Sports 12

Janae Hall
retires from
Kansas
volleyball

Arts & Culture 5

News 2

Burge Union demolished

after 33 years

KU Swing Society
hopes to grow
the Universitys
dance community

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 23

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN

THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

Students speak out

University and high school students
plan to protest at the Capitol in
support of transgender students
LARA KORTE
@lara_korte

niversity and highschool students have

organized a protest
against two bills in the Kansas legislature they fear
would discriminate against
transgender students.
The two bills, House Bill
2737 and Senate Bill 513,
are titled as the Student
Physical Privacy Act, and
would prohibit individuals
from using a restroom that
does not align with their sex
assigned at birth. Schools
could face a $2,500 fine for
not adhering to the bill. The
bills would affect students
in public schools across the
state, including universities.
Sydney Gaylord, a first
year graduate student from
Lincoln, Neb., is one of the
University students planning to protest the bill.
Gaylord said she thinks the
proposed legislation is beyond discriminatory and
frightening.
Campuses today need
to support students identities and foster an environment that allows and facilitates students success,
Gaylord said. By targeting
trans students, or not allowing them, were diminishing
their identities as people.
Gaylord said trans stu-

dents already face discrimination and harassment, and

that if the legislation were
to pass, it would open the
door for more.
I really think it emboldens students who have
discriminatory
thoughts
against trans students or
non-gender forming students, Gaylord said. I
think it emboldens them
to speak out with that harassment and be even more
discriminatory. So it really,
really concerns me, because
these are our students,
these are our classmates,
these are our colleagues,
and I see it as taking rights
away from them.
On March 25, the Universitys Student Involvement and Leadership Center released a statement
criticizing the pieces of legislation.
The statement reads,
in part: The Student Involvement and Leadership
Center wants to ensure the
KU community that our
mission, programs, and
branches prioritize students and their ability to
be their authentic selves.
These new and proposed
laws do not reflect the core
values of our office.
As previously mentioned, this bill will affect
all public schools, including the University and high
schools.

Photo Illustration by Caroline Fiss

Two bills in the Kansas legislature would fine schools for allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity.

The protest scheduled

for Friday was originally organized by a group of
high school students from
Olathe, and now has students from several locations participating.
Caleb Bishop, a sophomore at Olathe North High
School, is one of the main
organizers for the peaceful
protest Friday. Bishop said
he does not think legislators realize what these laws
would mean for trans students.

Their intention is to
honor the privacy and the
safety of the cisgender students who happen to be in
the bathroom with these
transgender kids, Bishop
said. And I dont want to
say that that is false, or to
undermine anything that
they think, because theyre
entitled to their opinions,
but I dont think they quite
understand just how detrimental this is to the trans
students, and how it compromises their safety.

Bishop said one of the

main concerns of the bill
is that it would essentially
out transgender students
in an environment that is
already judgemental and
harsh. He said forcing students to use a different
bathroom from their gender
identity or gender-neutral
facilities, like faculty bathrooms, would only bring
more attention to the fact
that they are transgender.
It would have them
more vulnerable to bullying

and being left out of a place

where its already hard to
fit in, you know, a place like
high school where youre
already trying to fit in with
everybody else, but to have
the state tell you you cant
be who you are just as far as
just going to the bathroom,
is just horrid, Bishop said.
Kansas is not the only
state to introduce this type
SEE PROTEST
PAGE 2

Student works with organizations

to further LGBTQ+ discussions
CONNER MITCHELL
@ConnerMitchell0

AP Photo
Josh Jackson finishes a dunk in the McDonalds All-American game. On
Monday, he announced he will be playing at Kansas.

Josh Jackson
commits to KU
EVAN RIGGS

@EvanRiggsUDK

On Monday, Josh Jackson, a guard from Southfield, Mich., announced his

plans to play college basketball at Kansas next year via
Twitter.
Jackson is the No. 1
ranked player according to
rivals.com and is currently
playing for Prolific Prep in
Napa, Calif.
He was named coMVP of the McDonald's
All-American game back in
March, making it the second-straight year the MVP
of the game opted to play
college basketball at Kansas.
Jackson chose Kansas
over Michigan State and
Arizona. He is expected to
make an immediate impact
on the team, even with play-

ers like freshman Lagerald

Vick and sophomore Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk likely to
return.
Last summer, Jerry
Meyer, who has worked
for 247Sports.com for 12
years, called Jackson the
best shooting guard hes
ever scouted. Hes already
projected as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA
Draft by DraftExpress.
Jackson joins Udoka
Azubuike, who is ranked
No. 27 on rivals.com, and
Mitch Lightfoot, who is
ranked No. 117, in the Kansas recruiting class. However, with several players
leaving the program, Kansas still has three open
scholarships remaining for
the upcoming year.
Edited by Shane
Jackson

Omar Rana, a senior

from Tulsa, Okla., has
spent a majority of his time
at the University advocating for issues and causes
within the LGBTQ+ community. Rana is the Student Senate Director of
Diversity and Inclusion,
and is also involved with
Delta Lambda Phi, an IFC
fraternity for gay, bisexual,
transgender and progressive men.
Delta Lambda Phi and
numerous other campus
organizations have collaborated throughout the
month of April to produce
events across campus
which advance discussions about the LGBTQ+
community. The month
of activities and programs
is typically referred to as
Gaypril."
Gaypril is important to
furthering diversity and
inclusivity discussions on
campus, especially since
the national pride month
happens in June when students arent on campus,
Rana said.
Pride month is traditionally in June, however, were not in school in
June. I think it is really important to be able to have
this month for visibility
and for programming of
LGBTQ+-related events.
Its nice to kind of have a
month to keep it fresh in

everyones mind, he said.

Rana said his experiences at the University have
been better than when he
lived in Oklahoma, but there
will always be more that can
be done to further inclusivity on campus.
Coming from Oklahoma, I had a very negative experience being out in Oklahoma, Rana said. Coming
to Kansas, I would say its
a little bit better, but were
not like New York or Los
Angeles or anything quite
like that yet. We are the flagship university of the state of
Kansas. I think we need to
have more people, particularly within our administration, but also more students
fight back against homophobia, transphobia, all that
stuff that is going on."
While Gaypril is a good
starting point to having
open discussions about the
LGBTQ+ community and
gives students a platform,
Rana said these types of
open discussions should be
happening all year long.
In all honesty, people
should be embracing sexual
and gender diversity, people should be having these
conversations and going to
events like this and putting
on events like this all year
long, he said. This is a way
that we can make it special,
almost like a holiday. I think
its been able to give these
students a platform. Its
been able to give LGBTQ+
students a platform, and

give them more of a space

to discuss this stuff, and to
kind of make up almost for
the lost time and the lost issues.
Roze Brooks, a graduate
assistant in the Center for
Sexuality and Gender Diversity, has worked closely with
Rana since they came to the
University two years ago.
Brooks echoed Ranas sentiment about the importance
of Gaypril at the University.
"Gaypril here is a pretty
big deal, and folks come to
expect that its going to be
a thing, and they get really
amped about the programs
in Gaypril, they said. "Folks
look forward to it, so because folks look forward to
it and they know its a thing,
and its gained a reputation
and a troupe on campus, its
important because it brings
awareness to the gamut of
LGBT identities.

Brooks described their

relationship with Rana not
only as a resource and advisor, but as someone with
similar identities to talk
through their lived experiences.
My relationship with
Omar is very dynamic and
very vibrant, as is Omar
himself, they said. Because hes in so many different roles, its always kind
of a matter of, What is he
coming in my doorway today to give me? Its really
useful because he has so
much agency and so many
places on campus, its kind
of like, Yes, I am so happy
to contribute to whatever
brainstorming youre trying
to do and whatever mission
youre trying to complete."
Edited by Ryan
Wright

Alex Robinson/KANSAN
Omar Rana, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., is Student Senate Director
of Diversity and Inclusion and involved in Delta Lambda Phi.

news
Kansan
staff

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Come rain or shine: The history of the Big Event

ALEAH EILEEN

@KansanNews

he Big Event, open to

University students,
staff and faculty, provides the opportunity for
the University to serve the
community. Service projects include washing windows and raking leaves or
painting classrooms in local
schools. This year, the event
will take place at 10 a.m.
April 16.

Its like a big hug.

People really
appreciate the
students serving
the community.
J.J. OToole-Curran
director of marketing,
media, and programs

Michael Smith, a 2011

graduate, brought The Big
Event to campus in 2010
as a student wanting to give
back to the community. Prior to that, in 2009, Smith
developed a more localized
Big Event after seeing The
Big Events success at Texas
A&M, where it was founded. Smith ran for Student
Senate President and used
The Big Event as part of his
platform.
As students, we have to
acknowledge that this community does a lot for us,

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 Thursdays 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.

PROTEST FROM PAGE 1

of legislation. Recently, North Carolina passed
a similar bill, informally
known as the Bathroom
Bill, that has been under fire for discriminating against transgender
people. Last week, Bruce
Springsteen
announced
on his website that he was
canceling his April 10 concert in Greensboro, N.C. in
protest of the law.
Some things are more
important than a rock
show and this fight against
prejudice and bigotry
which is happening as I

Smith said. We have this

diverse and vibrant culture
that we get to exist in, and
I think we have a responsibility to find ways to say
thank you.
After winning the election, Smith developed a
team to organize the event.
The first year, the team
advertised in various forms,
including with the student
newspaper and the radio,
in order to raise money and
awareness. The event costs
roughly $18,000 a year,
with that money going toward supplies, t-shirts and
food for the volunteers,
said Donna Craven, executive director of The Big
Event. For the first year,
funding came from Student Senate; however, it is
now independently owned
and accepts donations each
year.
The morning of the
first Big Event in 2010,
it rained. The ground
was wet and muddy
as about 500 people
raked leaves or participated in other tasks,
Smith said. By the
end of the afternoon,
the sun had come out
and around 400 service projects had been
completed, he said.
When we got done
we were like, This is
going to become a tradition, Smith said.
Peoples emotional
response to that first
event was just incred-

ible. There was this intergenerational

connection
that you dont see a lot of.
After that year, volunteers
jumped
from
500 to 2,000, said J.J.
O'Toole-Curran,
director
of marketing, media and
programs at the University.
O'Toole-Curran advised the
2010 Big Event team after
previously working at Texas
A&M.
OToole-Curran
said
the event continues to be
successful at the University due to the eagerness of
both the volunteers and the
home and business owners.
Many volunteers walk away
from a jobsite with homemade cookies or sit down
for a meal before they leave.
Its like a big hug,
OToole-Curran said. People really appreciate the

write is one of them,

Springsteen wrote on his
website. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition
to those who continue to
push us backwards instead
of forwards.
As an issue that has received national attention,
Gaylord said she thinks the
bills in the Kansas legislation will send the wrong
message to the country.
I think it sends the
message that if you are
nonconforming, if you
dont fit into what is considered to be normal, I
think it sends the message

that you will be targeted,

you will face consequences
for not conforming or adhering to standards of the
society that the political
climate has created, Gaylord said.
Although she said she
hopes the legislation will
not pass, Gaylord wants
students to use this opportunity to learn more about
the issue.
I would hope that students, if they dont understand who a trans identified person is, or what
being non-gender conforming means, that they
would use the resources

2000 Dole Human

Development Center 1000
Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, Kan., 66045
editor@kansan.com
www.kansan.com
Newsroom: (785) 864-4552
Advertising: (785) 864-4358

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students serving the community.

More than 10,000 students, faculty and staff have
volunteered during the past
six years, Craven said. She
said the team expects 4,000
volunteers this year.
Craven said the most rewarding aspect of the event
is interacting with homeowners and seeing the impact the event has on their
lives, Craven said.
Last year, I was doing a
job site check for a home of
an elderly woman who was
a widow, Craven said. We
were walking around the
yard, and she was telling me
the things she would like
cleaned up her flowers
beds and the bushes, things
her husband would have
been able to do last year.
She started crying because

she was so grateful.

The event continues to
grow in size each year and
Smith credits that to the
fact that students, faculty
and staff recognize the need
to say thank you to the community.
I think [The Big Event]
gives community members
a chance to see students for
the positive, he said. You
always hear stories about
drinking and a number of
other bad things. The Big
Event gives the chance to
look at the positive and we
need those stories.
To participate in The
Big Event, register at thebigeventku.com.

Edited by Samantha
Harms

File Photo/KANSAN
The Big Event volunteers provide a helping hand to Lawrence residents by completing projects in their neighborhoods.

that we have on campus to

gain a better understand,
Gaylord said.
Bishop said he hopes
the demonstration will
draw more attention to
discriminations
against
transgender people.
Im hoping that we can
raise awareness, not only
for the trans community and visibility, but also
help people understand
that this is not something
we should take lightly,
Bishop said. This is not
something we just accept
because the legislature
says that we have to.

Edited by Samantha
Harms

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Demolition of the Burge Union began April 11 sometime after 7 a.m., Mark
Reiske, associate director of Design and Construction Management, said.

CASSIDY RITTER

@CassidyRitter

The Burge Union was

torn down Monday after 33
years on campus.
The demolition began
sometime after 7 a.m. and
will last two to three weeks,
Mark Reiske, associate director of Design and Construction
Management,
said.
"[The new union] will
not be in that exact same
spot," Reiske said.
Reiske said construction
on the new union has already begun. It is connected
to the Integrative Science
Building through a lower
level.
The new building will be
a large, flexible, flat meeting

space to accommodate large

events, but the space could
also be configured into multiple meeting rooms, said
David Mucci, KU Memorial
Unions director. It will also
have office spaces for the
Emily Taylor Center and
Sexual Assault and Education Center, Mucci said.
Students will be able
to walk through the Integrative Science Building,
across the plaza and into
the new union, Reiske said.
He said the construction
of the new union and Integrative Science Building
will be completed in Fall
2018.
Edited by Matthew
Clough

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NEWS

KANSAN.COM

Women and unequal pay: University speakers

tackle the wage gap and say, Ask for more
LARA KORTE
@lara_korte

hiannon Racy, assistant director of the

University
Career
Center, asked the audience
in the Spooner Commons a
question Tuesday night.
So, whos negotiated
their salary before?
Of the crowd of about 50
a large majority of whom
were women only about
three people raised their
hands.
A few of you? Some?
Well, youre not alone,
Racy said.
The Closing the Gap
event was hosted by the Career Center and sponsored
by the Emily Taylor Center
for Women & Gender Equity, the Commons, Business
Career Services Center and
the School of Engineering.
University women heard
from career experts, including a panel of three professionally-successful women,
on what it means to negotiate a salary and why they
shouldnt be afraid to ask for
more money.
The event was held April
12, otherwise known as
Equal Pay Day, which acknowledges the gap between
the average womans wage
and the average mans wage.
A recent report from the
American Association of
University Women showed
that, as of 2014, women
make an average of $0.78
for every dollar a white man
makes. That statistic varies
by ethnicity as well, with
Hispanic/Latino
women
clocking in $0.54 per dollar,
Native American women at
$0.59 and African American
women at $0.63.
Racy said she believes

the disparity between wages

stems from inequality.
Theres gender bias in
the world that we live in, and
thats reflected in the salary
gap, Racy said.
One of the contributors
to the pay gap, Racy said,
is reluctance of women to
negotiate higher salaries for
themselves. When working
with students in the Career
Center, she said she sees
hesitance sometimes when
it comes to negotiation.
Id say a lot of the times,
there is kind of that fear of it,
and I think that part of that
comes from being afraid
that the offer would be rescinded if they negotiated,
and thats not necessarily
the case, Racy said.
Ashley Kruger, a career

Women tend
to undersell
themselves; men
tend to oversell.
Wendy Shoemaker
senior associate director of
the University Career Center

advisor in the School of

Business, presented about
why women should not be
afraid to negotiate and gave
tips on how to prepare and
execute a negotiation successfully.
Although someone might
not be able to control an employers resources, they can
control how they interview
for a position and how they
negotiate salary and benefits, Kruger said. One of the
biggest points Kruger and
others emphasized throughout the night was research.
Good negotiation depends

on knowing ones skills and

the value of the job theyre
applying for.
Do your research, talk
to people in the job, as well
as in the industry, Kruger
said.
In addition to understanding the field, a potential employee should go into
a negotiation with an idea of
what they should be offered
based on their skill set, the
position and cost of living in
the area.
Use the internet; the internet is your friend. There
are so many potential resources out there that you
can use to look up your salary, look up your industry,
and look to see what others
in your area with your skill
level and experience are
making, Kruger said.
Wendy Shoemaker, senior associate director of the
University Career Center,
was one of the women who
sat on the panel and answered questions.
Several audience members raised concerns about
balancing confidence with
realistic expectations. Shoemaker said women dont
often give themselves credit
when it comes to negotiating.
Women tend to undersell themselves; men tend to
oversell, Shoemaker said.
Theres been a lot of research thats been done that
when women do self-evaluations of how theyre doing
on the job, they rank them
lower than the people who
work for them; men rank
them higher than the people
who work for them in many
situations.
Shoemaker said its important that women negotiate in a way that confidently

Graphic by Roxy Townsend

and accurately portrays their

skills and qualifications.
Its a delicate balance
between overselling yourself
and making sure that youve
taken all of your experiences
and shown how they relate
to the position, that puts you
in a much better bargaining
position, Shoemaker said.
After the presentation,
the audience broke up into
small groups. Lindsey Etter,
a sophomore from Plano,
Texas, was the only one at
her table of six that had experience negotiating.
I just went in there,
hoping for the best and I

was very assertive, and my

boss actually appreciated
it, and to this day, she calls
me back every summer to go
back and work for her, and
pretty much every summer
I get a little bit of a raise as
well, Etter said. So I think
it worked out in my benefit,
it could have gone horribly,
and I was willing to accept
that, so it worked out.
Etter said she thinks the
wage gap stems back to the
idea of assertiveness and
womens hesitancy to do so.
I think its just almost
like a norm, thats just like
a stereotype, that men get

Edited by Samantha
Harms

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paid more, that theyre

more assertive, theyre
more confident, they know
what they want and they go
after it, and women are a
little more submissive and
theyre scared to have confrontation, Etter said. So I
think thats where it lies and
I think were striving to end
it and were getting there
slowly but surely, but it still
needs to be worked on.

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opinion
FREE-FOR-ALL
WE HEAR
FROM YOU

KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, APRIL. 14, 2016

Text your #FFA

submissions to
785-289-UDK1
(8351)
You know it's been a
weird late night when
there is a pirate on
the back of your bus
if I could drill holes in
my sinuses or head to
relieve the pressure I
would do it
If I see another girl
from my high school
try to start a fashion
blog I will scream.
Loudly.
Illustration by Jake Kaufmann/KANSAN

just found out most

successful millionaires
start their day around
4:30 am. Suddenly
money is not that
important to me.

Issawi: Fear-mongering by politicians and

the media only further divides our country

my days feel like

weeks.
My love of warm
weather is being
constantly eclipsed by
my fear of wasps.
DANYA ISSAWI

Love that feeling

when I can wear
shorts, t-shirt and
sandals outside
My mom just emailed
me a newsletter
about not texting and
driving and I dont
know how to respond
Editor's Note: You
should probably
respond by not
texting and driving.
33 days until
graduation and KU
makes me change my
password.
A clown held the door
open for me today. It
was a nice jester.

@danyasawi

Since September 11,

2001, there has been an
underlying tone of hysteria
on the tongues of media
correspondents and politicians alike. The fear has
been simmering and most
recently came to a boil in
light of the recent terrorist
attacks abroad.
The attacks in Paris and
Brussels, killing a combined 162 people, instilled
a legitimate sense of fear,
not only at the epicenter
of these attacks, but also
on a global scale due to the
portrayal of these events on

I love seeing freshmen

with their high school
shirts on. I laugh and
then I see seniors
wearing their old
high school shirts and
I shake my head in
disapproval.

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

done, CNN. This trivial display is not news; it is essentially a how-to video gone
wrong that promotes frivolous fear-mongering.
Media outlets are not
the only ones to blame; our
politicians have utilized
the plight of fright taking
over the U.S. as their main
weapon this election season. Its a tried and true
tactic that ebbs and flows
with the times instill fear
within the public, and they
will search for something,
or someone, to follow. They
will look for a source to either allay or exacerbate
their concerns, because in
a sense, fear is an addicting feeling. Its as if we are
living through another Red
Scare, and rather than our
politicians curbing our apprehension, they ignite it.
They take the stage and
sling panic-inducing rhetoric at one another in a
competition to see who can
frighten the most audience
members at a time, and

rather than creating a following on the basis of trust,

they manifest suspicion and
hostility within our citizenry.
Trump has famously
made his disdain for Mexico, China, the Middle East
and the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world apparent, crafted his campaign
around this resentment and
molded these populations
into scapegoats onto which
he unjustly projects any
and all fear. His politics of
fear recklessly creates an
us versus them mentality, which can only remain
non-physical for so long.
While we must not
forget there are genuine
threats against our safety
that should be taken into
consideration and acted
upon, these threats can be
handled in an effective and
administrative
manner.
The U.S. prides itself on
being a pinnacle of unity,
yet the current pessimistic
atmosphere present with-

in media and politics alike

only creates factions within
the American people and
instills divisiveness. We
want news and information, not propaganda.
Our leaders, our politicians and media personas
cannot be perpetrators of
paranoia. These figureheads are overarching personas whose ideals dictate
our everyday lives, and if
one so chooses to instill
hostility through fear-mongering in order to generate
personal gain, the public
loses in the end. In the end,
all we are left with is mistrust of one another and
constant scorn for any and
all we deem to be a member
of the out-group.
Danya Issawi is a
sophomore from Kansas
City studying journalism.
Edited by G.J. Melia

Befort: To solve environmental problems, we

need equal focus on science and humanities

My quest to befriend
the campus bunnies is
going badly.
In Texas 50 degrees
means boots &
coats. In Kansas 50
degrees means flats &
sweaters.

different forms of mass media, particularly cable news.

TV ratings soared during
and after the tragedies and
viewership of networks
such as CNN and Fox News
skyrocketed by 153 percent.
The attacks and the
groups perpetuating them,
while
rightfully
being
broadcast on news networks for informational
purposes, have become a
disrespectful and distasteful source of media entertainment, for lack of a
better word. Media outlets
have capitalized on the publics fear of an attack in the
United States and made the
looming, potential threat
a seemingly eminent one.
CNN even released a segment in which one of their
correspondents took part in
making a homemade bomb
with an expert on television
and proceeded to blow up a
car. The ratings were good,
and the emotional toll the
segment took was most
likely even better. Nicely

BRIDGETTE BEFORT
@BridgetteBefort

Because Im taking environmentally-themed courses this semester, my mentor

encouraged me to read the
recently published, environmentally-themed book
Shrinking the Earth, and
then to interview its author,
University Professor Emeritus of History Donald Worster.
Shrinking the Earth
interprets the history of
how the world progressed
to its current state of environmental, energy and resource affairs. It premises
that when Columbus discovered the New World,"
he discovered a second

earth which humans could

exploit for resources.
Now,
Worster
concludes, our resources are
limited; there is no third
earth to save us. And our
sole option is to responsibly
manage the resources we
have left.
My initial takeaway from
this book was a sense of despair.
I was angry because I
thought Shrinking the
Earth was another environmental
publication
describing endless environmental problems compounded by shrinking and
limited resources but offering no solution to fix the
problem. And, even if the
book provided scientific evidence for an outright solution to the resource, energy
and environment problem,
actually implementing that
solution could prove challenging because of politics
and public opinion.
Although
Americans
may believe that science is
important for making life
better, they still have dif-

fering political opinions

on how to interpret the
science, according to the
Pew Research Center. This
dilemma made me anxious
that society is not up for the
challenge of using science
to make the world better.
It turns out Worsters
intended message is the
complete opposite: Worster
believes his conclusion contains a hopeful view of the
future.
He expresses his faith
in human beings. People
have always adapted and
changed to meet whatever
the world throws at them;
this is understood through
evolutionary science but
more importantly through
history.
History, Worster said,
proves humans survive and
that our society is already
adapting, even if world
leaders never seem to agree
and science has not come
up with one, big solution.
During the interview, I
learned we could approach
the worlds problems from
a solely scientific viewpoint,

HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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developing amazing technology that wont actually

suit the worlds needs. Or,
we could use history and
the other humanities to
understand when, where
and what type of a scientific solution is necessary to
tackle issues, enabling us to
fully understand societys
current position and what
its needs are.
In this way, we could
solve world problems in the
best way possible.
This viewpoint challenged my idea that science
alone has the answers. In
this technology-abundant
world, it sometimes seems
as if science does not offer
the solution to a problem,
we are doomed. Human
history, however, illuminates the powerful adaptive
nature of humanity.
As a STEM student, I
sometimes find myself wondering what good the humanities do how will they
solve the worlds problems?
Humanities cant cure cancer or develop spacecraft
to journey to Mars, but hu-

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

Gage Brock
Business Manager
gbrock@kansan.com

manities can provide reasons for why and how we

need to apply the sciences.
My interview with Worster showed me studying
science alone fulfills half
the equation. Coupled with
the study of the humanities,
we can understand human
nature and find the hopedfor resolution to the worlds
environmental issues and
others when science, history and humanities converge. Humanities teach us
to understand and value the
inherent power of people
and their ability to survive
with or without complicated technology, which is
something science, with all
of its answers, will never accomplish.

Bridgette Befort is a
sophomore from Topeka
studying chemical
engineering.

Edited by Samantha
Harms

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?

KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Ceramics Club opens doors for students

Aries (March 21-April

19)
Enjoy sports, hobbies and
diversions over the next
few days. Practice your
moves. Hang out with family and friends. Someone
attractive is drawing you
into their orbit ... kindle a
spark.
Taurus (April 20-May
20)
Domestic projects satisfy
over the next two days.
Use brains over brawn
to resolve a household
problem that will only
grow more expensive with
neglect. Manage structural
issues.
Gemini (May 21-June
20)
Speak out, and your message goes further today
and tomorrow. Stand up
for whats right. Support
comes from unexpected
directions. Actions and
words get a power boost.
Cancer (June 21-July
22)
Your communications get
profitable. Theres money
to be made over the next
few days. Write marketing
copy. Get involved with
promotions or social media. Make your pitch.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Enjoy the spotlight over the
next two days. Take advantage of the microphone
and ask for the change
you want to see. Share
convincing data. Others
are listening.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept.
22)
Look back for insight
on the road ahead. Pay
attention to your dreams
over the next few days.
Conclude arrangements
and complete old projects.
Note new plans, goals and
deadlines.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct.
22)
Team projects go well over
the next two days. Develop
your strategies to win.
Creativity swirls throughout
the conversation. Write
down what gets invented.
Encourage each other.

Ryan Miller/KANSAN
Richard James, a third-year graduate student from Bloomington, Ind., works on a ceramics project.

RYAN MILLER

@Ryanmiller_UDK

At the KU Ceramics Club,

students do more than create
art they create connections
and opportunities.
Alexander Thierry, a
second-year graduate student from St. Louis and club
president, said building connections is a big focus for
the club, which is one of the
longest-running clubs on
campus.
Thats one thing thats
really important, not only
just getting the techniques
and meeting new people, but
its also being able to expand
our connections a little bit
broader than KU, Thierry
said.
Over the course of the
school year the ceramics
clubs hosts various artists,
shows, and sales. They also
attend conferences. Each semester, Thierry said the club
tries to bring in at least one
visiting artist and this semester they were able to bring in
15.

Recently, the club participated in a pre-conference event for the National

Council on Education for the
Ceramic Arts (NCECA). The
club brought in various visiting artists from all over the
world.
Thierry said on one of the
demonstration days, artists
from China, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand
and Australia all showed
their work at the same time.
It was just like madness
to see all these different people doing different things,
it was crazy," Thierry said.
"And the more times that we
can raise enough money or
sell enough things to bring
those kind of perspectives
to the studio is just going
above and beyond for the
students."
Thierry said visiting artists help bring more diversity
and perspectives to their studio on campus.
I think that even though
our program is pretty good
and theres a nice roundness to the kinds of projects

students do," Thierry said.

"I think that we can always
improve on bringing outside
perspectives and other ways
of making things to the studio."
The club also raises funds
from student senate and
sales to travel to the NCECA
conference every year, which
is one of the largest gathering
of artists in the world.
We have discussions,
demonstrations, theres a
bunch of shows that are attached to it, and its just one
big ceramics convention,
Thierry said.
Thierry said he joined the
club partly because he spent
so much time in the studio. He also wanted to build
more connections between
graduate students and undergraduate students.
Its good to have this
kind of camaraderie between
undergrads and graduate
students and then all of us
working together to get to
these goals we have of like
going to these conferences
and being a part of that com-

munity, he said.
Sydney Goldman, a junior from Spring Hill and
a member of the club, said
she enjoys the opportunities
the club provides and the
help undergraduate students
receive from graduate students.

It was just like

madness to see all
these different people
doing different things,
it was crazy.
Alexander Thierry
graduate student

Its hard to get your

name out there. They really
help to get us started getting
our names out there as undergrads, and they [graduate
students] have a lot of encouragement. Theres a lot of
experience that we can really
tap into, Goldman said.
Thierry said he hopes
club members take away the
experience of being around

so many different types of

ceramics in the club.
The experience of being
around so many different ceramic people and having the
connections that are made.
[Having] all these different
opportunities that then become a network that gets bigger for that student, he said.
Goldman said one big
take away from the club so
far has been learning that
ceramic artists cover a wide
variety of spectrums.
Everyone has their own
avenue and you dont have to
be a cookie cutter," Goldman
said. "There are so many
ways to do pottery and so
many ways to be successful
in it."
The KU Ceramics Club
will have a show and sale
on 840 Massachusetts St.
on Friday, April 29 during
April's Final Fridays.
Edited by Shane
Jackson

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov.

21)
Take on greater responsibility over the next two
days to surpass a hurdle
or challenge. Express your
feelings aloud. Let people
know what you need.
Come to a new understanding.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22Dec. 21)
Travel conditions look
excellent today and
tomorrow. Make sure the
bills are paid first, and
then pack your bags. Plan
the itinerary in detail and
reserve in advance. Get
out with an interesting
companion.
Capricorn (Dec. 22Jan. 19)
Consider an investment in
your own education. Focus
on finances for the next
two days. Confer with your
team. Apply for scholarships or grants. Work all
the angles.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.
18)
Get expert assistance with
a tricky job today and tomorrow. Long-distance support comes through. Think
of clever ways to repay
the favor. Use something
youve been saving.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March
20)
Jump into a busy phase
over the next two days.
Make a shrewd move. Find
what you need far away.
Talk with your networks to
find solutions and resources. Love energizes you.

Contributed Photo/KANSAN
Two members of KU Swing Society dance together.

Swing Society brings high energy to campus

RYAN MILLER

@Ryanmiller_UDK

Swing dancing may be

nearly a century old, but the
tradition is alive and well at
the University through the
KU Swing Society.
KU Swing Society teaches and features different
dances and partner dances, including: Lindy hop,
Charleston, East Coast
swing, Balboa, Collegiate
shag, Heel shag and Blues.
Valerie Kutchko, a senior from Merriam and the
vice president of the club,
said swing dancing is a high

energy dance with lots of

options to do with it.
Theres tons of things
you can do with it, its very
improvisational, and all
the music is really upbeat,
which is great, Kutchko
said.
Jason
Gevargizian,
a doctoral student from
Leawood, and current president of the club, said the
group meets weekly during
the year, including off campus during school breaks.
The meetings usually consist of a lesson, then a practice.
Its fairly casual. Its a

good time to give dancers

feedback, because typically during a dance its more
formal, you dont want to
bring feedback onto the table there, Gevargizian said.
Around once a month,
Gevargizian said the swing
society tries to hold a formal dance either off campus, or on campus in places like the ballroom in
the Kansas Union or the
dance pavilion near Potter
Lake. The groups previous
end-of-semester dance was
held at the Pavilion.
It was a really nice night
overlooking the lake and

the band was there and [we]

had a ton of fun, Gevargizian said.
Once a year, the group
hosts an event called Rock
Chalk Swing, which is an
annual swing dance festival
and workshop weekend.
We bring in instructors
from around the nation,
and these people are pretty
world class instructors, way
better than I, Gevargizian
said.
He said the event draws
people from around Kansas and other states as well.
It includes workshops for
dancers at beginner, in-

termediate and advanced

levels. The event includes
both night dances and late
night dances. This years
Rock Chalk Swing was held
during Valentines Day
weekend.
Rock Chalk Swing really is our highlight, it is
probably the most fun, the
best time of the year where
things get a lot more stressful, particularly for the officers and myself. But it all
really pays off, which is the
most exciting part, GevarSEE SWING PAGE 7

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SWING FROM PAGE 5
gizian said.
Gevargizian said he
joined the club after picking
up swing dancing over the
years. After initially being
in band in high school and
enjoying jazz and swing
music, he said he tried out
swing dancing over a summer while an undergraduate student and gradually
fell in love with it.
Thats when I sort of
really started digging it,
he said. Its kind of a goofy

dance if you can picture a

20s Charleston with the
white suits and the boater
hats, its kind of cheesy in a
good way.
Kutchko joined in January of 2015, after originally being in a tango class at
the University and attending a swing dance with her
friends.
They kind of brought
me along and I just really got into it and switched
from Tango over to swing,
Kutchko said.
Gevargizian said his
favorite part about swing

dance is the fun and energy

that comes with it.
Ive taken part in other dances, and none I love
quite as much as swing,
Gevargizian said. I really
like how it just embodies
funness, and to almost a
cheesy extent and I really
appreciate that, I think I
like the energy.
Kutchko said swing society and swing dancing is
beneficial for international
students at the University,
too.
Its actually a really
great place for international

students to come and meet

students that are in Kansas,
or just the U.S. in general,
Kutchko said. We get a lot
of international students to
come to know our culture,
so it helps to bring those
two groups together really
well."
Gevargizian said the
group is looking to hold
their end of semester dance
at the Pavilion, about a
week or two before finals.
Gevargizian said the KU
Swing Society hopes to
grow the dance community
in Lawrence.

One of our major goals

in this Swing Society is really growing the dance community. Not just swing, but
the dance community in
general, and partner dances
in general. I think partner
dances really bring something great to even like the
club scenes that I think the
modern age kind of misses, he said.
Gevargizian said the experience of swing dancing is
something people can take
away for the rest of their
life.
Swing is something

you can take away the rest

of your life. You can swing,
you can tango you can
do these partner dances
throughout your entire life
and still have a ton of fun,"
Gevargizian said. Something like swing really I
think opens up opportunities that keep on giving the
rest of your life.

Edited by Shane
Jackson

Samantha Sexton/KANSAN
From left: Becca Gray as Amy, Kristen Larsen as Meg, Sarah Van Zwoll as Jo, Lily Lancaster as Beth, and Leslie Bennett as Marmee.

Little Women resonates with audience emotions

SAMANTHA SEXTON
@Sambiscuit

The University Theatre

opened its newest performance, "Little Women: The
Broadway Musical," Friday night in Crafton-Preyer Theatre to a respectably-sized audience. The
play touches on difficult
subjects such as loss, marriage to a soldier at war,
death, a childs need for
independence and the difficult yet supportive dynamics within families.
When the audience
wasnt laughing or crying, it
certainly had audible reactions to the scenes on stage.
The musical, based on
the book of the same name
by Louisa May Alcott, focuses on the lives of four young
sisters in 1866 near the end

of the American Civil War

Amy, the pretentious
youngest sister that will
make anyone with younger siblings groan; Beth, the
caring, innocent songbird;
Meg, the oldest and the romantic; and Jo, the wildly
creative, boisterous protagonist trying to find her way
in the world. Together, with
their mother, the family
struggles to maintain happiness through the ups and
downs of life.
Rissa Garcia, a sophomore at Haskell Indian
Nations University from
Las Cruces, N.M., said the
family dynamic hit close to
home, especially during a
particular scene where Jo
leaves her family to start
her career as an author.
I really connected with
the sisters and their wanting to stay together as a

family but also having to

learn how to let go, Garcia
said. Im from New Mexico, so all my family and siblings are so far away. I even
started to tear up at some of
the scenes just because of
how relatable it was.
Garcia said she had been
incredibly impressed with
the performance which she
said made her night, given
that she had only come to
the performance for class
credit.
The use of the stage was
amazing, Garcia said. Ive
seen scene use like that before but never to that extent.
The scene use Garcia
mentioned was the use of
the Crafton-Preyers moving stage, which helped
to keep the story flowing
without need for a disrupting scene change. A three-

KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS
785-864-4358

I really connected
with the sisters and
their wanting to stay
together as a family
but also having to
learn how to let
go.
Rissa Garcia
Haskell sophomore

I was really impressed,

said Ladine Thompson, a
freshman at Haskell from
Oklahoma City. It was really beautiful to watch, and
I dont usually like musicals
but the songs in this play
were very well done.

housing

JOBS

JOBS
Help wanted for Phoenix Gallery
downtown Lawrence. Evenings,
weekends & summer hrs. needed.
Must be outgoing, friendly & have
computer exp. KS work study eligible students preferred. Call 785843-0080 for more info or bring resume to 825 Massachusetts.
MOVERS NEEDED FOR SUMMER
Apply now start May after classes.
Work entire summer 40+hrs per
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$12/hr+tips. Bonus for completing
entire summer. Must be dependable, strong, hard worker, work
well with others. Apply in person at
Professional Moving & Storage,
3620 Thomas Court.

Sarah Van Zwoll, a sophomore from Overland Park

who portrays Jo, was an
interesting choice for the
lead given her sparse theatrical experience. But despite never performing in
a University Theatre performance and only recently
changing her major to theater, Van Zwoll remained at
peak energy throughout the
performance.
She was beautiful,
Thompson said. I cant
believe shes never done
something like this before.
Despite her impressive
performance, Van Zwoll
said the show was a group
effort.
A role of this size is not
possible without the support and love from the cast
and crew I have gotten,
Van Zwoll said.
Van Zwoll's rock, Uni-

SALE

General Manager, Peoples Grocery Cooperative, Manhattan, KS

Established food coop seeking energetic, service-oriented manager
w/qualified business exp. Management exp. & Bachelors degree or
equivalent combination of education & exp. required. Visit
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Open until filled.
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785-235-2295 to inquire.

Edited by Michael
Portman

SUBJECT
of
IMPOrTANCE

jobs

for sale

JOBS

versity alumna and director

Amy Corcoran, said shes
glad to have an audience to
finally see the show but isnt
quite ready to give it up.
I'm incredibly proud of
everyone involved though
it's always bittersweet to
open a show," Corcoran
said. As a director, opening
means my work is done and
it's over.
Little Women will
show April 15 and 16 at 7:30
p.m., with its finale on April
17 at 2:30 p.m. in Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall. More information
and ticket prices can be
found at the Department of
Theatres website.

textbooks

announcements

hawkchalk.com

Work with friends. Party Personnel

needs banquet servers/bartenders.
Call 913-312-7361 x 104 to apply.
City of Lawrence
Compost Facility Gate Staff
P/T, seasonal position. Applicants must be at least 18yrs of
age. The Compost Facility Gate
Staff will work 9:45am to 4:15pm
every Sat starting 3/5/16 & ending
in Dec 2016. Gate Staff will open &
close the facility, receive payment
for vehicles dropping off brush &
picking up compost or wood ships
& transport work materials to designate site for reconciliation. Must
have valid drivers license & pass
background check. For best consideration apply ASAP at:
www.lawrenceks.org/jobs
EOE

tiered set was built on the

stage, allowing for a variety
of scene placement, which
kept the action fresh and
engaging.

classifieds@kansan.com

JOBS
P/T female companion/personal
care attendant to assist a young
woman in Lawrence with her daily
routine. Excellent work environment. Call Carole at 785-266-5307.
The University of KS McNair Scholars Program is seeking a GRE instructor for program running 6/17/21. For complete description
and to apply, go to:
https://employment.ku.edu/staff/
5813BR. Review of applications
will begin 4/18/16 and continue until positions are filled. KU is an
EO/AAE, full policy http://policy.ku.
edu/IOA/nondiscrimination
LEASING ASSISTANT
Must have solid communication &
interpersonal skills, proficient with
Microsoft Suite. Email resume to:
propertymanager785@gmail.com

JOBS

Lawrence Gymnastics Academy is

hiring preschool, recreation & competitive team instructors. Gymnastics exp. preferred but will train the
right person. Must love kids! Call
for more info 785-865-0856 or apply in person at 4930 Legends Dr.
KU Office of Admissions has
multiple openings. Admission
Representatives - Apply at:
http://employment.ku.edu/staff/
5781BR. KC Metro Admissions
Rep - Apply at: http://employment.
ku.edu/staff/5778BR.
Application
deadline is April 14. KU is an
EO/AAE. All qualified applicants
will receive consideration for employment without regard to race,
color, religion, sex(including pregnancy), age, national origin, disability, genetic information or protected Veteran Status.

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ARTS & CULTURE

KANSAN.COM

Music in Focus: Maria Kanyova brings her experience

abroad as a professional opera singer to the classroom
OMAR SANCHEZ
@OhMySanchez

Contributed Photo/KANSAN

n 2001, a soprano from

Kirkwood, Mo., performed in a New York
City Opera staging of "La
Bohme" as the lead role of
Mimi. It was a performance
the New York Times called
"smooth and sweet."
Maria Kanyova is the
singer and actress behind
the performance and an assistant professor of voice in
the School of Music. Kanyova said the role was one
of her most successful moments.
"It was an amazing and
historical experience," Kanyova said.
Also broadcast on PBS, it
was an experience that Kanyova said cemented her as a
leading soprano in the arts.
Ultimately, Kanyova said
her run with "La Bohme"
was because of her rigorous
work ethic to maintain her
voice.
Kanyova instills this aspect into her students today.
Emily Meador, a freshman
from Tulsa, Okla., said Kanyova takes time to build a
specific path for each voice
she works with, lessons that
Meador said seem unusual
to students at first, but they
grow to understand.
"Her techniques for
working with the voice are
very different but also very
effective," Meador said. "My
voice has grown so much in
just seven short months."
The passion behind Kanyova's teaching techniques

can be traced back to her

time at the University. She is
connected to the University
as a current professor but
also as an alumna.
After she graduated with
an undergraduate degree
in musical arts at the University of Missouri Kansas
City, Kanyova continued
her musical education at the
University of Kansas and received a master's degree in
1991 and a doctoral degree
in 1995.
Afterwards,
Kanyova
traveled all over the United
States, Canada and Europe
for her singing and acting
abilities. Operas and symphonies alike, her University biography shows an extensive portfolio.
Kanyova said her inspirations for her art are pretty
easy to point out.
"My inspirations growing
up were very simple," Kanyova said. "I was inspired by
my church choir director
and piano teacher."
After growing up in a
household with a father that
could sing and a mother that
listened to classical and opera music, it was natural for
her to begin to study the aspects of music early on, Kanyova said. Her relationship
with both of her sources of
inspiration began when she
was 5-years-old.
"My piano teacher started me off on playing Bach
and sight-reading hymns. I
dont even remember learning the names of notes on
the piano," Kanyova said.
"She was a very focused
teacher, and I had at least
two lessons a week at the
age of 5."
She added: "The choir
director often gave me solos
to sing in church and started
me on my love of singing at
a very young age."
After working throughout her childhood and early
adult life to pursue a career
in music, Kanyova said she
got her big break into the industry after her acceptance
in the Chicago Lyric Opera

Center for American Artists,

now known as the Ryan Opera Center, in 1998.
"It was there that I signed
with my agent and started
working with some of the
best singers, conductors,
directors in the business,"
Kanyova said.
She had the chance to
work on her voice at the
micro-level, something that
Meador said she appreciates
now that Kanyova is teaching her.

I was inspired
by my church choir
director and piano
teacher.
Maria Kanyova
professor of voice

"She tells me why we do

things with my voice; she is
very knowledgeable about
the biological aspects of
singing after studying with
an ear, nose and throat doctor while singing with Chicago Lyric Opera," Meador
said.
Kanyova has been teaching at the University since
2013 and has touched the
lives of aspiring musical talents such as Meador.
"I love her positivity
and passion for the voice,"
Meador said. "I also admire
the life she lives. She cares
for her students, is a loving mother of four and still
makes time to advance her
career in the opera world by
performing in operas in other cities."
In a new chapter in her
journey, Kanyova said she
will move on from the University to continue to teach
in the fall at her other alma
mater, UMKC.
"I'm glad I will be just
down the road, but I will
miss that cute Jayhawk,"
Kanyova said.
Edited by Cele Fryer

s
n
o
p
u
o
c
n
a
s
kan
Clip and Save!

1814 W 23rd St
Lawrence, KS 66046
(785) 843-6000
10 am to 10 pm

Contributed Photo/KANSAN
Maria Kanyova, an assistant professor in the School of Music, uses her experiences as an opera singer to teach her
students.

SPORTS

KANSAN.COM

Sviatoslav
Mykhailiuk to
return for junior
season

Missy Minear/KANSAN
Freshman forward Carlton Bragg Jr. dunks the ball in the second half against Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. Bragg has announced that he will
return to Kansas for his sophomore season.

Carlton Bragg Jr. announces return

at Mens Basketball Awards Banquet
SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU

At the 2015-16 Kansas

Mens Basketball Awards
Banquet on Wednesday,
freshman forward Carlton
Bragg Jr. announced his
intentions to return to the
University for his sophomore season.
In the middle of addressing the team on stage, Kansas coach Bill Self turned
to Bragg, inviting him up
on stage. There, Bragg announced his return, as the
audience responded with
applause.
Ive got a big stage and
big shoes to fill, Bragg said
after the banquet. Its going to be a challenge, but I
think Im up for it.
Last season, Bragg averaged 3.8 points and 2.5
rebounds in 8.9 minutes
per game. He scored a career-high 12 points against
Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

On the year, Bragg

scored in double figures
just three times. However, his ability to stretch the
floor and rebound especially on the offensive glass
coupled with his potential to develop as a passer
makes him an intriguing
prospect.
Hes going to be special.
He has a lot of talent and
a good work ethic, junior
guard Frank Mason III said
after the teams loss to Villanova. The sky is the limit
for him.
With Braggs announcement, Kansas has three
open scholarships remaining for next year. That number will slip to two if freshman forward Cheick Diallo
opts to return to the University. Diallo previously
declared for the NBA Draft
but can return since he has
yet to hire representation.
Edited by Brendan
Dzwierzynski

Breakdown:
Which Kansas players are returning,
and which are entering the NBA draft
Leaving and
planning to hire
an agent:

Guard Wayne
Selden Jr.
Guard Brannen
Greene

Leaving but has

not hired an
agent:

Forward Cheick
Diallo

Announced they
will return:

Guard Sviatoslav
Mykhailiuk
Forward Carlton
Bragg Jr.

Missy Minear/KANSAN
Sophomore guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk shoots around an Austin Peay
defender in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU

On Tuesday, Kansas
guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk announced his intentions to return to Kansas.
Prior to the announcement,
Mykhailiuk was projected
as the 45th best prospect
for the 2016 NBA Draft
according to DraftExpress.
com.
Mykhailiuk
averaged
5.4 points per game last
season, shooting 40.2 percent from three. He scored
a career-high 23 points in
the first round of the NCAA
tournament against Austin
Peay, leading Kansas to a
105-79 win.
So far, in addition to
the four seniors leaving
the program, three Kansas
players have declared for
the draft: Wayne Selden
Jr., Brannen Greene and
Cheick Diallo. Of the three,
Diallo is the only one who
reportedly doesnt have any
immediate plans to hire
representation, meaning
he can return to the Uni-

GSJEBZ
"13*-


KU softball looks
to capitalize
on Texas Techs
road woes
BRIAN MINI

@daftpunkpop

Despite a rocky start

to the conference season,
theres still a chance for
Kansas softball to make a
run at a postseason spot.
That starts this weekend
against Texas Tech.
Coming into the weekend, the Jayhawks sit at just
1-2 in Big 12 play, which
isnt as bad as it sounds,
given the one win came
against No. 7 ranked Oklahoma, according to the
NCAA Softball RPI.
Meanwhile, the Red
Raiders have played two
series and sit at 4-2 in the
Big 12 after sweeping Oklahoma State and picking up
a win against Texas.
Despite the conference
success, Texas Techs record on the season is just
19-21, which includes a 3-13
away record, largely in part
to their poor pitching. The
Red Raiders entire pitching
staff has a 4.99 ERA with
81 strikeouts. Meanwhile
Kansas sophomore pitcher
Andie Formby has a 1.97
ERA with 103 strikeouts.
Tech has also committed
the most errors in the Big 12
with 51. Thats more than
double Kansas errors (20).
The Jayhawks will have
to take advantage of the
Red Raiders high ERA. The
Jayhawks have four players
batting over .300 senior

infielder Chaley Brickey,

sophomore outfielder Erin
McGinley, senior outfielder Shannon McGinley and
sophomore infielder Daniella Chavez and three
players with more than 20
RBIs in Chaley, Chavez and
sophomore catcher Harli
Ridling.
Even with Formbys recent dominance, the threetime Big 12 Pitcher of the
Week will still need to be
wary of Techs offense,
which has four players batting over .300.
Junior outfielder Kierra
Miles is key to Texas Techs
offense. The Oklahoma native is batting .361 and has
41 RBIs with a Big 12-leading 13 home runs.
Given both teams recent
success, this series could be
closer than the stats reveal.
This would be an important
series win for Kansas, with
a sweep propelling Kansas
toward the top of the Big 12
standings.
The Jayhawks offense
has been boom or bust
against less talented pitching this season, but if it can
turn that around, the Jayhawks would have a pretty
solid start to the Big 12 season.
The first game of the series is at 5 p.m. Friday, April
15, at Rock Chalk Park.
Edited by Madi
Schulz

versity up until 10 days after the NBA Draft Combine.

Later on Tuesday, Self
told The Kansas City Star
that Mykhailiuks decision
was one that showed a lot
of maturity and made sense
with two other Kansas
wings leaving early.
Mykhailiuks announcement comes one day after
the top-ranked recruit in
next years class, Josh Jackson, committed to Kansas.
Even though Mykhailiuk
will be a junior next year,
hes actually four months
younger than Jackson, although he wont be the
youngest player on the
team for the first time in his
career next season.
Udoka Azubuike, a Kansas recruit who is ranked
22nd in the 2016 ESPN 100,
will turn 17 just before next
years Late Night, according
to NBADraft.net.

BRO SAFARI
WICK-IT THE INSTIGATOR
5)634%":
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TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE

SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS

4"563%":
.":


DISCLOSURE
XFEOFT%":
KVOF


TRAMPLED BY TURTLES
46/%":
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ZIGGY MARLEY
56&T%":
KVOF


THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM

8&%/&4%":
KVOF


BRANDI CARLILE
4"563%":
KVOF


SAMANTHA FISH
Paige Stingley/KANSAN
Sophomore pitcher Andie Formby pitches the ball against the St. Louis Billikens during the Jayhawks 9-0
victory at Rock Chalk Park on Sunday afternoon.

8&%/&4%":
KV-:


311
MATISYAHU
56&4%":
KV-:


PHILLIP PHILLIPS
MATT NATHANSON
56&4%":
KV-:


SUBLIME
DIRTY HEADS
TRIBAL SEEDS
UIVST%":
KVMZ


DR. DOG
SHAKEY GRAVES
8&%/&4%":
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UMPHREYS McGEE
THE MAIN SQUEEZE
UIVST%":
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SLIGHTLY STOOPID

SOJA

U6&4%":
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8&%/&4%":
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WALK THE MOON

MISTERWIVES

SPORTS

10

KANSAN.COM

daily debate

Who will represent the

East in the NBA Finals?
JARED ANDERSON
@JAnderson_38

The field.
In the NBAs recent
years, the Western Conference has overshadowed
the East with its high winning percentage and star
players. Teams such as the
Oklahoma City Thunder,
San Antonio Spurs and, of
course, the Golden State
Warriors have helped establish the Wests dominance.
However, the Eastern
Conference is home to the
Cleveland Cavaliers who
have become a powerhouse in the league.
The Cavaliers reign began when four-time NBA
MVP LeBron James famously announced his return to Cleveland in 2014,
joining an All-Star in Kyrie
Irving and bringing on another in Kevin Love.
Clevelands talent and
postseason success the
past two years has raised
the question: Are there
any other realistic contenders to win the Eastern
Conference?
Absolutely.
In the current Eastern
Conference standings, behind the Cavaliers sit the
Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks and the Boston
Celtics, all of whom have
performed at a high level
this season.
Toronto returns to the

postseason this year led

by All-Stars Kyle Lowry
and DeMar DeRozan, who
are both averaging over 20
points per game. The Raptors prolific scorers, along
with Jonas Valanciunas
presence down low, could
give the Cavaliers some
solid competition.
Although there is hope,
the Washington Wizards
sweep of the Toronto Raptors in the first round of
the 2015 NBA Playoffs
leaves plenty of doubt for
this years nearly-identical
team, who has not made
it past the opening round
since 2001.
The Atlanta Hawks, on
the other hand, are a team
that have seemed to slip
under the radar this season but find themselves
fighting for the East yet
again. The Hawks have a
surplus of All-Star caliber
players in Al Horford, Paul
Millsap and Jeff Teague.
Along with them is one
of the NBAs top threepoint shooters in Kyle Korver, who will play a huge
role in the Hawks postseason success.
But thats not all.
In what might come
as a surprise to many, the
team that has one of the
best chances to come out
of the East this season is
the Boston Celtics.
This season the Celtics
have helped re-establish
their citys winning tradition after the split of

their big three in 2012.

Point guard Isaiah Thomas, who picked up his first
All-Star selection in 2016,
is currently averaging 22.2
points and 6.2 assists per
game on the season.
Thomas is accompanied by forward Jae
Crowder, who has been
a key component to the
teams backcourt, along
with Avery Bradley.
It is easy to see the Celtics as a serious contender
for the East when looking
at their success against the
best team in the NBA. In
the last two seasons, the
Celtics are the only team
that the Golden State Warriors have not beaten by
more than five points.
The Celtics have gone
1-2 against the Warriors
this season, losing to them
119-124 in two overtimes
December 11 and beating them 109-106 away
at Oakland April 1. This
is something to seriously
take into consideration
as the Cavaliers are 0-2
against the Warriors this
year.
Although the Cavaliers
may be at the top of the
East for now, expect some
serious competition this
postseason.
Edited by Sarah Kruger

AP PHOTO
Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James (23) drives past Atlanta Hawks Kent Bazemore (24) in the second half of an
NBA basketball game Monday, April 11, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 109-94.

ADAM SCHERZER
@AJscherz

"The Cavaliers."
The NBA season is coming to an end and with that
comes plenty of storylines.
This particular season has
the Lakers legend Kobe Bryant retiring and the Golden
State Warriors clinching the
best regular season record.
While these are enjoyable to
follow, the playoffs are what
really matters.
The Western Conference
receives more attention than
the Eastern Conference due
to the race for first by the
Warriors, Spurs and Thunder. However, the Eastern
Conference race is tighter;
the Toronto Raptors are
only two and a half games
back from first place, while
the San Antonio Spurs are
six and a half games back
of the first place team in the
West.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
are the clear favorites as
they reign Eastern Conference Champions and sit
atop the standings.

Their dominance over

their conference throughout
the season is why they will
represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals
for the second straight year.
The Cavs have LeBron
James. This is not breaking news, but it is why the
Cavaliers are where they are
today. No other team in the
East has a player of his caliber to match up against him.
The 6-foot-8, 250 pound,
four-time MVP and 12-time
All-Star is unlike any other
in the East.
He has been to five consecutive NBA Finals coming
out of the Eastern Conference.
Five consecutive NBA Finals.
Five.
James has been on two
different teams during that
span, so it is safe to say that
he is the common denominator of the teams to come
out of the East. He is 17-3 in
his last 20 playoff series.
James also leads his
team in PPG, APG, SPG and
FG percent. A leader like
that is going to be tough to

stop when it is all on the line

in the playoffs.
Last season the Cavaliers
faced a bit of injury trouble
late in the season and into
the playoffs. Forward Kevin
Love exited the first round
series against the Boston
Celtics with a dislocated
shoulder that kept him out
of the rest of the playoffs.
Point guard Kyrie Irving
dealt with knee tendinitis
late in the playoff run.
These injuries forced the
Cavs into tough situations,
and they were not at full
strength. On the bright side,
they only lost two of their 14
games on the way to the Finals last season. They swept
two opponents, including
the Eastern Conference Finals against the No. 1-seeded Atlanta Hawks.
If the Cavaliers have LeBron James and continue to
stay healthy throughout the
playoffs, they are almost a
lock to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals
yet again.
Edited by Sarah Kruger

sports

KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Bragg and Ellis highlight Kansas basketball banquet

SCOTT CHASEN
@SChasenKU

s donors, season
ticket holders and
those associated with
Kansas mens basketball
filled Abe & Jakes Landing,
the mood was positive. The
Mens Basketball Awards
Banquet, held Wednesday
night, was a steep contrast
from two-and-a-half weeks
earlier when the team fell in
the Elite Eight to the eventual national champion, Villanova.
The staff did their best to
keep the mood that way. As
the video recapping the season played, a grand total of
two seconds was dedicated
to that game. From then on,
it was right back to the happier times.
As the video wound down
and Kansas coach Bill Self
took the stage, that mood
continued. Right away, Self
came out firing jokes left and
right.
He poked fun at Sheahon
Zenger, Kansas athletics
director, for announcing
his own birthday during
his speech earlier in the
day, rather than waiting for
someone else to wish him a
happy birthday.
After
talking
about
Bob Davis retirement, he
brought up Kobe Bryants
retirement tour, followed
by more laughter and applause.
He even joked about the
starting backcourt of last

years team earning All-Big

12 Defensive honors, considering what Oklahoma guard
Buddy Hield was able to do
against each of them.
They got put on a team
because one was able to hold
[Hield] to 46 and one was
able to hold him to 24, Self
joked.
However, the one thing
Self didnt do was paint a
false picture. After speaking
for several minutes, he talked about the Final Four. He
talked about the disappointment for the team, although
he did say the players werent
as upset as they had been at
the time.
We didnt get it done.
These guys hurt for a while,
Self said. I talked to some of
them, and they didnt watch
the game.
But in the end, the address from the coach was one
of positivity. As his speech
wound down, he talked
about how good the team
could be in the next season,
even with all the losses from
last years squad.
Frank [Mason III] will
be better than Frank this
year. Devonte [Graham] will
be better than Devonte this
year. Landen [Lucas] will
be better than Landen this
year, Self said. Were going
to be really good next year.
Managers win a
national championship
Throughout the year,
those that follow @KPISports on Twitter know that
the managers for the Kansas

mens basketball team are

some of the best in the country when it comes to actually
playing themselves.
For those that werent as
familiar, Self informed the
crowd that based on some
unknown poll, they had actually been named national
champions. Two tables back
of the stage, the managers
looked on with smiles as Self
recognized them all by name.
However, Self did place
one asterisk on the managers
winning the honor.
Of course they also had
Wayne Simien playing for
them, Self joked.
Danny Manning Mr.
Jayhawk Award
For the second year in a
row, senior forward Perry Ellis was tabbed for the Danny
Manning Award, following
a season in which he led the
team in scoring for the second year in a row.
Its all about my teammates helping me and putting me in situations, Ellis
said. It has meant so much
to me that Kansas is on my
chest.
Self was complimentary
of the seniors choice in returning to the University to
finish out his senior season
instead of getting a jump on
his professional basketball
career. During the banquet,
he said there wasnt a smarter player or more unselfish
player out there, which he
reaffirmed afterward.
Hes very deserving,
Self said. Im really happy

Scott Chasen/KANSAN
Kansas coach Bill Self talks about the players at the 2015-16 Kansas mens basketball Awards Banquet.

for P.
Ellis will be headed to
Houston this week to train
for the NBA Draft. He said
hell be working on increasing his range, improving his
ball handling and continuing
to be himself.
Carlton Bragg Jr.s
announcement
Last year, Ellis delighted the crowd at the banquet
with the announcement that
hed return for his senior
season. This year, it was a
similar situation, even if
there wasnt necessarily as

much drama for those up on

stage.
Ive actually known that
for two weeks, Self said. I
told him the banquet would
be the perfect opportunity
[to announce].
During his speech, Self
mentioned he was unsure
about the players that would
be returning to the team.
At that point, Bragg called
out to the stage, announcing his return to those that
could hear, which essentially
amounted to those within a
15-foot radius of the stage.
I threw him a softball. All

he had to do was come up and

take the mic and say, Coach,
relax. Im coming back, Self
joked after the banquet. Instead he announced it from
his chair.
Self would go on to call
Bragg up to the podium to
make his announcement.
Bragg announced his return
in similar fashion to recruits
announcing their college
choice, saying hed play next
year at the University of Kansas.
Edited by Brendan
Dzwierzynski

Jackson: Josh Jackson gives

Kansas Big 12s best backcourt
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3

File photo/KANSAN
Junior Janae Hall celebrates after a hit against Texas.

Janae Hall to
forgo senior
season
DYLAN SHERWOOD
@dsherwoodku

After Kansas run to

the 2015 Final Four, the
first such run in program
history, one player has decided to call it quits.
Junior middle blocker
Janae Hall announced in
a KU Athletics release on
Tuesday that she would
forgo her senior season
and retire.
Hall will remain at
Kansas, but she will focus
on her academics, according to Kansas coach Ray
Bechard in the release.
The junior was a 2015
Academic All-Big 12 First
Team selection and was
the winner of the Elite 90
Award in December. The
award was given to Hall as

she was the player in the

Final Four with the highest overall GPA.
Her GPA to date is
3.95.
I am so thankful to
have been a part of such
an incredible volleyball
team and cant thank my
teammates and coaches
enough for everything
they have given and
taught me, Hall said in
the release.
In her three seasons at
Kansas, Hall averaged 1.7
kills per set, while hitting
.328 in 56 career matches.
Janae has had a really
solid career for us while
battling different lingering injuries, Bechard said
in the release.

Just a few weeks ago,

Kansas suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the Elite
Eight to the eventual national champion, Villanova.
Since that five-point loss
on March 26, the Jayhawk
faithful have desperately
needed a win this offseason.
At last, on Monday, April
11, the fans got their offseason victory when wing
Josh Jackson announced
via Twitter he would play
college basketball at Kansas
next season.
The 6-foot-7 wing is
viewed by some recruiting
metrics as the top-overall
player in the 2016 recruiting
class, which makes him the
third top prospect Kansas
coach Bill Self has inked.
With the commitment,
the Jayhawk faithful can
at last celebrate and begin
counting down the days until Late Night in the Phog
and the start of the 2016-17
season.
And fans have every reason to be counting down the
days to a fresh, new start.
Because quite honestly, next
years team has a chance to
be even better. This seemed
like a mere pipe dream after
the loss of Perry Ellis and
Wayne Selden Jr., the top
two players on the team in
terms of usage rate.
But Jackson is that good.
Jerry Meyer of 247Sports
called him the best shooting guard hes ever scouted,
comparing him to Andrew
Wiggins, a former one-year
sensation at Kansas. Jason
King of Bleacher Report
tweeted Jackson will have a
larger impact at Kansas than
Wiggins did, who set the
freshman scoring record.
All across the board, different scouts and basketball
experts praise Jacksons
ability on the court. They
consider him one of the best
athletes in the class and say
he has the ability to go above
the rim. He will be extremely gifted in transition. He
gets a lot of praise as a passer, and hes often credited
with his ability to play at an
elite level at both ends of the
floor.
The list goes on and on,
but the fact of the matter is

AP PHOTO
West forward Josh Jackson, right, from Justin-Siena high school/Prolific Prep Academy in Napa, Calif., blocks
East forward Jayson Tatum from Chaminade College Preparatory school in St. Louis during the McDonalds AllAmerican boys basketball game, Wednesday, March 30, 2016, in Chicago.

Jackson shows promise to

be an immediate factor on
this team. With him likely
in the starting lineup, Kansas has a chance to boast the
best backcourt in not only
the Big 12 but perhaps the
nation.
Guard Frank Mason III
will return for his senior
season. Hes continued to
improve every season under Self and does everything
well. His ability to score,
pass, rebound and play defense makes him the most
important player on the
team.
Guard Devonte Graham
broke out last season as a
sophomore. He was second

on the team in three-pointers and took on the role

as a scorer when the team
needed it the most. Graham
scored 20 or more just three
times last season but did so
in the two games against
Oklahoma and the Big 12
Championship against West
Virginia.
Add in one of the most
prolific freshman wings in
this years class, and Kansas has the perfect blend of
proven veterans and a young
phenomenon to be considered lethal in the backcourt.
To top it off, these three
play with such swagger on
the court that it will be fun
to watch.

Graham and Mason are

both known to do a bit of
jawing on the court with
opponents, but Jackson
may have them both beat in
terms of trash talk. After all,
he did trash talk with former
NBA star Gary Payton in a
game a couple months ago.
This type of intensity will
make Kansas backcourt
even more fun to watch this
year. Jackson will certainly
go through some growing
pains but when he adapts to
the collegiate level which
he will the Jayhawks
backcourt has a chance to be
better than anyone on any
given night.