thesunflower.com
Volume 123, Issue 20
2 | THURSDAY, NOV. 1, 2018
www.thesunflower.com
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THE STAFF EDITORIAL
Editor in Chief Matthew Kelly Digital Managing Editor Andrew Linnabary Visual Managing Editor Madeline Deabler News Editor Jenna Farhat Culture Editor John Darr Sports Editor Evan Pflugradt Photo Editor Selena Favela Sports Photo Editor Joseph Barringhaus
I don’t have time.
They are all corrupt.
My vote doesn’t matter.
I don’t have a car to get to the polls. I don’t care.
I have to work.
The elections are rigged.
ADVERTISING
Advertising Manager Kylie Cameron
ADVISING
Faculty Adviser Amy DeVault
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to the editor to editor@thesunflower.com or submit at thesunflower.com. Please keep letters to 400 words or less. All letters are edited for clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes.
Election season is upon us, and if you are a college student who’s registered to vote, you have no excuse not to cast your ballot. You don’t have time on Election Day because of work or school? There are 14 polling locations in Sedgwick County open between now and Nov.3. You don’t have transportation? Uber and Lyft have promised to give riders discounted rates to the polls this year. Your vote doesn’t matter? The Republican gubernatorial primary was decided by less than 400 votes this year. You just don’t care? That’s pathetic. Do you care about the cost
STAFF
EDITORIAL of your education? Do you care about the job opportunities you’ll have after college? Of course you do. So vote. Young people are the most active when it comes to taking political stands on social media. They’re also the least likely to cast a ballot. In the 2016 election, just 46 percent of 18-29-year-olds voted, compared to 59 percent of 30-44-year-olds, 67 percent of 45-64-year-olds, and a whopping 71
percent of citizens 65 and older. Your tweet isn’t enough. Talk with your vote. It’s hard for politicians to take young people seriously when we don’t turn up to the polls. If the college vote had more clout, candidates would have to pay more attention to us. As it is, we have to earn that respect. Kris Kobach’s campaign did not make good on The Sunflower’s repeated requests for an interview. There’s something wrong when a major-party candidate locked in a dead heat race doesn’t want a free platform to woo college voters. We must demand respect for the college vote by exercising our most basic constitutional right. Vote.
Our Mission
The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learnig experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.
Legal
The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. The opinions expressed in The Sunflower editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters and editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, publications board, student body or university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.
CONTACT THE SUNFLOWER 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134 ----------
SUNFLOWER OFFICES Front Desk: 316-978-3640 ADVERTISING Kylie Cameron: 316-978-6906 admanager@thesunflower.com EDITORIAL Matthew Kelly: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVISER Amy DeVault: 316-978-6052 amy.devault@wichita.edu ---------ONLINE www.thesunflower.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/sunflowerwsu TWITTER @sunflowernews INSTAGRAM @thesunflowernews
First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Make America civil again
KYLIE CAMERON COLUMNIST
I originally chose to write this column in wake of the package bombs that were sent to Democratic politicians and celebrities last week, but held off on it to wait for more information. However, over the weekend, an even more horrific thing happened — the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburg, where 11 people were murdered just for being Jewish. The shooting hit home for me — reminding me of the day in 2014 when, not too far from my home, and at a place I practically grew up at, three perished in a shooting at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park. It’s time to restore civility to our politics and our everyday lives. I’ve grown up in an era of increasingly ugly politics, but I’m old enough to remember how we used to be able to come together as one in the wake of national tragedies and successes. I remember when the late Sen. John McCain fought back against the conspiracies being spread about
his opponent in the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama, instead of stoking the fire. I remember when Congress would come together and actually create legislation that benefited the American people — like the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The House and Senate combined both of their budgets in a bipartisan fashion during a time of intense political gridlock. Coming of age in 2016 was terrifying. I never feared more for the future of our country than in that time of intense, ugly fighting across the political spectrum. Some of my closest friends and family members fought and even broke apart because of their different political beliefs. Recently, in one of my political science classes, we had a conversation about the divisiveness of the last few elections. Many of my peers, as well as our guests for that class, believed that we would never return to “normal” and have civil conversations about politics at a national level. I disagree. Challenge yourself. When you’re talking to your neighbors, friends, or acquaintances, and politics is brought into the conversation, be kind. Listen to what they have to hear. You may not be able to change their mind. You may not like what they have to say. But America needs to be civil again and be the catalyst for the marketplace of ideas that it once was.
shocker
street speak
Do you think your vote matters?
“It definitely counts. There’s a lot of young people that don’t vote and they’re not being heard.” —BRENDA LE, Exercise Science, Freshman
“I would think it does. It may not seem like it, but as long as there are many people.”
“Of course! I think my vote matters, especially with this upcoming vote. I feel very privileged to be able to vote. I plan on voting, for sure.” —KASSANDRA BAEZA, Nursing, Senior
“I think it does. Everyone who gets out and votes helps to sway the overall outcome.”
—AMANDA COON, Theatre Performance, Sophomore
—MIRANDA FERRIS, Health Science, Senior
“In Kansas, the vote will probably be Republican. I believe that voting on party lines is debilitating to the democratic process. That’s not how voting is supposed to work.”
“It may not matter one way or the other. It may not have sway over the final outcome, but I like to think that my individual vote does matter.”
CORRECTIONS This space is reserved for corrections. Spot an error? Call us at 316-978-6905.
—DUSTIN YOUNGMAN, Graphic Design, Junior
—STEVEN NGHIEM, Accounting, Senior
THURSDAY, NOV. 1, 2018
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VOTER AGE GAP
Percent of citizens by age who voted in 2016
46.1% 18-29 year olds
58.7% 30-44 year olds
66.6%
70.9%
45-64 year olds
65 and older
Data from U.S. Census Bureau
If you’re turned away, vote provisional BY KYLIE CAMERON
Across the United States this midterm election, voter suppression tactics are on the rise. These tactics are being used to keep voters from their constitutional right to participate in our democracy, and Kansas is no exception. About two and a half hours west of Wichita, Dodge City election officials have been heavily scrutinized for only opening one polling location outside of town for all 13,000 voters. Some voter suppression isn’t as blatant, however. Some voters are turned away at the polls when election workers tell them something is wrong with their registration. If that happens to you, demand a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when a voter’s registration is in question and needs to be verified before the vote can be counted. When you are given a provisional ballot, you will be asked to also fill out a voter registration form. Once the ballot is filled out, it will be sealed in an envelope pending review of the voter’s registration by law. Don’t leave the polls without casting any sort of ballot, whether it be on machine or on paper. MADELINE DEABLER/THE SUNFLOWER
HOW TO
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WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES EDUCATION?
VOTE
Jean Griffith, PhD
HAVE A GAME PLAN
Ballotpedia.com has everything you need to know about each race on the ballot. If you don’t already have a candidate in mind, this site does a fantastic job of listing candidates and their platforms. Simply put in the address that you are registered to vote with and a sample ballot will appear.
PINPOINT YOUR POLL
If you did not receive a voter registration certificate in the mail, you can use ksvotes.org or headcount.org to find your polling station based on the address you’re registered with. If you have trouble accessing transportation, Uber and Lyft have promised to give riders discounted rates to the polls this year. Information for these promo codes are available through their respective apps.
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ID, PLEASE!
The only thing you need to bring with you is a form of photo identification. A driver’s license is the most accessible, but passports, military IDs, student IDs, and concealed carry IDs are all valid as long as they have a photo.
PLUGGED IN OR PAPER?
Once your identification is verified, the poll representative will ask if you want to vote through a paper or electronic ballot. For paper ballots, writing utensils are provided, so don’t worry. Once you’re finished, double, triple, and quadruple check your selections. If you make a mistake, simply tell a representative at the polling station and they will replace your ballot and discard the old one. If you choose to fill out an electronic ballot, you’ll make your selections through a computer with a touch screen. If you experience a glitch, report it to a representative and request a paper ballot instead.
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FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT
It is your constitutional right to vote. If for some reason you are told that there is a problem with your voter registration status or that you are ineligible to vote, demand a provisional ballot with a receipt. Do not leave the polling place without making your voice heard. Remember that denying a valid voter a provisional ballot is illegal.
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Debbie Haynes, MD
Jay Price, PhD
Robert Litan, moderator, Brookings Institution
3 p.m. Nov. 1, 2018 CAC Theater A liberal arts and sciences degree is an investment—not only for the next few years—but for a lifetime of work and fulfilment. Panelists will discuss the benefits of a liberal arts and sciences education — their intrinsic value, the career-relevant skills they develop in students, and the civic mindedness they cultivate.
Information compiled by Ella Dominguez
Eric Melgren, JD
Wine and cheese reception to follow Jay Price, PhD
STICK IT TO ’EM
Get your “I Voted!” sticker and show it off proudly. Post about it, flaunt it around campus and tell all your friends and family too. Congratulations for completing your civic duty and making a difference in your community.
Andrew Hippisley, PhD
Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences PHONE: (316) 978-6659 EMAIL: cheryl.miller@wichita.edu
4 | THURSDAY, NOV. 1, 2018
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U.s. house race
Student campaign workers want to see young voters turn out at the polls BY AUDREY KORTE
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Thompson gets second shot at Estes BY AUDREY KORTE
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t’s been two decades since Kansas’s Fourth Congressional District of has had a Democrat in office. James Thompson hopes to change that by emerging victorious against incumbent Republican Congressman Ron Estes. This is the second time the two will face off. Thompson lost to Estes in a special election in 2017 after Congressman Mike Pompeo was confirmed as CIA director. The Fourth District is historically a Republican stronghold. Once a registered Republican, Thompson said he switched parties largely because he was inspired by Sen. Bernie Sanders’s “by the people, for the people” message. Thompson’s campaign focuses on veterans’ issues, healthcare, the legalization of marijuana in Kansas, and making education accessible and affordable. “I grew up in poverty,” Thompson said at a public discussion at the El Dorado Senior Center on Oct. 20. “I was actually homeless when I was a kid at one point and I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who took an interest in me — who said, ‘look, if you want to get out of poverty, if you want to make something of your life, then you’ve got to get educated.’ He really affected the entire trajectory of my life. Emancipated at 17 years old, Thompson soon joined the Army. He used the GI bill to help pay for his bachelor’s degree in political science from Wichita State. SEE THOMPSON PAGE 9
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Q&A with Rep. Ron Estes
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ourth District incumbent Ron Estes is facing off against Democrat James Thompson in a rematch of last year’s special election that Estes won with 52 percent of the vote. The former treasurer of Kansas serves on both the House committees on Education and Workforce and Homeland Security. Estes is “proudly pro-life and supports a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution and a reduction in corporate and personal income taxes. Campaign representatives for Estes did not originally reply to an interview request. After reaching out again, The Sunflower received answers to email questions Wednesday. WHY SHOULD COLLEGE STUDENTS VOTE FOR YOU?
The principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and restriction of government overreach resonate with college students and Kansans. I want to get government off your backs and unleash the full potential of American ingenuity. WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES TO YOU AS A CANDIDATE?
Families in the 4th District know they have to balance their budgets. Business owners understand they won’t be in business long without a balanced budget. The federal government should not play by a different set of rules. I support a balanced budget amendment that will force the federal government to get its financial house in order. Creating an economy that works for everyone is also at the top of my priority list. College students and grads are entering the workforce at a great time with a booming economy and low unemployment rate. SEE ESTES PAGE 9
Despite the fact that colleges are a hotbed of political activity and a place for the open exchange of ideas, few college students participate in politics or vote — especially in midterm elections. A select few students go the extra mile and volunteer their time to campaigns. “The importance of getting young people involved in the political process cannot be overstated,” said Brayden Homan, chair of the Wichita State College Republicans. “It’s extremely important to get out and vote and to volunteer with the candidates that you support.” Hosman volunteers for Republican Ron Estes, who is running for reelection in Kansas’s Fourth Congressional District. For Hosman, campaign work is a part of his civic duty. “I like phone banking, but I much prefer to do the door-knocking because it really gets you to interact with the voters and to really connect with them and to see some of their viewpoints, and make sure that their concerns are heard,” Hosman said. On the Democratic side, Olivia Babin wears many hats in her work on a campaign. She started as an intern for Estes’s opponent, James Thompson, working with finance and campaign management. Babin was later promoted to call-time manager and is now working on Thompson’s communications team. “I also canvas for about four hours a day,” Babin said. On top of her classwork, she’s clocking about 30 hours each week with the Thompson campaign. “Even if he loses, I would do it again,” Babin said. “I’m a firm believer that if I have an opinion, I should do something to make sure that’s the standard. If I believe something, then I need to stand up for it and do something about it and this is the best way that I can think of.” Ashlyn Parrish works on Republican candidate Pete Meitzner’s campaign for Sedgwick County Commissioner in District One. Like Babin, she started as a volunteer and moved into a formal position — creating Meitzner’s social media content and designing his graphics. “I really like Pete,” Parrish said. “I know what he’s done for the city and I know what kind of person he is, so I was happy to help him out with whatever he needed.” Parrish said her work makes her feel responsible for the campaign’s successes and failures. “I do feel responsibility even though I’m a very minute part of this campaign,” Parrish said. “Any time there’s a flaw or any time something I post doesn’t get the kind of reach I expect, it’s kind of like ‘darn it.’ Maybe I could have done something better.” Babin said get-out-the-vote efforts are the big focus in the final push before elections. SEE STUDENTS PAGE 9
THURSDAY, NOV. 1, 2018
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kansas Governor’s race
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KYLIE CAMERON/THE SUNFLOWER
Laura Kelly bolstered by moderates
Greg Orman rejects party politics
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BY MATTHEW KELLY
rom supporting Medicaid expansion to protecting abortion rights, one look at Laura Kelly on the issues shows she’s a Democrat, but you wouldn’t know that from her expansive list of Republican endorsements. In September, nearly 30 GOP lawmakers publicly endorsed Kelly for governor over her Republican counterpart, Kris Kobach. She now has the support of every living former governor of Kansas except Sam Brownback. Kelly, the assistant minority leader in the Kansas Senate, is competing with independent Greg Orman for Republican voters who are alienated by Kobach’s harsh rhetoric on such issues as immigration. “Governors (Bill) Graves and (Mike) Hayden and other moderate Republicans have seen how I’m able to work with both parties to achieve real results, and they know I will continue to do that as governor,” Kelly wrote in an email to The Sunflower. “The only way we will fix the mess of the past eight years is to bring Democrats and Republicans together — and that will be my approach as governor.” Kelly was instrumental in building the bipartisan coalition that repealed Gov. Brownback’s signature tax cuts. “The Brownback tax plan was a bad deal for Kansas — it hurt our economy and caused cuts to our schools, roads and other important priorities,” Kelly wrote. Kelly cited her more than a decade of experience on the Senate Budget Committee as preparing her to balance the state budget. Stabilizing the budget, she said, would be her first priority as governor. “I will work with tax experts to make our tax structure more fair and balance the budget without raising taxes,” Kelly wrote. “Once the budget is stable, I will focus on reducing the food sales tax and providing property tax relief.” Kelly, who has said she would be the “education governor” of Kansas, vowed to protect K-12 funding and expand pre-K programs. She said her vision extends to higher education. “(E)very step along the way is important for our students,” Kelly wrote. “We must make college more affordable for our students and their families.” Kelly rejects Kobach’s narrative that undocumented high school graduates from Kansas who receive in-state tuition are to blame for tuition hikes at state universities. Kelly lost the National Rifle Association’s endorsement in 2016 after voting for an unsuccessful amendment that would have kept it illegal to conceal carry at state universities. She said she supports common-sense gun safety measures. In May, Kelly told The Sunflower she would investigate the public-private partnerships on Innovation Campus if elected governor. She stood by that promise in her email interview. “As governor, I will look at all of these private-public partnerships to make sure there is adequate accountability to the people of Kansas,” Kelly wrote. “My concern with the Innovation Campus continues to be the lack of accountability and transparency, and concerns around creating a private school on public land.” In March, Kelly’s running mate, Lynn Rogers, told The Wichita Eagle that the way projects are managed on Innovation Campus seems like a “work-around” to bypass public discussion and accountability.
BY MATTHEW KELLY
hroughout his journey of frustration with party politics, independent governor’s candidate Greg Orman has been both a registered Republican and a registered Democrat. “I’ve tried both parties,” Orman said. I’ve generally been very disappointed.” Orman, who nearly upset incumbent Pat Roberts in Kansas’s 2014 U.S. Senate race, has never held public office. Recent polls show the Johnson County businessman polling around 10 percent with Republican Kris Kobach and Democrat Laura Kelly locked in a dead heat. In a time of intense polarization and partisanship, Orman said Kansans from across the political spectrum have more in common than they might think. “The way we campaign has a tendency to divide people, and it doesn’t recognize the real common ground that exists,” Orman said. “As an example, traveling the state of Kansas, I’ve met a lot of prochoice voters, I’ve met a lot of pro-life voters. I haven’t met a lot of pro-abortion voters. Most Kansans agree we would like to see fewer abortions.” Orman said Kansas should follow Colorado’s lead — giving women seeking birth control access to a long-lasting option. In the six years following the implementation of such a program in 2009, the teen abortion rate in Colorado was cut nearly in half. “There’s a lot of common ground on that issue we can work with,” Orman said. “The same thing on guns.” Orman, a gun owner himself, said loopholes in the reporting system must be closed and that everyone who purchases a firearm should be subject to a background check to keep weapons out of the hands of domestic abusers, people who have been sentenced to more than a year in prison, and people suffering from mental illness. “I don’t want those people owning guns, but you know what? The vast majority of gun owners agree with me on that,” Orman said. Orman is open in his criticism of former Gov. Sam Brownback’s now-repealed signature tax cuts. “Where I really fault Governor Brownback was when it was clear that the Brownback-Colyer tax plan wasn’t working, they didn’t change course,” Orman said. “You never do that in the private sector. Companies in the private sector that ignore inconvenient facts go out of business.” Orman said that, without adjusting the level of taxation, Kansas could manage its resources more effectively. He provided one example in the realm of criminal justice. “Right now, we actually spend a lot of money incarcerating people for buying a dime bag of weed,” Orman said. Orman said he would advocate for making recreational marijuana use a ticketed offense — the same as if you were caught speeding. Critics characterize Orman as a kingmaker who could pull just enough votes away from one major-party candidate to get the other elected. The independent rejects the notion he’s playing spoiler. “It’s very difficult to spoil a rotten system,” Orman said. “It’s a little sad that we feel like we have to vote for a bad candidate just to avoid a worse one.” Orman was undaunted by his single-digit poll numbers. “I actually see a lot of momentum coming our way,” Orman said. “I continue to be confident that we’re going to pull it out.
SUNFLOWER FILE PHOTO
Kris Kobach embraces tough talk BY DRAKE ROBINSON
The Sunflower contacted Kobach’s campaign repeatedly and was not granted a candidate interview.
S
ecretary of State Kris Kobach won a historically narrow Republican primary over sitting Gov. Jeff Colyer to secure his party’s nomination. Kobach, who now finds himself in a dead heat with Democrat Laura Kelly, has already welcomed both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to Kansas to campaign for him. Kobach has been in the sphere of Kansas politics for almost 20 years, starting with a fellowship for President George W. Bush at the Department of Justice, where he focused on immigration policy. Kobach was elected to the Overland Park City Council in 1999, served as chairman of the Kansas GOP from 2007-2009, and has been secretary of state since 2010. As secretary of state, Kobach has made national headlines for his hardline positions on illegal immigration. In Kansas elections, Kobach has championed strict voter ID laws. In the 2016 presidential election, Kobach was an early supporter of then candidate Donald Trump. After Trump was elected, Kobach became the president’s informal adviser and served on his voter fraud commission before it was disbanded earlier this year. Kobach also authored Alabama and Arizona state laws cracking down on employers who hire illegal labor. In June, Kobach claimed that rising tuition at Kansas’s public institutions could be stemmed by repealing a law that allows undocumented high school graduates to receive in-state tuition. “If we weren’t giving somewhere between three and four million dollars of subsidy to illegal aliens, that subsidy could be redistributed so that maybe Kansas in-staters don’t have to see a hike after hike after hike,” Kobach told The Sunflower in August. Tuition increased for state colleges and universities by $10.2 million last school year and $12.9 million this school year. The Wichita State Student Government Association released a statement rejecting Kobach’s claim and standing with undocumented students. Kobach has been in legal battles with critics of his immigration and voter ID policies who challenge the policies’ legalities — including groups such as the ACLU and League of Women Voters. Kobach even got into a public feud with former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her campaign over his voter ID policies. Kobach writes for the conservative media outlet, Breitbart, and appears as a frequent guest on Fox News. The secretary of state grew up in Topeka — attending local Washburn Rural High School before moving on to Harvard University. Once he achieved his bachelor of arts degree, Kobach would go on to earn a master in arts and PhD at Oxford University in England. He went on to attend Yale law school. On the campaign trail, Kobach has promised to cut sales taxes, cap appraisal property taxes, protect gun rights, and set out a plan to spend 75 cents of every tax dollar spent for education in the classroom. Kobach boasts endorsements from groups including Kansans for Life, the National Rifle Association, and the Kansas State Council of Firefighters.
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county commission race District 4 Democrat Lacey Cruse an activist and folk singer turned candidate
Richard Ranzau seeks third term in office in District 4
BY JENNA FARHAT
BY DRAKE ROBINSON
H
ospice consultant, local folk singer, and Wichita Women’s March organizer Lacey Cruse will face off against incumbent Republican Richard Ranzau for the District 4 seat on the Sedgwick County Commission. A Democrat, Cruse is running for public office for the first time after being inspired by helping organize the local Women’s March in January of last year. She said leading the local protest brought to her attention the lack of representation for women in local government. The last time a women served on the Sedgwick County Commission was eight years ago. Cruse said representation will solve some of the problems women face. “I’ve heard and spoke with people who work at the county currently and they have all expressed to me the overt sexism, the toxic environment of the county,” Cruse said. “In years past, we used to have people flocking to the county for work. “We need people who are kind, compassionate, and considerate. That’s what I bring.” A Parsons native, Cruse moved to Wichita 12 years ago to study communication at Wichita State. She said the economy is one of her top priorities. “We don’t have a good economy. We’re not thriving,” Cruse said. She said it’s important to make sure that small-business owners feel supported. Cruse said senior services have a special place in her heart. “I’ve been a senior advocate for the better part
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of my life,” she said. “We just need to make sure we advocate for the wellbeing and rights of our older adults and protect funding that helps them maintain their independence.” Cruse has also made a name for herself as a local musician. She said her experience as a folk singer gives her an advantage as a potential commissioner. “As musicians and artists, we kind of push the envelope,” Cruse said. “I’m not afraid to suggest ideas that might be out of the status quo or out of the norm.” The Sedgwick County Commission has been in hot water recently as some commissioners are under FBI investigation. Cruse’s opponent, Ranzau, is not one of the commissioners being investigated. “If you’re not doing anything wrong, then an investigation will prove that,” Cruse said. “My opponent does not want the investigation because it just goes to show, when you already know the answer, you don’t want to ask the question. “That, to me, screams he has something to hide,” Cruse said. “It’s kind of like the good old boys’ club.”
ichard Ranzau has served as the Sedgwick County Fourth District commissioner since 2010. After graduating from Valley Center High School, Ranzau joined the Army reserves — serving as a military policeman, and eventually graduated from Wichita State University with three degrees. After retiring, Ranzau worked as a physician’s assistant for 21 years before he decided to run for the county commission. On the issue of retaining a young workforce in Wichita, Commissioner Ranzau mentioned recent studies showing that about 20 percent of young people leave Wichita. He said he plans to “focus on the 80 percent that stay, find out why they are staying, and recruit people from other communities” to live in Wichita. The commissioner said he believes there are “plenty of people in smaller areas in the Midwest” who view Wichita as a desirable destination to live, due to “affordable living and a good family atmosphere.” Ranzau said the commission needs to showcase Sedgwick County as an option for these people and work on retaining young people that are already here. Ranzau is looking to emphasize that he is a fiscal conservative this election cycle — arguing that he is both a more responsible choice for the taxpayer than both his Democratic challenger and many members of his own party. Ranzau said he has been and
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continues to be “able to provide quality government services at a reasonable cost” that help the taxpayer and young people keep more of the money they earn. He has stated that he strives to make government programs “effective, efficient, and accountable.” One of Ranzau’s top priorities is to “get services provided in a cost effective manner,” he said. Transparency is another issue that the commissioner is emphasizing in his campaign. Ranzau said he has “encouraged open and honest debate and exposed corruption on the commission” — even when it involves members of his own party. Ranzau said that if we can’t trust our elected officials to be transparent and work toward goals for the right reasons, then there will be massive problems. He said he has done what he can in his position to make it easier for people to come speak at the county commission meetings — encouraging more people to participate in the county commission debates.
District 1 Duxler campaigns for investing in students and immigrants, reducing crime BY JOHN DARR
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enee Duxler aims to bring her knowledge as a small business owner and social worker to the Sedgwick County Commission’s District 1. Duxler, who has a long history of work in the community, hopes to build a voter base from the diverse groups she’s served. One of the groups that Duxler has extensive experience with is Wichita’s student population. Duxler taught in WSU’s women studies and social work departments as an adjunct professor, and she remains focused on Wichita’s youth. “I feel very strongly that students and young people are what will really transform our quality of life, economy, and prosperity here,” Duxler wrote. “I’m excited to engage with students and build opportunities for them to excel in Wichita/Sedgwick County.” One core issue Duxler hopes to address is immigration. She said immigrants are undervalued in Wichita and that the county needs to find ways to support them. Immigrants make many contributions across both Wichita’s economy and culture, Duxler said, and local government should do something to reward those contributions more clearly. Even more pressing, she said, is addressing Wichita’s crime rate. “We have the highest crime rate in the state of Kansas,” Duxler wrote.
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“This includes violent crime, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect and sexual assault. This absolutely needs to be addressed.” Issues aside, Duxler said her campaign is an attempt to address another issue: a lack of diversity in the county commission. Over the last sixty-five years, only five women have been elected to serve on the commission as opposed to thirty-one men. Duxler said there simply needs to be better representation. Though she’s hopeful that her election could be a step in the right direction, Duxler said she is more concerned that the institution gain diversity whether or not she is elected. “I don’t want people to vote for me because I’m a woman,” Duxler wrote. “But I do feel its important that people understand the significant potential of qualified female leadership.”
Meitzner takes pride in WSU focus as city councilman BY JOHN DARR
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n his campaign for County Commissioner in Sedgwick County’s District 1, Pete Meitzner wants voters to focus on his record as a city councilman. Meitzner, a lifelong resident of Wichita and an alumnus of Wichita State, has spent his time on the city council pushing for economic development within Sedgwick County. That includes work specifically geared toward Wichita State. Meitzner worked closely with the university to grant the right utilities and permits in order to move the Innovation Campus project forward. He also pushed for the Law Enforcement Training Center to be constructed on WSU’s campus in order to allow interested students greater access to its resources. Meitzner helped guide the establishment of the Airbus facility on Wichita State as well, and he says he’ll continue to push for resources to be made available to WSU students if elected to the county commission Meitzner said he sees Wichita State as both an opportunity for growth and an institution that needs more recognition. He hopes the economic developments at WSU will spur international businesses to work with the university. He said he sees the popularity of WSU basketball as a possible tool for growth.
COURTESY
“Wichita State basketball has done a nice job of putting Wichita on the United States map,” Meitzner said. “Sedgwick County overlooks that and should be more actively promoting that.” Meitzner’s focus on local and university development comes from his deep history with the university. After he rose through WSU’s education system and traveled around the country for work, he always bought seasonal basketball tickets. His said his experience with Wichita communal outreach programs spurred him to invest in the city, even when he was living in other states. When he settled back in Wichita, running for office was a natural move. “I just felt a calling to make Wichita a better place,” Meitzner said. “I had the energy to make the region better, and I’ve still got the energy to do it.”
NEWS
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This is the view Joshua Elouidor, sports management sophomore, has from his second floor room in The Flats. “I’m just looking at a big old thing of wood, really,” Elouidor said. “I don’t really see the campus or anything.”
Trouble waking up in the morning? The Flats can fix that. BY ANDREW LINNABARY
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tudents living in the southeast section of The Flats residence hall often wake up to a natural alarm clock — one that sounds like hammering and drilling. That’s the noise of The Suites, The Flats’ under-construction neighboring residence hall. Flats residents said the construction began without warning or notice. Some students are annoyed. Some see it as progress. “I had no idea,” said Isabella Lee, a psychology and dance junior and Flats resident. “I didn’t even know what that building was until someone was like, ‘Oh, it’s new dorms.’ I get there was a need for more dorms, but why didn’t they try to do it over the summer?” The Kansas Board of Regents approved The Suites, Phase 2 of The Flats, in March. They are being billed as a lower-priced residence hall option and are set to open in fall of 2019. Lee and other Flats residents said the construction — which begins as early as 7 a.m. and usually ends at 5 — has woken them up multiple times and made studying and working difficult. “Good luck trying to take a quality nap,” Lee said. “It is super annoying when you’re trying to study, and you obviously want there to be quiet, and you constantly hear banging.” Joshua Elouidor, sports management sophomore, said “hearing all that ruckus is disturbing,” especially in the morning.
“I know finals are coming up too, so people are trying to study and stuff, so it’s going to suck,” Elouidor said. And there’s another thing that sucks about the construction, Elouidor said — the view. “I’m just looking at a big old thing of wood, really,” Elouidor said. “I don’t really see the campus or anything.” From Eloudor’s balcony, the view is dominated by the plastic sheet-covered wooden skeleton of The Suites, which aesthetically and foundationally mimics The Flats. Sociology sophomore Deshara Witherspoon said “right now [the building] is ugly,” but thinks “it will be decent when it’s completely done.” Her roommate, biomedical engineering sophomore Janine Nunes, said the speed of how The Suites is being constructed is concerning. “I just feel like since they build these so fast, like, it looks nice, but is everything actually quality?” Nunes said. Not every student is upset about the construction. Gerard Wojtowicz — a Polish, freshman international student studying aerospace engineering — hasn’t been bothered by the noise or the view, he said. “I honestly haven’t noticed any noise,” Wojtowicz said. “I don’t think that the view would be any nicer if there was nothing going on, because it’d be what, a hill and grass? They’re expanding, so that’s cool, and it doesn’t really bother me.” Something else altogether about the construction bothers pre-med freshman Jordan Donovan — privacy.
“Sometimes, when you’re getting dressed, you wonder if [the construction workers are] looking in,” Donovan said. “Like if you forget to shut the blinds, you know?” All of the student residents with rooms facing The Suites said the university never notified them about the construction before or after they moved in. Scott Jensen, interim executive director for student life, said all students and staff were made aware of construction projects on Innovation Campus through “announcements put out by the university.” “While the short period of construction may be frustrating, we welcome the growth to housing at WSU,” Jensen said in an email. “Flats residents on the other side will soon experience construction close to them as we welcome the YMCA and Wellness Center. We can’t grow our campus and increase what we offer students without some inconvenience. Students will soon get to enjoy new housing and an incredible new recreation and wellness facility.” A month before move-in day last school year, WSU announced that university-owned Fairmount Towers residence hall would close. Before receiving the required state approval, WSU announced that the roughly 300 students who planned to live in Fairmount would be relocated to The Flats, a new, private apartment complex on Innovation Campus that was developed by a company owned in part by the chair of the board of regents, David Murfin. The Suites too is being developed by Murfin’s company.
Dean of the Barton School of Business, Anand Desai, to retire
BY EVAN PFLUGRADT
Dean of the Barton School of Business, Anand Desai, will retire at the end of the school year. Desai will work through August, ending 25 years of service in higher education, according to a university release. Desai has served as dean since 2015. Provost Rick Muma will work with the college faculty and staff
to conduct a national search so that the next dean is in place prior to his departure. Shirley Lefever, dean of the College of Applied Studies, will chair the search. “Dean Desai has made a tremendous amount of progress in the Business School by growing enrollment, launching several new academic programs, and most importantly, raising nearly $30
million for the school’s replacement facility known as Woolsey Hall,” Muma said in a news release. “Anand has been a great colleague and he will be missed. We wish him well in the next chapter of his life.” Prior to becoming dean, Desai was associate dean and associate professor in the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University.
BRIAN HAYES/THE SUNFLOWER
Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business Anand Desai will retire at the end of the year.
SGA appoints justice to Supreme Court; 6 vacancies remain BY DANIEL CAUDILL
DANIEL CAUDILL/THE SUNFLOWER
Ben Spainhour, was appointed to the Supreme Court at SGA’s Oct. 31 meeting. A large majority of the court’s seats remain vacant.
Amidst a struggle to find applicants, Student Government Association selected the first Supreme Court justice for this session at Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting. Junior Ben Spainhour, an earth and space science education major, was appointed to the Supreme Court during SGA’s Wednesday meeting. With less than two months left in the semester, six of the seven court positions remain vacant. “We wanted Ben [Spainhour] specifically because he had a pretty solid, objective interview,” Student Body President Kenon Brinkley said. “He talked about . . . leaving ambiguity at the door, leaving personal relationships at the door, and serving with integrity.” Brinkley said there have been two other applicants to the
Supreme Court — one of which may be appointed as soon as the next senate meeting on Nov. 7. He said he does not plan to nominate the other applicant. The court, usually filled during the fall semester, is composed of six associate justices and one chief justice. Justices are nominated by the student body president, subject to senate approval. Spainhour said he has served in several leadership positions, including on the executive board of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and with Shockerthon. “With any leadership position I have, I always try to make it a teaching moment,” Spainhour said. The court has jurisdiction over cases arising from SGA’s Legislative Journal, statutes, and bylaws. It also hears appeals from the Traffic Court and the Library Court of Appeals, and renders decisions in those cases.
SPORTS
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SHOCKERS WIN D-II EXHIBITION DOG FIGHT
JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER
JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER
WSU defeats Catawba 75-64
Left, Wichita State’s Samajae Haynes-Jones cheers on his teammate, Markis McDuffie, after a big play during their game. The Shockers won their game against Catawba on Monday. Top, Wichita State’s Samajae Haynes-Jones makes a pass during their game against Catawba. Above, Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie looks to pass during the exhibition game against Catawba. Bottom left, Wichita State students cheer during the exhibition game against Catawba. Below, Wichita State’s Samajae Haynes-Jones fights for the ball during their game against Catawba.
JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
BURTON’S VETERAN-LEVEL EXPERIENCE
Freshman guard Jamarius Burton put on a show Tuesday for Shocker fans. He was all over the court both on offense and defense, scoring 16 points on 6-7 shooting. One of the more impressive plays he made came after a Rod Brown turnover. Gregg Marshall called his performance “tremendous.” NO LUCK FROM DEEP
Wichita State shot 5-23 — only 21 percent — from deep against Division-II Catawba. It shows that this team should focus in the paint, and on the mid-range game moving forward. Senior guard Samajae HaynesJones proved Tuesday that his mid-range game has improved tremendously after he had multiple hesitation pull-ups at the top of the key. Haynes-Jones finished with a game-high 19 points for the Shockers. — Marshall Sunner SHOOT YOUR SHOT
Samajae Haynes-Jones has a knack for crossing over defenders. He’s quick and can create space better than just about anyone in the conference. However, last season, his unselfishness put those crossovers
JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State’s Erik Stevenson goes up for a layup during their game against Catawba.
to waste, as Haynes-Jones displayed a pass-first mentality. Against Catawba, Haynes-Jones showed that he’s transitioned his game to shoot the shot when it’s available. Should he continue to take more shots, his shooting percentages are sure to go up. PROJECT IN THE PAINT
This team is young, and the evidence shows in the paint. Catawba scored early and often in the paint to start the game. The Shockers lacked
a bully in the paint. Morris Udeze, a freshman, had four fouls and was a step behind on several plays. Asbjørn Midtgaard, who got the start at center, struggled to get in rebounding position on both ends. Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler was a magnet for fouls, and Jaime Echenique never quite got his footing. If there’s one area inexperience shows, it’s under the basket. Consider the front court Gregg Marshall’s next project. — Evan Pflugradt
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STUDENTS
FROM PAGE 4 “There are 40,000 new registered voters in Sedgwick County and all of those people, this is their first time voting.” Babin said. “We hope that we can get those people actually out to the polls and get to vote.” Parrish said working on campaigns makes her look at elections differently. “It kind of humanizes the campaign and even the candidate,” she said. Babin said she wishes more students were aware that there are many opportunities to volunteer that are easy. She says for introverts, “there are all different types of things that you can do to volunteer that don’t involve social interaction.” According to the Center for Information and Research on
THOMPSON
FROM PAGE 4 “It was the military that offered that opportunity for me,” he said. Thompson has worked as a civil rights attorney in Wichita for the last 15 years. He said he got into civil rights work to make sure the government doesn’t overreach. “I believe in holding people accountable and responsible when they do something wrong,” Thompson said. One of the sticking points for Thompson is Estes’s use of super PAC money. “We got all our money from
ESTES
FROM PAGE 4
Civic Learning and Engagement, only 21 percent of 18-29-year-old students voted in the 2014 midterm elections, compared with about 37 percent in the overall population. These students hope that all their efforts will improve those statistics. “I personally have registered about 500 voters, as well as talked to so many friends who are like, ‘I probably wasn’t going to vote but because you’ve been talking to me and I see how much you care, I’m going to go vote,’” Babin said. Hosman said that though our political system is imperfect, it’s worth taking the time to get to the polls this year. “No vote is a wasted vote,” Hosman sais. “I’m a firm believer that if you voted, you did something to try and solve a problem, and not all problems can be solved, but at least you’re doing something to try and attempt to solve it.”
individuals,” Thompson said. “Mostly 30, 40, 50 bucks at a time. We have been busting our humps and we are over 50,000 individual donors for this race. Estes’s campaign accepts PAC donations. Thompson said he doesn’t take money from PACs except for unions because “they’re real working people.” Thompson’s advice for young people on Nov. 6 is, “grab the four, five, six, 10, 20 people that you can. Get to the polls. Make sure that they vote. It’s great that you went to a rally or protest, but if you don’t vote, it’s all been for nothing.”
wish to return power to you, leave more money in your pockets, and support free and fair trade.
WHY ARE YOU BETTER THAN YOUR OPPONENT?
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION OF THE MEDIA?
I believe that government is usually the problem, not the solution. My opponent believes in increasing the size of government and supports repealing the historic tax cuts made last year. He supports policies that will bankrupt our nation and continue to give other countries the upper hand in trade negotiations. I, however,
A free and independent press is a constitutional liberty anchored in the First Amendment and a cornerstone of American exceptionalism. The media has an enormous responsibility to ensure they present facts fairly and honestly in order for Americans to make decisions that can best benefit them and their families.
COURTESY Beth Clarkson is the chief statistician at the National Institute for Aviation Research. Clarkson started investigating election fraud after noticing statistical anomalies in vote counts in the 2014 election.
Clarkson: Election fraud is still a problem
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BY ANDREW LINNABARY
tatistician Beth Clarkson has spent years trying to see the votes. Now she’s given up. It’s not that she doesn’t believe election fraud is still a problem. It’s just that nobody seems to listen. “I’m to the point where I’m ready to give up,” Clarkson said. “I feel like I’ve done as much personally as I feel capable of trying to do. People aren’t agreeing with me. So there’s not much else I can do.” Clarkson first became a voice for detecting election fraud in 2014 when she found statistical anomalies in vote counts and asked to audit voting machine results. She was denied an audit. She took it to court. The court denied her an audit too. Since then, she has been in and out of court fighting for the
Voter turnout could make 2018 a historic midterm BY AUDREY KORTE
You don’t have to look far to find people who say this is the most important midterm election in decades. Some reports indicate that voter turnout in the 2018 midterms may rival the higher numbers that are normally reserved for presidential elections. “If that were to happen, it would be an incredibly unique moment for a midterm election,” said Jeffrey Jarman, director of the Elliott School of Communication. Jarman said that an uptick in voter turnout can swing close elections. Early voting numbers are higher this year than in 2014 for both Republicans and Democrats. Compared to 2014, nearly four times the number of Democrats and double the amount of Republicans have voted early this year. But with high numbers of unaffiliated voters, it’s hard to predict where that will leave us on Nov. 6. History Department Chair Jay Price said that the Trump presidency has caused people to be more invested in this year’s elections. “Certainly I think there is a definite conversation on a national level that is getting people’s attention,” Price said. Neal Allen is the political science department chair. He said that presidents tend to lose seats for their party in their first midterm election. “That seems likely to happen [this year],” Allen said. “Trump is of middle-to-low popularity by historical standards for someone at this stage in their first term. “Right now, it is so evenly split that it doesn’t take very much to swing something one way or the other,” Price said. “It’s so close that anything from a storm front to last-minute news can make an impact.” Though we may not see a lot of Kansans switching sides, we have seen a lot of Kansans investing in political campaigns — especially on the Democratic side. The
financial support that Democrats have gained leading up to these elections far surpasses what they brought in in 2014. “Democratic individual candidates have raised money like no candidates ever have in the history of the United States,” Allen said. “You have Democratic challengers outraising Republican incumbents, and that’s certainly new.” It’s uncertain if this fundraising will equate to Democratic wins. “It might be that it just allows Democrats to lose districts by less than they would have if they hadn’t had all this money,” Allen said. Price said the biggest issue for Kansas right now is the growing divide within the Republican party. “The real division is between the pro-business Republicans and the more, now populist Republicans,” Price said. “The Wall Street versus the Wal-Mart Republicans, if you will. That’s going to be the real issue, how those different segments of the electorate function.” One of the biggest local races is being fought right now between Democrat James Thompson and incumbent Republican Ron Estes. Does Thompson have a shot in a district that has not had a Democratic Congressman since Dan Glickman left Wichita for Washington in the mid-nineties? “It’s not just enough to have higher voter turnout,” Jarman said. “You actually have to turn out a disproportionate number of people for Thompson to overcome the structural advantage of registrations that Estes has.” As for the Governor’s race between Democrat Laura Kelly and Republican Kris Kobach, Jarmin said it’ll be close. With a number of Republicans endorsing Kelly this year, it’s clear that this race is going to be a nail-biter. Is doing better going to be enough for Democrats in Kansas to win in a red state? We’ll find out on Election Day.
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right to audit. “People don’t believe what I’ve done, they ignore my results, they take no action,” Clarkson said. The action that Clarkson would like to see taken is for voting to be done by, ideally, a paper system. “I think that technologically, it’s possible to develop [a good electronic system], but if you do, you have to have people who aren’t experts in that field have trust that the experts are doing their jobs honestly,” Clarkson said. In an ideal world, paper ballots would be hand-counted at polling locations on election night, Clarkson said. But she knows that is unrealistic. “I’d like to see at least an audit on election night before the ballots ever leave the polling station,” Clarkson sasid. Still, there have been strides towards what Clarkson sees as a better election results system, including a law passed in 2018
requiring post election audits, which goes into effect next year. But there “absolutely has to be a paper trail” for audits to work, she said. “If we don’t have a paper trail, we can’t do audits.” Clarkson believes if more people were aware of the fact that election fraud is a real thing that does happen, there would be a bigger push for election reform. “Until I started investigating it, I didn’t think there could be anything like that happening without there being more publicity about it,” Clarkson said. “I just think there needs to be more basic awareness. “I think our election officials are honest and they’re doing their best. I would like to make that clear. I think they’re all honest and they’re working very hard in the system we have to do the best they can. But I think we have a system that has flaws that are not being addressed.”
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