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VOL. 121, ISSUE 78

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INSIDE

Snow days: How the call is made

this issue

PAGE 3: Track, field stars on display this weekend

the collegian

It was 4:15 a.m. on Thursday and Cindy Bontrager, vice president for Administration and Finance, was awake. The time had come to figure out if K-State would cancel classes in the midst of a winter storm. Bontrager was in contact with Ronnie Grice, chief of K-State Police and assistant vice president for the Division of Public Safety; Jeff Morris, vice president for the Division of Communications and Marketing; and Darwin Abbott, director of Parking Services. The crews for the Division of Facilities started clearing roads at 10 p.m. Wednesday. The grounds crew came in at 4 a.m. to clear sidewalks, loading docks, doorways, staircases and ramps. Parking Services contracted workers to clear parking lots during the night. The police dispatchers provided up-to-date road conditions through the officers on patrol on campus, and weather information from the National Weather Service and conditions at the Salina and Olathe campuses was considered, Bontrager said. With all the information on hand, at about 5 a.m., Bontrager recommended that President Kirk Schulz and April Mason, senior vice president and provost, keep the Manhattan campus

PAGE 4: College students need to find balance in life

Campus smoking policies subject to change

open. Schulz made the decision, and the Division of Communications and Marketing began to disperse the decision to students,

Pat Bosco Vice President of Student Life

the collegian

see page

George Walker | THE COLLEGIAN

Students walk through the snow and ice-covered sidewalks outside Shellenberger Hall Thursday.

“Always err on the side of safety ... I would say the same thing to my students as I would say to my family members.”

DANIELLE COOK

Last semester, a proposal that K-State’s campus became tobacco-free was made at the Student Governing Association’s Dec. 1 meeting. SGA held off on creating a new policy though, because members said they felt they needed time to further consult the student body in order to accommodate all students, Alex Bangert, sophomore in open option and SGA’s student affairs director, said. “If students don’t think that it’s an issue, then it’s not something we’ll pursue because we’re here to spend our time on things that the students care about,” Bangert said. To gain input from students, SGA will set up a table in the K-State Student Union next week, Bangert said. The group will also hold an open forum there on Feb. 2 from 6-8 p.m. Bangert said if any changes regarding K-State’s smoking and tobacco use polices were to occur, they would not take place in the very near future. Julie Gibbs, director of health promotion at Lafene Student Health Center, however, said the possibility that on-campus smoking and tobacco use policies could see a change means something different to each individual and group at K-State. “It is challenging to pass policies like this, like the nonsmoking policies, because you don’t want to be judgmental toward anyone,” Gibbs said.

ment call as to the overall safety of thousands of people ... it’s not an easy decision to make, sometimes very early in the morning,” Bosco said. “Whatever you do, you’re making someone unhappy, it seems like.” The snow appeared to impact the eating options for students as only two food trucks shared Bosco Plaza outside the Student Union, Vista and the Tasty Traveler. “It was a little treacherous,” Katie VanVleet, owner of the Tasty Traveler, said. “We took it really, really slow. It was about a half-hour drive in from the east side of Manhattan.” She said the Tasty Traveler was on campus because the contract she signed requires the truck to be there every day. “They said even if it’s a snow day, as long as campus is open, you’re expected to be here,” VanVleet said. Even with the snow, VanVleet said business was going well. She said the Tasty Traveler had a big day Wednesday and close to the same number of visitors Thursday. “So far it’s been fine,” VanVleet said. “Students are still coming even though it’s snowing on us right now ... we expected this to be a lower day, especially with the weather, but I think since there’s only two trucks it was a really good day for us.” Bontrager said she has heard the rumor that if the president can make it from his house to his office, then classes will be in session. “When I was a student here at K-State, we said the very same thing,” Bontrager said. “It was President (Duane) Acker at the time. ‘If he can make it up from his house to Anderson, we’re having class.’” She said there probably is not any truth to it.

JASON TIDD

staff and visitors. The decision whether or not to cancel classes involves many people with various information from across K-State. “We really don’t like to close campus very often, unless it is a real threat to safety, because students pay for a service we’re providing,” Bontrager said. “We do balance the safety aspect versus the service that we’re providing.” Pat Bosco, vice president of student life, said he understands the decision-making process from past experience, even though he is no longer involved. “It really gets down to a judg-

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6, “SNOW”

Country star Tracy Byrd to rock Manhattan tonight

3, “SMOKING”

JULIA HOOD the collegian

Photo Courtesy of Maverick Elite Entertainment

Tracy Byrd, country music artist and 2015 Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, will be performing at The Hat in Aggieville on tonight.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY On this day in 1998, in a Sacramento, California, courtroom, Theodore J. Kaczynski pleads guilty to all federal charges against him, acknowledging his responsibility for a 17-year campaign of package bombings attributed to the “Unabomber.” history.com

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As the first week of school comes to a close, students can unwind tonight at the Tracy Byrd concert at the Hat in Aggieville. The 2015 Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee is known for the songs “Watermelon Crawl,” “I’m from the Country” and “10 Rounds with Jose Cuervo.” Tonight’s show is not Byrd’s first performance in Manhattan. Originally from Beaumont, Texas, Byrd has performed in Manhattan a few times, including during the 1999 Country Stampede festival. Byrd said he expects a wide range of people at his show. “You know, our crowds are so diverse,” Byrd said. “I have an 81-year-old couple from Missouri that will be at the concert Friday, and it’ll be the 368th time that they have seen me over the last 20 years.” But Byrd said his fans do not end at the older generation of country music lovers, he has fans from the younger generations too.

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CORRECTIONS Due to a Collegian error, Cheryl Riley’s name was incorrectly reported as Cindy Riley in Thursday’s edition. If you see something that should be corrected or clarified, call editor-in-chief, Jon Parton, at 785-370-6356 or email news@kstatecollegian.com.

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while suspended. Bond was set at $1,500.

THURSDAY, JAN. 21 Quinn T. Triplett, of the 500 block of South Juliette Avenue, was booked for probation violation. Bond was set at $1,500.

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Olympic hopefuls to compete locally LIZ HEATH the collegian

fter a second-place finish at the KU-KSUWSU Showdown in Lawrence, the K-State track and field team returns to Ahearn Fieldhouse for the DeLoss Dodds Invitational. The meet will feature 11 potential Olympic athletes participating for K-State as the Wildcats look to build off their success in the triangular. “With all of these different schools coming in, they are bringing some really, really fine athletes,” head coach Cliff Rovelto said. “This is going to be one of the larger meets in terms of numbers that we have hosted in a number of years, and the quality of athlete in virtually every event is really, really high.” Reigning NCAA champion and senior Akela Jones will aim for an NCAA record in the pentathlon. Last season, Jones earned the NCAA title in the heptathlon. It was just the second time Jones had competed in the event, and she now holds the school record with 6,371 points. Jones found success in her last competition and was named high-point scorer in the triangular with 21 points. Jones set a new meet record in long jump with a jump of 21-4, besting the second-place

File Photo by Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Then-junior mid-distance runner Sonia Gaskin (5) races ahead of then-junior sprinter Tia’ Gamble (3) in the women’s 800 meter run at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational Track and Field Meet Jan. 24, 2015, inside Ahearn Fieldhouse. finisher by over two feet. Jones also secured first place in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of

8.25 seconds and second place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.3 seconds. Jones fin-

ished out her high-point score in shot put with a fifth place finish and a throw of 44-5 1/2. Sophomore A’Keyla Mitchell, another Olympic hopeful, also set records in her last performance. Mitchell took first in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash with times of 7.37 seconds and 23.95 seconds, respectively. Senior Sonia Gaskin will also look to build on successful performances. Not only did Gaskin help the 4x400 relay team to victory with a time of 3 minutes, 45.96 seconds, she also earned a top finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.85. In high jump, junior Kimberly Williamson and sophomore Christoff Bryan led the way for the Wildcats in their last meet, and they hope to find similar success this weekend. Williamson’s last performance earned her a first-place finish with a jump of 6-1 1/2. Bryan also topped the competition on the men’s side with a jump of 7-2 1/2. Competition for these Olympic hopefuls kicks off at 10 a.m. Friday in Ahearn Fieldhouse with the women’s pentathlon followed by the men’s heptathlon at 11 a.m. Olympic silver medalist and former Wildcat track legend Erik Kynard will compete in Saturday’s field-event action in the high jump at 11 a.m. Track events will follow at 3:30 p.m.

SMOKING | Student government looking for input continued from page

Miranda Snyder | THE COLLEGIAN Anthony Dennison, freshman in anthropology, smokes a cigarette outside the K-State Student Union on Dec. 4, 2015.

“It’s tough because we don’t want to take anyone’s rights away from them, but at the same time, we want to protect the rights of other people who don’t smoke.” According to an online listing of K-State’s policies, the university’s current code regarding smoking on campus became effective Jan. 5, 2009, and is in accordance with City of Manhattan Ordinance No. 6737, which covers smoking prohibitions and regulations that apply citywide, including on campus. K-State’s policy states that smoking is prohibited in and within 30 feet of university buildings and vehicles. A building authority is liable for “compliance” with the policy and, “unlawful smoking is a misdemeanor and is punishable under state or local law.” Gibbs said that, in the interest of public health promotion, she believes even further prohibition of smoking on campus could be a step in the right direction. “I think it would be a good idea, from a public health perspective, given the dangers of secondhand smoke, and it can kind of be a nuisance to people

BYRD | Country star comes to ‘Ville continued from page

“Now I have young people that 20 years ago may have been forced to listen to my music back then and are now genuine fans,” Byrd said. One such fan is BreAnn Jaeger, junior in family studies and human services. Jaeger said she is plans to attend tonight’s concert. “I’ve never been to one of his concerts, but I’m really excited,” Jaeger said. “My parents lis-

tened to Tracy Byrd, and I grew up listening to him. ‘Keeper Of The Stars,’ is my favorite song of his.” Ryan Platt, owner of The Hat, said the show has sold well. “We are expecting a huge crowd,” Platt said. “Our place fits 500 people, and we have sold a lot of tickets already.” Byrd said he and his band will perform a two-hour show that includes covers of Eagles’ songs in honor of Glenn Frey,

former bandleader of the Eagles. “I have a really, really great band,” Byrd said. “We are going to play all the hits and will be throwing in some album cuts that I never did on the album.” The doors will open at 7 p.m. and the show will start at 8:30 p.m. The Tanner Dirk’s band will be the opening show of the night. They are a house band with current and former K-State students that performs about four times a month at The Hat.

who don’t smoke,” Gibbs said. “I really think that it’d be beneficial, and I would hope that it would help drive smokers who want to quit to actually quit.” Chris Craig, freshman in psychology, said she does not believe a smoking and tobacco ban on campus would be a wise decision. “People smoke outside and out of the way, mostly, so I don’t think it would be a good idea,” Craig said. “I think it would just piss people off, and some people might consider going to school somewhere else.” Bailey Waters, freshman in civil engineering, said that although she does not believe smoking or tobacco use is a healthy habit, she feels a policy completely prohibiting it on campus would not comply well with K-State’s values. “People on campus, if they smoke, they would feel less included, so our inclusiveness as a campus would go down,” Waters said. “That would not be like the K-State family. Although we might stand for the stance that smoking is bad, we don’t want to exclude different students from our family.”

To be the best in the Big 12, you’ve got to beat the best

AVERY OSEN the collegian

In some conferences, if a team doesn’t play their best in any given game they can still win. On the men’s side of the Big 12 Conference, this doesn’t always apply. I am one of many who thinks the Big 12 is the best conference in the country for many reasons. The first reason is that the worst team record-wise can beat even the best team. On Tuesday night, Oklahoma State, who was tied for last in the Big 12, defeated Kansas, who was tied for first in the Big 12. This shows that if a team doesn’t bring it against any team in the lower part of the conference, they can still lose. I don’t know many other conferences in which something like that can happen. In the latest AP Top 25 poll, half of the Big 12 teams are ranked, three of them among the top 10. No other conference can say that, which shows how dominant Big 12 teams can be. Being this good comes with consequences, though. Six games into conference play, every team has a loss. Nine of the 10 teams have two or more.

At the end of the day, each team worsens another’s record, which will hurt the Big 12 in the national rankings; however, I think it will help them in the NCAA Tournament. Any Big 12 team will be a tough out in the tournament, and I think when the regular season is said and done there could be seven Big 12 teams in the big dance. The teams at the top of the pack are the best in the NCAA, and one of them has a great chance to win a national title. In the basement of the league, no team has a record below .500. K-State, who is second to last in the conference, suffered five of their seven losses to top-25 teams, including two of the current top-10 teams. The Big 12 Conference is looking better than it ever has before, which is scary because the talent in the past five years and beyond was very good. Whichever team wins this conference will be able to call itself the best team of the best conference in the country, which is something that even the most consistent team through 18 games cannot say. As sports fans, let’s just sit back and have fun watching students storm the court through the rest of this month and February, because you know the craziness of Big 12 conference play has only just begun. Avery Osen is a senior in mass communications. Please send comments to sports@ kstatecollegian.com.

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OPINION friday, january 22, 2016

College success depends on finding balance

KAITLYN COTTON the collegian

During your time in college, you will make an infinite number of choices that will impact you in one way or another. These choices will be a direct reflection of three components that you will eventually have to prioritize to succeed: sleep, schoolwork and a social life. In high school, these three components were easily managed, but once college begins, you are faced with temptations, time conflicts and possibly three exams in one day. Prioritizing sleep, schoolwork and a social life can be extremely difficult, and I fully believe that how well you handle these three components depends on the type of person you are. “Some of us are better than others when it comes to resisting temptations or saying no to peer pressure,” while others, “worry more about grades and class performance,” according to Sally Rubenstone’s collegeconfidential. com article “Balancing College School Work and Social Life.” While it is true that there are two different types of students, I think it is those who are able to maintain their workload and interact with their peers that experience more success and leave college happier than those who subject themselves to one of the two throughout college. This can be difficult, however, when you go to a school where the main priority is set for you before you get there. According to Rubenstone’s article, a handful of colleges “have such an intense academic atmosphere” that peer pressure can be related to studying, not going to the bars.

This, I believe, is the first step in helping yourself prioritize schoolwork, a social life and sleep. If your school does not promote your main priorities as its own, it will be impossible for you to accomplish all that you need to. “If you want to function well at school and work, you need to have a good night’s sleep!” according to a collegefashion. net article titled, “5 Easy Ways to Balance School and Life in College.” Oftentimes I find myself sacrificing my sleep in order to maintain a social life and get my schoolwork done, and just as often as I have done this, I have felt the effects of sleep deprivation. “While a social life is definitely important, and college is a time to have fun, if that’s the purpose of being here, then you’re in trouble when the real world hits,” Jordan Reinhardt, junior in communication studies, said in the 2015 Collegian article “OPINION: Sleeping all day and partying all night not a healthy lifestyle.” What Reinhardt said holds a lot of truth. Although it is a part of college to make memories and meet new people, letting yourself become sleep deprived and neglecting your schoolwork will do nothing but hurt you in the future. This brings me to the second step of prioritizing, which is to dedicate your time to the components of your life that you will reap the most benefits from in the future. I am the type of person who needs structure. Without it I fall apart and accomplish nothing. I learned during my freshman year that the key for me in finding success was deciding what I wanted to make a priority and what I was willing to sacrifice. Your life is a series of choices that influence your future in more ways than you can imagine. Once you start college, the choice of what you will make a priority and what you will eventually leave behind is yours. While I do believe it is possible

Illustration by Savannah Thaemert to accomplish your schoolwork, maintain a social life and still be able get some sleep at the end of the day, it would be very hard to give equal time and energy to all of them. An equal balance is impossible, but if you know what

your priorities are then you can get pretty close to a balanced college experience. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the offi-

cial policy or position of The Collegian.

Kaitlyn Cotton is a sophomore in journalism and English. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian. com.

Students discuss money vs. enjoyment when making career decision ELLIE HERTER the collegian

Many college students ignore their financial responsibilities and dive into a jobless future in order to do something they love. While that may seem harsh, the amount of debt a student can acquire may lead some to believe finding a higher paying job is more crucial than finding a job that makes them happy. For students at K-State, this decision is a daunting one. Looking at it from the standpoint of job security, the majors with the lowest unemployment rate are the ones involving engineering, health, finance, technology and education, according to the Georgetown Univer-

sity Center on Education and the Workforce, which used statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. On the other hand, those associated with fine arts, liberal arts and social sciences tend to be the majors with the highest unemployment rate. So what does this mean? Although the previous majors may result in job stability, they cannot ensure financial stability. For example, getting a degree in education is a career path that can typically guarantee you a job at graduation; however, the chances of you making enough money to live in Beverley Hills are slim to none. Although the research shows elementary education has high job security, it also lists it as one of the lowest paying majors along with family studies, hospitality

and arts. Additional statistics show that majors leading to the largest stack of cash in your pocket include those in engineering, mathematics and technology. This was a concern for Whitney Wilkey, sophomore in public relations, which inevitably led her to change her major from elementary education to public relations. Wilkey said she knew changing her major would give her more opportunities to work her way up the corporate latter in public relations, ensuring an increase in pay over time. With education, though, she said she didn’t see that same future. Even though Wilkey chose to change her major because the money was better, public relations is still something she said she has a genuine interest in.

Street Talk compiled by Jessica Robbins

MIKALA BRADBURY freshman,

agribusiness “I would rather have time. If you have more time you can accomplish more.”

AANYA STENSRUD freshman, business

“Time. I feel like we need more time than we get.”

“I love kids and I know I would have really enjoyed it, but I also think I will enjoy public relations,” Wilkey said. While Wilkey said she could see herself enjoying a career in both education and public relations, Carson Lilley, sophomore in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, had a different reason for switching majors. Lilley said he felt he was wasting his time and future by dedicating himself to chemical engineering, a field he wasn’t enthusiastic about. His reasoning behind switching to industrial and manufacturing systems engineering was that he would get to work with people and fix complex problems, both of which he said he loves doing. “I think that finding something you enjoy doing and have a passion for is

worth more than any amount of money,” Lilley said. This sparks the question: Is choosing money now worth the possibility of an unfulfilling future? Lilley isn’t alone with this idea. Laura Tietjen, instructor in the College of Education, said most of the people she knows in money-driven career paths often dread going to work and feel trapped in their decisions because they have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle. As an educator at the college level, she said she has seen this time and time again. “For me personally, I have never seen an unhappy person doing the job they love,” Tietjen said. “They may at times be frustrated with financial worries or the expectation of others, but if you truly love what you do,

you know you have a purpose to fulfill.” There is no right decision when you are searching for success. Depending on who you are, success can be measured by both money and happiness. Whether that means working your butt off in engineering to have the money to travel the world, or putting in extra hours as a teacher because you love your students, the choice is yours. You just have to make it. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Collegian.

Ellie Herter is a sophomore in secondary education. Please send comments to opinon@ kstatecollegian.com.

IF YOU HAD TO PICK BETWEEN TIME, SOCIAL LIFE OR SLEEP, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

TYLER SCHMIDT junior,

organizational communications “Time. My time management is terrible, and I am always running out of time.”

DAVID PICKETT

EMILY HOLLIDAY

freshman, secondary education

junior, communication studies

“Sleep. I lose track of time and don’t get enough sleep.”

“I would choose time. I think time is valuable and I always run out of it.”

THECURRENT friday, january 22, 2016

Tuition frustrations from those who know them best KELSEY KENDALL the collegian

he Cashier’s Office and the Office of Student Financial Assistance work with students and their parents when coming up with solutions to pay for college. While K-State works to make the fees students have to pay as transparent as possible, Jim Badders, assistant director of Cashiers and Student Accounts, said tensions are heightened when tuition is due. “I think everybody is frustrated when they have to pay,” Badders said. Badders said he works with students and their families in dealing with the stress that comes with paying for college. Whether a family needs more time to pay their bill or needs to come up with other payment options, Badders said he and the other employees in the Cashier’s Office work to help everyone. Stress, however, can cause some people to be less friendly when calling for solutions. “We’re not trying to make things difficult,” Badders said. “Parents in particular can be rude.” Badders said the Cashier’s Office is staffed by full-time employees and students who are very caring, and he wants people to

Parker Robb | THE COLLEGIAN

Jim Badders, assistant director of Cashiers and Student Accounts at K-State, assists K-State students and their families when paying college tuition becomes stressful. keep that in mind when they call his office upset. Badders said parents have contacted him about their student’s tuition bill and asked for accommodations. He said he once received an email from a woman after K-State first switched to electronic billing. The woman asked to

have her bill sent in the mail because she did not have Internet in her hometown. “I asked her, ‘Well, how did you send this email?’ and I never heard back from her,” Badders said. Badders said situations like this are common, but he under-

stands college is expensive. He said he wants students and their families to know the Cashier’s Office and other financial aid services on campus are available to help with the payment process. “We know applying for financial aid can be complex,” Tanya McGee, associate director of Stu-

dent Financial Assistance, said. “We can make it easier on their end. We try to alleviate that stress.” While Badders’ office helps students with payments, the Office of Student Financial Assistance helps in the processing of getting money for school, including scholarships and federal aid. It is this office’s job to collect paperwork, process it and distribute financial aid for students. “Nothing is a crisis,” said Larry Moeder, director of Student Financial Assistance and vice president for Student Life. “Everything can be resolved.” According to Moeder, the Office of Student Financial Assistance receives panicked phone calls around the time tuition is due. He said a lot of the time, the problems people might have with their financial aid are due to insufficient planning, but every situation is different. In his 39 years working in the financial aid office, Moeder said he has heard practically every problem a student might have regarding their financial aid or funds for college. Situations such as a parent losing their job or even the death of a family member can make paying for college difficult. “Whatever you can imagine, I’ve probably heard it as a difficult situation for a student to handle (when paying for college),” Moeder said.

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SPORTS

friday, january 22, 2016

Wildcat team looks for 4 in a row RILEY GATES the collegian

omen’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie’s Wildcats are doing just what they need to be doing at this time in the season: taking every game one at a time. To quote late Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis, “Just win baby, win.” The Wildcats, who at one point were sitting at 0-4 File Photo by Rodney Dimick | THE COLLEGIAN Junior Breanna Lewis reaches for the ball at tipoff of the game against UT Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 7, 2015 inside Bramlage Coliseum. Lewis brought in the most points with a total of 15.

in the Big 12 Conference, turned the tide in their 2015-16 campaign. They squeaked one out against Oklahoma State, were the victors of a defensive battle against TCU and did anything but “beware of the Phog” in a convincing win against in-state rival KU. They’ve won three games in a row, and on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas, they will look to extend the streak to four games. It’s fair to say that K-State and Texas Tech were both on a sinking ship to start their Big 12 seasons. Both teams started out winless — the Lady Raiders got to 0-5. The only difference between the two teams? K-State got off that sinking ship. Texas Tech? Not quite. After starting 0-5, Texas

Tech earned its first win on Jan. 17 against Iowa State. The good vibes did not continue for the Raiders, however, as they were blown out in their next game against Oklahoma. Now Texas Tech, 10-8 overall and 1-6 in the conference, will try to get back on the winning track against the Wildcats. The Lady Raiders have three guards who average double figures in scoring. Junior Ivonne Cook-Taylor leads the charge with 14.6 points per game followed by freshman Japreece Dean with 12.3 and senior Rayven Brooks with 10.9. Junior center Leashja Grant also averages double digits in scoring with 10 points per game. For K-State, this could be quite the day for junior center Breanna Lewis. Coming off of a 23-point,

13-rebound outing against Kansas, Lewis will have a size advantage against the Raiders. Tech forward Brielle Blair will likely be the only hurdle in Lewis’ way of another stellar game. Blair, the Lady Raiders’ highest contributor in the post, stands 3 inches shorter than Lewis. Blair averages 5.6 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game compared to Lewis’ 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. If taken advantage of, Lewis could continue on her successful junior season. The ball is in the Wildcats’ court. Riding a threegame winning streak and facing a lower-tier Big 12 opponent gives them all the momentum they’ll need to earn that fourth straight win. All that’s left for K-State is executing.

Women’s tennis begins season in Missouri CHRIS ROBINSON the collegian

The women’s tennis team begins the spring season in Missouri tomorrow with a doubleheader against two Missouri Valley Conference teams, Missouri State and Evansville. This is the second year in a row that K-State has had a meet against Missouri State. Last year the event was in Manhattan, and the Wildcats won 5-2. The meet, however, wasn’t a dual meet like it is this year, so K-State did not play Evansville. When talking about the event this weekend, head coach Danielle Steinberg told K-State Sports she thinks this team has what it takes to handle the event. “A doubleheader is always tough, physically but also mentally,” Steinberg said. “Physically, we have been working hard all fall to prepare and be strong enough to play at a high level twice a day, and I hope that will be the case on Saturday. Mentally, the girls will have to learn to ‘get up’ in the morning and then do

it again in the afternoon with no letdowns. Every opponent we play this year is dangerous, and we need to be ready to battle every day out there.” K-State had a successful fall season driven by a young team devoid of seniors. Being young and having some success in the fall can be a huge momentum booster for a team. Saturday can be another opportunity for the Wildcats to improve and build as a team while they get ready for Big 12 play. Steinberg told K-State Sports she likes the way this group has prepared since they returned from winter break. “It’s been a great first week of practice,” Steinberg said. “The girls came back with the right mindset and ready to work. I think we are all excited and anxious to play our first matches and really see what this team can do.” Missouri State will host tomorrow’s event. It will take place at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri. K-State will take on Missouri State at 10 a.m. and Evansville at 3 p.m. The home-opener for the Wildcats will be on Feb. 5 against Colorado.

FIle Photo by Rodney Dimick | THE COLLEGIAN Head coach Danielle Steinberg concentrates on how her team is performing during the match against Missouri State on Feb. 11, 2015, inside Body First Tennis and Fitness Center.

SNOW | Bosco: Use “best judgment” on snow days continued from page

“I think it’s just one of those old wives’ tales or whatever, something students have been saying for many, many years,” Bontrager said. “All campuses are open Thursday, Jan. 21. Please use best judgment to ensure safety. Concerned employees check with supervisors,” the K-State Alerts email sent to students at 5:22 a.m. Thursday said. Bosco said the “best judgment” could be different from individual to individual. “We have lots of individual circumstances, and the university is saying that you’re responsible adults and we’re not sure we can make judgments for all 24,000 students and 5,000 employees,” Bosco said. “There’s going to be a sense of responsibility put on the individual as to whether he or she should travel ... what might be a reasonable decision for one of my students might be difficult for another.” Using “best judgment,” however, does not guarantee that a student will receive an excused absence for missing class. “We pride ourselves in leav-

ing that up to the individual faculty member,” Bosco said. “It’s up to the individual professor or instructor as to what they’re going to allow or not allow.” Bosco said his advice for students is to “always err on the side of safety.” “That should always be paramount when you’re thinking through what the possibilities may be,” Bosco said. “Particularly where we live, things change pretty rapidly. I would say the same thing to my students as I would say to my family members.” Employees of the K-State Police Department, Parking Services and the Department of Facilities worked through the night to ensure that campus was prepared for class. Maj. Don Stubbings, assistant director of support services for the K-State Police Department, said the campus police provide information to the snow day decision-makers. “The officers will give road conditions — if they’re passable, if they’re dangerous — and they’ll pass that information on with snow amounts, how the roads are cleared and things of that nature to make a safe decision and a col-

laborative decision,” Stubbings said. Jeff Barnes, assistant director of Parking Services, said the timing of the storm added to the difficulties of clearing the snow. Most of the work to clear the parking lots had to be done during the night when the lots were empty. “We were working on them overnight,” Barnes said. “But all we managed to do was take it from 4 or 5 inches down to 1 or 2 inches on the parking lot because we’d clear the lot and go work somewhere else, more snow would fall. By the time we got to 7 o’clock, cars started to fill the lots. We have to back off for safety’s sake.” Barnes said money is set aside every year for snow removal, and leftover funds are carried over to the next year. While the exact cost of each storm is not known until afterward, Barnes said the average cost for snow removal is probably around $30,000 per storm. It is difficult to keep the roof of the parking garage clear, Barnes said, because it is openair and because the chemicals that are used on the streets can’t be used on the garage because of

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corrosion. “Thirty-five (degrees) and rain is great,” Barnes said. “Anything under 32 and snow, that’s not good. Snow is better than ice.” Ed Heptig, director of Facilities Maintenance, said maintenance employees come in early and sometimes work overtime to clear streets, sidewalks, building entrances, stairs and ramps before doing their normal jobs. “The guys and gals that came in, they do it,” Heptig said. “They do it because that’s their job, but they do a good job. All of them came in, made it safer for the students, the staff and everybody to get here to work, and I think they did a great job getting out early and getting that done.”

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-State started off conference play with a three-game losing streak. Now, after Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to No. 13 Baylor in Waco, Texas, the Wildcats are one game away from losing three more in a row as they entertain Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Cowboys, fresh off a court storm and 19-point blowout win versus No. 3 Kansas, are riding high with hopes of slowly making their way into the Big 12 conversation for the first time this season after losing four conference games in a row. Oklahoma State is led by freshman guard Juwan Evans, who is averaging a team-high 12.9 points per game. He lit up the Jayhawks in their upset, recording 22 points after putting

up 42 points versus Oklahoma two games prior. K-State, on the other hand, has been starving for some positive momentum. In the Wildcats’ five conference losses, four have been against top-25 teams, two have been against current top-10 teams, four have been by 10 points or less and two have been in double overtime. Now, circumstances aside, head coach Bruce Weber is looking for outside inspiration to get his players, who have come so close multiple times this season, over the hump. “The Chiefs had some really tough losses at the beginning of the year,” Weber said. “(Kansas City head coach) Andy Reid helped them keep the ship afloat. If you found a way to get one, go win another and you keep moving forward. That’s all we can do right now.” After winning their first game, the Chiefs lost their next

five before they won 11 straight games and made the playoffs. Saturday’s game will be the first home game for the Wildcats since the semester officially started on Tuesday. With the students back in full force, Weber said he is hoping for a raucous home crowd to help jumpstart his team and avoid a third straight loss. “I hope we get a great crowd,” Weber said. “I hope the students are back and they show up because we need them. This is when you need people. Our guys are dying inside. We need that place energized to help us go to another level.” The Wildcats have not lost to the Cowboys in Bramlage Coliseum since the 2009-10 season. In fact, K-State has only lost to the Cowboys twice at home in the previous 10 seasons. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. Saturday inside Bramlage Coliseum.

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From the Sports Desk: Who has been the best team in the Big 12 so far?

With all of the madness going on in the Big 12 and college basketball in general, the Collegian staff posed the question, “Who has been the best men’s team in the Big 12 so far?” The Baylor Bears currently sit atop the conference standings with a 5-1 record in the Big 12, but does that mean sports editor Tim Everson and staff writers Liz Heath, Avery Osen and Riley Gates think they’re actually the best?

LIZ HEATH

AVERY OSEN

With a conference as unpredictable as the Big 12, the title of “best team in the league” can change in one night. Oklahoma State, sitting at the bottom of the conference, just knocked off Kansas on Tuesday. It’s anybody’s game on any given night, and I think we’re in for a lot of tight games this season. If I had to pick the hottest team in the conference at this moment, I would choose West Virginia. We all knew Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa State were going to be decent this season, but West Virginia is playing like they are determined to get redemption after being crushed by Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Mountaineers have been hot, and I don’t see their 68-70 loss to Oklahoma keeping them down for long. Bob Huggins’ team has learned to play against tough competition, especially on their home court. And while their offense isn’t always the most impressive in the league, the Mountaineers know how to rattle their opponents on the defensive end. They are the best team in the country at forcing turnovers, averaging 20 per game, and they have a scoring margin that ranks fourth in the country and first in the Big 12. On a night when the shots start falling and West Virginia takes full advantage of their possessions from turnovers, this team will be a force.

This isn’t an easy question, and there isn’t a simple answer. This isn’t a simple argument, but it’s one that we will discuss because this doesn’t happen every year. I don’t think very many people are, but if anyone argues that the Big 12 is not the best conference in the country, they haven’t watched any of the games this season. The teams are high-paced, full of skilled players and display the best defense in the NCAA. To much dismay of the Wildcat faithful, I think the Kansas Jayhawks are the team to beat this season, and I think they are the all-around best team in the conference, if not the country. I think anyone could make a case that Oklahoma, West Virginia or Kansas is the best team, but I think the Jayhawks have shown they have the guard play, inside players and a great defense that will help them win the conference. Head coach Bill Self is the best coach in the Big 12, and he will lead his players to where they need to be as we approach February and then postseason play. As a trio, sophomore Devonte’ Graham, junior Frank Mason III and junior Wayne Selden Jr. are the finest guards in men’s basketball. They will step up and be the difference for the defending Big 12 Champions. I think West Virginia will get tired later in the season and fall off a bit, which will leave the Sooners and Jayhawks to fight for first. Kansas will get the sweep over the Sooners after a win in Norman, Oklahoma, giving the Jayhawks their 12th straight conference title.

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TIMOTHY EVERSON the collegian

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Michie | The Oklahoma Daily Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield drives to the basket during the game against K-State at the Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 9, 2016. Hield scored a game-high 31 points during the Sooner’s 86-76 victory over the Wildcats. Iowa State stands as their only victory over a currently ranked team. Legitimacy, thy name is Oklahoma on Saturday.

4. IOWA STATE (14-4, 3-3)

TIMOTHY EVERSON the collegian

It’s been a crazy week in the most competitive conference in the country. Here’s a look at the first power rankings of the season as I try to make sense out of all of the madness.

1. OKLAHOMA (15-2, 4-2)

Apparently even Oklahoma star Buddy Hield is no match for Hilton Magic. The Sooners, even though they will most likely lose their No. 1 ranking in the poll, still hang on to the top spot in the power rankings after a close loss in Ames, Iowa, to the Iowa State Cyclones. A big bounce-back game is set for Saturday against Baylor in Waco, Texas.

2. WEST VIRGINIA (153, 4-2)

Less than a week ago, the Mountaineers were very close to being on top of the world after upsetting No. 1 Kansas paired with a matchup with No. 2 Oklahoma later that week. The ‘Eers lost a squeaker to the Sooners and then laid an egg at home five days later versus Texas. You could have had it all Huggs... you could have had it all...

3. BAYLOR (15-3, 5-1)

The Bears are probably the hottest team in the conference right now as they sit atop the Big 12 standings after beating K-State in double overtime. But with four of their wins coming against the bottom tier of the conference, the Bears’ very nice come-from-behind win against

The Cyclones have turned a corner in conference play after their 1-3 start with a solid win over K-State and an upset victory over Oklahoma, the No. 1 team in the country. Now, the Cyclones must play two games in three days as they travel down to Ft. Worth, Texas, to take on lowly TCU before welcoming Kansas into Ames. Getting both wins would put Iowa State firmly back in the top 10.

5. KANSAS (15-4, 4-2)

The Jayhawks are not playing good basketball right now, especially on the road. They got smacked around in Morgantown, West Virginia, (understandable since the Mountaineers are good) and then lost by 19 to Oklahoma State. They have a hot Texas team at home to help get their feet under them again before heading back out onto the road to face an even hotter Iowa State team. We’ve learned that counting out Bill Self ’s bunch is a mistake, but it’s fly or die time for Kansas’ chance at 12 straight Big 12 titles.

6. TEXAS (12-6, 4-2)

After starting off conference play going 1-2 with losses to both Texas Tech and TCU, the blood pressure in Austin, Texas, skyrocketed. But, with three straight wins, including Iowa State at home and an ugly win over an angry West Virginia team in Morgantown, head coach Shaka Smart is starting to make some noise in his first year in the Big 12. Texas will be a headache to several more teams in the final two-thirds of the conference season.

7. OKLAHOMA STATE (10-8, 2-4)

The Cowboys took down native son Bill Self and Kansas, and they didn’t even need Marcus Smarts’ help to do it. Basketball has been a struggle down in Stillwater this season, but the Cowboys’ win over the Jayhawks puts their next opponent (K-State) on notice that they don’t plan to go out quietly. It’s too soon to decide if the Cowboys are legit, but if burgeoning freshman star Jawun Evans keeps having career nights, things could get interesting.

7. K-STATE (11-7, 1-5)

I’d like to give all K-State fans a hug, but that would require hugging myself and apparently people stare at you when you do that in public. Out of K-State’s five conference losses, four were against top-25 teams, four were by 10 points or less, two were against current top-10 teams and two were in double overtime. K-State needs to catch a break, and with Oklahoma State coming to Manhattan on Saturday, maybe they can get that win and use it as a springboard. Just please, no more overtimes; my heart is weak.

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I would make the argument that Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers are the best team in the Big 12 to this point. When the Mountaineers came to Manhattan on Jan. 2, K-State gave them a hard-fought challenge and almost pulled the upset. I was thoroughly impressed with what they put on the floor in that outing, however. In the matchup against K-State, senior guard Jaysean Paige was unstoppable for West Virginia. And although Paige was the top dog that day, he isn’t even the team leader when it comes to points. There are four Mountaineers averaging double figures on the season. Junior forward Devin Williams averages 13.9 points (and 8.8 rebounds), Paige averages 13.2, sophomore guard Jevon Carter averages 11.7 and sophomore guard Daxter Miles Jr. averages 10.9. With so many players who are potent threats, the Mountaineers are a hard team to defend because you can’t zone in on one individual and shut him down. West Virginia is currently third in the Big 12 with a 4-2 conference record and a 15-3 overall record. The Mountaineers’ nonconference loss is to Virginia, who sits at No. 13 in the top 25 polls. They also have impressive wins over the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks and Virginia Tech, who is just two games out of first in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Mountaineers have quality wins, no bad losses and are a four-headed monster on the offensive side. Couple all that with their suffocating full-court press that has earned them the nickname “Press Virginia,” and they could earn a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. And who knows? Maybe they even end Kansas’ Big 12 Championship streak.

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9. TEXAS TECH (12-5, 2-4)

Tech is better. Not significantly better, but better. Their win against TCU on Tuesday ensures that, for now, they’ll stay out of the Big 12 basement. Until then, they have to beat someone better than Texas to turn heads in this league.

10. TCU (9-9, 1-5)

What can I say TCU? You seem nice. Horned Frogs head coach Trent Johnson has become one of my favorite quotes in the Big 12. Your new stadium looks nice. Uh... Man that Alamo Bowl win was something, wasn’t it... Timothy Everson is a junior in English. Please send comments to sports@ kstatecollegian.com.

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With how crazy the Big 12 season has been up to this point, predicting what team is going to come out of this Thunderdome of a conference is not something for the faint of heart. If we’re looking at who has been the best team up to this point, however, it’s hard to ignore what head coach Lon Kruger and Oklahoma have done so far this season. The Sooners are one of the top offensive teams in the country with the top scoring offense in the conference and the sixth best in the NCAA. Also, no one is more precise than Oklahoma from long range; the Sooners have the top 3-point field goal percentage in the country at 45.7. Senior guard Buddy Hield ranks second in the country and first in the Big 12 in points per game with 26.1. Senior forward Ryan Spangler is second in the conference in rebounding and is in the top 20 in the country. Plus, add in an upper-tier coach like Kruger, who has had success both in the regular and postseasons, and other high-level pieces like junior guard Jordan Woodard and senior guard Isaiah Cousins, and it’s easy to see why Oklahoma has been the best team over the first third of conference play.

RILEY GATES

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