page 02: NEWs
First campaign for SGA president and vice president announced
page 5: NEWS
Student mental health services slated to receive more SGA investing
page 7: ARTS & CULTURE
Varsity Donuts and Manhattan Brewing Company collaborate on new brew
page 14: Sports
This week in history: Ayoka Lee breaks record with 61-point game
At the Kansas State basketball game against Texas Tech University this past Saturday, Darude’s “Sandstorm” was played for the first time this season. It was met with both screams and confused faces as older students and alumni cheered wildly for the song and younger students just tried to figure out what was going on.
The student body’s Sandstorm privileges were revoked during K-State alumnus Ethan Goff’s freshman year basketball season, Goff said. Goff, who graduated in December 2022, said the removal was due to the hateful chant towards the University of Kansas that accompanied the song.
“Obviously we had a really good team in the Big 12 that year, so all the games were fun. They still had the chant going on then. I mean, being a freshman on campus, you were just trying to feel cool and fit in, so you went along with it,” Goff said. “It definitely got the entire student section rowdy and got the place really loud. My parents would watch the game on TV, text me and say they could hear it loud and clear.”
Goff said he is relieved and appreciative that the student body is more focused on K-State success rather than concerning itself with other universities, which is reflected in the way students conduct themselves at the games.
“I think it was evident when we played Texas Tech Saturday that the chant was thrown out the window,” Goff said. “I was at the game and I didn’t hear anyone around me use anything vulgar towards KU. It was definitely just K-S-U the entire time the song was played.”
Not every ticket holder was as thrilled or relieved to hear Sandstorm as Goff. Katie Free, junior in nutritional sciences, said she was honestly confused by the uproar when Sandstorm played.
“I kind of just went along with the crowd,” Free said. “I had no context.”
Free said because she had never heard the song at a basketball game, she didn’t understand the significance. But she also said other students might better understand because of their backgrounds as K-State fans, a background she doesn’t share.
“I also don’t come from a K-State-loving family; I come from a Nebraska Corn-
huskers family, so I hadn’t gone to K-State games until I was in college,” Free said.
There hasn’t been much buzz surrounding the song, Free said. In fact, she said discussions about our current basketball rankings overshadow Sandstorm’s return.
“In the group chats I’m in, people are sending screenshots of where we stand in comparison to teams nationally,” Free said. “I haven’t heard a lot about Sandstorm, just more about our rankings in general.”
Grace Hartman, senior in civil engineering, said she is disappointed underclassmen don’t grasp the importance of Sandstorm like seniors do.
“I think it’s crazy that they don’t understand the significance of it,” Hartman said. “Sandstorm was such a big part of my underclassmen years, but hopefully they soon will understand the significance now that it’s back. It’s — in a way — a tradition at basketball games.”
Both Goff and Hartman said they hope Sandstorm is here to stay.
“Go back and listen to a couple of Coach Tang’s postgame conferences, especially after KU, the Texas Tech game and even a few
before those,” Goff said. “He kind of talks about showing love and character and being bought into the
program and not trying to be worried about other universities.”
Goff said he urges stu-
love and good character to heart...
“Real people, real results” is what Caleb Stout and Jessica Binckley, candidates for 2023 student body president and vice president, respectively, said they’re striving for at Kansas State University.
“We are the real average student,” Binckley, junior in psychology on the pre-med track,
said. “We’re involved in a lot of different things and we reach a lot of different areas on campus. We’re real students, and we’re working to create real results.”
Stout and Binckley are currently running unopposed, but Binckley said this will not change their campaign’s message.
“We’re always planning as if we do have competitors because you never know if someone’s going to pop up,” Binckley said. “The bonus of
not having competitors is that we’ve really been able to focus on our policy initiatives and some things. We’ve been able to focus on our relationship with our team more than being constantly nervous that we’re running against someone.”
Stout, junior in agricultural economics and global food systems leadership, said his background inspired him to get involved in student government.
“I grew up on a ranch a little over an hour south of Manhattan, and that’s shaped who I am,” Stout said. “When I was in high school I had the opportunity to go out to Washington, D.C. a few times and that really sparked an interest. I saw people advocating to their representatives about issues that really matter to them. It’s something that fascinates me.”
Binckley said she hasn’t always been interested in politics or student government.
“Both of my parents are city government employees, so while I was never very interested in politics before coming to K-State, it’s always been something that was talked about at home,” Binckley said. “When I came to K-State I started in student government because it seemed like the best way to make the greatest impact. At several different points I questioned if it was the right thing for me, but in the past year it’s really hit home that it was the right decision.”
Binckley said she and Stout decided to run together because their differing backgrounds allow them to understand various perspectives.
“We have two pretty different personalities and a lot of different interests outside K-State, so that’s partially what makes us fit together well,” Binckley said. “We don’t really butt heads often … We’re both coming from two different backgrounds and see things two different ways, so that could really work to benefit K-State.”
Emily Howard, junior in
professional strategic selling, entrepreneurship and innovation, said she has been friends with Stout and Binckley for two years.
“I met both of them through the Student Alumni Board, which is an organization here on campus,” Howard said. “We are all leaders in different aspects around campus and in greek life, so we’ve continued to form our relationships through that.”
Howard said she’s confident Stout and Binckley are the perfect candidates for student body president and vice president.
“Both Jess and Caleb are willing and eager to serve this university, and I cannot think of a better duo to do that,” Howard said. “K-State would be in the best hands with both of them.”
Howard said Stout and Binckley are not only great candidates, but great people as well.
“Caleb is very personable and a great conversationalist,” Howard said. “He can sit down with anyone and really relate to them. Jess is really great at building relationships from the ground up. She’s not just interested in surface level things, but she really wants to get to know the individual personally.”
Stout said there are three main points he and Binckley want to address if they are elected: opportunity, advocacy and responsibility.
“Opportunity means asking how we can make K-State a place that’s good for not just getting an education and setting you up professionally, but also personally,” Stout said. “Advocacy is the role of the student body president … knowing what’s on the hearts and minds of students and advocating for students at all times. Responsibility, that’s just treating the role with the respect it deserves and showing students the respect they deserve.”
Binckley said they plan to achieve these goals by making sure every student has the opportunities they need to succeed.
“The biggest thing for me is ensuring that we have opportunities for all the different types of students across K-State, whether that be with career fairs or internship opportunities,” Binckley said. “We’re making sure that we’re bringing in all the different people with all the different majors.”
Binckley said the biggest challenge of running has been the pressure to serve the student body well.
“If we’re elected, we’ve got a year in office,” Binckley said. “When you take out the summer, we don’t have a lot of time to make a lot of the changes we want to see … The pressure is what makes it a challenge, but also what makes it exciting. We both live for it a little bit.”
Binckley said hearing support from students is what encourages her.
Stout said what makes
K-State stand out from other schools is its sense of family, and he hopes he can emphasize that if he is elected.
“Kansas State is special in the fact that we talk about how we’re a family, and that takes a lot of trust,” Stout said. “At K-State our administration really backs that up with how they trust students. … Student government is just another dynamic of seeing the K-State family in action.”
Though K-State has a strong sense of family, Stout says we must work hard to keep it that way.
“As soon as you fall into the misconception that K-State has always been a family and always will be … you start to fall away from that,” Stout said. “Denying ourselves and helping those around us, there’s no policy for that. We say we’re a family, so we need to live like it.”
morial,” Sheldon said.
to my mom,” Davis said.
A plotter is a more precise printer and creates detailed prints, Jahvelle Rhone, program/project manager and division of info tech at the innovation lab, said. The printer uses continuous lines aided by a computer to produce designs.
“We’ve had faculties and students who print out different things and it’s really cool to see how the plotter has been used so far,” Rhone said.
Jeff Sheldon, associate director of the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab, said local home-schooled students in town, students in architecture, students in the art department and faculty use the printer.
“The printer has had maps printed on it, posters that students would put on walls in their dorm rooms or at home, people who experiment with holiday decorations, used by fashion students, people that did banners for tabling events and the first print that the lab printed was a photo of a K-State worker’s mom’s me-
Sheldon said the first print was for Kevin Davis, a K-State custodian.
“The gentleman wanted to feature a specific image on his mom’s memorial, and he saw the Innovation Lab had the plotter printer … at that point [the Innovation Lab] did not charge him because it was something the lab could provide for him with things the lab got for free,” Sheldon said.
Davis said he loved the print.
“Innovation Lab was pleased that they were able to use the printer specially to help somebody in the community,” Davis said. “My family wanted to do something nice for my mom like a memorial of her life and are grateful for what the Innovation Lab did.”
Davis said the photo was a grainy black-and-white photo, and the plotter printer was able to bring out the saturation.
“The printer was able to enhance what was in the photo and turn the old grainy photo into something my family considers a lasting tribute
Issac Richie, sophomore in architecture, said plotting could be challenging because it can take a few tries to achieve quality.
“The plotter printer in the library is free to use and so using the ones at Weigel Library get pretty expensive,” Richie said. “You can end up spending a lot on final quality materials but the plotter printer at the Innovation Lab is great.”
Lukas Schlesener, graduate in architecture, said he used the plotter printer for large scale printing during a group project.
“I made use of the printer to print out large posters for review sections that my studio class does throughout the semesters for my projects and towards the end of the semester for final reviews,” Schlesener said.
Sheldon said the Innovation Lab will have a new printer available in the spring 2023 semester.
“The printer will be a canon printer and a very high quality printer,” Sheldon said. “There is an interest in
maintaining the plotter printer as well for random free
whether or not that’s something that will cost any sort
fluence what others think we have in our space,” Sheldon
how much money will be given to these organizations.”
Legislative and executive positions are open in the upcoming Student Government Association elections, Hattie Polson, SGA Deputy Attorney General, said.
“In the upcoming election, we have Senate seats open. Depending on what college you are in dictates exactly how many seats there are,” Polson, junior in agricultural economics and global food systems, said. “For example, I am in the College of Agriculture, and I believe we had six seats last year. That could change depending on enrollment, and then in addition to the Senate, we also have the student body president and vice president open.”
Natalie Nusz, SGA Elections Commissioner, said the 60 total student senators are divided into different committees and meet on different nights throughout the week.
“They’ll work on different bills, and then the committee of senators themselves will vote in the committee on those bills and if they want to move them forward,” Nusz, junior in philosophy, pre-law and political science, said. “And then those bills will move to the Senate floor on Thursday nights.”
Polson said senators attend the Senate meetings at 7 p.m. every Thursday night.
“You have voting rights to vote on behalf of your college, whether that be on a bill or a resolution,” Polson said. “You also have rights to speak, meaning that you can speak in affirmative or negation of a bill or resolution, and you get to write those bills and resolutions should you want to. Lots of opportunities to kind of really use your voice as a student and really represent the students of your college.”
Nusz said one of the senate committees is the Student Services Fee Committee.
“What they do is they have a large amount of money that they allocate to different organizations on campus,” Nusz said. “They decide
Parker Vulgamore, student body president, served on the Student Services Fee Committee as a senator from the College of Agriculture and said he was excited about this responsibility when he joined student government.
“Every student at K-State, generally speaking, you just pay your tuition, and you just pay your student services fee and you may have other individual smaller colleges fees. … But every student pays … $479 each semester and that goes into a budget. That’s about 14.5 million dollars that the student governing association is in charge of allocating,” Vulgamore said. “So this is a budget that is paid for by students and it’s dispersed — allocated by students for students. So we fund the rec, the union, Lafene, all of those services, counseling services, a whole bunch of those.”
Vulgamore said representation and advocacy are the primary roles of the student body president and vice president along with their cabinet.
“I have a cabinet of students that I get to select that serve on all these different advisory committees. So everything from recreational services … to athletics,” Vulgemore said. “We get to negotiate the contract for student tickets and the student parking. … We get to serve on advisory councils for sustainability initiatives on campus, and those are committees that are made up of faculty, administration.”
Polson said the student body president and vice president are the representatives of K-State students.
“K-State is really special and significant, our SGA is, in that we have lots of conversations with faculty and administration and we have really wonderful relationships,” Polson said. “So we get to do a lot of really cool things that don’t happen at all universities.”
Jeff Ebeck, senior in fi nance and SGA student body vice president, said when he came to college,
Mandatory Meetings
(Must A end 1 Meeting To Run)
- 1/31 @ 7:30 p.m. on Zoom
- 2/2 @ 6:00 p.m. on Zoom
-
@ 6:00 p.m. on Zoom
- 2/9 @ 7:30 p.m. on Zoom
- 2/16 @ 5:00 p.m. on Zoom
Important Election Dates
vote!
vote!vote!
- 2/10: Deadline to file for office by 5:00 p.m.
- 2/17: Finance Reports due to CSI by 4:00 p.m.
- 2/20: Campaign Action Reports due by 5:00 p.m. (Student Body President Only)
- 2/21 and 2/22: General Election
- 2/23: Campaign materials must be removed from campus by 7:00 p.m.
he originally thought SGA was similar to the Student Council from his high school.
“I was vice president, ironically, of my student body at Wellsville and
I think I was like, ‘oh, it’s gonna be the same thing like, once a month meetings,’” Ebeck said. “No, like it is so important that these positions are known because we advocate on so
many levels, whether that be financially, mental well-being — anything that the student services fee touches, we have some sort of say in it.”
A 24/7 news cycle, the war on terror and terrible things occuring in the world — this is what it is like living in a post 9/11 world, Evan Porter, Student Governing Association’s Speaker of the Student Senate, said.
“There’s a lot of other external factors that make our generation uniquely worse off than past generations,” Porter said.
The Student Governing Association is investing $200,000 in expanding Counseling and Psychological Services and an additional $500,000 for student health and well-being services,
Porter said.
Porter said his generation is ready to break down the stigma surrounding mental health.
“Now more than ever, I think students need access to those mental health resources,” Porter said. “I think it’s our responsibility to make sure that they can get that free access that CAPS has always worked really hard to maintain for students at K-State.”
Funding for this plan comes from the $479.40 student service fee every full-time Manhattan campus student pays. This fee goes toward financing entities such as Lafene Health Center, the K-State Student Union, the Peters Recreation Complex and Student Legal Services.
“In the past, we had to make some budget reductions to Counseling and Psychological Services, due to that overall budget shortfall,” Blake Phillips, SGA’s Student Services Fee Committee Chair, said. “That wasn’t something that we wanted to do, but something that we ultimately had to do to get back in line.”
Phillips said a Lafene staff member described a moment when a student needed K-State’s mental health services most.
“There was a student who had some sort of event happen and they came in to see CAPS. They were there all day with that student,” Phillips said. “Which is really, really awesome that we were able to have staff who were
able to help that student for that amount of time.”
Porter said SGA has a contract with every student services fee entity, and they are each reviewed on a three year cycle. Originally, this was not CAPS’ year for review, but because of the need for change, the student services fee committee approved taking the CAPS budget out of their normal cycle so it could be reviewed this year.
“CAPS was really severely underfunded,” Porter said. “So underfunded to the point where they might have lost their accreditation for their internship program that they run with the American Psychological Association.”
Shawn Funk, Lafene’s communications and marketing
specialist, said SGA investing in Lafene’s mental health services is going to be beneficial toward students’ well-being.
“We believe that good physical and mental health is essential for academic success,” Funk said.
Phillips said SGA was able to allocate $1,000 to help CAPS staff members maintain their licensure. They were paying $2,500 from their own pocket.
“In the past, CAPS operated under a little bit different model that had some long wait times for students,” Phillips said. “If you wanted to go see someone over at CAPS, it could take a week or longer. That service wasn’t fully meeting students’ needs.”
Funk said CAPS has an app called My SSP, which is a
24/7 chat and phone service that’s free and confidential for all students.
“If there’s a student that is experiencing an immediate crisis and they can’t get into Lafene on a particular day, they can do telehealth or a chat therapy session through My SSP,” Porter said.
College students stress around the holidays and when coming back to school, that’s why SGA is putting attention on CAPS, Phillips said.
“Every person has a different story,” Phillips said. “Not everyone knows the details of everyone’s story from, you know, where they’ve been, what they’ve been through, and so it’s really important to make sure that each student has their needs met, whatever they are.”
Throughout my years at Kansas State, I’ve picked up some Manhattan life hacks that have changed the way I live my college life. Here are my tips to make your time here more meaningful and fun — for seasoned and rookie Wildcats alike.
1. Buy a film camera or a point-and-shoot. The tangible memories you capture are more precious than the millions on your phone — you won’t regret the purchase.
2. Say hello to kids on college tours. You could be the reason they choose K-State.
3. Use ChatGPT to edit — but not to write — your papers and resumes.
4. Choose a podcast or audiobook and only allow yourself to listen to it on your way to class. You’ll start looking forward to your campus walk.
5. The secret Taco Lucha menu can be found on Pinterest.
6. Host your hometown friends for a weekend. They should meet your college friends before your wedding.
7. Don’t buy the latest trendy water bottle. It’ll be out in a month and you’ll probably
1. Buy a film or point-and-shoot camera
2. say hello to kids on college tours
3. the secret taco lucha menu is on pinterest
17. Have your mom write down your favorite recipes. When you’re feeling homesick, you can eat your mom’s food.
18. If you need a quiet place to study, try the stacks in Hale, which can be found on floors 1, 2 and 3.
19. Visit www.aggieville.org/ specials for specials, meal deals and events happening every day in Aggieville.
20. Get a group of friends together to do a high school dress swap. Everyone gets a new dress to wear to formal events and no one has to pay a cent.
21. Use your free Lyft passes
through K-State and your free counseling sessions through Lafene.
22. Organize dorm floor dinners. Don’t be afraid to be the initiator.
23. Reach out to your friends from freshman year, even if you’re in different friend groups now. They saw you in a vulnerable place as you discovered yourself post-high school; what a special bond to share with someone.
24. Go get the freebies at the K-State basketball games. Plus, you’ll get points toward your tier for the game against the University of Kansas.
25. Whenever you start a new
lease, draw up a contract with your roommates outlining the rules. Everyone must sign it, ensuring each party is clear on expectations.
26. Develop relationships with your professors. Not only do they want to support you, but they might also be the people writing recommendation letters for you.
27. Save your college t-shirts, even if you don’t think you’ll wear them again. You’ll want them when you’re 50.
dent it.
8. It is okay to say no. People respect you for having boundaries.
9. When you meet someone new, put how or where you met them by their name in your phone. This helps you remember which Katie is which.
10. Get a refillable coffee tumbler at Bluestem Bistro. It’s $20, but if you plan on drinking coffee or tea more than twenty times this year, the purchase will have paid for itself. You’ll get 25 cents off other drinks as well, which is yet another perk.
11. Be kind to your parents. They mean well and sometimes have really good advice.
12. Always do the “Pizza Shuttle Drop” before eating
Pizza Shuttle pizza. While in the box, flip your pizza over and drop it from approximately 6 feet in the air. Most of the grease will stick to the top of the box, and you can consume your pizza guilt-free.
13. Don’t go home every weekend. Time with your college friends is precious and you can’t get it back.
14. Mobile app grocery pickup will save you so much time and prevent you from buying things you don’t need at the store.
15. Every time you’re tempted to get on TikTok, open Canvas first.
16. Create a weekly tradition with your friends that isn’t centered around drinking. Trivia Tuesdays, SINGO or Bring Your Own Takeout nights are all great options.
The malty aroma of freshly-brewed beer and the sweet smell of baked donuts are familiar to many Manhattan residents who frequent Aggieville and Poyntz. To many locals, beer and donuts may not sound immediately compatible, but perhaps it is time to reconsider. Manhattan Brewing Company and Varsity Donuts, both locally owned, are pushing culinary limits by combining their expertise to craft a maple bacon donut-flavored beer.
Kevin Peirce, an owner of Varsity Donuts, said the flavor idea came from their most-enjoyed delicacy.
“One of our most popular donuts is the maple bacon donut, so we just thought ‘what if we made a beer out of it?’” Peirce
said. “It’s not a combination of what you’d normally think of, but it’s going to be good.”
Jake Voegeli, an owner of Manhattan Brewing Company, said the idea sprang from Manhattan Brewing Company’s mission to collaborate more with other local businesses.
“When Manhattan Brewing Company started asking about these partnerships, it was a no-brainer for us,” Peirce said. “We dumped 50 pounds of maple bacon donut mash into a beer vat with smoked malt … making a stout, thick, dark and very sweet beer.”
The result of the brew is the new Varsity MBD Stout, short for “Varsity maple bacon donut stout.”
Macey Willard, junior at K-State, said she was impressed by the quirkiness of the beer.
“I think brewing beer with
donuts is very unique,” Willard said. ”I’ve never heard of it being done before.”
Both Voegeli and Peirce said the beer is set to be ona tap at the end of February. It will be at least another three weeks before the beer is done brewing. The Varsity MBD Stout can be purchased after its release at Manhattan Brewing Company. Other local vendors, such as Bluestem Bistro, may also purchase the beer to sell at their businesses.
“The donuts are really cool because when we throw them into the vat to brew, the yeast eats the sugar and creates alcohol, meaning the sugar ferments,” Voegeli said. “So the sugar from the donuts gives the beer both alcohol and flavor.”
Voegeli said the maple-tasting beer will be about 10-12% alcohol. Due to the higher alcohol
content, it will be sold in 8-ounce glasses costing $6-$7.50 per beer.
“It seems a little expensive for an 8-ounce glass, but considering it’s twice the alcohol percentage of most beers you can get for $4, I don’t think it’s too bad,” Willard said. “It’s either going to be a great beer or one of those things you try once just to say you did it.”
Collaborating with Varsity Donuts is just the start, as Manhattan Brewing Company is planning ideas with other local businesses to make their own unique beers, Voegeli said. The Varsity MBD Stout won’t be the only collaboration beer Manhattan will see in the next few months.
“We are getting ready to do a beer with Rock-A-Belly Deli next month,” Voegeli said. “It’s not ready yet, but it’s going to be a fruity, raspberry brown
ale. It’s an old recipe that Rich Markle, the owner of Rock-ABelly, used when he brewed a long time ago.”
The brewery’s newest beer on tap will certainly be exciting for Manhattan residents who love shopping locally, Voegeli said.
“We love locals … and
people love Manhattan Brewing Company and Varsity, so this is a great marriage of the two,” Voegeli said. “It’s an awesome collaboration with two great Manhattan businesses that’s long overdue, and we don’t know why we waited so long.”
After over a decade, Dreamworks is revisiting the beloved characters from the Shrek films with a sequel to the 2011 movie “Puss in Boots.” The wait was worth it, because the story of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is surprisingly solid.
You don’t have to be a big fan of Puss in Boots or be familiar with all of his past appearances to enjoy this movie. Some characters from the first movie are carried over, but the storyline works just fine with no prior knowledge.
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” very quickly establishes what kind of character Puss in Boots is, and where he stands in the world. Antonio Banderas, who also played Zorro — a clear inspiration for the char-
acter of Puss in Boots — does an impressive job of bringing passion and expressiveness to the cat in this movie. In his first few scenes, it is established in an entertaining manner that Puss is loved by many, fearless and at the top of his game.
He’s “never been touched by a blade” and feels unstoppable. However, this is turned on its head after Puss loses his eighth of nine lives. Right on cue, the wolf appears, voiced well by Wagner Moura. He seems to be a bounty hunter dead set on bringing an end to Puss’ adventures, and he’s more than powerful enough to do it.
Puss, the undefeatable hero that has never been touched by a blade, is now beaten, running for his life and scared to his core. For the first time, Puss has to confront the fear of death and faces someone very capable of
killing him.
With themes of running from death, confronting fear and appreciating things that are right in front of you, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is a serious yet humorous story approachable by audiences of all ages. Viewers see Puss struggle and pushed toward growth. Puss’ story is much deeper and more meaningful here than in past appearances, and the movie is better for it.
The additional antagonists Goldilocks, voiced by Florence Pugh, and Jack Horner, voiced by comedian John Mulaney, bring serious conflict and hilarious moments. Horner stands out as possibly the most entertaining character, with many jokes centered around how ridiculously evil he is.
Some very serious scenes balance out the comedy nicely; Puss is terrified whenever he sees
the wolf, and has genuine fear for his life. This movie even contains one of the most realistic depictions of a panic attack in recent memory. Emotional moments like these are made convincing through the talent of the actors and animators. Puss’ interactions with supporting protagonists Kitty Softpaws, voiced by Salma Hayek, and the dog Perrito, voiced by Harvey Guillen, are particularly heartwarming.
This movie has a unique artistic style. Often 2D visuals overlap the 3D animation, such as with speed lines or shock waves, to emphasize movement and action. The animators even nailed the animal characters’ body language, as although cats don’t often run around on two legs swinging swords, details like flattening ears and hair standing up seem remarkably accurate to reality.
Technical aspects aside, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is visually stunning. The beautiful colors and detailed scenery and characters make every shot look like a painting. The characters are noticeably expressive in this movie, and viewers can always tell what Puss is thinking
by the look on his face. This is a story worthy of praise. At a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is an engaging and quick story, and those that have yet to see it should go watch it while it’s still in theaters.
T h e P h a e t o n s @ A u n t i e M a e ' s , 8 P M
S t r a y D u d e s @ T h e L i t t l e G r i l l , 6 : 3 0 P M
S a r a h H a r t P r a y e r & S o n g R e t r e a t @ S t .
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O d a n o v E r i c M a r t i n i s t h e E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r o f M H K M u s i c S c e n e , f o u n d e r o f O E M L e g a c y I n s u r a n c e , a n d D J f o r K i t e ' s B a r a n d G r i l l . M H K M u s i c S c e n e i s a s e r v i c e - o r i e n t e d o r g a n i z a t i o n , s u p p o r t i n g t h e w e l l - b e i n g a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m o f l o c a l a r t i s t s . T h e y ' v e p a r t n e r e d w i t h A r t s i n t h e P a r k t o p r e s e n t l i v e m u s i c a n d p e r f o r m a n c e a r t s t a r t i n g i n J u n e , l e a d i n g i n t o t h e i r t h r e e - d a y f e s t i v a l , M i d F e s t . T h a n k y o u E r i c f o r k e e p i n g t h e l i v e m u s i c s c e n e v i b r a n t i n M a n h a t t a n !
Joyce Manor released its newest album, “40 oz. to Fresno,” on June 10, 2022. While some listeners may find this album to be less distinct and artistically profound than its other albums, like “S/T” and “Never Hungover Again,” fans of Joyce Manor can undoubtedly rely on this album for an interesting assortment of B-side tracks.
The album’s opener, “Souvenir,” is successful in showing the band’s depth with its range of instrumental highs and vocal lows.
The next song on the track is “NBTSA,” short for “never be the same again.” It is as if the band is telling its audience they are evolving as a band and “may never be the same [band]
again.” Even so, “NBTSA” is the most streamed song on the album. This comes as no surprise, as the song plays out like a classic punk rock anthem.
“Reason to Believe,” the third track, is one of the catchiest songs on the album. The beautiful blend of lyrics, methodical instrumentals and vocals ensure a long-lasting impression on the listener.
Fourth on the track list, “You’re Not Famous Anymore,” is another excellent piece as it highlights the fear of downfall many hardworking punk bands face. Although Joyce Manor is thriving as a band, the lyrics describe a character who is not as lucky in stardom but is “working in a grocery store” with “no meet and greet, no UK tour.” In this song, it seems Joyce Manor is thoughtfully vocaliz-
ing its own fears and insecurities of potential failure.
Although “Don’t Try” is littered with the same shaky, anxious rhetoric, the song’s vocals and instrumentals portray a longing for the old days ––possibly for a time before the creation of the band.
Opening with a series of unique guitar licks, “Gotta Let It Go” does not disappoint. It confidently addresses the song prior, “Don’t Try,” through a sense of hopeless acceptance over the past while maintaining a cheery punk sound.
Following is “Dance With Me,” a definite change in direction for the remainder of the album. The song moves away from the dreary nature of Joyce Manor’s most notable lyrical components. As the seventh track on the album, it focuses more on the good side of life
with a bright tune that keeps the listener engaged.
“Did You Ever Know” is not exactly a good or bad song but rather somewhere in between. The bubbly vocals and enthusiastic instrumentals keep the track from flopping –– but just barely.
Last up is the ninth track on the album, “Secret Sisters.”
This final track is a loud conclusion to an unstable album. It is certainly not the best on the album; it could even be classified as one of the worst. The song’s lack of creative lyricism and only a few interesting guitar licks makes it a subpar track.
Overall, Joyce Manor’s newest album, “40 oz. to Fresno,” is good, but doesn’t meet the hype of the band’s earlier works. Joyce Manor goes on tour early this year; perhaps this album is better heard live.
Kansas State tennis opened the spring season with a very different roster construction than in previous years. Last season’s team consisted of eight members, five of which were seniors, who earned a 10-13 record and a Big 12 Tournament appearance. Now, the team has six members: three returning players and three freshmen.
Besides an inexperienced roster, the team will not have substitutes for tournaments, as every tournament requires six players. These circumstances create a task for the veteran players to help lead the team, starting with sixyear senior Rosanna Maffei.
“This is my sixth year so
I kind of feel like the leader of the team, especially because they are much younger than me,” Maffei said. “That gives me kind of an advantage because I’ve already been through things that they are going through.”
Maffei stands as an important presence to a young roster as she enters a new season without her former senior teammates.
Florentine Dekkers, returning sophomore, entered K-State among many experienced players. She now looks to have a larger role on the team as the third oldest member.
“It feels weird because it’s only my second year,” Dekkers said. “Me, Rosanna and Manami [Ukita] are the older ones of the group … but
I feel like we’re all doing pretty well. We learn from each other.”
The leaders of the team have a unique way to relate to their freshmen teammates — everyone on the roster is an international student.
“We have different backgrounds from different countries, which makes a cultural difference,” Maffei said. “But I feel like being all international can help.”
Though each player comes from a different background and culture, each shares the similar experience of moving away from their home country.
“The biggest thing is, of course, you’re moving from Europe to the states so you don’t know anything,” Dekkers said. “Everything is
new for you. So it’s already a big thing to move across the country.”
The team began their year in Florida for non-conference tournament play, defeating Florida Atlantic 4-2 after suffering a sweep to North Florida. As the team continues to mold together at the start of the season, there is one main goal for every player on the team: qualifying for the Big 12 Tournament and taking home the trophy.
“[I] for sure want to make the NCAA [Tournament] with the team. I think we’re putting enough effort [into] having good energy right now,” Dekkers said. “So I hope the hard work definitely pays off this season. I feel like we can do it even though we’re [a] smaller team.”
Just over four years ago, Kansas State Athletic Director Gene Taylor hired four-time FCS Champion Chris Klieman to coach the football team. In his fourth year, Klieman led the team to new heights with a Big 12 Championship title and a Sugar Bowl appearance. Ten months ago, Taylor hired Jerome Tang, a National Champion as an assistant coach, as head coach of the men’s basketball team now ranked No. 5 in the country. Now, for a third time, Taylor has hired another National Champion in volleyball head coach Jason
Mansfield.
As an assistant at Washington and Stanford, Mansfield has reached the final four seven times and was a part of a 2004 National Championship with Stanford. With his experience gained over the years, Mansfield is hoping to have a growth in team culture similar to the football and men’s basketball teams.
“I really want us to have a culture of learning and growing,” Mansfield said. “There’s a lot of teaching going on in the gym right now which is awesome … I want there to be a passion … I want them to be excited to compete.”
Mansfield has already begun work with the team in hopes of preparing them for next year.
“A lot of athleticism, a lot of experience,” Mansfield said about the current roster. “We have five freshmen and six upperclassmen that have played pretty big roles in their career. There’s a good blend of older and younger, and the younger … there’s a lot of talent there.”
In his time as an assistant, Mansfield has coached some of the best players in the country. This includes seven All-Americans at Washington and four National Players of the Year and Olympians at Stanford.
“The attention to detail
and just the intention with what they did every day. Every drill, every rep that they got, they were just very focused,” Mansfield said. “That’s kind of who I am as a coach. Trying to not just get the best out of the players, but really having them understand what it’s like to compete and what it means to try to be great on every single rep that they’re getting.”
The mindset of those accomplished athletes is something Mansfield admires and hopes to instill within the team.
“I’m here to inspire. I want to inspire these kids to be great and believe in themselves and believe they can be better than maybe they think they can be,” Mansfield said. “I think
that’s been a strength of mine as an assistant coach, and that’s something I want. I see that from the other coaches here. Coach Klieman and Coach Tang, I think they do a great job of inspiring their athletes to maybe be better than they think they can be.”
In the previous two seasons, the volleyball team has a combined record of 30-27, staying just above a .500 record each year. Mansfield thinks the team has the capability to move past an average record.
“It’s there, it’s just how do you become more consistent,” Mansfield said. “We can’t just be good in this space on one match and then be good in another space. We have to be
consistently good in everything that we do. So the last few days, we’ve spent time in every skill and learning how to play the game in every single way.”
In Mansfield’s short time in Manhattan, everything has been “above and beyond expected” for him. With the remainder of the semester, he plans to continue to exceed expectations and get the team ready for a major 2023 season come fall.
“We have a couple of months to really kind of consistently do it,” Mansfield said. “And have it headed in the right direction to where, when we start practice in August for this season, we know what we are doing.”
On Jan. 23, 2022, a little over 4,000 people arrived at Bramlage Coliseum to watch a women’s basketball game between two longtime rivals — the Kansas State Wildcats and the Oklahoma Sooners. A few hours later, the crowd dispersed, likely amazed at what they just saw.
It was not a game-winning shot or a remarkable play that they had witnessed. They had just beheld history by a 6-foot-6-inch junior from Byron, Minnesota.
Ayoka Lee, or Yokie, had just made NCAA history, breaking the single-game scoring record with 61 points, breaking the record of 60 points scored by Rachel Banham of Minnesota in 2016.
“It was unreal,” Trey Holloway, sophomore at K-State who attended the game, said. “I’ll never forget that game and I can say that I got to witness NCAA history.”
In a 94-65 victory, Lee accounted for over 60% of her team’s scoring, making 23 of 30 shots from the fi eld and 15 of 17 free throws.
“What’s another word for incredible?” Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma head coach, said at the post-game press conference. “Outstand-
ing, amazing, spectacular, All-American? Yes. All of those things. She was great.”
The scoring started early for Lee as she led K-State off to a hot start, dropping six points right off the bat and 12 of the Wildcats fi rst 15 points. Facing a team in Oklahoma who entered the game second in the nation in scoring, the fast off ensive start was necessary.
However, Oklahoma would not back down from a fi ght that evening, dropping 11 of the game’s next 15 points to close out the quarter trailing 19-11. Overall, Lee had 14 points in the quarter.
The Wildcats went right back to Lee, who started the second quarter just like she began the fi rst, dropping the fi rst six points. After a 12-0 run, the Wildcats took a massive lead of 24 into the locker room. For Lee, her scoring touch was on a roll, as she dropped 32 points in the fi rst half, a school record.
Then in the third quarter, Lee caught fi re, sinking 17 of her team’s 19 points. With 49 points on the night, Lee had already broken the school single-game scoring record, which she held, by six points.
With just 12 points needed to set the NCAA record, it felt like Lee was on
the precipice of history.
Lee dropped ten quick points to get to 59 and then — with just 2:53 left in the game — she hit a layup to get to 61 and break the alltime NCAA record for points scored in a women’s basketball game. Jeff Mittie then pulled her to a standing ovation from over 4,000 adoring fans at Bramlage.
When the buzzer sounded, the Wildcats had won 9465 and Lee’s life was changed forever.
Lee had gone from the team’s best player to one of the most recognized women’s basketball players in America. She had become the face of team promotions, had a segment about her on Good Morning America and Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt. Her jersey and the game ball were donated to the basketball Hall of Fame.
She would go on to fi nish the season averaging 22 points per game as the 20-13 Wildcats made it to the Women’s NCAA Division I Tournament. Even though they lost to Maine in the Round of 32, nobody will forget the tremendous accomplishment that Lee made on that January night in 2022.
