Kansan is working
with the Student Press Law
Center for the case. The
SPLC published a release
earlier today detailing the
complaint.
Erinn Barcomb-Peterson,
director for media and news
relations at the University,
was not available for comment.
This story is developing and
will be updated.

Lexi Brady/KANSAN
Fourteen students spent their winter breaks in Ala. developing bamboo prototypes for a nonprofit.

Students create bamboo

prototypes for nonprofit
KATIE HAYES
@Katie_Hayes0

Fourteen Design and Architecture students spent their

winter breaks in Greensboro,
Ala. working to end poverty
through push bikes and paddleboards made of bamboo
they harvested from Greensboro farms. The students
worked 10 to 14 hour days
for two weeks designing and
building the prototypes.
Veronica Villhard, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo. and
one of the 14 Design and Architecture students, said the
presence of the group impacted the community. She said
the pushbikes and paddleboards helped the community
by creating a cash flow and additional jobs, especially at the
local bamboo farms.
The pushbikes and paddleboards are sold at a local nonprofit bike shop, HERObike,
in Greensboro, Ala.
This immersive experience
is a great way for students to
practice what they know and
push their comfort zones.
They have to pick up new skills
fast, Design Department
Chair Andrea Herstowski said
in a press release.
Rebekah Winegarner, a junior from Overland Park, was
another student who partici-

pated in the project.

I chose this program because I wanted an environment where I could keep
working on the same interesting design problem until
it was solved without any of
the peripheral distractions of
extra classes or everyday life,
Winegarner said.
HERObike, owned by the
Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, is
a community development
group that seeks to end poverty in rural areas around Hale
County.
Working with a sustainable
material to create exciting
products with talented people
for a company making a positive impact within its community was an opportunity I
had to be a part of. I feel very
fortunate to have been one of
the two sophomores chosen
to be a part of the Greensboro
team, Villhard said.
The students spent their days
designing, building, rebuilding and testing the prototypes.
The things that kept everyone working hard were really
just the small successes in our
design work. Whenever we
would have a successful prototype or found an easier or
faster or sturdier way to build
something, the design nerd in
us would tingle. The energy of

those small triumphs kept everyone excited to keep going,

Winegarner said.
Chelsea Anderson, a junior
from Overland Park, said the
long days were beneficial to
the project.
Its quick and youre working 12 or so hours a day. However, you also get so much
done in a short amount of
time. Many of our professors
say, Fail fast, fail hard, Anderson said.
Students learned about time
management and what to do
if a design does not work, according to the press release.
I remember everyone was
pretty tired after a week of
failed prototypes and was not
ready to restart the building
process with the new and
improved designs, Villhard
said. It was when our team
of Graphic Design students
presented the name and awesome branding they had come
up with for the push bikes and
paddleboards that boosted the
spirits of the team again.
A Kickstarter has also been
created to help support the
community of Greensboro
through HERObike.
Edited by Deanna Ambrose

Diversity plan now open for student feedback

LARA KORTE
@lara_Korte

The University is calling for

feedback on its Diversity Action Plan for 2016.
In a statement released Jan.
28, Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Sara
Rosen shared a list of action
items to ensure members of
the KU community are understood, accepted and successful
in their individual pursuits."
Jill Hummel, communications manager for the Office
of the Provost, said the action
items tie closely with the diversity initiatives put forth
in Bold Aspirations, the
Universitys strategic plan for
2012-2017. However, Hummel said, after the events of
last semester, the plans have
been reevaluated and adjusted.
I think everyone is aware
from discussions that took

place last fall that there are

issues we really need to deal
with as a University, Hummel said. Some of those may
not have been on the radar of
those who made the diversity
and inclusion framework.
Hummel said Rosen will
lead the overall plan with various deans and administrators
taking charge of individual
tasks.
The plan is divided into four
areas, Communication and
Accountability, Education and
Training, Recruitment and
Retention, and Campus-Wide
Strategic Framework.
Each area includes expectations for Spring 2016 as well
as the 2016-2017 school year.
For Communication and
Accountability this spring,
the University is looking to
expand the ability of Institutional Opportunity and Access
(IOA) to investigate reports of
discrimination and sexual ha-

rassment, as well as increase

funding for the Emily Taylor
Center for Women and Gender Equity.
When it comes to Education
and Training, the University
will host the second annual
Cultural Competency Conference on March 10 and 23,
and provide diversity training
and workshops to department
chairs as well as train all IOA
staff.
Earlier this year, the provost hosted an all-day diversity training for all deans and
vice provosts. According to
the Diversity Action plan, the
provost will be looking at ways
to expand capacity for similar
training sessions on campus.
University Retention and
Recruitment will see a complete review of KU faculty
mentoring programs and
develop models to support
underrepresented faculty success, according to the plan,

and plans to come up with tactics to attract diverse professors and students to campus.
As far as Campus-Wide Strategic Framework, the University will host the fourth Annual
Diversity Symposium on April
12 and work on ensuring the
diversity initiatives presented
in the Bold Aspirations plan
are implemented.
After reading through details of the plan, students can
access an online form and
share their reactions with the
University. All comments are
confidential. Initial comments
for the Diversity Action Plan
are due Feb. 15.
Hummel said the office has
received some feedback since
the plan was posted last week.
Although most of the comments have been positive,
Hummel said, there has been
some concern the University
is not moving fast enough with
diversity initiatives. Hummel

said she believes its important

for the University to do what it
can in the short term, but said
institutional change can take
more time.
For lasting and effective
change, we have to look at
whats causing the problem,
what barriers are in place, and
how we change those barriers
and remove those hurdles so
theyre not an issue in the future, Hummel said.
Rosen, along with other administrators, will continue
working to implement the initiatives presented in the plan.
Although the cutoff for initial
comments is Feb. 15, Hummel
said the office is intent on continuing feedback and suggestions for the plan.
Its not completely comprehensive. Were really interested in hearing new ideas and
adding to that list, Hummel
said, Its definitely not the
end of the conversation.

2000 Dole Human

Development Center 1000
Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, Kan., 66045
editor@kansan.com
www.kansan.com
Newsroom: (785) 766-1491
Advertising: (785) 864-4358

ENGAGE WITH US

@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
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DAILYKANSAN

Gracie Williams/KANSAN

KANSAN.COM

NEWS

Senate approves Wear Red for Women Day

MIRANDA DAVIS
@MirandaRDavis

Illustration by Jake Kauffman/KANSAN

TOPEKA Caroline Meyer was 28

years old and finishing veterinary school
at Kansas State University when she
began experiencing
shortness of breath
and fatigue. She
thought it was just
the stress of college,
but she called her
dad one night and
relayed her concerns. He told her to
go to the ER. There,
she was diagnosed
with acute congestive heart failure
and, later, giant cell
myocarditis.
Meyers life drastically changed as
her condition worsened. She had to
leave school and
move home with
her parents. She was
then put on a transplant list.
On
Thursday,
Sen. Vicki Schmidt,
R-Topeka, became
teary-eyed as she
relayed the story of
the now 29-year-old
Topeka resident.
Carolines story
is unfortunate proof
that heart disease
does not spare the
young,
Schmidt
said. It does not
discriminate based

on age. And, in combination with lifestyle, overall health

and whether or not
it runs in your family, these factors can
work together to
raise your risk.

those.
Schmidt said that
women are often not
aware of their risk
for heart disease.
Part of the resolutions goal is to bring
awareness to womens
symptoms,
which can differ
I dont fit
from mens.
the image of
The American
what people
Heart
Association says that both
think heart
women and men
disease is, or
may
experience
somebody
the classic heart
with heart
attack symptoms
of gripping chest
disease.
Caroline Meyer pains and cold
sweats. However,
women may have
Schmidt
intro- less
recognizable
duced a resolution symptoms, such as
to make Feb. 4 Wear pain or discomfort
Red Day as part in the stomach, jaw,
of the Go Red for neck or back. They
Women campaign also may experience
from the American nausea and shortHeart Association. It ness of breath. More
aims to bring aware- information can be
ness to heart disease found at Go Red For
and heart-related is- Women online.
sues in women.
Many women in
I dont fit the im- the Senate wore red
age of what people to support the resothink heart disease lution, and it passed
is, or somebody with unanimously. Meyheart disease, Mey- er and her mother,
er said. Im young, Nanci, were in attenI dont smoke, I ex- dance.
ercise, and thats
Caroline, its a
usually what people tremendous,
trehear as risk factors mendous honor to
for coronary artery have you present
disease. . . . And with us in the SenI didnt fit any of ate, and you are

clearly an inspiration to every one of

us here today, Senate President Susan
Wagle, R-Wichita,
said after the resolution passed.
Schmidt
said
Meyers story was
important to tell.
I think putting a
face to a story helps
people understand
that she is not just
a statistic, Schmidt
said.
Last
summer,
Meyer had three
open-heart surgeries
in five days, including two heart transplants. The heart she
received in her last
surgery is the heart
she still has today.
She said it took
her about six months
to recover after the
surgeries, but now
she is just as healthy
as before. She said
she is thankful for
her donors and their
families.
Now, Meyer is
back in school and
will graduate in May.
To learn more
about heart health,
go the American
Heart
Association
website.
Edited by Leah
Sitz and Garrett
Long

City Commissioner proposes accepting canned

goods as payment for parking tickets
TANNER HASSELL
@thassell17

At the Lawrence City Commission meeting on Feb. 2,

commissioner Matthew Herbert proposed for a second
time that the city accept canned
food as an alternative payment
for fines received in metered
parking around Lawrence.
Herberts proposal would
enable people who receive
tickets at metered spots, particularly in the downtown area,
to pay their fines with canned
foods. The cans would then
be donated to one of the food
banks in town.
What Im trying to do is
come up with an alternative
strategy to better enable us to
fund our food banks, Herbert
said. Right now weve got a
problem with empty shelves
at our food banks and the pro-

posal would enable us to use

individuals whove picked up a
parking ticket to help individuals in our community who have
a great need.
Hebert said that the proposal would assist city funding
that is already in place.
Food banks like Just Food
do receive some money from
the city, but ultimately theres
only so much to go around,
Herbert said.
In addition, Herberts proposal would raise the initial
price of parking tickets from
$3 to $4.
The obvious issue is that
with the proposal the city
would lose a little bit of revenue Herbert said. To help
mitigate this loss Ive also proposed a one-dollar bump on
the three-dollar fine, so that
those people who still choose
to do cash will pay the extra

dollar which will help make up

for the losses.
Lawrence Mayor Mike
Amyx said that increasing
the price of parking tickets is
something that he would be
hesitant to support.
I understand where his
heart is on the matter, trying
to find a way to help out the
food pantry, Amyx said. Part
of the proposal was to raise the
price of parking fines in the
downtown area, which would
be hard for me to support.
Amyx said that he is lukewarm to the idea.
Herberts proposal will be
considered if either the Mayor
or Vice Mayor show support
for the proposal and add it to
a Commission meeting agenda.
Edited by Skylar Rolstad

Graphic by Sam Billman/KANSAN

opinion
FREE-FORALL WE
HEAR FROM
YOU

KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2016

Cutting

Text your #FFA

submissions to
785-289-UDK1
(8351)
**looks both ways
halfway through
crossing the street**
Why isnt the day
after the Super Bowl a
national holiday yet?
Thanks Obama

Gonzales: Greater access to birth control

benefits everyone, not just women

Why isnt the Puppy

Bowl a national holiday
Love Yourself by Justin
Bieber is actually a
really good song
Whom is just the formal
version of the word
who Right?
Price is Right is an
underrated show
Michael Jackson >
Kesha IMO
Kevin Durant is a better
basketball player than
Steph Curry and Im not
sorry about it
Why did you pull out in
front of me just to drive
slow?
There are some times
when I wish we werent
a Coke campus...and
then I drink a Vanilla
Coke and it all makes
sense again.
My 1st sunflower
showdown and im a
senior!
Does it bother anyone
else that Watson only
has one way in and out?
I had an iced honey
bun for the first time
in 5 years. It tasted like
disappointment.
Im too upset by Donald
Trumps supposed
Nobel Peace Prize
nomination to make
witty banter about it.
My math professor
talks about quadratic
equations like a
motivational speaker
talks about striving for
your best self. Exciting
Tasty videos on
Facebook are going to
turn us into the society
of obese people from
Wall-E

ILLUSTRATION BY JAKE KAUFMANN/Kansan

RACHEL GONZALES
@Rachelllnoel

ccess
to
birth control
is a right that
all
women
should share,
regardless of their income.
A study by the New England Journal of Medicine
concluded that Texas legislation to defund Planned
Parenthood directly lead
to an increase in unplanned births by low-income women who had
previously received birth
control at clinics that no
longer received state funding in Texas, beginning in
2011.
The state of Kansas is moving quickly in the same
direction as Texas when
it comes to reproductive
legislation. If Kansas continues to cut funding for

programs such as Planned

Parenthood, it would have
a negative impact on the
well-being of America.
The cost of unintended
pregnancy is one that is
paid by society as a whole,
not just the women who
give birth to unplanned
babies. According to a
committee opinion published by The American
College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists, unintended pregnancies cost
the government money.
In 2008, that cost was approximately $12.5 billion.
Each public dollar spent
to fund affordable birth
control will save the U.S
health care system almost
$6 dollars in the long run.
Funding affordable birth
control will ultimately
improve health care and
abortion rates in America.
As the American College

of Obstetricians and Gynecologists puts it, the

most effective way to reduce abortion rates is to
prevent unintended pregnancy by improving access
to consistent, effective and
affordable contraception.
Providing access to birth
control at an affordable
cost for all women is a
crucial step to preventing
unintended pregnancy. A
study done by US National
Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
found that unintended
pregnancy and abortion
rates are higher in the
U.S. than in most other
developed countries, and
low-income women have
disproportionately-high
rates.
Women must have access
to birth control to reduce
the amount of unplanned
pregnancies, and their ac-

cess should not be based

on where they live or how
much money they have.
Planned Parenthood has a
long history of fighting for
its place in Kansas. Since
2010, legislators began to
make cuts to the organizations office for women
in Kansas and Missouri,
according to Planned Parenthood.
Initially, Planned Parenthood was prohibited from
offering educational materials in public schools
in both states. Since then,
abortion restrictions have
significantly
increased,
with the government of
Kansas stripping the organization of public funding
and passing Senate Bill 95
which restricted the safest
method of second-trimester abortions.
So far, the organization
has fought to preserve its

commitment to reproductive freedom in the Kansas community. Further

cuts to the program would
mean an increase in births
among women who could
no longer afford birth control, just like in Texas.
Kansas should support
Planned Parenthood with
public funding. The task is
up to the government, in
large part, to provide disadvantaged women with
access to birth control.
Providing easy access to
birth control is the right
thing to do for the health
of individual women and
the health of the nation as
a whole.
Rachel Gonzales is a junior from Fort Collins,
CO., studying Strategic
Communications.
Edited by Deanna Ambrose

Clough: Facebooks Friends Day and

how social media defines relationships

beyoncSLAY
MATTHEW CLOUGH
Do you the university
would allow me to have
a cat as a service dog?
Ill pay someone in
discounted Valentines
Day candy to write my
creative writing story
for me.
I bet this song will be in
your head for the rest of
the day: Drake + lyrics
you used to...
One time a waitress
asked my cousin if he
wanted soup or salad
and he said yeah Ill
have a super salad

READ MORE AT
KANSAN.COM
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN

@mcloughsofly

If you logged into Facebook last Thursday, you

were greeted with a cute
little video dedicated to you
and your friends. You probably watched it. If you could
get past the nature of the
arbitrarily manufactured
holiday Friends Day, you
probably enjoyed it. Maybe
you even shared it with all
your friends.
But maybe you couldnt
get past the sheer artificiality of Facebooks stint to
celebrate its own invention
12 years ago. Sure, the video was a nice gesture, and
maybe you enjoyed the
chance, however brief, to
reflect on your friendships
through the years. But as
the day wore on and every
other post appearing on
your timeline was someone
elses Friends Day video,

maybe you couldnt help

feeling a bit irked.
Annoyance is not an
unusual response. Its easy
to feel badgered by the extreme oversaturation of
content the social media
giant seems to be shoving
at its users. Having to sift
through so many nearly
identical videos makes it
difficult to find any content with any sort of significance, be it news material
or actually interesting posts
from friends.
Not to mention, most
people arent even going to
take the time to watch their
friends Friends Day videos.
If youve been out-of-touch
with someone for a while,
the chances you engage
with anything they post are
pretty low, let alone a minute-long video. Its really
just a lot of wasted cyberspace.
And its not like people

arent capable of revisiting

memories they share with
their close friends individually. Thats really what
Facebook is for no one
knows whose photos and
posts you want to see more
than you. Thats why when
the social media megalith
got involved, many users
were upset when they found
exes, forgotten friends or
even deceased pets in their
personalized videos.
So why fill up the Internet with templated videos
constructed through algorithms? Wouldnt it be
better to celebrate Friends
Day by making a conscious
effort to see the friends you
actually want to see? Facebooks effort to bring people
together through memories
comes off as lazy when you
notice each persons video
is just a regurgitated reflection of everyone elses.
Its not that Im an-

HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

LETTER GUIDELINES: Send
letters to editor@kansan.com. Write
LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the
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Length: 300 words

The submission should include the

authors name, year, major and
hometown. Find our full letter to the
editor policy online at
kansan.com/letters.

ti-Facebook or anti-social
media such tools can
undoubtedly be valuable
mechanisms for staying in
touch with friends and family. What I am against is the
increasingly prevalent algorithmization of the human
experience. Humans are
complex beings with minds
of their own. No computerized system can understand
our relationships more than
we can ourselves.
Friends Day videos are
just another component
in Facebooks process of
trying to move beyond the
two-dimensional
realm
of the website. Its recently implemented On This
Day feature shows users
their posts from previous
years when they log in, often quipping we care about
you and the memories you
share. The sentiment isnt
kind or touching. It comes
off as creepy and oddly

CONTACT US
Vicky Diaz-Camacho
Editor-in-chief
vickydc@kansan.com

Gage Brock
Business Manager
gbrock@kansan.com

forceful in the friendliest

way possible, of course.
Celebrating friendship
is great, and recognizing
those relationships that
have influenced your life
positively is a rewarding experience. But its one thats
uniquely human. Facebook,
or any other social media
entity, has no business getting involved in such matters. While seemingly sweet
on the surface, Friends Day
videos and other similar
features essentially reduce
human relationships to the
confines of an unfeeling algorithm. Its a process thats
largely superficial and completely unnecessary.
Matthew Clough is a junior from Wichita studying
English and journalism.

Edited by Deanna
Ambrose

THE KANSAN
EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan
Editorial Board are Vicky
Diaz-Camacho, Kate Miller,
Gage Brock and Maddy
Mikinski

arts & culture

HOROSCOPES
WHATS YOUR
SIGN?

Aries (March 21-April 19)

One door closes as a new one opens in
your professional adventure, with this New
Moon in Capricorn. Begin a new career
phase. Clean and prepare. Get your ducks
in a row. Pursue passion.

MUSIC IN FOCUS:

KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2016

University alumnus talks victory in

World Air Guitar Championship

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Begin a new phase in your education, travels and exploration with this New Moon.
Learn through experience. Go to the source.
Others give you a boost. Spend on research
materials. Team up for success.

RYAN MILLER
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
A turning point arises regarding family
finances with this New Moon. Work it out
for new possibilities. Together youre more
powerful. Close a phase in an account.
Make a sexy offer. Find the silver lining.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

One door closes as another opens in a
partnership, with this New Moon. Begin
a new phase in your relationship. Realign
your collaboration to new priorities. Support
each other. Keep your sense of humor.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Begin a new phase in service, work and
health, with tonights New Moon. With
power comes responsibility. Listen to your
heart. Have faith. Believe in your own
abilities. Infuse your work with love.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Begin a family, fun and passion phase.
Complete one game and begin a new one,
with this New Moon. A romantic relationship transforms. Look before leaping. Play
together. Its all for love.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

One domestic phase closes as another
begins under this New Moon. Complete
the past and invent new possibilities for
your family. Adapt your home to suit. Bold
decor beautifies the space. Share love and
gratitude.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Complete old projects and launch new
creative works with the New Moon. Begin
a new phase in communications, including
research, broadcasting, writing, recording
and publishing. Get the straight scoop.
Learn from somebody you love.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Seize a lucrative opportunity. A profitable
new phase expands with the New Moon.
Build support structures before you knock
down any walls. Make a change. Go for
passion. Try not to break anything.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Begin a new personal phase, with tonights
New Moon in your sign. Take advantage
of energy and confidence to step into leadership. Use your power for good. Nurture
your base. Make an important choice.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Transitions mark a new phase in your private plans, with the New Moon. Complete
previous projects as you prepare for whats
next. Make the changes youve been
wanting. Plug financial leaks. Slow down.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Begin a new phase in friendship, social
networks and community under tonights
New Moon. A new stage dawns in a group
endeavor. Share what youre learning.
Provide valuable information. Inspire your
team. Talk about love.

@Ryanmiller_UDK

ust like Clark Kent,

theres a super identity hidden behind
mild-mannered Eric Melin,
a 2006 University graduate.
Melin, who works as a
social media marketer, has
built up his own side-resume full of exciting and
outlandish activities. These
include drumming for various bands, competing on
The World Series of Pop
Culture and Who Wants
to be a Millionaire, and
more recently, becoming
the 2013 Air Guitar World
Champion.
Im just constantly
looking for opportunities
to do really dumb things, as
long as they dove-tail with
my interests, Melin said.
The inspiration for becoming an air guitarist
started back in 2009 when
Melin watched a documentary called Air Guitar Nation." The documentary depicts the first year of the US
Air Guitar championships,
in 2003.
After watching the movie, Melin decided to get
involved in the air guitar
world. Melin did online research, created a persona
(Mean Melin), developed
a routine, participated in a
competition in Kansas City
four months later and then
went to nationals.
Over the next few years
at nationals, Melin placed;
4th, 3rd, 7th and one year
he didnt place at all. When
2013 came around, he was
able to progress to the big
stage in Finland, albeit in
a unique way. Melin was
beaten at nationals in Los
Angeles, and ended up placing second.
I was beat by a tenth
of a point by my arch-rival,
'Lieutenant
Facemelter,
who placed one above me
every year in nationals, and
then did it again to take the
title, Melin said.
However, he said the
two were still good friends,
and Facemelter offered him
another opportunity.
They have this thing
called the Dark Horse competition, where crazy people from all over the world
fly in and do this last-minute competition the night
before the world championship and have a chance to
qualify, Melin said.
Facemelter had previously signed up for the Dark
Horse event as a back-up,
and offered Melin his place
for the last minute qualifier.
Three days, $2,300 and a
16-hour-flight later, Melin
was in Finland preparing
for his last chance at international glory.
Arriving in Finland
without lodging or money,
Melin was able to stay in a
hotel room with another Air
Guitarist he knew named
Doug
"The
Thunder"

Stroock, who also went to

Finland for the Dark Horse
qualifier.
We became roommates, even though I didnt
have any money left. I
couldnt pay him or anything, and I was basically
relying on free breakfast in
the morning at the hotel,
and stashing stuff away,
Melin said.
When the Dark Horse
came, Melin placed first
and his newfound roommate, Stroock, placed behind him, qualifying both
of them for the World

Minner said that he

was excited for Melin after
hearing the results.
"Seeing him perform to
the song that we worked
on together was kind of a
different thing, I really enjoyed seeing what he did
with the music that we created," Minner said.
Reflecting upon the
event and the art of air guitar, Melin said there are
a variety of skills every air
guitarist needs.
People want to see it
bigger than life, they want
to see the air guitar do

English, you have this

shared language air
guitar, Melin said.
While in Finland, Melin
also found out the bigger
meaning of air guitar.
In Finland, they promote World Peace, thats
the whole point of air guitar. Its like if everyone is
holding an air guitar, then
no one is holding a gun.
And so they say, if everybody would stop and air
guitar at the same time,
then we would have world
peace, Melin said.
Before hanging up his

Im just constantly looking

for opportunities to do really
dumb things, as long as they
dove-tail with my interests.
Championship the next
day. Their biggest competition would be Facemelter, and the reigning world
champion, Nordic Thunder, from Chicago.
The rules for a performance include a one-minute clip of music, and Melin
had a special trick up his
sleeve that hed perfected
over the year.
Because it was my fifth
year competing and I still
hadnt won it, I still hadnt
reached my goal, I wrote a
song, he said.
He created the song with
an old friend, Doug Minner, who used to play guitar
with Melin.
"It ended up being a
really fun collaboration,"
Minner said. "We probably
exchanged 50 emails just
tweaking it and changing
things a little bit at a time
until we finally had it to
where he felt like he wanted it."
Melin said the song was
written with air guitar in
mind.
Theres some things
in there you normally
wouldnt be able to do, because the song was written
to be air-guitared to, so the
whole thing was conceived
as a visual thing, he said.
After his performance,
Melin ended up having
to face his new roommate in a tie-breaker
round, where they received a random song,
Hash Pipe, by Weezer to have an intense
air-off too. With his
knowledge of the randomized song, Melin
was able to pull out a
victory.
So thats how I ended up winning. It was
pretty fun, it was an interesting week, Melin
said.

Gracie Williams/KANSAN
Eric Mean Melin Melin shows off his air guitar moves. Melin won
the 2013 Air Guitar World Champion title in Finland.

Eric Melin, Air Guitarist

something that their guitar
cant do, because if youre
just mimicking playing a
guitar, thats not a show.
Its about stage presence,
its about larger than life
interpretation, its about
getting the crowd excited
about you playing absolutely nothing, Melin said.
One of his favorite
aspects of taking part in air
guitar is meeting people
from around the world.
When you go someplace for something as
stupid and ridiculous as air guitar,
and you meet
people from
Russia who
are also in
air guitar,
and you
meet
people
from
China,
and
Japan,
who you
cant
even
understand, and
they dont
know

trusty air guitar, Melin returned to Finland in 2014

to defend his world title.
I defended my title in
2014 and lost. I came in
3rd. A 17-year-old girl from
Japan beat me, which was
amazing, he said.
Melin retired from the
air guitar life after that
year, but his involvement
with its community only
grew bigger. He returned
last year as an ambassador,
and participated as one of
the judges.
This
year,
Melin
was

hired to take on the US and

World Air Guitar social
media accounts and help
cover the competition by
tweeting, taking pictures,
writing press releases and
more.
I transitioned into
working for the organization now, which is pretty
awesome because if theyre
willing to fly me to Finland
every year, Im totally willing to do what I normally
do for my real job, Melin
said.
For the competition this
year, Melin is hosting the
qualifying round in Lawrence for the first time at
The Bottleneck on April 22.
The US Air Guitar semifinals will be in Kansas City
on July 9, where the top
three will move onto nationals.
The opportunities dont
end in Finland, however.
Melin was also hired to
join a cruise leaving Miami in a few weeks to do an
air guitar contest, the first
qualifier of the US Air Guitar season. The cruise will
welcome huge acts from the
world of rock, like Breaking
Benjamin and Zakk Wylde,
who was the guitarist for
Ozzy Osbourne.
Melin said taking up all
of the wacky and unique
opportunities so far in his
life has led to life-changing
experiences.
Its crazy because once
you do something ridiculous like this, opportunities
just come up every now and
then, he said.
Edited by Skylar
Rolstad

ARTS & CULTURE

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BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016

AT

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KANSAN.COM

11

Tone-deaf Monday at 11:01 A.M. fails to

produce scares or even make sense

Charles Agron Productions

COURTNEY BIERMAN
@courtbierman

Can I ask you a question?

Yeah.
I hate it here.
Director Harvey Lowry
has nearly 20 years of behind-the-scenes experience
in visual effects and makeup. His credits include A
Beautiful Mind, Watchmen, The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button,these
films all have something
in common: none of them
are particularly great, but
theyre nice to look at. The
same is true of Lowrys
latest release,Monday at
11:01 A.M.
The film is not good, but
its visuals are: the hotel
where most of the film takes
place is stylishly illuminated in funky blue light, the
building itself is decorated

like something straight out

of a Pacific Northwesterners Instagram and the actors fit 21st century beauty
standards to a tee.
"Not good is putting it
mildly. Its a low-budget
horror (of a) film made
by people who dont have
nearly as good an understanding of the horror
genre as they think they do.
Michael (Charles Agron,
who also wrote and produced the film) and girlfriend Jenny (Lauren Shaw)
drive their Bentley down
a sunny street in a mountain town. They pull over to
shop and decide to spend
the night there. The town
has only one hotelthe
Grand Something-or-Other. The hotel's role in the
story plateaus after about
five minutes. Despite the
fact that the town is supposedly a popular tourist
attraction, with expatri-

ate bellhops and charming

shops lining sunny streets,
the concierge reports that
the town doesnt have cell
service. Michael and Jenny
decide to stay anyway.
Michael spends the rest of
the film bouncing around
aimlessly between various
horror tropes, never staying
with one long enough for
the homage to play out
theyre probably meant to
be homage, anyway, but
it plays more like parody.
The couple gets stuck in the
town when a car accident in
the tunnel seals their only
way out.
There are mysterious
and hostile hotel employees who never say what
they mean and only reveal
whats necessary. Theres
nightly screaming from
room 327 no doubt a reference to room 237 from
The Shining that no
one but Michael can hear.

Theres an omniscient and

curmudgeonly bartender
(Lance Henriksen) who
encourages Michael to
chase after a sultry bar-fly
named Olivia (Briana Evigan) who almost succeeds
in seducing Michael. There
are hooded monks who
slowly chase Michael down
darkened streets, Michael
Myers-style. Had Agron focused on one of these ideas,
the film might have been
passable. Together, each
plot device is more inane
and nonsensical than the
last.
The last half-hour or so
of the runtime is occupied
with Michael half-heartedly trying to find Jenny, who
has inexplicably gone missing. All of the hotel employees claim that Michael has
been alone the whole time
and that Jenny was never
with him in the first place.
He eventually finds her

body. The plot is too convoluted at this point to know

for sure, but I think were
supposed to believe Olivia
killed her out of jealousy
because Michael was cheating on Jenny with her.
Oh, and Olivias dead too.
She slit her own throat in
front of Michael. Oh, and
Michael doesnt remember
anything about cheating
on Jenny because, guys
Michael has been dead the
whole time! Finally, our
questions are answered!
Why doesnt anyone remember Jenny? Why does
Olivia keep asking Michael
if her loves her? Why isnt
Agron able to convincingly
deliver a single line of his
own dialogue?
The film still doesnt make
any sense. The significance
of the films title, sporadically referenced throughout
the mercifully short runtime (It seems like its al-

ways Monday at 11:01 am,

Agron delivers tunelessly as
he storms out of an antique
shop), is anticlimactically
revealed a few minutes before the credits roll: the bartender tells Michael that he
is actually stuck in purgatory. Jenny turned up dead
in the real world, again apparently murdered by Olivia. Michael is sentenced
to death shortly before the
events of the film begin.
His execution took place
you guessed it Monday at
11:01 a.m. Agrons incompetency is obvious throughout the film, but here in
particular: its more or less
common knowledge that
prisoner executions almost
always occur at midnight.
1 out of 5 stars.
Edited by Skylar
Rolstad

Lawrence Art Centers preschool focuses on

teaching children creativity and independence
SAMANTHA SEXTON
@Sambiscuit

Kids need to play and, according to the Lawrence Art

Center, playing can be the
best way for a child to learn.
For decades, the Arts Centers arts-based preschool
has been teaching children
from ages three to five how
to dance, paint, sing and
learn, while having fun.
Its a sort of free reign
structure, said Gracie Rinke, a sophomore studying
graphic design. We let the
children learn by experiencing the world around
them and learning through
art.
Rinke has been spending
her afternoons, four days
a week, with the preschool
program since September and spent last summer

working with the schools

summer camp. It has become such an integral part
of her life that she schedules her University courses
around working at the preschool.
My family has always
been involved in some way
or another with the program, Rinke said. My
brother and I even went
there ourselves when we
were younger. We have all
kinds of artwork souvenirs
from our time here in our
basement and it feels good
to be working somewhere
that made me happy.
Rinke said that despite
being a teachers aide, shes
also learned a thing or two
while working at the preschool.
I think working here has

given me a sort of edge,

Rinke said. Ive learned so
much about childhood development, how to manage
interactions among teachers, students, parents, and
the administration, and not
to mention that fact that I
get to teach and be around
art all the time. It really
aligns perfectly with my
major.
Though Rinke said that no
matter what she does after
graduating, she knows that
shell always have a special
connection with the Lawrence Art Center preschool.
I dont know where I will
be or what Ill be doing, but
I hope that if I ever come
back to Lawrence that Ill be
able to work with the preschool again, Rinke said.
Someone who left Law-

KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS
785-864-4358

rence and did return to

work at the preschool is
Erin McElroy, a 2009 graduate who moved back to
Lawrence when her husband decided to earn his
Masters at Emporia.

We let the children

learn by experiencing the world around
them and learning
through art.
GRACIE RINKE
sophomore

I saw on Facebook two

years ago that the preschool
was looking for some new
hires and I was very interested, McElroy said.
McElroy said she became

housing

for sale

JOBS

JOBS

HOUSING

Naismith Hall
Resident Advisor
Our RA search process has begun! We are a privately owned, co
ed residence hall located at 1800
Naismith Drive, Lawrence, KS
66045. Our RAs take an active
role in building and maintaining a
positive community with their residents.
Interested
applicants
should possess excellent written
and oral communication skills,
demonstrated leadership skills,
and good time management.
Renumeration includes free single
room and meal plan. Application
materials may be picked up at the
front desk of Naismith Hall. Applications should be completed and
turned in by Feb. 15, 2016. Feel
free to email a resume to info@naismithhall.com or call 785843
8559 with questions.

Nanny for 11yr old son after

school MTh needed for homework, chores & exercise. Would
love ex science/pre PTmajor. 10
hours per week. $10/hr. Email:
karen@keaadvisors.com or call
7857600652.

7BR FOR RENT

Available Aug. 2016 1/2 block from
Stadium 7855508499

Being at the Arts Center,

we have so many resources
at our disposal, McElroy
said. Weve had potters,
dancers, and just recently
we had a resident print artist show the kids what print
art is.
Rinke said that her favorite part about being an aide
is being able to watch the
children whenever theyre
experiencing
something
new for the first time.
We have kids for a couple
years and its amazing to
watch them grow and experience the world around
them through art, Rinke
said. Theres so much that
a child can learn from art
and Im so happy that I can
be a part of it.

Edited by Garrett Long

textbooks

announcements

SALE

hawkchalk.com

Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence

is searching for Employees who
are interested in making an impact
on kids in our community. Hrs
would include 36pm daily with
some morning opportunities & NO
WEEKENDS. $8.50/hr. Please
apply at:
bgclk.org/careeropportunities

burned out after earning her Masters from the

University of Georgia in
scenography, and teaching
at the preschool sounded
promising.
We make a real difference here, McElroy said.
There have been studies
that suggest that children
who go to a more structured
sit down preschool will actually be behind by the time
they reach second grade
while children who go to
preschools like ours are far
above in reading, math, and
social interaction.
McElroy said the children
learn best when theyre
learning from themselves
and the instructors are
there to provide an environment that induces that
learning.

SUBJECT
of
IMPOrTANCE

jobs

classifieds@kansan.com

SPORTS

12

KANSAN.COM

Broncos D dominates Panthers in 24-10 Super Bowl win

Matt Slocum/AP PHOTO
Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, right, reacts after getting soaked with a sports drink by Von Miller (58) after their win against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

BARRY WILNER
Associated Press

Peyton Manning gave

himself a chance to have a
super ending to his career,
and Von Miller and the
Denver defense made the
plays to secure the title for
the Broncos.
Manning and Panthers
quarterback Cam Newton
were harassed all game
Sunday, and the Broncos
made enough big plays for
the 24-10 victory, Mannings 200th and perhaps
his last before retirement.
He wasnt the star
game MVP Miller seemingly was everywhere on
every Carolina play but
Manning really hasnt been
the headliner in this injury-shortened season.
Emulating his Broncos boss, John Elway, the
39-year-old Manning can
ride off with the Lombardi
Trophy after leading Denver to its third NFL title,
first since 1999 when Elway was the quarterback.
Ill take some time to
reflect, Manning said when
asked if Super Bowl 50 is
the end. I got a couple priorities first. Im going to go
kiss my wife and my kids.

... Im going to drink a lot

of Budweiser tonight. Take
care of those things first.
Denvers suffocating defense kept Newton jittery all
day. Despite wearing gold
shoes before the golden Super Bowl, Newton couldnt
finish off a dynamic season
in which he was the leagues
MVP. Miller twice stripped
him, once for a touchdown,
the second time setting up a
clinching TD. Denvers topranked defense, the one that
ran roughshod over Tom
Brady in the AFC championship, simply wouldnt let
Newton get comfortable.
Its every one of these
guys who go me to this,
Miller said.
Newton was sacked six
times receiver Ted Ginn
Jr., went down once on an
aborted trick play and if
Miller wasnt torturing him,
DeMarcus Ware was. Ware
had two of the seven sacks,
the most ever by one team
in the Super Bowl.
Carolinas potent offense
that led the league with 500
points was held to its fewest points of the year, and
Denver set an ignominious
mark with 194 yards gained,
the fewest for a Super Bowl
winner.
So what: The Broncos

(15-4) are champions and

Manning is the first quarterback to win Super Bowls
with two franchises, Indianapolis in 2007 was the
other.
Manning finished 13 for
23 for 141 yards against
a strong Carolina (17-2)
defense that just couldnt
match Miller and company.
This game was much
like this season has been,
testing our toughness, our
resiliency, our unselfishness, he said. Its only fitting that it turned out that
way.
I feel very, very grateful. ... Obviously, its very
special to cap it off with a
Super Bowl championship.
Denvers defense stole
Carolinas act. The Panthers led the league with 39
takeaways and were a plus20 in turnovers. On the
Super Bowl stage, though,
Assistant Coach of the Year
Wade Phillips got his first
ring because his unit was
impenetrable.
It was a far cry from two
years ago, when the Broncos were routed by Seattle
43-8.
Carolina has made a
habit of sprinting out of the
gate in the playoffs. This
time, it was Denver that got

the quick start.

Manning opened the
game with an 18-yard completion to Owen Daniels,
later hit Andre Caldwell
for 22, and C.J. Anderson
had a 13-yard run. When
the Panthers held, Brandon
McManus kicked a 34-yard
field goal.
The Panthers went nowhere on their first series,
then their defense forced
a three-and-out. It was the
first of seven such aborted
drives for both sides in the
first half.
Carolinas Ron Rivera,
the Coach of the Year, lost
a challenge on a pass to
Jerricho Cotchery, and it
was a key decision because
two plays later, Miller burst
through and didnt even go
for the sack. He reached directly for the ball, stripping
it from Newton. It rolled to
the goal line, where Malik
Jackson pounced on it for a
10-0 lead.
Miller dabbed in the end
zone in front of legions of
orange-clad Broncos fans
after Denvers first defensive touchdown in a Super
Bowl.
Miller spied on Newton
at times, and Newton noticed. But Newton escaped
him for runs of 11 and 12

yards Millers hard tackle out of bounds bothered

several Panthers and a
19-yard pass to Greg Olsen
on a misdirection play kept
alive Carolinas first scoring
drive.
Jonathan Stewart, back
from hurting his right foot
earlier, dived in from the 1
to make it 10-7.
But sloppiness and
strong defense marked
the rest of the game.
The first half ended
13-7 after McManus made
a 33-yarder that followed
the longest punt return in
Super Bowl history. It was a
strange runback, too.
Brad Nortmans kick
from his 12 was barely deflected, and the ball fluttered to Jordan Norwood.
One Panther bumped Norwood, but he didnt call for
a fair catch, then took off to
his right. Escorted by a bevy
of blockers, he appeared
headed for a touchdown
until DE Mario Addison
chased him down at the
Carolina 14, a 61-yard jaunt.
Denver also forced the
first fumble of the season
by All-Pro fullback Mike
Tolbert.
But the Broncos also had
a giveaway when Manning
was picked by DE Kony Ealy

on a zone blitz deep in Panthers territory. And the lead

was only six at halftime.
The margin stayed there
when Graham Gano hit the
right upright on a 44-yard
field goal attempt to open
the second half. Then his
counterpart,
McManus,
made his 10th in as many
postseason tries for a 16-7
margin. The kicker was
rescuing Denvers inept
short-yardage offense, just
as he did in a playoff win
over Pittsburgh when he
made five field goals.
Gano made up for his
miss with a 39-yarder to
make it a one-score game
with 10:21 remaining. The
50th Super Bowl came
down to the last quarter
and as it had all day, Denvers defense dominated.
The finishing touch came
when Miller again stripped
Newton and T.J. Ward recovered at the Carolina 4.
Anderson scored from the
2 following a third-down
holding call on All-Pro CB
Josh Norman. A 2-point
conversion was simply window dressing.

Kansas soccer signs five players for 2016 class

SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolSports

National Signing Day

is best known as the day
when all of the top football
recruits choose their future
school. However, its also a
big day for other sports programs.
This
years
National Signing Day was on
Wednesday. Kansas soccer
coach Mark Francis announced that his team had
signed five players for next
seasons freshman class.
Kansas added Mandi
Duggan (Aurora, Colo.),
Jordan Malone (Woodland
Hills, Calif.), Katie McClure
(Wichita), Addisyn Merrick
(Lees Summit, Mo.) and

Elise Reina (Springdale,

Ark.).
With this class we were
really looking to increase
our level of athleticism and
I think weve accomplished
that, Francis said in the
teams press release. Athleticism was one of our big
goals, but at the same time
we didnt want to jeopardize our style of play, and
we have a group here that
is in that same mindset of
how we want to play. But
these players are really going to raise our level athletically and help us compete at
a higher level, especially in
the Big 12.
The recruiting class is
led by midfielder Jordan
Malone, whose club team
was ranked in the top 10

percent nationally, according to the KU Athletics

press release.
Malone, a central midfielder, chose Kansas over
Oregon State, Cal Poly and
Denver.
With the Jayhawks losing Ashley Williams at forward, the team will add
Mandi Duggan at the position in 2016. The Aurora
native won the Colorado
state championship with
Grandview High School.
At the beginning of last
season, Francis was pleased
with his freshman class and
emphasized his ability to
recruit players in the Kansas City and Wichita area.
Kansas continued to focus on local recruits with
Addisyn Merrick from Lees

Summit, Mo., and Katie

McClure from Wichita.
Merrick is a defender and
McClure is a midfielder.
The Jayhawks add some
endurance with a former
cross country runner in
Elise Reina. Reina won
three state titles in cross
country at Har-Ber High
School in Springdale, Ark.,
and earned all-state honors
in high school. Reina will
play in Kansas midfield
next season.
Kansas will begin exhibition play this spring against
the mens soccer club team
on March 5.
Edited by Shane
Jackson

File Photo/KANSAN
Head Coach Mark Francis takes down notes before a game.

KU vs. Texas Tech game

changed to Sept. 29

File Photo/KANSAN
Junior linebacker Courtney Arnick tackles a Texas Tech player. Last week it was announced the date of the 2016
Texas Tech-Kansas game will be changed.

BRIAN MINI
@daftpunkpop

Kansas footballs Oct. 1

game against Texas Tech
will now be played on Sept.
29, according to the University, making for a rare
Thursday game. This will be
the Jayhawks first Thurs-

day night game since 2010.

The Big 12, with the help
of ESPN and Fox, requested the game be moved from
the normal Saturday date
to Thursday. The game will
now be two weeks after the
Jayhawks week-three game
against the University of
Memphis.

The Sept. 29 game will

be Kansas Big 12 opener
and will be played in Lubbock, Texas. Kansas opens
its 2016 season looking for
a win against Rhode Island
on Sept. 3 in Lawrence.
Edited by Deanna
Ambrose

Whether you love it or hate it, celebrate Valentines

at the Kansan table thisonThursday on Wescoe!

sports
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2016

Kansas looks to move into first place in

the Big 12 at home against West Virginia
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU

fter
dropping
three straight Big
12 road games,
a win against the TCU
Horned Frogs by any margin wouldve taken a large
weight off the No. 7 Kansas
Jayhawks shoulders.
However, it wasnt just
any win.
The Jayhawks came
out and dominated the
TCU Horned Frogs in Fort
Worth, Texas. The team
rode performances from
sophomore guard Devonte Graham and senior
forward Perry Ellis in the
victory, which ended up
being a fairly significant
win, in terms of the race for
a 12th-consecutive Big 12
championship.
After all, following the
Jayhawks win, the No. 1
Oklahoma Sooners fell to
the Kansas State Wildcats.
The Sooners' loss gives the
Jayhawks a chance to get
back into first place with a
win on Tuesday.
Still, the task wont be
easy.
Theyll face off against a
No. 14 West Virginia Mountaineers team that already
holds a win over the Jayhawks this year. But taking
down Kansas at home is a
completely different monster.
The Jayhawks have lost
only three home games
since Feb. 11, 2007, going
148-3 in that stretch. However, there have been a few
games in that 148 that have

File Photo/KANSAN
Forward Perry Ellis scores against West Virginia last year on senior night. Tuesday, the Jayhawks will face off against West Virginia in Allen Fieldhouse.

been a little too close for

comfort.
Josh Selbys debut went
down to the wire. The team
needed a banked three by
Ben McLemore just to get
to overtime against Iowa
State and trailed by double figures against Missouri and Florida. And just a
few games ago, on Jan. 4,
it took three overtimes for
Kansas to beat Oklahoma.
But one of those games
that seems to escape everyones mind came last
year on Senior Night. The
Mountaineers, who had al-

ready beaten the Jayhawks

in Morgantown, W. Va., led
by eight in Allen Fieldhouse
with less than two minutes
to play.
However, forward Jamari Traylor and guard
Frank Mason III would
combine for 20 points in
the remaining two minutes
plus overtime, as the Jayhawks pulled off the impressive comeback.
On that day, the Mountaineers had a gameplan
that was nearly good
enough to win. One year
later, theyre back to finish

the job.
West Virginia heads to
Allen Fieldhouse in sole
possession of first-place of
the Big 12. The Mountaineers are led by junior forward Devin Williams, who
comes into the game with
a bit of momentum, after a
sort of midseason slump.
In his last three games,
Williams
is
averaging
around 15 points and 13
rebounds per game, posting two double-doubles,
his ninth and 10th of the
season. However, after a
strong start to the year, his

production has tailed off as

of late.
And the same could
be said for the team as a
whole. After starting the
year 15-1, the Mountaineers are just 4-3 in their
last seven games. And it
wont be getting any easier
for them, as the team may
be without usual starter
Jonathan Holton, who was
suspended indefinitely for a
violation of team rules prior
to the teams game against
Florida.
With Holton's suspension, the team is missing

a decent scorer and good

rebounder, but, perhaps
most importantly, it's missing another body. Because
of the way West Virginia
attacks opponents on the
defensive end, the team is
prone to fouling. In fact,
out of 346 teams, only two
The Citadel and Washington commit more
fouls per game than West
Virginia.
For that, and the energy
it takes to be able to put on a
full-court press, every player is important. Each body
provides ~15 more minutes
of energy and five more
fouls, along with whatever
production comes on the
offensive end on a night-tonight basis.
Regardless, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said
after the teams last game
that he doesnt know when
Holton will be back.
It isnt the end of the
world, as the Mountaineers
are still a good team, not to
mention Holton was kind of
a dud in the last meeting between the two teams, which
the Mountaineers still won.
But it certainly doesn't help
the team's cause either.
In Allen Fieldhouse,
you need every break to go
your way to win. Oklahoma
learned that in three overtimes; Kentucky learned
that this last week.
And thats what the
Mountaineers will be up
against on Tuesday.
Edited by Skylar
Rolstad

Kansas swimming team defeats Iowa

State for second road-meet victory
ERIK NELSON
@erikthefan

The Kansas swimming

team had been average at
best away from Robinson
Natatorium, with just one
win in three meets during
the season. On Friday and
Saturday, it would be the
team's last chance to improve its road record, facing
Big 12 rival Iowa State in
Ames, Iowa in the last meet
of the season.
This was also the last
regular season meet of the
season. Usually, meets take
just one day to complete,
but this one took two, as the
16 events were split up.
In all, Kansas won 10
out of 16 events during the

two-day competition and

defeated Iowa State by a
score of 172.5-127.5. This
was Kansas' third consecutive win and first road win
since Oct. 31 against TCU.
The Jayhawks finished the
season with a record of 9-4.
"Today was really good,"
head coach Clark Campbell said in a KU Athletics
press release. "We haven't
performed well on the Saturday session of this meet
in a number of years, and I
was really pleased with how
they came out today. Everyone came out strong and
ready to compete, which
was great to see after yesterday's swim."
On Friday, Kansas won
all but two of the eight

events of the first portion

of the two-day meet. Freshman Libby Walker won two
events, the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 200-yard butterfly. Walker finished the
freestyle race with a time of
10:17.95, and her time for
the butterfly was 2:04.03.
The score at the end of day
one was Kansas 90.5, Iowa
State 59.5.
The next day, each team
won four events. Kansas
senior Chelsie Miller won
the 500-yard freestyle with
a time of 5:00.67, and finished fourth in her final
career individual race, the
200-yard individual medley. She recorded a time of
2:08.16, nearly four seconds slower than the win-

ner of the race, Iowa State

senior Kasey Roberts.
Kansas concluded the
meet with a bang, winning
the 400-yard freestyle relay. The A relay team of
freshmen Breonna Barker
and Haley Bishop, junior
Yulia Kuchkarova and senior Haley Molden, recorded a time of 3:29.46.
This was also the final
career regular season meet
for seniors Miller, Molden,
Laura Bilsborrow and Bryce
Hinde.
Kansas will have a few
weeks of break before the
Big 12 championship in
Austin, Texas, which will
take place Feb. 24-27.
Edited by Skylar
Rolstad

Missy Minear/KANSAN
Senior Chelsie Miller races against Missouri State and Denver University
during a meet in Oct. 2015. The team ended the year with a 9-4 record.

Kansas softball will start 2016 season with

young rotation, new pitching leadership
NICK COUZIN
@Ncouz

Missy Minear/KANSAN
Pitcher Alicia Pille throws a pitch at Arrocha Field on Friday. In 2016 the
Jayhawks will be without Pille, who was a staple of the roation in 2015.

This week marks the beginning of February, which

means only one thing at
Rock Chalk Park it's softball season. Following an
impressive 8-0 record in the
preseason, the softball team
spoke to the media to discuss
its upcoming season.
The big talk of media
day was the team's newfound youth, now that Maddie Stein, all-time leader in
RBIs, and Alicia Pille, alltime leader in ERA, graduated. This turns the attention
to seniors like Chaley Brickey
and Briana Evans to lead the
new faces of those like freshman pitcher Alexis Reid.
However, this is not an

entirely new situation for the

team, Kansas coach Megan
Smith said.
"Pitching is definitely going to be different," Smith
said. "When you have someone like Alicia Pille for four
years, you know what you're
getting and how solid she is
[...] It's exciting to see what
will happen with these new
girls. I had the same thing
happen four years ago when
Pille was a freshman, and
now we're going to do the
same thing with Alexis Reid
and see what she does."
With Pille gone, the new
leader of the pitching staff
is junior Sophia Templin, a
De Soto native. Templin acknowledged her growing role
on the team, adding that she
has some preseason jitters

that need to be worked out.

"The dynamic of the
pitching staff is a lot different this year than it has
been in years past. We have
always had a bigger group
of veterans, and I think I am
in a position that I wasn't
in last year," Templin said.
"It's exciting, but also a little
nerve-wracking moving into
the season. But I think we
are ready to do it as a group."
With Templin at the head
of the rotation, and entirely new faces like Reid, the
pitching staff will be much
different than previous seasons.
However, Templin does
not think that's a bad thing.
I think our movement as
a staff is widespread. I think
it should be pretty excit-

ing," she said. "I think every

pitcher we have on the staff
is completely different. It
should be pretty interesting
how we tackle games."
And while many were excited to talk about the changes to the team, Reid said she
was just ready for one thing
the season.
"I've been waiting four
or five years to finally get to
this place, and I think it's really exciting," Reid said. "It's
great to finally start [2016]"
The confidence from the
young ace and the rest of the
pitching staff will bode well
as Kansas travels to Jacksonville to play its first opponent
of the season, North Carolina
State, Feb. 12.
Edited by Matthew
Clough