Kentucky Kernel: April 5, 2021

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Monday, April 5, 2021

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Monday, April 5, 2021

news

Local restaurants on the up as COVID-19 declines in Lexington

By Brooklyn Kelley news@kykernel.com

The Covid-19 pandemic came as a shock to many last March. As everyone adapted to the new normal, small businesses and their owners were some of the hardest hit by the economic fall-out of the pandemic. But with vaccinations ramping up and Kentucky expanding seating capacity for restaurants, small businesses are adjusting yet again – but this time to having customers in-person again.

Common Grounds is one of the most popular coffee shops in Lexington, with multiple locations around town. Because the locations have the ability to distance customers, Common Grounds has maintained its inviting ambiance and status as a gathering place.

“Honestly, not much has changed here. We’ve just been kind of doing the same thing we were doing,” said Colton Hooke, a store manager at Common Ground’s downtown location.

The downtown location shut down twice because of the pandemic – once when all non-essential businesses were forced to close last spring and a second time when dining restrictions were tightened in Decem-

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ber.

With restaurant restrictions loosened, Common Grounds has continued normal operations undeterred by the pandemic. But the downtown location is prepping for another change - Hooke said the shop will change locations from the current East High Street address. He said the hope is to remain downtown, but they do not have a definite location lined up yet.

When COVID-19 began, restaurants without drive-thru options were forced to close until they could serve food without dine-in. DV8 Kitchen, a sister restaurant to Saul Good, is currently allowing for customers to dine in.

The Lexington restaurant is well-known for employing people who are recovering from substance abuse, giving those individuals a stable job and income during a time when employment can be tough to secure.

Complete with tables, smiling workers and a modern inviting feel, DV8 is a place for both great food and second chances.

The restaurant has had to close several times in the past year—once on March 26 due to COVID-19 restrictions and several additional times due to a lack of business. Those latter closures were for short pe-

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A Cup of Commonwealth on Saturday, April 3, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

riods, mostly a weekend at a time.

While the pandemic did have a significant impact on DV8, a manager said the restaurant is almost back to pre-pandemic business levels. Mask policies are enforced for anyone not eating or drinking.

“We had to create a new way of, you know, making food and getting food out,” said Pablo, a production

manager who declined to give his last name.

Like other restaurants, DV8 has been buoyed by the looser rules that have arisen as more and more Kentuckians are vaccinated. DV8 is not forcing employees to get the vaccine, but rather leaving the decision up to each worker individually since it is not mandatory in the state of Kentucky.

Some restaurants have been able to operate with resuming dine-in options.

A Cup of Commonwealth is seeing a steady flow of customers at their downtown location without inside service. Instead, customers can be seated at outdoor tables with their orders.

The coffee shop has not had to close its downtown location because of

COVID-19, said Alexandra Canada.

Canada, director of community engagement and customer experience for Commonwealth, said they mixed curbside, delivery and carry-out service to get through the early days of the pandemic.

See LEXINGTON on page 7

Monday, April 5, 2021

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD WEATHER DAMAGES WALL OF TENNIS COMPLEX

A portion of the exterior wall of the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center peeled off last week due to weather damage, according to UK administrators.

Mary Vosevich, UK’s vice president of facilities management, said the damage was most likely due to water penetration that caused the facility’s coating to deteriorate.

“I suspect this was exacerbated by the heavy rains recently,” Vosevich told the Kernel. She said the athletics department has contacted a contractor to investigate and make repairs.

By Friday, April 2, repairs had begun and the exposed drywall was plastered over. UK freshman Brandon Hurst said the outer layer, which appeared to be made of styrofoam, had fallen off at least by Monday, March 29.

“I just know when we drove past it today we were like ‘oh s**t,’” Hurst told the Kernel on March 29. Hurst, a merchandise, textile and apparel major, and two friends were skateboarding on the basketball courts next to the complex that afternoon.

“I assume it was that day, or like I said there’s some lacrosse people slinging balls at it,” Hurst said of the damage to the wall.

Some of the other panels of the complex bear marks that Hurst attributed to lacrosse balls.

The damage did not extend through the

wall of the tennis complex, but was limited to the exterior panel.

VACCINE ELIGIBILITY, ACCESS EXPANDS

Starting April 5, all Kentuckians 16 and older are eligibile for a COVID-19 vaccine in the Commonwealth. The expansion to include all adults comes as Kentucky has vaccinated more than 1.4 million unique individuals as of April 4.

Eligibility differs from vaccine to vaccine, as only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for 16 and 17 year olds. Recipients must be 18 for the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

UK students can receive a vaccine through the university in two ways: by requesting an appointment through the Kroger Field mass clinic at ukvaccine.org, or at two of the three COVID-19 testing locations on campus beginning on April 6.

Only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, whigh is a single dose shot, will be offered at the testing locations - the Blue Box Theatre in the student center and in K-Lair in Haggin Hall. Students are encouraged to make an appointment through a link that will be sent to student email addresses, but walk-ups are available as long as supply lasts. Because the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved for those 18 and older, students under 18 can only be vaccinated at the Kroger Field clin-

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Brandon Hurst, a freshman merchandise and apparel major, skateboards past a portion of fallen wall on the basketball courts next to the Hilary Boone Tennis Center on Monday, March 29, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

ic and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Hours for the vaccinations vary by location: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Blue Box Theatre and 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday in K-Lair.

STATE BUDGET MILLIONS TO UK

ALLOCATES

Following the conclusion of the state legislative session, Kentucky’s fiscal budget was approved and will grant $266.2 million to UK through June of 2022.

According to an email from President Eli Capilouto, that total includes $80 million for state mandated programs like the University Press. UK can also compete against other state universities for funding from a $17.3 million pool. Universities will be measured for that allocation through “the advancement of students toward degrees, credit hours earned, and bachelor’s degrees awarded to low-income and underrepresented minority students and bachelor’s degrees awarded in specific areas [STEM+H].”

BOMB SCARE ARRESTEE APPEARS IN COURT

Bryan Carroll, the Woodford County resident arrested outside of UK Hospital with multiple guns and explosive devices, appeared in Fayette Court on Thursday, April 1, where police said Carroll told UK police officers they “weren’t the ones he had a problem with” and offered to inform on murders and drug rings.

Arresting officer John Harder of UK police testified that Carroll had an additional gun and explosive device not previously reported, bringing the total to eight guns and five explosive devices. Two of the weapons were assault rifles, an AK-47 and AK-15. Harder said during the hearing that Carroll said “he would hurt or kill any law enforcement officer who attempted to take him into custody.” Carroll faces 13 state charges, with federal counts pending. The judge declined to lower Carroll’s bond from $150,000 and forwarded the case to the Fayette Grand Jury.

Carroll was already wanted by Versailles police, who tipped UK police off to Carroll’s visit to UK Hospital.

“I guess they’re pretty familiar with Mr. Carroll in Woodford County, but up to this point, he had avoided apprehension,” Harder said.

kentuckykernel

CONTACT Editor-in-chief: Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com Managing editor: Michael Clubb Sports editor: Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com 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 Kentucky Wildcats outside hitter Alli Stumler (17) runs onto the court during introductions before the UK vs. Ole Miss volleyball game on Friday, March 12, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 3-0.

Correction: In last week’s article ‘Rallies condemn violence against Asian Americans, call for solidarity’, Dr. Keiko Tanaka’s name was misspelled as Tanake.

The Kernel regrets the error.

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Monday, April 5, 2021

news

Academic adaptations extend beyond classroom during COVID-19

By Emily Girard news@kykernel.com

As UK closes out its third semester during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote learning has come to encompass more than just online class. A student success workstream, which managed UK’s switch to remote learning, was one of the first initiatives begun last March by Provost David Blackwell; a year later, the campus itself reflects many changes to the way students live and learn.

In January, UK launched the Flex Desk program, which provides students with open study spaces in multiple buildings around campus. Rom hours vary based on when a specific building closes, but most are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Kathy Hamperian, UK’s Executive Director of Customer Support and IT Enablement, managed the project. She works with ITS Customer Services, connecting students to technology help and student labs.

“Being in the dual modality...we have students who are taking classes in person [that] may immediately be followed by a class online,” Hamperian said. “We heard from the Student Success folks that most students had both types of classes in a single

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day. [...] We were asked to try to find space so students could go and...do their online classes right after or right before their in-person class.”

The Flex Desk program was inspired by campus canopies, a series of tents that UK put up across campus in the fall to give students more opportunities to socialize while distancing.

“We all knew it was going to be a little too cold to be going out in the tents,” Hamperian said. “We knew they were used…[and] we knew we would still be doing dual modality in the spring.”

Hamperian collaborated with multiple offices to find rooms that were not scheduled for classes in various locations around campus.

The team also worked to get the word out about the program, including putting a map of Flex Desk locations on the UK: Go app.

“We knew that students were looking for this...so we didn’t really have any challenges working together as a group,” Hamperian said. “Everybody just worked so well together.” “[We] came together to try to use all the different resources and networks that we had to...make it possible,” said Marianne Young, Assistant Provost for Student and Academic Support. “We have students that are taking classes in a

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A masked student studies in the William T. Young Library during the first day of classes for the fall 2020 semester on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

variety of locations across campus, and so being able to identify a building on the north side of campus or more towards the medical side of campus has been... very helpful.”

Young explained that Student Success’s main priority has been tran-

sitioning their advising services—including CARES, career support and resources for first-generation students—to offer both in-person and virtual access. She pointed to UK’s Learn Anywhere site as a good point of access for remote learning resources.

“That Learn Anywhere site really became a onestop shop in terms of helping students figure out how [to] engage with the services that are here to support [them],” Young said. “[We] really tried to make those support services accessible and easy to find

for students as we’re navigating a new environment that we’ve never been in before.”

Though data on students’ usage of Flex Desk spaces has not been gathered, See DESKS on page 5

Monday, April 5, 2021

news DESKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

students who do use them appreciate them.

Raegan Persful, a freshman studying public health and epidemiology, frequently visits the Flex Desk space in the 90 with her friends.

“I would love to be at the library, but it’s just hard,” she said. “Some days they allow everyone to move the chairs around and you can have 10 people at a table, and then the next day we come around and... they make you move on the other side of the room, so the inconsistency is hard to plan out if you want to be with people to do work.”

Sophomore Chase Worthington, who studies finance and accounting, also utilizes the Flex Desk space in the 90.

“Usually, I do work [here] because I’m stressed,” he said. “I work on management, economics and accounting—pretty much all my classes.”

However, Student Success and Information Technology Services are not the only departments working to improve remote learning.

“Every department [and] college has done something to try to make things easier because this cannot be easy for students,” Hamperian said.

“This is not a typical college experience, so we had to all be pretty flexible.”

One example of this is The Study, UK’s on-campus tutoring center, which rapidly transitioned from in-person tutoring to virtu-

al tutoring in March 2020.

“We always had plans to expand to offer virtual [tutoring]; we just had to really accelerate that timeline to pilot something,” said Christie Maier, assistant director for peer tutoring at The Study. “We love to test something small and then learn and grow from that; this very much was ‘we’re doing it now,’ so we learned a lot very quickly.”

As UK’s campus reopened, The Study began offering in-person tutoring again; however, its operation still had to change to abide by physical distancing guidelines.

“Physically being apart from the student you’re working with [has] some challenges,” Maier said.

“It’s very natural for [tutors] to look over [a student’s] shoulder at their computer. It’s really natural to be looking and working on the same document or piece of paper.”

Even with virtual offerings, The Study has seen a drop in the number of students seeking tutoring.

“We used to see 500 to 700 sessions a week...and that’s just not what students are doing right now,” Maier said. “Moving into fall semester, where we will hopefully have a much more traditional residential experience [is] going to be a huge emphasis to us.”

Specific colleges have also been developing their own remote learning opportunities. Dr. Lisa Blue, a lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry, transitioned the General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Learning Centers online

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Students take notes in Jill Day’s History & Philosophy of Physical Education & Sport class on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at White Hall Classroom Building in Lexington, Kentucky.

over a period of 10 days.

She initially held open Zoom office hours, but she now uses Tutor Matching Service to partner students with private tutors.

“I took it from just a little table in the back of a computer lab to an actual full-fledged learning center that has since been duplicated across campus,” Blue said. “I used to drop into the learning centers [to] see how everything was going [and] make sure the TAs had the resources they needed. [...] I liked students knowing that we had them covered.”

Student advising has also seen a shift in atmosphere in moving to online, though the changes are not all detrimental. Many of these resources will con-

tinue their virtual offerings when UK returns to normal operations in the fall of 2021.

UK President Eli Capilouto announced in the beginning of March that UK will return to in-person classes in “similar numbers to that of fall 2019.”

Outside of class schedules, places like The Study will continue virtual tutoring.

“Even before COVID-19 hit, we had intentions of bringing on a virtual option,” Maier said.

“There are students [where] it is challenging for them to access tutoring in person, whether...they live off campus [or] they don’t have a parking pass; that inherently can be a barrier for some students.”

The General Chemistry

Learning Center will offer online tutoring through the summer, after which the department will “figure out which modes of communication will best address the needs of...freshman and sophomore students,” according to Blue.

“My hope is to go back to face-to-face because I think we have a lot more casual interactions,” Blue said. “Students need a place to hang out in between classes.”

Other faculty members have encountered similar challenges connecting with students and promoting their remote learning programs. Blue said that traffic for the chemistry learning centers is “way down” as well.

“We’ve tried really hard

to be consistent with messaging, but I think with all of the classes being online...that messaging has gotten drowned out in all the emails that students get,” Blue said. “It was nice to be able to stand in front of my classes and say, ‘Hey, if you need help with your classes, our learning centers are open.’”

Overall, UK faculty hope to maintain a connection with students, no matter what modality they use to offer their services.

“We may not be immediately visible because students aren’t walking through the building, but we’re still here,” Blue said.

“We’re still rooting for their success, and we still want to support them in any way possible.”

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Monday, April 5, 2021

news

Legislature overrides governor’s vetoes as 2021 session ends

By Callie Justice news@kykernel.com

Tuesday, March 30, was the last day of Kentucky’s 2021 General Assembly, the legislative session for the state’s House of Representatives and Senate. The final two days of the session were busy as lawmakers pushed through final versions of bills and overrode most of Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes to bills passed earlier in the month.

Beshear vetoed 27 bills, including a controversial addendum to Kentucky’s Open Records Act that would shield lawmakers’ documents from requests.

Kentucky’s House of Representatives overrode that veto 6629 and was followed up in similar fashion by the Senate, which voted 22-16 to dismiss the veto.

Lawmakers then went on to override another 23 of Beshear’s vetoes, including some line vetoes from the state budget, which was passed. Legislators overturned Beshear’s objection to a part of the budget that forbids state employees from enforcing mandates not enacted by the state legislature, such as the governor’s emergency orders and mask mandates.

One of the most significant overrides was Senate Bill 228, which relates to vacancies in the U.S. Senate. The House voted 70-24 and the Senate 29-8 to overturn Beshear’s objection to the bill: SB 228 - Power to fill Senate vacancies Senate Bill 228, passed by

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

both chambers of the Kentucky legislature in spite of a gubernatorial veto, changes the succession process for vacancies in the U.S. Senate. Should one of Kentucky’s senator positions be vacant, this bill requires the governor to choose a replacement from a list of three names provided by members of the previous senator’s political party. In effect, the bill strips the independent power of Gov. Beshear to temporarily appoint someone to fill a U.S. Senate seat.

The temporary appointment would last until a special election,

provided for in the bill, could take place. Members of any political party can run in the replacement election, which would have a primary and then a run-off of the top two vote getters if no candidate received a majority of votes.

Kentucky Senator and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell backs SB 228, which could be of national importance since the Senate is currently split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. Gov. Beshear has declared this bill to be unconstitutional, meaning a potential court challenge may be in the near fu-

ture - though the governor is already involved in court challenges to his emergency orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HB 574 - Election reform Bill Kentucky’s 2021 legislative session produced this bill that, unlike election bills in states like Georgia, has received bipartisan support and broad approval in making elections moree accessible.

HB 574 provides for three additional days of in-person voting in Kentucky - the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before election

day. Kentuckians will also now be allowed to cast their votes at voting centers outside of their precincts.

Some of these measures were instituted for 2020 elections as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which created a new landscape of how an election can be conducted. With mail-in ballots and weeks for early voting, many Kentuckians said the accommodations for the pandemic were convenient for every year. Parts of the bill extend the state’s online absentee ballot request portal and provide for absentee ballot dropboxes.

HB 574 also prohibits tax dollars from being spent to influence public opinion for ballot questions and elections.

“At a time when democracy itself is under attack, Kentucky is showing what is possible when leaders recognize the importance of a well-functioning electoral system and do not approach voting rules solely with partisanship in mind,” said Joshua Douglas, a professor of law at UK. Kentucky’s previous election law was based on a model from 1891, said Secretary of State Michael Adams when he introduced the bill. Adams was responsible for adjusting the state’s election plans for the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed the nation what was possible with bipartisan support.

See VETOES on page 7

Monday, April 5, 2021

news LEXINGTON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Unlike other local restaurants, Canada said Commonwealth did not see a dip in business when UK students went home last spring, taking their spending money with them. This is because the coffee shop mostly caters to business professionals on their way to work or foot traffic from nearby neighborhoods.

The number of customers coming in and out of the downtown location testifies that the community stands by this local business.

If the current decline of COVID-19 in Kentucky continues, Commonwealth may consider reopening their dine-in area. But Canada said they are waiting for staff to have the oppor-

tunity to be vaccinated if they choose to do so.

“We ultimately want to err on the side of caution,” said Canada. She emphasized that they prioritize their workers feeling safe above all else.

These three businesses are a small sample of Lexington’s local economy but show encouraging signs of recovery as spring rolls into hope. Other businesses were not so lucky – more than 30 Lexington restaurants, including music venue Cosmic Charlie’s and a Blaze Pizza franchise, shuttered their doors for good because of the pandemic.

Two Saul Good locations and Two Keys, a tavern beloved by UK students, were also lost to 2020. But with the support of locals, small businesses are on the rise once again.

VETOES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

“Our surrounding states have all done this, states around the county have done this. We’ve been in last place. With this legislation we can be in first place,” Adams said when introducing the bill in February.

HB 574 passed the House 91-3 with amendments and was delivered to the governor on March 30.

HB 95 - Insulin prices House Bill 95 was signed by Gov. Beshear on March 22 and will make insulin more affordable for Kentuckians.

This bill will create a cap on

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF DV8 Kitchen on Saturday, April 3, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

insulin costs at $30 per 30-day supply for many Kentuckians, but will not apply to Medicare, Medicaid or self-funded health plans.

The cap does apply to state-regulated, comprehensive, private health insurance plans and the Kentucky employee health plans.

The Senate unanimously passed the bill, which could benefit more than half-a-million Kentuckians depending on their insurance plan.

HB 95 is especially important in Kentucky, which has one of the highest diabetes rates in the nation. Insulin prices in the U.S. states are uncertain in the near future as the Biden administration froze a Trump-era order aimed at reining in prescription costs. The

Trump rule would have required primary care providers to pass on discounts on insulin to their patients.

HB 91 - Voter referendum on abortion amendment House Bill 91 provides for Kentucky voters to vote on adding an amendment to the state Constitution that would deny Kentuckians the right to an abortion in the Commonwealth.

Kentuckians can vote on the referendum in November 2022.

The bill was introduced at the beginning of January 2021 and passed the House with a 7620 vote on Feb. 25. The Senate passed the bill March 30 with a 32-6 vote and it is now waiting to be signed by Kentucky’s Sec-

retary of State Michael Adams, a Republican.

If passed, the referendum would add the phrase “to protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion” to the Kentucky Constitution. Abortion was recognized as a constitutional right in 1973 with the Roe v. Wade decision. Since the decision, some states have created laws or regulations banning or limiting the right. Gov. Beshear does not have the right to veto state constitutional amendments.

State budget Kentucky’s legislature approved final versions of the state’s

budget, upholding an allocated $266.2 million for the University of Kentucky. Along with state funds, the General Assembly also voted on how to distribute Kentucky’s portion of relief from the American Rescue Plan.

Kentucky received $1.1 billion in funds from the federal relief act. $250 million was appropriated for the state’s clean drinking water projects and another $50 million for expanding the state’s broadband access. Nearly $600 million will go towards repaying a federal loan, originally taken out by Kentucky to put a dent in the state’s ballooning unemployment insurance problems.

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STAFF FILE PHOTO Kentucky junior Lauren Johnson walks back to the dugout during the home opener against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 7, 2020, at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 11-9.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Teammates surround Bailey Bunn after her floor routine during the University of K morial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 197.000-196.675.

Kentucky’s female athletes on gender inequ

By Natalie Parks

There’s something in the water at the University of Kentucky this year: UK’s female athletes are consistently, universally, kicking ass.

Some of this success went unnoticed – nothing out of the ordinary for an SEC school and partly overshadowed by a disastrous season for men’s basketball. Then women’s swim and dive claimed their first SEC title, and UK’s women’s sports leapt into center stage.

From left to right, the honors, records and streaks poured in across the board in February and March. Kentucky was the only Division 1 school to be nationally ranked in women’s basketball, track and field, swim and dive, softball and volleyball. As of April 1, eight of Kentucky’s women’s sports were in the top 25, with rifle back at no. 1.

“The success that these other was teams have had, it doesn’t come easily, especially when you’re in the SEC - nothing comes easily,” said swimmer Lauren Poole. “And I think the results the winning teams have gotten, it’s just - it has to be determination and strong women and a lot of it is us coming together, especially this year.”

Lauren Johnson, a junior infielder for the softball team, said part of softball’s success – best program start in history – is due to great chemistry.

“You need everyone on the team, whether you’re a starter or not, just to really get along and everyone know their role, which I think has really helped our team succeed,” Johnson said. Softball coach Rachel Lawson credited the players for putting in the work when they editor@kykernel.com

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were away from campus due to COVID-19.

“They had to find a field or a gym or a friend of a friend of a friend who has a warehouse that they could set up a hitting situation, they had to run, they had to lift and all of those things are a lot easier when you have someone around you like your team,” Lawson said.

Especially during Women’s History Month, UK’s female athletes have taken notice of other teams’ success this year.

“It’s like created almost a more exciting atmosphere and everyone gets so excited for each other and are so proud of each other, that’s pretty cool,” said junior Josie Angeny, a gymnast just named All-SEC. “It is bomb,” said Maddie Berezowitz of the success of female athletes this year.

Berezowitz is a sophomore and libero for UK volleyball. Volleyball won 35 sets in a row this season and won the SEC championship – a record-setting fourth title in a row.

Berezowitz said volleyball’s success this year is due to the high level of play within the team that’s “unbelievable in practice.” She said dropping their set streak because it reminded them to keep pushing and working.

The accolades don’t end with wins (though those wins pushed UK rifle back into no. 1).

Athletes are setting personal and collegiate records, like track and field star Abby Steiner tying the collegiate record for the 200-meter dash.

Yet all the numbers and statistics in the world couldn’t tell the whole story of just how

Kentucky vs. Arkansas gymnastics meet on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at Me-

STAFF FILE PHOTO Freshman Lauren Poole competes in the women’s 200 yard breaststroke during the meet against the University of Cincinnati on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, at the Lancaster Aquatic Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

uality in sports impressive this success is. Female athletes like the ones making waves at UK face gender bias in sports every step of the way, from strangers and fans and even the governing bodies that rule their play.

In the experiences of seven of UK’s female athletes, sports and gender can’t be separated. En route to their championships, records and wins, they face disrespect, doubt and discrimination. The battle on the court is only half the story.

GENDER BIAS PERVADES Comments on Josie Angeny’s body started when she was in the fifth grade. She wore a tank top to school, which caught the attention of the substitute teacher.

“Gymnasts have very broad shoulders, which isn’t a super feminine characteristic and my arms have always been way bigger and muscular than regular girls, or what people think they should look like,” Angeny said. “Our substitute walked in and literally just looked straight at me and said, ‘Oh, someone’s got muscles.”

Angeny was embarrassed to be singled out. But comments on her body are par for the course as a female gymnast, and just one of the ways that female athletes are treated differently than males from a young age.

“We’re always supposed to be perfect, especially in gymnastics, that’s the whole goal.

We’re supposed to be as perfect as possible, and men’s sports aren’t really like that,” Ang-

eny said. The pressure to be perfect would trail her through gymnastics up until college.

Like many gymnasts, Angeny chose cyber school to accommodate her training schedule. Being separated from peers meant most people only knew as her “the gymnast”, never anything else.

“Gymnastics is pretty feminine, which kind of kept me a little bit on that side,” Angeny said. But even her friends would comment on her strength, something most people found weird.

But what’s weird to society is often normal for athletes; second guessing themselves is a product of other peoples’ expectations imposed on athletes, not their inherent insecurities.

Angeny never thought twice about having calluses, but people always ask what’s wrong with her hands.

“Everything you see on TV and everywhere else is girls having pretty long fingers, all this stuff that is so feminine and so pretty, or perfect or whatever you want to call it. And then we have these calluses all of our wrists and all of our hands from bars, and that’s something that like I’ve always had people point out…but I just thought I was normal,” Angeny said.

People also point out bruises, which comes from falling a lot – a normal part of gymnastics, but something most associate with football.

“Even our nails people will comment on all the time, just because apparently gymnasts aren’t supposed to have long nails…I think there’s three things that really stood out to me that I’ve never thought twice about, and then other people point them out,” Angeny said.

Outsiders project their ideas of gender onto sports, and female athletes usually bear the brunt of stereotypes.

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Monday, April 5, 2021 Lauren Johnson said she feels like all female athletes are stereotyped as not as good as male athletes. Softball many times is compared to baseball.

“Everyone tries to make comparisons between the two whenever really, they have their similarities but they’re very different,” Johnson said. “There’s so many different aspects to it that whenever you try to compare it, there’s really no comparison that can be made.”

Even so, some believe that women’s sports aren’t real sports. Mary Tucker, a sophomore who competes in rifle for UK, battles this idea on two fronts.

“People kind of view male athletes as real athletes. We get told a lot that our sport isn’t a real sport,” Tucker said.

“But then being a female, people are always like, ‘Oh, that solidifies that it’s not a real sport, because girls can do it.’’

Rifle is unique because gender distribution is equal, and women actually tend to score higher than men, leading to more respect within the sport. But outside of the rifle world, the fact that women are successful in competition leads people to devalue the sport.

“I can walk around campus and I have two championship rings and I have the Olympic rings tattooed on my arm and people are still like, ‘Oh, well, that’s not real, like what you’re doing is not a real sport,’” Tucker said.

Rifle is real enough for the Olympics – Tucker is one of two UK athletes headed to Tokyo 2021 this summer to compete for Team USA. Finishing in first place in the second round of Olympic qualifiers is one of Tucker’s proudest moments.

“Especially being as young as I am, because I know there’s a lot of other athletes who are much more experienced than me, and some of them kind of freaked out a little bit that I was able to just do what I was supposed to do,” Tucker said.

Age is not as much as factor in discrimination in rifle because people care more about when a person starts shooting. For Tucker, who started later than most at 16, many people underestimate her drive or discredit her success.

“I get a lot of people saying you’re going to burn out because you got really good really fast, and you’re not going to be able to keep doing it,” Tucker said. “Or there’s a lot of people who look at my scores and are just kind of like ‘you shouldn’t be here.’ Like, we’ve been working at this for 10 more years than [Tucker].

Age is another layer of discrimination for athletes in other sports. In swimming, Poole said male athletes devalue the accomplishments of their female counterparts because the times aren’t as fast. Poole has experienced this herself; she made the Olympic trials’ qualifying times in 2016, but the boys on her club team said it was easier for her because she was a girl.

“People act like it’s easier [for girls] to be better in rankings than boys because boys mature later and they get stronger later on,” Poole said. ”I definitely had some club teammates in high school who acted like my accomplishments weren’t as amazing because, ‘oh, a lot of teenage girls do that,’ which is kind of annoying because I know

STAFF FILE PHOTO Freshman Abby Steiner gets set to run in the 200 meter event during the Jim Green Invitational meet on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky.

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teenage boys who have gotten trials’ cuts - but not the ones I swam with, so it was like they didn’t really understand how cool it was.”

Being young and female leads some people to condescend to female athletes.

“On social media or doing interviews, that gets mentioned,” Tucker said. “A lot of people are just like, ‘oh, you’re just a little girl’ and it’s like ‘okay, well, I’m actually a very high-performing athlete.’

Angeny recently experienced a situation like this on the team. A staff member spoke down to her like she was 12 and at first Angeny didn’t think anything of it, only wanting to correct the problem.

“But then the other staff member that was nice to me looked at me and she was like, ‘How do they expect you to act like an adult when they treat you like a 12-year-old, and I was like, yeah,” Angeny said. She thought about how she doesn’t see the same condescending tone used on male athletes even when their teams have the same issues, but that kind of treatment is common for girls in gymnastics.

“I don’t even think about it until someone says something because especially in my sport, the way that we come up in it, it’s so regular for us to like be brought down because it’s so easy for them,” Angeny said of authorities in gymnastics.

Angeny recounted having shoes thrown at her and water spit at her when she was younger.

“I never thought anything of it I thought, it was funny at the time, a little bit because I didn’t know how to handle

STAFF FILE PHOTO Kentucky freshman Raena Worley performs her floor routine during the match against Illinois on Friday, March 6, 2020.

Monday, April 5, 2021 those situations,” Angeny said.

Like other gymnasts, she didn’t tell her parents or other coaches because she didn’t want to upset anyone.

“We feel like we’re just not supposed to say anything because, even with me, I know some coaches would treat me a certain way, and I felt like I couldn’t tell the higher up coach because then they would get mad,” Angeny said. She even tried to hide an injury after she broke her ankle four times in the ninth grade.

“Every time I would roll it, I was so terrified to tell my coach because they would get so angry and mad it just puts you in such a – you feel so little,” Angeny said.

Those feelings are isolated by the nature of gymnastics. Athletes are isolated and under-socialized because they are not in school, then pushed together in high pressure environments for six hours a day.

“You’re striving to be perfect all day long, so it’s very hard on younger girls where some people don’t really process it until later, where I kind of realized everything that was happening as I grew up,” Angeny said.

Those negative environments went away when Angeny became a college athlete, something gymnasts wait for in their younger careers. But even relief from toxic training would not stop gender discrimination; like other college athletes, Angeny found that societal expectations would affect her relationship with her body.

BODY IMAGE

Female athletes say it over and over again: they wear their uniforms to be at their best to compete, but those uniforms leave a lot for spectators to criticize.

“Our bodies are on full display at all times, and that’s a choice that we make and to be quite honest, never even crossed my mind as a second thought,” Berezowitz said. “But with that being said, we also are hyper aware of what our bodies look like at all times.”

Angeny experienced this vulnerability firsthand after a difficult freshman year, when she dedicated herself to the gym in the offseason.

“Even some of the broadcasters mentioned how I’ve gotten in better shape, and they’ve mentioned how like, I just looked so much more prepared for the season,” Angeny said “So they’ll say things kind of around that, where girls can take that any way that they want to.”

For many athletes, comments like that can lead to doubts about their appearance. Some worry that their physical strength – a benefit on the field – makes them less girly, while others are pressured to be thinner and faster.

“Since our sport is literally down to like hundredths of seconds, it’s almost like you have to be perfect at everything you’re doing in order to shave off those hundredths of seconds,” Abby Steiner said.

Steiner receives lots of comments about her arms but brushes it off because the commenters are “always someone who has never participated in the sport.” She feels comfortable going to coaches or other teammates to discuss the shared experience of unwanted comments.

“I’ve seen people who have commented like,’ Oh, she’s so muscular, she looks like the German sprinters who were caught for doping with how muscular she looks.’ There are always comments, not only about muscles, but also interesting comments about just appearance in general,” Steiner said.

Within the sport, athletes have respect for their teammates’ physical strength.

“I think it’s seen as a sign of something amazing,” Steiner said. “People will make positive comments on muscles and weight room gains and stuff like that, everyone always cheers people on to make those gains versus if you’re coming in from the outside other people might have negative comments to say.”

Swimmers usually start weightlifting in college, so the changes can be startling “A lot of girls are like, ‘Oh no, my arm muscles look too big in that picture’, or there’s some girls on deck that are really tall and

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats outside hitter Avery Skinner (4) dives for the ball during the UK vs. Ole Miss game on Saturday, March 13, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 3-1.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Rhyne Howard (10) blocks a shot during the UK vs. Missouri women’s basketball game on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 61-55.

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features DOUBLE STANDARDS

Comments on athletes’ bodies are just one double standard between men’s and women’s sports.

“They might be giving one girl a compliment and then tearing another one down about it, but in men’s sports, the fans don’t really comment on their bodies,” Johnson said. “…we’re looked at for our bodies, whether it’s good or bad, like, ‘Oh, she’s very athletic’ or ‘Oh She doesn’t look that athletic’, whereas an in men’s sports they don’t really touch that subject they just look at their physical ability.”

That double standard extends into commentary, Lawson said. Even though some people make personal comments about male athletes it is almost always personal with women – especially if the woman is not playing well.

“It’s not just, ‘hey, your swing sucks’, there’s always a look comment,” Lawson said. “It’s always about what you look like and that’s always thrown in there somehow, or if you happen to be a great athlete and you’re attractive, that always gets thrown in there too.”

Lawson most sees a

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats outside hitter Madi Skinner (2) spikes the ball during the UK vs. Ole Miss volleyball game on Friday, March 12, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

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double standard in sports in the kind of language men and women are allowed to use.

“I have a bad mouth and I’m really trying to work on it,” Lawson said. “I do things that a normal football and basketball coach does every single day, but a woman, when she speaks the truth in a blunt sort of way, I get a lot of comments on that.”

That principle was on display at the women’s NCAA basketball championship, when Arizona head coach Adia Barnes was caught on camera saying “f**k everybody” when her team – discounted by many – made it to the Final Four. Backlash was swift, but Barnes stood by her actions.

“I don’t feel like I need to apologize. It’s what I felt with my team at the moment. I wouldn’t take it back. We’ve gone to war together. We believe in each other,” Barnes said.

“So I’m in those moments, and that’s how I am, so I don’t apologize for doing that. I’m just me, and I have to just be me.”

Lawson thinks getting to the stage of free speech for men and women is the next frontier in sports equality.

“A woman should be allowed an opinion and she should be able to say it as bluntly as she wants to.

But I don’t think that’s the standard,” Lawson said. “I think men are allowed to say things that women just aren’t.”

Berezowitz noted that sexism can go both ways.

Gymnastics is thought of as a sport for girls, so male gymnasts face sexism in that sport.

“My cousin is a male

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Josie Angeny preforms her bars routine during the University of Kentucky vs. Arkansas gymnastics meet on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

gymnast, and he kind of gets looked at funny for being a male gymnast,” Berezowitz said. Volleyball is similar – though the men’s side is an “unbelievable level” of play, they rarely get as much attention as the women.

Gymnastics honestly is one of the only sports I can think of that the women’s side versus the men’s side is more popular and it’s almost prioritized,” Angeny said. With most sports, men’s teams are valued over the women – like men’s basketball playing in Rupp while the women play in Memorial Coliseum.

Angeny pointed out a double standard new to this year.

“Men’s sports have kind of been held to a different standard this year with COVID protocols.

You don’t really see them getting in trouble for not wearing masks,” Angeny said. “We’re kind of held

to a higher standard. We get so many emails from fans if we’re not putting our masks on right away, which obviously everyone should be doing.”

Gender inequity can be exacerbated in lesser-known sports, but for track and field the first challenge is being recognized for their hard work and dedication, Steiner said.

“I know that Clemson cut their men’s track and field programs to save like $2 million in their budget, and then their football team has this facility with like a water side and a mini golf course inside of it,” Steiner said. “So it’s interesting to see how track being not as big of a moneymaker can kind of get brushed aside at these other schools.”

She hasn’t felt that way at Kentucky, thankfully.

The equity in resources is there at Kentucky and in the SEC, which Lawson loves, but not across the

board.

“Other conferences they don’t spend as much money on the women. So the women’s softball team is playing in a facility that’s rundown, whereas the baseball team’s is significantly nicer,” Lawson said, citing the NCAA tournament weight room as an example of a common problem. But facility quality is not the only inequity.

“Some schools will say ‘hey, we have all these resources’, but they let the women do it [practice] at eight o’clock at night, as opposed to primetime,” Lawson said.

AT KENTUCKY

It’s the name on everyone’s lips – Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky’s athletic director and to many, the man behind UK’s widespread success in women’s sports.

“I think Mitch Barnhart is the best athletic director in the nation because he’s so supportive of woman

Monday, April 5, 2021

features sports, equally as supportive as he is of basketball and football who create significant more revenue than we do,” Berezowitz said. “And that just means a lot.”

Lawson has a few concrete reasons that Barnhart is a factor in UK’s success.

“He sets expectations for the programs, and then he gives you the resources. And then on top of that - people think resources are just buildings, but it’s not. It’s staff, it’s the ability to eat great foods, it’s the ability to work out and everything, and it’s our academic support,” Lawson said. Success also comes from confidence and believing in yourself – which Lawson said is built up through a leadership program at Kentucky.

“To feel strong is empowering as a woman. Just the physical strength and the belief that I’m smart, and I’m strong, and I can go into any situation and I’m going to be fine - that mindset and that power that you have within yourself allows you to take chances… it allows you to do things that other people would not have the courage to do,” Lawson said.

That kind of foundation is the beauty of Kentucky, Lawson said, and so she is not surprised that the women’s teams are doing so well at the same time.

And, Kentucky has a few initiatives to encourage support between the women’s teams. Angeny said athletics usually hosts a meal for National Women’s Day, and Berezowitz said she liked the group workout for all female athletes missed this year due to COVID-19. That kind of cross-team support creates an encouraging environment for teams on the up.

“We were looking for that first SEC title and we have teams like the volleyball team who won their conference title three years in a row, and that is just so motivating for us to look at,” Poole said. “There’s female athletes at our school that can do it, so why can’t we?”

Poole said seeing support for swim and dive was the best part of winning the SEC title.

Alumni met the team on their return, signs were put up in dorms, the dining hall workers congratulated the swimmers when they went in for meals.

“We do a lot of cool things as the women’s swim team, and I don’t think a lot of people notice,” Poole said. “So it was really special for someone to notice that we just had a really amazing accomplishment.”

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats head coach Rachel Lawson watches the University of Kentucky vs. Alabama softball game on Saturday, March 27, 2021, at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

Support comes from within the teams as well. All of the athletes mentioned the incredible coaching staffs as credits to their success.

“I think our team does a really good job of creating like a one team atmosphere, versus like the men’s team and woman’s team,” Steiner said. “I think we all kind of are there to support each other in that sense.”

Those safe and supportive teams help athletes through issues on and off the court.

“We all know that it’s a safe environment, whether we need to talk about having an issue with shooting, having family issues, a school issue, we always go to each other and have that support,” Tucker said. “And our coaching staff is also extremely supportive.”

For rifle especially, being a part of the Kentucky program benefits Tucker because UK has a reputation for success in a sport that’s often underappreciated.

“People always say Kentucky’s a basketball school, but we’re not,” Steiner said.

“Looking at all these other sports that are winning these championships and bringing back recognition to the university, I think it’s really cool that all these women’s

teams are able to do that.”

The lack of gender bias at UK is one of the reasons Lawson has stayed at Kentucky for so long, and she’s thankful she doesn’t have to face inequities in her day to day.

“One of the reasons that female athletes at Kentucky have had so much success is because we’re treated with dignity and respect and we’re given resources and, and more importantly we demand excellence of our women just like we do men,” Lawson said.

So much of that is the culture that starts at the top with Barnhart, and that Lawson said will spur more and more success.

“That’s the dichotomy of equality,” Lawson said “It’s a lot of pressure and there’s a lot going on, but without that pressure you don’t achieve great heights.”

UNEQUAL VIEWERSHIP

Many of UK’s successful women’s sports – gymnastics, swim and dive, track – are less mainstream than other sports, but sometimes they have get less attention than even their male counterparts.

Volleyball is the third most popular sport among young girls in America.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats guard Treasure Hunt (12) gets off a shot during the University of Kentucky vs. Alabama women’s basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

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features “However, we’re hardly ever on TV. And if we are, especially in the spring when all the sports are playing, we’re basically only on SEC Network+, which for a lot of people will is tough to even get to,” Berezowitz said.

In swimming, Poole said attention is dependent on success.

“I think about how much like the general public knows about swimming and I guarantee you the only professional swimmer they can name is Katie Ledecky because she’s been so successful, but I think beyond that, like, people really don’t know who women swimmers are,” Poole said. She thinks the same is true in basketball and most people knowing only a few top names or team’s on the women’s side compared to the men’s.

“Look at how people

treat men’s March Madness - people will know all 64 teams in the men’s tournament and know what they expect from them, and there’s definitely a big difference in how they’re treated,” Poole said.

Television leaning towards men’s sports is something Angeny learned about Television leaning towards men’s sports is something Angeny learned about in her sports comm class. “When SEC Network started that was their focus, because they knew obviously football kidnapped everyone’s attention and that does not have a girl side of that sport, which I feel like is a big reason that it’s been so like targeted towards guys instead of girls,” Angeny said. She’s found herself watching more men’s games than women’s because that’s what’s available on the big

platforms.

“You don’t have to pay the premiums you have to to see the women’s basketball game,” Angeny said. She has noticed that women’s sports get more attention when they win, something that’s happened during her time at UK. Kentucky was ranked 25th when she committed but has since ranked as high as 9th.

“That’s when people started noticing us and actually recognizing us and all that,” Angeny said.

“And I’d say that’s obviously in women’s gymnastics like in the Olympics, that’s why they’re recognized so much - just because they win, because the men’s gymnastics are right there and they never win.”

Softball is lucky, Johnson said, because they have a loyal fanbase does not depend on the team’s success

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Kentucky Wildcat Tatum Spangler (5) pitches during the University of Kentucky vs. Alabama softball game on Saturday, March 27, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

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relative to men’s sports to tune in to games.

“That’s really cool to have a fan base like that because you know they’re going to be watching whether you’re winning or losing, just because like they love watching our team play,” Johnson said.

Having so much TV time also shows young girls that there are people who watch softball, she added. That’s what Johnson wishes someone would have told her about being a female athlete – that there are people out there who care about women’s teams.

“If it’s inspiring to me already being a college athlete, then it’s definitely inspiring young girls across the country just watching Kentucky…and just how strong all of us are,” Johnson said.

Softball’s television rankings are some of the highest in the country, so even though they have fewer fans in person, their reach is consistently greater – occasionally hitting the million-viewer mark.

“I did not care about social media whatsoever,” Lawson said. “I can’t stand social media in terms of like the negativity of it, but once I saw the power of how many people were actually viewing stuff I was just floored. It’s that kind of electronic platform that causes changes to happen at a faster rate.

This is important, Lawson said, because women’s sports are battling time.

Men’s sports have been around so much longer, that they have had more time to progress and build up fanbases. To speed progress along, Lawson would like to see more money put into marketing and advertising

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Isabella Magnelli preforms her beam routine during the University of Kentucky vs. Arkansas gymnastics meet on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

for women’s sports.

“Every now and then you’ll see with women’s basketball, [they] will sell out Rupp if we market those games,” Lawson said.

Right now, she doesn’t think the financial backing for women’s sports is the same as men’s but expects it will catch up in the next 10 years.

“Being able to play on SEC Network or having primetime games is something that the people the people that make decisions

need to do a better job of,” Berezowitz said, “because there’s just many young girls, there are younger boys that want to watch us play.”

CLOSING THE GAP

Despite the many inequalities present in sports, Kentucky’s athletes have hope that women’s sports will soon be seen as equal to men’s. UK’s athletes encouraged younger girls to stay committed to their sport to help close the gap.

Monday, April 5, 2021

features Tucker said the most important thing young athletes can learn is “don’t doubt” – especially for young girls, who will be told they’re body type is not right or they are too old or too big.

“But they’re really not. As long as you work hard, and you put the process first and put yourself first and do it, you need to do you can achieve anything,” Tucker said.

For Johnson, being a woman in sports means representing

women of all different walks of life.

“We’re a broad spectrum, and that women can really be anything that they put their minds to and that you’re not just confined to what society wants you to be,” Johnson said.

“A woman in sports needs to know that it’s going to get better for the next generation. So where we’re at right now is leaps and bounds better than when our moms were in sports, and hope-

fully it will be leaps and bounds better for my daughter in however many years,” Berezowtiz said.

The key is a stepping stone mindset – only by imagining a more equal future can you create one.

Support from men is crucial to ending gender inequity in sports, Lawson said. “I can’t stress enough - I know this is a woman’s issue, but men also have to get behind it. They know how they were treated and they are demanding that their daughters be treated the same way and I think that’s exceptional,” Lawson said.

Lawson thinks softball and baseball are ahead of the curve in having women coach, but also having men want to coach women’s teams and men in the sport being respectful of women.

“There used to be, ‘oh I want to play for a male coach’ or I want to play for a female coach,” Lawson said. “You don’t have that anymore. It’s one sport that’s truly men and women… that’s when you know you’ve really arrived but when you, when you see the respect level going across sports.”

Berezowitz, whose father was a high school basketball coach while she was growing up, played basketball with boys and was immersed in men’s sports, a supportive environment she thinks could help benefit all athletes.

“I think the types of differences that stem from college sports actually stem from preschool, when you know girls are expected to do this or boys are expected to do that,” Berezowitz said.

By college, it becomes clear that some sports are for women and some are for men.

“Look at the NCAA basketball tournament right now, and look at the differences between boys and girls, and it’s just unfortunate,” Berezowitz said. “Obviously men’s basketball provides a ridiculous amount of revenue, but nonetheless, women’s basketball MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF does a very good job in providing Elizabeth Stevens hits the ball during the University of Kentucky vs. Ten- revenue for the NCAA too.” nessee women’s tennis match on Sunday, March 28, 2021, at Hillary J. Men have a role to play in Boone Tennis Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

ending gender inequity in sports, and it can be as easy as giving women’s sports the same attention they get themselves– something Berezowtiz sees happening at UK. “We have plenty of men’s sports that come and watch us, and we do the same when we go to basketball games and baseball games and football games, but they also come to our games,” Berezowitz said. “That’s just a small thing, but it means a lot when you see a lot of student athletes and not just female student athletes in the crowd.

Once the pandemic is over, anyone can show their support for women in sports by coming to games, and Berezowitz thinks this will make them an automatic fan.

“Big 10 Volleyball has an unbelievable crowd, unbelievable like crazy crowds and that’s just because they televise it and they encourage people to come out and watch,” Berezowitz said.

Poole said speaking up about inequalities is important, citing the discrepancies in weight rooms at the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments as an example.

“I saw stuff being posted about the weight room differences, and I look at it and I’m like, ‘Oh man, that really sucks, but is anyone do anything about it?” Poole said. “And seeing how many people wanted to do something about it was super cool, and it really stood out to me that like, you can make a difference just by making something known.”

Angeny agreed that exposing the problems is the first step to the solution, like with the NCAA weight rooms.

“If this wasn’t posted all over social media and brought attention, they probably wouldn’t have changed it because we saw all the videos and all the everything, that they didn’t have the space to do it but they just didn’t want to,” Angeny said.

Athletes speaking out has led

to change in several sports, including a shake-up in the gymnastics world when dozens of women – including Olympic medalist Aly Raisman - testified that a team doctor, Larry Nassar sexually assaulted them. That case hit close to home for Angeny, who tried out for elite gymnastics multiple times and had friends on the national team.

“I was saved from so much of that sort of stuff because of stuff that didn’t work out the way I wanted it to,” Angeny said of situations like the Nassar abuse.

“And I’ve noticed like even myself, how vulnerable just the sport trains us to be because we’re supposed to be kind of scared of our coaches, or we’re supposed to just take whatever they do.”

Poole said standing your ground as a female athlete can help combat situations where the public or male athletes put down the accomplishments of female athletes.

“Know that what you do is special, and just ignore people that want to talk bad about what you do because it doesn’t matter,” Poole said. “I’m so proud of the accomplishments I have and if anyone wanted to put me down for that, it really doesn’t take anything away from what I’ve done so far.”

When battling gender inequality, Johnson has a similar mindset.

“I don’t really care what these other people think. I know that I am an athlete who has made it to these levels, and that I have what it takes,” Johnson said. “So I would say that just not letting other people’s words affect you or don’t let them tell you who you’re supposed to be.”

The most important thing women in sports have to remember is that gender discrimination still exists and that they have to push for equal treatment.

“We’re way better than we have been, and we’re still making 70 cents to the dollar of a guy,” Lawson said.

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