Keeping Up With The Kansan (Jan. 26-29)

KEEPING UP WITH THE

KANSANWEEKLY RECAP

JAN. 26 - 29, 2015

The proposed Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Jameelah Jones, has been approved in full senate and she will begin her duties immediately. Jones is a sec-ond year graduate student

in African and African American studies.

Jones will be the first per-son to ever hold this posi-tion. According to Jones, her position will include various jobs revolving around creating coexistence among all students and fac-ulty on campus.

“I am generally the voice in Senate for the students of diverse populations,” Jones said. “I’m drawn to social justice and ensuring that every voice matters and ev-ery voice is heard, no matter how small that voice may

be in a room. If even one person is uncomfortable or underrepresented, that is enough for someone to step in and rectify the situation. That’s how we keep students happy and keep them feel-ing like part of the family at the University of Kansas.”

After reviewing 14 appli-

cants, student body pres-ident Morgan Said said Jones was selected because of her positivity and drive to create change.

“Jameelah brings such a positive energy to the staff, especially in second se-mester as everyone starts to wear down on the year,” Said said. “She’s got exact-ly the spunk that we need to keep us all motivated and accountable. She was someone who was very vo-cal in the open forum last semester, and I admired that she was able to come

forward and call Student Senate out, but also offer to help us right what has been wronged.”

Jones chose to apply for the newfound position right after the bill for the job passed.

“I applied because I really want to make a difference and I was happy when I saw this position still open,” Jones said. “I want the op-portunity to affect people and create a change.”

To Jones, this new posi-tion has been needed in Senate for years.

“As we saw from last se-mester’s Senate meetings, there is disconnect between the Student Senate and the multicultural population on campus,” Jones said. “I think there needs to be a bridge for those who feel they are underserved. This position will create that bridge for those who need a voice.”

During her acceptance speech, Jones said her first act as Director of Diversity and Inclusion will be to cre-ate a connection between administration and multi-cultural students through the Cultural Competency Training.

“We need to ask the broad questions when we say di-versity or multicultural-ism,” Jones said. “If there is not equal representation in all of these aspects, multi-cultural students will fall through the cracks.”

Chief of Staff Mitchell Cota said this position was created to fill a void of a large concern on campus

that University and Student Senates were not caring about the rights of minority students.

“Right now she’s working on cultural competency for the entire University,” Cota

said. “I think instilling a val-ue of inclusion on campus is really relevant right now in a time of which there are protests and people advo-cating for these rights.”

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY

KANSANJAN. 26 - 29, 2015

VISIT KANSAN.COM TO READ MORE OF THIS WEEK’SNEWS COVERAGENEWS

STUDENT SENATE APPOINTS JAMEELAH JONES TO BE FIRST DIRECTOR OFDIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

ALANA FLINN @alana_flinn

“I’M DRAWN TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ENSURING THAT EVERY VOICE MAT-TERS AND EVERY VOICE IS HEARD, NO MATTER HOW SMALL THAT VOICE MAY BE IN A ROOM. IF EVEN ONE PERSON IS UNCOMFORTABLE OR UNDERREPRE-SENTED, THAT IS ENOUGH FOR SOME-ONE TO STEP IN AND RECTIFY THE SITUATION.”

— JONES

ANNA WENNER/KANSANJaneelah Jones answers a senator’s question during Wednesday night’s senate meeting. Soon after Jones was voted in as Direc-tor of Diversity and Inclusion.


KANSANJAN. 26 - 29, 2015

WITH THE REC BEING CLOSED, THERE IS NO CONVENIENT PLACE TO GET ANY SIGNIFICANT TYPE OF EXERCISE,”

WATER MAIN BREAK TEMPORARILYCLOSES RECREATION CENTER

KATELYNN MALONEY/KANSANCrew works on fixing the water main break by the rec on Monday evening.

The Ambler Student Rec-reation Fitness Center is closed indefinitely follow-ing a water main break yesterday.

Today the basketball courts, racquetball courts and cardio/strength area remained open from 4 un-

til 8:30 p.m. in Robinson Center, however, equip-ment checkout was not available.

For Joe Preblud, a sopho-more from Denver, the rec being closed is a major in-convenience.

“It affects me because I need my exercise to keep my weight and it is a good way to blow off stress

by taking it out on the weights,” Preblud said.

Tre Pedigo, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., was also put out by the rec’s indefi-nite closing.

“With the rec being closed, there is no conve-nient place to get any sig-nificant type of exercise,” Pedigo said.

Jimmy Rosales, a junior

from Grandview, Mo., tried to go to there this morning, only to realize it was closed.

“I couldn’t work out and it messed up my schedule,” Rosales said. “I usually go right after my 8 a.m., and I went there straight after today and it was closed.”

The rec closed down Monday around 6 p.m. due

to the water main break and students were not al-lowed in, while those al-ready inside were allowed to finish their workouts before they left.

The rec will not reopen at its normal time of 5:30 a.m. tomorrow. A new opening time will be determined once water is restored to the facility.

ALANA FLINN @alana_flinn

TRE PEDIGOJUNIOR FROMKANSAS CITY, MO.

Mac Crider picked up a yo-yo for the first time in middle school. Crider, a sophomore from Topeka, is a yo-yo and kendama expert who created the Skill Toy Club, a class on the art of skill toys at the Toy Store downtown. He teach-es the class how to do yo-yo tricks and juggle and, most importantly, he helps his students establish a sense of accomplishment.

“One of my favorite parts of teaching these classes is playing with the toys,” Crider said. “But, more importantly, I’ve always had an interest in teaching younger folks about things I like.”

Crider is well known in the Lawrence community and by his work colleagues for his yo-yo skills. Nick Guffey, Crider’s co-worker at the

Toy Store, said he thinks it is special that Crider is able to share his abilities with oth-ers.

“Mac is very talented with the yo-yo and kendama,” Guffey said. “He can do a lot of tricks other people in the store can’t.”

When Crider is not busy working or doing homework for his computer engineering classes, he can be found with a yo-yo or kendama in his hands, fine-tuning his skills. He attends classes and clubs where he learns new tricks and interacts with other yo-

yo enthusiasts. He said he practices tricks he finds on the Internet nearly every day, and sometimes he even in-vents his own.

“Typically I just play around with the toys until I do something that I think is cool,” he said.

Crider said playing with yo-yos helped him with the self-confidence issues he had as a child. When he created the Skill Toy Club in March, one of the class’ main objec-tives became helping kids gain confidence. He under-stands what it is like to lack confidence, and he said he hopes skill toys will impact the kids in his class the same way they impacted him.

“Whenever I see a kid learn how to use a new toy, it is an incredible feeling,” he said. “I love to see the smile on their face and know that they are already becoming more con-fident.”

Crider’s love for teaching others how to use yo-yos and kendamas doesn’t only apply to children. He said he loves to teach his friends how to use the toys, and sometimes he brings them to parties and teaches people there.

“People always get excited when I take the kendamas out,” he said. “Their first re-action is, ‘Wow, what is that?’ ”

Crider said playing with his yo-yo or kendama is a great way to take a step back from the pressure of college. His passion for toys is what keeps him going every day, and without it he would not be the person he is.

“Everyone has an inner child; you just have to keep it alive,” Crider said. “Playing with yo-yos and kendamas keeps it alive in me.”


KANSANJAN. 26 - 29, 2015

KU STUDENT HELPS KIDS GAIN CONFIDENCE THROUGH YO-YOS

TIM MCGINNIS@tim_mcginnis

“WHENEVER I SEE A KID LEARN HOW TO USE A NEW TOY, IT IS AN INCREDIBLE FEELING.

— CRIDER

VISIT KANSAN.COM TO READ MORE OF THIS WEEK’S ARTS AND FEATURES CONTENTARTS & FEATURES

ALI DOVER/KANSANMac Crider preforms a yo-yo trick at the Lawrence Toy Store downtown where he works.


KANSANJAN. 26 - 29, 2015

OPINION FFA OF THE WEEK: I FEEL LIKE I’M THE ONLY SEAHAWKS FAN IN ALL OF LAWRENE

“Meninism” isn’t a new phe-nomenon.

The phrase first appeared in an article on Feminist.com over a year ago that defined meninism as a “global organization of men that believe in and support the feminist principles of women’s political, social and economic equality.” In 2013, Ti Belogun, creator of the Twitter hashtag #MeninistTwitter, repurposed the term as a rebuttal against “the way feminists express themselves, which is a turn-off,” he told the Huffington Post.

This past week, the term gained new momentum. People through-out social media started posting pictures of themselves wearing shirts with #Meninist stamped on the front; the shirts are distribut-ed by a variety of sellers.

For what it’s worth, Belogun apologized a few days later, but he was too late. Meninism had gone viral. Nowadays, meninists petition for men’s rights.

Last summer, NPR covered the International Conference on Men’s Issues in Detroit, which or-ganizers considered to be the first meninist meeting. Warren Farrell, a meninist author, listed reasons why he believes the organization is necessary. Farrell used child custody hearings as an example and said judges unfairly rule in favor of the mother. Farrell also pointed out that universities offer degrees in women’s studies but

not men’s studies and additionally, the White House lacks a designat-ed council for men and boys. In the article, Farrell said he believes that modern feminism shifted its focus from helping both women and men to privileging women. Unfortunately meninists, in their loud opposition to feminism, are demonstrating how ignorant they are regarding the movement for gender equality.

The bare bones definition of feminism, provided by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and op-portunities.” The current goal of feminism is gender equality and

modern feminist theory recogniz-es that sexism and the patriarchy are not only greatly harmful to women, but also to men.

Men and women who identify as meninists miss the point of feminism completely and, more than likely, haven’t bothered to re-search the movement. In response to Farrell’s arguments, women do not win custody battles because feminism thinks they should. Rather, judges appoint women because our patriarchal society considers them inherently more suited to parenthood than men. Universities don’t offer degrees in men’s studies because such a degree could steal the history

department’s thunder. The White House doesn’t have a council on men and boys because our gov-ernment is already a council filled with men.

The fight against feminism is redundant because feminism already addresses its concerns. Feminism fights for everyone’s equality, not just women’s inter-ests. Though they believe their cause is just, meninsts are fighting a battle that frankly does not exist.

MADDY MIKINSKI IS A SOPHOMORE FROM LINWOOD STUDYING

JOURNALISM

MADDY MIKINSKI@Miss__Maddy

MENINISTS ARE MISGUIDED IN THEIR BELIEFS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BENJAMIN ZAND/ASSOCIATED PRESS


KANSANJAN. 26 - 29, 2015

VISIT KANSAN.COM TO READ MORE OF THIS WEEK’S SPORTS CONTENTSPORTS

During the first two months of the NBA season, former KU guard Andrew Wiggins

went through some growing pains. Likewise, Wiggins struggled early in his career at Kansas before eventu-ally averaging 17.1 points per game and setting the freshman scoring record. And just like at KU, Wiggins has come into his own as the NBA season has progressed.

NBA scouts expected Wiggins to be a good NBA defender, and he has not disappointed. He is averaging 1.1 steals per game and has caused problems for several elite players, most recently holding Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook to 7-of-22

shooting on Tuesday.Through December 23, Wiggins

averaged 12 points per game. For most rookies, that would have been considered a success. However, con-sidering the hype Wiggins received coming into the league, he was already being called a bust.

On December 24, fivethirtyeight.com published an article entitled “Forget The Next LeBron James, Andrew Wiggins May Not Be The Next James Posey.” Ever since then, Wiggins has taken his game to another level, and has proved that judging a 19-year-old rookie just two months into his career was probably a mistake.

Wiggins was widely considered a project offensively coming into the draft, but has been exceeding those expectations over the last month.

In that stretch, he has averaged 20.9 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game, and has delivered some fantastic performances.

Most notably, on January 23, Wig-gins notched 31 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists against the Denver Nuggets, and flashed his superstar potential. He became the third teenager in NBA history to have 31 points, 9 rebounds and to shoot 65 percent in a game. The other two, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, have gone on to be pretty successful.

During the last month, he has raised his scoring average to 15 points per game. To give you an idea, Kobe Bryant didn’t average 15 points per game until his second year. Tracy McGrady, who Wiggins is often compared to, did not get

there until his third season.Wiggins is the only rookie averag-

ing more than 10 points per game. K.J. McDaniels is currently second in rookie scoring at 9.2 points per game, almost six full points behind Wiggins.

The former KU standout has 15 games of 20 points or more. To put that into perspective, the active rookies who rank second through fifth in scoring this season have only done it six times combined.

The absence of Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Joel Embiid, all due to injury, has made Wiggins quest for Rookie of the Year a bit easier. Regardless of weak competition, Wiggins is still a worthy winner if he continues to play like he has been.

EVAN RIGGS@EvanRiggs15

AFTER SLOW START, ANDREW WIGGINS IS THE NBA’S RUN-AWAY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

SPORTS CALENDARTRACK AND FIELDJayhawk ClassicJan. 30, 2015All DayLawrence

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVINGArkansasJan. 31, 201510 a.m.Lawrence

MEN’S BASKETBALLKansas State Jan. 31, 20151 p.m.Lawrence

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLBaylorFeb. 1, 2015

1 p.m.Waco, TX

MEN’S BASKETBALLIowa StateFeb. 2, 20158 p.m.Lawrence

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLTexas TechFeb. 4, 20157 p.m.Lawrence

TRACK AND FIELDHusker InvitationalFeb. 4, 2015All DayLincoln, Neb.

SOFTBALLLIU BrooklynFeb. 6, 20158 a.m.Boca Raton, Fla.

WOMEN’S TENNISUNLVFeb. 6, 201510 a.m.Las Vegas, Nev.

SOFTBALLGeorgia TechFeb. 6, 201510:15 a.m. Boca Raton, Fla.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVINGIowa StateFeb. 6, 2015

6 p.m.Lawrence

TRACK AND FIELDHusker InvitationalFeb. 7, 2015All dayLincoln, Neb.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVINGIowa StateFeb. 7, 201510 a.m. Lawrence

WOMEN’S TENNISPacificFeb. 7, 2015Las Vegas, Nev.

SOFTBALLArkansas

Feb. 7, 201512:30 p.m.Boca Raton Fla.

MEN’S BASKETBALLOklahoma State Feb. 7, 20151 p.m.Stillwater, Okla.

SOFTBALLFlorida AtlanticFeb. 7, 20155 p.m.Boca Raton, Fla.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLOklahoma StateFeb. 7, 20157 p.m.Lawrence


KANSANJAN. 26 - 29, 2015

SPORTS FOLLOW @KANSANSPORTS FOR ON-THE-FLY TWEETS OF THISWEEKEND’S HAPPENINGS IN SPORTS

AHEAD OF THE SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN, MARIO LITTLE AND RODNEY MCGRUDERREFLECT ON THEIR BIG 12 DAYS

“I miss college.”This famous Tiger Woods

quote sums up the thoughts shared by many graduates and athletes alike, following their entrance into the pro-verbial “real world.” These words also ring true for Ma-rio Little and Rodney Mc-Gruder, two former Big 12 basketball standouts.

The two were among the dozens of professional bas-ketball players who gath-ered in Santa Cruz for the D-League Showcase earlier this month, and both said they loved to reminisce about their glory days, while doing what they can to stay connected to the school.

“I still keep my ties with Kansas (because) being there was just different,” Little said. “Even something like running out of the tun-nel (in Allen Fieldhouse) was just so special.”

While Little has moved on to playing for the Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, he still has kept in regular contact with the Jayhawks. Little said he enjoyed go-ing back to Kansas to play against the players on the current roster, but more than anything, he appreciat-ed the bond he shared with the coaches.

“I talk to the coaches all the time and wish them good luck,” Little said. “I love that Coach Self really knows what he’s doing. He’s been so good at winning (Big 12) titles, especially with teams that really didn’t have anybody.”

Little played a fairly signif-icant role in extending Kan-sas’ Big 12 Conference (reg-ular season) championship streak in his senior season, where he had seven perfor-mances with at least eight points in conference play. Little’s best outing came against the rival Missouri Tigers, as he finished with 17 points on 7-of-9 shoot-ing, adding five rebounds in a 17-point Kansas victory.

Kansas won the Big 12 that year, which has been the case in six of the last 10 sea-sons. However, a couple of years after Little had moved on, the team would only manage a share of the con-ference championship, fin-ishing with a record of 14-4.

That same year, Rodney McGruder led Kansas State to tie with Kansas. Mc-Gruder posted 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while playing an average of 33.5 minutes per night. Like Little, the former Kansas State standout was fond of his college years, and he was especially fond of the op-portunities he had to play in the Sunflower Showdown.

“When I was a freshman, one of my favorite guys to play against [was] Sherron Collins,” McGruder said. “Then the next year, it was awesome to get to beat Kansas, especially because whenever we play the Jay-hawks, we know it’s a big-time deal.”

The former Kansas State Wildcat went on to add that the atmosphere in Bramlage Coliseum when the Jay-hawks came to town made it a “top-two” arena in the

Big 12, falling just short of only one other venue: Al-len Fieldhouse. Little also claimed Allen Fieldhouse as the best college venue.

This year, the Fieldhouse has certainly lived up to the hype, as the Jayhawks are 3-0 in conference games played at Allen Fieldhouse, and they are 11-0 at home this year (one of which was played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City). The team has racked up an impressive

16-3 record, but Little didn’t think they were anywhere close to where they could finish the year.

“Over the break is usually when Kansas starts to get a lot better,” Little said. “Once they get back, everyday, you’ll start to see that im-provement.”

Overall, Little said he was happy with the way the team had played so far this year, and he wasn’t the only one enjoying the season. Mc-

Gruder said he loved seeing Kansas State in the top tier of the Big 12 standings, and he said he thought the team could even go on to win the Big 12.

Little, on the other hand, had a different answer when asked who he thought would win the Big 12. The former Kansas guard laughed to himself, flashing a big smile before answer-ing, “I’m always going with Kansas.”

SCOTT CHASEN @SChasenKU

NICK KRUG/LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD

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Keeping Up With The Kansan (Jan. 26-29)

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