NIVERSITY

NIVERSITY
NEWS
Cover article
UMKC’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Vol. 79, Issue 15
Jan. 9, 2012
8
FEATURE
History class taught by
former Chiefs player
digs deep into Kansas
City’s black history with
Miller Nichols exhibit.
2
NEWS
The University of Missouri
system names a new
president.
Photo courtesy of UMKC
7
SPORTS
The women’s basketball
team is 3rd in the Summit
League play after five-game
winning streak.
Photo courtesy of UMKC Athletics
Photo courtesy of Google Images
2|News
Vol. 79, Issue 16
Timothy Wolfe named
University of Missouri
system president
Chancellor Leo Morton welcomes UM System President
Timothy Wolfe to campus on Dec. 14.
Photo courtesy of UMKC
Lindsay Adams
News Editor
Timothy M. Wolfe was announced the 23rd system
president by the University of Missouri Board of Curators.
Wolfe described the position as “a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.”
After a search that spanned almost a year, the Board of
Curators found a replacement for Gary Forsee, the system’s
previous president, who resigned the post to care for his ailing
wife.
The question that many wonder is whether Wolfe will be
able to follow Forsee, a former CEO of Sprint Corp., who
brought a strong knowledge of business and applied it to the
system’s schools, cutting millions of dollars in costs from the
four universities.
This is a high standard to follow, yet an important
consideration due to the low economy and the probability
there will be less than plentiful state aid to the state schools in
the near future. This is juxtaposed with UMKC’s goal to build
a separate campus for the Conservatory of Music and Dance,
in which Wolfe will take a leadership role.
“We’re doing the right economic development
with
business
leaders
and
political
leaders
and our leaders on the campus,” Wolfe said.
“[It’s] doing the right economic development to create jobs
for our wonderful graduates to compete for and hopefully be
placed in.”
This is a hopeful statement for students who are graduating,
on the whole, with more debt and fewer job possibilities. Part
of Wolfe’s speech at the conference that announced his new
position dealt with the need to increase returns and keep the
tuition costs low.
The announcement was made on the UMKC campus. “I
think Kansas City will be very pleased,” said the chairman
of the UM Board of Curators who led the search, Warren
Erdman, who is from Kansas City.
Wolfe plans to visit all four schools in the University of
Missouri system before he officially starts his position on Feb.
Continued on Page 5
UMKC medical students hope to bring an AMSA conference to campus. Students hope the conference will bring the school
recognition and improve opportunities for students in the medical field. Left to right: Alexandra Armfield, Mindy Ashby,
Stefanie Howard.
Photo courtesy of Alexandra Armsfield
American Medical Student Association
Students petition to bring
conference to campus
Lindsay Adams
News Editor
A group of students, many
interested or involved in medical
studies, are trying to bring an
American
Medical
Student
Association (AMSA) conference to
campus.
“The AMSA conference is a
weekend event for health care
students, pre health students, and
health care professionals to get
together and collaborate, learn,
discuss current health care issues and
what is going on in medicine,” said
Alexandrea Armfield, the Pre-Med
Society president and Mortar Board
secretary.
The argument for the AMSA
presence is that there is a need to
allow the Pre-Med and Med students
the chance to attend one of these
conferences. “We understand the
struggle and cost for students to try
and attend one of the conferences
throughout the year since they are so
far away,” Armfield said.
There is a registration fee for
students to go to the Conference,
but if the students are successful in
bringing an AMSA conference to
campus, UMKC students will have
a discounted price since they will
be part of the host school. “In the
past, registration has been between
$50 and $200,” said Mindy Ashby, a
senior studying biology.
There are no AMSA conferences
that are located in the Midwest
region. “The Midwest is one of the
larger regions for AMSA connections
and we feel it is of great importance
to host a conference here,” Armfield
said.
Their goal is to bring an AMSA
conference right to UMKC. “Having
AMSA at UMKC displays UMKC’s
dedication to inspire and support
students to become a better person
both personally and professionally,”
Ashby said.
According to the students who are
pulling for the conference, this honor
will build the prestige of the school
and the extracurricular opportunities
for interested students. It can offer
much to students who have not
decided on a major or have an interest
in medicine, but do not know where
they wish to go with their interest.
“Often, students are unsure of
what they want to do – starting from
undergraduates to medical students
and AMSA helps the students really
tap into their strengths and passions,”
Ashby said. “AMSA is about your
voice, your passion, your goals. It’s
where you take center stage. It is
your community and support as you
advance through medical school,”
Armfield said.
The conference allows potential
for many different résumé builders.
“AMSA Membership is viewed
favorably by admissions committees
and residency programs,” Ashby
said. “AMSA is where you build
your résumé - You will have the
opportunity to present your original
research, author an article, write
a blog post, be interviewed for a
podcast, or lead a peer seminar. This
is where you are a leader.”
According to Ashby, AMSA has
not yet made an approval decision
for a UMKC conference. “We need
everyone at UMKC (undergraduate
and graduate) students’ support,” she
said.
They are very close to their goal,
already having collected 91 of the
necessary 100 signatures. If interested
in bringing AMSA to campus, the
petition can be found at www.
ipetitions.com/petition/umkcconference/.
[email protected]
Jan. 9, 2012
Year
in
review
What happened at UMKC in
Left: Karen Vorst resigns as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, officially stepping down on
June 30, 2011.
Middle left: The Oak Street Parking Structure is demolished following commencement in May.
Nathan Zoschke
7
14
28
•
•
•
Gary Forsee officially steps down as President of the University of Missouri (UM)
system. Forsee resigned amid his wife’s battle with cancer. She was in recovery at the
time of the resignation.
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, a Harvard professor of African-American history who received
nationwide attention in summer 2009 after he was arrested outside of his own home in
Cambridge, Mass., delivers UMKC’s Martin Luther King, Jr. keynote address.
The UM Board of Curators recommends tuition increases at all four UM schools.
UMKC students will see tuition increase 4.8 percent beginning in summer 2011.
A particularly brutal winter leads to multiple class cancellations.
Kris Kobach, one of several controversial figures in the illegal immigration debate, does
not return to teach at the School of Law. In November 2010, he was elected Kansas
Secretary of State.
Larry’s Giant Subs closes at Oak Place.
February
17
22
UMKC students approve a $14 fee per student per semester to fund an all-access pass
to KCATA Metro and MAX buses.
Kansas City voters effectively oust Mayor Mark Funkhouser, who came in 3rd behind
Sly James and Mike Burke in the municipal primary.
March
11
22
Activity and Program Council and the Office of Student Involvement bring artists
B.o.B. and OneRepublic to Swinney Recreation Center.
Sly James is elected mayor. Council elections favor well-known candidates. Voter
turnout is surprisingly low, especially in the Northland.
April
21
Middle right: The newly-built Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts downtown.
Right: Henry W. Bloch announces a $32 million donation to the school.
Photos from U-News 2011 archives
return and teach economics after a sabbatical leave. Some suspect she was nudged to
resign as Dean.
Conservatory of Music and Dance professor Dr. Zhou Long receives the Pulitzer Prize
for Opera for his 2010 composition “Madame White Snake.” Mike Keefe, an editorial
cartoonist for The Denver Post who began his career at U-News in the 1970s, receives a
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.
Production Manager/Copy Editor
January
Dr. Karen Vorst resigns as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Vorst officially
steps down June 30, and is succeeded by Interim Dean Wayne Vaught. Vorst plans to
News|3
25
May
16
Demolition begins on the Oak Street Parking Structure following commencement.
The 50-year-old structure was deemed to be years past its useful life. It lacked elevators,
wheelchair ramps and other handicap accessibility features.
The Volker campus temporarily loses 700 parking spaces. The $23 million Cherry
Street Parking Structure will contain 1,500 spaces, skywalks to the Performing Arts
Center and Student Union, offices for the UMKC Police and Mail Services, shower
facilities for commuters, bike parking and electric car charging stations. The project is
on track to be completed in July 2012 and is on budget, according to Associate Vice
Chancellor of Administration Bob Simmons.
June
30
Vorst steps down as Dean of Arts and Sciences, and is replaced by Interim Dean Wayne
Vaught.
July
15
A Kansas City Star article discusses the Conservatory of Music and Dance’s potential
downtown relocation. Feasibility is currently being assessed by Helix Architects. The
study will look at potential downtown locations, identify project needs, economic
impact and impact on the Volker campus.
August
25
•
e Human Rights Campaign Equality Bus visits UMKC as part of a nationwide tour
Th
targeted at promoting LGBT rights.
Roo Groups replaces the old studo.umkc.edu web server. Roo Groups attempts to be
more user-friendly by using a WordPress format.
Continued on Page 6
4|News
Vol. 79, Issue 16
Police Blotter
The battle of
the sweeteners
$8.64
Lindsay Adams
Dec. 5
12:31 p.m.Assault
A pencil was thrown after
a verbal argument began
between two students at the
Bloch School.
Dec. 7
8:58 a.m.
Harassment
A woman was harassing
her daughter’s roommate by
telephone over the cleanliness
of the bathroom at Oak Street
Residence Hall.
Dec. 10
8:07 p.m.
Trespassing
Officers responded to an
intrusion alarm at Swinney
Recreation Center and found
people running on the track.
Dec. 15
5:54 p.m. Suspicious Person
Officers responded to a call
of a party wandering into
places he did not belong at the
Performing Arts Center.
Dec. 16
1:03 a.m.
Violation of University Rules
and Regulations
Officers stopped an intoxicated
party for driving through
barricades in the University
Center parking lot.
4:51 p.m. Suspicious Person
Officers
contacted
an
intoxicated party at 51st and
Holmes streets who had been
ejected from the graduation
ceremony.
Dec. 22
1:08 p.m.
Auto Theft
The victim returned to the
Rockhill Parking Garage and
found his vehicle missing.
News Editor
Dec. 24
9:15 a.m.
Larceny
Officers witnessed a suspect
breaking into a car in the Health
Sciences Parking Structure, but
lost him when he ran from
the structure. Eyeglasses were
found missing.
9:50 a.m. Property Damage
A car was broken into at the
Health
Sciences
Parking
Structure by the suspect from
the previous report.
9:53 a.m. Property Damage
A car was broken into at the
Health
Sciences
Parking
Structure by the suspect from
the previous reports.
Dec. 29
3:48 p.m.
Threat
A suspect was reported at 4825
Troost Ave. insinuating he was
going to burn down a building
on campus.
Jan. 3
3:35 p.m.
Burglary
Students returned from a
weekend break to find the
residence at 53rd and Charlotte
streets broken into with a
Macbook and Canon camera
missing.
10:31 p.m.
Suspicious Activity
Officers were called because of
a smell of marijuana emanating
from a room at the Oak Place
Apartments.
11:05 p.m. Domestic Disturbance
Officers responded to a
domestic disturbance call in the
parking lot of the Oak Place
Apartments.
[email protected]
Come write for U-News!
Make money while keeping up with campus events and having fun.
Learn the basics of journalism while improving your writing and
communication skills.
Interested?
Email [email protected].
Other News
Finding a safe substitute for sugar
Kara Hart
Asst. News Editor
With 2012 settling in, the health
food companies are hyping up their
advertising campaigns and taking
advantage of this time when so many
people make New Year’s resolutions
to eat healthier and lose weight.
Trying to stay healthy is one way
students can improve their overall
college experiences. Some argue
alternative sweeteners, can help
students stay healthier.
Truvia is a calorie-free, natural
sugar substitute. According to the
product’s official website, the essence
of the sweetness comes from a sweet
crystal called rebiana, harvested
from the leaves of the Stevia plant
through a process similar to brewing
tea. Its only ingredient other than
the rebiana is erythritol, a naturally
fermented sugar alcohol found in
grapes and pears, and a few natural
flavorings. The company says its product is
gluten-free, a great alternative for
diabetics and “provides the same
sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar.”
This product has not been FDA
approved, but has been issued a
“no-objection letter affirming and
supporting the safety of rebiana,”
according to the Truvia website.
There are other sugar substitutes as
well. There are numerous brands, but
many use the same naturally sweet
ingredients. “Currently, acesulfame
potassium
(acesulfame
K),
aspartame, neotame, rebaudioside
A [stevia], saccharin and sucralose
are the only available low-calorie
sweeteners (sugar substitutes) in
the United States,” according to
an article on caloriecontrol.org.
Alitame and cyclamate are similar
ingredients that are used in other
countries outside the U.S. Most are
low-calorie or calorie-free, compared
to the 15 calories per teaspoon that
sugar has. They do not promote
tooth decay like sugar and do not
affect glucose or triglyceride levels.
However,
the
aspartame
controversy has led many to be
cautious of sugar substitutes.
Aspartame accounts for more
than 75 percent of the side effect
complaints of the adverse reactions
to food additives reported to
the FDA. There are 90 different
symptoms listed in the reports as
reactions to aspartame including
seizures, nausea, muscle spasms,
rashes, depression, insomnia, heart
palpitations, breathing difficulties,
anxiety attacks, slurred speech and
memory loss.
Recent research on Truvia, such as
a 2006 World Health Organization
analysis, found no evidence of
negative health impact.
A trip to the grocery store reveals
all sugar substitutes’ major flaw: they
cost slightly more for a significantly
lower amount of product. But with
all the benefits, it’s understandable
why many students shell out the
extra money.
[email protected]
$5.25
$8.49
$12.48
*Prices averaged between Walgreens,
Walmart and Amazon.com. Prices based
on 200-count.
Republican presidential primary race kicks off with Iowa caucus
Kara Hart
Asst. News Editor
As 2012 arrives, the candidates for
the presidential election draws are
testing the waters with preliminaries
like the recent Iowa Caucus on Jan.
3.
Many articles and headlines
are just going by the numbers. If
that’s the case, Mitt Romney won
by an eight-vote margin over Rick
Santorum, which calculates to a
one-tenth of a percentage point. Ron
Paul is nipping at their heels, behind
by a little more than three percent.
Some articles debate which
Republican candidate won, with
regards to their campaigns. An
article from globalpost.com is betting
on Paul based on his percentage of
votes from people ages 18 to 29,
which was almost half. According
to the same article, Paul said during
a live interview on NBC’s Today
Show on Wednesday morning,
“That’s where the excitement is,
and that’s where the changes are
coming about,” in retaliation to some
Republicans who feel the support of
the youth isn’t relevant.
Who really won though? An
article on huffingtonpost.com says
that nobody really won because
there weren’t a sufficient number of
voters involved. “Of the 2,250,423
voters in the state (using the higher
voting-eligible population), only
147,255 came out last night. And
of those, only 122,255 voted in the
Republican contest, for a turnout
percentage of 5.4 percent,” Jason
Linkins said in the article. “And if
any of the hype about Democrats,
Occupiers, Anarchists, interlopers,
and stray ACORN activists … -- all
voting on the GOP side to gum up
the works -- is true, it’s possible that
there was an even smaller percentage
of sincere GOP voters,” Linkins
wrote.
With presidential primaries
running through June, everything is
still up in the air, and with candidates
still coming and going, no one can be
certain what the results will reveal.
[email protected]
News|5
Jan. 9, 2012
PLUS:
Lindsay Adams
Law School launches
diversity initiative
News Editor
“Right now, the legal profession does
not reflect the expanding diversity of our
society,” said Debbie Brooks, Assistant
Dean for Admissions and Multicultural
Affairs--UMKC School of Law.
This is the belief that spawned The Pre
Law School Undergraduate Program. That
is also the reason why the Law School
Admission Council (LSAC) established
the DiscoverLaw.org campaign.
“The Pre Law Scholars Undergraduate
(PLUS) program is part of this campaign
targeted to racial, ethnic and other
underrepresented
students,” Brooks
said. The goal of that program is to help
students cultivate the skills they will need
in law school.
The program is open for undergraduate
students in their first and second years of
college. “Discovering law early in their
career exploration makes it easier to
choose a path that will lead them to a law
degree,” said Brooks.
Twenty scholars are accepted to
participate in the program every summer.
The application and supporting materials
are due March 1.
“Scholars who participate in the
PLUS Summer Institute are introduced
to the academic and social environment
of law school as well as the legal
community including courts of law,”
Brooks said. “Therefore, if a student
is thinking about attending law school
but remains undecided or uncertain about
their ability to meet the academic rigors of
law school, PLUS can provide motivation
and guidance.” UMKC was carefully chosen to
have one of only nine national PLUS
programs by LSAC; both an honor and
a testament to UMKC’s commitment to
furthering the school’s diversity.
“Participation in the PLUS program
is another aspect of fulfilling UMKC’s
mission whichis includes developing a
professional workforce and collaborating
in urban issues and education; and to
create a vibrant learning and campus life
financial
corner
Students who participated in the summer PLUS program in 2011.
Photo courtesy of UMKC School of Law
experience,” Brooks said.
The first institution of the PLUS
program was held last year in over the
summer semester. The program is a
four-week-long residential program
on weekdays. Through this program,
“students gained a first-hand look at the
legal profession on the UMKC campus,”
according to a press release.
The program includes classes and
workshops hosted by alumni of the law
school and lawyers in the community
around UMKC, that cover important
topics such as the LSAT, admissions to law
school, and how to write a strong résumé.
At the end of the program students are
placed in internships in Kansas City,
usually in legal or business offices.
According to the press release, the
students who participated, “gained
exposure to the professional world and
received mentoring from community
leaders.” Participants are also given a
summer stipend and receive three college
credits when they complete the program.
Brooks said she was drawn to the
program because, “It allows us to become
involved earlier in prospective students›
lives and provide motivation for life
beyond post-undergraduate education.” The PLUS program is part of a diversity
initiative at UMKC’s School of Law. “PLUS increases the likelihood
that students who are traditionally
underrepresented in the legal profession
will apply to, be admitted to, and enroll in
law school,” Brooks said.
Interested applicants should visit:
www.law.umkc.edu/prospective-students/
discover.asp for additional information and
to download an application form.
The diversity initiative at the School
of Law also offers the Diversity Pipeline
Scholarship The Asian Pacific Islander, Black, and
Hispanic Law Students Associations, also
known as APILSA, BLSA and HLSA
joined forces to create the scholarship.
It helps to provide financial aid to high
school students, undergraduate college
students, and first-year law students who
are pursuing a career in the law field. To
learn more about this opportunity, visit
www.law.umkc.edu/prospective-students/
scholarships.asp.
[email protected]
Wolfe: Continued from Page 2
15. Wolfe said, “They are our customers, so
I want to hear from the students.”
While business knowledge is important
for the president, he will be required to
work with both the business side and the
academia. The president’s duties include
overseeing the campuses in Columbia,
Kansas City, St. Louis and Rolla and their
combined 72,000 students, 7,814 faculty
members and 16,718 staff members.
$IFE
However, as UMKC Chancellor Leo
Morton explained, “Who you hire has a
lot to do with what is needed at the time.
I don’t think we need any one helping us
redesign any curriculum. What we need
is someone helping us in getting the rest
of the state to appreciate the value of this
university, and that is marketing.”
Wolfe certainly has the credentials.
He is an alumnus of the University of
Missouri (MU) school of business. He has
previously been an executive with Novell
Inc., which is an infrastructure software
provider.
“I will work tirelessly to help all our
campuses reach their full potential,” Wolfe
said. “I can’t wait to get started.”
[email protected]
Welcome back Roos! At the beginning of each
year, many people around the world set their goals
for the year, whether it’s losing weight, making
more money or taking their dream vacation. For
many college students, the goal can be finally
moving out of their parents’ house or out of the
residence halls. This is a huge step which requires
one to start building a credit score.
Finding a place is exciting, but make sure to look
at all your options. Be sure to consider:
Cost
The cost of a home or apartment isn’t as simple
as the rent and utilities. Having roommates or
finding a place that gives the first month of rent for
free saves money. Another cost is renter’s insurance,
though some discounts are available through a
parent’s insurance company. There can also be
a huge difference in paying rent that includes
amenities and paying rent and utilities separately.
Usually, having all-inclusive rent is the best way to
go, because monthly rent also includes utilities.
Location
Location, location, location. Not only does it
matter based on your preference, but a dream
apartment can cost a lot more depending on its
location, in regards to the neighborhood, shopping
area and the housing market around it. With the
new UMKC bus pass, finding a place that’s located
near a bus stop will be beneficial as well. Living in
the city, it is nice to find the place that is a short
commute from school, work, groceries, and for
nightlife.
Questions
Most importantly, don’t forget to ask questions.
Leases are for 9-12 months, so it is important to
make sure there are no loose ends. A lot of questions
can be answered online, but there will be many
different questions that come up at the complex.
What’s the average age of the residents? What’s
the average cost of utilities? Have you treated this
room for bedbugs? How much is the deposit? Do
you have any specials for college students? It can go
on and on. The more questions asked, the clearer it
becomes whether the apartment is the right fit or
not.
The SIFE Financial Corner is created by
members of UMKC Students in Free Enterprise.
For more information, find us on Facebook and
Twitter, or attend our weekly 7 p.m. Tuesday
meetings in the Brookside Room of the
Administrative Center.
6|News
Vol. 79, Issue 16
Briefly
Mentioned
Engineering professor
honored as one of
‘Most Influential People’
Kara Hart
Asst. News Editor
John Kevern, assistant professor in the School
of Computing and Engineering, has been named
one of Concrete Construction magazine’s Most
Influential People in 2012.
Kevern, who received his M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees in Civil Engineering from Iowa State
University, has influenced how pervious concrete
is specified and tested.“Kevern likens pervious
concrete to a popular rice cereal and marshmallow
treat,” according to the UMKC Public Relations
press release. “But instead of satisfying a sweet
tooth, his recipes for pervious concrete are reducing
ice-related falls, creating undergraduate research
opportunities and improving the environment.”
Pervious concrete has little or no sand, compared
to traditional concrete, and also has craters that
gather rainwater, which allows the water to seep
into the ground and reduce run-off. With less water
accumulating on top of the concrete, that means
less icy conditions and fewer falls and injuries.
Pervious concrete also offers environmental
benefits. According to research done by Kevern,
pervious concrete could reduce the urban heat
island (UHI) effect. The UHI effect is when typical
concrete causes downtown areas to be up to 22
degrees warmer than rural areas in the vicinity, due
to its bulk mass and heat absorption capacities.
According to the press release, Kevern has
performed several research projects that were
nationally funded, including testing more than 14
types of pervious concrete on a sidewalk east of
Miller Nichols Library.
Kevern serves on committees at the American
Concrete Institute, American Society for Testing
and Materials, American Society of Civil
Engineers, the National Ready Mixed Concrete
Association and the Transportation Research
Board. He has also written more than 60 journal
articles, papers and reports and has presented at
several U.S. and international conferences.
Dr. Kevern will give a one-day seminar this
March titled “Designing and Specifying Pervious
Concrete Pavements: A Seminar for Engineers,
Architects, Contractors, and Producers.”
[email protected]
2011 retrospective: Continued from Page 3
September
15
Henry W. Bloch personally announces a $32
million donation to his namesake School of
Management. The $32 million gift will fund a
new building to house the school’s executive and
graduate programs.
The new building will be located in the parking
lot between the existing Bloch school and
Chancellor’s residence. Construction is expected
to begin this March with a planned completion in
fall 2013, according to Associate Vice Chancellor
of Administration Bob Simmons.
The $300 million Kauffman Center for the
Performing Arts opens downtown.
U.S. Bank opens a full-service Student Union
branch.
Sept. 23 is recognized by Mayor Sly James as
“UMKC SIFE Day” in recognition of UMKC
Students in Free Enterprise’s community service
contributions.
•
Newsweek lists UMKC as one of the top five gayfriendly U.S. colleges.
16
19
23
October
•
•
ed Mango becomes the third Oak Place business
R
to close in 2011, joining Taco Factory and Larry’s
Giant Subs. No explanation was given.
Kin Lin announces plans to expand into the retail
spot on 51st Street previously occupied by Muddy’s
Coffeehouse. The new space will accompany an expanded menu and karaoke performances.
November
5
7
Starr Symposium brings women’s rights activists
Gloria Steinem and Deloris Huerta to UMKC.
The University Center closes for $7 million in
renovations. The cafeteria will remain open, but the
rest of the building will be modified to accommodate
new programs geared toward student accessibility.
The new center will introduce academic advising for
undeclared majors and an area for undergraduate
students to work on research projects with faculty.
It will also include the Writing Center, Center
for Academic Development, Career Services and
Disability Services. University employees in a
one-stop shop area will be cross-trained in several
different administrative departments.
Inspired by the occupy movement that has swept
the county, occupy UMKC, an unofficial student
group, decides to hold its own occupation in
Herman and Dorothy Johnson Residence Hall.
Infractions of several university policies result in
protesters being told to leave by UMKC police.
Chancellor Leo Morton unveils “The Campaign
for UMKC,” an initiative to raise more than $250
million over the next seven years.
15
•
December
5
The Henry W. Bloch School of Management is
recognized as the top school internationally in
the field of innovation management research.
Additionally, Dr. Michael Song is recognized as
the top innovation management scholar in the
world. Dr. Mark Parry and Dr. Lisa Zhao are also
recognized.
[email protected]
Sports|7
Jan. 9, 2012
Basketball
Lady Roos third in Summit League Play
Luke Harman
Sports Editor
Despite the men’s team’s disappointing season start, the
Lady Roos now have an impressive 11-5 record, improving
to 3-2 in the Summit League Conference play.
After the loss to the University of Kansas 77-52 on Dec.
17, Head Coach Candace Whitaker’s hard-working outfit
has been unstoppable, boasting a five-game win streak.
This is important timing for the Roos. Most of the
remaining games are conference games, and it is important
to peak at the right stage of the season when crucial contests
approach thick and fast. With an impressive 70-67 win at
Saint Louis on Dec. 20 and 68-57 win at New Mexico State
on Jan. 4, the Roos have proven to be a real handful for anyone
who crosses their paths as of late.
While these non-Conference games are great to build
momentum and confidence for the team, the Summit League
Conference games are what really matters as the team heads
into the business end of the season.
After holding up the conference with two initial losses, the
Roos have responded with striking performances and are now
3-2 in the conference.
The team is now back in contention for Summit League
honors as it sits in third position, just one game back from the
4-1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
The Roos proved untouchable by their Summit League
peers and won their first conference game against Southern
Eilise O’Connor in great scoring form on Saturday night, hitting
13 against the Coyotes.
Photo courtesy of UMKC Athletics
Men’s team disappoints
with losing streak
Luke Harman
Sports Editor
After a promising 72-67 victory against
Canisius on Dec. 16, the men’s basketball
team has had some bad luck, losing its last
five outings.
The Roos (7-10) lost 89-54 against No. 20
Michigan State on Dec. 19 before falling 8762 to New Mexico on Dec. 20.
These top opponents were a wake-up
call for the Roos, and despite punishing
scores, served as tough preparation for the
Conference games that lie ahead.
While it is always great to post a wellearned winning record, at the end of the day
if a team don’t win its conference games, then
its season ultimately counts for nothing.
This will no doubt be the message Head
Coach Matt Brown will preach to his players
as they set about combatting their fellow
Summit League members.
Unfortunately, in a tight game with Oral
Roberts, the Golden Eagles eventually took
the contest 72-65, while Southern Utah
proved to be clinical from beyond the arc,
winning 91-77 at the home of the Roos.
In perhaps the team’s best performance
of the holidays, the Roos were downed in
double-overtime by the IUPUI Jaguars 8374 on Jan. 3 in Indianapolis.
The
24 turnovers and a 21-point
inferiority from the free-throw line resulted
in a 67-point tie at the end of regulation
time. The defeat was not without controversy
though, as a breaking UMKC player was
pushed over the scorer’s table in the dying
seconds of the game and no foul was called.
The Roos’ frustration was also pierced by
an incorrectly set shot clock. The resulting
delay seemed to halt the team’s flow, with
the Jaguars sealing the contest in double
overtime.
While the Roos’ 24 turnovers were selfdestructive, leading to 31 Jag points, there
were a lot of positives to take from the
contest as Junior Thomas Staton led with a
career-high 15 points, and senior Bernard
Kamwa had a career-high game as he hit
12. Kirk Korver pitched in 13, and Reggie
Chamberlain contributed 11.
As the Summit League Conference season
gets into full swing, the Roos currently post a
record of 1-4 and sit in 9th place.
The 12 remaining conference games will
spell the Roos’ fate, as the team looks to place
in the top 8 and book themselves a place in
the conference tournament.
Next up for the Roos is a challenging
trip to the Dakotas as they face North
Dakota State on Jan. 12 in Fargo before a
Jan. 14 battle against South Dakota State in
Brookings.
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Utah 81-61 on Dec. 29.
The Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts proved no match for
the Roos just two days later as they were downed 92-79.
Senior Dayon Hall-Jones hit a whopping 43 points, a feat
that earned her a Summit League Player of the Week award.
Again, the Roos made full use of their home-court
advantage as they blew the South Dakota Coyotes away
Saturday night 61-49. Hall-Jones was again impressive as
she led the team with 17 points, while Sophomore Eilise
O’Connor totaled 13.
Although scoring has not been a problem as of late, the
unsung hero has been the team’s solid defense.
Against the Coyotes, this was no different, as the Roos
held their opponents to just 24.1 percent shooting from the
field and recorded eight steals.
Next up is a non-conference game versus Nebraska-Omaha
at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11 at Swinney Recreation Center and a trip
to Brookings, S.D. to play South Dakota State on Jan. 14.
[email protected]
Upcoming Events
Men’s Basketball North Dakota State
South Dakota State
Fargo, N.D.
Brookings, S.D.
Nebraska-Omaha
South Dakota State
Swinney Rec.
Brookings, S.D.
Women’s Basketball Track Kansas State University Invitational
Jan. 12
Jan. 14
7 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11
Jan. 14
7 p.m.
5 p.m.
Manhattan, Kan. Junior Thomas Staton had a career-high 15 points versus the IUPUI Jaguars.
Photo courtesy of UMKC Athletics
8|Feature
&
Bar-B-Que
Baseball
Jazz
D
r. Pellom McDaniels III, assistant professor
of history and former Chiefs player, taught a
special studies class in the fall semester of 2011
about “Bar-B-Que, Baseball, and Jazz.”
The students in this class worked with UMKC’s
LaBudde Special Collections and Marr Sound
Archives to research and put together an exhibit
of the same name.
The exhibit, which explores the evolutions of
the African-American community in Kansas City,
is on the second floor of Miller Nichols Library,
and will remain open through Jan. 29.
Exhibit explores
Kansas City’s early
black culture
Nathan Zoschke
Production Manager/Copy Editor
Placards and vintage books,
records, posters and other artifacts
on display at Miller Nichols
Library tell the history of Kansas
City’s African-American culture.
An entire semester of original
student research culminated with
the Dec. 8 opening of “Bar-BQue, Baseball and Jazz,” an exhibit
prepared by students in Dr. Pellom
McDaniels’ history class.
Each student chose a topic
relating to African-American
history and culture in Kansas City
between 1914 and 1938.
Topics varied from black
churches, schools and civic
organizations to fashion and
popular culture.
The realities of segregation
may seem unthinkable to college
students living in the 21st century,
but for the rural Southern blacks
relocating to Kansas City and other
industrial centers during the Great
Migration, segregation was life.
Establishments, both public
and private, were designed to keep
blacks and whites separate.
Vol. 79, Issue 16
Former Chiefs player scores as UMKC professor
Teresa Sheffield
In the early 20th century, Kansas City’s African-American population surged as blacks moved from the rural South to industrial cities
in the Midwest and Northeast, known as the Great Migration. As a result of segregation, a vibrant culture emerged at 18th and Vine
and in surrounding neighborhoods.
Photo by Nathan Zoschke
Restrictive covenants forbade
blacks from living in white
neighborhoods.
The East Side neighborhoods
around 18th and Vine housed
the city’s rapidly-growing black
population. 18th and Vine quickly
became the cultural center of
Kansas City’s black community.
As the community grew, its
culture flourished.
Neither
Prohibition
nor
the Great Depression seemed
to particularly affect Kansas
City. Under political boss Tom
Pendergast, both gambling and
drinking went unpunished.
Jazz flourished and helped put
Kansas City on the map.
Chuck Haddix, Director of
the Marr Sound Archives and
co-author of “Kansas City Jazz,”
described the pivotal role of the
music genre.
“Kansas City was one of four
cradles of jazz,” he said. “It evolved
from ragtime to bebop in 20 years.”
Four distinct styles influenced
Kansas
City
jazz, Haddix
explained: ragtime, blues, brass
band and bebop.
Ragtime piano, lacking the
improvisation of other jazz styles,
Stuart Hinds, director of the Marr
Sound Archives at Miller Nichols
Library and co-author of ‘Kansas
City Jazz.’
Photo by Nathan Zoschke
was popular into the `20s, which
gave rise to blues, and eventually
big band performances with
improvised solos.
By the late 1930s, artists like
Charlie Parker were improving
at jam sessions late into the night
with other artists.
Musicians like Parker and
Count Basie gained widespread
fame and renown, helping spread
the popularity of Kansas City jazz
to other cities.
In baseball, the Kansas City
Monarchs prevailed as the longestrunning franchise in the Negro
Leagues. It also managed to send
more players to the major leagues
than any other major league team,
take two Negro World Series titles
and 13 league titles.
Municipal
Stadium,
near
18th and Vine, housed both the
Monarchs and the Blues, Kansas
City’s white baseball team.
Likewise,
Kansas
City
barbecue originated in the same
neighborhood.
Arthur Bryant’s, which opened
in 1930 four blocks from Municipal
Stadium, has remained as one of
few original businesses remaining
near 18th and Vine.
The incessant gambling and
boozing came to a halt when
Pendergast’s political machine fell
apart in 1938.
As nightlife waned and
Kansas City’s black community
decentralized, 18th and Vine began
to deteriorate. For decades, the
neighborhood was badly neglected
before redevelopment efforts in the
`90s, led by former Mayor Emanuel
Feature|9
Jan. 9, 2012
Cleaver II
Today, Kansas City residents
can experience a slice of history by
visiting the district’s American Jazz
Museum, Negro Leagues Baseball
Museum or one of several jazz
clubs.
Stuart Hinds, Director of Special
Collections at Miller Nichols
Library, has worked closely with
students from the beginning of the
semester to prepare the exhibit.
“It gives people a really strong
sense of context of how things
were before and how they got to be
where they are now,” Hinds said of
the exhibit.
Hinds said students conducted
exhaustive research through the
LaBudde Special Collections at
Miller Nichols Library, the Kansas
City Public Library’s Missouri
Valley collections and the Black
Archives of Mid-America.
“We’ve had nothing but positive
feedback,” Hinds said. “My favorite
aspect was watching the students
put it together. It’s always gratifying
to expose students to these unique
materials. It was a really nice
opportunity for everyone involved
to collaborate.”
[email protected]
Dr. Pellom McDaniels played for the Chiefs from 1993 to
2000. Now, he teaches at UMKC full-time as an assistant
professor of history. A scholar of American Studies, Black
Studies and Sports and Masculinity, McDaniels’ uses his
diverse interests in an interdisciplinary manner.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
Staff Writer
When an NFL player has the title
of “professor,” it’s usually to laud his
successes on the field or it’s a facetious
nickname. In the case of UMKC
assistant professor of history, Dr. Pellom
McDaniels, it’s because he actually is
one.
“I’ve had a love affair with Kansas City
it seems since I moved here, especially
the history and baseball and jazz and the
community,” McDaniels said. “I played
for the Chiefs yes, but I found myself
more a part of the community.”
Originally from California, McDaniels
played football at the University of
Oregon, where he graduated in 1990
with a degree in communications. His
first job out of college was at Proctor
and Gamble, where he worked for a year
until he quit after deciding not to give
up on his dream of playing professional
football. McDaniels became a freeagent, and after a few years ended up in
Kansas City where he played defensive
end for the Chiefs for seven years.
While in Kansas City, he had a talk
show on Metro Sports and started his
own business selling a dental hygiene
product, which he invented and later
sold the patent.
When McDaniels retired from
professional football in 2000, he decided
that at the age of 31 he wanted to go
back to school and study history.
class called “Bar-B-Que, Baseball and
Jazz,” where he assigned the class to
make an exhibit that is now on display at
the Miller Nichols Library until Jan. 29.
“I told them well you know, we don’t
have any papers, I don’t give you any tests
or exams; what you do is you’re going
to build an exhibit,” McDaniels said.
“We’re going to provide the community
with a way in which to look at itself, to
understand itself and we’ll do this in all
of 12 weeks. The students did a great
job.”
The exhibit focuses on the influences
of barbecue, baseball and jazz in Kansas
City, and highlights McDaniels’ handson style of teaching that incorporates
the Socratic Method.
“I’m interested in cultivating thinkers.
I’m interested in having students
question why things are the way they are,”
McDaniels said. “I think if anything, my
students are more important to me than
anything else.”
McDaniels is the author of two
books and is currently researching his
third book about a 19th-century African
American jockey, which he hopes to
finish within the next five months.
“I may be a faculty member who is
teaching and a Ph.D., but you know I
feel like a student all the time because
I’m always learning, so it’s the perfect
place for me, perfect occupation,”
McDaniels said.
[email protected]
Fall semester history class research project
evolves into Miller Nichols Library exhibit
Ericka Chatman
Staff Writer
Students in the class taught by Dr.
Pellom McDaniels III began their
research as soon as class began and the
requirements were stated.
“On the second day Dr. McDaniels
said, ‘The honeymoon is over.’ I said,
‘Well, I want a divorce,’” said senior
Tiffany Dorris.
The exhibit focuses on the history of
African American social, cultural and
political life in Kansas City from 1914 to
1938. It captures and showcases how life
was in the 18th and Vine district during
that time.
The exhibit began as a project
to understand the origins of three
Kansas City institutions (barbecue,
black baseball and jazz). It became an
exploration of the various struggles,
successes and failings of a people, which,
when combined, provide a historical
perspective on the evolution of Kansas
Patrons attend the opening of ‘Bar-B-Que, Baseball and
Jazz’ at Miller Nichols Library on Dec. 8.
Photo courtesy of Miller Nichols Library
“While I was playing I was still
learning in the off-season. I actually
attended and was part of an online
course at UMKC for a master’s degree
in history,” McDaniels said. “I’ve always
read and always had this desire and need
to know how things happened, why
things happened, what makes people
do the things that they do, and so when
I finished playing in the NFL I had a
number of options.”
McDaniels attended a presentation at
Emory University by Henry Louis Gates
Jr. and was so inspired, he applied to the
American Studies graduate program. He
was accepted in 2001 and left six years
later with a graduate degree and Ph.D.
in American Studies.
McDaniels returned to Kansas City
in the fall of 2007 and began teaching
at UMKC. His areas of expertise are
American Studies, Black Studies,
Sports and Masculinity, but he doesn’t
find himself bound to those specified
expertise.
“Because my work is interdisciplinary,
I think that the questions are boundless,”
McDaniels said. “When we have a
question that is a burning question you
can’t just look through one lens, through
one source. It should not be disciplinebound.”
This semester he’s teaching a graduate
course on biography and is teamteaching a cluster course on race in film
at the Tivoli. Last semester he taught a
City’s African American community
and the individuals who became part
of the city’s most marginalized group,
according to piece showcased at the
exhibit.
Research for the exhibit was done at
Miller Nichols Library, where students
utilized resources from UMKC’s
LaBudde Special Collections and Marr
Sound Archives. They also used previous
scholarly works, photographs, sheet
music and lyrics, personal accounts,
newspapers and census data.
Research was also gathered from the
American Jazz Museum, the Negro
Leagues Baseball Museum, the Kansas
City Public Library’s Missouri Valley
Room and the Kansas City Museum at
Union Station.
“The exhibit was one of the hardest
projects I’ve ever done,” Dorris said. “It
took a lot of hard work, research, and
long hours, but it is one of my greatest
accomplishments.”
The exhibit highlights a variety of
subjects, with titles such as “A Great
Migration,” “Kansas City Sound,”
“Kansas City Barbeque,” “The Black
Church” and “Lincoln High School.”
The exhibit also shows the history
of The Call Newspaper, which started in
1919. The paper at that time covered
local and national news and included
events held at local churches, centers,
and anything going on in the African
American community of Kansas City.
The Call is still one of the six largest
African American weekly papers in the
country.
“I conducted a lot of my research at
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum,”
Dorris said. “It was interesting learning
about African American baseball players
like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil.”
[email protected]
10|Arts & Entertainment
satire
Vol. 79, Issue 16
Mayan calendar-inspired New Year’s resolutions
heavy smoker quitting cold turkey or an over weight person
Nathan Zoschke
Production Manager/Copy Editor
If the Mayan calendar is correct, this year may be the best
of them all.
Typical New Year’s resolutions require a bit of agony, like a
dropping a few pounds at the gym.
This year, let’s forget all of that productive garbage. If the
world is going to end, let’s bring it on.
Most constructive New Year’s resolutions go nowhere as it
is, so to heck with them all. To even try would be an absolute
waste, because none of us will be around next year to care.
Forget credible journalism or helpful advice columns,
because none of these New Year’s resolutions will sound very
smart on Jan. 1, 2013, just in case you are still alive.
That being said, here are four New Year’s resolutions
designed with the end of the world in mind.
1. Start your own religion
What better way to make money than with a new religion? True, you could make millions as a mega church pastor,
but getting there takes years of theological study and seminary training. Unfortunately, we’re counting days, and you
don’t have time for any of that.
Instead, let’s take our cues from the great L. Ron Hubbard, who founded the Church of Scientology.
True, it took Scientology a few years to take off, but with today’s social media and mass communications, not to
mention the impending apocalypse, establishing a new religion should be less of a hassle, but could be even more
lucrative than ever before.
The son of a Navy sailor and schoolteacher, Hubbard left behind a $600 million estate upon his 1986 death. Even
more impressive, Hubbard did all of this without a degree, having dropped out of college as a young man.
Left: L. Ron Hubbard founded the Church of
Scientology and left behind a $600 million
estate upon his death.
Right: Sarah Palin as portrayed by ‘South
Park’ in ‘About Last Night.’ In the episode,
which aired after the 2008 election, Palin tells
supporters she will ‘run for vice president
again in 2009.’
Photos courtesy of Google Images
2. Secure the Republican VP nomination
What better way to ensure any doomsday prophecy is fulfilled than with another GOP commander-in-chief ?
Scared of the responsibilities? Don’t worry; your administration won’t even be sworn in.
You’ll just tag along for the media blitz and make a few sappy jokes about pit bulls and lipstick along the way. Tina
Fey might even rehearse a new comedy routine.
After all, in 2008, Sarah Palin proved that just about anyone can be the Republican VP nominee.
In GOP celebrity land, it doesn’t matter if you’re a small town mayor or former pizza company CEO as long as
you hate taxes… really, really, really hate taxes (especially for the rich). And Barack Obama.
3. Kill your credit score AND the environment
If the world is going to end, who needs electric cars, solar power or recycling bins? Don’t conserve, splurge!
Global warming should be the least of our concerns; however few there ought to be given our certain fate.
If you own a car that gets more than 20 mpg, consider trading it in for an eight-cylinder SUV or sports car.
We will most certainly die before we run out of oil.
The more expensive, the better. Don’t let those monthly payments deter you; as long as you can make it
through 2012, you’re golden!
Forget about the polar bears and other endangered species too. They’ll be going with us Dec. 31 anyway.
Left: The Lincoln Navigator gets 16
mpg combined. Its starting MSRP is
$57,775. Who can’t appreciate such
pragmatism and frugality?
Right: It’s alive! Well, barely at least.
Harold Camping falsely predicted
the world would end- twice- in 2011.
Photos courtesy of Google Images
4. Create a new Doomsday prophecy for a different year
You plan meticulously for the world to end, but wake up hungover on Jan. 1, 2013.
If you followed steps one through three, you are now more than likely partying it up in your brand new Range
Rover anxiously awaiting the generous tithes of your proselytes to support your opulent lifestyle.
But there’s a glaring problem: everyone thinks you’re a lying hypocrite, and your presidential campaign was a huge
flop.
Your best option is to come up with a new end-of-the-world prophesy and convince everyone else to believe you
this time around.
It worked for Harold Camping and all the other end-times prophet, at least for a while.
[email protected]
Arts & Entertainment|11
Jan. 9, 2012
series review
‘His zit cream is
making him loco’
Left: Napoleon steps out angrily into his living room when he discovers the zits the gas station chicken gave him.
Right: Pedro offers his advice to his agitated best friend Napoleon.
Johanna Poppel
Photo Editor
The new animated series, “Napoleon
Dynamite,” will be airing on FOX on
Sunday, January 15. Two episodes will be
premiering; “Thundercore” at 8:30 p.m. EST
and “Scantronica Love” at 9:30 p.m. EST.
“Napoleon Dynamite” brings me back to
my middle school days in 2004 when my
friends and I would repeat the lines and
accents of the quirky comedy film featuring
John Heder as an oddball, nerdy high school
student. He has a dysfunctional family and
an eccentric, awkward set of friends who
experience misadventures living in the small
town of Preston, Idaho.
I always thought “Napoleon Dynamite”
was a thing of the past. After a few years
“Napoleon Dynamite” has made a comeback
that includes the same unique cast from
the movie but now in cartoon form. “The
characters of Napoleon Dynamite they are
so timeless. It is the perfect setup for an
animation series,” said Heder, the voice of
Napoleon Dynamite.
The fun, unique and awkwardly awesome
crew will be sure to make you laugh again.
Some of the cast includes: Napoleon
(Heder); Pedro (Elfrem Ramierez), a
new-to-town stereotypical Mexican who
befriends Napolean upon arriving, Deb
(Tina Majorino), a shy girl whose passions
are photography, what she considers fashion
and a love for Napoleon; the impatient and
adventurous grandma (Sandy Martin); and
my personal favorite, Kip (Aaron Ruell),
the soft-spoken older brother that still lives
at home. He speaks with a sharp lisp and
feminine flair. His only concern is to chat
with hot babes on online dating websites all
day. You will also see Tina the llama, Unlce
Rico and Rex.
Along with the new adventures the show
brings, some new characters will be added as
well. The first episode features guest voice of
Amy Poehler as “Misty” and the second has
Photo courtesy of Google Images
Jemaine Clement as “Professor Koontz” and
Jennifer Coolidge as “Mrs. Moser.”
It is endless what you can do with
Napoleon’s character. The first episode
starts with his family having a meal of gas
station fried chicken and Kip and Napoleon
fighting again. There are new quotes from
Napoleon, such as, “Kip, quit hogging all
the good breast meat.” Kip responds with,
“Napoleon, I already called this, baby.” Soon
you will see Grandma spraying a six-pack of
abs onto Kip for his next hot date he met on
the internet. Napoleon has to buy zit cream
to heal the rash the gas station chicken gave
him. The zit cream offers some rather strange
side-effects that make Napoleon lustful with
disastrous powers. With these disastrous
powers, Napoleon accidentally steals one of
Kip’s women he met online, right after Kip
drops the line, “Grandma, here is the cowgirl
that finally tamed this wild stallion.” You will
have to check out the first episode coming
up this Sunday to catch these random bursts
of humor.
The show’s executive producers are Jared
and Jerusha Hess, who wrote and directed
the original film, as well as directing “Nacho
Libre” and “Gentlemen Broncos.” Producer
Mike Scrully’s work consists of “The
Simpsons,” “Everybody Loves Raymond”
and “Parks and Recreation.” The animation
is done by Rough Draft Studios, which
has provided us with works such as, “The
Simpsons Movie” and “Futurama.”
The show incorporates fun and awkward
humor that pokes fun at aspects of modern
society and an American middle class small
town. I must admit, seeing this show in
a cartoon leaves the show to become too
random. Although, I would recommend you
tune in this Sunday to see the show. I had
some good laughs and the show brings the
same quirky, funny humor that is reminiscent
of the popular “Napoleon Dynamite” movie.
[email protected]
12|Arts & Entertainment
Vol. 79, Issue 16
classic movie review
‘You’re not blind; you’ve just got blood in your eyes’
Cult Classic: Why are
they important?
M
any cult films enjoyed by various audiences permeate pop culture and are responsible
for a vast array of references. Cult films usually attract a small or specific audience,
so many habitual movie-goers aren’t familiar with notorious cult titles. Though
oftentimes derogatory with language and humor, cult films in the late 80s and 90s were
unarguably progressive for their time. Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick are notable
directors who typically produced cult movies. Our goal here is to unearth some of the greatest
cult titles that you may have heard about, but never got around to watching. Next time you
plan a movie night, reconsider re-watching your favorite film and substitute it for a classic cult
movie that reformed the film industry.
Mal Hartigan
************************
Lindsay Adams
News Editor
From the opening lewd roundtable
analysis of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and
the argument about tipping waitresses to the
final four man stand-off, “Reservoir Dogs” is
electric, comical and gritty.
Six crooks who are complete strangers
are hired to pull off a jewelry store heist.
Instead of using real names; instead they
are codenamed Mr. White, Mr. Blue, Mr.
Brown, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Orange and Mr.
Pink. When the job immediately goes south,
it becomes clear that one of them is a snitch.
They are left in a warehouse trying to figure
out which one ratted out the job. The movie
escalates as the tension between the men
builds to the breaking point.
They have no proof which one is the rat,
but as Joe Cabot, the mob boss that hired
them says, “You don't need proof when you
have instinct.”
The film is very stylized. The slow-motion
walk toward the camera to the rock strains of
“Little Green Bag” of the six criminals, boss
Cabot and his son, “Nice Guy” Eddie, during
the opening credits is one commonly copied
in more recent films. The tiny flashback
segments of the heist are sharp and in
constant motion.
The violence, however, is anything
but stylized in the film; it is real. From
Mr. Orange slowly bleeding out on the
warehouse floor filled with coffins, to the
infamous ear scene, the violence is graphic
and disturbingly realistic.
The violence and dark lewd humor plays
a jarring, yet classic counterpoint to the DJ
K-Billy's narration during the "Super Sounds
of the Seventies" weekend on the radio that
is played throughout the film. The film touts
a brilliant soundtrack with classics like, Blue
Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling,” Bedlam’s
“Harvest Moon” and “Magic Carpet Ride.”
Many of the songs I am unable to hear on
the radio without picturing the scene they
correspond to in the film. After watching
this film, listening to “Stuck in the Middle
with You” will never be quite the same.
The cast is filled with brilliant actors:
Harvey Keitel as Mr. White, Tim Roth
as Mr. Orange, Chris Penn as “Nice Guy”
Eddie, Eddie Bunker as Mr. Blue and
Lawrence Tierney as Joe Cabot. Steve
Buscemi kills as Mr. Pink, a character that
Quentin Tarantino intended to play himself
until Buscemi auditioned for it. Tarantino
acts in the film as Mr. Brown as well as
directing and writing. The film helped to
jumpstart Roth and Buscemi’s careers. Both
were cast again in Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.”
This is the film that created one of the
scariest and most magnetic psychos of film—
Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen. He
can slowly torture a victim, which he admits
is for the thrill of it, and then ask, “Was that
as good for you as it was for me?” He slices off
a man’s ear and then holds the disembodied
ear and talks into it in front of his victim.
Its obscure pop culture references cement
it among great camp films, from “The
Partridge Family,” to Madonna’s “True Blue”
to Mr. Orange’s protest to “I'm trying to
watch 'The Lost Boys'!”
“Reservoir Dogs” was also one of the first
major independent films. It had a budget of
only $1.5 million, and the budget was only
that high due to Harvey Keitel’s involvement
as a producer and actor.
This film has been vilified and deemed
mediocre by many critics and hailed as
a masterpiece by Tarantino fans. It has
been on lists of the most dangerous and
most influential films. While not very high
grossing in its opening release, the film was
a huge hit in Britain and has noticeably
influenced directors of crime capers there.
This film is striking on its own merits,
but it transcends that to become a classic.
“Reservoir Dogs” has a special sort of
nostalgia to the viewer now, knowing this
was Tarantino’s first movie, and the one that
first started the beautiful odes to violence,
kitsch and the “f ”-word that have become
trademark of Tarantino films.
[email protected]
Above: One of the posters
for “Reservoir Dogs.” The film
was the first to have seperate
character posters.
Right: Harvey Keitel as Mr.
White (standing) suspects
Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink (on
the ground) of being a rat.
Photos courtesy of Google Images
The boys strut down an alley in the stylish, classic opening credits.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
Arts & Entertainment|13
Jan. 9, 2012
Let me tell you what I think:
Happy New Year’s resolutions
Teresa Sheffield
Staff Writer
Rules are made to be broken, and so are
New Year’s resolutions.
“May all your troubles last as long as
your New Year’s resolutions,” comedian Joey
Adams said.
It’s a new year, baby. Father Time is dead
and gone and Baby New Year is too busy
hitting the gym to mourn him.
It’s resolution season, so moms expect more
phone calls from their children, treadmills
expect the cobwebs to be cleared, cigarettes
expect to see the lining of a garbage can and
bosses expect their employees to secretly look
for better jobs behind their backs.
Statistically, according to Time Magazine,
there’s a 50 percent chance you made a New
Year’s resolution. You probably chose one of
the most popular resolutions: losing weight,
exercising, quitting smoking, reducing debt
or spending more time with family.
There’s also a 50 percent chance you didn’t
make one at all.
“Many years ago I resolved never to
bother with New Year’s resolutions, and I’ve
stuck with it ever since,” Dave Beard said.
If you did and you’ve already broken one
of your resolutions hopefully you made
another one to not to get disappointed with
failure. But don’t worry; you’ve got plenty of
undisciplined company.
According to www.proactivechange.com,
by this time next month only 64 percent of
people will have kept their resolutions and by
this time in June, only 46 percent of people
will have kept their resolutions.
That percentage isn’t exactly impressive,
but it’s the number that resurfaces each
year. Year after year, 54 percent of people
give up on their goals and wonder why we
make resolutions anyway. According to Dr.
John Norcross, a clinical psychologist and
professor of psychology at the University of
Scranton, we can blame it on the Romans.
“It begins with history,” Norcross said.
“Worshippers in ancient Roman times
would offer resolutions of good conduct to
the god Janus, the two-faced deity looking
backwards and forwards. And since that
time, it’s become a socially-sanctioned time
where the plate is clean and everyone has a
new opportunity.”
According
to
www.psychcentral.com,
humans don’t make resolutions because
they’re masochists who like to see themselves
fail. They make resolutions because it feels
good to start over and begin anew and
humans intrinsically want to become better.
“Most of us have a natural bend toward
self-improvement,” psychologist Dr. John
Duffy said.
It’s easy to start the year starry-eyed and
optimistic, but it’s a little tougher four weeks
into it when those doughnuts you’ve been
resisting start to look really good. Most of
us wouldn’t accept failing so miserably at
anything else in our lives, so why do we fail
with our resolutions?
“They’ll fail because they’ll eventually run
out of willpower, which social scientists no
longer regard as simply a metaphor,” John
Tierney said in the New York Times. “They’ve
recently reported that willpower is a real
form of mental energy powered by glucose
in the bloodstream, which is used up as you
exert self-control.”
According to psychologist Roy Baumeister,
exercising willpower in large amounts can
result in “ego depletion.”
When you completely cut yourself off from
things that you want, that stringent regimen
can result in mental fatigue and make you
quit all together.
Instead, experts say it’s better to ration
your willpower. Be realistic with how much
self-control you have and direct it towards
one specific goal at a time. It’s also important
to reward yourself when you succeed.
“If you use willpower only to deny yourself
pleasures, it becomes a grim, thankless form
of defense,” Tierney said. “But when you use
it to gain something, you can wring pleasure
out of the dreariest tasks.”
According to Time Magazine, it’s better
to have resolved and failed than to have
never resolved at all. The success rate of 46
percent of New Year’s resolvers suddenly
looks spectacular when compared to the
only 4 percent of people who succeed in
accomplishing a goal after not making a
resolution.
“Contrary to widespread public opinion,
a considerable proportion of New Year
resolvers do succeed,” Norcross said. “You
are 10 times more likely to change by
making a New Year’s resolution compared
to non-resolvers with the identical goals and
comparable motivation to change.”
It’s easy to be cynical about New Year’s
resolutions because it’s not easy to change.
It’s hard to look at yourself and decide you
don’t like what you see. It’s difficult to wake
up every single morning and consciously do
something your body doesn’t want to do.
It’s easy to rationalize, procrastinate and be
apathetic. At the same time, it’s easy to look
in a magazine or at someone else’s life and
resolve to not be you.
“We spend Jan. 1 walking through our
lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work
to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this
year, to balance the list, we ought to walk
through the rooms of our lives not looking
for flaws, but for potential,” journalist and
author Ellen Goodman said.
An unpolished diamond may be rough,
but its flaws don’t take away from the fact
that it’s still a diamond.
[email protected]
The Yawpers make savage sounds from the rooftops
Mal Hartigan
Copy Editor
The Yawpers, a three-piece band from
Boulder, Co., released their first short-length
album Nov. 29. Only five songs in length,
but not claiming EP status, “Savage Blue”
attempts to provide song quality rather than
quantity.
With original and intriguing artwork, a
clean cover design and an interesting band
name, The Yawpers are sure to draw your
attention for one reason or another.
If you’re not familiar with the term
“yawper,” never fear; it isn’t commonly used
in ordinary conversation. When typing
the word “yawper” into Google Chrome, it
insisted it wasn’t a word, but www.dictionary.
com provided the standard definition: “to
shout, cry, or talk noisily.” If you’re still
curious about where this word emerged,
you can thank Mr. Whitman for that. The
Yawpers’ Facebook explains where the band
name came from: “[The Yawpers are] named
after Walt Whitman’s promise to ‘sound my
barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.’”
This well-read, literary-savvy trio begins
with “Jesus Car,” emitting subtle hints of
country in the instrumental guitar intro.
This isn’t the twangy, whiney country you’d
expect from a band called “The Yawpers.”
Nate Cook, the lead singer, doesn’t sport a
Southern accent and whine about how his
tractor broke down.
The Yawpers defy a listener’s traditional
notion of country and almost reform the genre
with rough, unmelodic vocals. Unmelodic
shouldn’t carry a negative connotation,
however. He may not swap pitches frequently
enough to be considered an incredible singer,
but he certainly isn’t talentless. The driving
back-beat makes it easy for any listener to
bob his or her head, and the recurring guitar
line is original and likeable.
If occasional profanity is reprehensible
in your book, this may not be your ideal
album. “Jesus Car” has a momentary curse,
but it’s tasteful nonetheless. This is the most
innovative and enjoyable form of country to
which I’ve ever been exposed.
The second song, “Heart on a String,”
keeps the driving tempo of the five-track
album, plowing ahead with exciting guitar
lines. The acoustic lays the foundation for the
chords, and another guitar layers over it with
a more melodic guitar line.
During the chorus, Cook repeats (or rather,
shouts), “I’ve got your heart on a string,” just
as the title suggests. It’s an enjoyable tune
with enough variation on the guitar to make
it interesting.
“Angel Wings,” the third track, keeps the
gruffly characteristic vocals. There’s more
twang in a few guitar lines in this song, but
it’s expertly executed; any country fan would
appreciate this album, and non-country
fans like myself would consider themselves
halfway converted to the genre.
This song features an instrumental break,
again highlighting easy-going guitar lines.
A pleasant bass line also sees an opportunity
to shine through. “Angel Wings” may not
be an uppity and feel-good as the previous
two tracks, but it’s still musically interesting
nonetheless.
“Runner,” the fourth song, slows down the
tempo and provides an acoustic intro over
which Cook layers his vocals. His singing
ability is demonstrated more heavily in this
song compared to the gruff shouts heard in
the first few songs.
Vocally, this song is undoubtedly the
strongest and the most pleasant. Shouting
would undo the pleasantry of the gentle
acoustic and various percussion instruments
clanking in the background, and Cook is
certainly intelligent for recognizing that.
The last track, “Worthless,” picks the
tempo right back up to speed. Clapping is
featured in the background on top of rapid
and steady guitar, along with quarter notes
on the bass pedal. These qualities provide
the grounds for an ambitious and fun-loving
tempo.
With only a five-track album, The Yawpers
have nearly reformed the country/indie
genre as a whole, melding them together
and creating a stunning hybrid as a result.
Even with a minimal number of songs, The
Yawpers were able to demonstrate steady and
innovative guitars, gruff and original vocals,
flawless tempo fluctuation and the necessary
ability to stand out from the vast crowd of
blossoming musicians.
Instead of tossing together mediocre
melodies, basic acoustic chords and a
questionably tone-deaf singer characteristic
of emerging bands today, The Yawpers stand
a fighting chance for the band’s talent to
surface. It undeniably takes talent for a band
to mix and mold genres together while still
converting fans who are partial to neither
genre.
[email protected]
14|Roo Views
album review
Vol. 79, Issue 16
‘People and Things’ too breezy to be memorable
Lindsay Adams
News Editor
“People and Things” is Jack’s Mannequin’s
third CD. The band features vocalist
Andrew McMahon, who was the frontman
for Something Corporate, guitarist Bobby
Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner
and drummer Jay McMillan.
The album is pleasant and breezy, but
doesn’t break a lot of new ground, nor is it
especially ambitious. It is content with being
an easy listening take on the rock genre. There
isn’t much that distinguishes it from other
rock albums. It is a nice album to listen to
while driving with its simplistic rock/pop
melodies and harmony. It is a stripped look
at relationships without the overblown tropes,
instead using simple structure.
The instrumentation is an interesting mix
of string ensemble, acoustic and electronic
intertwining within a single song.
“My Racing Thoughts” is an upbeat song
with introspective lyrics. The contemplative
lyrics, however, tended to stick squarely with
the surface thoughts referenced in many pop
songs. The lyrics, for the most part, fall into
unassuming, unelaborate rhyming schemes.
“Amelia Jean” and “Hostage” sound light
and pleasant, but aren’t exceptional. “Racing
Thoughts” is a little more memorable than
some of the songs that follow it; many
seemed to use it as an outline and attempted
to replicate it. This causes a repetitive feel to
the album. “Release Me” cranks up the tempo
and has a catchy feel. There is a lot more range
from vocalist McMahon as well as a nice
use of rhythm, piano and bright major key
harmonies.
“Television” has a strong driving beat
during the chorus, but falls into repetitive
vocal harmony and instrumentation. The
lyrics are better since they aren’t quite as neatly
structured, but are not particularly striking.
In the track “Amy, I,” the bridge and the
verses try to spice up the arrangement with
different rhythm. However, in the chorus, the
vocalist expresses how he has “never felt this
way before.” Unfortunately, we’ve all heard
these lyrics before. The language in the lyrics
is realistic, but too familiar to be considered
innovative.
“Hey, Hey, Hey” allows for a stronger vocal
feature with a focus on the lyrics and melody,
with a featured background of melodic piano
and also with steady drums and less repetitive
vocal harmony. It is also the first song on the
album with lyrics that I found compelling,
and a convincing emotional connection
between the lyrics and the singer.
The album continued in a stronger vein with
“People, Running.” The lyrics were memorable
with a strong drum beat and interesting
electric shading to the instrumentals.
“Platform Fire” proves Jack’s Mannequin
does better when the band isn’t trying too
hard to be hip and instead sticks with what
it’s good at. McMahon’s vocals shine with less
hectic, poppy backgrounds, especially when
the melodic strains of electric instrumentation
complement his voice rather overpower it.
“Restless Dreams” and “Casting Lines” have
a decidedly somber and subtle feel to them,
without being depressing. “Casting Lines”
again shows how much potential and skill is
behind the album, with a stronger portrayal
of the emotion behind the song and the Jack’s Mannequin treads familiar ground in “People and Things”
Photo courtesy of Google Images
importance of the meaning of the story being
told. It is quite the inspirational finish to the
album.
Dashboard Confessional does a lot of what
Jack’s Mannequin seeks to achieve. Dashboard
Confessional has less electric additions, but
brings vulnerable lyrics rather than frail ones,
with compelling story and sensation rather
than mere sentiment.
“People and Things” is an easy listen with its
mellow rock instrumentation. It is gone with
the breeze, but leaves a pleasant memory.
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Roo Views|15
Jan. 9, 2012
DISCLAIMER: U-News is the official newspaper of UMKC, however, we remain an independent student newspaper. The views of individual writers do not represent the
publication or university as a whole. All university students are given an opportunity to join and participate in U-News.
Tips to lose weight in the new year
Here we are again at the beginning
of a new year. People bubble over with
spirits of motivation and determination
as resolutions assure a bright, promising
12 months. The top three resolutions
I’ve heard so far are:
1. get my life right with God,
2. spend more time with family, and
3. lose weight.
While I definitely can help with the
first two resolutions, it’s the last one
that has proved most popular and is
also at the top of my own list. Since I
had my son last September, I have lost
14 pounds. I smile at the statement, but
I still have 20 more pounds to go. I’ve
learned a lot concerning what to eat and
what I need to avoid. For starters, lay off
the fast food. McDonald’s, Burger King,
Wendy’s and Taco Bell are all big nono’s. I don’t care how cheap it is; the price
you pay may be great for your wallet, but
it’s also vile for your body. Re-learn how
to cook fried foods. Try oven-frying
instead of pan-frying or use extra-virgin
olive oil instead of any other kind of oil.
To oven-fry chicken, pre-heat the oven
to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a pan
with extra virgin olive oil. Season the
meat, and then roll it in whole wheat
flour. Place the meat in the oven for 45–
60 minutes. The downside: oven-frying
does not work on fish. The upside:
baking fish is much tastier, quicker and
healthier anyway. Pre-heat the oven to
350 degrees. Simply paint the top side
Kharissa Forte
of your fish of choice
with extra virgin olive
oil and season it with onion powder,
garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper
and basil. Cook it in the oven for 15–25
minutes and enjoy. Take note of the
seasonings I mentioned: onion powder,
garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper and
basil. These are the essential seasoning.
Using powder instead of salt (unless it’s
sea salt) keeps sodium levels low. This is
optimum because sodium retains water.
As a result of water retention, weight is
gained. Price Chopper has an amazing
selection of healthy seasonings just for
$1 each in the dollar section of the
store. Speaking of water, we all know
the old eight cups a day rule. In weight
loss land, however, 16 cups of water a
day is ideal. Measure your cups, too.
Most household glasses hold two cups
of water as does bottled water. Waking
up early to eat a good breakfast breaks
the fast sleeping created. That’s why
it’s called “break-fast.” This is when
consuming the most calories possible is
done. Go to www.freedieting.com/tools/
calorie_calculator.htm to see how many
calories you should eat and drink every
day. As I mentioned in a previous article,
calories are literally units of energy. So,
put good energy into your body (fruits,
vegetables, nuts, etc.) instead of bad
energy (junk food, pop, fast food, etc.).
I was a big time snacker. Luckily, there
is a delicious alternative to junk, the 100
Calorie packs that have all of my favorite
options (Cheez-Its, brownies, chocolate
covered pretzels and more) packaged up
in perfect portions. Another guilt-free
snack is Kellog’s Special K cracker chips.
It’s 27 chips for 110 calories? That’s
amazing! Most chips only have half the
serving size for about 200 calories! For
my soda lovers, try Mio, a calorie-free
liquid water enhancer. Mio comes in
tons of different flavors and one bottle
flavors 18 cups! If you need that fizz, try
adding Mio to sparkling water and –
abracadabra – you have pop! Oh, I could
go on all day about teaching different
tips, tricks and recipes, but I suppose
this is enough for now. Until next week.
[email protected]
Only three semesters in to
college, but I have already been
to three different colleges.
I graduated from Leeton
High School in May of 2010.
My first semester after high
school, I moved 100 miles
south and went to Missouri
State University (MSU) in
Springfield. It was a great
school with tons of campus
events that were always widely
Kara Hart
advertised.
The campus and community
were very accepting of everyone and their crazy quirks, and
it seemed that every culture, background and lifestyle was
accounted for. Although the official demographic report
will probably reflect differently, it seemed there was a large
population of students who came from outside the United
States. It really felt that everyone I met was from a foreign
country.
I originally chose MSU so I could study musical theater,
but after some deliberating, I decided to choose a more
viable path and started studying journalism.
My parents had also made a move after I graduated
high school, but it was 65 miles in the opposite direction
to Kansas City. Your first year in college is hard enough,
but moving so far away from your parents and not knowing
anyone else on campus makes things even harder.
After a semester away from my family, I was homesick
and was ready to move closer to them. I transferred to
University of Central Missouri (UCM) in Warrensburg,
which was somewhere in-between the friends I had grown
up with and my family, so I had plenty of people close by
that I could visit often.
UCM was also a good school, but there were very few
campus events and they weren’t well advertised, so I never
knew about them until after I heard someone in class
talking about it. Also, the majority of the students weren’t
very accepting of people who were different than them;
it was much like high school with its cliques. I definitely
thought I wasn’t ever going to have to deal with them after
high school.
Still, I was feeling bored and alone. For those reasons,
along with some breakup issues, I moved in with my parents
and transferred to UMKC, only a 20-minute drive from
home.
I found it particularly hard to get involved in campus,
being a commuter. The level of activity on campus, in my
opinion, falls somewhere in the middle between my two
previous colleges, but I have experienced that most of the
events either occur while I’m in class, or after I’ve left the
campus.
The diversity of the UMKC campus and population
also fall somewhere in the middle, not quite as diverse or
accepting as MSU, but nowhere near as close-minded as
UCM.
My favorite thing about the campus is the Swinney Rec
Center, although after many self-promises, I still haven’t
managed to test the pool. I also like the food on campus,
especially Chick-fil-a and Einstein Brothers, but it’s
missing the Taco Bell that UCM had.
My favorite university was MSU. I loved the atmosphere
and the acceptance. UMKC is a great place too though,
and I am glad that it’s close to my family. I think it will be
much better this semester compared to last, now that I am
involved in something.
[email protected]
word on campus
Johanna Poppel
Photo Editor
sudoku
Did you think the winter break was long enough?
Mal Hartigan
Arts and
Entertainment
Editor
Michelle Meiman
Copy Editor
“What break?.”
“Even if it was two
months, it wouldn’t
be long enough”
Lindsay Adams
News Editor
“Hell no!”
Kharissa Forte
Forum Editor
“Yeah because if it
is too long we will
get out of the swing
of things.”
Kara Hart
Assistant News
Editor
“My nephew that is
in elementary school,
goes back to school
a week after we do.”
Jeremy Van Ryn
Video Editor
“No, I wish I had
more time to
crochet.”
U-News!
[email protected]
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