MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2017 | VOLUME 134 ISSUE 02
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
MORE SIGNS, MORE COPS
Campus carry to bring small logistical adjustments, not big changes, to KU CHANDLER BOESE @Chandler_Boese
Editor’s Note: This story is the first in a series of stories looking at the way concealed carry on campus will look once it goes into effect July 1.
W
ith mere weeks until the University’s campus becomes gun-friendly, administrators around the University are making their final decisions on what must be changed to make campus carry work. The answer? Not much. Anyone over the age of 21 will be able to carry a weapon on campus beginning July 1 as a result of a 2013 state
law that allows concealed carry in all public buildings unless security measures are installed. The University has been under an exemption for the past four years. The preparations for this change began in the offices of Strong Hall years ago and are finally wrapping up this summer. Surveys were taken, town halls were held, a committee was convened and a report created. The final result of these efforts was a revised policy on weapons that mandates any concealed weapon be kept within its owner’s control at all times on campus. The original version of the policy, which was passed by the Board of Regents in
Police and security changes
Photo illustration/KANSAN
December, said the weapon, if stored in a backpack or purse, had to be kept on one’s person at all times. The Regents voted in May to eliminate this clause from
the policy in favor of more general wording. Now, administration is looking at other aspects of campus life that will have to be shifted as a result of this
change. Largely, though, administrators say there won’t be major changes to the way the campus operates.
Campus Police Chief Chris Keary said the law basically brings the University in line with the rest of Kansas, as concealed carry is already allowed in many public places. But he said the Public Safety Office (which oversees all police and security operations on campus) is making preparations to ensure University community members stay safe. “We want our officers out of the cars, walking around in the buildings, interacting with people, so that it gives people a sense that there are SEE GUNS PAGE 2
Programs for low-income students fight proposed budget cuts ANGIE BALDELOMAR @AngieBaldelomar
Since 1964, federally-funded TRIO programs have allowed thousands of low-income students access to higher education. Now, two programs within TRIO might get eliminated under President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. Efforts to avoid this have started at the University’s programs. Mulubrhan Ne-
gash, director of TRIO McNair Scholars Program at the University, said her office’s response is to spread actual data and stories about the work the program does. “Our response is geared to raising awareness, and most importantly, give specific, tangible data to our congressmen, senators, [and] representatives,” she said. The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achieve-
ment Program assists low-income, first-generation and underrepresented minority undergraduate students in pursuing a doctoral program by providing faculty mentors, paid research opportunities and help in the process of applying to graduate programs. For Negash, a big issue is the way Mick Mulvaney, director of the federal government’s Office of Management and Budget, presented the data to justify the cuts.
Mulvaney said McNair was only six percent effective. Negash said Mulvaney was reducing the impact by presenting data without the needed context. “In order to slash a budget, you have to show that it doesn’t work, in order to show it, you have to tell the data in a way that shows the story that you want to tell,” she said. “If context was proSEE TRIO PAGE 3
Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.
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2 GUNS FROM PAGE 1 people around — and there will be people around,” he said. “Hopefully, that presence will give the perception of safety to various members of our community.” PSO is adding three new police officers and three new security personnel, as well as some equipment, to prepare for campus carry. Not all of the new personnel will be fully trained by July 1, but they will be able to supplement PSO’s current operations within a few months. The new officers will be key in increasing the visibility of law enforcement on campus. Keary says he’s going to be encouraging his officers to walk through buildings frequently while classes are in session and is looking to set up some spaces on campus where his officers can work and be approachable to anyone walking on campus, such as the KU Info booth on Jayhawk Boulevard. “We’re not going to be there 100 percent of the time, but it’s an opportunity to be seen in a way different than we have before,” he said. The new security personnel who PSO is hiring will be trained to operate the new security equipment they purchased. Though no
Missy Minear/KANSAN In addition to taking down the current signs on campus doors, the University will have to put up another notices around campus about gun storage.
venues or events outside of KU Athletics have been approved to keep out guns using metal detectors and security personnel, PSO wants to be equipped to handle any situation that may arise and require temporary security measures, like controversial events or speakers. “The necessity for having adequate security measures available should they be needed is very important,” he said. “For example, if that event is being held in the Woodruff Auditorium and the people holding that event want to set up adequate security measures and keep people out of that specific auditorium… we have to be able to do that.”
Deputy Chief James Anguiano said the majority of the force has had training in recent years as well that will equip them to handle situations involving guns. The training of existing officers has been necessary previously, he said, since concealed carry is so common in the general public, even if it’s not previously been allowed on campus. Gun-free zones Many students will see the effects of campus carry most apparently when they must go through metal detectors to attend a Kansas basketball game. KU Athletics, as previous-
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ly reported by the Kansan, will have adequate security measures (metal detectors and security personnel) at the entrances to Allen Fieldhouse and Memorial Stadium during events. Anyone attending these events is also asked to carry their belongings in a clear plastic bag to speed up the process. But athletic facilities will be the only part of the University to have such security measures and therefore the only part of the University to remain gun-free under current law. However, a bill has been passed by the state legislature that would allow health facilities, like Watkins Health Center and almost all of the University’s Medical Center, to continue restricting guns from their buildings. The bill is currently awaiting approval from Gov. Sam Brownback. Changes in campus services Although many buildings on campus will not be getting the security measures, some may still have adjustments to make. For example, the Ambler Student Recreation Center will have to put up signs by their lockers informing patrons that they cannot store
weapons in the lockers. KU Libraries will have to make similar changes around the lockers that they provide. Even Watkins will have to make a few changes if the bill on Brownback’s desk fails. Director Douglas Dechairo said staff has made plans to put up signs in their facility as well. The signs will inform patients that if they will have to fully disrobe for an exam, they should not bring their guns into the exam room. Though she says it’s not necessarily in reaction to campus carry, Durham also said that trainings have been held for many employees in Student Affairs to help them handle dangerous situations. But, by and large, the changes will not interrupt these services’ operations. Spokespeople from the Rec Center, Libraries and Watkins all said they do not plan on changing their personnel or operating hours as a result of campus carry. Tammara Durham, vice provost for student affairs, said the law doesn’t change the role of offices like these on campus. “Our job is still to serve students and we’re following the law and University policy and that’s the extent of it,” she said. “We’re not changing the services we provide for services, period. Students
still need to be served and we will still serve students.” Durham said most of the campus carry conversations in her unit have revolved around what kind of information students are getting, something administration has tried to emphasize through information sessions and an informational website, concealedcarry. ku.edu. Generally, though, most administrators believe that campus carry will not bring massive changes to campus life. Since concealed carry has been legal in many public spaces in Kansas for years and violence rarely results, Keary said, he doesn’t see huge safety concerns being created on campus. “I think what we’ll find, hopefully, is that we’re going to be much the same as the rest of the Kansas and Lawrence has been for the past ten years,” Keary said. Durham also said she can’t imagine July 1 drastically shifting the campus, but she thinks it’s impossible to tell exactly what it will be like. “I”m not willing to make the leap, come July 1, that this will be the O.K. Corral,” she said. “I’m assuming those who choose to carry will be responsible.”
Former Kansan adviser, newspaper editor Tom Eblen dies at 80 CHANDLER BOESE @Chandler_Boese
Tom Eblen, an adviser for The University Daily Kansan for 15 years, passed away Saturday at 80 years old. Eblen advised Kansan students and helped
manage the business side of the Kansan from 1986 until his retirement in 2001. Before that, he’d edited and served as business manager for the Kansas City Star, Fort Scott Tribune and others. According to the Kansas City Star, Eblen had been
ill for a while leading up to his passing. After his retirement and while working with the Kansan, Eblen helped consult various newspapers around the state in both their editorial and business practices. In 2007, Eblen was awarded
the “Master Editor” award for his work with Kansas journalism. While serving as the Kansan’s advisor and general manager, Eblen was well-known for his daily critiques of the paper, which he encouraged students to look at and
learn from. In a 2002 oral history interview, Eblen spoke about his experience at the Kansan. “You don’t see what goes into the paper until after the paper comes out, because the student editor controls that,” he said. “Most days I was really
proud of them. Most days I thought they did a great job. Occasionally they put a heart in my throat.” Funeral services for Eblen are still pending, according to an email sent out to staff members of the School of Journalism.
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Senate planning fall trial of Uber, not yet eliminating SafeRide ANGIE BALDELOMAR @AngieBaldelomar
W
ith the summer term in full swing, Student Senate executive body members are working to get some of its platforms started. Among other platforms, the campus partnership with Uber platform is starting to get organized, said Mattie Carter, student body vice president. Carter said her staff is in conversations with Uber representatives to discuss the possibility of a partnership. With regards to funding for this project, Carter said there is some leeway in the budget. “There’s a little bit of surplus in the budget for transportation, and so that money could be used to cover Uber,” she said. Zachary Kelsay, transportation coordinator, said, so far, Carter and him TRIO FROM PAGE 1 vided about the data that was shared, then, the story would show that actually the program does wonders for students.” Considering that the target population of McNair students, low-income, first-generation students, have a rate of below one percent of earning their doctorate, and even lower rate of finishing college and graduating, Negash said this six percent is significant. She said they are trying to show the program is more than just a line in a budget, by showing how it affects people’s lives, and, by exten-
File photo/KANSAN Student Senate executives are planning for a trial of Uber to be used in the fall in conjunction with the current SafeRide service. The trial will allow students to use Uber on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for a discounted rate.
have worked on creating a document of their vision for the program. “We’ve listed out what we want the program to look like, and what’s needed, what sort of improvements we need in the system and really looking for ways that the system can change moving forward,” he said. Among these requirements, a mobile
interface and a faster pick-up time are two of the main priorities, Kelsay said, both of which Uber offers and could provide, if implemented. “Students are going to be able to use and download, that’s I think our primary need,” he said. “And I think our secondary need is a faster pick-up time.” Both Carter and Kelsay
said, even though Uber is the company they have had conversations with, they are open to companies with a better offer. “We’re probably going to have to go into some sort of negotiation,” Carter said. “So we’re going to extend offers to other companies besides Uber to see if they can give us a lower price and obviously we’ll take the lowest price.”
sion, their communities. For that purpose, Negash said they are asking scholars to contact Congress, as well as helping fill out forms. “What this program is doing is helping students tap into the talent that they have but didn’t know it could go as far as becoming a professor or a scientist,” she said. “You’re changing the trajectory of individuals who would not have otherwise been able to do; you’re changing the culture and the perspective of said target population.” The other program at risk of being cut, Educational Opportunity Centers at the
University, has also started their fight. Director Kimberly Morgan said the process is in the beginning stage.
in Education in Washington D.C. to connect with our representatives and to invite them to an event with previous participants so they can have a better understanding of what we do and why we need to continue these TRIO programs,” she said. Educational Opportunity Centers program serves low-income, sometimes first-generation students who need help in the process of admissions and financial aid applications to pursue a postsecondary educational program. Morgan said this program, along with the other
“
We’re here to do the work and we’re happy to do it, we just need to be funded.” Kimberly Morgan Director, Educational Opportunity Centers
“We’ve been asked by the Council for Opportunity
The document that Kelsay and Carter have drafted has been passed on to the purchasing services department at the University, the one in charge of opening up for bid to different companies providing the services, Kelsay said. Carter said Uber or some other service will most likely be used, at least at the beginning, in conjunction with SafeRide, considering that MV Transportation, the company in charge of SafeRide, has a contract with the University until
“
It’d kind of be a trial run to see if it works just using the surplus of that budget.” Mattie Carter Student body vice president
TRIO programs, are important in helping the United States compete globally. “There’s a tremendous gap in the educational attainment between America’s highest and lowest income students, and the United States needs to move its academic and economic competitiveness globally,” she said. Negash also highlighted the outcome as an important reason to keep the programs funded. In the case of McNair, she said scholars are giving back to the community. “You have to think about
December 2018. “Hopefully by the fall semester, we’ll be able to roll out the Uber on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and this wouldn’t take SafeRide away yet,” she said. “It’d kind of be a trial run to see if it works just using the surplus of that budget.” During this trial, students will be able to use a code and get free Uber rides on weekend nights. The trial is based off Wichita State University’s partnership with Uber, in which Thursday through Saturday, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., students use a special University code to get free rides, up to $14. Kelsay said, ultimately, Student Senate will go for the option that offers the most benefits at a low cost. “Our number one goal is getting people home safe no matter what the system is,” he said.
McNair scholars are contributing to research that is finding cures to diseases, they’re generating innovation in a wide range of industry, including biotech, healthcare, agriculture,” she said. “Not only are they giving back to the research community, they’re giving back to the institution and their own community.” Morgan said the programs help in closing the gap in educational attainment. “It’s not gonna close on its own,” she said. “We’re here to do the work and we’re happy to do it, we just need to be funded.”
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Swan: Colleges must take mental health seriously KATY SWAN @catladykaty
I
t probably is not news to you that college students are suffering from mental illnesses at a rapidly increasing rate. We enter college to improve our lives, essentially, but many students suffer serious mental health issues during their time in higher education. The benefits of a college degree are higher than ever, so exhausting ourselves to achieve success does not come as a surprise. According to the American Psychological Association, a 2010 American College Health Association survey showed 45.6 percent of students reported “feeling that things were hopeless” and 30.7 percent said it was difficult to function normally during the past year. These are abnormally high statistics. People who have endured four years of college frequently say the mental health problems that come with it are necessary; they are worth it. The mental struggles are simply part of the “glory days” of university. But those former students have probably forgotten just how miserable they actually were.
Illustration by Roxy Townsend
Why is it that we put so much energy into classwork? Into our social lives? College is competitive, intense and indescribably draining. Everyone said these things to us preceding arrival, but did we know the actual gravity of it all?
Probably not. I may just be a melancholy person (not maybe, definitely), but I know many feel the way I do. Words like “competitive,” “intense” and “draining” are merely broad terms that do not entirely express our frame
of mind. So what do we do about this? Hopefully ask for help. The Counseling and Psychological Services at the University (CAPS) is readily available for our use. Oh wait, do you have insurance? Extra cash to cover the co-pay? Most
of the staff at CAPS is in training and, by no fault of their own, inexperienced. I had a friend who went to a counseling session and left with the advice: “Why don’t you just try to do things that make you happy? Exercise!” She was less than satisfied.
However, she, like many of us, had no other option but to go to CAPS, due to the expense of outside psychological centers. I am by no means discouraging getting help from the psychological services at the University. I am simply fed up with the way mental health is treated on college campuses. Funding probably is to blame for most of the issues. Budgets for mental health treatment do not meet the growing need, and many college psychological centers remain understaffed and consequently have long waiting times, according to the Sovereign Health Treatment Center. If a counselor is unable to see you for your depression for four weeks, imagine what could happen in those four weeks left without help. Although more easily said than done, the University needs financially accessible options and thoughtful campus culture regarding mental health. Katy Swan is a junior from El Dorado studying community health and psychology.
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13 acts perform at circus school’s student showcase BRITTANIE SMITH @britters__smith
Sihka Ann Destroy, who uses the same stage name while busking, started The Last Carnival in Lawrence in 2014 as a studio for circus training. On June 9, Destroy and the school hosted its first student showcase, debuting the teaching and work within the school. The comic book-themed showcase consisted of 13 different acts performed by the students and teachers from the school. The Last Carnival was opened in Lawrence in January of 2014. Destroy said that she has always loved performing. She often went busking on the streets doing small acts for
people passing by. “I played the accordion, the saxophone, read poetry, dance, or contortion. Anything that entertains,” Destroy said. This circus school teaches skills from juggling to aerial arts. Destroy said that if the studio doesn’t offer a certain skill, she actively seeks out new artists to hold a workshop. Amy Schweppe is one of the instructors that works at The Last Carnival. She said that about three years ago she had been introduced to circus and started taking classes at the studio. The first class she took was aerial silks, a kind of performance in which an artist performs acrobatics while hanging from a piece of fabric.
“I was fascinated specifically by aerial silks — just the way they move around in the air. They’re really dynamic and deathdefying,” Schweppe said. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing students successfully get an acrobatic pose for the first time. “It’s this wonderful moment when people land in a pose, and they get to that moment of doing something that looks really pretty and graceful even though it was really challenging to get there,” Schweppe said. If someone told her five years ago that she would be training and teaching at a circus school, she wouldn’t have believed it, she said.
Missy Minear/KANSAN The Last Carnival owner Sihka Ann Destroy shows student Emma Froburg a move at a lyra class on May 31.
Destroy, on the other hand, said that she would have loved to join a circus,
but having kids made that a little more difficult. “This is my way of
running off with circus,” she said.
the
Flobots return to Lawrence for high-energy set at The Bottleneck COURTNEY BIERMAN @courtbierman
The Bottleneck hosted hip-hop rock group Flobots Thursday as a stop on their “NOENEMIES” tour. The band is spending the next 10 days on a micro tour across the Midwest in promotion of the album, their first in five years. Local rapper Reid the Martian got the night off to an underwhelming start. His choppy energy failed to connect with the audience — if you could even call it an audience. About a dozen people stood in front of the stage during his set, swaying slightly but not committing to anything
that resembled dancing. It wasn’t a pleasant 30 minutes. The bass was too loud, overpowering Reid’s rapping, and it made my photographer’s pictures blurry. Reid stopped in between songs to apologize for not being more conversational; He was trying to squeeze in as many tracks as possible rather than chat with the audience. He invited the sway-ers to find him after the show if they wanted to talk. Second opener Qbala played an excellent, highenergy set that finally built up some momentum. The modest crowd more than doubled in size and began
Missy Minear/KANSAN Flobots perform at The Bottleneck as a part of their “NOENEMIES” tour on June 8.
to dance in earnest. The Colorado-based rapper performed tracks about gender, sexuality and personal accountability. Qbala used part of her stage time to get political.
She asked the audience if they recognized the injustice in the world, something she’d already been experiencing for years as a black woman. “Do something. Say
something. Stand up. Disrupt this shit,” she urged the audience. I liked her set enough to shell out $15 for her latest mix tape, the fivetrack “Battle Cries,” during intermission. And what an unpleasant intermission it was. The transition between openers was fast and smooth, but the transition to the main act was anything but. The audience stood around for 45 minutes before Flobots took the stage, at which point it was after 11 p.m. Thank goodness The Bottleneck has plenty of benches and tables for camping out with a drink. But when the band
finally took the stage, all was forgiven. A zealous audience welcomed them with open arms, and the scent of marijuana smoke almost immediately filled the air. Emcees Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit rapped back and forth on a packed stage crowded with a full band (including a violinist) and three besequined backup singers, one of whom proudly proclaimed to be from Kansas. “There’s no place like home, baby!” she called out. Keeping with the political tone of the night — and Flobots’ MO — SEE FLOBOTS PAGE 7
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Flobots’ lead singer talks arts, politics, activism COURTNEY BIERMAN @courtbierman
Hip-hop rock band Flobots visited The Bottleneck last week in promotion of their latest album “NOENEMIES” released on May 5. The Denver-based band came to prominence in 2008 with their song “Handlebars,” a political anthem about using influence for good rather than evil, off of their first album “Fight with Tools.” “NOENEMIES,” and Flobots’ music in general, would sound preachy if the band didn’t practice what it preaches. Flobots are involved in grassroots community development in Denver. The Kansan caught up with James Laurie (Jonny 5), Flobots vocalist and founder, to discuss “NOENEMIES,” Trump, and what the band likes about playing in Lawrence. The interview was condensed for clarity. KANSAN: This is your first album in five years. Where have Flobots been? JAMES LAURIE: We stay really engaged with our communities around us. This particular album cycle, there’s been a lot going on this year,
FROM FLOBOTS PAGE 5 the band stressed the importance of speaking out against social injustice. The message was strongest before they launched into the “Blood in the River,”
long before the election that we really wanted to stay involved in. If you’re going to have a healthy movement, it involves many more voices than just the ones standing onstage. So we did a project that took two or three years that really asked people to raise their own voices, to become comfortable singing together so that when there was a protest or march, people have songs to sing together. We found that it was transformative for people to be in the same room together and be singing the same song. K: Do you think the album would be perceived differently if the outcome of the presidential election had been different? JL: Things were going to feel divided and divisive no matter what. There’s a rank war right now and an antagonism right now that is pervasive, and in comes in part from how we see each other and how we talk to each other, which is online. So I think that was going to be the reality no matter who won the election. There were going to be people who felt disempowered.
a haunting track about the emotional turmoil of political discourse. The audience wasn’t allowed to forget how much the band members liked playing in Lawrence. Jonny 5 talked about eating at Zen Zero before the show,
proach to political music sets Flobots apart from other bands. JL: Yeah, it’s always been important for us that it not be superficial. Sometimes we’re touring so constantly that we can’t do much else. We rely on the audience to take inspiration in what we’re able to provide, and kind of go into the trenches and do the work.
Missy Minear/KANSAN Jesse Walker plays the bass guitar during Flobots’ set at The Bottleneck on June 8.
K: Flobots have been talking about climate change and social justice for so many years. Is there any sense of “I told you so?”
K: Who was Dr. Vincent Harding, and how did he influence the record?
JL: I don’t feel that way. I don’t take much satisfaction in being right about things. I think for me primarily to see a big step backwards is disheartening. There is some hope in certain things being fully revealed. You look at the sexism and misogyny that women deal with every day, and to have that be so visible in our president, hopefully it means people are being believed now.
JL: Vincent Harding was a speech writer for Dr. Martin Luther King, a friend of his, and worked with him during the Southern Freedom Movement, which is what he called the Civil Rights Movement. He also lived in Denver, and he was a familial mentor figure to both Brer Rabbit (Brackett) and myself. Dr. Harding would always say to us, ‘Where are the songs for today’s movements?’ and we would often
and praised the town for embracing its abolitionist history. Four songs made up Flobots’ encore, one of which was, to no one’s surprise, the 2008 single “Handlebars.” But it wasn’t their last song of the night.
Rather than ending on a familiar note, Flobots said goodbye with a fantastic cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People.” Qbala jumped back onstage to sing along, and Jonny 5 and one of the backup singers freestyled during
answer, ‘What do you mean where are the songs? We’re making songs.’ And he would just ask us the question again to see if we could really understand what he meant. But in 2014, he passed away. It hit us, and right away we knew, ‘You know what, we are now called to answer his question. We need to answer it by actually gathering people to sing in the streets.’ And that was when our No Enemies Project was born.
K: In general, is it kind of unnerving to try to take these messages to more conservative communities in the Midwest? JL: It isn’t because of two things. One is that, I think in any area, if we come and people perceive us as like a progressive band, then those people are kind of looking for an oasis in the middle of a desert. On the other side of things, it’s a more inspiring challenge for us to say, ‘How do we in very good faith meet people from all across the spectrum in authentic and genuine ways?’ If we are in the same space in real life and not online, then we will find that we have things in common.
K: I think the way you guys take a more specific ap-
the bridge. “We wanted to give Lawrence something special,” Jonny 5 said. “Because The Bottleneck has always treated us right and this city has always treated us right.”
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Review: ‘The Tree’ is a sweet story about aging
Contributed Photo Still from Stephen and Mary Pruitt’s “The Tree.”
COURTNEY BIERMAN @courtbierman
“T
he Tree” is pretty much what you’d expect from a story about an 88-year-old widow road tripping across the Midwest to visit a childhood friend: it’s saccharine. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile piece of art. First and foremost, Overland Park-based married filmmakers Stephen Wallace Pruitt and Mary Settle Pruitt’s film is a testament to the value of
local, amateur filmmaking. It also reminded me that I needed to call my grandma. Dorothy (Joicie Appell) is an 88-year-old grandmother who takes a solo road trip from Wamego, Kansas, to her hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana, to visit her lifelong friend Pat. Dorothy isn’t unhappy in Wamego, but it’s not quite home to her anymore. Her family lives in Iowa, and most of her friends have passed away. She’s mostly alone, apart from her cat and caring neighbors.
Long into the twilight years of her life, Dorothy decides to see her hometown one last time. During her journey, she takes in her weathered Midwestern surroundings with a mix of awe and sorrow, and changes a few lives along the way. “The Tree” had a budget of only $60,000 and was shot in Kansas with the help of the Kansas City Film Commission. It picked up the Audience Choice Award at the Kansas City FilmFest last April. Director Stephen and
screenwriter Mary manage to eke out every bit of sentimentality from their story. But Appell deserves just as much credit for her grandmotherly performance. That’s not to dismiss how convincing she is in the role — she plays Dorothy as a woman who is grateful for the life she’s had, but who might wish to go back and do a few things over. She delivers every monologue, no matter how banal (and a few of them are heavy in banality), with enough sincerity and sweetness
to make you believe every word. It doesn’t hurt that Appell has a classic downhome grandma look, complemented by a striking pair of blue eyes. A supporting cast of mostly nameless Midwesterners, including a few Jayhawks, fleshes out the film’s tone: University lecturer Laura Kirk gives a thoughtful performance as Dorothy’s concerned neighbor. Recent graduate Cedric Houle appears on screen toward the end as a patient gas station attendant who helps
Dorothy use her cell phone. The film is as much a love letter to the Midwest as it is a reminder to appreciate every experience life has given you, good or bad — not exactly a groundbreaking idea, but revolutionary isn’t really what the film is going for. It’s as pleasant a movie experience as one is likely to have this summer. The Lawrence Arts Center will screen “The Tree” on July 2 as part of the Free State Film Festival. Tickets can be purchased online on the festival website.
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Basketball alumni return to Lawrence for Roundball Classic WESLEY DOTSON @WesDotsonUDK
Over 40 former Kansas basketball players and coaches participated in the ninth annual Rock Chalk Roundball Classic on Thursday night. The annual event, which saw its biggest turnout in former players and coaches, saw the alumni take part in a game in front of over 1,600 fans at Lawrence Free State High School’s gymnasium. The Rock Chalk Roundball Classic benefits local families who are dealing with cancer. The event was organized by Brian Hanni, play-byplay announcer for the Kansas football and men’s basketball teams. A familiar face at the event has been current Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore, who said he enjoys coming back to Lawrence not only for the cause, but to reminisce with former alumni as well. “That’s why I’ve been coming every year,” McLemore said. “This means a lot to me. Not just coming and playing the game, but coming and seeing the fans and the kids and my [teammates] that’s played here at the University of Kansas.” As for the game, McLemore had two opportunities to tie the game with a three-point shot when the final seconds approached. However, he missed on both tries and his blue team suffered a narrow 104-101 loss to the crimson team. “Man, I’m frustrated,” McLemore said with a chuckle. “But again, it’s not about winning the game, or losing the game, it’s all about the kids.” After the game, former Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor marveled at the turnout of the event. “This is the best I’ve seen it,” Taylor said. “I think this may be my second or third time, and this is the best I’ve seen it. Guys just need an
excuse to come back to Lawrence. We love it here, and it’s a great place, obviously. You see how many people came out to watch these old guys run up and down the court.” Taylor also said he enjoyed playing with McLemore on the blue team. Both were members of the 201112 Kansas team, but they did not play with each other because McLemore had to sit out as an NCAA partial qualifier his freshman season. “Didn’t get a chance to play with him, and I wish I did,” Taylor said. “But it’s great because younger guys like me obviously watched these older guys, and the older guys once they leave, they follow us, so [there’s] a bunch of familiar faces and it’s great to just kind of play.”
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It was a great time, and I always want to come back and do this.” Wayne Selden Jr. Former Kansas guard
Taylor also said he was impressed with the back-and-forth play between McLemore and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Wayne Selden Jr., who played for the crimson team. “Two of the most athletic guys I’ve probably played with before,” Taylor said. “Wayne’s a freak, it’s crazy.” Selden performed several highlight dunks on the night. “It was fun to get back with all the guys,” Selden said. “And guys before you and after me. Just getting out there and competing for a good cause. It was a great time, and I always want to come back and do this. I try to just put on a show for
Missy Minear/KANSAN Ben McLemore attempts a three pointer at the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic on June 8 at Free State High School.
the crowd, especially in an environment like this.” This year’s event benefitted five families tabbed by Hanni as the “starting five.” “It was our best event ever in terms of number of players and the quality of the players speaks for itself,” Hanni said in a Kansas Athletics news release. “Hopefully that will show up when everything is tabulated and we can give that final total to these kids. Our goal this year was $40,000 with five beneficiaries, which would be $8,000 for every family. I think we are going to come very close.” Twelve members from the 2008 NCAA National Championship team and coach Bill Self were also honored during the second half. The upcoming season will mark the 10th anniversary of the title run. “This was unbelievable to see former guys and different generations of Jayhawks together,” Robinson said in a Kansas Athletics news release. “This was a great experience and I am happy for all the families that were honored.”
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KU cheerleaders test American Ninja Warrior course SHAUN GOODWIN @ShaunGoodwinUDK
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rasping desperately for safety, Kansas junior cheerleader Kyra Skinner pulled herself onto the wobbling platform that separated a pair of rolling logs, before looking onwards to the second of two logs. With a short run up, Skinner covered several feet before tumbling into the water below. Elsewhere on the course of American Ninja Warrior, Kansas senior cheerleader Audie Monroe was busy tackling the Circle Hammer. Gripping onto the small metal ring, Monroe hung helplessly with safety several meters away. Using all of his remaining strength, he created a pendulum using his strength to propel himself onto the platform. Monroe and Skinner were two of several Jayhawks to make the trip to Kansas City on April 22 and 23 to test themselves against obstacles that most people only see on TV. The goal of the two-day testing was to make sure that any obstacle a large male can do, a smaller female can also do the same. The problem for American Ninja Warrior is that a majority of the participants willing to test the obstacles are male. Because of this, it is smaller athletes like Skinner that American
Ninja Warrior love. “There’s a little trampoline obstacle where you have to hop onto this pull-up thing, but they had to keep changing it because it was harder for the girls to reach while there were some guys who would literally just step and grab, while girls are having to jump like 2 feet,” Monroe said. “So that was interesting to see all the adjustments that they had to make there.” One obstacle that proves difficult for the organizers is the Jump Hang, which requires the competitor to jump off a trampoline and clutch onto a pull up bar several feet away. While larger men can simply step onto the trampoline and easily reach the bar, smaller females have to put all their energy into the jump before clutching onto the bar. Although Skinner only got to test out one obstacle, she was pleased that she got the furthest of all the Kansas athletes participating. Monroe was able to participate in a couple of other obstacles, such as the Circle Slider, which is an obstacle in which the contestant must hold onto a large ring that slides down a vertical slope with several steep drop-offs along the way. At the end of the slope, the contestant has to use the momentum to propel themselves onto a platform. Although many of the
Contributed Photo Nine Kansas cheerleaders helped test obstacles for American Ninja Warrior in Kansas City, Missouri, April 23 and 24.
obstacles require great strength, an element of technique is required to get across safely. On the Circle Slider, Monroe managed to hold on down the slope, but then had to use his own strength and momentum to leap to the next platform. This is in comparison to some of the more seasoned competitors, who made the transition look easy. “We would sit on the side while one of our teammates would go, and then they’d come down and we’d be like ‘you need to do this’ or ‘try this’ to see if you could get through it,” Skinner said. “That was really neat to through all of that.” Despite the pair having never experienced something like American Ninja Warrior before, they feel that cheerleading certainly helped their cause. Both Monroe and Skinner thought their balance and strong stabilization muscles obtained through
cheerleading helped them. One thing that surprised both athletes was that all of the obstacles had to be manually reset, leading to longer wait times. This became a problem when heights and distances had to be adjusted to find the sweet spot for athletes of all sizes. Skinner also found it interesting how there were so many rules for certain obstacles that people just watching on TV don’t know about. “They’re like, ‘You can’t do these specific things, don’t use your hands on certain parts, don’t touch certain things,’ which is so weird, because when I watch the show I’m usually yelling at the person like ‘Why don’t you just use your hands.’” Skinner said. “So now I realize that they’re not allowed to.” Despite having lots of fun testing out the obstacles, the pair doesn’t particularly see
Contributed Photo Senior Audie Monroe holds up junior Kyra Skinner at the American Ninja Warrior obstacle testing in Kansas City, Missouri, April 23 and 24.
themselves competing in the event as a serious competitor in the future. “If I had the time — I just don’t foresee myself having the time to train for it,” Monroe said. “If I’m going to do it, I want to be successful at it and not kind of do it halfway. So yeah, I’d definitely have to put in time and I don’t think I have that time.” He also explained how several of the serious competitors either own gyms or work at gyms, working out constantly for either American Ninja Warrior or several other ninja competitions around the world. Skinner shared the same sentiment.
Having tested out the obstacles for themselves and witnessing just how much hard work goes into training for the show and making it run, the pair of Jayhawks have a newfound respect for those who dedicate their lives to conquering the many ninja courses around the world. “I definitely feel that it makes me respect the ninja’s more, because I only did one obstacle and I was tired after that,” Skinner said. “I couldn’t even imagine getting through the entire course.”
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KU’s Charlie Moore to try out for USA U19 team Transfers joining the Kansas basketball roster 2017-18 season CHARLIE MOORE Sophomore guard
SAM CUNLIFFE Sophomore guard
Previous school: California Career at California: Started all 34 games and averaged 12.2 points and 3.5 assists in 2016. Eligibility at Kansas: Fall 2018
Previous school: Arizona State Career at Arizona State: Started in all 10 games he played and averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 2016. Eligibility at Kansas: Spring 2018
MALIK NEWMAN Redshirt sophomore guard
Associated Press Then-California guard Charlie Moore shoots against Colorado’s Tory Miller in the second half of a game Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, in Berkeley, California.
WESLEY DOTSON @WesDotsonUDK
Later this month, Kansas sophomore guard Charlie Moore will be competing for an opportunity to represent his country this summer. Moore accepted an invitation Thursday to compete at the 2017 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup team training camp at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tryouts will be held from June 18-25. Moore is one of 28 invitations
issued by the team, and only 12 players will make the final roster. “We always encourage our guys to participate with USA Basketball and certainly hope Charlie fares well during the tryout,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a Kansas Athletics news release. A reigning two-time champion, the United States will look for a thirdconsecutive gold medal at the event in Cairo, Egypt, which will take place from July 1-9. Moore will sit out the 2017-18 season at Kansas due to NCAA transfer
rules. He averaged 12.2 points and 3.5 assists at California while starting all 34 games last season. The Chicago native was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Kentucky coach John Calipari will lead the team. Former Kansas players and current coaches Tad Boyle (Colorado) and Danny Manning (Wake Forest) will serve as assistant coaches. Training camp will begin at 6 p.m. on June 18. Following two practice sessions on June 19, then a morning session on June 20, finalists for the
team are expected to be announced the same day. The selected finalists will remain in Colorado and train twice a day through June 25. The final 12-member team is expected to be announced on June 22. Moore will attempt to join Kerry Boagni (1983), Kevin Pritchard (1987), Nick Collison (1999), Tyshawn Taylor (2009) and Josh Jackson (2015) as the only players in Kansas history to make the U19 roster.
Previous school: Mississippi State Career at Mississippi State: Started in 21 games and averaged 11.3 points per game in the 2015-16 season. Eligibility at Kansas: Fall 2017 JACK WHITMAN Senior forward Previous school: William & Mary Career at William & Mary: Played in 81 games and averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in three seasons. Whitman averaged a career-best 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in the 201617 season. Eligibility at Kansas: Fall 2017
DEDRIC LAWSON Junior guard/forward Previous school: Memphis Career at Memphis: Started in 64 games and averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in two seasons. Eligibility at Kansas: Fall 2018 K.J. LAWSON Junior guard/forward Previous school: Memphis Career at Memphis: Started in 33 games and averaged 11.5 points and 7 rebounds in two seasons. Eligibility at Kansas: Fall 2018