University Daily Kansan, Monday, April 22, 2019

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Cordell Tinch wins two gold medals at 2019 Kansas Relays KU jumper Cordell Tinch competed in three events on Saturday at the KU Relays. The freshman took gold in the 110-meter hurdles and high jump, and 5th in the triple jump.

Seniors’ photos in Chalmers Seniors’ work is being showcased at Chalmers Hall by the University’s photo department.

Cast attack in Downs Hall

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Top of the world not high enough LOGAN FRICKS @LoganFricks

The crowd was roaring and everybody, including his opponents, were cheering for him. Kansas track and field freshman pole vaulter Zach Bradford needed just one more jump to cement his name in Kansas history.

Lifting his pole, Bradford ran toward the pit and cleared the bar. He had broken a Kansas program record in the pole vault.

Moments prior, Bradford had cleared the 5.77-meter mark but right as he got over the height, Bradford’s body tapped the pole causing it to fall. He knew right then that he could make history.

With the wind in his favor and the weather treating him well, Bradford lifted himself 5.77-meters into the air for a second time. With the crowd cheering at his side, Bradford fell onto

the mat in relief, realizing he had just become the No. 1 pole vaulter in Kansas history.

“I didn’t think I was going to make the (5-)77.

That’s a really high height for my freshman year,” Bradford said. “And then it all just clicked, I could hear the crowd cheer. I just wanted to fall down.

I couldn’t believe it.”

Braford entered the Relays coming off a third-place finish at the Battle of the Bayou. Bradford expected to have a successful day due to the weather, but little did he know he would have a record-setting performance.

“I felt it coming, practice, everything. Everything’s starting to click,” Bradford said.

At the beginning of day four of the relays, the Kansas pole vault record was 5.76 meters, set by Jeff Buckingham in 1983.

READ MORE ON PAGE 7

GTA Coalition confronts interim provost NICOLE ASBURY @NicoleAsbury

A suspect allegedly struck their roommate with an arm cast, resulting in an arrest.

On the horizon

Honoring Earth after Monday Earth Day may be April 22, but a KU scientist wants to celebrate the day year round.

Rachel Griffard/KANSAN Freshman Zach Bradford competes in pole vault at the Kansas Relays Saturday, April 20.

Nicole Asbury/KANSAN Members of Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition shake Interim Provost Carl Lejuez’s hand.

Eight members of the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition (GTAC) sat down with Interim Provost Carl Lejuez during his office hours Thursday, April 18, to present a list of recommendations to “improve conditions at our University,” members said. The members were invited by Lejuez following their demonstration at the previous budget conversation in February.

“This is intended to help

you understand what it’s like to be us and the context of our asks,” said Owen MacDonald, an MA student in the Department of African and African American Studies.

Mikaela Warner, a graduate teaching assistant in the English department, continued following MacDonald’s introduction and shared statements from University workers and students.

“When you say that taking a pay cut would be a symbol, we feel like you

don’t understand what it’s like to live under the poverty line,” one of the anonymized statements Warner shared said.

Lejuez earns about $410,000 per year in his salary as interim provost, according to a letter from Chancellor Douglas Girod to Lejuez, which offered him the position of interim provost. It’s likely whoever receives the provost position permanently would READ MORE ON PAGE 2

Study: Caffeine is good for the brain TIANNA WITMER @tiannajwitmer University of Kansas students reflect on their dependence on coffee as new research says the common caffeinated crutch can help improve mental health depending on consumption rate.

According to research from the University of New Hampshire, 64% of adults consume at least one cup of coffee on an average day. The research indicates that 40% of adults aged 18-24, an age typically associated with college students, consume a cup of coffee a day. The numbers indicate that coffee is a paramount start to the day for millions of Americans.

Research published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry suggest coffee consumption may not be as negative as has previously been reported.

According to a 2015 research study, drinking coffee can actually lower your risk of depression by as much as 8%. This

is due to the release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain.

Sergej Grunevski, a University senior from Macedonia studying behavioral neuroscience, is no exception to this campus coffee culture.

“Usually I make a cup in the morning to get me going, then if the day is more intense, like today I have a bio exam in four hours, I’ll drink a second

cup,” Grunevski said.

“It stimulates me, and it gives me energy to do the things I need to do.

I think it also motivates me, helps me get through things I don’t like to do, like school work.”

The study also found that quantifying the amount of coffee that is consumed per day can be a large factor in the rates of depression.

“The risk of depression

decreased faster, and the association became significant when the caffeine consumption was above 68 milligrams/ day and below 509 milligrams/day,” according to the study.

Wichita native Jacob Feigeles, a junior studying journalism at the University, said he READ MORE ON PAGE 2

Chance Parker/KANSAN The Jayhawks win their first Big 12 Championship in school history Sunday, April 21.

KU Tennis crowned Big 12 champions DIEGO COX @x0lotl

Sarah Wright/KANSAN New research out of Australia suggests coffee could decrease chances of depression as it causes a release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain.

The Big 12 championship matchup: No. 1-seeded Texas vs. the No. 3-seeded Kansas.

A matchup that was hyped up be an exciting slugfest between a powerhouse team and a young underdog, vying for the Big 12 crown. And for the first time in the Big 12 era, the Jayhawks were crowned Big 12 champions on Sunday with a 4-2 victory over the Longhorns.

Beginning with doubles play, both teams

delivered a statement from the get go, with neither team was going down without a fight.

The Jayhawks showed off their doubles dominance by jumping out to an early lead in all three of their matches against the Longhorns.

First to finish was the tandem of freshman Malkia Ngounoue and junior Maria Toran Ribes after defeating Bojana Markovic and Petra Granic, 6-3.

The Jayhawks stopped READ MORE ON PAGE 8

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Report finds Senate ‘insider culture’

one-coalition election was caused in part by the executive staff members creating a large amount of support behind one coalition, and inherently causing other students to not feel compelled to run in the elections.

This example was taken from conversations between the subcommittee and multiple senators and committee members from the 2018-19 Senate. The report detailed some of those interviewed believed “executive staff unfairly influenced the proceedings to prevent the election of a senator who, at the time, was perceived to be a possible ‘opposition’ candidate in the upcoming elections.

Hinman declined to comment on the details or identity of the alleged opposition candidate.

The report also said the one-coalition problem displayed a deeper issue with-

in Senate of outreach and increasing student involvement with Senate. Hinman said the low involvement of students could be a cause of only one coalition, and what contributes to that.

“This is not any one coalition or any one leader, not any one senator’s fault that there’s one coalition,”

Hinman said. “However if we just ignore it and just assume it’s because everyone loves [the coalition] so much, then we are inherently ignoring the fact that this is probably caused by

a breakdown of student engagement on campus, and that’s something that we can’t afford to ignore in 2019.”

During the meeting Wednesday evening, current Student Body Vice President Charles Jetty questioned whether or not the report addressed any “barriers marginalized students face in elections.” He asked Hinman whether or not the subcommittee believed diversity and equity was a central issue that should have been looked into.

“Quite frankly, a lot of the people that sat on that subcommittee were not of those minorities and we didn’t want to speak for them,” Hinman said in response to questions from Jetty.

This comes as junior Tiara Floyd, the current policy and development director, was elected student body president, the first woman of color to win the seat. Floyd ran unopposed.

While the report did not find answers to the problems that arose, the members of the subcommittee drafted the report in hopes that future administrations would consider what was found and how they could fix these issues.

“The subcommittee hopes that the newly-elected 2019 Senate will take this report and its contents into consideration over the next year as it formulates policy and will strive to make Senate more accessible and inclusive for all Jayhawks,” the report said.

is as follows: 1) Releasing all currently requested information and issuing a public statement to administration to not fight information requests

by April 24 Allison said parts of administration have become increasingly hostile to information requests.

“They’ve repeatedly required Faculty Senate to submit open records requests, even though Faculty Senate is an internal part of the University,” Allison said. “Some administrators have also illegally denied other open records requests, which doesn’t feel good or look good.”

2) Convening a Grievance Resolution Committee working group Last summer, the University and GTAC agreed to form two working groups — one to consider graduate teacher term limits and one to write the details of the Grievance Resolution Committee. Though both entities came to an agreement months ago, the University spent almost the entire academic year refusing to meet with the Faculty Senate and Student Senate appointees to the Grievance Resolution Committee, Allison said.

GTAC recommend the committee exclude Ola Faucher, director of Human Resources at the University, as she “has captained the many obstructions that these appointees have faced,” Allison said.

When reached, Fauch-

er declined to comment.

She said she did not know enough about the situation to do so.

“This is the first time I’m hearing about this,” Faucher said.

GTAC said they want the first meeting set by May 1, and for it to take place before June 1.

3) Restructuring committee focused on graduate issues This step proposes restructuring the current committee considering graduate issues. The 40 person committee, Allison said, has fewer than five graduate students and no graduate teachers.

It proposes restructuring the committee to include a minimum of 50% graduate students and graduate workers by May 15.

4) Working on health care “Health care is an ongoing issue for graduate workers. During our last two rounds of contract negotiations, when we have tried to discuss healthcare, the University response has been, ‘Well, that’s complicated,’” Allison said.

GTAC is proposing article seven of the GTA con-

tract be reopened, so solutions for work healthcare at the University can be found, Allison said.

5) Upping pay by 3% for all faculty workers and support staff workers by June 15 The last step GTAC recommended Lejuez take would be to increase faculty and support staff pay by 3%.

“Of course, pay is always an issue. As we’ve pointed out, GTAs make significantly less than a living wage,” Allison said. “But unlike every other worker on campus, at least we got a raise this year. Because the cost of living increased by 2.8%, everyone else took a de facto pay cut.”

Following the presentation of the recommendations, GTAC members in-attendance introduced themselves individually to Lejuez, and then they left.

Lejuez said following the presentation he was happy members of GTAC scheduled a meeting with him and that he would read their list of recommended steps.

“I always want to have a dialogue. We always have to be to be open,” Lejuez said.

LUCY PETERSON @petersonxlucy

Sophomore senator Nick Hinman presented his ad hoc subcommittee report to the student rights committee of Student Senate on Wednesday, April 17. The report included an analysis of the role of executive staff in elections and how it was a potential cause of only one coalition running in this year’s election.

The subcommittee, which was comprised of Hinman and senators Derek Dunn, Max Scheiber and Phoenix Schroeder, was formed on March 6 by the Student Rights committee after being proposed by Hinman in order to ensure integrity in Student Senate elections.

“The point is not to call out any one coalition; it’s to point out the way that we do elections sometimes contributes to a climate that we tend to ignore,” Hinman said in the meeting.

The subcommittee report pointed to the involvement of the “serving chief of staff” as the leader of an unofficial campaign as an example of involvement of executive staff members in elections. The report did not name any members of Senate.

The current chief of staff, Zach Thomason, served as Crimson+Blue’s campaign manager in the 2019 elections.

“I took very careful steps to make sure that my role as chief of staff was

CAFFEINE

Nicole Asbury/KANSAN Nick Hinman shares the subcommittee’s preliminary findings on April 17. never in conflict of my role as campaign manager. That included informing the vice president that there may be a point where he would need to take over my duties,” Thomason said. “I think that, ultimately, people are trying to come up with some reason as to why there was only one candidate running.”

Hinman said while the one coalition was an issue that prompted the formation of the subcommittee, it also stemmed from the involvement of executive staff in elections and their impact on other senators.

The report expressed senators’ concerns of “insider culture” during these elections.

“Some Senators believe that this perceived ‘interference’ serves the purpose of influencing the upcoming elections,” the report said.

The report said the

GTAC

FROM PAGE 1

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started drinking coffee in high school to stay awake during classes. Now, he has shifted this habit into college.

“I would definitely consider myself an avid coffee drinker,” Feigeles said. “I used to fall asleep in class almost every day, and then someone said, ‘Man, why aren’t you drinking multiple cups of coffee a day? We’ve all been doing that.’ And I got on that train and have been doing that forever now.”

The average eightounce cup of black coffee has around 95 milligrams of caffeine, according to the Mayo Clinic. According to the study, the max amount of caffeine that should be consumed in a day is 509 milligrams. This means that a person would have to drink a little over five cups of coffee to hit the limit.

While coffee fuels University students to get through the day, the idea of not having it at all is much more stressinducing.

“I’d probably go into withdrawal,” Grunevski said. “[I’d] get a really bad headache, probably take a bunch of Advil, drink water and try to not talk to anyone because I would get in a fight. It wouldn’t be a great day, especially on a Monday.”

have a higher salary, Lejuez said.

GTAC said if Lejuez reduced his compensation package to the amount suggested by faculty, it would create about $200 per graduate teaching assistant, Warner said.

“This isn’t a symbol — it’s real money to workers who are as underpaid as we are. And this isn’t just about us — our living and working conditions are un-

“This is intended to help you understand what it’s like to be us...”

Owen MacDonald master’s student

dergraduate learning conditions,” Warner said. “We cannot do our best work under these conditions, and our students deserve our best work. Together, Dr. Lejuez, we have a shared mission to provide the best possible education for our undergraduate students, and I know that you care about that responsibility as much as we do.”

Hannah Allison, a doctoral candidate in the Department of American Studies, presented the full list of recommended changes to Lejuez. The list

“This is not any one coalition or any one leader, not any one senator’s fault...”

Nick Hinman sophomore senator

2030 Burge Union | Jo Hardesty, Director

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arts & culture Monday, April 22, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

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K A N S A N .C O M /A R T S _ A N D _ C U LT U R E

KU Fulbright Scholar to pursue art in Austria

RYLIE KOESTER @RylieKoester

University of Kansas alumna Nicola Ginzel didn’t take an art class until she was 22. Now, she has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant to pursue her art in Vienna, Austria, next March.

“I feel extraordinarily honored,” Ginzel said. “I think it really stands on the project.”

The Fulbright Scholar grant will enable Ginzel to complete a residency with Q21 Art-in Residence Studios Program at the Museum Quartier in Vienna, Austria. The Fulbright Scholar Program is a federal program

that awards thousands of grants to professionals, artists, scientists and independent scholars, among others to conduct research, teach, study or show their expertise and talents abroad.

She will complete her residency and do a collaborative art project with Lichttapete, an Austrian Art Collective. Ginzel will work with the midsection of a tree trunk that is under glass and embedded into the side of the Palais Equitable, a building in the center of Vienna.

The tree is a “Nail Tree” talisman that dates back to the middle ages. It has hundreds of nails that have been pounded into

Contributed photo Nicola Ginzel took her first art class at the age of 22 and has now received the Fulbright Scholar grant.

it that stand for healing protection, and it’s regarded as a historic landmark.

For the project, Ginzel will project light onto the building behind the tree to make it appear as if it’s growing upward, shifting the energy of the building.

Ginzel said the project and residency will allow both herself and those at Lichttapete to learn from each other. She will be working in digital art, which is something she said she’s never done before.

“It’s bound to bring something else to the table for me as I’m going through this process,” Ginzel said. “It’s bound to sow seeds in places that I don’t necessarily expect in my own work and how I go about doing things.”

Ginzel graduated from the University in 1995 with a BFA in printmaking. She originally received a degree in German language and literature but returned to the University to finish the studio classes for her degree in art. After teaching German in junior high school for a time, Ginzel took her first art class that encouraged her to pursue art.

“I just thought, ‘Wow. This feels like home,’” Ginzel said. “It felt like art was mine.”

Ginzel said she usually works on a smaller scale with her artwork, so this large-scale light projection project will be a first for her. She instead works closely by hand

Contributed photo For one of her works, “DETAIL of Transitional Fragment: Utz,” pictured, Nicola Ginzel transformed an Utz potato chip wrapper into art. with materials that are often thrown away or discarded. For one work, she transformed an Utz potato chip wrapper into art.

nants of the work Ginzel did as a student artist in her work now.

“I think she’s very invested in the idea of us-

“I just thought, ‘Wow. This feels like home.’ It felt like art was mine.”

Nicola Ginzel KU alumna, Fulbright Scholar recipient

Former University professor of art Cima Katz taught Ginzel in some of her studio classes while she attended the University. She said Ginzel “never was a follower of trends” and found her own materials to use in her art.

Katz said she sees rem-

ing throwaway objects, and then in the transformation, she makes them precious,” Katz said.

Katz said Ginzel works very closely with the objects and can tell they hold personal meaning for Ginzel.

“She becomes very physically intimate with

those objects by the work she’s doing with them and the time she spends with them,” Katz said. “I think that that intimacy becomes embedded in the work, and it’s something that the viewer feels.”

Ginzel’s work is all about transformation — taking an object that already exists and making it into something else.

She often works between ephemerality and permanence.

Ginzel’s Fulbright Scholar grant is well deserved, Katz said, and she’s interested to see where it will take her work.

“She’s right on the cusp of an important career,” Katz said.

‘Queer Talks’ examines LGBTQ+ research, advocacy

WYATT HALL @thewyatthall15

A new speaker spotlight series called “Queer Talks” looks to educate students on a variety of LGBTQ+ research and advocacy going on across campus and around Lawrence.

Coordinated by the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, two introductory talks about civil rights and intersectionality have taken place with plans to expand it further this fall.

TK Morton, the program coordinator at the Center, created the series with the goal of giving a voice to people who are working on things such as LGBTQ+ research and are unable to share it.

“We really lacked something to bridge all of the LGBTQ+ work being done on campus together,” ze said. “I asked myself, ‘What is a way that we can highlight LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff that are doing really great research, wanting to share their expertise, and need a platform to do so?’”

The talks will be academically focused and center on research into the LGBTQ+ experience and activism associated with it.

The first talk took place in February and featured Kyle Velte, an associate professor from the University of Kansas School of

Rachel Griffard/KANSAN A new speaker spotlight series called “Queer Talks” aims to educate students and expand awareness about the issues that face LGBTQ+ people.

Law, whose work is focused on LGBTQ+ civil rights. Her presentation was about LGBTQ+ civil rights in the Trump era, covering topics such as marriage equality, employment discrimination and conversion therapy.

“I love sharing my research with people,” Velte said. “Most Americans don’t realize that in 28 states, you can still be fired because you’re gay, and it’s

totally legal. I like to get that information out there to inspire people to take action.”

Along with speaking at

the first Queer Talk, she said she supports similar programs in our current political climate.

“I think these kinds

“Most Americans don’t realize that in 28 states, you can still be fired because you’re gay, and it’s totally legal.”

Kyle Velte KU associate professor

of things are an excellent idea. Sharing ideas and talking about hot-button issues, especially in a time where we’re so politically divided,” Velte said. “These kinds of conversations only do good and truly help build bridges.”

One thing that Queer Talks does to differentiate from other similar series is being open for students to talk as well.

“I’m not limited to hav-

ing just professionals — I’m actually more encouraging toward students speaking at Queer Talks,” Morton said.

With the first two talks going well, Morton wants to start doing monthly Queer Talks starting this fall. Ze believes this could be a good opportunity to expand awareness about the issues that face LGBTQ+ people.

“I want people to really think more about what they’re doing in their lives beyond the surface level conversation and dive deeper into how they can advocate further for the LGBTQ+ community,” Morton said.

Ze also hopes anyone who might be unsure as to whether they want to attend a talk will give it a chance because it might show them a new perspective.

“If you have any sort of curiosity at all, you should be able to come and learn from your peers,” Morton said. “All of our speakers are from KU, and I really want you to be able to learn in this place meant for learning, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone.”

Queer Talks will continue in the fall semester.

More information can be found at the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity.

KANSAN.COM

4 ARTS & CULTURE

KU to premiere Shakespearean opera RACHEL GAYLOR @raegay218

The University of Kansas Voice and Opera program will wrap up the 2018-2019 school year with a production of Benjamin Britten’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Voice professor John Stephens is the director of the production. He selected “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” along with the help of the other School of Music faculty.

“It seemed like the time to do it,” Stephens said.

“We chose it because it’s challenging beyond belief.

It’s Shakespeare. We had the forces on our side — there’s lots of different reasons.”

The cast is primarily composed of students from Voice and Opera, with a mix of undergraduate, graduate and non-degree seeking singers. Along with two theater students splitting the role of Puck, the Theatre and Dance

Department is helping with the costumes and sets of the elaborate production. “[The story] is of a creative and fanciful nature,” Stephens said. “There’s lots of opportunities for [theater students] to exercise their creativity.”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” tells the story of three distinct groups: the lovers, the rustics and the fairies. The story mostly takes place in the forest where the fairies live and focuses on the wedding of Theseus, the duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.

There are two casts for the opera, with some overlap, as is the norm.

Neal Long, a secondyear doctor of musical arts student from Reno, Nevada, is one of two tenors playing the role of Lysander, one of the lovers.

Long said while this opera is difficult, the support he and his castmates have received from Stephens has helped them through. “[‘A Midsummer Night’s

Natalie Hammer/KANSAN The cast of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” rehearses for its upcoming performance. Beginning on April 26, the cast will perform Benjamin Britten’s adaptation of the famous play.

Dream’] is the most difficult opera music I have ever sung,” Long said.

“Fortunately, Dr. Stephens knows the opera like the

Natalie Hammer/KANSAN Neal Long, a second-year doctor of musical arts student, rehearses for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Long will play Lysander.

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back of his hand, and so he’s been able to guide us.”

The music isn’t the only complex part of the opera. Since the production features text in Shakespeare’s English, Stephens decided to use surtitles — translations above the stage used in operatic performances — to help the audience understand what the singers are saying.

“I struggled with [the decision to use surtitles],” Stephens said. “I’m glad we are because there are phrases where even if you read it, it’s difficult to understand.”

Long, as a performer, welcomes the surtitles, even though the opera is in English. The music is taxing on the voice, given the large range each character is required to sing, so having the text displayed alleviates some pressure.

“It’s Shakespeare English, so a lot of the words will be new to audiences.

They were certainly new to us as singers,” Long said. “I think it’s good to have it there to

reinforce [the meaning].”

Rehearsals for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” began after spring break, so the cast has had five weeks of rehearsals together before opening. Long said he has enjoyed performing his role alongside friends and castmates.

“We chose it because it’s challenging beyond belief. It’s Shakespeare.”

John Stephens KU professor

“Everybody in the cast is wonderful to work with,” Long said. “This opera is different from anything I’ve ever done. The music is so different. Therefore, the staging follows that, and it’s been a bit of a process getting used to that. But everybody has been so supportive.”

Stephens said he is proud to see all the students, not just the

ones from his studio, work hard and commit to the complexity of the music.

“I like to see them take ownership of the material and when they sing their lines,” Stephens said. “It’s occurring to them that they are not only being spontaneous but the irony of it, knowing their music better than they ever thought they would have to.”

Stephens is excited, and also a little nervous, to finally open the doors to the audience and reveal the time and effort the performers have put into the show.

“All teachers teach so you can see people learn what you learn,” Stephens said. “I consider all the students my students and try to help them find themselves as performers.”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opens Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre with performances on April 28 at 2:30 p.m. and May 2 and 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets can be bought online or at the box office in Murphy Hall.

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FFA of the day: “At my funeral, I want someone to throw the flowers people get for my casket, so that way we know whoever catches it is dying next.”

My complex FINALLY turned the A/C on and I started crying when I walked inside “My uncle kind of leads a cult” “you can take the boy out of the frat, but you can’t take the frat out of the boy.”

Happy Mueller Report Day to all do you ever just wake up and find multiple bruises you didn’t know you had “Tropical depression.

It’s me when I wear a Hawaiian shirt.” someone keep me from ordering an extra large bold and brash poster right now thanks to the invention of coffee i can go from tired to wired just got an email that my car insurance premium went down…is this what excitement is like as an adult?

Every single class, our Sport Law lecturer asks for a synopsis of the reading for the day and nobody ever says anything. I kind of feel bad, but not enough to do the reading webkinz just crashed my computer “I just came for pizza and now I’m a socialist” “If he doesn’t open my snap I’m calling his employer tomorrow. I hope he knows that.” do you just ever listen to Pure Heroine every once in a while and have a spiritual experience “Remember when I chugged the last quarter of my marg and my torso felt like it caught on fire?”

“That was twenty minutes ago” I love getting out of bed and climbing up the hill in 7min to get to class and it’s canceled.

“Motion to refer to cigarettes as acoustic juuls henceforth” “Summer is for people who like skin cancer and sweat.”

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K A N S A N .C O M /O P I N I O N

Potholes plague KU parking lots

SARAH GRINDSTAFF @KansanNews

Our campus is a beautiful sight teeming with freshly blooming tulips, beautiful buildings and majestic Jayhawks. But if one dares to look beneath the flag-topped edifices and cotton ball clouds that litter the blue sky above Lawrence, they will only see the blight of the University of Kansas: the parking lots.

KU Parking & Transit must repair its pothole-ridden, ruined lots. Ever since the beginning of the year, the freshly paved lots around Daisy Hill and Jayhawk Boulevard have been ravaged by the cars, trucks and bikes that tirelessly maneuver the vague parking signs and mediocre aggregate space. And now, as May approaches, students nearing graduation, as well as those simply nearing the end of the semester, are suffering for it.

The lots have only worsened since the start of the spring semester, and students are simply tired of it. When driving into the Templin Hall parking lot, any tuition and fee-paying student is greeted with an irrevocable pothole, filled with a mix of mud and water, that stretches one car across.

Seemingly every two meters there exists another daunting pothole

A pothole lies in the parking lot at Bob Billings Parkway and Kasold Drive. surrounded by jagged rock and mud. As a public service announcement, I advise those who either are without four-wheel-drive or unable to immediately follow their drive with a tire realignment, to avoid lots like those surrounding Templin and Ellsworth Halls on Daisy Hill.

KU Parking has reportedly been called a number of times about the worsening lot conditions, but to no avail. Personally, in an effort to enact change, I dialed up KU Parking and called upon this affiliate to improve lot conditions for KU students. Howev-

er, I was only greeted with either an unending held call, a vague non-answer without a timetable and a bitter response of “tough luck.” As a tuition and fee-paying KU student, I find it reprehensible that KU Parking is not stepping up and taking responsibility for its damaged property. All students and staff at the University deserve suitable parking that won’t wreck their cars after a single drive.

Each year, students at KU pay upwards of $350 to park their cars in these lots. At that price, students should receive

parking lots that don’t appear to have just absorbed seven individual meteor strikes.

Critics may say students should just stick it out, be it that graduation is fast-approaching. But to that, I say, what better time is there to fix a parking lot? Does KU parking staff have no pride? As undergraduate students return home for the summer and graduates pass through the Campanile, all should feel a sense of pride in the University.

At this time in the semester, my fellow Jayhawks and I should be

Johnny Meehan/KANSAN

joined in solidarity, but at the wonderful semesters we just shared, rather than the degradation of a university, signaled simply by its poor parking standards.

And what kind of example does this set to future visiting Jayhawks? The University needs better parking lots for its students.

For as all Jayhawks know, the quality of infrastructure nearly always reflects the quality of an institution.

Sarah Grindstaff is a freshman from Columbia, Illinois, studying political science.

Rep. Ilhan Omar unfairly criticized RHEA MAHESH @rheam_

Freshman Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has recently faced unfair criticism about her comments on 9/11, and the responses from Republican politicians, the media and President Donald Trump are worth analyzing to see just how influential racism and Islamophobia are in the perception of some of our newest and most progressive congresspeople.

Context is necessary for understanding why Omar’s words did not deserve to be vilified but why they were anyway. The week after the New Zealand terror attacks, which resulted in 50 people dead after two mosques were targeted by a white nationalist, Omar spoke at a Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) dinner to an audience of Muslim Americans.

In this speech, she acknowledges the difficulties Muslims face in being treated equally as Americans or whichever community they are a part of. She laments the discrimination and emphasizes the importance of working against the discrimination.

And then arrived her infamous comment: “CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to

Illustration by Savanna Smith/KANSAN Columnist Rhea Mahesh argues that recent tweets from Republican politicians against Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments about 9/11 unfairly incite Islamophobia. our civil liberties.”

She goes on to say Muslims have the right to speak up when they feel mistreated, and they should in order to counteract the growing movement against their community. Her full comments in context can be heard in an episode of the Washington Post’s fact checker series on YouTube.

The criticism stemmed from her description of 9/11 as “some people did something.” It started with Rep. Dan Crenshaw, as seen from his tweet posted about a month after the speech had been given. His claim argues that her use of these specific words dismisses the severity of

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the attacks and the many killed as a result.

The tweet rose to enough prominence for Trump to produce a particularly insidious tweet that associated Omar’s words with graphic clips of the 9/11 attacks, making her comment seem much more dismissive and “anti-American” than it actually was.

Media outlets have also chimed in, with a “Fox & Friends” anchor stating, “You have to wonder if she’s an American first.”

The New York Post responded with the words, “Here’s your something: 2,977 people dead by terrorism,” over a picture of the Twin Towers.

Omar was unfairly criticized, and this simply cannot be denied. The words she used were not ideal — she could have been clearer or more extreme in her description of 9/11, but she didn’t, and it doesn’t appear to be intentional. This also isn’t the first time severe language hasn’t been used when in reference to 9/11. George W. Bush did it by referring to the terrorists as “folks,” yet he did not get accused of dismissing the extremity of the situation.

As writer Moustafa Bayoumi said in his own take over the controversy, it’s clear why — she is “black, a woman, an immigrant,

contact us Shaun Goodwin Emma Greenwood Editor-in-chief Business Manager sgoodwin@kansan.com egreenwood@kansan.com

a refugee and a Muslim,” making her a victim of bigotry that creates a double standard when listening and reacting to her comments. This, obviously, is simply unacceptable and frankly dangerous, with Trump’s tweet being the most likely response to incite violence against Omar, who has received death threats since and may even require increased security.

The fragmented response of the Democratic Party is not too helpful, either. Statements should have been immediate and strong in their condemnation. Those who managed to achieve this included Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Beto O’Rourke, with Sen. Bernie Sanders being the first.

Others, including Senators Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, waited a few days.

Ilhan Omar and other female politicians of color deserve to have their beliefs respectfully responded to, but if this doesn’t happen, they deserve unwavering support from their peers. Neither thing happened, and it is proof that the rising tensions are becoming dangerous because now lives and reputations are unfairly at risk.

Rhea Mahesh is a freshman from Lenexa studying molecular, cellular and developmental biology.

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Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Shaun Goodwin, Savanna Smith, Aroog Khaliq and Emma Greenwood.

KANSAN.COM

SPORTS

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Kansas Relays: ‘The Super Bowl of track’ For the first time since 2008, former Kansas State runner Joe Moore returned to compete at Rock Chalk Park BRADEN SHAW @bradenshaw4real Joe Moore was “on the fence,” but choosing to run in flats as opposed to spikes paid off.

“I’m 35 years old,” Moore said. “My feet hurt all the time.”

No, Moore isn’t the runner he used to be back when he ran at Kansas State in 2007, but he still finds time to continue his lifelong passion.

Moore — when he’s not working as a sales associate for Manhattan Running Company — runs for local track club Kansas City Smoke, taking to road races in the Kansas City area and usually winning them.

Moore holds the all-time Kansas state record in the half marathon (1:04:08), and he recently won the 2019 Big 12k (37:16) and Rock the Parkway half marathon (1:06:09).

“It’s nice being out of school and being able to do a lot of different stuff,” Moore said. “It’s when you’re not on a set schedule like the college guys, you can play with it a bit more. It makes coming back to the track a lot more fun too.”

And what brought him back to Rock Chalk Park — a place he’s only ever been once — was the 10,000-meter race, until he received a text from Kansas senior distance runner Dylan Hodgson, who was looking for a fast time in the 5,000-meter race Thursday.

“He just texted me and said, ‘I want you to pace for me,’” Moore said. “And I was like, ‘Got it.’ I love that kind of stuff, trying to run a good time in Kansas, not having to go to California to do it, that kind of thing.”

In Moore’s words, “it didn’t work out” for Hodgson, who finished in fifth place with a time of 14:45.89. Moore finished first with a 14:09.67 mark.

Moore said the wind was the biggest factor during

Chance Parker/KANSAN Joe Moore competes during the Kansas Relays Thursday, April 18. Moore represented the Kansas City Smoke Track Club. the race, and having his Smoke teammate Zach Zarda pace for him helped in a big way, not only in blocking the wind but also pacing wise.

“I love that kind of stuff, trying to run a good race in Kansas...”

Joe Moore runner

“I would’ve run the whole first mile way slower without someone blocking [the wind],” Moore said.

“Then the plan was for me to block the wind for whoever was behind us after that. But I decided to fight, to not slow down.”

“That was the hard part,” Moore continued.

And besides the physical location of the Kansas Relays, for Moore, the wind was the biggest difference between racing at Rock Chalk Park and the old location of Memorial Stadium.

“Actually, the wind is worse [in Memorial Stadium] because it’s like a little tornado inside that place,” Moore said. “This place is wonderful. I’m glad they built it.”

Another difference is just coming back to the track at all. Sure, he hasn’t raced at the Kansas Relays since 2008, but he also likes to change things up and get off the roads.

“The hurt starts immediately, for me at least,”

Moore said. “Running anything under like [a 10,000 meter race] feels just all out for me. But yeah, this is probably the shortest thing I have any business trying to do.”

There’s also the mental aspect of changing from a half marathon to a 5,000-meter or 10,000-meter race.

“It’s like, ‘Oh boy, here it goes,’” Moore said. “You can make a lot fewer mistakes. Like in a half marathon, you have a lot more time to make a move, come back, think about it. On the track, it’s a whole different world.”

Moore wants to “keep going until it doesn’t work,” which basically means he wants to go as far as his legs will take him.

And that might be to Tokyo in 2020.

“I still haven’t got a time standard for the [2020] Olympic trials marathon next year because I’ve just been screwing around doing different races,” Moore said. “One of these days [I will].”

For that qualifying time, Moore said he’s looking at the Chicago and Cal International marathons. Moore said the training doesn’t change that much besides altering some workouts and really just focusing on the longer race, which he said is a struggle for him.

“That race does not come natural to me,” Moore said. “But it’s still fun to do.”

As far as the track goes, Moore said he loves to get

the world and to him, it’s “amazing” that he has that high of a mark being only a freshman.

The roar of the crowd motivated Bradford to do even better, not wanting to disappoint any Jayhawk fans.

“Having the crowd here and showing them something I can do really helps,”

Bradford said.

Kansas has become known as a strong pole-vaulting school and Bradford has listened to the advice of his peers.

“They said just keep your head high, don’t get discouraged by these high heights,” Bradford said.

“Having these older athletes and alumni coming back and training with us has really helped.”

Bradford entered the meet with a personal-record of 5.63 meters. He was challenged with a 5.65-meter jump, but managed to

clear it with ease.

He followed up his leap by clearing 5.71 meters on his second attempt and had confidence to reach the 5.77 mark.

Despite the school record, Bradford knows that being a freshman, he has to continue adapting his training and find new ways to get better.

“I still have higher heights to go. Coach [Tom Hays] and I both know that,” Bradford said. “We’ve got a lot of training to do.”

Now with the Kansas Relays behind him, Brad-

back and keep running indoor and outdoor, even at his alma mater’s rival.

“It’s a little less animosity than the other sports for sure,” Moore said.

And for the Kansas Relays in particular, Moore — a Kansas native — said this event was “the Super Bowl of track” growing up.

“I didn’t know of anything bigger,” Moore said.

“That was like pre-internet Kansas. If you could even get in, it was a huge deal as a kid.”

And really, the fact that his home state has a meet like this is one of the best parts.

“It’s more just being a Kansas person that makes it cool,” Moore said, “That we’ve got a big meet like this.”

ZACH BRADFORD FROM PAGE 1 By the end of the final day of the Kansas Relays, however, Bradford broke the record and placed himself in the history books by vaulting to the fourth-best jump in the world.

The freshman has eyed the school record ever

since he committed to Kansas, but he did not realize it wouldn’t even take a full year before he broke the record.

“I was like, ‘I got four more years to break that record,’ I didn’t think it was going to come in the first year,” Bradford said.

Bradford’s mark sets him among the top in

Rachel Griffard/KANSAN Freshman Zach Bradford talks to the press after his record breaking jump in pole vault at the Kansas Relays Saturday, April 20.

“I still have higher heights to go... We’ve got a lot of training to do.”

Zach Bradford freshman

ford will eye the No. 1 mark in the world. He said his goal is to set the highest pole-vault mark in the world.

“I’m ready for higher heights,” Bradford said.

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sports

SPORTS

Monday, April 22, 2019

KANSAN.COM

K A N S A N .C O M /S P O R T S

‘Three seconds longer’ KU track and field freshman Toni England won the Kansas Relays heptathalon on Thursday

SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK “You’re only going to be in pain for like three seconds longer.”

“You’re only going to be in pain for like three seconds longer.”

Those were the words running through freshman Toni Englund’s head as she rounded the second to last curve in the 800-meter race on Thursday.

“You’re only going to be in pain for like three seconds longer.”

The pain coursing through her exhausted legs and threatening to burst open her lungs ended up lasting a little more than three seconds over the last 200 meters — it was closer to 30 seconds — but it was enough to get across the finish line to claim the top spot in the heptathlon at the 2019 Kansas Relays.

“It was very surreal honestly. I did not think I would be able to do this well,” Englund said, who was competing in her first Kansas Relays for the Jayhawks as a freshman.

Englund entered the final event of the heptathlon in first place, holding a narrow lead over Emporia State’s Brianna Schmitz. All she had to do to take home the gold medal was to either straight

Rachel Griffard/KANSAN Freshman Toni Englund is all smiles after competing in the 60-meter hurdles for the indoor pentathlon at the Jayhawk Classic on Jan. 26. Englund won the Kansas Relays heptathlon by one point Thursday, April 18. up beat Schmitz, or finish no more than two seconds behind her.

The final result?

Englund finished in third place, 1.24 seconds behind Schmitz, who took second

place. The result was just enough for Englund to cling onto first place by a single point as she scored a final 4,729 points.

Englund sat in sixth place halfway through the

race, before kicking into gear on the backstretch of the second leg as the wind carried her onto the heels of Schmitz. From there, it was just three more seconds of pain.

The pair of girls finished the 800-meter race behind Kansas fifthyear senior Teri Huslig, who ultimately finished fourth in the heptathlon.

Englund attributes part of

her success to the guidance that Huslig has provided her and fellow freshman Cameryn Thomas, who finished third in the heptathlon.

“Those two girls are great. Their ceilings are really high. I’m so proud of them and so happy for them. I can’t wait to see where they go in this sport,” Huslig said. “They’re just great teammates and great people to train with, and I can’t wait to see where this sport takes them.”

And the sky certainly is the limit for the two freshman, especially Englund, who became the first Kansas athlete to win the heptathlon since Lindsay Vollmer in 2015. Englund set personal records in both the 100-meter hurdles (14.64 seconds) and the 800-meter run (2:27.26), yet she still sees room for improvement.

“I’m very encouraged because I think I can do better in some of the events,” Englund said.

“High jump was my best in high school, so I would have liked to do better at that, and then shot put I did not perform as well as I’d have liked. So I guess it’s encouraging that I’ve still got room for improvement, and I still finished strong.”

BIG 12 TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM PAGE 1 any hope of a comeback in the doubles point after freshman Sonia Smagina and senior Anastasia Rychagova beat Fernanda Labrana and Tijana Spasojevic, 6-2, to clinch the doubles point.

In singles, the Longhorns showed why they were the No. 1-seed in the tournament, as sophomore Plobrung Plipuech quickly fell to Granic, 1-6, 3-6, tying the match at 1-1. The Jayhawks responded quickly as Smagina was victorious over Markovic, 6-4, 6-0, for the 2-1 lead.

“We just had to calm down a little,” Kansas coach Todd Chapman said. “I think after the doubles point, we came out a little anxious, and we knew Texas was going to respond — they’re the regular season champions for a reason. They won it last year for a reason too.

We knew they were going to respond.”

“And there was a moment where we just got away from what we were trying to do with our game plans on a couple courts,” he continued.

“And I think we settled in

athletes of the week

there and put it together.”

The Jayhawks then threw the next punch as senior Nina Khmelnitckaia won her match against Labrana, 6-2, 6-4, to extend the lead to 3-1 with a chance to clinch the match and the championship. The Longhorns rallied as senior Janet Koch was dispatched soon after

by Anna Turati, 2-6, 3-6, closing the gap to 3-2 and giving the Longhorns a fighting chance in the match.

It all came down to Toran Ribes and Rychagova on courts six and one, respectively. As the number one player for the team, all eyes were fixed on Rychagova’s match vs. Bianca Turati, as both players gave it their all on the court.

Despite being the hero of the semifinal match versus Oklahoma State, Toran Ribes again went to work with little spotlight on her. After dropping her first set, she rallied back to force a third set; and after seeing her fight, all eyes turned to her match vs. Katie Poluta.

With the crowd behind her, Toran Ribes, once again, delivered for her team and won, 2-6, 6-3,

6-4, throwing her racquet into the air, screaming.

The crowd erupted as the entire team mobbed Toran Ribes in celebration.

The building was electric as Chapman was doused in water and Kansas Athletic Director Jeff Long was leaping for joy. For her efforts, Toran Ribes was named the Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.

“It feels great,” Toran Ribes said on being named Most Outstanding player. “But it’s all thanks to my team. Us fighting next to each other, and all of us putting the effort in.”

Chapman was elated to send his three seniors off with a Big 12 championship.

“It feels great, and the exciting thing is we have more tennis to play,” Chapman said. “I told them that yesterday.

We’re not settling for just making it to the Big 12 championship, and we’re not just settling for winning the Big 12 championship.”

“We believe this team’s built for more than that, and we’ve prepared for more than that,” he continued. “I think now they see it, and they

Chance Parker/KANSAN Junior Maria Toran Ribes holds the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Performer award. The Jayhawks won their first Big 12 Championship in school history. realize how good they can be and how good they are, and it’s exciting for the moment.”

Zach Bradford Track & Field

Clearing 18 feet, 11 inches, freshman pole-vaulter Zach Bradford broke a 36-year-old school and facility record on Saturday on the final day of the Kansas Relays. The 5.77-meter clearance surpassed the previous 5.76-meter mark recorded by Jeff Buckingham in 1983. The freshman’s meet-winning vault ranks No. 2 in the NCAA and No. 4 in the world. Bradford’s record-breaking weekend earned him Male Performer of the Meet honors.

Moving forward, the Jayhawks will prepare for the NCAA tennis tournament.

The

selection show for the tournament will take place on Monday, April 29.

Maria Toran Ribes

Tennis With a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Catherine Gulihur, junior Maria Toran Ribes clinched the match against No. 12-ranked Oklahoma State in the Big 12 semifinals. With her singles win, Toran Ribes gave Kansas the 4-2 edge over the Cowgirls to secure a spot in the championship. On Sunday, the junior had another clutch performance, winning her match against Texas 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to clinch the Big 12 Championship title for Kansas for the first time in program history.