Written Work

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Spring break, the one full week that students at the University of Kansas look forward to the second-half of the spring semester every year. While most students need the time getting away from their textbooks, they look forward to telling their stories of what they did when they return.

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However, what students were not expecting this year was all their stories being the exact same: a global pandemic.

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Students at the University of Kansas are now eager to return to campus, but the question remains if the they will feel comfortable being on campus like before.

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According to the Lawrence Journal-World, the university announced on May 1 that they are optimistic and planning on allowing students to return to their campus but will conduct a custom modified five-step process to return for this upcoming fall. The university, however, did not express a set timeline of when that plan would take place.

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“If we are allowed to go back to campus, I really want to,” said Will Baker of Topeka, Kansas. “If they judge that it’s safe to go back, then I’ll trust that judgement, but I’m just really missing being on campus for school. Doing online classes doesn’t compare at all to being there.”

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To find out how students really felt about the university’s announcement, 22 KU students who plan to attend the university in the Fall 2020 semester filled out an anonymous voluntary survey this past week, and 19 of the students, or around 86%, said that they would feel at least somewhat comfortable being on campus if the university gives the green light to return.

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The survey also polled that 14 students, or around 64%, said that the fear of COVID-19 would affect their interactions with other students and faculty on campus. However, in contrast, 41%, said they will not able to do the Fall 2020 semester fully online.

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Currently the state of Kansas has over 7,900 confirmed coronavirus cases and around 180 COVID-19 related deaths according to The New York Times. Although, despite the unknown timeline given from the university, some students feel that the current online coursework is not its own blessing in disguise.

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“It’s just crazy how much less you learn when you’re not in a hands-on environment or you don’t have someone right there guiding you,” said Parson Covington of Glenwood, Iowa. “It’s harder to have motivation online, but even with motivation you just don’t learn as much through a computer screen as you would in person".  

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Students are finishing up their online spring semester this week, but with no for sure say on an in-person fall semester yet, some students might have to think of alternatives for their academic plan, but others could stick it out for the time being.

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“I haven’t thought about it a ton. I personally will probably stick with what my plan is now, and when I was planning on graduating,” Baker said.

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The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic is something that colleges or universities have never experienced in their history before, but the chance to improve the experience of a post-secondary education for future students is a consideration that could be made.

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“I think this also just gives them an opportunity to reevaluate how they do everything on campus. It really gives them a chance to think if the things they were doing before were the right way, or if they can improve on them if something like this would happen again, or just even in normal life how to better interactions on campus,” Covington said.

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Until a vaccine is mass distributed across the nation, the topic of the pandemic will still be in the back of minds for many, thus affecting how students face interactions with their fellow peers.

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“I don’t really know what that would look like, but I definitely might not be quite as social, I guess. Maybe a little bit more just hanging out in the room, and not going to a lot of huge group events,” Baker said.

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The world has overcome pandemics in the past, and while it might take some time to resolve, the stories we can all tell in the future will always be remembered.

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“I think in like 20 years we’ll look back on this and just laugh about how crazy it was,” Covington said.

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Studies have shown over time that the majority of college students change their major at least more than once by the time they graduate. There are numerous reasons why this occurs, but for a lot of those students who do change majors, they go down the path to later realize that their goals of that degree had more obstacles or challenges than they initially thought.

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Independent filmmaker and former KU Professor, Jon Niccum, has also gone down similar paths to changing his major many times, but that never stopped him from doing all the multiple passions he still had. 

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“I took a circuitous route. I went to KU and got a degree in film because I wanted to write about film, but while I was doing that my pursuit was music. I was playing in bands trying to get a record deal,” Niccum said. 

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Like most young adults, the dream of becoming a musician is very common, but Niccum says that over time he realized that vision was extremely far away from becoming a reality. 

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“I got away from it only because of age. The last full-time band I was in was when I was 33, and at that point I was kind of like “I’m done, that’s for 20-year-olds,’” Niccum said. 

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The chance of being in a band may have been his childhood dream that didn’t work out. However, Niccum says the real passion and comfortability he found was through writing and cinematography, and in college he discovered another dream opportunity, but that dream also made him strive for more than he comprehended. 

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“My dream job in college was the film critic at the Kansas City Star, and in 2011 I got hired as the film critic at the Kansas City Star, and you know what it wasn’t enough. The dream was not fulfilled right there,” he said.  

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Niccum says he while he isn’t working full time in a newsroom currently, he still writes on occasion for the Kansas City Star, but mostly focuses now on bringing that writing talent to the movie theater in screenwriting and producing. 

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“I’ve written a ton of movies and that got me into producing, and we just a had a movie I produced called “Big Fur” that was at Slamdance this year and got bought from that. All the writing just kind of ties together, it doesn’t even matter what the medium is. Whether it’s screenwriting, writing a book, or writing an article, to me it’s all just writing,” Niccum said. 

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After working in a newsroom and many other different environments for many years, Niccum says from his experience that he figured out the secret of how to write with both speed and quality.

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“What I’ve found is the fastest way to write is when no one else is involved. I remember the first screenplay that I ever wrote that got made was when I rode on an airplane from L.A to K.C. It was a shorter film, but it was done, and we pretty much shot that version of it,” he said.

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Niccum notices many young journalists at the college level are eager to learn and secure a job coming out of school, but when asked for advice, Niccum says he warns those of one thing on his list to not get trapped in.

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“The number one thing out of the entire list is there comes a point where you got to stop doing stuff just to pay your dues, and you need to get paid. Cause it’s really tempting as a young journalist to do stuff for free just to get your name and byline out there,” he said.

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From starting out with a vision of being a musician to now creating and producing films, Niccum believes that his identity has been viewed differently by people over time. Although in his view, he says all those things he has accomplished are simplified and define him in one word.

 

“For so many years, I was known for being a musician, I mean that was who I was. Writing has overtaken my identity now. It defines me at this point. All the stuff I do, my personal business card says one thing: writer”.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo spoke to the media once again today, providing another daily brief over the coronavirus updates in the state.

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New York has continued to be the largest hotspot of coronavirus cases in the United States, leading the total number of cases by more than double than the next closest state: New Jersey. The state has also reported it has witnessed its largest single-day death count of 731 people, raising the death total to 5,489 people across the state. 

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“Total number of newly hospitalized is up from yesterday,” Cuomo said. “But when you look at the three-day averaging of these numbers, the three-day average is moving down, which is good news.”

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He also added, “right now we’re projecting that we are reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations… again this a projection, it still depends on what we do, and what we do will affect these numbers.”

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Cuomo said the NYS Department of Health has developed and approved antibody testing. Permitting the FDA’s approval, patients will have blood tested to see if they carry the antibodies. Those antibodies will determine if one had the virus but is now immune from it and will not be able to catch the virus again. 

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Before leaving the conference, Cuomo added he will issue an executive order today that will include the addressing of ventilator redistribution, fines and everything that has been discussed up to this point. 

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The nation-wide pandemic has now reached just a little over a month, but the Governor says that the number of cases will keep continuing to drop if the practices are kept.  

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“I know it’s been a frustrating 37 days, but it’s only been 37 days,” Cuomo said. “Social distancing is working… that’s why you see those numbers coming down”.

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For many Kansas residents, summer is a time where students are away from school, and some families take vacations driving thousands of miles across the country.

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However, for road construction workers, summer involves a hard helmet, thousands of pounds of concrete and a whole lot of sweat.

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“Summertime seems to be where all the road construction starts happening,” said Lawrence resident Cameron Piercy.

Many residents like Piercy have probably pondered the same thought: Why does road construction happen more often in the summer than any other seasons?

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One of the main culprits is asphalt.

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“For transportation and highway projects, the construction is mostly either asphalt or concrete,” said Leroy Koehn, district engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). “It becomes difficult to get meaningful production, or quality of construction when the weather gets cold. Typically, construction activity falls off quite noticeably between late November and late March or early April.”

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For asphalt to be laid properly in road construction projects the temperature must approximately be between 220-290 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature reaches below 185 degrees Fahrenheit, the asphalt stiffens and would have to be torn up and laid again.

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As road construction activity decreases, many drivers call workers to fix one thing quite more often than others: potholes.

“We physically go out and inspect our road sections every year and give it a rating. We use a system called PMI, or a Pavement Management Index rating,” said Nolan Packard, engineering inspection coordinator for the Douglas County Public Works. One hundred is the highest rating, with most of our roads ranging from a score between 65-80. As the road deteriorates over time the score gets lower and lower, and when it gets to a certain score, we go fix it.”

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Oftentimes, weather can also be a determining factor to how much quality of roads can even be fixed, which can delay the quality to a future time frame.

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“Sometimes that’s just the nature of potholes, and how we patch them,” said Greg Schieber, director of project delivery for KDOT. “If it's during the winter sometimes that material or what's available at the time to patch in those conditions is really just to try to get us through, but the hope would be that during the summertime when it's hotter we can do a more permanent sense.”

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For younger drivers, however, patching later, may not be enough to prevent other unexpected expenses.

           

"I have worried before that roads in Kansas may hurt my vehicle,'' said KU sophomore Callie Nichols. “For instance, in western Kansas there are multiple potholes, as well as, large dips in my local city roads in southwestern Kansas.”

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Although, the state and counties cannot fix every pothole complaint that comes up, as they must pick and choose which projects are more of a priority.

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“Majority of projects have a set budget. We take it to the Board of County Commissioners to get approval to do the work, and they set the limit,” Packard said.

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The subcommittee report from The Kansas Department of Transportation says that in the fiscal year the state plans to spend $1.85 billion in expenditures and capital improvements for 2021. 

 

Unlike potholes, which sometimes require a quick fix, large projects for state highways and major roads take a bit longer of a process, but also come with a more major cost.

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 “Our projects normally are a two-year planning process. Some of our projects that we are planning right now will not be constructed until the summer of 2023,” Schieber said. “Some of our projects we consider like a preservation action. A half inch and half overlay would cost us around $125,000 per lane mile, and if you go thicker and heavier you’re talking $400,000-$500,000 per lane mile reconstruction, or possibly getting upward to $1 million to $2 million per lane mile,” he added.

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However, one of the expenses that isn’t accounted for in the budget that is a major complaint is turnpike fees.

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“I am from Oklahoma and we spend $80 per month on toll roads, and it keeps going up,” Piercy said.

 

Since 2009, the fee amount for class-two drivers paying cash at Kansas turnpikes has increased 47.5%.

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According to the Kansas Turnpike Authority, the reason why drivers are charged for using the turnpike roads is because the revenue is not through the budget set by the State. To keep them maintained regularly and to pay back bondholders who invest money into funding the roads, the revenue for turnpikes fees is applied to offset the expenses.

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It will be hard to tell if the current system of road construction and fees will change due to the increase of cost through supply and demand, but one thing is for sure, cars will be driving on the roads driving toward their next destination.

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Hundreds of wheelbarrows screech across the lawn carrying hundred pounds of dirt. Dozens of trimmers slash the hedges. Thousands of rakes brush up against the leaves. After all is said and done, nothing but a simple thank you.

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That is how The Big Event, the nation’s largest single-day, student-run service project, all started back in 40 years ago Texas A&M University in 1982.

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Since that day, multiple universities across the country have carved out a day to show appreciation to their local communities, and in Lawrence, Kansas especially, the saying of “once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk” is found to be extremely illustrious.

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“Lawrence serves KU all year in supporting not only students, but also its faculty and its staff; just creating this college town that we all know and love. That's first and foremost, why we do The Big Event,” said Jacob Hammil, Executive Director of the KU Big Event. “Our main goal is to connect members of the community to students. It's just a thank you to the Lawrence community, and to improve those connections within everyone,” he added.

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The Big Event has taken place every April at the University of Kansas since 2010, with the exception of last year’s cancellation due to the coronavirus.

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Approximately 400 volunteers will be out in the Lawrence community on April 17 ready to lend helping hands, but even though the event will be slightly different for 2021 because of the pandemic, the impact for community members still resonates as a blessing.

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“So this year since we are doing outside only jobs, anything in the yard that you can think of, we do. We've got a couple groups who are bringing in mulch or rock, and you know, they [community residents] can bring all this stuff in, but it's gonna take them four or five months to do it themselves. So we send a couple of students their way,” Hammil said.

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Julia Reeves, who currently is a volunteer recruitment coordinator for the KU Big Event, reflects on her past volunteering experiences at The Big Event in her first year coming to Lawrence, and was blown away how much this one event means to the community.

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“I know for me, when I did it my freshman year, it was really cool to see what we were doing was making a difference in the community and how much these people appreciated it. I think I went to a retired professor's apartment, and she was just so thankful. She just kept giving us snacks, and she was like, “I'm so glad you guys are here”. It was just really cool to see what this big event does and how it helps these people.” she said.

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However, for many college students, finding time to volunteer becomes much more miniscule of a priority as the early stages of pursuing a career progress.

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 A volunteer study conducted by the University of Maryland in 2015, found that college students between the ages of 20-24, were less likely to volunteer than other age ranges with a 17.3% volunteer rate than those who are between the ages of 16-19 with a 25.2% rate.

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The reasons of low volunteer numbers listed were due to the transitioning of adulthood and encountering important life events such as, choosing their own educational path, working for pay, and managing their own finances for the first time.

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Junior Gabby Spring, who has also served in The Big Event in past years, says that students that sign up for The Big Event can learn a lot from the experience, about the community and even about life, by just sacrificing only a few hours of a Saturday.

 

“I always recommend people sign up for The Big Event because it is a great way to build friendships and strengthen the connections within your community. The people I have served are always very nice and I learn a lot about Lawrence, and life from talking with them. Everyone is so grateful for the help and it's just a very positive overall experience,” she said.

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With thousands of college students stuck on their screens for school throughout the semester, Hammil says that The Big Event is a good way to get away from the stress and make a difference in the community, especially when this day is one of a kind.

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“We want people to have a zoom-free event to come out and actually do something. We're excited to kind of give those people that opportunity to relax and just go do some physical manual labor and help the community, so the best thing that I like to say is that we are a big event, we're not an event spread out over a couple of days, we're not available all year long, we are April 17,” he said.

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Many visitors stepped through the door on a rainy-day last Friday, March 12, to explore the new open exhibit at the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas.

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The exhibit, entitled Healing, Knowing, and Seeing the Body, serves to provide visitors an understanding of the human body of how it can be a universal point of connection, encourages one to learn about its own body in the different ways that it works, and to reflect on how people can care for the community through art in a relevant time of distraught.

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“The intention with any exhibition at the Spencer Museum is to use art as a way for people to connect with ideas and with one another. There is no right or wrong way to understand art. We hope that people who experience this exhibition will be able to make connections to their own bodies and lives,” said Elizabeth Kanost, Director of External Affairs.

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Students in the life drawing class at the University of Kansas also visited this new exhibit last Friday in hope to find inspirations for their upcoming projects of drawing body figures. 

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“I've always been very fond of trying to tell a story through art, and so I think that helped open my eyes a little bit to how other people tell their own stories through the body and their depictions of it,” Freshman Meg Overbaugh said.

Christine Olejniczak, who instructs the class, said that this exhibit gives her students a chance to look at the art in a different way than most people would.

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“It's an incredible opportunity for my students not only to look at historical and drawings [but] have to do with anatomy and more scientific kind of base to the drawings to contemporary work that has a more conceptual attitude," she said. 

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Other visitors not affiliated through the class said they thought the exhibit was even relatable to the situations that the world is currently facing.

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“It's interesting how this show is at this point in time with the virus and pandemic, and just people kind of reflecting on health and organs and how that is everything. It's interesting coming to the show at this time with our masks so that's pretty powerful I think,” visitor Athena Schumacher-Sutton said.

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The exhibit at the Spencer Museum is open to visitors who want to check it out on Thursdays through Sundays from         1-5 p.m. but will only be on display in the museum until May 16. 

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