THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
SPORTS
INSIDE KU Athletics to implement gender-based violence training
Soccer looks to capitalize on No. 18 ranking, extend
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winning streak The University Daily Kansan
vol. 137 // iss. 3 Thurs., August 23, 2018
Kevin Willmott’s explains inspiration behind “BlacKkKlansman”
SEE SOCCER • PAGE 10
Survival of the System
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As Greek Life comes under fire nationally, what does the future of KU’s sororities and fraternities look like? NICOLE ASBURY @NicoleAsbury It’s Monday, Aug. 13, and the sun is starting to break over Fraser Hall. Walking down Jayhawk Boulevard, one can hear the sound of singing. Hundreds of voices joining in unison, floating over the campus. Lined up on the lawns of the sorority houses are hundreds of young women, preparing to welcome the freshmen who aim to join their ranks. Over the next week, they’ll partake in decades-old traditions, following in the footsteps of generations of women before them. But things are not as they have always been. Recent controversies have thrust the Greek system onto the local and national stage. Within the last year, four fraternities at the University were found in violation of the University’s hazing code. On the national scale, the alleged hazing death of a Louisiana State University freshman resulted in a $25 million lawsuit. In 2017, three schools banned Greek Life altogether. The University is not currently considering banning Greek life, according to director of news and media relations Erinn Barcomb-Peterson. However, the environment that incited a temporary freeze on social activities in March for all fraternities affiliated with the Inter-Fraternity Council remains “an area of significant concern to the health and safety of our students,” Chancellor Douglas Girod said. While most controversies revolve around fraternities, sororities have suffered too. Increased anxiety about social ste-
Hope Davis/KANSAN Sigma Kappa women singing their goodbye songs to potential new members during recruitment week. reotypes have left some women skeptical about the process. Claire Petty was one of the freshmen lined up behind her recruitment counselor, wearing the white t-shirt required for all potential new members. In recent years, she’s witnessed friends and her brother’s girlfriend join sororities, and her mindset began to change. “Once I talked to people and got a legitimate idea
of what the intentions are behind this, like the good aspects of it, that definitely changed my outlook,” Petty said. She’ll spend the next week as a potential new member — a PNM — adjusting to rules and regulations of Greek life. By Saturday, she hopes to be among the 1,300 women who will find a house to call their own — entering into a system of historic tradition and mired in
In August of 1991, Yvette Fevurly had just arrived at the University. Months prior, she graduated from Leavenworth High School and spent her senior year talking to alumni from sororities across the country. For Fevurly, there was no hesitation in going through the process
of recruitment, or rush, as Greek organizations referred to it then. “It was a way of making a good-sized university small,” Fevurly said. “You go in, and you have an instant bond with people who are going through a similar situation.” Despite the 27 year gap, Fevurly still vividly recalls watching the members of Alpha Delta Pi line up in the dining room and pass a candle down the line. Re-
cruits wrote wishes on little pieces of paper, which they placed in a wishing well. Her decision to join that sorority relied on instinct — she knew that was her “little home away from home” — but that anecdote from preference night remains a special moment for her. Fevurly doesn’t recall any controversies at the
PSO and LPD to allocate more resources and officers toward preventing the common practices. Wingfield thought the grant was needed after going through data related to underage drinking in recent years. “We looked at those numbers and we looked at citations issued for underage drinking and those have been on the increase in the last four years,” Wingfield said. Moreover, about 25 percent of motor vehicle crash fatalities in Kansas involve alcohol according to Kansas Health Matters. James Anguiano, deputy chief for KU PSO, said the department will assist the LPD in covering areas they think underage drinking is taking place. Lawrence Police Officer Drew Fennelly said typically the fake ID and underage drinking enforcement will come from bar checks — where officers
walk through a drinking establishment to look for people under the age of 21 consuming alcohol. “I don’t know what the plan is yet for this specific enforcement, but I imagine it will be something similar to that,” Fennelly said. “Officers typically have to have reasonable suspicion to believe that a crime is occurring, just occurred, or is about to occur before they can demand identification, so officers will not be standing outside of bars asking for identification.” Besides bars, officers will also check convenience stores and restaurants to ensure underage drinking laws are being enforced, according to Wingfield. “We don’t want students to get the impression we’re saying don’t drink, but we want you to be safe while you’re doing it,” Wingfield said. A similar grant was
offered in the 2012-2013 school year and was successful, Wingfield said. However, after the grant ended, alcohol-related crashes began to rise again. “Now we’re trying to get that number back down, and hopefully eliminate it all together,” Wingfield said. “We hope we’ll save some lives with this.” Although the new grant will be targeting areas where underage drinking could be present, patrols will also be around campus to ensure students are safe and getting home at night. The grant will run throughout the University’s school year and end in June 2019, Wingfield said. — Edited by James Buckley
modern controversy. “A LITTLE HOME AWAY FROM HOME”
SEE SURVIVAL • PAGE 3
LPD granted $30,000 to combat underage drinking
Kansan file photo Louise’s Bar on Massachusetts Street hangs fake IDs above the bar. KALLI JO SMITH @kallijosmith Starting this month, local authorities will place a special focus on enforcing underage drinking and fake ID laws, thanks to
a new grant for $30,000 from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The grant is known as Fake ID 101 and was created in collaboration with the Lawrence Police Department, KU Public
Safety Office and Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control, according to Norraine Wingfield, director of traffic safety for Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism. The grant allows KU