Kentucky Kernel: September 28, 2020

kentuckykernel

Monday, September 28, 2020 est. 1892 | Independent since 1971 www.kykernel.com @kykernel @kentuckykernel

NO JUSTICE NO PEACE MARCHES REIGNITE AFTER GRAND JURY DECISION IN BREONNA TAYLOR CASE | 8

Monday, September 28, 2020

sports

Women’s soccer drops home opener to Arkansas, 4 - 1

By Barkley Truax sports@kykernel.com

The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team dropped to 0-2 after losing to the preseason SEC favorite Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday night.

The match was the home opener for the Wildcats (0-2 SEC) and the No. 13 ranked Razorbacks (2-0 SEC), who came into Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex ready to play.

It was an even first half.

The score was tied at one a piece going into halftime.

Kentucky’s lone goal of the night was scored by sophomore forward Jordyn Rhodes via penalty kick in the 35th minute. That’s Rhodes’ third goal in two games, making her the only Wildcat to score a goal this season; her 11th in her ca-

reer.

Kentucky was dominated by the Razorbacks in the second half. The Wildcats let in a score to break the tie in the 48th minute, from the Razorback’s Taylor Malham, followed by another only minutes later from Anna Podojil. Arkansas put the nail in the coffin when Ava Tankersley scored the Razorback’s third goal of the half in the 89th minute to win the game 4-1.

The Wildcats were outshot 15-4 on goal and 2011 in overall shots taken.

Rhodes, Miranda Jimenez, Maria Olson, Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir were all credited with one shot on goal each.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Brooke Littman allowed four goals Sunday night, but was also able to record 11 saves throughout

the contest, a career-high for the Notre Dame transfer.

Peyton Rimko earned the first start of her career collegiate start alongside Rhodes, Olson, Úlfarsdóttir as well as Littman and Caroline Trout, who played every minute of Sunday’s game.

The team began their season last week in Nashville, losing to 3 -2 on Sept.

20. The Wildcats finished 6-10-3 overall last season, coming into an adjusted SEC schedule due to COVID-19. Despite starting he season opener undermanned due to injury, the Wildcats led Vanderbilt 2-0 at halftime. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Brooke Littman showed out in the first half of her SEC debut, saving four goals.

Sophomore forward

Jordyn Rhodes led the way for Kentucky with two first half goals. The first came when redshirt senior Marissa Bosco challenged the Commodore goalkeeper forward, allowing Rhodes to score the first goal for Kentucky this season.

Rhodes scored again off another challenge from Bosco less than a minute later.

Rhodes totaled three shots on goal, including the two goals from the first half. She led the team in overall shots with six.

Vanderbilt went on to score three goals in the second half, defeating Kentucky 3-2. Kentucky was only able to make three substitutions throughout the game due to an undermanned roster.

Kentucky was outscored 11-4 on goal and 22-9 on overall shots at-

tempted. Vanderbilt had the advantage on corner kicks as well, outscoring the Wildcats 9-0, which gave the Commodores the edge in scoring off set pieces.

The Wildcats will head to Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. to play the South Carolina Gamecocks on the SEC Network and the ESPN app.

Upcoming schedule: Sunday, Oct. 4 at South Carolina at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11 vs.

Georgia at noon Sunday, Oct. 18 vs. Tennessee at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24 at Auburn at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 at Missouri at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8 vs. Florida at noon

every hour. every day. kykernel.com 2 | kentucky kernel

Monday, September 28, 2020

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

kentuckykernel

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

UK FOOTBALL LOSES SEASON OPENER AGAINST AUBURN A year full of high expectations for the Cats started off on the wrong foot, as three turnovers and a leaky pass defense doomed them to a 29-13 loss to Auburn in the first game of the year.

The Cats could not have asked for a better opening drive offensively, going 93 yards on eleven plays after getting pinned deep in their own territory. Terry Wilson completed each of his five pass attempts, including four to Josh Ali before Kavosiey Smoke burst down the right side of the field and into the end zone for the first score of the SEC season.

While the score didn’t reflect it, the Cats had their opportunities. Each of the three drives that followed the opening one ended in Auburn territory, including the final one,

which ended amid major controversy.

After picking up a third and one from the Tiger three-yard line, Chris Rodriguez got the ball once again and appeared to push his way into the end zone for a touchdown. The officials questionably ruled him down inside the one before reviewing the play, which ultimately stood as called.

Two plays later, Wilson threw what would have been a 100-yard pick-six if not for another questionable review that determined an Auburn player had committed targeting on the return.

Neither team sounded pleased with the officiating in the moment, including Kentucky coach Mark Stoops.

“He was clearly in,” Stoops said. “I really can’t get a good explanation… I didn’t really get good explanations all day.”

Kentucky also missed chances in the game’s later stages. Down just two, Wilson

Data from the Lexington Fayette County health department’s daily updates

fumbled on a third down to set the Tigers up at the UK 23. After giving up a touchdown and going three-and-out, a failed fake punt gave Auburn possession deep in Wildcat territory again, this time on the 27-yard line. And the Tigers capitalized once more, as quarterback Bo Nix hit Eli Stove for a 21-yard touchdown that essentially iced the game.

SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTED IN UK DORM According to a crime bulletin sent out

by UK police, a student reported an instance of sexual assault in a UK residence hall.

The bulletin said the incident occurred on Monday, Sept. 21 and was reported two days later, on Sept. 23.

According to the bulletin, the suspects are known to the victim, who said they believed they experienced “nonc-onsensual sexual touching while they were lying in bed unconscious.”

This is the first instance of sexual assault reported this semester by UKPD. Included in the bulletin were guidelines for consent.

“If someone says no, it means no. If someone is silent, it does not mean yes. If someone changes their mind, it means no,” the bulletin said.

The email sent to students also included information for student services, such as the SAFECATS free campus escort phone number: 859-257-SAFE(7233). Students can also a free ride on the weekends through the Kentucky Wildcab app.

Students can report harassment or sexual assault to the Title IX Coordinator at 859-257-8927 or visit their website at http://www.uky.edu/eeo/.

— STAFF REPORT

Managing editor: Michael Clubb editor@kykernel.com News/features editor: Lauren Campbell news@kykernel.com Asst. news editors: Haley Blackburn Emily Girard Sports editor: Braden Ramsey sports@kykernel.com Opinions editor: Sarah Michels opinions@kykernel.com Asst. Opinions editor: Gillian Stawiszynski Photo editor: Tori Rogers Designers: Mya LaClair 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 UK students gather around the Bowman statue 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.

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Monday, September 28, 2020

news

Virginia Moore, ASL interpreter, speaks to UK students

By Haley Blackburn news@kykernel.com

You might have seen her on television, or scattered across your social media feed; maybe you saw her bobblehead, or you heard her mentioned on “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver.

She’s Virginia Moore, the executive director of the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) who became a household name and face in Kentucky after she began as the American Sign Language interpreter during Gov. Andy Beshear’s COVID-19 press conferences.

UK’s Lewis Honors College hosted a virtual discussion with Moore last Tuesday, where she shared her experiences and how she joined Team Kentucky’s near-daily briefing.

Moore was born to deaf parents and grew up with two deaf siblings and two hearing siblings besides herself. Despite her upbringing, Moore said that interpretation wasn’t her first career choice.

“It was a path chosen for me, but not one that I paid attention to until later in my career, but one that I am thrilled that I did pay attention. We don’t always pay attention to what is ahead of us. Sometimes we think we know where we’re going and all of a sudden it works its way out, and here I am,” said Moore, who started college as a criminology major.

Now, 25 years since she first joined KCDHH, Moore is one of the most well-known ASL interpreters because of what she called

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her “15-minutes of fame, even though that was about an hour ago” for interpreting the governor’s COVID-19 updates.

Bobble-head figurines of her were made, as was an ice cream flavor with Moore as the namesake. John Oliver said to “gif that woman immediately” after sharing a short clip of Moore’s empathetic facial expressions during a presser in March. Her image quickly spread across the internet, to the point where Moore has little anonymity in public anymore.

Through all the attention, Moore has become a key figure in Kentucky’s fight against COVID-19, especially for the deaf and hard of hearing community.

When COVID-19 began, Moore reached out to Gov. Andy Beshear’s office to discuss the need for ASL interpreters at press conferences, and it only took one phone call for him to agree.

“We talked and he said ‘come on in and share the stage’,” Moore said. “This governor has allowed this type of access, and this access has allowed everyone to be more conscientious of providing their information.”

Moore said after officials saw her interpreting at the COVID-19 press conferences, even the local government started taking notice of the need for ASL interpretation, such as when Louisville officials requested an ASL interpreter for press conferences on the Breonna Taylor case.

Moore said she is happy her work has started to raise awareness for the deaf and hard of hearing community, but there is a lot of work left to be done. One spe-

Virginia Moore, director of the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, waits for Gov. Andy Beshear to begin his remarks so that she can interpret them to the audience during his address to Kentuckians on Sept. 10, 2020.

cific thing Moore has worked on is encouraging news stations to caption their news and weather so that the deaf and hard of hearing community can get the information they need from that source.

“I helped and wrote a letter to all of the networks. They pushed it out to encourage them to now caption everything. Most all of the networks, now there are a couple in western Kentucky, we’re trying to push are captioning all of their news channels and some of their weather channels,” Moore said. “It’s costly for them to caption, so we’re trying to encourage them to get a sponsor.”

Moore’s work has also allowed her to help the deaf and hard of hearing overcome some of the challenges specific to COVID-19, such as lip-reading and muffled words in a world of face masks.

“I worked hard to get some funding to provide clear masks,” Moore said. “You are still covered. It is professional. Dr. Stack

and I worked together on it.”

Moore said despite raising awareness and making changes because of her newfound fame, she is just happy that it gives her the chance to educate others about the deaf and hard of hearing community.

“People came up to me and wanted selfies. I don’t get it. I don’t understand. What I do appreciate is the fact that they do follow-up with ‘oh my gosh, it’s Virginia, now you provide sign language interpreting’, and I can educate them for a little bit along the way, so that’s a good thing,” Moore said.

Moore said those who wish to educate themselves more on ASL language and culture and have an affinity for language should feel free to.

“I would highly recommend it if you can take a class in ASL to understand the culture. If you are going into a field, like a medical field or to be a counselor or a mental health provider or what-

ever, those are great fields, continue to do that, but learn a little but about deaf culture,’’ Moore said.

Moore ended the discussion by encouraging those who may need KCDHH resources to reach out.

“Helen Keller was asked, if she had a choice of being deaf or blind, which would she choose?

She said, ‘I would choose to be blind, not deaf, because blindness separates me from objects. Deafness separates me from people’,” Moore said. “I think that is very important, I think that is something that we all need to know.

Reach out to us for resources to connect you with somebody else.

If we can’t help you, we will get you in contact with someone.”

More information on the KCDHH resources available visit https://www.kcdhh.ky.gov/.

Tune in daily Monday to Thursday at 4 p.m. to watch Moore during Gov. Andy Beshear’s COVID-19 press conferences.

Monday, September 28, 2020

news

Tenured faculty member files bias report against UK Board of Trustees

By Barkley Truax news@kykernel.com

A Bias Incident Report has been filed against the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees for failing to respond to requests for bias training, according to a copy of the report obtained by the Kentucky Kernel through an open records request.

The report was filed on Aug. 12 by an anonymous, tenured faculty member, who requested “immediate bias training for all faculty before classes start so students are spared the microaggressions, bias and EEO violations that have been reported by students and tenured faculty for at least 10 years.”

The faculty member stated that similar requests for bias training and overview had been made for over a decade, and that one faculty member recently submitted a comment saying this was “the 25th time I have written this [a request for bias training] on a survey with no action taken by the university.”

According to the report, the Board of Trustees has com-

mitted bias by ignoring specific comments and quantitative responses to annual surveys on climate and on the performance of UK president Eli Capilouto, including memos to three unidentified directors and a human resources representative. The faculty member who filed the complaint said in the report that the board ignored “directly reported widespread racial and gender microaggressions, direct bias and specific EEO violation and not implementing the earnest, imploring request for Bias training for all faculty.”

UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said the bias incident complaint has been reviewed by UK’s Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity (IEEO), which found, “insufficient information to proceed with an investigation under UK Administrative Regulation 6.1 Policy on Discrimination and Harassment.”

According to AR 6.1, discrimination is “an action or behavior that results in negative or different treatment of an individual based upon race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief,

sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, social oreconomic status, or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker.”

The policy applies to all university community members, even visitors.

Blanton said that UK recently announced anti-racist training that started this week among senior administrators and academic leaders. UK’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity efforts will work to examine issues around training and curriculum for UK students, faculty and staff.

“The institution within the last few years has provided implicit and unconscious bias training for the campus and expanded this kind of training and capacity. Several thousand members of our campus community have participated in this training,” Blanton said.

According to the report, the complaint about bias was also submitted to human resources, the Board of Trustees subcommittee that evaluates Capilouto and the recently formed task force on race.

First hospitalizations reported among UK students

By Natalie Parks editor@kykernel.com

Between one and five UK students have been hospitalized with COVID-19 complications, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

The hospitalizations were first reported on Sept. 21, though because of the way LFCHD’s data was organized in the COVID-19 chart, at that time it was only known that college students had been hospitalized.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, LFCHD began to report cases on a college-by-college basis, and the hospitalizations were marked on the UK section of the health department’s daily update.

Because there are so few students

hospitalized, LFCHD chose to report the number as “<5” to preserve their privacy; with so few affected, a hospitalized student could possibly be identified, which violates health statistics guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education and National Center for Health Statistics.

UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said the hospitalizations did not change UK’s plans for the semester.

“As demonstrated by our number of active cases, which has largely remained stable, we remain cautiously optimistic that we are effectively managing the spread of this disease,” said Blanton, citing this week’s decrease in new cases relative to previous weeks.

According to data from Blanton, UK currently has a semester positiv-

ity rate of just over 4 percent, with 1,300 positives resulting from over 31,000 university-conducted tests.

The health department began reporting COVID-19 cases from other colleges in Fayette County last week.

As of Sept. 26, five colleges had combined for a total 2,185 cases reported amongst college students in Lexington-Fayette County.

UK students are responsible for the bulk of those cases: UK cases reported since just the start of the semester on Aug. 17 account for 80 percent of college cases reported by LFCHD, and 21 percent of all of Lexington’s cases since March.

All data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department’s daily updates. LFCHD started showing college-by-college numbers on Sept. 24 after UK contacted the department with concerns.

See CASES on page 12

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Monday, September 28, 2020

news

more sales to local businesses

By Callie Justice news@kykernel.com

Local businesses of Lexington are pleased to see the return of University of Kentucky students bringing back steady of the pandemic.

In the wake of COVID-19, small businesses - who rely on the support of their community - were forced to close for the safety of all. March was a time of uncertainty as family businesses were left to wonder when they could reopen. Most were able to survive, though changes in operation and new safety guidelines were necessary to comply with Kentucky’s COVID-19 plans and to protect both owners and customers.

Beyond the uncertainties of COVID-19, business owners also had to contend with the annual - although early - exodus of students from Lexington, as undergraduates went back to their hometowns for the summer. For restaurants close to UK’s campus, students returning for in-person instruction this fall meant sales and revenue could pick back up and recover from closures in the spring.

Sara Wood, co-owner of girlsgirlsgirls Burritos on South Limestone, said they have seen a boost in business right from the start; according to Wood, move-in week in August was the busiest week girlsgirlsgirls has had since March.

“We have had a great experience with the students, everyone is being super respectful, masked up and sweet. Everyone we had has been respectful and supportive, we even see this on the sidewalks around campus too,” Wood said.

Since the pandemic, girlsgirlsgirls has returned to their original service model delivery.

“It felt like we were back to day one when we opened in 2016 because we were all takeout and delivery back then,” said

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Wood. “We knew exactly what to do.” girlsgirlsgirls is available for delivery both through the restaurant itself and other apps like Grubhub and Doordash; the restaurant hasn’t missed a day of service since the shutdown on March 13.

Wood said their bike delivery service, which ranges from 6th Street to Chevy Chase, has done around 1,600 orders since March, also implementing no contact service.

And although girlsgirlsgirls has not re-

opened their indoor dining area, the restaurant has a patio with free WiFi so students can work on homework and social distance.

“We started utilizing this take-out window that we have out front. So, that has helped us big time in the excellent Kentucky weather,” Wood said. “We have three beautiful patios out front, so there is plenty of space.”

Bourbon and Toulouse, located on Euclid Ave in the Chevy Chase Center, also

changed their business model to continue to provide for the community.

“It was really interesting because you can kind of see it coming,” said Kevin Heathcoat, co-owner of Bourbon and Toulouse. “Overnight we were getting new regulations and had to quickly pivot and change the way we operated. We went from 60 percent in-house and 40 percent carryout to 100 percent carryout.”

Bourbon and Toulouse is currently open for carryout and delivery after closing for

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF A neon open sign glows inside Girls Girl Girls Burritos near campus on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Monday, September 28, 2020

around two months due to road work. They are utilizing their new online ordering service to provide a no-contact experience.

“The amount of deliveries has gone through the roof,” Heachcoat said. “We had to pivot and do an online ordering system that we had just installed. It wasn’t the most fluid thing, but we turned to a curbside only concept.”

After 16 years of business, Bourbon and Toulouse has a steady customer base and appreciates college-aged customers.

“Every year you get a new crop of freshmen coming in but you lose seniors, so you have to teach everyone to come down here. Students are always an added bonus,” Heathcoat said.

Customers can order from the restaurant at ilovecajun.com for pick-up and also Grubhub or Doordash, though delivery orders made through the website ensure all profits go directly to Bourbon and Toulouse.

For family-owned small businesses, extra considerations had to be in reopening. Ginger Wasabi Sushi + Grill, which opened in 2018, is run by multiple members of the family.

This is something they took into consideration when deciding how to operate during the pandemic.

“We are a small family business, everybody works here. We decided not to open dine-in for the kids at home and the safety of our family and everyone,” said Cai Eong, owner of Ginger Wasabi.

Located on W Maxwell near campus, Ginger Wasabi is currently open for takeout and delivery.

The restaurant did notice a spike in sales when University of Kentucky students returned, Eong said, especially during movein week, which reaffirmed their decision to remain carryout and delivery only.

Many restaurants around campus have reopened dine-in with social distancing and limited capacity policies.

During the summer peak of COVID-19, The Local Taco, located on South Limestone, was only accepting pickup and delivery orders. The restaurant asked customers to order over the phone or online and utilized their back-parking lot as a pick-up location.

“It was okay, but it was a little bit rough,” said Kia Roberts, manager of the Local Taco. “We only had three staff members, so it wasn’t our normal operation.”

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF The storefront of Tolly Ho near campus on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky. Unlike other businesses around UK, TollyHo said their sales have decreased since students returned for the fall semester.

The Local Taco recently partnered with Doordash for delivery and is currently reopened for dine-in, although as a smaller restaurant some challenges have arisen with social distancing policies.

“We are not at full capacity and our restaurant is kind of small, so we don’t have a lot of room anyways,” said Roberts.

“We see a lot of people come and sit down at tables and take tables.”

Despite the challenges, The Local Taco is working hard to keep everyone safe, even if that means making adaptations to their menu. Although they are open for Brunch, the restaurant is not serving mimosas to prevent tables from staying too long and serve as many customers as possible.

“A lot of people are upset because we

don’t have mimosas, but because they are so cheap, we can’t have people buy them and get so drunk and sit here for hours. We just don’t have the table space,” Roberts, said.

The Local Taco has always been a hotspot for UK students and locals. Although students returning has increased their sales amongst a younger crowd, the restaurant remained busy throughout the summer with business from Lexington residents.

“When the students are not here, a lot of parents take advantage of that because there are not a bunch of college kids that they have to deal with,” Roberts said.

“During the day adults can complete their work and come here and college kids can’t really come here at lunch hour, so they usually come at night.”

Tolly Ho, located on S Broadway, is another locally-owned restaurant that has reopened their dinner room. Operating at 50 percent dining capacity, Tolly Ho is still seeing most of their orders placed as takeout or delivery. Unlike many other local businesses, the return of UK students did not boost their sales.

Nathan Rader, the manager of Tolly Ho, said sales have actually decreased since students came back to campus.

But for most businesses, students returning to Lexington has meant an uptick in sales and revenue, especially those on the streets surrounding campus. Local businesses have also had a chance to increase sales on campus, now that students can use meal swipes at some food trucks and dining locations.

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Monday, September 28, 2020

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Protesters hold up signs at the Lexington Courthouse during a protest in response to the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

JACK WEAVER | STAFF UK students release balloons during a vigil led by the Black Student Union in response to the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

MARCHES REIGNITE AFTER GRAND JURY DECLINES TO PURSUE CHARGES FOR DEATH OF BREONNA TAYLOR

By Sarah Michels, Jelyn Washington-Mays and Natalie Parks news@kykernel.com

Six months after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her apartment, a grand jury announced on Sept. 23 that none of the officers involved would be charged for her death.

One officer, Brett Hankison, was charged for three counts of wanton endangerment for bullets that hit neighbors’ apartments. Hankison was already fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department; his case will go into circuit court. Following the announcement, residents of Louisville, Lexington and other cities organized marches, rallies and protests. In Louisville, where Taylor lived and was killed, protestors had been gathering for over 100 days straight.

In Lexington, marches in the downtown area were organized by activists with the Poor People’s Campaign and an on-campus vigil was organized by the Black Student Union. Taylor was a UK alumna; BSU plans to hold events on weekdays for the 26 days following the grand jury decision in her honor. Attorney general Daniel Cameron held a press conference after a judge read the grand jury’s decision. During the presser, he said the reason the other two officers - Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove - weren’t charged was because, according to Kentucky law, their shots were justified because they were returning fire. “Criminal law is not meant to respond to every sorrow and grief,” Cameron said.

Cameron’s team was responsible for presenting the case to the grand 8 | kentucky kernel

jury, which deliberated last Monday and Tuesday. Cameron said the ballistics reports were inconclusive as to who fired the fatal shot that killed Taylor; the FBI ballistics report said Cosgrove fired the fatal shot, while the KSP lab’s report did not find a conclusive answer. Cameron urged Kentuckians not to let celebrities affect their thoughts on the case, saying that justice “does not fit the mold of public opinion, and it does not conform to shifting standards.” The lack of charges related to Taylor’s death enraged many Kentuckians, though many were not surprised. Popular signs at protests read that “a white cop killed a black woman and only got charged for the bullets that missed.”

Protests over the decision are continuing, and calls for Cameron to release all the evidence are mounting; Gov. Andy Beshear, in his daily press conference on Sept. 23, called on Cameron to release the evidence and the racial demographic of the jury. “Those that are currently feeling frustration, feeling hurt, they deserve to know more. Everyone can and should be informed,” said Beshear, who has previously served as Kentucky’s attorney general. When protests began in Louisville and Lexington on Wednesday, they began with people who had gathered publicly to hear the grand jury’s results. Shock and disbelief quickly morphed into disappointment and frustration, but protests that night were more about a collective sense of mourning - both for Taylor, and for justice.

Kernel reporters covered marches downtown and on campus in the following two days.

Monday, September 28, 2020

WEDNESDAY Wednesday’s protest was organized by activists from the Poor People’s Campaign, who had gathered outside the courthouse in downtown Lexington to wait for the grand jury’s decision to be read.

Though some participants gathered throughout the afternoon, the march began at 7 p.m. with some speeches.

April Taylor, one of the organizers, gave a speech listing demands for accountability from the Lexington Police department.

Hankison, the only officer charged in the Taylor case, previously worked for LPD. ““Had the Lexington Police Department done their job and fired him and made him ineligible for rehired another department, he may not have been part of a team of cops who killed Breonna Taylor,” Taylor said.

Taylor said that what hurt that most about the indictments was that none of the charges related to Breonna Taylor’s death.

“It feels like they said, a middle finger,” Taylor said. “They sent a subliminal message by not even speaking Breonna’s name, but only giving charges that related to the white neighbors. Not a single black person who was impacted by that incident had a single one of those criminal charges related to them.”

Some UK students attended the march, including freshmen Victoria McNorton and Alexa Worth. Worth and McNorton agreed that the lack of charges was frustrating.

“I feel like all three of them should have been indicted, should have been on trial,” McNorton said. “I feel like one person shouldn’t have gotten that at all.”

Other protestors echoed the sentiment; Zoe McCarthy said she was disappointed but not surprised by the grand jury decision. She felt “a sense of mourning” and came to the protest because she wanted to be around people working through similar emotions.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF Protesters march down the sidewalk during a protest in response to the grand jury decision on the Breonna Taylor case on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

The march stayed mostly downtown, passing by the police department and courthouse several times, before briefly coming up to UK’s campus.

Marches were planned for the following nights and continued on Thursday and Friday, which Taylor said in her speech is what gives her hope for the future.

“In order to work on racial justice, fear, there has to be people who are willing to work on it with me,” Taylor said. “And what has continued to happen, day after day, week after week, month after month, is that people show up to do the work.”

THURSDAY Thursday’s on campus vigil was organized by the Black Student Union, and began in front of UK’s Main Building before marchers wound their way to Bowman’s Statue, where they gathered for speeches.

Anyia Jones, one of the student organizers, first led the crowd of over 100 in 192 seconds of silence, one second for every day since Taylor died.

Jones said the vigil helped serve students’ need for an outlet.

“This let students know that the BSU is here for them,” Jones said. “We wanted the students to know regardless of short notice we were going to do something for the students.”

One vigil attendee commented on the difficulty of being a college student and coping with the news.

“We had to go to bed, wake up and we had to go to Zoom at 9 a.m. in the morning,” he said. “We had to go about our regular life the next day.”

Jones said she herself found out about the grand jury’s decision while she was in class.

She spoke at the Thursday rally, echoing the marchers’ chants of “no justice, no peace.”

Shyla Harton, a senior social work major, also spoke at the rally. Harton’s biggest response from the crowd came when she said “UK doesn’t really care about skin color.

It’s all about a dollar.”

Harton shared the same sadness as many others who hoped to see charges for the death of Taylor.

“I don’t know why I’m so broken up about it because I kind of expected it. Kentucky is a very red state,” Harton said.

The on campus vigil ended about 8 p.m. Later Thursday night, four arrests were made on UK’s campus, though those arrested were participants in the downtown protest, which marched onto the Avenue of Champion’s by the Gatton Student Center.

VICTORIA ROGERS | STAFF Students cross campus carrying signs during the BLM Unity Walk, organized by the Black Students Union following the Breonna Taylor grand jury decision Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Monday, September 28, 2020

opinions

SPRING BREAK: YEA OR NAY?

This month, UK revealed the adjusted calendar for the upcoming spring semester. And though the start date was pushed back two weeks, what really caught students eyes’ was the omission of a long-standing college tradition - spring break. In the adjusted calendar, the typical week-long spring break was removed, with one day off in March offered as a replacement. In an email to the student body, UK president Eli Capilouto said the change would create a “safer, more condensed experience for our campus community, during which travel is less likely.” Similar to last semester’s move to online learning after spring break, the change is intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 both within the student body and the country, but students found themselves split over their support for the cancellation. Here, two opinion writers share their thoughts on the adjusted calendar.

Give us a break

By Anita Srinivasan opinions@kykernel.com

On Sept. 17, UK announced its schedule for the spring semester.

When I opened the email, I noticed an unprecedented change—there would be no Spring Break. Instead, students would be starting the semester on Jan. 25, which is roughly two weeks later than normal and only getting a Friday off in place of Spring Break, which is normally a weeklong vacation. I strongly oppose this change, both for the mental well-being of students and for the other benefits Spring Break provides.

We already live in a pandemic which has caused several detriments to our mental health. First, we are isolated from our friends and family, and as a result, our lives are already in chaos. Second, most of us conduct our classes online, which means that we are usually in one location for most of the day. According to several studies, these actions cause or amplify noted symptoms such as anxiety and depression among individuals. Anxiety and depression can lead to students faring

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worse than usual in their classes and daily lives. Therefore, Spring Break is necessary to make sure that students get a much-needed mental reset.

Also, Spring Break is the only academic break which has been denoted

by UK during the semester for as long as I can recall. During this time, the majority of UK students head down to Florida to soak up the sun or travel elsewhere to hang out with their family and friends. Even though some may argue that Spring Break shouldn’t be held in light of said pandemic, there are several other socially-distant activities students can enjoy, such as hiking, which will also provide benefits that will alleviate students’ stress in the long-run. Furthermore, the “Academic Holiday” denoted by UK occurs on a Friday. However, most students already don’t have any classes on Fridays, and if they do, they’re usually over by 3 p.m.

In light of the COVID’s negative side-effects regarding mental health and the alternative ways students can enjoy a weeklong break during this time, I encourage UK to reconsider the Spring 2021 schedule.

Safety over partying

By Ryder Noah From opinions@kykernel.com

UK’s decision to cancel spring break is one of the best decisions the University has made thus far this year.

Last year’s spring break was a hotspot for COVID-19. The memes we all laughed at about those with the illness going on vacation and spreading the virus rang true as many of those returning home from Florida caused outbreaks in their towns all across America.

College kids were no exception, as many continued to party in spite of the virus, downplaying it in favor of their activities. UK is also no exception to this, as several large gatherings have already occurred, with no social distancing guidelines followed.

We are in a gray area in our concern and fear of COVID-19. The spring stage of limited research led many people to social distance and nearly everything to shut down, but as summer rolled around, more wanted to break free of their confines— even though we are arguably in just as much danger as when this all started.

The area is gray because of the normalcy. We are back in school and more restaurants and stores are opening their doors. The fact that this pandemic has continued for nearly seven months has led to a sense of normalcy, which means some of us feel as if it’s not as dangerous.

A vaccine is our only hope to truly mitigate the virus. While social distancing leads to fewer cases, it’s a vaccine that has the best chance of ensuring virus immunity.

The current estimate of vaccine dispersion to all of America is not next semester, but around November of next year, starting with those most vulnerable to the virus.

Just because this is becoming the new normal doesn’t mean we should feel out of harm’s way yet. This school year’s spring break could’ve been a repeat of last year if UK didn’t decide to cancel it and instead push the start of the semester back a couple weeks.

Not all college kids party, but it only takes a few to cause more outbreaks, and then it’s back to the spring stage, exactly one year later.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Scouting report: UK to take on Ole Miss at home

By Barkley Traux news@kykernel.com

In their first home game of an adjusted COVID-19 season, the Kentucky Wildcats will look to bounce back from a tough loss in the season opener against the Auburn Tigers with a match-up against the Ole Miss Rebels.

Both Kentucky and Ole Miss lost their season openers to top-10 ranked opponents in Auburn and Florida respectively, so each will look to notch their first win of the season this Saturday in Kroger Field.

For Cats fans, it is easy to focus on the negatives from last Saturday – an interception before halftime, Terry Wilson’s turnovers, a called-back touchdown or a fake punt in the third quarter - but the team is prepared to learn from those situations.

“There’s not a team in this league that’s not going to make mistakes. There’s the ones that can make the fewest and have the ability to overcome the mistakes,” said Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops after the Auburn game.

In the first half, Kavosiey Smoke had two rushes for 49 yards and a touchdown. Both run plays were complimented by great blocking from one of the highest-rated offensive lines in the country.

UK played through their offensive line throughout Saturday’s game, earning 145 yards rushing yards and 239 yards through the air from passes from Wilson. Overall See OLE MISS on page 12

STAFF FILE PHOTO Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. runs the ball down the field during the game against Ole Miss on Saturday, November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. The 2017 match-up was the last time UK and Ole Miss faced each other, when the Rebels beat the Wildcats 37 - 34.

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Monday, September 28, 2020

CASES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Blanton said the greater number of student cases at UK is to be expected because of its size. “There’s no question that UK will have more cases of the virus because we are several times larger than any institution and we are testing, tracing, screening, tracking and reporting more than any other institution,” Blanton said. “And we are reporting, transparently, a great deal of information about our testing, screening and isolation efforts.”

According to UK’s COVID-19 dashboard, 25,399 students are coming to UK’s campus; 1,747 students have tested positive and live in or are isolating in Lexington,

OLE MISS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Kentucky put up 384 yards against Auburn on Saturday against a top defense in the nation.

Defensively, Kentucky only allowed Auburn 91 yards on the ground, something they Cats will hope to replicate this week against Ole Miss.

The Rebels were defeated 51 - 35 at home against Florida on Saturday. Despite the score, the Rebels’ quarterback, Matt Corral passed for 395 yards (22/31) with three touchdowns.

Kentucky gave up 324 yards through the air last week, allowing three passing touchdowns as well.

In particular, the Wildcats had trouble shutting down Auburn’s Seth Williams, who scored two touchdowns on six receptions for 112 yards. Against Ole Miss, the player to watch is wide receiver Elijah Moore.

Moore had a career-defining game last week, hauling in 10 receptions for 227 yards. While he didn’t score, he was responsible for over 50 percent of all Rebel receiving yardage. He leads the SEC in receiving yards after week one.

Moore will likely be guarded by highly-touted LSU transfer, Kelvin Joseph. Joseph didn’t have the game many thought he would, only recording four tackles and picking up a bad penalty by pushing an Auburn receiver before a play. Joseph also gave up a critical touchdown to put Auburn up by two scores on Saturday.

The Ole Miss defense gave up 51 points and 642 yards overall against Florida. The Gators gained nearly 200 yards on the ground against the Rebels, a number that grants hope to Kentucky’s

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meaning that up to 7 percent of UK students in Lexington have tested positive for COVID-19 this semester, although the exact percentage could be lower depending on how many students are taking all online classes and thus are not included in the 25,399.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College has a student population of 10,144, according to their website, and LFCHD has reported 73 cases in their student body, meaning that .7 percent of their student body has tested positive for COVID-19. It is not clear how many of those students are going to BCTC’s campus.

offensive line.

While there aren’t many questions about the Wildcat’s running game, the passing game is another situation. Terry Wilson passed the ball 37 times on Saturday, completing 24 (65%) of those passes, throwing one touchdown and an interception.

Saturday was Wilson’s first game back after recovering from a torn patellar tendon, an injury received in the fall of 2019 from a horse-collar tackle in a game against Eastern Michigan. While Wilson’s first game back was an uphill battle against a national championship contender in Auburn, the rust of not playing football for a year was clear. On top of the interception, Wilson fumbled the ball twice, and had another fumble that went out of bounds before Auburn could recover.

“I’m very confident we can get them [turnovers] corrected and move on,” Stoops said.

This will be the 42nd meeting all-time between the two programs, the eighth since the turn of the century. Ole Miss was not on Kentucky’s original schedule, but due to COVID-19 and the SEC playing only in-conference, the Rebels were added along with Alabama.

The last meeting between the two schools was in Lexington in November of 2017. Ole Miss defeated Kentucky 37 - 34 with a last-second touchdown pass from quarterback D.K. Metcalf to Jordan Ta’amu. All of Kentucky’s points in that game were scored by kicker Austin McGinnis and Benny Snell Jr. Three years later, the Rebels will once again journey to Kroger Field and play in front of a limited crowd. The game begins on Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. EST and will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.

As of Sept. 26, Commonwealth Baptist had the most cases out of the other Fayette County colleges, with 76 cases reported by LFCHD, though no increases since LFCHD began reporting on a college-by-college basis.

Transylvania University had the third highest case number, 57, out of the other colleges, putting it into fourth when UK is included.

Blanton said the university would not comment on student hospitalizations with numbers fewer than five. The status of the hospitalized student or students is unknown.