THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN

MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 5

inside
this
issue

File Photo/Kansan

CAMPUS SURVEY.
The second part of
phase one has begun
for the Campus
Climate Study.
News 2

Paige Stingley/Kansan

ART IN FOCUS.
Jai Nitz found success
with his creation of
superhero El Diablo,
who will play a major
role in the upcoming
film Suicide Squad.
Arts & Culture
PAGE 11

Hannah Edelman/Kansan
A Kansas dodgeball team takes on Mizzou in the third annual Take it for the Taken.

Students fight human trafficking with dodgeball

LARA KORTE
@lara_korte

KANSAN.COM
FOLLOW NEWS
ONLINE

Gracie Williams/Kansan

KANSAS TOPS
KENTUCKY. In front
of a raucous crowd,
Kansas won in Allen
Fieldhouse. Check out
our galleries from both
the game and ESPN
College GameDay
Kansan.com/
sports

BURGLARIES
UPDATE.
Almost two weeks
ago, six burglaries
took place in Lewis
Hall. Students are now
voicing their safety
concerns.
Kansan.com/
news

The competition was

fierce and activism strong
as eight teams from The
University of Missouri,
Baker University and Kansas State University joined
with KU students Sunday
afternoon for the third annual Take It for the Taken dodgeball tournament,
hosted by Trade61.
Originally started as
a student group in 2011,
Trade61 has since grown
to a non-profit organization geared toward raising
awareness of human trafficking in the area.
Ryan Schlesener, director of research and event
coordination for Trade61,
said the purpose of the
event was to raise funds
for a Topeka trafficking
prevention shelter, Aldens
House, but also to raise
awareness of a serious local issue: human sex trafficking.

It can be happening
right underneath your
nose and you dont even
realize it, Schlesener said.
The Kansas City area
is a hotspot for trafficking
due to two major highways, Schlesener said.
The intersection of I-70,
which runs to California,
and I-35, which runs down
to the Mexican border,
makes Kansas City a prime
location for trafficking.
Its really just a
hotspot, and people dont
realize as theyre driving along I-35, trafficking
is happening all around
them, he said.
While Trade61 partners with other outreach
and prevention groups,
Schlesener said the groups
main purpose is awareness
and education.
Denton Keller, a junior
from Garden City, played
in the tournament last
year, and said he thinks
its a great way to spread
awareness while having

fun.
I really like what this
supports, awareness, raising awareness for sex trafficking and all of its different forms, Keller said.
Grace Monroe, a junior from Alton, Illinois,
joined a few of her friends
to be on tournament team
this year. Monroe said she
likes the methods and outlook Trade61 takes when
it comes to combating sex
trafficking.
I feel like a lot of people are trying to fight this,
Monroe said, but Trade61
does it in a Godly way.
One of the hardest
things about educational
work, Schlesener said, is
challenging the misconceptions people get from
the movies.
Most of the people
who have heard of trafficking maybe know of it from
the movie Taken and they
think it always looks like a
woman being kidnapped
and drugged and sold and

Caroline Fiss/Kansan
The proposed wheelchair basketball team lacks funding from the University.

@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN

as Wichita State, Kansas

State and Baker University.
The dodgeball tournament lasted for about three
hours, with the final victors
being a team comprised of
KU and Baker Students
called One-Sixteen.
In the future, Harris
said she hopes events like
the dodgeball tournament
convince more people to
get involved to help stop
human trafficking.
I am hoping more people will get involved to try
and stop or try and help
the awareness of human
sex trafficking, Harris
said. The more people we
have involved in the more
opportunities Trade61 will
have to get involved and go
out to the community and
actually do intervention.
Edited by Garrett
Long

Proposed KU wheelchair basketball team faces funding issues

LOWKEY LISTENS.
Februarys abbreviated
Lowkey Listens
includes Brick Grillins,
Earl Sweatshirt and
Lontalius.
Kansan.com/
news

ENGAGE
WITH US

somebody breaking down

the doors and rescuing
her, Schlesener said. In
reality, its a very small
percentage of people that
actually look like that.
Katie Harris, a sophomore from OFallon, Mi.,
has been helping with the
organization for about a
year, and said she doesnt
think most students understand the problem
thats happening so close
to home.
We get a lot of questions like, Is this still a
thing? and If it is still a
thing, why hasnt it been
stopped already? Harris
said. I dont believe a lot
of people are aware of the
rising problem that it is.
Trade61 is in the process of rolling out a new
educational presentation
designed for college campuses. Schlesener said
they will work with a focus
group in February before
debuting the curriculum
at other state colleges such

CONNER MITCHELL
@ConnerMitchell0

An announcement that
the University is not financially equipped to support
a National Wheelchair
Basketball Association Intercollegiate Division team
was made during Wednesdays Full Senate meeting.
Last semester, Student Senate unanimously
passed legislation supporting the addition of a wheel-

chair basketball team. The

bill, sponsored by former
Kansas senator Bob Dole,
outlined various funding
sources for the team. These
included University Endowment donations or additions to student fees. The
bill also included $550,000
in funding from the Kansas
Legislature because of a
scheduled $50 increase to
all state DUI fines.
Tymon Wall, a junior/
senior College of Liberal

Arts and Science senator

who authored the legislation, announced to senators Wednesday night
that Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little decided
the University could not
support the formation of a
wheelchair basketball team
at this time.
I was just emailed on
[Jan.] 11. The Chancellor had concerns about
the budget and KUs relationship with the Kansas

State Legislature and other

concerns about hosting a
wheelchair basketball team
specifically on campus, he
said. She supported the
idea, but not necessarily
now.
Wall said a change in
the DUI fine law also contributed to the funding
issues prohibiting a team
from being formed at this
time.
The legislature decided that somehow, raising
the DUI fine was in some
way politically disadvantageous, he said. In addition to that, theres also
the leftovers from the appropriations fund, which
is complicated, and its not
usually going to be much.
So they went down from
$600,000 a year minimum
to now wed be lucky to get
$100,000.
Joe Monaco, director of
strategic communications
for the Office of Public Affairs, outlined Gray-Littles
concerns with the formation of a team in an email.
As the Chancellor explained in her email to
Tymon Wall, she is supportive of these kinds of
opportunities for students
with disabilities, but we are

unable to support the proposal at this time because

of the ongoing costs of such
a team during an uncertain
time in the state and KU
budget, Monaco wrote.
We have many competing priorities for funding, several of which have
been proposed for legislative funding for at least two
years. Our concern is that
the timing is not right to
add another large funding
item to that list, despite the
merits of such a team.
Wall said a team could
potentially still be funded
through an extensive private donor network and
that most funding would
have to come from the endowment.
Were still looking into
that, Wall said. Were
still hopeful that we might
be able to get a donor network connected and donating a significant amount
of money. But if its not
enough, if its not what we
need, it doesnt look good
for the program.

Edited by Deanna
Ambrose

news

KANSAN
STAFF
YOU NEED TO
KNOW

NEWS MANAGEMENT
Editor-in-chief
Vicky Diaz-Camacho
Managing editor
Kate Miller
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manager
Hallie Wilson
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SECTION EDITORS
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Ryan Wright
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arts & culture editor
Christian Hardy
Opinion editor
Maddy Mikinski
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design chief
Roxy Townsend
Chief photographer
Caroline Fiss
Investigations editor
Miranda Davis
ADVISER
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The University Daily Kansan is the

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The University Daily Kansan (ISSN
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FILE PHOTO/Kansan

KU Climate Survey measures student opinion of campus experience

KATIE HAYES
@Katie_Hayes0

The University is now in

the second part of phase
one for the Campus Climate Study.
This phase includes conducting focus groups at
the University to gear the
survey toward students,
said Nathan Thomas, vice
provost for Diversity and
Equity. The study exists to
gauge the University's living, learning and working
environments, according
to an email sent from Sara
Rosen, interim provost.
Staff and students on Jan.
28 touched base on the

KU Climate Study website

through an official email
from the Office of the Provost.
"The process begins with
small group discussions of
selected individuals that
will help shape a survey
that all will be invited to
complete, read Rosen's
email.
The study will tackle a series of aspects, including,
respect and collegiality,
communication,
collaboration and cooperation,
overall work and academic
environment, and diversity, equity and inclusion,
according to the Climate
Study website.

The survey will include

the Lawrence campus, Edwards Campus and Medical Center. The University
Campus Climate Study
task force is conducting
the evaluation and is led
by Thomas, along with
Associate Vice Provost for
Human Resource Management Mike Rounds and
Doug Girod, executive vice
chancellor of KUMC. Student representatives from
various groups will also
participate.
Thomas said the task
force is an integral part of
the study and will facilitate
how the campus will move
forward after the informa-

tion is gathered.
Saida Bonifield, project
manager, said there needs
to be between 30 to 40
percent participation from
the University to produce
generalized results. Consultants will analyze the
results of the study, and
use this information to improve many factors in the
KU community, according
to the website.
The survey will be accessible through a website
that will launch Fall of
2016 Bonifield said.
Bonifield said the survey
will be ongoing project
to effectively accumulate
information and data on

KU-affiliated company receives

grant for cancer-fighting drug
MATT OSTROWSKI
@matto1233

Contributed Photo
Daniel Aires, president and CEO
of HylaPharm

In 2015, one cancer-related death occurred every

54 seconds in the United
States, according the the
American Cancer Society.
This led to a total of nearly
600,000 deaths.
But one local company is
collaborating with the University to change that.
HylaPharm, a cancer chemotherapy development
company, was awarded
a $300,000 contract on
Monday from the Small
Business Innovation Research program to help
develop its cancer fighting

drugs.
The program funds a
limited amount of startup companies similar to
HylaPharm, according to
program's website. The
National Cancer Institute
presented the award to
HylaPharm.
While the money is nice,
the bigger deal from our
perspective is the seal of
approval were getting
from the National Cancer
Institute, said Daniel Aires, president and CEO of
HylaPharm.
HylaPharm is led by Aires, along with chief operating officer Laird Forrest,
a University faculty member. Several University researchers contributed to
the project as well.
HylaPharm received the
award based upon its development of what Aires
referred to as a game
changer in cancer treatment. HylaPharm researchers combined cisplatin, a cancer drug from the
late 70s, with hyaluronan,
a more modern drug.
This allows it to be injected right into the cancer,
so we get the drug where
we want it, he said. Af-

ter that, the drug actually

travels to the lymph nodes,
which is the same place
that these cancers initially
metastasize.
After four years of testing
and refining the drug, the
HylaPharm team successfully used it to treat cancer
in dogs, said Forrest.
We look in dogs because
their cancer is a whole lot
like people's, Forrest said.
We actually have treated
and cured a few people's
actual pets.
With that accomplished,
Aires and Forrest said,
HylaPharm will now use
the award to develop a
breast cancer treatment
drug.
The difference between
the two drugs is that instead of combining hyaluronan and cisplatin,
researchers will combine
hyaluronan and a drug
called rapamycin, a drug
more commonly used to
help organ rejection.
It targets the so-called
cancer stem cells which
are the ones that most chemotherapy doesnt do very
well with, Aires said.
The issue with rapamycin
in the past has been its side

effects, but Aires said now

it's not an issue.
The advantage of our
method is we get a whopping dose where its needed, so we can start to show
some effectiveness against
the cancer, he said. But
we can do that without
causing the kinds of side
effects that limit its use.
HylaPharm will apply for
additional funding with
the Small Business Innovation Research program
in hopes of taking the next
step in its cancer research.
Forrest hopes that within
five years HylaPharm will
have taken this drug to the
advanced stages of testing,
where it and other treatments would be used on
humans.
In the more distant future, however, he has an
even bigger goal in mind.
I would hope in 10 years
that we have a product out
there benefiting some people.
Edited by Deanna
Ambrose

No quizzes, no papers, no grades...just fun!

Knitting & Crochet

Classes Starting Now
Enroll at www.yarnbarn-ks.com
YARN BARN 930 Massachusetts

how
University-specific
environments can have an
impact on the different aspects of life.
The results for the climate
survey are expected to be
completed by the spring
of 2017, according to the
website.

Edited by Deanna
Ambrose

NEWS

KANSAN.COM

Gracie Williams/Kansan

Despite decline in flu cases, students can

still act to remain healthy this winter
NASHIA BAKER
@nashia_baker

Watkins Health Center

reported 283 flu cases over
each of the last two years.
But the current academic
year is on track to have less
than half that number, recording 77 cases in the first
six months.
Although historically the
flu season intensifies in the
second semester, the significant decrease in cases so
far this year follows a national trend, according to

Dr. Pavika Saripalli, a physician at Watkins.

This year was kind of
unusual in that we had no
influenza in November or
December, at least not in
Watkins. Even nationwide,
the flu didnt hit until probably a week ago, Saripalli
said. We have not seen it
become an outbreak like it
normally would be at this
time of the year.
Although there has been a
decrease in the number of
cases so far, the flu virus is
always circulating, Saripalli

said. When the weather is

cooler and students gather
indoors, the virus spreads
quicker. On college campuses, flu spreads quickly
among those living in close
quarters, including places
such as residence halls and
apartments.
If youre the healthy one,
the best thing you can do is
just get hand sanitizer and
hand sanitizer wipes and
wipe down your computer, perhaps your drawer
handles, door knobs, Saripalli said. Anything that

you touch with your hands

is where you want to focus
your efforts on cleaning.
Watkins Health Services
provides flu vaccines to
help combat the flu. Watkins has provided a total of
2,824 vaccines to the KU
community over the course
of the academic year, and
1,858 of these were given
to students specifically, according to Dr. Douglas Dechairo, director and chief of
staff of Watkins.
Saripalli said that the typical conditions of college

living mean an increased

need for everyone to take
precautions.
Weve kind of pushed the
flu shot here because every
year when you look at statistics of where in the country the flu was the biggest
problem, college campuses
across the whole country
are overrepresented just
because people are clustered together, Saripalli
said. So even if you choose
not to ever be vaccinated in
the rest of your life, when
youre here on a college

campus, for the sake of the

whole campus, its nice.
Even with the decrease in
flu cases, Saripalli said, students should still take action if they start to feel sick.
They should get Tylenol
or ibuprofen because theyll
feel a lot better and they
wont dehydrate as badly.
They should drink lots of
fluids. They should sleep as
much as possible, she said.
Edited by Matthew
Clough

Public and private education rallies compete at Capitol

MIRANDA DAVIS
@MirandaDavis

TOPEKA Two opposing groups, one supporting

school choice and one supporting public schools, rallied at the Capitol Thursday
afternoon.
Both groups cheered
and chanted over each other during the rallies, the
school choice advocates
chanting, My voice, school
choice.
About 100 school choice
advocates
and
private
school students gathered in
the rotunda for their third
annual rally in support of

school choice and privatizing education. The rally was

organized as a part of National School Choice Week,
which began Jan. 24.
At the same time, advocates from Move On Johnson County, a pro-public
school organization, spoke
about the benefits of public
education and the concerns
with privatizing education
in Kansas. Approximately 50 people attended the
Move On rally.
The conversation at
both rallies centered on
the Tax Credit Scholarship
Fund, a one-year-old law
that allows corporations to

make donations for scholarships at private schools

in exchange for a tax credit,
equal to 70 percent of that
contribution.
Al Frisby, a member of
Move On and a retired biology teacher at Shawnee
Mission Northwest High
School, said the public
school rally was organized
in response to the school
choice rally. He and other public school advocates
at the rally had concerns
about public funding going
to private schools.
Theres no transparency with these private
schools, Frisby said. They

dont have oversight by the

school board.
Corliss Jacobs, a retired
English teacher at Shawnee Mission West High
School, spoke at the public
school rally and said private
schools arent necessarily
bad; they just shouldnt get
public tax dollars.
I always think choice
is wonderful; Im definitely
into choice, Jacobs said.
But I know from experience as a public school
teacher that there can be
all kinds of choice within a
public school structure.
Jacobs said she was concerned with what would

happen if privatized education were to expand in

Kansas.
Tax money should only
support schools that are for
everyone, Jacobs said.
The school choice group
had seven speakers, including several private school
educators.
If we want school
choice, we have to want it
the right way, said Becky
Elder, principal at Northfield School, a private
school in Wichita. We have
to want it through innovation, through hard work
and through severe cutting
of cost. Weve got to make

a way to do this that is different.

David Dorsey, a former
public educator and current analyst with the Kansas Policy Institute, said he
believes he can do more for
students in advocating for
school choice than he could
in the classroom.
Well, I just believe
any time you offer people
choice, its going to lead to
better outcomes for everyone, Dorsey said.

Edited by Deanna
Ambrose

Kansas House meeting focuses on mental health hospital

staffing despite concern about treatment programs
MIRANDA DAVIS
@mirandadavis

Richard D. Cagan,
executive director of the
Kansas chapter of the
National Alliance on
Mental Illness, said he
hoped the committee
would discuss more than
the staffing concerns.
Specifically, he wanted
committee members to
discuss whether those in
the treatment program
were truly getting more
individualized care and
the opportunity to move
through different levels,
so they can eventually be
reintegrated into their
communities.
This is supposed to
be a treatment, a rehabilitative program, Cagan
said. Its not a prison.
However, the main
concern voiced at the
committee
meeting
was staffing. Currently,
the nursing staff has a
38 percent vacancy at
Larned Hospital. Keck
said KDADS is working
with the hospitals to hire
as soon as possible but
didnt offer a solution to
what he said was a multifaceted problem.
I dont want to say
moneys not the issue,
because people always
want to get paid more
and nurses and doctors

and those kinds of people deserved to get paid

more, Keck said. But
I think its a little more
complex than that. Its
the lack of people available in the workforce, its
the location, I suppose
of the hospitals to some
extent, its the local attitudes that exist in both of
those communities.
Cagan acknowledged
the staffing issue has several causes but also said
that geography is a factor
in Larneds case, citing
an absence of qualified
workers in the area.
Keck did not ask the
committee for any financial help or adjustments
from the state. He said
KDADS is doing more
research and continuing
to meet with hospital
staff to determine what
changes need to happen. He said he wants to
make sure hes asking for
the right things when he
eventually asks for additional funding from lawmakers.
We need to take the
time to make sure we
get all of the problems
and all of the issues addressed, Keck said.

TOPEKA

The
House Social Services
Budget committee hearing Tuesday centered on
staff hiring and retention in the states mental
health hospitals despite
concern over individualized treatment plans
for residents in the sex
offenders program at
Larned State Hospital in
Larned.
The state hospitals
have come under fire in
recent months after a
worker was sexually assaulted at the Osawatomie hospital in October
2015. The incident led
to an audit of the hospitals, and in December
the Osawatomie hospital
lost its federal funding
after losing its Medicaid
certification.
Tim Keck, secretary of
the Kansas Department
for Aging and Disability
Services, provided an update on the audit of the
Larned Hospital. There
were three areas the audit wanted the hospital
to focus on: realigning
the program with research-based methods,
addressing issues related
Edited by Skylar
to management and adRolstad
CHRIS NEAL/THE TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL/AP
dressing populaTim Keck, Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services secretary, answers
tion growth.
questions Thursday, Jan. 21, from lawmakers as they express frustration over the
Osawatomie State Hospitals Medicare de-certification. The meeting was held at the
Kansas Statehouse in Topeka.

opinion
FREE-FORALL WE

KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

HEAR FROM
YOU

Text your #FFA

submissions to
785-289-UDK1
(8351)
That presentation
of the rules gave me
goosebumps. Incredible
To the person that said
you cant make your
last semester senior
year easy.... I seemed to
make it happen sooo...
Editors note: FIGHT
FIGHT FIGHT
Nothing says college
like getting your card
declined for $1.25
coffee refill.
Motion to suspend
camping? How about
motion for more outlets
in the fieldhouse?
When your friend
wants to volunteer at
the Humane Society,
but the last time you
were there you sobbed
because a dog looked
sad
senioritis in full effect:
did hmwk 10 min
before it was due, tried
to submit it one min
late, got a 0. its cool.
everything will be ok.
Wineries are where
I want to be. Winery
living is the life for me.
Just got in a fight
w/ my bf over the
difference b/w an
ostrich and an emu.
This is my brain on
stress.
-.- my face when
someones eaten my
leftovers
If Miley and Liam
can get back together
anything is possible
Fortune cookie told
me: Po says you have a
strong instinct to feed a
hungry panda. OK.
When I grow up I want
to be Chers twitter.
Celebrity Twitter feuds
are my sustenance.
When will Jayhawk ink
move right next to the
Art & Design building?
I dont care if you all
wont try my brussel
sprouts. I love them and
they are a great source
of all vitamins.
If you eat celery, there
is a 100% chance youre
a terrible person
Nick Carter > Aaron
Carter and Im not sorry
about it. #GetAtMe
Was in Missouri when
KU beat Kentucky.
Yelled WE BEAT
KENTUCKY, HELL
YES! And just go
stared at. Cheer people,
cheer.

Read more at
kansan.com
@KANSANNEWS

Issawi: We shouldnt shy away from

controversial topics
DANYA ISSAWI
@danyasawi

Fear is an innate human

quality, hardwired into the
most primitive parts of our
minds. Our ancestors used
it as means of danger detection, to trigger a fight or
flight response while in the
wild. This response proved
effective for our primordial counterparts. Those
with the ability to properly
tap into this evolutionary
trait went on to see another day. They survived.
As time has worn on
and humanity has established layers of synthetic
protection from the physical dangers of the natural
world, our born ability to
fear seems to have evolved
into a case of generational fortune telling, which
psychiatrist David Burns
defines as a conviction
that ones prediction is
an
already-established
fact and more so that the
outcome of this prediction
will be a negative one.
And thats what we
seem to have done, as a
generation. We seem to
have rewired our minds to
manifest a predisposition
to offense.
The origin of our insatiable drive to find offense
in the everyday is hard to
pinpoint. Maybe we were
abundantly coddled and
sheltered in our upbringing. Maybe it stems from
a simple increase in exposure to culturally sensitive
topics and international
issues as a result of our
recent advancements in
technology, which in turn,
leads to a larger number of
issues to formulate opinions on. Or could it be that

its inception was simultaneous with the birth of social media?

Our generation flocks
to social media as our
main form of communication and have chosen
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as our platforms
of choice. We utilize these
virtual spaces to make our
voices heard and to share
the inner happenings of
our minds. A new wave of
millennial injustice seekers and whistleblowers
has the ability to share
their opinion with hundreds, or even thousands,
of their closest comrades
with the click of a button.
And in contrast, adversaries of these reformists
can share their dissent in
similar fashion. This instantaneous transmission
of information has become
both our greatest ally and
most prodigious enemy.
There is a fine line to
be drawn between being
controversial and being
downright offensive. Controversy often elicits discussion-the latter does
not. We're so afraid to feel
discomfort or offend anyone that we fear the actual discussion. We need to
find a balance between exhibiting fairness and freedom of speech.
Issues regarding race
and gender equality currently arising on campuses
nationwide (most prominently at the University
of Missouri) and the subsequent controversies that
are coming to light seem
like they stem from a lack
of exposure and discussion
on everyone's end. These
are important conversations that need to be had

in order to move forward

and advance ourselves as
a society.
Hashtags like #BlackOnCampus began emerging on Twitter and Yik
Yak, taking the protest to
the Internet, as a means
for black students to share
social injustices they felt
they had experienced at
universities nationwide. In
opposition, #NationalOffendACollegeStudentDay
began trending simultaneously. Tweets behind the
latter hashtag embodied
a movement dissatisfied
with what users described
as protesters overly sensitive and elitist attitudes.
People became immediately offended and began taking sides, using
their respective hashtags
and opinions as shields.
KU was not immune to the
argument and found itself
in the midst of the controversy as well with activist
groups, like Rock Chalk
Invisible Hawk, and even
their opponents, stepping
forward. It was like watching a game of basketball.
You pick a side and stick
to your guns. Anything
the other team does is incorrect, and the end will
justify the means as long
as your side is the one that
wins, right?
Rather than educating
ourselves about the nature
of the issues at hand, we
allowed Twitter and social
media to dictate what we
knew and how we felt. We
ignored the conversation
that could have been had
and instead began flinging insults at each other
because our feelings had
been hurt.
We could have learned

something new if we
hadnt been so afraid of
changing our mind. We
could have made change.
We still could.
Nowadays, when we
encounter
information
that challenges what we
think to be true, we choose
flight. We choose to flee,
mentally and physically,
from situations that illicit
any intensity, so much so
that over half of students
say theyre afraid to offer
their viewpoints for fear
they might differ from
what the masses think.
Rather than shutting
down, we must learn to
open our minds, consciously quiet our underly-

ing defensive mechanisms

and actively listen to opposing opinions. Regardless of what your stance
on any subject matter is,
or whatever side you're
on, expose yourself to the
discussion, because that
is where growth happens.
True learning comes from
challenging your beliefs. It
comes from grappling with
what we think, what we
think we know, and what
we want to know.

Danya Issawi is a
sophomore from Kansas
City studying journalism.

Edited by Brendan
Dzwierzynski

Illustrations by Jake Kaufmann/Kansan

Burbank: Students need to reevaluate view of humanities

JESSE BURBANK
@Jburbank1

The humanities arent

popular lately.
The reason is not hard
to find just listen to our
national leaders. Last November, Senator Marco
Rubio proudly declared to
the audience of a Republican primary debate that
we need more welders
and less philosophers.
President Obama voiced a
similar opinion in a 2014
speech, quipping, I promise you, folks can make a
lot more, potentially, with
skilled manufacturing or
the trades than they might
with an art history degree.
But statements like these
fundamentally ignore the
value of taking humanities
classes or majoring in the

humanities. Studying fields

such as a foreign language,
anthropology or philosophy provides practical skills
in communication, writing ability and enhanced
understanding of other
cultures and worldviews.
As a 2013 report from the
American Academy of Arts
and Sciences puts it, the
humanities help create citizens who are educated in
the broadest possible sense,
so that they can participate
in their own governance
and engage with the world.
An adaptable and creative
workforce.
However, statistics suggest these politicians are
saying what many American students are increasingly thinking: humanities
disciplines like history, English and classics simply ar-

ent very lucrative. Students

in these disciplines can attest to this perception, being familiar with the subtly
condescending question of
What are you going to do
with that?
But many students anxiety about the marketability
of their major ignores that
most careers do not neatly
fit a single major. Statistics
from the U.S. Census Bureau point out that only 27
percent of college graduates in the workforce hold
a career that directly corresponds with their college
major.
Despite these figures,
concern over maximizing earning potential has
helped drive the proportion of bachelors degrees
awarded in the humanities
down from 14 percent to 7

percent between 1967 and

2010, according to a 2013
report from Harvard University.
Steven Conn of The
Chronicle of Higher Education refers to this decline
as a Crisis of the Humanities. One cant blame him
for the dramatic phrasing;
enrollment has halved as
students have sought refuge in fields with perceived
links to economic stability.
But the crisis is a result of a mistaken view of a
college education. Students
have allowed economic anxiety to increasingly
drive them toward studying
more practical skills in
science and mathematics.
But by ignoring the humanities, students refuse to develop other highly practical
and personally fulfilling

skills like writing and critical thinking.

Dont let yourself be held
hostage by what you think
will give you the most money after graduation. Choosing classes or choosing a
major is rarely the same
thing as choosing the career
youll have or the life youll
lead. If you like history,
take some history classes. If
you appreciate a philosophy
class, explore it more deeply. Dont limit your curiosity. Ignore the noise over
marketability.
Jesse Burbank is a junior from Quinter studying
history, economics and political science.

Edited By Deanna
Ambrose and Matthew
Clough

/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN

HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

LETTER GUIDELINES: Send
letters to editor@kansan.com. Write
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email subject line.
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.

CONTACT US
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Editor-in-chief
vickydc@kansan.com

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

arts & culture

KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

HOROSCOPES
WHATS YOUR

For KU senior, nature is inspiration

for abstract expression

SIGN?

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Stay focused to expand

your territory. Imagine a
project completed. Resist
the urge to splurge. A
hidden danger could arise.
If it goes against your
grain, turn it down. Lies
are revealed. Notice your
dreams.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Move quickly to grab an

opportunity. You can
make it happen together.
Someone interesting has
your attention. Hold on to
your money. Good things
are worth waiting for. Commit to an inspiring future.
Make a bold declaration.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Put energy into work today,

despite chaos. Provide
excellent service. Theres
an opportunity to advance.
The more you learn the
better you look. Track sales
closely. Verify the investment of time and money
before compromising.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Tap hidden assets. Make

the changes youve been
contemplating. Dont
run away from it, despite
strong impulse. Dont get
talked out of what you
want. Say what youve been
holding back. Take bold
action.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Focus on family interactions. Find ways to support

each other. Work interferes with play. Try and
try again. Dig deeper for
a solution. Find a hidden
treasure. No splurging.
Enjoy simple comfort foods
together.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Clean up messes. Others

want fast action, but youd
better slow down or risk an
accident. Accept anothers
generosity graciously.
Provide leadership. Take
decisive action. Send someone else ahead. Following
through pays well.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

If its not broken, dont fix

it. Work takes precedence.
Increasing productivity
gives you more time off
afterwards. Avoid gossip or
controversy. Dont gamble
or rely upon fantasy. Pay
bills. Explore streets you
seldom visit.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Full speed ahead to meet

a deadline. A rush job preempts scheduled programming. Work quickly, but
carefully. Avoid provoking
jealousies. The neighborhood provides what
you need. Friends keep
you headed in the right
direction.

MINSEON KIM
@MinseonKim94

Last summer, Hannah

Sroor, a senior from Lee's
summit, Mo., took a road
trip across Colorado, stopping at different places to
camp. While Sroor traveled, she would create small
observational water color
paintings and journal about
her experiences. Once she
returned, she started working on larger-scale abstract
representations of those
paintings.
The initial inspiration
for her work comes from
being outdoors and traveling. Even though she often
uses the same subject, her
way of depicting nature always changes.
I think being in nature
can be a really intimate and
cathartic experience, Sroor
said. Everyone can have a

different emotional connection to it, and thats why Im

interested in it.
She said this process is
also a form of self-discovery, as she's able to find out
what things and memories
she's most drawn to.
Sroor, an art education
major, tries to incorporate different aspects of art
into her work. She said the
ability to bring in different
mediums she learned in
class, such as ceramics and
photography, has opened
more doors of possibilities
for what she can do with
paintings. Recently, she's
been exploring making big
paintbrushes out of natural
materials from places she's
visited. Rather than having
a plan, her process of painting larger-scale abstract
paintings is spontaneous.
My paintings are pretty
autonomous, where I am

just responding to the color

or the line, Sroor said. So,
Ill make a mark and whatever kind of initiates from
that, Ill make another.
Influenced by Helen
Frankenthaler, an abstract
expressionist, Sroor works
on the floor, which allows
her to move around the
whole painting and become
a part of it.
Sroor said her current
favorite work is the first
painting she did when she
started abstracting nature, called Affinity for
Acclivities. Inspired by
a photograph she took of
mountains in Redstone,
Colorado, Sroor used arbitrary colors and unrealistic
depictions to create a new
representation. She said
this painting has influenced
all of her recent paintings.
Her interest in art was
sparked during her senior

year of high school, when

an art teacher showed her
the different potentials of
art. Sroor said her teacher
showed her the possibilities
of incorporating art into
other subjects and how art
can be a multi-disciplinary
tool for helping kids learn.
Id really like to teach,
and also at the time be making my own art, Sroor said.
Tanya Hartman, an associate professor of visual
art at the University of Kansas, said Sroor uses different imagery to project her
inner world.
Whether she is painting
objects or making abstract
marks, they are evocative
of a state of emotion, Hartman said.
Hartman said while other students may give up and
allow their paintings to be
mediocre, Sroor continues working until she feels

something authentic. Hartman also said that another

way Sroor is different from
other students is her heartfelt commitment to both art
and people.
Her concerns have profundity. A philosophy of
caring for people would interest her, Hartman said.I
think she is going to be a
contributor to the field for
sure.
For Sroor, art is a tool
for connecting cultures and
communities, and a way
to address problems in the
world.
We are all human and
we all experience a lot of
the same issues or desires,
Sroor said. So Its like a
common language that people can relate to.
Edited by Candice
Tarver

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec.

21)

A roadblock or unexpected
expense stalls the action.
Stick to the truth. Dont
jump to conclusions. Pay
bills before buying treats.
Take it slow and easy. Practice frugality. You wont
have to defer gratification
forever.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan.
19)

Assume responsibility.
Address an uncomfortable
situation head on. Begin a
fresh page. Emotions could
run high. Stand in compassion, for yourself and
others. Listen to another
view. Judge not. Get much
needed rest.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Old assumptions are challenged. Strike out in a new

direction. Make a creative
plan. Get tools and supplies
together. Do the jobs that
pay best first. Peace and
quiet soothes short tempers. Apply artistic touches.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Teamwork leads to victory.

Concentrate intently.
Expand in the direction of
least resistance. Toss out
the superfluous. Consult
with experts, friends and
family. Children have a
fresh perspective. Bring
a dream image into your
external environment.

Photos by Colleen OToole/Kansan

Hannah Sroor, a senior from Lees Summit, Mo., sits with some of her work.
Many of Sroors works are inspired by nature.

ARTS & CULTURE

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11

ARTS & CULTURE

KANSAN.COM

KU alumnus and comic book writers character comes to life in soon-to-be-released

movie Suicide Squad
PAIGE STINGLEY/KANSAN
Jai Nitz has found success with his creation of superhero El Diablo, who will
play a major role in the upcoming film Suicide Squad, but his love for comic
books runs deep.

MINSEON KIM
@minseonkim94

A young Jai Nitz was

given a stack of comic
books to read alongside
his brother during a long
road trip to south Texas.
Nitz's older brother
got into reading comics and Nitz followed his
brother in everything
he did. Nitz, the creator
of superhero El Diablo
who stars in the upcoming film 'Suicide Squad',
said while comic books
are more of a collectable
market nowadays, comic
books were everywhere
when he was younger.
"I think a lot of people
in comics kind of have
the same origin story one
way or another," he said.
"You either have a long
hospital stay or a long
road trip."
For Nitz, it was the
road trip. He said he and
his brother didn't have
GameBoys or DVD players so comic books were
their form of entertainment.
Not only was it kind
of a neat luxury to be
given them [but also]
they were so inexpensive
and ubiquitous that you
can get them some other
place," Nitz said.
When Nitz was 18, he
knew going to college
would give him a leg up

in the job market. Since

no schools provided a degree in scriptwriting for
comic books, Nitz said
he was one of the first in
the world to get a degree
focused on the script of
comic books.
Ive never met anybody who knows more
about everything there
is to know about comic
books than he does, said
Jon Niccum, a University
alumnus and entertainment writer at the Kansas
City Star.
The two first met in
early 2000s when Niccum was writing a story
as an editor at Lawrence
Journal-World. The story
was on one of Nitz's comic books. The two became
friends and wrote the
movies "Paint Shaker"
and "Rhino." They also
won the Golden Kahuna
Award at the Honolulu
International Festival (II)
and Action of Film Award
at the Action on Film International Film Festival.
Niccum shared his excitement for his former
peer's work. Niccum is a
writer and producer himself and said he is glad to
see Nitz's international
exposure. He said Nitz's
knowledge in the medium of comic books amazes him and that Nitz puts
his mix of knowledge and

creativity to use very well.

As a student at the
University, Nitz, a 1998
graduate, majored in film
studies. He said he never wanted to make movies but always wanted to
write comic books.
When I came to KU, it
was to write comic books.
The classes didnt exist.
The degree didnt exist,
Nitz said. So I just kind
of pieced one together
when I was here at KU.
Since then, Nitz has
written a handful of comic books none of which
have received as much
attention. However one
of his characters, El Diablo, will be featured in the
upcoming movie "Suicide
Squad."
What hooked Nitz
about El Diablo was simple: he's a villain whose
powers force him do the
right thing. He said he
was intrigued by El Diablo because that type of
character development is
not seen often in superheroes.
"Most of the times
superheroes are doing
something only for the
right reasons not because they're forced to,"
he said. I think its much
more interesting [that
he's] forced [to be] heroic
than actually be heroic.
His character isn't only

KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS
785-864-4358

housing

When I came to
KU, it was to write
comic books. The
classes didnt exist.
The degree didnt exist.
JAI NITZ
KU alumnus

While the film "Suicide Squad" doesnt exactly depict the comic,
Nitz said what looks good
in a comic books is different from what looks good
on a big screen. Rather
than being portrayed as
a superhero, El Diablo is
based on Latin gangs in
East Los Angeles.
It is awesome because
David Ayer, who is directing the movie, he knows
about Latino gang members instead of superheroes, Nitz said. He
is doing what he knows,
which is totally cool.
Nitz said he is also excited of all the possibilities the movie will bring
once it hits theaters, such
as action figures, video games, t-shirts, and
more. Nitz said big productions like this with
global outreach will shine

a spotlight on him different than before.

Part of me is super
excited and part of me is
very scared, Nitz said.
El Diablo, created in
2008, is the newest character in the entire film,
with some characters
who are more than 50
years old. Different from
his fellow comic book
writers who have created
other characters in movies, having a character in
a movie has never happened to Nitz.
Its a different level
of attention, Nitz said.
The awesome part is,
I am going to be for the
rest of my life, have people dressing up as my
character at comic book
conventions. Like that is
cool. Thats really cool.
His former peer Niccum agreed.
A movie with that
kind of budget and those
kind of stars is just a different level than most
people will ever experience, Niccum said.
The movie "Suicide
Squad" hits theaters Aug.
6.
Edited by Cele
Fryer

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interesting because of
character development.
Nitz's works also have a
unique spin inspired by
his racial background.
He also said he created
El Diablo because, at the
time, there weren't any
Mexican superheroes. El
Diablo filled a void for the
writer.
Nitz grew up in southern Atlanta and used that
setting as a background
for his other work,
"Dream Thief."
"The most important being, who they are
and where are they [are]
from, and then through
the lenses of their time
and space on the planet,
Nitz said.
Rather than pitch a
steady-stellar hero like
Batman to DC Comics at
its New York headquarters, Nitz pitched his
Latino superhero. The
pitch became a hit, but
the comic was not.
It sold horribly," Nitz
said. It was one of the
worst-selling comics of
the history of DC.
Several years later,
though, the pitch has
finally paid off. Of the
thousands of Batman stories, very few characters
serve a purpose of being
a superhero figure and
help sell DC Comics. In
this case, DC could use

To Apply to Either Position Go To

www.LawrenceKS.org/Jobs
EOE M/F/D

classifieds@kansan.com

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SPORTS

12

KANSAN.COM

basketball gameday
KANSAS JAYHAWKS 17-4 (5-3)
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3

KANSAS

vs.

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS 13-8 (2-6)

KANSAS STATE

AT A GLANCE
Kansas is coming off one of
its biggest wins of the season with a 90-84 overtime
victory over Kentucky in
the battle of blue bloods.
Before Saturday night, the
Jayhawks had dropped
three of their last five
games and were struggling
in every facet of the game.
But a win against Kentucky
on Saturday, paired with a
home meeting against an
in-state rival, may be exactly what this team needs to
get back on track
PLAYER TO WATCH

EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiggsUDK

AT A GLANCE

PROJECTED STARTERS

PROJECTED STARTERS

Frank Mason III, junior, guard

Carlbe Ervin II, junior, guard

Frank Mason III has been the definition of consistency for the Jayhawks this season. He has scored in
double-digits in all but one game this year. Even when
he appears to struggle, he finds a way to get his points.
On Saturday he scored 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting,
including 2-of-4 from long range. Kansas fans are
hoping for a more efficient Mason come Wednesday
night against Kansas State.

The Wildcats normal starter, Kamau Stokes, a very

talented freshman, left their last game with a non-contact knee injury and will have an MRI on Monday. It
seems likely Stokes will miss Wednesdays game, and
Ervin is likely to get the start in his place. Ervin hasnt
put up impressive numbers, but hes been a solid
backup point guard all year. But Allen Fieldhouse is
a tough place to be inserted into the starting lineup.

At 13-8, the Wildcats have

been a pleasant surprise
this season. Three of their
top five scorers are just
freshmen, so theres reason
for optimism in Manhattan.
The Wildcats havent won in
Lawrence in 10 years, and
this doesnt appear to be the
year that streak is going to
end.
PLAYER TO WATCH

Barry Brown
freshman, guard
Carlton Bragg, Jr.
freshman, forward
Fans have to wonder what
else freshman forward Carlton Bragg Jr. has to do to
earn more playing time. On
Saturday he logged 11 minutes of action and was 3-of5 from the floor, scoring six
points. He was a big part of
the Jayhawks staying in the
game in the first half against
the Wildcats with Ellis on
the bench in foul trouble.
Only time will tell if his play
on Saturday has earned him
more playing time.

Devonte Graham, sophomore, guard

Justin Edwards, senior, guard

Devonte Graham is fourth on the team in scoring,

with 10.5 points per game. Against Kentucky he
scored 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-5
from downtown. The sophomore guard has started in
all but one game and continues to improve every single game. He has scored in double figures in four of his
last five games, and hopes to continue that trend this
week against the Wildcats.

Without his normal starting backcourt mate, there

will be a lot of pressure on Edwards to perform at a
high level. Even with Stokes playing, Edwards production has been crucial for the Wildcats this season.
They are just 1-4 when he scores in single-digits. Hes
been a very important part of the Wildcats 13-8 record, averaging 11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and three
assists per game.

If Stokes doesnt play,

Brown will be the only Kansas State player on the court
that shoots better than 30
percent from beyond the
arc this season at 34 percent. Hes scored 15 or more
points seven times but also
has been held to four or
fewer points 10 times this
season. For the Wildcats to
have any hope of pulling off
the upset, Brown must provide some scoring punch
from beyond the arc.

QUESTION MARK
QUESTION MARK

Is Selden this teams

leader?

During an interview on
College GameDay, senior
forward Perry Ellis admitted that Wayne Selden Jr.
is the player on this team
that would get in their face
when things were not going
well. On Saturday night,
Selden was in the face of
his teammates during times
of struggles multiple times.
In addition, he stepped up
when the team needed him
the most. It appears Selden
may be the face leading the
charge in the Jayhawks
quest for their 12-consecutive conference title.

BY THE NUMBERS

19 Perry Ellis is averaging

19 points per game during
conference play, including
49 points in his last two Big
12 games.

Wayne Selden Jr., junior, guard

Wayne Selden Jr. is coming off arguably his best
game of his Kansas career. The junior guard
scored a career-high 33 points on 12-of-20
shooting, leading Kansas past Kentucky 90-84.
Jayhawk fans are hoping that Saturdays performance is a sign of things to come and he has finally broken out his slump.

Wesley Iwundu, junior, forward

Iwundu has been the Wildcats best player so far this
season, averaging 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and three
assists per game. But hes shooting just 12.5 percent
from beyond the arc this year, which is almost 20
percent worse than last year. Iwundu has failed to
score in double figures in his four games against the
Jayhawks, and that will have to change if the Wildcats
hope to pull off the upset.

BIG JAY WILL CHEER IF...

If the Jayhawks can come

out strong against an inferior Wildcats team in a highly-touted rivalry matchup.
Kansas has dropped its
last two games on the road
against Kansas State, causing a court storming both
times. Kansas fans want
nothing more than to bury
their in-state rival, especially in the confines of Allen
Fieldhouse.

Theres no quicker way

to get blown out in Allen
Fieldhouse than to turn the
ball over. The Wildcats have
the second most turnovers
in the Big 12 since the beginning of conference play.
Ervin is averaging less than
one turnover per game, but
only played 13.4 minutes
per game. The Wildcats will
need him to maintain his
ball security while playing
a much bigger role Wednesday.
BY THE NUMBERS

Perry Ellis, senior, power forward

The senior forward was ineffective against Kentucky on Saturday. After scoring 49 combined
points in his previous two games, he scored just
10 points against the Wildcats. He dealt with
foul trouble for much of the first half, but Kentucky did a good job limiting him for the course
of the game. It took him nearly 28 minutes to
even attempt a second shot. Kansas will need its
go-to senior in its in-state matchup.

Dean Wade, freshman, forward

Wade, who was a three-star prospect coming out of
Saint John, Kansas, has been a pleasant surprise for
the Wildcats this year. Hes averaging 10.1 points per
game, but hes failed to score in double figures in four
out of five games. He will have a big challenge on defense Wednesday when hes matched up with Ellis.

57 Wayne Selden Jr. became the 57th Kansas player to score at least 1,000
points in his collegiate career.
84 The Jayhawks are averaging 84 points per game
and have scored at least
80 points in 10 of their 21
games this season.

Can the Wildcats limit

turnovers?

28.6 The Wildcats threepoint percentage, which

ranks 344th out of 351 Division I teams.
0 The amount of games
the Wildcats have won
when they give up at least
80 points.
102 The Wildcats rank
second in the Big 12 with
102 offensive rebounds
since starting conference
play.

BIG JAY WILL CRY IF...

Landen Lucas, junior, forward

Stephen Hurt, senior, forward

Landen Lucas has started in the last three games

for the Jayhawks at the starting center position.
However, he saw his minutes dip in his most
recent game. In the 45-minute contest against
Kentucky, Lucas logged 13 minutes of action. He
recorded at least 21 minutes in in his previous
two starts, so it is possible that Kansas coach Bill
Self elects to start someone other than Lucas on
Wednesday.

At 611 Hurt is not the defensive enforcer his size

would indicate, as hes only averaging 0.3 blocks per
game. Hes not asked to be a scorer, but the Wildcats
are an impressive 6-1 when he scores in double figures
this season. Nothing Hurt does stands out on the stat
sheet, but hes a solid all-around player thats capable
of having a big night at any time.

Beat Writer Predictions

Scott Chasen | @SChasenKU Kansas, 80-65
Shane Jackson | @jacksonshane3 Kansas, 85-66
Evan Riggs | @EvanRiggsUDK Kansas, 82-67

The Wildcats pound the Jayhawks on the offensive glass.

They are one of the worst
shooting teams in the nation,
but if they are successful on
the offensive glass, they may
be able to hang around and
put scoreboard on the Jayhawks. If the Jayhawks dont
allow offensive rebounds, the
Wildcats will have a tough
time keeping it close.

KANSAN.COM

Hoffmann:
Beatys
recruiting
strategy is
strong

KU set for second-straight matchup

vs. Wildcats as Big 12 play resumes
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU

MATT HOFFMANN
@MattHoffmannUDK

Rome wasnt built

in a day. My guess is it
probably took at least a
football season.
For Kansas coach
David Beaty, turning
around an 0-12 football
team will take much longer than a week. However, Beaty is off to a good
start, landing four threestar recruits, according
to Rivals.com.
While three-star recruits dont exactly jump
off the page, three-star
recruits are the foundation to a somewhat
decent college football
team, especially considering that there are no
five star recruits from
the Midwest.
You read that right.
According to 24/7 Sports
and SB Nation, there are
ZERO five-star recruits
in area greater than the
size of the Louisiana
purchase.
The Jayhawks are
to use a sports term
hanging tough in
recruiting. By eliminating five-star recruits, it
means that three-star
recruits are the second
highest level of recruit
a team can land.
Back to the Rome
analogy, David Beaty
isnt going to turn this
program around overnight, probably not even
in a season or two. By
comparison, Iowa State,
who finished second
to last in the Big 12 has
nine three-star recruits
and one four-star recruit.
However, for Beaty
and Kansas football, recruiting should not be
about comparison. Kansas wont be ready to win
meaningful Big 12 games
for a while, but thats not
the point. The point is
that Beaty is truly starting from the ground
up. Landing four threestar recruits this season
(with more possibly on
the way) will only lead to
additional three-star recruits in 2017 and so on
and so forth.
While four is clearly less than nine, it says
something about the
recruiting ability of David Beaty to lure in four
three-star recruits to a
team that just went 0-12.
Take Beatys recruiting to a micro-level,
one of those three-star
recruits in fact. Kyle
Mayberry is a defensive
back from Tulsa, Okla.
Mayberry received offers from Virginia Tech,
Air Force, Houston (who
went to a New Years Six
Bowl) and Kansas State
among others, according
to Rivals. Beaty and the
Kansas coaching staff
convinced him to turn
those offers down and
join a winless team.
While three-star recruits arent necessarily
flashy or jaw-dropping,
they are the foundation of a capable football team. That says
something about David
Beatys ability to recruit
four three-star recruits
to a winless football
team in a region of the
country where threestar recruits are the new
four-stars.
Beatys Kansas program wont be built in a
day but if he keeps this
recruiting strategy it
will probably be shorter
than the eight centuries
it took the Romans to
build their empire.
Edited by Vicky
Diaz-Camacho

13

SPORTS

On Saturday, Kansas defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in a game that Kansas

fans may view as one of the
biggest of the year. However, to the coaches and
players, its the upcoming
game against a different
Wildcats team that carries
more weight.
As Kansas gets set to
take on Kansas State in
the Sunflower Showdown,
it may not seem like it,
but there is far more at
stake than was in the game
against Kentucky.
Not only is it a conference game for the Jayhawks, who sit one game
back of three teams in the
race for a 12th consecutive
Big 12 title, its also the first
of two meetings against the
Wildcats this year.
And while the game has
seemingly lost a lot of its
luster, as the Wildcats have
been close to irrelevancy
in terms of national accolades in the last two seasons, theyve still managed
to beat the Jayhawks twice
in that time, although both
times came in Manhattan.
However, that doesnt
mean the Jayhawks can afford to overlook the task at
hand, according to Kansas
coach Bill Self.
Theyve lost some close
games in the league, but
theyve had a great year,
Self said of Kansas State. I
know the crowd may never
be like it was tonight as far
as anticipation and all that
stuff, but theres no reason
why we cant have the same
energy in the building on
Wednesday as we had tonight.
However, while Kansas
States year may be great
in terms of overcoming
expectations mostly in
non-conference play the
team is still just 2-6 in Big

12 competition.
A lot of the problems
for the team come from
the fact that there is no goto player. Wesley Iwundu
leads the team in scoring
at just 12.2 points per contest, which is far from ideal as the mark of a leading
scorer.
In fact, there are just
three teams in the Big 12
Texas Tech, TCU and Kansas State that dont have
a scorer averaging at least
13.0 points per game.
And while Iwundu is
probably the best player
on the team, hes been far
from a sure thing, especially against top competition.
On the road against the
No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers, Iwundu managed
just six points, posting
more turnovers (six) than
assists (four) in the loss.
Two games earlier, against
the No. 13 Baylor Bears,
Iwundu nearly racked up
a triple-double, with 10
points, 10 rebounds and
seven assists, but it was
his shooting numbers (3of-10) and turnover issues
(seven turnovers) that
bogged the team down
once again.
However, hes still a
threat to go off at any time.
He has the ability to affect
the game in several different areas, and he said he
thinks the teams last win
will only serve to spark the
team, coming into a game
against Kansas State.
We needed this game.
It was very important to
us as a team, Iwundu told
K-State Athletics after the
win over Ole Miss. [Now]
we need to keep getting in
the gym, coming to practice focused and learn[ing]
how to be more assertive.
One area the team has
asserted itself this year
has been on defense. The
Wildcats have been able
to shut down some oppo-

File Photo/Kansan
Kansas guard Frank Mason III drives on Kansas State forward Wesley Iwundu. The teams will face off in Allen
Fieldhouse this Wed.

nents, including Ole Miss

guard Stefan Moody, who
scored just 10 points in
the game, nearly 14 points
below his season average.
However, very little of that
success has been on the
road, where the Wildcats
are winless this year.
In fact, in games played
either on the road or in

neutral sites, the Wildcats

have just two wins. One
was in Wichita over Colorado State; the other was in
Kansas City, Mo., against
Missouri. How theyve
played wont be good
enough to get the job done
in Allen Fieldhouse, and,
unless something changes,
the Jayhawks will have a

chance to make 36 home

games in a row without a
loss.
Grant Nicholson also
contributed to the research
in this article.
Edited by Brendan
Dzwierzynski

Missy Minear/Kansan
Guard Chayla Cheadle drives baseline against an Iowa State defender on March 2 inside Allen Fieldhouse. Cheadle finished with 10 points in the 68-64 Kansas victory.

Jayhawks look to take advantage of

struggling Iowa State Cyclones
SEAN COLLINS
@seanzie_3

Weathering the storm of

tough Big 12 play, the Kansas Jayhawks turn their attention to the conferences
third-worst ranked team,
the Iowa State Cyclones,
on Tuesday.
The Jayhawks find
themselves
desperately
looking for any kind of win
in the Big 12 and have been
unable to break their 12game losing streak. In their
last outing, the Jayhawks
lost 54-44 to the Red Raiders, who are only one slot
above the Jayhawks in the

Big 12 standings.
The same story of low
shooting percentages and
slow starts continues to
plague the young team.
While Texas Tech shot
just below 38 percent from
the field, Kansas barely
broke 31 percent. After the
game against Texas Tech,
Kansas coach Brandon
Schneider expressed frustration of not seeing shots
go in.
We had four starters
go 4-27, Schneider said in
the University release. We
really struggle to make
shots, and I think thats
what happened to us today.

Although the Cyclones

havent struggled as much
as the Jayhawks, they are
also on a five-game losing
skid that includes an overtime loss to the Red Raiders. The Cyclones losing
streak may be a bright spot
for the Jayhawks if they
can take advantage of another struggling team.
The Jayhawks have the
home court advantage in
this matchup, and if they
can get off to a quick start,
they may be able to snatch
their first win of conference play.
The Jayhawks have
made small but noticeable
improvements throughout

Big 12 play. Even though

they got off to another slow
start against the Red Raiders, Schneider was able to
find a silver lining in the
loss.
Something really positive that I think we accomplished today was holding
Texas Tech to six offensive rebounds, Schneider
said. Tech leads the Big 12
conference in offensive rebounds with about 16. This
is an area that I think we
really performed well in.
Itll take an all-around
effort from Kansas to get
the elusive Big 12 victory,
but if sophomore guard
Lauren Aldridge gets some

help from the supporting

cast there is a good chance
the team will stay competitive for the entire game.
The key to the game
will be to stay defensively
sound because although
the Cyclones have lost five
straight, they have still
averaged just below 68
points per contest. If the
Jayhawks have a defensive
performance such as the
one against the Red Raiders, they can expect a close
game.

Edited by Cele Fryer

sports

KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2016

TOOK
THE

No. 4 Kansas beats

No. 20 Kentucky
in OT, 90-84

Gracie Williams/Kansan
Kentucky Coach John Calipari looks on from the bench. Over the weekend, a video surfaced apparently showing Kansas fans asking Calipari if he was ready to take that L tomorrow, to which he responded, yeah, we probably will.

SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU

Back in November, Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr.

headed to the line against
Vanderbilt with a chance
to set a new career-high in
scoring. He had 25 points,
and needed just one free
throw to set the mark.
He missed both and then
two more later in the game.
A couple of months later, against Baylor in Allen
Fieldhouse, Selden was in a
similar position. With 9:25
to play, he scored his 24th
point of the game, but still
couldnt get over the hump.
Over the ensuing nine
minutes, he missed a free
throw, a jumpshot and a
three-pointer, as the mark
improbably remained.
On Saturday, it finally
fell.
Against
Kentucky,
Selden knocked down a
crucial go-ahead three with
less than 40 seconds remaining to put Kansas in
front. The shot gave him
26 points, but for the game,
which Kansas won 90-84,
he was far from done.
Thats probably as
good a game as he played
since hes been here, Kansas coach Bill Self said of
Selden. That looked like
Wayne in Korea. He was
great.
For Selden, the game
was special for a few reasons. Not only did he post
perhaps the best performance of his Kansas career,
but his grandfather, who,
according to Selden, drove
to Lawrence all the way
from Massachusetts, was in
attendance.
In order to be there for
the game, Seldens grand-

[It was]
the loudest
atmosphere
Ive ever
been in.
Alex Poythress,
Kentucky forward
father made the drive over
the course of a couple of
days, but his trip wasnt
complete until he talked to
Self pre-game and gave him
a message.
[Wayne] told me this
afternoon, He better play
good. I came a long way to
watch this, Self said. I
think grandpa got his moneys worth.
Certainly, before the

game, the atmosphere fit dropping.

10-of-12 from the field, the finally tightened, and the
the bill of a college basketIn a tense, stressful two kept Kentucky in front, Jayhawks had a chance to
ball classic. The noise level atmosphere, it was clear as the visitors led by six at tie the game at the line and
in the arena reached over Bragg was just having fun. the half, much to the cha- even take the lead.
117 decibels, according to He had a goofy smile on his grin of those in attendance.
They were ahead most
the video board, which face, moving his hands with
However, the angst of of the game, but we all
marked the first time itd a sort of count-it gesture.
the Kansas fans quickly knew deep down that we
reached that level all year.
The two freshmen com- turned to applause as a vid- were going to come back,
It was crazy, Kentucky bined for eight points in the eo package was shown hon- Selden said.
forward Alex Poythress said first half, which Self noted oring booster David Booth,
However, the game was
after the game. [It was] was crucial with Ellis out of who previously bought Dr. far from over.
the loudest atmosphere Ive the game.
James Naismiths original
A few missed free throws
ever been in.
I thought they both rules of basketball to do- by Ellis and Graham left
But as the game started, played well, Self said. nate to the University.
the door open for Kentucky
it was not quite the contest With Perry out, [I wonYour excitement makes to pull back in front, as the
many had hoped for. Ear- dered], How are we going it all worthwhile, he said to heavyweights went back
ly, sloppy play and a host to score inside? So Carlton the crowd, walking off with and forth over the final few
of whistles bogged
stepped out and made three a Rock Chalk Jayhawk.
minutes.
down the game.
With 40 secKentucky
guard
onds to go, down
Isaiah Briscoe was
by two, Selden
whistled for a techmade a play that
nical foul less than
couldve won Kan90 seconds into the
sas the game. He
contest, while Kanknocked down a
sas was over the
corner three-point
foul limit before
jumper to put Kanthe second media
sas in front. For
timeout.
Selden, that would
Throughout the
give him his cafirst half, neither
reer-high. For the
team was really
Jayhawks, it was
able to take admuch much bigger.
vantage, as they
However,
as
battled back and
the crowd roared
forth with clashing
back,
Kentucky
styles. Interestingfreshman
Jamal
ly enough, it was
Murray quickly anKansas, the team
swered with a twomaligned for its
point basket right
use of freshman
around the free
or perhaps lack
throw line.
thereof who was
After
getting
the first to turn
fouled the other
to its less-experiway, Ellis stepped
enced big man.
to the line with
Freshman forthe chance to give
ward Cheick Diallo
Kansas the lead.
was the first player
He missed the
off the bench for
first free throw,
Kansas or either
and Kansas was in
team for that matdanger of falling at
ter entering the
home for the first
game after junior
time in two years.
big man Landen
However, before
Lucas committed
shooting the secan offensive foul.
ond, Ellis received
Diallo
played
a few words of eneight minutes in
couragement from
his first stretch on
his point guard.
the court, which
I told him to
was actually doutake his time,
Missy Minear/Kansan
ble what he had
Graham said. We
played in the teams Junior guard Wayne Selden Jr. dunks the ball over Kentucky freshman Skal Labissiere.
needed one. So he
last two games.
knocked it down.
However, it was the other jumpers.
In the second half,
With less than five secfreshman that really left his
In the first half, the Kentucky kept the lead onds to play, the Wildcats
mark on the game.
freshman advantage went at a similar margin, as turned the ball over on their
Freshman forward Carl- to Kansas. But Kentucky Kansas reverted to a tri- final regulation possession.
ton Bragg Jr., who acciden- was able to swing the tide angle-and-two
defense. Junior guard Frank Mason
tally started to say Ken- another way.
However, it wouldnt be the III had a half-court shot
tucky when announcing
Sophomore point guard teams defense that would to win at the buzzer, but it
his college decision last Tyler Ulis and senior for- grab the attention of the wouldnt fall, although it
year, filled right in for se- ward Alex Poythress were fans as much as the offense certainly made Kentucky
nior forward Perry Ellis, dynamic, answering when- from junior guard Wayne coach John Calipari sweat
who was saddled to the ever the Kansas crowd Selden Jr.
a little bit.
bench with a couple of early came to life. Poythress even
Selden
scored
I looked [at it, and] I
fouls. Often one of the most knocked down a corner 10-straight Kansas points said, Youve got to be kidenergetic players on the three, which was significant over
a
three-minute ding me, Calipari said.
team, Bragg knocked down considering he entered the stretch, leaving him two That thing almost went
three shots, two of which game making just one of his shy of his career-high. With in.
rattled all the way around last 24 from distance.
Selden carrying the load
In the extra period,
the basket before finally
Shooting a combined on one end, the defense Selden continue to provide

the hot hand, managing to

impact the game from all
areas of the court and even
outside of it, at least briefly.
For the third time in his
career, Selden ended up
deep in the Kansas crowd
after diving after a loose
ball. That effort showed in
all phases, as moments later he pulled off an emphatic
poster slam over Kentucky
freshman Skal Labissiere to
put Kansas up two.
He was going in there a
couple times and getting his
shot blocked, so he decided
to go and turn it over on
somebodys head, Graham
said.
That dunk gave Selden
his first career 30-point
game, and it gave him 1,000
points for his career. Hed
finish with 33, as Kansas
finally converted from the
free throw line to ice the
game.
In overtime, it seemed
like Kansas had an extra
boost of energy that Kentucky lacked, which Selden
attributed to the teams experience in close games this
year.
Weve played games
longer than that this year,
Selden said with a smile.
However, after playing 44 minutes against the
Wildcats, it made sense that
Selden would be tired. In
fact, in the postgame press
conference, as he reached
for a cup of water on the table, he was disappointed to
learn it was empty.
After checking the other
cup on the table and letting
out a pretty big sigh, Chris
Theisen, Kansas assistant
athletics director, handed
Selden a cup filled with water. Selden took the cup and
looked over and nodded,
while Graham, who was
sitting next to Selden, gave
Theisen a point and a wink.
It was a different mood
from the teams last meeting, when Self jokingly said
he wished the cup on the
table was filled with vodka
after losing by 32.
Instead, the players were
all smiles, although Self was
quick to note they couldnt
afford to dwell on the win
for too long, knowing that
the team has to get ready
for its next game against
Kansas State.
The reality of it is, this
is just a small step to get us
positive momentum to go
back to what is really important: conference play,
Self said. K-State is a rivalry game, and you cant take
games for granted.