INSIDE Radio dreams could be reality

www.unews.com
October 19, 2009
Vol. 77, Issue 9
Radio dreams
could be reality
Photo illustration by NATHAN LANG
Putting a grade
on higher learning
The University of Kansas has KJHK 90.1 FM.
The University of Missouri has KCOU 88.1 FM.
UMKC may soon have KROO.
M
Tyler Allen
Assistant News Editor
“
y goal is
to have the
st udent-r u n
radio station
within
the
next year,” said Derek Greer,
construction liaison for the new
Student Union and UMKC senior.
Though nothing is finalized,
Greer has been working hard
since last semester to create a
student radio station on campus.
The idea was formed last year
with a group of students in a radio class taught by the director
and manager of KCUR, Patty
Cahill.
“A team of students wrote up
a report and this is the report that
I’ve been using for the project,”
Greer said. “I’ve discussed it
further with Patty Cahill and it’s
actually something that could be
done and utilized.”
Using the report as a backbone for the project, Greer
tapped into additional resources
to further research the project.
To begin, he talked to faculty
and numerous student organizations to get an idea of how they
might help.
“From there, I took a tour of
the KCUR radio station where
Patty Cahill gave me a couple
INSIDE
more ideas and her stance on the
student-run radio station,” Greer
said. “She offered quite a bit of
help.”
He also toured KJHK 90.1 to
see what a long-standing student
radio station was like.
“They gave me a lot of valuable information on exactly what
is needed and how to keep a radio
station going because theirs has
been going for like 75 years,” he
said.
“My goal is to have the
student-run radio station
within the next year.”
DEREK GREER
Construction liaison for the new
Student Union and UMKC senior
The two hurdles Greer has
left to clear are the location and
funding for the radio station.
The original idea was to put
the station in the new Student
Union, but that has not been finalized.
“I’m not sure how feasible
that is at the moment because,
from discussions and stuff going
on in the meetings, they wanted
to do more retail in (the new Student Union),” Greer said. “So it’s
still up in the air at the moment of
exactly where it’s going because
everybody on campus is trying
to get into the new Student Union
and there’s only so much space.”
Greer plans to talk with Student Life and the Student Government Association about funding the station.
He also plans to start the station online instead of on FM airwaves to cut costs.
“It’s a lot cheaper and it’s easier to start with internet broadcasting and step up to airwave
broadcasting,” he said. “It’s just a
lot cheaper overall starting from
scratch doing internet broadcasting.”
Greer would also like to integrate the radio station into the
Communications department’s
curriculum.
“It can be worked into the
Communications depar tment
so students can work with radio
broadcasting and hopefully open
some doors for UMKC students,”
he said.
Greer envisions the station as
student run and hopes it can become a staple of campus life.
“It’s something that should
become permanent, not something that dies off after a few
years,” Greer said. “I think it
should become part of UMKC’s
daily life.”
tallen@unews.com
BASKETBALL page 12
Alexia Stout-Lang
News Editor
Each year, thousands of tests are
administered by the university. This
year, it’s the university’s turn to undergo evaluation.
Officials from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North
Central Association, an accrediting
agency, spent last week at UMKC to
determine if the university is eligible
for reaccreditation.
Jim Larson, a representative from
the HLC, said the accreditation process is important for everyone connected to the university.
“We have a charge that is quite
comprehensive in the sense that it
looks at all the ingredients that go
into whether the University of Missouri – Kansas City can deliver the
programs for learning to you that it
says it will deliver,” Larson said.
Universities go through the regional accreditation process every 10
years if they receive full accreditation. Only in cases where the accrediting agency has some concerns about
an educational institution, short-term
accreditation is granted.
Last week, officials from the HLC
toured campus and met with administrators, faculty and students.
In one of two meetings held exclusively with students, Larson explained why students should take a
GUN DEBATE page 4
personal interest in the process.
“It has some very significant implications for those who are going
here,” he said. “It is also a way that
the North Central Association of the
Higher Learning Commission [shows
it] is very concerned about the quality
of learning you receive.”
He added the HLC understands
students have a lot on their plates,
which is why the accreditation process is important.
“It is also an indication the training you receive here will enable you
to develop your skills so that you can
go forth in a comprehensive way, although most of you are just saying, ‘I
just want a job,’” Larson said.
Students were given about an hour
to express concerns about the university as well as things done right.
They praised the Bloch School
of Business and Administration, the
Conservatory of Music and Dance,
Roo Camp, dorm life and some professors.
Concerns included parking, the
advising departments, the Financial Aid office and the number of
professors who are only available to
students during class, among other
issues.
Larson said he would record all of
the students’ comments and include
I
See ACCREDITATION page 16
KATRINA page 5
2
News
October 19, 2009
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International talent convenes in Pierson
Photo KEVIN BRYCE
Performers in the Culture Night talent show wait for the winner to be announced.
Kevin Bryce
Photo Editor
More than 300 international
students gathered Saturday night
in Pierson Auditorium for talent,
fashion and food.
The 10th annual Culture Night
represents a long-standing tradition of celebrating cultures from
around the world at UMKC.
This is the second year the International Student Council (ISC)
has hosted the event.
Student
Coordinator
Gina
Brenne said the ISC worked to
make the event something for all
students.
“We’re really looking to revive
the Culture Night,” Brenne said.
The event began with students
getting the chance to enjoy foods
from several countries.
After students had their share of
food, the talent show started.
Performers were from a number of countries including dancers
from Mexico and Saudi Arabia, and
singers and musicians from China,
India and Taiwan.
Then a fashion show was held,
letting students show off traditional garb from their home countries.
Highlights from the night included a dance by Mexico’s Veronica and Amalia Pizano, who danced
in traditional dresses, and also a
performance by Yihong Huang,
who sang a pop song from China.
The winner of the talent show
was Huanxian Liu who played a
Chinese Koto, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument.
“I’ve been playing since I was
10,” Lui said, “and now I’m 25.”
Throughout the night, a raff le
was held and the revenues were donated to the United Nations’ Children’s Fund.
Many students said they look
forward to Culture Night each year
because it is a good way to bring
the various cultures on campus together for fun and entertainment.
kbyrce@unews.edu
Photo KEVIN BRYCE
Huanxian Lui, talent show winner, plays the Koto.
Make clean energy work for Missouri
Kelley Kates
Staff Writer
A clean energy forum co-sponsored by several non-profits under
Clean Energy Works for Missouri
set up shop last Tuesday evening at
the Discovery Center.
The purpose of the forum was to
spread the word about different ways
Missouri can become less dependent
on oil and focus more on the usage of
alternative methods for energy.
The night began with four separate presentations.
Hathmore Technologies, LLC
and Accurate Rater Network began
by discussing how Missourians can
be more energy efficient, and what
kinds of energy efficient incentives
are available.
For example, Kansas City Power
& Light offers a number of incentives including the Cool Homes
Residential Rebate, which offers an
incentive to those who replace inefficient furnaces and air conditioning
units.
State and federal incentives were
discussed as well.
Ken Riead, a certified energy
and environment instructor with
Hathmore, presented tips for energy
efficiency such as doing an energy
audit to find out where a home may
be losing energy and how adding
insulation and sealing air leaks can
reduce that loss.
Susan Brown, from the Energy
Savings Store, discussed how photovoltaic solar power can be a great
alternative energy.
Brown explained how solar power can be used to heat air and water
and make electricity.
Brown also said Missouri is a
good region for solar power since the
state receives, on average, five sun
hours per day.
Solar power can replace approximately 50 percent of household water heating costs.
PJ Wilson, of Renew Missouri,
spoke on how to move Missouri forward. Wilson said although Missouri
has plenty of sunlight, biomass, wind
and other alternative energy sources,
we still rank 48th in renewable en-
ergy usage.
Therefore, it is Renew Missouri’s
mission to educate people about renewable and efficient energy policies.
Wilson already feels that Missourians have taken an interest in clean
and renewable energy by passing
Proposition C in 2008, which requires
utility companies to receive 15 percent
of their electricity from clean energy
sources by 2021. Two percent must be
from solar.
That bill is predicted to save Missourians $331 million in the next 20
years. It will also develop thousands of
new “green” jobs for Missourians.
Wilson said Missouri currently imports all of its coal at a cost of $9 bil-
lion per year. The state depends on that
coal for 83 percent of its electricity.
Unfortunately, the excessive use
of coal harms air quality, the environment and climate and can cause
mercury contamination, Wilson
said.
Renew Missouri is pushing for
a statewide energy code which requires new construction to meet a
minimum of energy efficiency.
This code, if adopted, would save
Missourians $108 billion on energy
bills by 2020, Wilson said.
Other non-profits who presented
at the event included the Sierra Club,
Kansas City Regional Clean Cities
Coalition and Repower America.
kkates@unews.com
3
News
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October 19, 2009
Students get direction for life after college
Tyler Allen
other career inquiries.
“We wanted to get on campus and do a career
Not everyone knows what they want to be screening to find out if students could benefit
from an individual career counseling session,”
when they grow up.
Many students come to college with no ma- Nicholas Debernard, representative for CS, said.
Debernard said student situations vary.
jor in mind and are labeled “undecided.”
“Some people come in who have difficulty
That’s why some students took advantage
getting past the interview,”
of the Career Screening ofhe said. “Some people don’t
fered by Career Services (CS)
have a good enough resume
Friday afternoon in Scofield “We wanted to get on
to get to the interview.”
Hall.
campus and do a career
After students filled out
“I need a little more direc- screening to find out if
the questionnaire, a CS repretion as far as what to do after
sentative assessed their needs
college and I got an e-mail students could benefit
and offered advice.
about the career screening,” from an individual career
Many times, the next step
student Elizabeth Mowry
counseling session.”
for a student was to schedule
said. “So I thought it couldn’t
an individual counseling seshurt to drop by and see what NICHOLAS DEBERNARD
sion.
they were doing.”
Representative for Career Services
Mowry said she was planMowry, a junior majorning to schedule an appointing in Communications with
ment with CS after having her
a minor in History, decided
she needed more direction toward a career after questionnaire assessed.
For students interested in utilizing CS, concollege.
Mowry was among a number of students tact 816-235-1636 or visit www.career.umkc.
who filled out questionnaires pertaining to work edu.
tallen@unews.com
experience, resume experience and a number of
Assistant News Editor
Photo TYLER ALLEN
Career Services manager Sandi Dale (left) advises student Elizabeth Mowry on possible career paths.
Community celebrates
Hispanic Heritage Month
Nila Hall
Staff Writer
Members from the UMKC
community came together last
Thursday to celebrate Hispanic
Heritage Month.
The Cultural Celebration
Committee hosted the event.
Over pastries and coffee, a
group of students, staff and faculty gathered around a table and discussed the efforts being made to
encourage more Latino students
to attend UMKC.
The guest speaker invited to
the event was recruiter Alex Lopez. He is the first to hold the title
of Coordinator of Multicultural
Recruitment at UMKC.
Lopez discussed his life and
why he decided to pursue this career.
“I’d always thought I’d be a
CEO, where I would make lots of
money and have a secretary,” Lopez said.
Lopez was born in the United
States, but he spent nine years in
Mexico.
Upon his return to the United
States, he described facing cultural barriers.
Although he is fluent in both
English and Spanish, because he
encountered barriers his fellow
classmates weren’t interested in
school.
He also described facing peer
Photo ALEXIA STOUT-LANG
Max Pacina enjoys a pastry and coffee.
pressures from students.
He was one of the few students
in his class to graduate from high
school and attend college.
After the discussion about his
life, he gave a presentation titled
“Putting the Accent on UMKC
Student Recruitment.”
The presentation focused on
the schools in the Kansas City,
Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. School
Districts, where he recruits.
Lopez visits each of the schools
four times a year. The standard is
twice a year.
Lopez highlighted some statistics about the graduation rates
within the school districts, but
also discussed the discrepancies
in them.
“We mostly want to target
sophomores,” he said.
A student’s sophomore year is
when they’re most likely to drop
out.
“One of the biggest obstacles
are undocumented students,” Lopez said.
Lopez indicated a law passed
in Kansas called the DREAM
(Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which
allows undocumented students to
go to college. A similar law does
not exist in Missouri.
Lopez said he will continue to
strive for all kids to have a chance
to go to college.
“Education is the solution to
most of the problems we have,” he
said.
Hispanic Heritage Month was
celebrated from Sept. 15 through
Oct. 15.
nhall@unews.com
Standing against oppression
Community activist
discusses militarism
and paramilitarism
Nila Hall
Staff Writer
Filmmaker and community
activist Simon Sedillo visited
UMKC on Oct. 14 to present his
film, “La Familia Races.”
The UMKC chapter of MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicano de Aztlán) hosted the
event. It was co-sponsored by the
Office of Diversity, Access and
Equity and the Economics club.
The main focus was the issue
of militarism to paramilitarism,
and how it specifically impacts the
people in southern Mexico.
Paramilitarism is the community fighting back against injustice.
“Paramilitarism can be defined
in many ways,” Sedillo said.
Paramilitarism
influences
aspects of life in Mexico, such
as college campuses and labor
unions.
The workshop also focused
on neoliberalism, which is for
economic growth and against big
business, and its effects on indigenous populations.
Sedillo shattered myths about
United States military intervention indigenous communities of
Mexico, past and present.
Sedillo began by telling his
life story and why he became a
filmmaker and community activist.
He also gave a brief overview
of the history of the uprisings.
The events began in May
2006 when police responded to
a teacher strike and opened fired
on a non-violent protest.
The conflict lasted until Nov.
25 but had a lasting impact on
the residents of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Growing up, Sedillo witnessed police brutality and became involved in crime, but
made the decision to turn away
from crime.
“I’ve always been political,”
he said.
After seeing a news report
about the uprisings taking place
in Oaxaca, he decided to become
involved by making films.
He believes putting cameras
in the hands of regular people is
the best way to document unjust
situations.
During the second half of
the workshop, he discussed the
role of the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and
its impact on Mexico’s constitution.
Sidello criticized NAFTA as
well as the economic policies
that are supposed to help Mexico, but ended up causing more
harm than good.
He also discussed the role of
the Zapatista, a guerilla army
that has played a significant role
in the uprisings.
During the last part of the
workshop he presented his latest
film, which showed a family who
used their music talent to express
their political views.
The family filmed also participated in the uprising along
with other protestors.
“La Familia Races” is different from the films he normally
makes, which focus on torture
and murder.
By the end of the workshop,
participants had the opportunity
to purchase the film, and were
left with an understanding of
militarism and paramilitarism.
nhall@unews.com
4
News
Tr e a s u r e s a r c h i v e d f o r d i s c o v e r y
October 19, 2009
CAPTURING THE LIFE
OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
by ALEXIA STOUT-LANG
Some men and women are history
makers. Leon M. Jordan and his wife
certainly fall into that category.
Jordan was born in Kansas City in
1905, attended Lincoln High School
and graduated from Wilberforce University in Ohio in 1933.
Five years later, he joined the Kansas City Police Department. He served
16 years and became the first AfricanAmerican to become a Lieutenant.
In 1947, he was granted a leave of
absence and lived eight years in Liberia, training its police force while
his wife, Orchid, played a vital role in
establishing the records bureau of the
Liberian police department.
The couple was frequently invited
as guests of Liberian President William
V. S. Tubman.
In the mid-1950s, Jordan and his
wife returned to the states and he decided to pursue a political career.
In 1962, Jordan and political colleague Bruce Watkins founded Freedom, Inc., a local organization that
promoted voter awareness in the black
community and groomed AfricanAmerican candidates for political of-
fice. In 1964, Jordan won a seat in the
Missouri House of Representatives.
On July 15, 1970, Jordan was shot
and killed in the early morning hours as
he left the Green Duck Tavern, a business operated at 2548 Prospect Ave. At
the time, he was seeking his fourth term
in the Missouri General Assembly.
His wife took up the campaign, won
the seat and served 16 years in the state
legislature.
The LaBudde Special Collections
Department at the Miller Nichols Library houses the Leon M. Jordan Collection, which is comprised of photos,
documents and other items belonging
to the couple.
The content ranges in date from the
1910s to the 1980s.
A large portion of the collection is
photos from Liberia like the one featured here of Africans in native costume.
For more information about the collection, visit the LaBudde Special Collections Department or go online to
http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col-collections/
jordan.
alang@unews.com
Photo courtesy LABUDDE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
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Gun talks
unravel issues
Guns were the center of
attention at the School
of Law Tuesday
solely provide a right to bear arms for
the militia,” Levy responded. “It existed as a right for the purpose of defense against tyrannical government.”
Having defined the Second Amendment’s purpose, Levy explained, in
Matthew Hicks Contributing Writer the words of Alexander Hamilton in
Federalist Paper Number 78, “The
The free food and open seats went judicial branch must bind the execufast in the packed Law School student tive and legislature in the chains of the
lounge during a gun control debat Constitution.”
hosted by the Federalist Society and
Thus, repealing the Second
UMKC School of Law.
Amendment was the only ConstituRobert Levy, chairman of the Cato tional way to put a ban on guns.
Institute, Libertarian think-tank, and
Rostron, now with his first opporcoauthor of “The Dirty Dozen,” de- tunity to speak, identified himself as
bated gun control with Allen Rostron, a moderate.
UMKC professor of Law.
Although he did not advocate gun
Levy is known for being the co- rights, he agreed with Levy’s argucounsel of Dick Heller in the land- ment for the Constitutional applicamark Second Amendment Supreme tion of the Second Amendment.
Court case last year, District of CoRostron went on to criticize Scalumbia v. Heller.
lia’s opinion and judicial ideology,
Levy was given the opportunity saying it was “hypocritical.”
to first introduce the
Scalia is a posterfacts of the case and
boy for originalism, a
how it was present- “The Second
method of interpreting
ed to the Supreme Amendment didn’t
the Constitution strictCourt.
ly as it was written and
solely
provide
a
right
He began by sayintended by the origiing the Supreme to bear arms for the
nal writers.
Court had not heard militia. It existed as a
Rostron also got
a case concerning
the crowd laughing at
the Second Amend- right for the purpose
some of Scalia’s sidement since 1939 dur- of defense against
bar commentary on the
ing United States v. tyrannical government.” Heller case, which RosMiller.
tron said might have
With the growing ROBERT LEVY
been appropriate in an
concerns of many Chairman of the Cato Institute
article of some type but
Americans
about
not in a Supreme Court
their Constitutional
opinion.
right to bear arms, Levy and his felThe next question was, “What is a
low litigants decided to proactively fundamental right?”
deal with the issue.
Levy’s response was “nobody
They filed a suit in Washington, knows.”
D.C. and interviewed several potential
He mentioned the Lawrence v. Texplaintiffs.
as case in which the Supreme Court
Eventually, they settled on six. ruled one has a reasonable right to priThree of them were men; three were vacy for consensual gay sex in one’s
women; two of them were African- home.
American; the other four were white
By contrast, an elderly woman preand their ages ranged from 20-60 scribed medical marijuana and arrestyears.
ed by the Drug Enforcement AdminSeveral years later after dealing istration for possession of an illegal
with complications with the National substance (which Levy said the fedRif le Association, Heller, the sole re- eral government has no Constitutional
maining plaintiff, finally made it to authority to regulate), does not have
the Supreme Court and won in a 5-4 the right to live a less painful life.
decision given by Justice Antonin
Thus, from reading the cases, there
Scalia.
is no consistent principle in deciding
The ruling affirmed Heller’s Sec- what is or is not a fundamental right.
ond Amendment right to possess a
Roston added to the dialogue, but
firearm.
there was little debate.
The first question asked by the
He even conceded in his final remoderator, Ben McMillen, president marks that he had learned a few things
of the UMKC Federalist Society, was and would “have to change his lecture
if the case was decided correctly.
notes.”
“The Second Amendment didn’t
mhicks@unews.com
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October 19, 2009
New Orleans brings hope for Kansas City
Photo KEVIN BRYCE
An expert panel discusses how the effort to rebuild New Orleans applies to Kansas City.
Kevin Bryce
Photo Editor
Hurricane Katrina brought a
clean slate to New Orleans for planners, politicians and the public
alike.
The 2005 hurricane, though a
tragedy, gave the city a chance to
rebuild itself, eliminating social
divides such as race and class. But
this great task is ongoing.
Last Wednesday, experts from
across the country gathered in a
panel discussion of how this effort
can be applied to Kansas City.
Leading the discussion in a
packed lecture hall was Director of
Black Studies Clovis Semmes, who
spoke about the problems faced in
rebuilding New Orleans.
“Neglect is most easily applied
to the least powerful,” Semmes
said.
He talked about how easily the
increase in consumption can cause
the neglect of public welfare.
If planners are reckless, then
environmental racism and classism
Kelley Kates
are practiced and waste sites end up
in the poorest areas of town.
Raymond Rast, professor at California State University, is beginning to study the history of Kansas
City.
He talked about the flood of
1951 and how it broke through the
levees of the lower west side, deeply
impacting Kansas City’s MexicanAmerican community.
“Within minutes, a torrent of
water broke through, destroying
3,000 homes,” Rast said.
Though the flood caused $840
million in damages, it brought the
Mexican-American community together. Many more Mexican-Americans moved back into flooded areas than were originally there.
But at that time, Kansas City
saw urban development as more
important than this strong, thriving
community.
“Where the flood pulled the
Mexican-American community together, the freeways pulled them
apart,” Rast said.
Highway 31 drove right through
the community, demolishing homes sues east of Troost Avenue are less
and causing noise pollution.
important.
By 1970, the population of Mex“There is an attitude that if you
ican-Americans in the areas of Ar- are east of Troost, anything goes,
gentine and Southwest Trafficway that is until you meet me,” said Carol
dropped from 22,000 to 7,000.
Grimaldi, executive director of the
By 1972, these areas were Brush Creek Community Partners.
deemed as dead and no loans could
Grimaldi talked about neglect in
be given to those
social welfare.
looking to buy
Even in re“How can we, as a nation,
homes.
cent years, the
“How
can allow someone to suffer not
f a i le d K a n s a s
we, as a nation,
City sewage
allow someone just of the storm but also at
system contribto suffer not just the hands of other human
uted to the flash
of the storm but beings?”
flood at East
also at the hands
Brush
Creek
of other human PELLOM MCDANIELS
in 1998, which
beings?”
Pel- UMKC professor of History
killed 11 people.
lom McDaniels,
“Psychic
UMKC professor
walls are just as
of History, asked.
hard to break down as brick walls,”
Neglect is a driving theme in Grimaldi said.
Kansas City’s history and with influGrimaldi was excited about the
ence from the reconstruction of New Green Zone development in the
Orleans, this issue ought to now be Ivanhoe district of Kansas City.
addressed, according to the panel.
Weatherizing homes and imWhen it comes to urban planning proving the transit system in the
and construction, lately it seems is- area are good starts to breaking this
Katrina revealed racial divides
Staff Writer
The vision of racial contention
in America became all too clear last
Monday night at Swinney Recreation
Center.
“Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster,” a book by Michael Eric Dyson,
was the subject of the presentation for
the evening.
Dyson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, attempts to address racial inequalities and pretense
throughout history and during the
Katrina disaster in his book.
His visit to UMKC was for the
same purpose.
His main focus for the evening
was the disaster in New Orleans during and after Katrina made landfall.
However, he did stray into various
areas of racial inequality throughout
the discussion.
Dyson noted a large problem in
America is slavery and its lasting
impressions have been profoundly inserted into America.
He said it largely has to do with
land ownership. Dyson stated landowning white men have always had
the upper hand and that position has
not changed because land is passed on
from generation to generation.
He said the inequalities are not just
among race but gender and class as
well. Dyson often urged all races including middle class and “poor white
trash” to join in the fight against the
inequalities.
He also urged white women to
speak up on Affirmative Action.
“Affirmative Action ain’t taken
nothing that white people would have
gotten anyway,” he said.
“White middle class are being
manipulated by deep-pocket conservatives … that’s why poor white folk
need to join with poor black folk and
poor red folk need to join forces and
we can turn this thing out,” Dyson
said.
Dyson said when Hurricane Katrina hit, it hit everybody in that region, but not everyone was hit the
same. For example, he said, if you’ve
got another ‘crib’ up on the hill, you
can go to your other ‘crib.’
Dyson added that if you were the
people living in poverty, in the Ninth
Ward for instance, you may not even
have a car, a ride, gas or a credit card
to be able to leave.
Dyson said those people living in
the impoverished areas were stuck
and were the most profoundly affect-
ed. He said they weren’t “stubborn or
stupid,” they just didn’t want to lose
what little they did have.
Dyson spoke about “racial institutionalism,” the notion of the built-in
belief one race deserves more than
others. He said this is what happened
in the disaster.
“They didn’t consciously decide
not to help,” Dyson stated.
He said it was a built-in reaction.
Dyson referred to and addressed some
of the random statements that reflect
the built-in notion made by Americans, mainly conservative whites and
Bill Cosby, after the hurricane struck.
For example, statements made that
insisted those who could not leave
should have been working harder so
they weren’t so impoverished could
look only to their selves to blame.
Dyson reiterated that those peo-
racial divide.
But the problems Kansas City
faces with its urban development
are still many, she said.
Jacob Wagner, assistant professor of Architecture, Urban Planning
& Design at UMKC, talked about
the Kansas City sprawl and how it
is unique from that of New Orleans.
Where New Orleans is surrounded by a river and the ocean,
Kansas City just has land.
Wagner said when a city is as
sprawled as Kansas City it has a great
amount of vulnerability due to its dependency on highways and transit.
Also, when everyone is so
spread out, limitations are placed
on dialogue when considering future development plans.
“Sprawl shapes our ability and
our inability to talk to one another,”
Wagner said.
But with the evidence of New
Orleans, Wagner said change and
improvement is possible.
“If you love your city and want
to rebuild it, you can,” he said.
kbryce@unews.com
ple would not have been affected so
harshly had they not been residing in
more vulnerable areas due to racial
inequality.
Regarding the statements made by
some that Katrina happened because
God wanted to wipe out all the black
people in New Orleans because of all
of the crime and as well as all of the
gays, Dyson responded by asking if
anyone had ever seen Detroit or San
Francisco.
Dyson said the racial separation
and economic bigotry was revealed
during Hurricane Katrina. The people who rested in those communities,
he said, “were victimized twice, once
by the storm itself.”
“The historic legacy of inequality has to be acknowledged and addressed,” Dyson said.
kkates@unews.com
6
News
October 19, 2009
www.unews.com
Day in the life: NBA reporter
Tyler Allen
Assistant News Editor
Some people who get up in
the morning may tweet about
the contents of their breakfast.
Michael Wallace tweets the latest news about the Miami Heat.
As journalism heads into the
era of social media, Wallace’s
career is much different than
when he started 12 years ago.
“I’m such a traditionalist
when it comes to journalism,”
Wallace said. “I either had one
of two choices: you could evolve
with the times or you are out of
a job.”
As the NBA beat reporter
for The Miami Herald, his work
revolves around the Miami Heat
during the season.
“It’s non-stop basketball
from basically late September
through June,” he said. “You’re
really always on the clock for
nine months.”
Wallace begins his work day
by reading various newspapers
online to get an idea of the days
biggest sports stories.
After that, he’s off to the
Heat’s practice to conduct interviews and generate stories.
If it’s game day, there’s much
more involved.
After submitting his pregame story, Wallace gets a
chance to talk with the team.
“There’s a period called
the pregame media availability
where, about an hour and a half
before the start of each game,
the head coach makes himself
available for the media,” he said.
“After we talk to the head coach
for about five to 10 minutes, the
locker rooms are opened, so we
go in and talk to the players as
they get prepared for the game.”
Photo TYLER ALLEN
NBA reporter Michael Wallace discusses journalism with UMKC students.
During the game, Wallace
has to juggle writing his game
story and actually watching the
action.
“The whole time I’m working,” he said. “And it’s amazing
because it’s hard to watch a game
as you’re actually working. But
you sort of learn how to look up
every few minutes and watch a
few minutes and then peep down
and write during time outs and
things like that.”
After he sends his story in,
Wallace hits his blog.
Wallace said a lot has
changed since his early days as
a journalist.
“Ten years ago, all you did
was write your story, try to be
as accurate as you can, try to be
entertaining and then you push
send,” he said. “Now, your story
is just one component of everything else you have to do.”
Wallace emphasized the impact social media has had on his
profession.
“The day where you think
you have a scoop all to yourself
— that’s long gone,” he said. “In
this day and age with all the media and all the ways to get access
to what happens instantly, you
want to be able to put your paper
in a position where somebody
can pick up that paper the next
morning and see something and
read something that they weren’t
able to get immediately after the
game.”
Wallace always gives aspiring journalists two pieces of
advice.
First is be able to listen.
“The first thing is soak up,
be a sponge, listen to every piece
of information, every piece of
advice that you can get,” he said.
The second is be flexible.
“You’re going to have to be
versatile, your going to have to
be able to go anywhere,” Wallace said. “It’s not necessarily as
important where you start off;
it’s where you end up.”
tallen@unews.com
Mock Trial aims for nationals
Kelley Kates
Visit
www.unews.com
Staff Writer
The UMKC College Mock Trial team
is competing under new leadership and
striving to reach the national competition.
After a lengthy reign as Pre-Law advisor, Derek Moorehead resigned from
the position last year to seek other career
aspirations.
Since his departure, Sybil (Briann)
Wyatt, the new Pre-Law advisor, has
taken over the reins and is leading the
UMKC Mock Trial team.
“It’s a big transition for us,” team
member Irene Downs said.
Downs said the guidance on the team
seems to be working.
Recently, the team had two of their
competing squads at the Fifth Annual
Billiken Barrister Tournament in St.
Louis, Mo. and one received 10th place
recognition.
Helping to guide the team is Jessica
Bernard, a Blue Springs, Mo. lawyer,
Washington University graduate and
seven-year mock trial coach who recently joined the UMKC Mock Trial organi-
zation.
Downs said the team is working toward nationals but must do well at regionals in the spring first.
“The goal absolutely is to make it to
nationals,” Downs said.
The Mock Trial team receives plenty
of practice for the tournaments they attend one or two times every month.
“A lot of time, a lot of dedication is
put into time to practice with your team,”
Downs said.
She said they generally practice on
Tuesdays and Sundays for three hours
each night, and about five additional
hours during the week within their individual squads, which are made up of
6-10 students.
Downs said it can be challenging to
practice so often because everyone on
the team is a full-time student and trying to maintain scholarships as well as
the team.
Many of the teammates are studying
for their Law School Admissions Test
(LSAT), which takes up quite a bit of
their time too.
Downs noted the key to surviving all
of it is organization.
“We all carry planners,” she said.
“We try to coordinate our schedules and
keep them as best as we can.”
This year, Downs said, competitors in
the mock trial competition get to argue a
criminal case.
The case alternates every year between civil and criminal.
The American Mock Trial Association sets the rules for the teams and competitions but the coach assigns what role
each team member plays, whether it be
attorney or witness.
Each squad member gets a chance to
play both the role of the attorney and the
witness.
She said it’s a good experience, but
most of all, it is fun.
Downs said they all have a great time
traveling and staying in hotels together
like some huge, fun, dysfunctional family. That’s what makes mock trial so
great, Downs said.
“We really are family.”
kkates@unews.com
7
News
www.unews.com
Police Blotter
Oct. 9
2:36 p.m. Vehicular –
While backing out of a parking space, a student’s car was
struck by a car already in the
lane.
Oct. 10
2:08 a.m. Disturbance –
A group of people yelling
in the hallway at Oak Place
Apartments were asked to
keep the noise down and complied.
Oct. 11
7:58 p.m. Injury –
A staff member was taking
apart a set in the Performing
Arts Center when a piece fell
on his foot.
Oct. 12
1:37 p.m. Harassment –
A staff member in Haag Hall
reported threats from a suspect to get her fired.
8:13 p.m. Vehicular –
A driver not paying attention
at 50th and Oak streets struck
another vehicle.
Oct. 13
6:09 a.m. Larceny –
An unknown party stole several pieces of computer equipment from a room in Haag
Hall.
2:44 p.m. Larceny –
A staff member returned to
her vehicle in the School of
briefly mentioned
Education parking lot to find
her window broken and items
missing.
3:50 p.m. Larceny –
A student returned to his vehicle in the Oak Street Parking
Structure and found a window
broken and property missing.
4:25 p.m. Larceny –
A student parked in the Oak
Street Parking Structure was
notified by police that her car
window was broken and items
were missing.
7:22 p.m. Information –
A student left a vehicle that
wasn’t his parked at the University Center with the keys in it
and returned to find it missing.
Oct 14
8:03 a.m. Property Damage –
A CCTV camera was damaged on the side of the Medical School building.
3:57 p.m. Larceny –
A student left her backpack
unattended and returned to
find items missing from it.
Oct. 15
11:32 a.m. Assist Other Agency –
An officer assisted the Kansas
City Police Department in the
apprehension of a car prowler.
2:50 p.m. Larceny –
A student returned to his vehicle in the Oak Place parking
lot and discovered property
missing.
5:48 p.m. Larceny –
A student returned to her vehicle in the Oak Place parking
lot and found a window broken and her GPS missing.
Campus Crimes as of Oct. 16
CRIMES
BURGLARY*
ROBBERY
MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT*
LARCENY
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
COMMON ASSAULT
FORCIBLE SEX OFFENSES
DRUG LAW VIOLATIONS
by TYLER ALLEN
by ALEXIA STOUT-LANG
2008 YTD 2009 YTD
17
20
1
3
4
3
113
101
1
0
4
7
0
2
8
3
* MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS AND BURGLARIES INCLUDE ATTEMPTS
Correction
‘Continuing campus crime poses threat’ (10/12/09)
Due to an editor’s error, the article said, “Contrary to common practice, UMKC
Police did not send a safety alert to students pertaining to Clark’s robbery.”
However, UMKC Police Chief Mike Bongartz confirmed the crime was not
something that would normally be sent out campus-wide through e-mail.
The robber took property from an empty office and happened to cross paths
with Clark on the way out.
New Letters awards writers
UMKC’s quarterly literary and art magazine New Letters announced the winners its
24th annual literary awards.
Heather Bell, of New York, received the
$1,500 New Letters Award for Poetry for
“Aunt Marjorie” and other selected poems.
“The poems I chose spoke to me because
they contained some combination of passion,
surprise, sensibility and structure,” poetry
judge Kim Addonizio said.
Rose Bunch, of Florida, received the
$1,500 Dorthy C. Cappon Award for her essay “Norman Mailer is Coming to Dinner.”
“Humor is so hard to pull off in an essay,
especially hard-won humor,” essay judge
Robin Hemley said. “And the humor of this
piece is certainly hard-won.”
Siobhán Fallon, of California, received the
$1,500 Alexander Cappon Award for Fiction
for “Inside the Break.”
“[This story] impressed me with the beauty of its craft, yes, but also its timeliness, its
emotional and technical authenticity and the
way it bruised my heart,” fiction judge Benjamin Percy said.
All of the winner’s works will be published in the winter 2010 issue of New Letters.
The next literary awards deadline is May
18, 2010. Visit www.newletters.org for details.
Campus
10:27 a.m. Injury –
A piece of countertop fell in
the Oak Street Residence Hall
and hit the victim in the leg.
October 19, 2009
UMKC 14th in ‘Best Neighbor’ survey
The university’s contributions to the community received recognition Monday when it
was named the 14th “Best Neighbor,” according to “Savior of Our Cities: A Survey of Best
College and University Civic Partnerships.”
According to a press release, the top 25
colleges and universities were selected based
“on their positive impact on their urban communities – both commercial and residential
activities – such as revitalization, cultural
renewal, economics and community service
and development.”
“An important part of the University’s vision is its active engagement with the city,
as well as the region,” UMKC Chancellor
Leo E. Morton said. “As a university, we are
committed to engaging our community in
making this a great urban university – one of
which the administration, faculty, students,
staff and the community can be proud.”
The survey was authored by Dr. Ewan
Dobelle, president of Westfield College in
Westfield, Mass.
Among the top 25 are the University of
Southern California, University of Pennsylvania and University of Missouri – St. Louis,
another member of the University of Missouri system.
Provost appoints interim vice chancellor of Research
Dr. Lynda Bonewald, Lee M. and William Lefkowitz professor of Oral Biology
and director of UMKC’s Bone Biology research program, was appointed interim vice
chancellor of Research.
Bonewald began her new role of overseeing UMKC’s Office of Research on Thursday.
Bonewald worked at the University of
Texas Health Science Center for 15 years before joining the UMKC School of Dentistry
in 2001.
She has received numerous awards and
honors. In 2005 she was named a University
of Missouri Curator’s Professor. She also
received the Distinguished Scientist Award
in Mineralized Tissue from both the International Association of Dental Research and
American Association for Dental Research
in 2006.
For more information on the Office of Research, visit www.med.umkc.edu/research/
default1.html.
Celebrate Love Your Body Day with the Women’s Center
The Women’s Center (WC) will fight
against unrealistic beauty standards and gender
stereotypes all week.
During various events Tuesday and
Wednesday, WC will teach women and girls to
love their bodies.
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, a “Love Your Body
Day Fashion Show” will kick off the week. The
show will feature all different types of women
in Pierson Auditorium.
From noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday will be
a workshop in room 161 of the University Center. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., WC will have informational tables at the Health Sciences building.
Informational tables will also be available 4-6
p.m. at Oak Street Residence Hall.
For more information about the events, visit
www.umkc.edu/womenc/.
Police tip of the week
From Michelle Taylor, UMKC Crime Prevention
When driving, keep doors locked and windows
rolled up. Maintain at least half a tank of fuel, and
keep your vehicle in good repair.
If you experience a breakdown, pull as far onto the
shoulder as possible and turn your emergency flashers on.
If you have a cellular phone, summon assistance from a reputable source or call for law
enforcement response. Otherwise, raise your
hood or tie a streamer to your antenna and
await assistance inside your locked vehicle.
If a stranger stops, speak to them through a partially
rolled-down window. Ask them to go to a phone and
call police or a tow service. Do not exit your vehicle
until a law enforcement officer or tow operator is onscene.
On longer trips, be sure you have water, food and blankets in the vehicle.
If a crime occurs, contact the UMKC Police Department immediately at 816-235-1515, or dial 911.
8
October 19, 2009
Culture
www.unews.com
‘Palomino’ exposes human nature
Photo courtesy DON IPOCK PHOTOGRAPHY
David Cale provides a one-man show in “Palomino,” running through Nov. 15 at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
Alexia Stout-Lang
I
News Editor
t’s raw. It’s real. It’s emotional. It’s
“Palomino.”
Making its world premier at the
Kansas City Repertory Theatre,
“Palomino” was written, performed
and self-directed by award-winning author and
performer David Cale.
Cale completely rewrites the dictionary
definition of “one-man show” with his performance. I can tell you right now, you have never
experienced anything like “Palomino.”
It is the story of an Irish carriage driver
in Manhattan, New York named Kieren McGrath, a book worm with dreams of becoming
a writer.
One fateful day, a woman named Marsha
takes a ride in his carriage and presents an interesting proposal.
She will give him $1,000 to spend an evening with one of her friends.
“Are you pimping me?” McGrath asks.
But without much more coercing, he accepts the business deal.
One evening turns into many more with
several other women.
He attends plays, gets whisked off to California and eventually to Malta with the cougars
(mostly women whose husbands have passed)
who are paying for his company.
To the vulnerable women, the tall, dark and
handsome McGrath is flawless – almost perfect. He is smart, he is gorgeous, he is great
in bed.
The problem comes when one woman falls
for him and it is revealed that he refuses to fall
in love because he can’t stand the way it feels.
Through Cale, the audience experiences the
emotions of love and love lost right along with
the men and women in the play.
In some cases, we see the same scene from
different perspectives.
In addition to Marsha and McGrath, Cale
plays the three women he becomes romantic
with (Ruby, Trish and Vallie), Edward, a book
publisher, and Peter, another Irish carriage
driver.
Whether playing men or woman, Cale
flows seamlessly from asserting masculinity
to gushing with femininity.
“He shows us the vulgarity of human
nature while letting us know it’s OK
because, deep down, we are all the
same.”
It is a provocative story and Cale gets the
audience emotionally invested in the characters.
He shows us the vulgarity of human nature
while letting us know it’s OK because, deep
down, we are all the same.
The simplicity of the set allows for the com-
plexity of the relationships to shine through.
A projection screen, two stools and a hat
stand are the lone items seen on stage.
In all honesty, I did not quite know what to
think of the play in the beginning. It’s a slow
start.
Cale has to set the stage for the entire story.
It is a difficult task for one man to introduce
the audience to so many characters.
But he gets the job done.
By the end of the 90 minutes, the tale all
comes together in a medley of emotions.
Laughter, tears, hate, love – they all have
a place.
Everyone who goes to see this play will
walk away with a deep understanding of raw
human nature. It’s ugly, vulgar, beautiful, eternal, temporary and ever-changing.
“Palomino” runs through Nov. 15 on the
Copaken Stage. Visit www.kcrep.org for tickets.
alang@unews.com
9
Culture
www.unews.com
October 19, 2009
Pat Green gets back to his roots
movie review
by CASEY OSBURN
‘Where the Wild
Things Are’
In a theatre full of kids dressed in
pajamas, everybody wanted to escape to
the adventurous world of Max and his
imaginary wild things.
Hopefully they weren’t as disappointed as I was.
The book, by Maurice Sendak, is a
masterpiece but the movie adaptation
does not deserve the same designation.
“Where the Wild Things Are” is the
story of Max, a young boy who caused
all sorts of mischief one night and was
sent to bed without supper.
That night, Max’s vivid imagination
brought him to a faraway place, where
he found the wild things.
Director Spike Jonze spent more
than eight years working to adapt this
book into a film with the help of writer
Dave Eggers.
Unfortunately, the movie didn’t express the same intensity as Sendak’s
Photo courtesy GOOGLE IMAGES
words.
The opening credits contained
Max’s doodles of the wild things over
the Warner Bros. logo, which sent me
back to fourth grade.
Jonze successfully added his own
view of Max’s family background,
which helped extend the short story into
a feature film.
It is apparent from the start of the
film that Max struggles with anger and
lack of attention.
After Max builds a big igloo, his
older sister and her friends smash it and
do nothing to make him feel better. Max
then goes to her room, throws things
around and breaks some of her stuff.
Raised in a single-parent home, Max
does not get as much attention as he
would like.
This is ultimately what causes him
to act crazy one night, jumping on the
counter and yelling at his mom.
Sadly, these scenes are the best in
the film. The beginning captures you,
and takes you to another place. Then it
drops you off wondering what actually
happened.
In Jonze’s adaptation, Max runs
away after he throws his fit at home.
This transitions into him sailing away
to the land where the wild things are.
This part is confusing. It is difficult
to determine if the occurrences are a
dream.
Not once during the movie does it
point out that Max was sent to bed without dinner, as it does in the book, nor
that he was dreaming.
I couldn’t help but continue to question it throughout the entire film.
The costumes, however, were very
well done. The wild things looked like
they jumped straight out of the book and
onto the movie screen.
The visual aspects were great, and
brought the viewer into the world of the
wild things.
But the excitement and fear just
weren’t there. The movie doesn’t move
you like it should. It borders on dull and
I
See MOVIE page 16
Hilary Saskin
Culture Editor
Many musicians say they have wanted to be a musician their whole life.
Pat Green, however, is not one of them.
“I guess I started my freshman year in college,”
Green said. “That’s when I picked up a guitar and
said, ‘I’m gonna learn how to play guitar.’”
Though he was already a legal adult before dipping his feet in the music pool, Green, now one of the
biggest names in country music, took to it instantly.
“It was really very exciting for me,” he said. “I
couldn’t get enough of it. It was an addiction immediately.”
After his first hit, “Wave on Wave,” released in
2003, the success has been a nonstop road for Green.
But there was a significant moment when he knew
he had “made it big.”
“Hearing my voice on the radio was a huge thing,”
he said. “And then realizing (with ‘Wave on Wave’)
we had a huge, chart-topping hit that stayed on top
of the charts for a month. That was the defining moment.”
Although the single never went to number one,
Green said it stayed in the top five for well over a
month.
“That was the biggest thing ever for me,” he said.
Now, more than six years later, Green still enjoys
hearing his voice on the radio. But it’s for different
reasons.
“I don’t think it’s as weird now as much as it was
then,” he said. “Now I’m just kind of glad because that
means I’ve still got a job.”
With the release of his latest album, What I’m For,
which came out at the beginning of this year, Green
hopes to continue making music (and have a job) for
a while.
What I’m For marks a milestone in Green’s career
because it’s “a little bit more back to my roots,” he
said.
The album also holds a lot of importance to his
family – his wife and two kids.
“I think this one is a little more based in what
it is I’ve done in the past,” he said. “But more than
anything this is a lot about my family, a lot about my
feelings for my kids and my wife and just the whole
family thing.”
Over the course of his career, Green’s music has
slowly changed. He believes this is something that, for
most people, happens naturally.
“That’s the only way to make it sound real,” he
said. “If I was trying to force the issue it would sound
like I was faking it.”
A lot of the songs came naturally, but choosing the
album title was not an easy feat.
Photo courtesy MELANIE WAGES
Pat Green will be at Kemper Arena Oct. 23.
With two song names in mind, Green had to make
some major considerations.
“I felt like the song ‘Footsteps of our Father’ was
probably my favorite song on the album,” he said.
“But the song ‘What I’m For’ – that song said more
in three words than ‘Footsteps of our Father’ said in
four.”
While he is comfortable with co-writing, Green
still enjoys writing songs on his own.
Although he chooses not to put too many songs he
didn’t write on any album, he is especially proud of
his most recent one for the number of songs he wrote.
“The last album out before this one, I guess I only
wrote about six or seven of the songs,” he said. “But
this one I wrote all but two.”
Green has also done co-writing with other singers,
including Rob Thomas and Jewel, which is something
he holds close to his heart.
“To have the kind of career that will afford you
the opportunity to write with those people is what I’m
most proud of,” he said.
Now on tour for his latest album, Green will stop
in Kansas City. He will perform Oct. 23 at Kemper
Arena.
hsaskin@unews.com
dating 101
by Christian Rose
Halloween needs
theme music
Unquestionably, Halloween is
my favorite time of the year.
It is not just about the costumes,
parties and mini corn kernels of
sweet yummy-ness that suddenly
flood the free market system every October (which, thanks to the
modern miracle of preservatives,
last well into February when I can
get my fix on cheap chocolate and
candy hearts).
It has evolved to iconic status
celebrated by children, their parents and the girls who feel they can
dress as slutty as they want and use
the excuse, “It’s just my costume,”
and actually think they have somehow fooled everyone into thinking
they’re not actually whores.
C’mon ladies (and I use that term
loosely), maids never wear skirts
that short and rarely wear fishnets.
In all honesty, Halloween has
essentially become a month-long
celebration of debauchery and deceitfulness under the good old-fashioned guise of a Hallmark-orchestrated holiday, but this fact does not
lessen my enthusiasm one iota.
I love watching cheaply made,
gratuitously bloody B-movies in
the daytime, and shopping for overpriced plastic party gear to wear at
night.
Some would argue it has lost its
original appeal, but to those who
parade around in all black with
spiky metal necklaces wearing too
much black eyeliner and praying to
the devil, I would say, “There was
no holiday and it certainly had no
appeal until mass marketing made it
what it is today!”
To me, Halloween is like Taco
Bell.
Taco Bell is not really what Mexicans would think of as authentic, or
for that matter even food.
It’s more like America’s definition of what Mexican food should
taste like — glued together with
processed cheese substitutes assembled by under-achieving high school
students, neatly packaged and sold
by a Chihuahua.
This is not necessarily a bad
thing.
For me and my weak stomach, I
can’t digest real Mexican fare without ending up strapped to a toilet
seat.
I can (and do), however, consume
the cheesy bean and rice burrito for
99 cents without so much as a stomach gurgle or the need to swallow a
bottle of Pepto.
Halloween is a popcorn ball of
fun and, though some would argue
things got lost once Disney took
control of the marketing campaign,
one thing not lost is that creepy feeling you get when you walk past a
cemetery at night.
Your spine shivers when a black
cat runs past you in the moonlight
or you catch your breath and scream
when someone suddenly jumps out
from behind a leafless tree and yells
“Boo!”
I concede that the original festivities of Samhain or the terrors
of All Souls Days may have been
tempered by hayrides under warm
blankets snuggled close to someone
important.
Even Count Dracula has been re-
cast as a teen heart-throb, his dark
cape replaced by a pair of True Religion jeans and a tight Abercrombie
t-shirt.
While Halloween has steadily
morphed into commercialism, for
me it is better to be held close while
clutching the neck of someone I love
and pretending to be scared versus
clutching a smelly bulb of garlic in
an effort to keep demons from invading my soul and dragging me to
hell.
So, my most trusted friends, enjoy this season with all the wonderment it has become. Cuddle close to
your crush and hold on tight during
those terrible scary movies.
Legend be damned, for me the
only thing missing from Halloween
is a catchy theme song … maybe by
David Archuleta?
crose@unews.com
10
October 19, 2009
Culture
www.unews.com
The Used heats up the Beaumont
Hilary Saskin
Culture Editor
Concerts can easily be life-changing —
sometimes in a good way, sometimes not.
The Used was neither.
Their performance on Oct. 13 at the
Beaumont Club held some surprises and
disappointments.
But it did not have a life-altering effect.
Not on me, at least.
The crowd lined outside the Beaumont
was full of eager faces and in complete disregard to the pouring rain.
Nothing was going to get in the way of
these fans.
Drive A opened the show, and they
were not much to write home about.
They were followed by The Almost, a
side project for Underoath drummer Aaron
Gillespie.
Gillespie does lead vocals for The Almost. Unfortunately, he excels more on the
drums than with his voice.
They ended their set with “Say This
Sooner,” which is probably the only song
they are actually known for.
And it became apparent immediately
that this was the only song the crowd was
familiar with.
Overall, I was not extremely impressed
with either of the opening bands.
The Used, however, came out with
some heat.
They opened their set with “Blood on
My Hands,” the driving new single from
their latest album, Artwork.
Then they moved seamlessly into
“Empty With You,” another track from
Artwork.
The sound quality was excellent and
lead singer Bert McCracken, haggardlooking as always, sang marvelously.
As a side note, this was the first time I
had seen The Used live. And based on the
Photo courtesy GOOGLE IMAGES
From left: Jeph Howard, Bert McCracken, Quinn Allman and Dan Whitesides.
opinions of others, I had low expectations
– but I was pleasantly surprised.
The intensity was consistent throughout their entire set and all the band members were equally involved.
It was very obvious the band has played
together for several years.
Even Dan Whitesides, their new drummer, blended in comfortably, although it
would have been great to see the original
drummer, Branden Steineckert.
Regardless of the drummer, the show
was quite impressive.
They played a variety of their traditional, well-known songs, including “Buried
Myself Alive,” “A Box Full of Sharp Objects,” “Noise and Kisses” and “The Taste
of Ink.”
Each was performed to perfection,
Play it by Ear
by TYLER ALLEN
Artwork by The Used
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After seven years and four studio
albums, The Used is still the same
band — not for better, but for worse.
This Utah quartet’s take on the emo
genre seemed fresh when they released
their self-titled debut in 2002. But in
the latter part of the decade, their
brand of rock only seems tired.
Guitarist Quinn Allman recently
told U-News “we’ve changed as people
and as artists.”
I can’t speak for them as people, but
their evolution as artists is not evident
on their newest album Artwork.
You’d think after all the success the
band has seen over the years, lead singer and lyricist Bert McCracken would
lighten up a bit. Such is not the case on
Artwork.
McCracken is still an angry little
emo kid on songs like the opening
track, “Blood On My Hands.” He sings
“feel the pain that I never show, and I
hope you know it’s never healing.”
The self-loathing doesn’t stop when
McCracken sings, “sold my life to
bring the rain … sold my soul to stop
played with the clarity and crispness of a
studio recording and the energy and charisma of a live punk show.
The Used ended their set with “Maybe
Memories,” the first track from their selftitled, debut album.
It was a very appropriate way to end the
show.
There were a lot of people, but I was
surprised to find the show had not sold out.
And according to the mosh pit that took
up a majority of the floor throughout the
entire show, the fans seemed to enjoy the
show and themselves.
All in all, the show was a success. And
I would definitely see The Used again. But
I would probably skip the opening bands.
hsaskin@unews.com
the pain” in “Sold My Soul.”
The painfully cheesy “Kissing You
Goodbye” is reminiscent of hair-band
ballads past. The track starts with McCracken whining about losing his lady
over a soft piano riff.
When a reverb-laden 80s guitar
solo explodes during the bridge, I
can’t help but picture Allman bursting through fog-machine smoke with
teased hair to deliver it.
Through the dark imagery and regurgitated rock riffs, the album does
provide some positives.
The Used has always had a knack
for delivering catchy, anthemic choruses, such as on their break through
single “The Taste Of Ink.” They
achieve the same with Artwork on
songs like “Empty Without You” and
“Watered Down.” Even if their music
seems old-hat, you might catch yourself singing along.
But even a well-constructed chorus
can’t save lines like “this spider web of
dreams, I’m stuck here as it seems to
be breaking.”
What made The Used stand out
against the wave of emo groups that
descended upon the music scene years
ago were honest lyrics and a unique
sound. On Artwork, honest lyrics are
replaced with ambiguous metaphors
and their unique sound has become
commonplace.
If you’re missing the rock music
of yesteryear, Artwork could seem
nostalgic. But if you’re searching for
something different, I suggest looking
elsewhere.
C
tallen@unews.com
Culture
www.unews.com
Recipe – Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
by CHELSEA SOETAERT
Grab a little taste of home with each bite of these delicious, made-from-scratch,
chocolate chip cookies!
October 19, 2009
save the date
Compiled by HILARY SASKIN
Monday, Oct. 19
Ingredients:
The Humor of W.S. Gilbert: Richard Byrum, Lyric
Opera Guild speaker, will
discuss the career of British
humorist W.S. Gilbert. Event
takes place at 7 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library Plaza
Branch (4801 Main St.).
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat together butter, both sugars and vanilla in a
large bowl with a mixer until creamy. Add eggs and
beat well.
Combine baking soda and salt with sugar and egg
mixture. Gradually add flour and beat well.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Coat a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick cooking
spray and spread mixture into pan, making sure to
fill to the corners. The mixture in the pan should be
about 1-inch thick.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
PopWreck(oning) celebrates
second birthday
Melissa Cowan
11
Staff Writer
Creating PopWreckoning.com in
2007 turned out to be “a happy accident” for the site’s Managing Editor
Joshua Hammond.
PopWreck(oning), an online music
magazine with reviews, contests, interviews and more, celebrated its second birthday Oct. 12 with a concert at
Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club, featuring both local and national bands.
The Epilogues and The Photo Atlas (both from Denver and touring
together) opened the show for The
Yellow Walrus and headliner, Life In
Jersey (both from Kansas City).
PopWreck(oning) began as a blog
that made fun of TV shows. Jessica
McGinley and Hammond created the
site.
“The co-owner, Jessica and I …
we’d just rip on things and post our
text conversations back and forth,”
Hammond said. “It was really started
just for our friends to read and laugh.”
But Hammond wanted more out of
the site.
“I got the idea to start asking for
stuff to review,” Hammond said. “To
our surprise, CDs started coming. We
also started getting tickets to shows.
… We never thought anyone would
read it.”
Hammond played in the Kansas
City music scene for a few years.
He was the drummer and pianist
for The Waiting List.
But after moving to “the middle of
nowhere” (Iola, Kan.) to be close to
his grandparents, he realized making
music was no longer an option.
“Basically, [the site] was formed to
relieve that empty feeling I had in my
stomach I was getting from missing
being on stage,” Hammond said.
The site has really taken off since
its formation two years ago.
They went from ranting about TV
shows to reviewing major music festivals and interviewing musicians such
as Tegan and Sarah, Tori Amos and
The Flaming Lips, Hammond said.
“Basically, [the site] was
formed to relieve that empty
feeling I had in my stomach
I was getting from missing
being on stage.”
JOSHUA HAMMOND
Managing Editor, PopWreckoning.com
But one of Hammond’s main goals
is to help local bands get exposure.
“We have a lot of pretty talented
bands here that are often overlooked,”
Hammond said. “They’re never going
to have a draw if someone doesn’t give
them a start. I’ve seen way too many
talented bands quit because they were
stuck in first gear by no fault of their
own.”
Hammond chose The Yellow Walrus to play the birthday show for exactly that reason.
He hopes “people will notice them
and love them” as much as everyone
from the site does.
“I really think we’ll see big things
from these kids once the ball starts
rolling,” he said.
Having Life in Jersey play as the
headliner “was a no brainer” since the
band already has a large local following.
He also wants to separate
PopWreck(oning) from other music
journalism sites that only focus on the
negative aspects of music.
“You don’t have to get your Web
site traffic through shocking and angering people,” Hammond said.
“I personally think that most (music) journalists just get a CD on their
desk, listen to it and tear it apart.
They never really stop to think about
the fact that someone made that CD
– they put hours and money into creating it.”
Hammond is currently working on
setting up a free, all-ages Christmas
show.
“Instead of a ticket, you’d just donate a toy to us, which we’d take to
a charity group for underprivileged
kids,” Hammond said.
There are roughly 25 writers for
the site from different cities. But
they’re always looking for more.
Those interested in writing or taking photos for PopWreckoning.com,
may send samples to Hammond at
Joshua@popwreckoning.com.
mcowan@unews.com
Say Anything: The poppunk band is performing with
Eisley, Moneen and Moving
Mountains. Doors open at 7
p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.
at the Beaumont Club. All ages,
tickets are $15.
Friday, Oct. 23
Sissy Wish: Norway native Siri Walberg (Sissy Wish)
is celebrating her first U.S. release, Beauties Never Die. She
will perform at 10:45 p.m. at the
Record Bar. Tickets are $7, must
be 21.
Last day for 60 percent refund for fall 2009 second eightweek session.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Date Auction: Take part
in a student charity event and
possibly get a date out of it.
UMKC is hosting a date auction
and silent auction at 7 p.m. at
Pierson Auditorium in the University Center. All proceeds go
to the Children’s Miracle Network. Door prizes, snacks and
refreshments will be provided.
Event is open to all people associated with the university.
Fashion Show: The UMKC
Women’s Center is hosting a
fashion show to help kick off
Love Your Body Day. Cosponsored by the Revisioning
Women Project and the Counseling Center, the show will
feature models of all ages, sizes
and colors. There will also be
refreshments and door prizes.
Event goes from 7-9 p.m. at
Pierson Auditorium in the University Center.
David Garrett: Violinist
David Garrett unites the world
of classical and pop music. Performance begins at 8 p.m. at the
Midland Theater. Show is all
ages, tickets are $25-$35.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Last day for 100 percent refund for fall 2009 second eightweek session.
David Sedaris: Don’t miss
author David Sedaris, performing at 8 p.m. at the Midland
Theatre. Tickets start at $37.50,
show is all ages.
Thursday, Oct. 22
Midwest Poets Series:
Former U.S. Poet Laureate and
“The Simpsons” star Robert
Pinsky will join Midwest Poets Series for the 27th year of
America’s Premier Reading Series. Sponsored by the Center
for Arts and Letters at Rockhurst University, the reading
begins at 7 p.m. (with a reception at 6 p.m.) at Rockhurst’s
Mabee Theater in Sedwick Hall.
Admission is $3. Books will be
available for purchase, and a
book signing will follow the
reading.
Study Abroad: Applications for Study Abroad Travel
Award due at midnight. Turn
them in at 5325 Rockhill Road.
Drive Safe Drive Smart:
Learn about the effects of drunk
driving and have a chance to
win prizes. The “Drive Safe
Drive Smart” event will take
place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
in the UMKC Quad. Enjoy
pizza while being educated on
topics such as driving while
intoxicated and distracted driving. Try on some “beer goggles”
to simulate what it’s like to
drive under the influence. Also
compete in tricycle and remote
control car races. And if you
complete a safe driving pledge
form, you will be entered to win
one of two $25 gift cards to the
Country Club Plaza.
Saturday, Oct. 24
Food Drive: Enjoy trickor-treating, magic tricks, hay
rides, face painting and more
for the admission price of a few
donated cans of food. Event
takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. in
Old Shawnee Town (11501 W.
57th St., Merriam, Kan.). For
more information, call 913-2482360 or visit www.jocolibrary.
com.
Sunday, Oct. 25
The Pogues: As part of the
Coors Light Live Concert Series, The Pogues will take the
stage with The Detroit Cobras.
Show begins at 8 p.m. at the
Midland Theatre. All ages, tickets are $45.
12
October 19, 2009
Sports
www.unews.com
Basketball season kicks off
I
Kevin Bryce
Photo Editor
t was a show for the
whole family Friday
night at the College
Basketball Experience (CBE) inside
Kansas City’s Sprint Center.
The UMKC men’s and women’s basketball seasons kicked
off with introductions, competitions and no shortage of activities.
Assistant Athletics Director
for External Relations Jessica
Dickson had nothing but good
things to say about having the
event at the CBE.
“The whole facility is open,”
Dickson said. “I believe it’s an
over 1,400 square foot facility
that has numerous interactive
games: Three-point shooting
contests, free throw shooting
contests, beat the clock, dunk
exhibits and just tons of different activities for all ages.”
Jay Fabing, a long-time fan,
brought his three children the
past two years.
“We’ve been upstairs and
downstairs, shooting baskets
with the kids,” Fabing said.
“They love it here.”
The annual event was the
first to ever take place at the
CBE. This is the third year it
was held and it continues to
grow each year.
“The first year the facility
wasn’t open and so we were limited on the number of fans that
we could have attend,” Dickson
said. “Last year, we had a little
over 300 fans attend and RSVP.
This year we’re actually close
to 600 RSVPs.”
The event is not only held to
raise support for the teams but
also to give fans a chance to be
introduced to the team members, not only corporately, but
at a personal level. “At the end of the program
[the teams] interact and playthe
games with our fans,” Dickson
said.
The program itself consisted
of introductions, a skills competition, a three-point contest
and a dunk competition, allowing teams to showcase some of
their skills.
Both the men’s and women’s
head coaches, Matt Brown and
Candace Whitaker, are entering
their third season of play.
Both coaches were very enthusiastic for what this season
had to offer to fans. The men
have 14 home games and the
first four will be played on
campus.
Despite being able to meet
the players and do all the activities, the event is really held
to get fans ready for UMKC’s
basketball season.
“It’s to kick off the basketball season,” Dickson said.
“This is really the showcase,
and to get everybody excited
for basketball. This is it, we’re
ready to go, it’s basketball season, let’s turn it on.”
The men’s first tip off is
Nov. 6 and the women’s is Nov.
7. Both games will be at Swinney Recreation Center.
kbryce@unews.com
Photo KEVIN BRYCE
Quinn Harper settles in back home
Melissa Cowan
Staff Writer
There’s no place like home.
And Quinn Harper, a Kansas native
and new Assistant Athletics Trainer at
UMKC, is happy to be back.
She works mostly with the men’s basketball team and the track and cross-country teams, treating injuries and illnesses
under the team physicians.
“My day-to-day job is to take care of
(athletes), evaluate them, do treatment, rehab and return them to play,” Harper said.
Fortunately, there haven’t been any serious injuries since she started in August.
Harper received her Bachelor’s degree
in Athletic Training from the University
of Kansas (KU) in 1999. She started as a
journalism major, but that quickly changed
after her first semester.
“I wasn’t really loving [journalism],”
Harper said. “I obviously didn’t give it
much time, but I knew.”
Then she toured the Athletic Training
Facility at KU for a class.
“I was like, ‘this is what I want to do,’”
Harper said.
Harper was an athlete in high school.
She played basketball, tennis and soccer.
She was also on the track team.
“I always wanted to do something with
sports,” Harper said. “I don’t know what
else I would do.”
Harper considered medical school, but
she really wanted to stick with what she
loves – sports.
“My day-to-day job is to take care
of (athletes), evaluate them, do
treatment, rehab and return them
to play.”
QUINN HARPER
Assistant Athletics Trainer at UMKC
She became a certified athletic trainer
after graduating from KU, then moved to
Arizona to treat student athletes at Tempe
High School.
“It’s a three-part exam, and you have to
pass everything,” Harper said. “You can’t
practice without being certified. ... Someone can’t just come in and say, ‘I want to
be an athletic trainer.’”
She is also certified in CPR. She renews this certification annually.
“It’s a good refresher,” Harper said.
“You never know when you’re going to
use it, unfortunately. (But) I’ve never had
to use it.”
She received her Masters degree at
the Arizona School of Health Sciences in
2001.
After graduating, Harper moved to
Rhode Island and was an athletic trainer at
Providence College for eight years.
Five of those years, she treated men’s
hockey players.
But she wanted to come home.
“All my family lives out here,” Harper
said. “I’ve been living out East the last
eight years.”
And when the opportunity became
available at UMKC, Harper accepted.
“I really like it here,” Harper said. “The
Athletics Department is pretty small, but
it’s really close knit, very supportive. Our
Athletics Director, Tim Hall, is great. He
lends a ton of support. And it’s good to be
back home.”
mcowan@unews.com
Photo courtesy UMKC ATHLETICS
Quinn Harper.
13
Sports
www.unews.com
October 19, 2009
Extra Points: Pull it together Chiefs
John Pfortmiller
Staff Writer
The 0-5 record, the horrible mistakes on the field and the 26-20 loss to
the Dallas Cowboys started to put a dent
in the thick skin of Kansas City Chiefs
fans.
The game against the Cowboys
was one huge failure on the part of the
Chiefs pass defense.
Head coach Todd Haley was probably screaming, “Don’t let the other
team’s receivers run past you for a 60yard catch to win the game!”
Miles Austin caught the 60-yard,
game-winning pass in overtime against
the Chiefs. He had 10 catches for 250
yards in that game.
Ironically, the Chiefs’ pass defense
was one of the few things praised by
sports announcers and commentators
before the game. Austin singlehandedly
shot that notion down.
Still, they are making progress –
slow, painful and dreary progress.
They managed to drive 74 yards in
10 plays and tie the game in the final
seconds with Matt Cassel’s 16-yard pass
John Pfortmiller
to Dwayne Bowe on fourth down.
The Chiefs were working well in
their no huddle, hurry up setting. But,
when the game slowed down, the Cowboys took advantage and played things
out strategically.
The Chiefs took great advantage
of the mistakes the Cowboys made,
including a fumble, a muffed punt, 13
penalties, a missed field goal and several receivers who missed catches or just
stared into la-la land as they watched the
ball pass by. Unfortunately for anyone
hoping for a Chiefs win, Austin was not
included with the space cadet receivers.
Thankfully, on Oct. 18 the Chiefs
won against the Washington Redskins,
14-6. The sad part was the win was not
because of the Chiefs pulling together
their offensive and defensive issues. It
was because of a player they picked in
the last round of the 2009 NFL draft,
kicker Ryan Succop.
He was jokingly referred to as “Mr.
Irrelevant” because of how little sports
commentators thought he could change
the fate of the Chiefs.
They were wrong. Succop made
sports shorts
all four field goal attempts in the game
against the Redskins, including a pair
of 46-yarders. To put it simply, without Succop’s leg and athletic ability the
Chiefs, would have lost.
Even with a win under their belts,
the Chiefs have their work cut out for
them during the rest of the season. Perhaps a fast, no huddle offense will help
late in games, especially in the last five
minutes of the fourth quarter. But several problems need to be taken care of
before anyone can think of the Chiefs
having a successful offense.
These include, but are not limited to:
poor pass defense on long plays, an offensive line that crumbles when merely
touched and a large injured roster.
They do have one positive thing
going for them this season, which may
hopefully prevent them from being
shut-out the entire season.
They have heart and, of course, Succop’s kicking ability. However, they
will need more than those three things
to win against the San Diego Chargers
on Oct. 25.
jpfortmiller@unews.com
by CASEY OSBURN
Cross Country
UMKC cross country teams traveled to Fayetteville
this weekend for the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival.
Sophomore Brett Guemmer finished 152nd out of
242 runners. He was the only men’s runner to compete for UMKC. He ran his personal best with a time
of 33:18.01.
The women’s team finished with 550 points, placing them 19th out of 34 teams. Four runners finished in
the top 150, with Aubrey Frederking leading. She ran a
personal best time of 22:59.91.
Women’s Soccer
Friday night, the women’s soccer team shutout
Southern Utah at Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field. The Roos recorded their first program
win.
During the first half, sophomore Ariel Rank sent a
free kick into the upper right-hand side of the net and
put the Roos ahead, 1-0.
Freshman Zaina Mayer scored her fourth goal of
the season in the 74th minute.
UMKC is now 1-13-1 for the season and 1-4 in
Summit League play.
Roos win two
Staff Writer
Coming off back-to-back wins, the
UMKC women’s volleyball team played
the Western Illinois Leathernecks on
Oct. 15. They won the match, 3-0.
The Roos won their two previous
games, both with the score 3-1, against
Oral Roberts University (ORU) and
Centenary College.
The Roos lost the second set of the
ORU game and lost the first set of the
Centenary game, but managed to win
overall.
On Oct. 15, the Roos faced off
against the Leathernecks with hopes of
continuing their winning streak. They
not only continued it, but gave up no
sets.
In the first set, the Roos quickly
gained the lead. Minor mistakes, including an instance of poor communication, led to a close set.
The Roos pulled it together and
managed to win the set, 25-23, after a
close set point.
The second set was point-for-point
with the Leathernecks scoring first.
However, a few minutes in the Roos
took off on a scoring spree.
The Leathernecks managed to
slow the playing speed down and
started a comeback, but the Roos won
the set, 25-22.
The final set of the match was
completely dominated by the Roos.
Their offense was quick and almost
flawless.
They managed to keep the Leathernecks on almost constant defense,
but they were not about to give up.
They began a slow comeback that
ended in a tense match point, but the
Roos managed to win, 25-22.
On Oct. 17, the Roos played the
Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis (IUPUI) Jaguars. The
Roos won the match, 3-2.
The Jaguars came out strong and
quickly put the Roos on the defensive
in the first set. The Roos’ offense and
defense were flat and led to a 25-22
loss in the first set to the Jaguars.
The second set was dominated by
the Jaguars who gained an early lead
and held it for a 25-16 win.
The score was 2-0 during the break
the Roos used to put themselves back
into a strong rhythm.
The third set saw the Roos return
offensively and defensively. They
came back into the match and took almost total control, winning 25-8.
The Roos were fired up coming
out for the fourth set, but the Jaguars
wouldn’t back down without a fight.
The fourth set was a close one for the
Roos, but they managed to win, 25-23.
The fifth set was close as well,
with the Roos managing to tie up the
game 16-16 after a close 16-15 match
point in the Jaguars’ favor. The Roos
then scored two points in a row, winning the game over, 3-2.
jpfortmiller@unews.com
Men’s Soccer
The Kangaroos came home with a loss to the United
States Air Force Academy last Monday. They fell 6-3.
Senior Bryan Perez tallied one goal and one assist
for the game, with sophomore Deigo Rojas tallying one
goal as well.
The Roos tied Saturday night in Tulsa, Okla. against
Oral Roberts University (ORU). Perez scored in the first
half during the 26th minute. Perez now leads the team
with a total of six goals for the season.
ORU Golden Eagles answered back in the 74th minute to tie up the game.
Keeper Ken Cooper fought hard and had a total of
eight saves for the match.
After two overtimes and no goals, the match concluded in a draw. The Roos are now 4-6-2 on the season.
Sporting Events
Volleyball
Date
Event
Place
10/24
Southern Utah
SRC
Time
7 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
10/19
Central Arkansas
Conway, Ark.
2 p.m.
10/24
Centenary DSSRF
1 p.m.
Brookings, S.D.
Women’s Soccer
10/23
South Dakota State
6 p.m.
Men’s Golf
10/19-20
Bill Ross Intercollegiate
Blue Hills Country Club Women’s Golf
10/19-20
Shocker Invitational
Newton, Kan.
All day
Men’s Tennis
10/23-25 ITA/Wilson Cent. Reg. Championships Tulsa, Okla. All day
Women’s Tennis
Photo KEVIN BRYCE
Jamie Hagerman spikes the ball over the net. She had a total of 20 kills against IUPUI.
10/23-25 KU Invitational
Lawrence, Kan.
All day
14
October 19, 2009
Forum
www.unews.com
Don’t pay taxes, get away with it
Evan Helmuth
cuts.
This action would have the effect of raisEvery year, thousands of Americans ing the amount paid by every single income
tax payer.
cheat on their taxes.
It would also cut in half the tax break parWhat makes this particular tax cheat
significant is he is also largely in charge of ents get for dependent children and it would
raise taxes on investments.
writing America’s tax laws.
It’s definitely not a bright idea now, when
Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-NY, is the chairinvestments are most
man of the Ways and Means
needed to sustain an
Committee – which is re- “Given all of this, it would
economic recovery.
sponsible for changes to the
seem obvious such a person
Rangel has also
tax code – in the House of
should probably not still
voiced support for
Representatives.
taxing the health inHe is about the fourth be the chairman of the tax
surance of more than
most powerful person in
writing
committee.”
half of all Americans.
Congress’ lower house.
Now you know
In his position as the
“tax-writer-in-chief,” Rangel has not been how he feels about your taxes, let’s review
shy about wanting to raise taxes. He has how he feels about his own.
Yeah, he just doesn’t pay them – at least
voiced support for repealing the Bush tax
Contributing Writer
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not until he gets a lot of bad press for skipping out on the check.
Members of Congress are required to disclose their incomes and assets every year.
Rangel fudged his original filings and
amended them last month, revealing he had
lied to everyone and actually has about twice
the assets he reported.
Don’t bother asking how he accumulated
nearly $2 million on a
congressman’s salary
of $175,000 a year.
He didn’t marry
into money, he wasn’t
a wealthy man before
he was elected to Congress way back in 1970
and he didn’t inherit
his fortune.
In any case, the
amended financial disclosures have prompted many people to look
a little more closely into Rangel’s finances.
What they have found is a man who wants
to raise your taxes but repeatedly blows off
paying his own.
Among other ethical problems (Rangel is
the subject of two separate and ongoing ethics investigations), it appears Rangel did not
pay federal income taxes on at least $75,000
in income from a rental property he owns in
the Dominican Republic.
He also didn’t report two properties he
owns in New Jersey on his disclosure forms.
By the way, he didn’t pay property taxes on
those either.
Finally, Rangel has, over the years,
claimed as many as three addresses as his
primary residence at the same time to get tax
breaks and cheaper loans.
Given all of this, it would seem obvious
such a person should probably not still be the
chairman of the tax writing committee.
But common sense is in very short supply
in Washington, D.C.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has
stood by Rangel so far, refusing to remove
him from his job as
the chief tax writer or
to cut him out of highlevel negotiations over
health care reform or
other bills.
This can be partially explained by the fact
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., is next in line to
take over as chairman
of Ways and Means.
Stark is the only
member of Congress
to admit to being an atheist.
Fearing this might provoke uproar from
the religious right or some other part of “flyover country” Middle-America, Pelosi is reluctant to replace an old political ally in Rangel with Stark, who might give her an even
bigger political headache than the ethical
problems of his potential predecessor.
It looks like, for the time being, we will be
stuck with a tax cheat writing our tax laws,
unless, of course, Stark gets religion (literally) or Pelosi gets religion (figuratively)
and drops Rangel from the Ways and Means
Committee.
ehelmuth@unews.com
A GRANT SNIDER ILLUSTRATION
15
Forum
www.unews.com
Long goodbyes don’t delay sorrow
Alexia Stout-Lang
three months, the doctors were in a daily ritual of telling
us that “tonight is the night he will most likely go.” But
he held on for a long time.
Each day became more of a struggle. With his condition worsening, he was moved to a nursing home, where
he routinely woke up in the middle of the night, lost and
frightened because he couldn’t remember where he was.
And each evening became more heart-wrenching for
Grandma Mary as she was forced to say goodbye to the
grown man while he cried for her to stay.
We all hear the words echoing in our heads, “You
are leaving me alone? Why would you
leave me alone? I want to go home with
you.”
Even in the fragile state, Grandpa
did not forget the importance of loved
ones. I can’t tell you how many times
he looked at Grandma and told us about
the night they met 60 years ago on New
Year’s Eve.
“She fell in love with me,” he repeated. “Can you believe it? She fell in
love with me.”
I have experienced two avenues of
loss in my lifetime. I felt the sudden
pain of a loved one taken in the night
without warning. And now I know how
it feels to watch someone slowly fade
before my eyes.
At one time, I thought there was nothing worse than
not having a chance to say goodbye. But now I know extended goodbyes are just extensions of the heartache.
It’s a conversation with a loved one as he/she drives
swiftly away and you run frantically to catch up. Eventually, the car will disappear from sight and you will realize
it’s not coming back.
It’s long and painful. And it leaves deeper scars.
Tonight, I will say a prayer for all of the families
across the world experiencing this devastating type of
loss. You are not alone.
Grandpa passed away early in the morning last Friday. We will miss him. He was a good man.
alang@unews.com
News Editor
It’s a slow fade.
And we all dim with each passing day.
First, it was the memory. Then, it was the tremors.
Lastly came the sick cells – the cancer cells – that sucked
away life and left behind pain and suffering.
It’s happened a million times before and it will happen again. There are no answers, but there are billions
of causes.
We are victims of our environments. We are victims
of ourselves. We are victims of others.
We are families living with cancer,
with Alzheimer’s disease, with Parkinson’s disease, with any other illness
that slowly robs a human being of life
while loved ones stand by helplessly
watching.
For the last six months, I stood by
while my grandfather suffered with
cancer.
In recent years, we dealt with the
memory loss attributed to Alzheimer’s.
And the slight shake of his hands was
easily overlooked.
But the news our family received in
May was a devastating blow.
You see, we were told Grandpa Al
had cancer and he would only live three
months, unless he underwent treatment that would only
temporarily delay the inevitable or would kill him in the
process.
Hours were spent around the dinner table explaining
to Grandpa the diagnosis and his options.
Unfortunately, with his short-term memory gone,
none of us were able to relay all of the information he
needed to make a decision about his own health before
his memory would reset.
In the end, his children and wife decided it would be
better for him to live the rest of his life in peace and with
some level of health than to spend the rest of his days sick
from the treatment.
He surpassed the doctor’s expectations. For the last
October 19, 2009
Word on Campus
Interviews by MELISSA ORIBHABOR
Would you listen to
a UMKC radio station?
“I would, but only if I were on it.”
“Probably not. I’m not very
involved with UMKC. It does
depend what the content is,
though.”
KIP RYAN
Senior
Spanish/Communication Studies
ZACK EL-SHERIF
Senior
Economics
“No, I don’t have the time to. I
listen to NPR sometimes, but
only if it’s an assignment.”
“Depends what’s on it. I’d listen
to it if it had talk about UMKC
sports events. I would listen to it
if it had rugby games.”
JOHN L. LEWIS
Senior
Theater
DAVID GARCIA
Junior
Biology
“Probably not, I have other radio
stations I listen to. I only have
time to listen to radio stations in
the car.”
“Yes. [I would listen] to know
what’s happening on campus.”
DREW CALVERT
Sophomore
Secondary Education
DARRELL POLLICK
Senior
Spanish
What do you think?
What is your favorite part of Halloween?
A. Costumes
C. Parties
B. Candy
D. I don’t like Halloween
Go to www.unews.com and tell us your answer!
Your answers to last week’s question:
Did Barack Obama deserve to win the Nobel Peace Prize?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I’m not sure
C. 11%
A. 29%
B. 60%
A
B
C
ACCREDITATION from page 1
them in the final report issued by the
HLC.
Max Skidmore, Curators Professor of
Political Science, has played an integral
role in preparing UMKC for the reaccreditation process.
He took the reins of the HLC/North
Central Association of Colleges and
Schools coordinating committee in December 2007.
Skidmore explained the HLC uses
numerous criteria designed to measure
the overall quality of the university including the performance of students,
qualifications of faculty, efficiency of
administration, etc. The organization has
five formal criteria.
“Criterion one deals with the institution’s mission,” Skidmore said, “criterion two, with the future, and planning
for the future; criterion three with stu-
dent outcomes, assessment, evaluation,
etc; criterion four with such things as
research and contribution to knowledge
and criterion five with external engagement, community involvement, etc.”
To launch the accreditation process,
UMKC produced a full self-study, available at www.umkc.edu/accreditation/
introduction_ss.cfm.
Skidmore said accreditation is a vital
process for UMKC.
“Accreditation is one of the most
important things for a university to
achieve,” he said. “Without it, degrees
would be far less valuable, and in many
circumstances would be useless (a doctor couldn’t practice if her degree were
from an unaccredited medical school, a
lawyer couldn’t practice, it might be hard
to transfer credits or get into a respected
grad school …).”
A formal report from the HLC will be
available by the end of the year.
alang@unews.com
MOVIE from page 9
Monday’s puzzle solved
bland.
The camera angles and execution
were also bothersome.
This is not the movie to see if you
get even the slightest case of motion
sickness. It was as if a nine-year-old
was operating the camera, which
became annoying after the first five
minutes of the wild things romping
around.
Halfway through the movie, I
was ready to leave. I kept telling myself, “maybe it will get better toward
the end,” but it didn’t. It was the
same disappointment as if waking
up from a great dream and realizing
it was just that – a dream.
I pictured little kids staring at
their parents in disbelief, asking,
“What happened?”
I have to admit the visual aspects
and overall adaptation of the book
were very well executed, but ultimately it was confusing and plain.
Overall, I give this movie a C+.
cosburn@unews.com
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