Kentucky Kernel: February 1, 2021

kentuckykernel

Monday, February 1, 2021 est. 1892 | Independent since 1971 www.kykernel.com @kykernel @kentuckykernel

EYES ON THE FUTURE

UK students discuss hope and healing in America COVID VARIANTS PG. 2, WEEK IN NEWS PG. 3, UK VOLLEYBALL PG. 14

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UK & Greystar

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Inside SAE suspension

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Legislature to watch

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Monday, January 25, 2021

news

What to know about COVID variants KNOWN VARIANTS

By Natalie Parks

news@kykernel.com

Pandemic lesson number one – global health is local health. That lesson has become clearer than ever in the past month, as strains of the COVID-19 spread from their regions of origin to the United States.

Kentucky confirmed its first two cases of the United Kingdom variant, known as B.1.1.7, on Jan. 26, 2021. Gov. Andy Beshear included information on the variant in his daily briefing the next day.

Both cases are in Kenton County. Public health commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said people exposed to the strain are more likely to be infected.

“It’s not more dangerous for the person who gets it than the previous version of the virus, but since more people can get it more quickly and more easily, that means you could have more people get sick, more people who die,” Dr. Stack said.

Beshear and other officials said they expected these new viruses to arrive in Kentucky and that they expect more cases.

The CDC has predicted the UK variant will become the dominant strain in the United States by March. So far 30 states, including neighbors Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee, have confirmed cases of the UK variant.

Preliminary studies out of the United Kingdom suggest that B.1.1.7 may be between 30 and 70 percent more contagious than earlier strains, meaning people should cut exposures by the same percentage.

Dr. Kathleen Winter, a professor in UK’s College of Medicine and infectious diseases expert, said it is important to remember that this is still a novel virus, meaning this is the first time it has had a human host and mutations are expected.

“The virus is adapting to the host and we’re adapting to the virus and we’re trying to fight the virus just as much as the virus is trying to fight us,” Dr. Winter said.

Scientists are not sure why the new variants are more contagious, though one theory is that sick people shed more of the virus.

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“The limited information we do have on this is that it is thought to be more infectious, so that the virus itself can probably invade the human cells more easily than the prior variants that were circulating are and still are circulating. And so, that means a smaller amount of virus can likely cause you to get sick,” Dr. Winter said. She warned that everyone should take the pandemic more seriously than before in light of the new strains.

“Even people who have become sick and recovered, they may still be susceptible again, because this is a mutated strain or because they’re immunity has waned,” Winter said. “So I do think there’s some complacency out there because a lot of people have this and a lot of people know people who have had this and not been very sick.”

She reiterated that the measures that people are already following, like social distancing and masks, do work against variants.

“Not gathering in close contact in groups of people, not going to lots of restaurants and bars,” Dr. Winter said.

“There’s a whole bunch of people there, the gym, those types of activities. But it’s hard because everyone’s tired. It’s like almost like this, couldn’t come at a worse time.”

The CDC and other health organizations have not issued a double mask recommendation, but multiple scientists and experts have suggested doing so in indoor situations. Dr. Anthony Fauci said double masking is “common sense.”

Dr. Winter said that as far as masks go, the most important thing is to make sure a mask fits well – snugly, over the nose and with few gaps – and has multiple layers.

“If you have a good well fitted mask, that’s fitted, you probably don’t need another layer. But if it does help you or it makes you feel like it’s sealing to your face a little better or you’re not messing with it as much, then that’s probably a good idea,” Dr. Winter said.

See VARIANTS on page 13

Graphic by Selma Odobasic

Monday, February 1, 2021

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

kentuckykernel

CONTACT Editor-in-chief: Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com

REGIONAL VACCINE HUB OPENING IN LEXINGTON One of four regional vaccine hubs in Kentucky will open at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Operated by Kroger, the hub will be held in Alltech Arena in the horse park and offer 3,000 appointments a week. Appointments for this week are already full.

Gov. Andy Beshear said it is the “strong preference” that Kentuckians receive the vaccine in their region, but the Kroger site will not prevent someone from getting it in another location.

Transportation secretary Jim Gray is spearheading the regional hub initiative and gave specific instructions for the Kentucky Horse Park site.

“We understand that if we’re going to start opening regional sites we have to supply them with enough vaccine to plan for staffing,” Gray said. “That means they’ll be getting a steady supply.”

He said the Lexington location will have very clear signage and that recipients should enter the horse park off of Ironworks and follow signs to the Alltech Arena.

Gray asked recipients to wait in their

cars until five minutes before their appointment time and emphasized that appointments are required.

For those who have trouble walking, security and National Guard will be present with golf carts.

Officials noted that these regional hubs, including the horse park, will serve those 70 and older.

“As of today, all vaccination sites are asked to prioritize the 70 and older population until further notice. Other persons from Phase 1A and 1B remain eligible for vaccination,” Beshear said.

Beshear and other officials cautioned that there is still a supply limit for vaccines.

“We are already providing more vaccine than we have supply, but a lot of this is the building and the planning for what we hope will be a larger amount at the end of this first quarter,” Beshear said of the new hubs.

The Biden administration announced in the last week that they contracted Pfizer and Moderna for an additional 200 million doses, expected to arrive for summer.

The federal government also hopes to inform states of their expected allocation three weeks at time instead of the current uncertainty of week-to-week decisions.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A small snowman sits in “The Bowl” of William T. Young Library on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

UK PARTNERING WITH

Managing editor: Michael Clubb

ASHLAND HEALTH SYSTEM UK will enter a new partnership with King’s Daughter Health Systems, following a year of planning and approval from UK’s Board of Trustees.

The partnership is a “significant deal” covering $500 million in revenue, 3,500 employees and more than 150 physicians, said Mark Newman, executive vice president of health affairs for UK Healthcare.

“I want to emphasize that this is a deal with two strong partners. Even with COVID-19, King’s Daughters is looking stronger and more resilient than when we began our discussions almost a year ago,” Newman said. “We are not coming into this as a white knight, we are coming to work together to keep them strong and to secure our future.”

According to UK administrators, the deal consists of a management agreement where UKHC through its corporation Beyond Blue will be responsible for maintaining facilities.

“This venture envisions King’s Daughters and UK to come together to form a new, not-for profit-corporation to operate and grow King’s Daughters operations and market presence in their tri-state area through a management agreement,” Newman said.

UK Healthcare sees the partnership as a way to expand into neighboring states and enable subspecialty work, such as solid organ transplantation and bone marrow transplantation, in Lexington.

Kristie Whitlach, CEO of King’s Daughters, began working with UK a year ago after seeing an opportunity with the closure of Our Lady of Bellefonte hospital.

“She wanted to go to hardware with a proposal on how to partner to generate new dollars for both parties facing declining margins, but more importantly, the closure of your competition. Usually that’s good. In this case Kristie was smart enough to know that to protect access to care, she would need to employ many of the Our Lady of Bellefonte physicians and their clinics,” Newman said.

editor@kykernel.com Asst. news editor: Haley Simpkins Sports editor: Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com Asst. sports editor: Eric Decker Opinions editor: Sarah Michels opinions@kykernel.com Asst. Opinions editor: Gillian Stawiszynski Designer: Ryder Noah From Social media manager: Sarah Simon-Patches KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES 340 McVey Hall University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506

On the cover: MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF SGA’s Director of Inclusion and Equity Kayla Woodson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at the Student Government Association office in the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Correction: In last week’s article ‘Behind every shot, a story’, professor Scoobie Ryan was misidentified as the director of the School and Journalism and Media. Ryan previously served as interim director and no longer holds the position. The Kernel regrets the error.

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Monday, February 1, 2021

news

Kernel finds no evidence that Greystar had power in campus reopening decision

By Sarah Michels news@kykernel.com

When campus reopened in August for the fall semester, some were skeptical of the university’s motives.

In September, United Campus Workers, a campus union open to all UK graduate students, staff and faculty, suggested that UK’s dorm housing partner may have had a part in the reopening decision.

UK announced they would bring students back for the fall semester on May 1, 2020 at the end of a spring semester forced online by COVID-19.

In June the university released a “playbook” for the reopening, which included suggestions like limiting occupancy in dorms. Around 6,500 students lived on campus in the fall semester.

The university’s public-private partnership with Greystar, a rental housing management company, was worrisome, UCW members said. UK’s delay in fulfilling their open records request for documents related to the partnership increased their concern that the university was prioritizing profit over health and safety of the campus community.

The Kernel also filed an open records request for UK’s contract with Grey-

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star, as well as all email communications between the two parties, in accordance with the Kentucky Open Records Act, to independently assess the evidence.

After reviewing the 50plus documents, which included leases, guaranties, land descriptions and email correspondence, the Kernel did not find any language that would have given Greystar undue influence in the campus reopening.

Greystar partners with 50 universities across the country to develop student housing. According to their website, they focus on development, design and construction, finance and management in order to revitalize campus living. They own many of the dorm housing structures on campus, including Woodland Glen I-V and Jewell Hall. A few others are separately owned by the university, including Smith and Baldwin halls.

In the legal documents, the University of Kentucky is referred to as the “Landlord” and EDR LLC is referred to as the “Tenant.”

EDR LLC, or Education Realty Trust, is a public real estate investment trust that was bought by Greystar in 2018. Greystar is under the same contractual obligations as EDR LLC, said UK spokesperson Jay Blanton.

A clause from the university’s leasing agreement with Greystar explains the rights of the tenant, UK, and the landlord, Greystar in managing rental rates and other enforcement of dorm permits related to the Greystar’s propoerties on UK s campus. Document obtained by the Kernel via na open records request.

UK partnered with Greystar (formerly EDR LLC) in 2013, for several reasons, including updating “obsolete” housing as well as drawing in and promoting the success of more students.

“It’s these residence halls that have been built over the last five to seven years that enable the university, in part, in large part to provide safe living space for students,” Blanton said.

See POWER on page 5 On the right: A UK student pushes a cart into Woodland Glen III during move in on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo

by Jack Weaver | Staff

Monday, February 1, 2021

news POWER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Since 2013 the university has constructed or renovated 13 dorms totaling $459,479,717 and 6,850 beds.

According to the lease, the agreement between UK and EDR stands until at least 50 years after the “Construction Term” of each housing project ends.

At that point, the parties have the option to renew the lease for 25 additional years.

Greystar’s revenue comes from various student housing operations, including student rent, vending and laundry income and related fees.

Many of those revenue streams are exactly those lost during the pandemic as students moved out and campus shut down. However, UK has recouped much of those early losses with government aid like higher ed funding in the CARES Act. In April of 2020, UK president Eli Capilouto announced an expected $70 million revenue shortfall for the university, $40 million of which came from “declines in institutional investment income and tuition revenues” and the rest from added costs from COVID. UK did give students partial refunds on housing and dining bills, proportionate to the amount of time left in the semester when UK went online.

The university is required to collect student rent on behalf of Greystar monthly, but they are not liable for students’ unpaid

rent or lack of rental revenue. UK is not required to pay Greystar any set amount; the university only serves as a middleman.

UK has no other financial obligations to Greystar. Penny Cox, UK treasurer, said that there is no guaranteed occupancy, and Greystar only gets what UK collects from students’ rental fees.

“Once the bill is paid, that’s when Greystar gets funds,” Cox said. “It’s only on what we collect and we do not have any obligation to provide students for the buildings.”

Blanton said the fact that there is no minimum guaranteed occupancy completely undercuts any argument that UK has “some extreme profit motive to keep housing open.”

Greystar pays UK a portion of their earnings as base rent each year. In addition, if in any given year, Greystar exceeds their goal internal rate of return (IRR) of 9 percent, they will pay UK a quarter of their excess net income.

Conversely, if Greystar fails to reach their goal IRR for any reason, UK does not owe them that unearned expected revenue.

Greystar does have several areas of influence, including the determination of student rent. As of the 2017-18 school year, Greystar can increase rent by at least 4% each year.

In December of 2020, the finance committee of UK’s Board of Trustees did vote to increase housing costs for 2021 - 2022 by 3 percent for both private and university-constructed dorms.

Greystar is also per-

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Lewis Hall at the University of Kentucky on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky. Lewis, which also houses the honors college, is one of the university’s newest dorms.

mitted to enforce leases and “control the Premises.” However, this does not mean that Greystar is able to determine when the campus is open or closed; in fact, any Greystar actions that UK deems as not in “good faith” are subject to the parties’ dispute resolution procedures.

Cox said that the university’s partnership with Greystar was part of what set UK apart from other schools in its ability to keep campus open for the entire fall semester.

“When you looked at schools like Notre Dame and Michigan that closed after two weeks, they don’t

have the same sort of design, where a student had a private space,” she said.

“What we had before (the Greystar partnership) was a room and you could put your arm out and touch the other person in the band across the room from it.”

Last week, the Chronicle of Higher Education published an article exploring how colleges’ heavy investment in campus infrastructure may have driven debt that pushed them to reopen. UK’s partnership with Greystart is cited in the piece as a “landmark” for public-private cooperation. According to the Chronicle, tuition and re-

lated fees like dining and housing made up only 15.7 percent of UK’s budget.

UCW has raised awareness about UK’s relationship with Greystar and says they are currently conducting an investigation into the same records the Kernel received. One of their concerns was at lest one member of the Greystar team, Garret Buehner, was using both an UK email address and Greystar email address in his correspondence.

This is by design, said James Frazier, executive director of risk management and administrative services. As with UK’s dining partner, UK pro-

vides some third party individuals with UK email addresses to create a more “seamless” experience for students. Frazier said they want students to think that they are reaching out to the university, not a third party.

Cox added that this helps cultivate the connection students have to the campus family.

“When you write to an email address that has .uky, you get that level of confidence that the person you’re writing to is going to take responsibility and get back to you,” she said.

“We’re responding on behalf of the university, not as the individual.”

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UK fraternity suspension linked to burglary investigation, parties

By Natalie Parks news@kykernel.com

Documents from Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s student conduct hearing reveal new details in the fraternity’s suspension, including members’ involvement in a burglary case and violations of COVID-19 protocol that the hearing committee said showed “an extreme disregard for human life.”

According to an initial incident report, fraternity members broke into a Lexington house in September and were confronted by police. In emails obtained by the Kernel through an open records request, UK administrators called the incident “pretty severe.”

UK police said the conflict began over a rental dispute. The house involved was owned by the mother of an SAE member and rented by a redacted individual.

“SAE members claimed that [redacted] told the landlord that they were SAE so that they could rent the house, and upon finding this out, SAE members told the landlord. [Redacted] claimed that SAE was upset that they attempted to rent the house when SAE’s lease was in limbo,” said the incident report, submitted to the acting director of the Office of Student Con-

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duct on Sept. 25, 2020.

The report describes the following conflict as a “large physical altercation involving UK [redacted].”

At 2:30 a.m. on Sept.

25, 30 to 40 SAE brothers entered the house by breaking a window and knocking down a door while “allegedly armed with golf clubs and other dangerous instru-ments.” Blood would be found inside, and various items damaged.

“SAE members broke a TV, threw beer bottles, and cornered [redacted] in the house, making threats and pushing/shoving,” the report reads. SAE members fled to another house where they barricaded themselves inside and refused to open the door when Lexington police arrived.

Following the burglary, three SAE members arrived at UK hospital for treatment. One person had a possible concussion and another “miscellaneous contusions, as well as bilateral lacera-tions on the arms consistent with forced entry through a window,” according to the initial report. The patients did not identify themselves as SAE brothers, stated they were “jumped” but were inconsistent about time and location.

According to the incident report, Lexington police are pursuing warrants

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF The Sigma Alpha Epsilon house on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

for burglary in the first degree. SAE has not responded to the Kernel’s request for comment.

A student conduct hearing was held on Nov. 9 to investigate four violations: misuse of alcohol, failure to follow UK Covid-19 health and safety guidelines, failure to comply and abuse of the process. Four UK administrators, including the fraternity’s support

person, testified to the conduct board.

The SAE president and vice president both testified on behalf of the fraternity, though their names are redacted in the documents.

The report refers to them/ SAE as “respondent.” Respondent said that [redacted] “scheduled an in-person meeting that violated Covid-19 requirements as well as the Order dated

September 4, 2020 prohib- and did not ask rush chairs iting any meetings, because if they met with recruits in it would be more impactful person after the fact. to hold an in-person meetThe hearing summary ing.” The document also said the respondent’s testishows that respondents mony is “questionable” in said rush chairs met with light of other evidence. new members in person “Anonymous eyewitand were “hard to control.” ness report from 9/1 indiAdditionally, the re- cating that videos were takspondent admitted that they en of SAE having an event did not provide guidance to that broke COVID social rush chairs that in-person activities were prohibited See FRATERNITY on page 7

Monday, February 1, 2021

news FRATERNITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

distancing and event capacity requirements,” said the hearing summary.

SAE also provided beer at rush events where, because they are recruitment activities, “individuals attending this event were under 21 years of age,” said the report.

Snapchat videos showed an SAE flag at a September party. The hearing committee “did not find it was credible that SAE flags would appear at locations where no SAE members were present.” Furthermore, SAE members confirmed that they lived at the party address. The hearing board concluded that the presence of the flag would lead non-members to associate the event with SAE. These September parties led the hearing board to find SAE in violation of COVID-19 protocols and the university’s alcohol policy.

“After all of these warnings, workshops, probate, and coaching, respondent has admitted that they intentionally ignored the direction to not host any in person events beginning Sept. 4, 2020. Given the seriousness of the Covid-19 epidemic, it is unconscionable that the respondent made the decision to host a large gathering on Sept. 8, 2020 in complete defiance of University of Kentucky Covid-19 restrictions,” the hearing summary said.

SAE representatives indicated that many SAE members had contracted COVID-19 during the school year.

“In light of the fraternity’s willful disregard of safety protocol, this was not surprising. Furthermore, rather than complete the restorative action by Sept. 1, respondent chose to have a party on this day,” reads the summary report.

SAE received a twoyear suspension for its violations of the student code of conduct, in part because

A section of the summary report from Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s conduct hearing, held on Nov. 9, 2020 via Zoom, details how the committee concluded that the fraternity had violated university policy by hosting in person events during the recruitment period and tying addresses with known parties to SAE members. Document obtained by the Kernel through an open records request.

the fraternity was already on probation for prior infractions and failed to compete its restorative requirements.

SAE leadership claimed they were not aware of outstanding restorative actions. According to the hearing summary, SAE leaders first blamed a consulting agency and then assistant dean of students Susan West for not updating

the fraternity on the outstanding issues when the new leaders transitioned.

Fraternity respondents “then stated that this was an ‘honest oversight.’ [Redacted] then blamed the past president and stated that ‘[redacted] was elected in June and the previous president didn’t in-form [redacted] of it.’”

The previous SAE president ““was surprised

A section of the summary report from Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s conduct hearing, held on Nov. 9, 2020, explains the evidence used to prove SAE hosted parties associated with the fraternity in violation of COVID guidelines. Document obtained by the Kernel through an open records request.

the group would be held accountable to complete something from the Music Madness event as it was so long ago.’ [Redacted] also blamed the past administrations of SAE and stated that ‘didn’t know it existed.’”

The hearing summary said SAE had been provided with warnings, coachings and workshops that did not work to change behavior and thus warranted the two-year suspension for the fraternity.

“Respondent’s leadership should be fully familiar with the history of past violations so that they can take steps to avoid similar violations in the future.

Without this knowledge, the Hearing Board concluded that it is likely that respondent will continue to violate UK rules and re-quirements,” the hearing summary said.

The hearing summary stated that SAE has been put on conduct probation three times in the last three years, including for

a March 13, 2020 event.

SAE was supposed to limit their events with alcohol to two a semester and complete training and planning sessions with administrators, which they did not do.

SAE also received a cease-and-desist letter from their national chapter in November of 2020 in relation to the COVID and alcohol violations.

As part of the suspension, all fraternity brothers were moved out of the SAE house before the beginning of the spring semester.

“To assist with vandalism concerns, UKPD was also notified and is willing to facilitate an extra patrol every evening until 11/25,” said an administrative email.

UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said SAE cannot have meetings or events during the suspension.

SAE has previously been suspended for alcohol misuse, fire code violations and hazing, according to archived Kernel stories.

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Monday, February 1, 2021

features

Out of darkness, into light?

College students on America’s future

By Sarah Michels features@kykernel.com

When Covid-19 arrived, it forced people to stay home. The usual distractions were taken away as restaurants and businesses closed, sports seasons abruptly halted and the world went quiet. Americans, looking for their entertainment fix, began paying attention to their surroundings, only to discover that quiet was not synonymous with peaceful.

They watched, listened and read the news, giving their full attention to what was happening in the country, perhaps for the first time in a long time.

Tragedies like the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor received months of national attention they might not have otherwise gotten during a distraction-filled, pandemic-less time. All eyes were on the Trump administration and state leaders as they tried—and often failed—to rein in Covid-19.

Polarization, not only of political leaders but everyday citizens, took center stage as Americans struggled to agree on even the most basic of facts.

In short: the past year aired a whole lot of America’s dirty laundry.

After a year of debilitating political and physical isolation, is there hope for America’s future gener-

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ations? Will 2020 go down in history as the beginning of the end or a new beginning?

“It definitely took everything that was really wrong with America, and then put it on a projector in a petri dish for people to see,” said Kayla Woodson, director of equity and diversity for UK’s student government. “I think people saw it, and I’m gonna need people to act like they want to change based on what they saw.”

Woodson remembers 2016’s palpable attitude shift. When Donald Trump ascended to the presidency, Woodson said he brought out the absolute worst in everybody.

“There’s definitely a large rift in in America that has pretty much probably always been there, but it definitely got a lot worse after it became okay to say those things out loud like Donald Trump made it seem like,” Woodson said.

Even though he’s now been replaced with President Joe Biden, people are still showing their ugly colors, Woodson said, and she doesn’t see any signs that things are going to significantly improve any time soon.

She believes that while many have become politically aware in the past four years, just as many others haven’t learned anything or are trying to settle now that

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A UK student holds up a sign during a student-led protest in response to the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Trump is gone.

“Instead of pushing forward, they’re just like, ‘Oh I think things are okay where we’re at right now,’” Woodson said. “[A] fear of mine is that people are just gonna go back to a normal that America was fine. And it has never been fine. And it hasn’t been fine for a lot of people for a long time.”

Over the summer, the Black Lives Matter move-

ment picked up steam.

Hordes of protestors marched across the country, chanting the names of the people of color whose deaths were spurred by police brutality. Even when their feet were sore and lungs were tired, they showed up night after night, letting the nation know that they wouldn’t stop until they saw change.

It felt good to take back

some of that power, to force people to acknowledge their actions instead of shoving them under the rug, Gabe Savage said.

Savage, president of UK’s Black Student Union, feels numb. As a Black man in America, he feels eyes on him all the time. He knows that people often see him through the lens of stereotypes—“big,” “scary,” “not intelligent”—and that

anything he sees happening to a Black person on the news could have happened to him.

It’s exhausting, he said.

And annoying. Very, very annoying.

His organization, BSU, works to educate the campus on racial issues and celebrate their racial identity and culture. He says See FUTURE on page 9

Monday, February 1, 2021

features FUTURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

that while many began acknowledging and understanding the presence of discrimination toward people of color for the first time over the summer, it is nothing new.

“The racial injustices, people being killed, people being racially profiled, you know, it happens all the time. And it happened before we were born, happened when we were being born, while we’re growing up, and now,” Savage said.

“This stuff just keeps happening.”

Although he is cognizant that for some, the Black Lives Matter movement is just a fad, he feels that overall, the nation is making progress.

Eventually, Savage hopes that society will reach a point where the “racial battleground” is no more, and skin color isn’t something that people focus on as much. He thinks this shift will take longer than his generation’s lifetime, but that Kamala Harris’ historic vice presidency as the first Black woman in the office sets a nice tone.

His hope is that placing a person of color in such a public position of power will begin a trend in which America embraces its melting pot culture and proudly displays its diversity.

“Until there’s tens (of people like Harris), as soon as we have a growing number and it becomes like a normal thing where we see anybody is capable of doing any position, I think that’s when we’ll revert from all the racial acknowl-

edgement in sort of a negative way,” Savage said. “I think it will just take time.

It’ll take a lot of time.”

Courtney Wheeler also understands that one president or vice president can’t do it all. It takes everyone to make an impact.

Wheeler, UK’s student government president, is a glass-half-full type of woman. She interacts with a multitude and variety of students on a daily basis, most of whom she says just want unity. Despite the polarizing viewpoints she sees scrolling through social media, Wheeler said she thinks her generation still has the willingness to listen and capacity to change.

“Now I do think that our generation has, you know they have their beliefs, they have their values, they have their things that they’re not willing to compromise on, but they’re willing to hear someone out, and they’re not going to turn around and scream to the next person because they don’t believe in what they’re saying,” Wheeler said.

She doesn’t see a Biden presidency as a polarization panacea. As a president herself, Wheeler said that people have to understand that no one can or will be perfect in their leadership role. Any decision Biden or any president makes, no matter how positive, helps some and hurts others.

Instead, the responsibility of unifying the country falls on everyone’s shoulders. Wheeler said that in her time in SGA, she learned that a leader is nothing without a strong team. For example, she said Wellness Wednes-

days would have never happened if she had been left to run student government on her own rather than working directly with people like the director of health and wellness.

Wheeler said her generation understands this idea that a leader can’t do it all; everyone has to pitch in to create change and solve problems. She feels that her generation has gone through a lot of trauma, and consequently is eager and determined to challenge the status quo.

“We feel as if we have to do it. We got to make the change,” Wheeler said.

See FUTURE on page 10

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF UK’s Black Student Union president Gabe Savage poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Trump 2020 flags fly above the parking lot outside of Rupp Arena before President Donald Trump’s visit on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, in Lexington, Kentucky. Trump was there to stump for Matt Bevin, who lost his reelection race for governor.

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Monday, February 1, 2021

features

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF SGA Student Body President Courtney Wheeler poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, at Memorial Hall in Lexington, Kentucky.

FUTURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

“Our Black students need to feel just as comfortable as our white students in places they need. We need to work together, and with this sense of divide, we’re not going to.”

Aidan O’Brien hopes that his generation never forgets Trump, and forever changes because of him.

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O’Brien saw many students politically activated

by Trump throughout the past four years. As president of College Democrats at UK, he hopes that with Biden’s presidency, the vigor for activism doesn’t fade. He doesn’t think it will.

“There are movements on campus that are a lot greater than Trump himself,” he said. “This is not four years and we’re done.”

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF UK College Democrats president Aidan O’Brien poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Biden has an opportunity to unite the country after the division Trump sowed, O’Brien said, but he isn’t sure how he’ll pull it off.

He added that while he’s hopeful for the future of the nation and his generation, his optimism is slightly dulled compared to most College Democrats members.

“There is hope. But it depends on the actions we take moving forward,”

O’Brien said. “If we stay engaged, if we stay organized, if we stay active in demanding what we want from our government from people in power.”

O’Brien sees the shaky Democratic trifecta and Biden’s own moderate views as potentially limiting. He’s also worried about 2022, the midterm elections.

It’s common for modern-day presidents to es-

sentially get two years to further their agenda before midterms shift the control to the opposite political party, which can use their majority to block any significant policy or law the president wants to pass.

This can prevent presidents from getting anything done through the legislature during their final two years.

O’Brien said he is afraid these obstruction politics could hinder Biden from

the “consistent and steady reforms” he hopes to see during his term, specifically concerning climate change, racial justice and assistance for college students who were left out of the first stimulus package.

“I don’t want it to be a two-year thing and then we get stalled out and don’t get to make more progress,” he said. “I’d like to see bold steps.”

Samantha Udarbe also wants words to turn into actions. After listening to Biden’s speeches about unity, she is cautiously optimistic, but not overly hopeful.

“It’s so annoying because, a lot of times, that’s all it is— all talk and no walk,” said Udarbe, president of Campus Kitchens at the University of Kentucky.

She doesn’t know how to solve the nation’s polarization problem, but Udarbe said she thinks social media will play a crucial part due to its ability to quickly spread information.

Her involvement with student organizations like Campus Kitchens also gives her hope that her generation will be able to shift the culture. Even though the organization’s primary issue is food insecurity, since the pandemic, students have been discussing the intersectionality between their primary issue and other global and national issues that they’ve learned about from their involvement in other groups.

Udarbe thinks that these inter-organizational connections are long overdue.

However, the understandSee FUTURE on page 11

Monday, February 1, 2021

features FUTURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

ing doesn’t go far enough, she added.

“It’s really discouraging to see how divided the United States is and how polarized political parties are and whether or not they can make or break relationships in some cases,” she said. “I hear a lot of talk of, ‘Oh this person is a Republican and I’m not gonna hang out with them, like I’m not friends with them anymore,’ and it’s like, that’s not how it should be.”

Allie Holt chooses to be positive about the longterm effects of the past year of political turmoil and Covid-19. She doesn’t let herself fall down a negative spiral of fears and doubts, but rather chooses to make every experience—good or bad— one of growth.

Holt, Dance Blue overall chair, lives with three generations, and said that her generation seems more hopeful than the rest, with a perspective of wanting to learn. From Holt’s point of view as a student leader, a lot of people are in the middle, and so she hopes that her generation can find ways to compromise.

“Everything is very isolated in two different ways right now. And with that, not a whole lot can get done,” she said.

Despite the great damage Covid-19 wrought on the world, Holt said she is hopeful that her generation will come out of the pandemic with key skills.

“We will have the tools from having to adapt to on-

line school when we didn’t really have an option last spring because it was just the world around us,” Holt said. “We just had to do it and move forward and so we’ll have that resiliency.”

Holt also compared Covid-19 to the 2008 recession; Uber and Venmo emerged from the previous dark period in American history, so why can’t an invention or innovation just as great come out of the pandemic?

“We’ve already been through something in our lives that some people never experience in their entire lifetime,” Holt said. “And so, with that we have the opportunity to take it and learn from it, and grow from it, and then make it even an experience that we can benefit from later in our lives.”

Several UK students echoed the idea of growth through adversity. Freshman Macy Pennington is antsy for Covid-19 to die down so everything can go back to a version of normal, but she sees the experience of overcoming the pandemic’s challenges and learning from the nation’s mistakes as “making us stronger.”

Freshman Mariana Castillo also sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I feel hopeful because regardless of the circumstances, we have been able to keep going with our lives and it’s a pandemic and we’re getting our degrees and getting our classes done and just pulling through, most importantly,” she said.

Not everyone is so positive about life after Trump and Covid-19.

Freshman Juliana Castro said that after recent events, she isn’t sure if there is hope for her generation, or the generation that comes after her.

“I would say that with the elections we saw that many people still don’t think about others, and I think that thinking about others and how our decisions affect them is the way that we define our future,” Castro said. “If we don’t start doing that, I don’t think we’re going anywhere.”

Samantha Udarbe fears what a year of isolation will do to the younger generation, “growing up on a Zoom call,” when they See FUTURE on page 16

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF SGA’s Director of Inclusion and Equity Kayla Woodson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at the Student Government Association office in the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

ARDEN BARNES | STAFF Custodial supervisor Kevin Boldin uses a Protexus sanitizing gun in the Gatton Student Center on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the first month of the pandemic that would ravage the U.S. Students had just been told they would not be

spring 2021 | 11

Monday, February 1, 2021

news

Significant bills in state and national legislature

By Daniel Jeong news@kykernel.com

Congress is back in session.

At the beginning of January, run-off elections in Georgia gave Democrats the edge in the Senate, allowing the party of the president to set agendas and decide which bills to bring to the floor.

Both chambers of the federal legislature are in session working through COVID-19 relief bills, impeachment plans and inner strife following the riot on the Capitol.

Kentucky’s state legislature also resumes this week, with lawmakers returning on Tuesday, Feb, 2 to pick up bills proposed in a short session in January. The most impactful set of bills are attempts from GOP lawmakers to limit the emergency powers of the governor in responding to coronavirus. View this summary of significant legislation at the state and national level: House Bill 217 This bill seeks to limit the emergency order powers of the Governor by limiting the period of emergency orders to 15 days with extensions only provided by the General Assembly and placing limitations on the issuance of an emergency executive order.

It also amends a section of Kentucky Revised Statutes which states “the Governor may make, amend, and rescind any executive orders as deemed necessary.”

Dr. Julia F. Costich, a UK professor who specializes in public health policy, said that this bill may obstruct future governors

12 | kentucky kernel

from taking immediate action against possible disease outbreaks.

She emphasized the fact that the Kentucky General Assembly does not operate full-time, but instead meets for 60 days in even numbered years and 30 days maximum in odd numbered years. If the bill were to pass, Dr. Costich expressed that “feasible remediation may be stalled while legislators are brought into special session, which is expensive and time-consuming, from all around Kentucky.”

Beshear has used executive orders throughout the pandemic to place restrictions on schools, social gatherings and businesses, as well as mandating masks.

Dr. Costich said “a middle ground needs to be established - a balance between individual rights and public safety without requiring the intervention of the state legislature.”

She suggested that the judicial branch could be used to find a balance of power. Kentucky’s SUpreme Court has already heard cases about Beshear’s executive orders, particularly on whether school closures can be fairly applied to religious schools.

This bill has been sponsored by 12 legislators at the Kentucky House of Representatives, and has been sent to the State Government as of Jan. 9.

House Bill 10 This bill seeks to prohibit any public or private post-secondary education institution from requiring students to be vaccinated unless the individual is participat-

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A person walks up the ice covered step of the Kentucky State Capitol on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Frankfort, Kentucky.

ing in an education program that deals with delivering healthcare services. Dr. Costich said she is “hopeful that this bill won’t pass.”

“We need various sectors of society such as businesses, public buildings, and schools to open up in order to inch closer towards the old normalcy,” Costich said.

She said the likelihood this bill passes is “even.” Should the bill pass, the larger question remains of if institutions can mandate a vaccine when supplies are limited.

The University of Kentucky is not currently requiring

COVID-19 vaccinations for students, though in the fall they did mandate flu shots for all students coming to campus.

The passing of this bill, according to Dr. Costich, “will impede the University of Kentucky from going back to full in-person classes.”

This bill is sponsored by 3 House legislators and has been introduced in the House to the Committee on Committees.

Senate Bill 9 Known as the “born-alive” bill, this piece of legislature echoes federal legislation that

would penalize healthcare professionals if they do not take certain steps of care for infants who survive an abortion or attempted abortion. Kentucky’s version states that physicians are responsible in proceeding with “medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of a born-alive infant.”

It also seeks to “prohibit a person from denying or depriving a born-alive infant of medically appropriate and reasonable medical care, medical treatment, or surgical care.”

See BILLS on page 13

Monday, February 1, 2021

news BILLS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

Most of the details in the bill have not been observed in Kentucky and are already guaranteed by pre-existing Kentucky laws or basic medical ethics. Dr. Costich said it “doesn’t really have to do with imposing additional requirements on physicians”, but instead is intended “to shame women who seek reproductive health services.” This bill became law without the signature of the Governor on Jan. 22.

Kentucky budget Gov. Andy Beshear submitted a proposed budget for Kentucky’s 2021-2022 fiscal year during his state of the Commonwealth address on Jan. 7.

Beshear’s proposal includes a 2 percent increase in the General Fund for post-secondary institutions.

VARIANTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

One of the major recommendations from scientists was to stop gathering indoors. For students who have to go to class in person, Dr. Winter said studies show very little transmission in properly spaced classes “We do see spread when people are socializing and mixing during sporting events or activities where there’s a lot more close contact, but probably going to class where people are wearing masks and you’re not hanging out before class together in the hallway or studying together in close proximity, that probably is a pretty low-risk activity,” Dr. Winter said. She

Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig, dean of UK’s College of Education, said this budget is the legislation that would have the “biggest direct impact on students.”

The suggested increase would amount to an additional $2.65 million for UK, on top of its base annual appropriation of $265 million.

“We have to keep an eye on the budget since budget cuts trickle down on the students,” Dr. Heilig said. Given the overwhelmingly Republican General Assembly it seems unlikely that the entirety of the 2 percent increase will pass.

Dr. Heilig strongly recommended that students take an active role in the legislative process and “communicating with legislators about things that are important to you.”

American Rescue Plan Perhaps the weightest legislation currently under consideration is the American Rescue

is more concerned about the variants emerging in South Africa and Brazil.

“They may cause more severe disease, and there’s some very limited suggestion that the vaccines may not work as well,” Dr. Winter said.

Pfizer and Moderna have reported that their vaccines are less effective against the South African variant than they are against the predominant strain in the U.S. Efforts to identify variants and where they are spreading in the United States have been hampered by a lack of genetic testing.

One state – South Carolina – has confirmed a case of B.1.351, the strain that originated in South Africa.

Minnesota is the only state to report a case of

Plan, which if passed would be the third wave of COVID-19 relief for Americans.

President Joe Biden revealed the $1.9 trillion-dollar emergency package on Jan. 14.

According to the White House, the package has three main goals: “1. Mount a national vaccination program, contain COVID-19, and safely reopen schools”, 2. Deliver immediate relief to working families bearing the brunt of this crisis”, and 3. Support communities that are struggling in the wake of COVID-19.”

The package also proposes upgrades to federal information technology infrastructure in light of recent cyberattacks on multiple federal agencies.

Unlike previous relief packages, the American Rescue Plan would provide stimulus checks to college students and millions of other dependents who are claimed on parents’ taxes but still in need.

P.1, a variant identified in Brazil in December after causing a massive surge in Manaus.

Dr. Winter urged students to remember that they play a key role in community spread and can bring disease to others without getting severely ill themselves.

“They themselves can spread and propagate disease, without realizing it and we know that college students are in stores also working through all kinds of different jobs,” said Dr. Winter of college students.

“So I think that’s another place to really be sure that your people are thinking, you know, not only do I want to protect myself but I need to make sure I’m not part of this transmission chain.”

Biden is calling on the Congress to send additional $1400 per-person checks in an effort to provide direct financial relief to hard-hit households and stimulate the economy. This check will be given on top of the $600 stimulus checks that were passed as a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to make the total amount $2000 for each individual.

Checks may depend on household income. The American Rescue Plan also seeks to increase more direct forms of payment by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Many college students work minimum wage jobs and jobs in the service industry where they are dependent on tips. But the ARP also proposes ending the tipped minimum wage and sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities.

Dr. Stephen Voss, a professor of political science at UK, ex-

pressed concern over the possible adverse effects this plan may have on places where the cost of living is significantly lower . Dr. Voss explains that “forcing a broad national increase in minimum wage may harm the economy in places where the costs of living and wages are lower compared to other parts of the country.”

U.S. colleges would receive an additional $35 billion in funding from the APR. UK received $17.8 million in funding from the CARES Act, half of which went to students through emergency grants of $1,500.

Biden has also asked the Department of Education to extend the pause on federal student debt payments until the end of September 2021 while keeping the interest rate on loans at 0 percent.

The American Rescue Plan must still pass both chambers of Congress before it would become law and stimulus checks are authorized.

A microscopic view of a COVID-19 particle is shown above. Some scientists think variants are more contagious because the particles have evolved to attach more strongly to our cells. Photo from the Centers for Disease Control photo library.

spring 2021 | 13

Monday, February 1, 2021

sports

UK volleyball begins spring slate with win over Arkansas

By Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com

In normal times, college volleyball season would have ended over a month ago. But it was one of a number of fall sports that had portions of its regular season moved to spring as a result of the pandemic. After a ten-week layoff, the No. 4 Wildcats were back in action at Arkansas on Friday and Saturday night. They didn’t show the slightest hint of rust, sweeping the Razorbacks 3-0 on both Friday and Saturday to kick off the spring period and progress to 10-0 overall.

Junior outside hitter Alli Stumler paced Kentucky with 12 kills during day one action, while senior setter Madison Lilley racked up 35 assists. The Cats took the first two sets fairly easily (25-15, 25-16) before Arkansas gave a strong push in the third. Two kills from Stumler and the eighth kill from fellow outside hitter Avery Skinner, also a junior, finished off a 2522 set three to end things.

Including Stumler and Skinner, Kentucky had four players with eight or more kills. The Cats out-dug the Hogs 33-19 and out-blocked them 10-3.

Skinner starred on day two, tallying 17 kills to lead Kentucky in the category. The match followed a similar script to Friday’s, as the Cats raced out to a two-set advantage (25-15, 25-24) and dealt with a difficult third set. The final two assists of Lilley’s 36 – both to Skinner – gave them a 26-24 win, and their sixth straight sweep dating back to the first part of its season.

14 | kentucky kernel

Senior libero Gabby Curry had 18 digs, while Stumler contributed 16 digs and nine kills.

It was a banner series for the elder statesmen of the squad, who came up clutch in each big moment.

“I’m really proud of our upperclassmen,” Wildcat head coach Craig Skinner said, according to a university press release. “They came to play tonight and came up huge at the end of the sets when it was crunch time.”

The Cats began the spring season with a spotless 8-0 record and nearly flawless fall campaign set-wise, defeating four conference foes twice in just about a month’s time. First up was Tennessee in mid-October.

UK knocked out the Volunteers 3-0 and 3-1 over two nights. The biggest test came next, with road dates versus then-No. 9 Missouri on Oct. 28 and 29. With the Cats sitting in the country’s No. 3 spot at the time, both matchups were monumental for conference supremacy and garnered 9:00 p.m.

E.T. television slots on ESPNU. Kentucky battled the Tigers on the floor of the Hearnes Center but had its backs against the wall early. After dropping the first set 25-23 and getting behind 12-5 in set two of the best-offive affair, momentum was dire.

But the Cats fought back, finally pulling even at 20-20.

Once tied at 24-24, the squads alternated the lead for a stunning 16 consecutive points before the Tigers jumped in front 33-32. In do-or-die mode, the Cats answered with three

JORDAN PRATHER | STAFF The Kentucky volleyball team celebrates a point during the second round game of the DI NCAA Volleyball Tournament against Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 3-0.

straight to take the second set 35-33 and sap up all the momentum. They took set three 25-20 and set four 25-18 to bring home the first meeting.

Mizzou again took set one the next night. But just as they did the day before, Kentucky responded with wins in sets two, three and four to claim victory.

The Cats rode those successes through the rest of the fall, managing to not drop a set over their final four competitions (vanquishing Auburn 3-0 in Lexington on both Nov. 7 and

8, then doing the same at Mississippi State on Nov. 13 and 14).

Such a dominant showing in eight outings is not as unusual as it seems in the volleyball world.

Despite losing three-time AllSEC and two-time SEC Player of the Year Leah Edmond, Kentucky began the season as the preseason No. 3 team in the nation. While this was in large part to its returning core, such as setter Madison Lilley, opposite Ahzani Tealer and outside hitters Alli Stumler and Avery Skinner, a top-notch recruiting class has

also played a big role.

Among others, Kentucky brought in three top-30 PrepVolleyball prospects: middle blocker Elize Goetzinger (27), opposite Reagan Rutherford (10) and outside hitter Madi Skinner (2), the younger sister of Avery.

Kentucky plays next on Feb. 13 and 14, when it travels to Athens to face Georgia. They return to Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 21 and 22, where they’ll welcome South Carolina to Lexington. Times and TV networks have yet to be announced.

Monday, February 1, 2021

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want to work for the kernel? email editor@kykernel.com to get started spring 2021 | 15

Monday, February 1, 2021

features

STAFF FILE PHOTO A large American flag serves as a backdrop for speakers at the Make America Great Again rally on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Ky.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A man leads the marchers in song during the annual Holiday Freedom March on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

FUTURE

by why we are still struggling.”

Wheeler wonders how the nation can achieve unity when everyone is physically isolated.

Kayla Woodson isn’t as concerned about college students bouncing back, or uniting with every single person in America.

“Honestly like, I don’t want to unify with people that think a lot of those things were okay, that thought like you know,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

would be cultivating valuable social skills. Even some in her generation may feel long-term negative effects, she said, such as college freshmen who might not know how to find good friends or a student organization they are passionate about, and everyone stuck in the never-ending cycle of online school, work and

play.

“Everything’s so fast paced,” Udarbe said. “Being able to share a meal with roommates is something that has really gotten me through like all of this, because it’s the one time that you can really just sit away from your computer, because I feel like nowadays it just seems like everything’s on a computer and there’s really no, it’s just all gray area.”

Wheeler is also con-

cerned about mental health, especially of students.

With anxiety running rampant, she’s afraid that people will avoid asking for much-needed help while still stuck in a negative environment.

“We’re gonna have such high expectations because we had all these things on our to do list,” she said.

“But if we don’t give ourselves grace, we’re gonna struggle even more and we’re going to be frustrated

every day. every hour. kykernel.com 16 | kentucky kernel

racial slurs and there’s no police brutality and that there’s no such thing as systemic racism,” Woodson said. “I’m not trying to unite with anybody who thinks that way at all.”

While Woodson has met many open-minded people in her generation and thinks that they will do great things, she said she knows there will always be people in every generation who will try to make the lives of people

of color hell. She’s noticed an increased willingness to listen and learn, but the changes are not significant enough to break through the class and race divisions that have always prevailed across generations.

“I am a person of color so I’m always acutely aware when I am the only person of color in the room,” she said. “Things are looking better than they have before, but they can always be better.”