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Volume 126 Issue 102
Monday, April 7, 2014
kansan.com
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Presidential candidates Kevin Hundelt of Crimson & True, Morgan Said of Grow KU and MacKenzie Oatman of Jayhawkers sat down for their Student Senate elections debate Thursday night.
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Mitchell Cota, Jayhawkers vice presidential nominee, spoke at the debate Thursday night. Vice presidential candidates addressed platform-specific questions prepared by student journalists.
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
AMELIA ARVESEN news@kansan.com
For most of the student presidential and vice presidential candidates running in this year's election, Thursday night marked their first debate experience. Each of the presidential candidates admitted to being nervous, but remained composed and articulated their goals.
Even after the cameras stopped rolling and audience members began to leave, the questions weren't over. The Kansan caught up with presidential candidates Kevin Hundelt of Crimson & True, Morgan Said of Grow KU and MacKenzie Oatman of Jayhawkers to talk more about the debate.
Do you think you were able to genuinely represent yourself as a candidate and as a student?
KH: I hope so, but I'm not perfect. There are some times at the beginning when I thought, "Dang, I should've said that when I was speaking." I hate that, but I think for
the most part I talked up my strengths, but also made the audience aware of my weaknesses, and that's what being a leader is — to be that front man to lead and motivate.
MS: Honesty is the best policy. I'm not trying to be a politician. I'm just trying to do the right thing and my team is too, which is why we work so well together because it isn't political for us. It's very black and white.It's very, "this is wrong and we can make it right." We feel that it's our job as students and stewards of the University to move forward with these ideas and make sure the student body gets to benefit.
MO: I think we focused on issues more than personal qualifications. I don't feel like this necessarily showed me as a student very well. I feel like this was more targeted toward initiatives and feasibility questions, but that's the most confusing thing. We can put an infographic up on Facebook that has a title, but nobody probably reads what's under it and that's a two sentence description anyway. It was a really good opportunity to clear up some of those misconceptions.
is there something you wish you had said differently?
AN: This isn't an individual effort, this is a group effort. I am one person. I've got, like, eight people behind me that are doing more work than I am, and they're doing awesome. I think I should've recognized them for that.
MS: Lots of "ums." That's what I always notice. I would've liked to discuss more about our individual platforms from all sides — even the other coalitions. I haven't gotten to hear their full pitches either, so it would've been interesting and exciting to hear what they're working on from their end and see how they all stack up.
MO: I think it's better to have a positive campaign and never go negative, but I would definitely say that we've drawn out a timeline over our one year to make sure that we can have
all this happen, even though obviously, we can't anticipate road bumps.
What was the most memorable part of Thursday night?
KH: It all happened so fast, I felt like I just walked in. I really liked listening to people's stories and everyone's individual backgrounds. It really stands out to me and shows the passion that everyone has. I want everyone to win, but this is a
competition.
MS: When you're sitting at the podium speaking to a room of 100 people and you lock eyes with familiar faces and people on your team and they're nodding at you because they're excited about what you're saying, it's so rewarding. It makes you feel like you're doing something right and it brings this team feeling and family feeling. That's what I'll take away — remembering
that these aren't my ideas, but I get to represent these ideas on behalf of my entire team.
MO: Being someone who sat in this room their freshman year, I remember looking at the student body president then, and it just really came full circle more so in this moment than any other time during this whole process.
Edited by Cara Winkley
CAMPUS
Student excited about future after mental illness recovery
EMILY DONOVAN news@kansan.com
Kate Cowger wants to brag about how productive and capable she feels.
I can't just go up to people and say, 'I got out of bed today. Isn't that so cool? Did you know I'm in school? That's awesome,' she said.
Cowger has struggled with mental illness since she was 8 years old. Now a sophomore from Topeka, she gets good grades and is involved in student organizations like KU Active Minds and the Commission on the Status of Women.
"I'm really excited about the direction my life is going, and I'm so proud of myself for being excited," she said.
more responsibilities she had, Cowger felt more overwhelmed. She didn't have close relationships. Without noticing, she would go weeks without talking to friends like Rachel Hagan, which would confuse and upset them, causing her to withdraw further.
She started displaying symptoms of depression at the age of 8. She felt unmotivated and isolated. It was hard for her to connect with people.
"I was jealous of people who could get excited," she said.
The older she got and the
Anorexia was about control. It was something she could empirically measure — something she felt she was good at.
Cowger wanted something that she could be good at.
"I felt motivated to do it.
"I felt so detached and unmotivated that I wanted to just cut off completely and disappear."
KATE COWGER
Topeka sophomore
She used to not be able to get excited about anything.
"There were a lot of times when our relationship was uneven when she was ill and we both resented it — probably her more than me," Hagan said.
Cowger was doing poorly in school. Watching her friends' enthusiasm about future plans, like becoming a marine biologist, she felt like she was ruining her life.
which was so different," Cowger said.
At the age of 14, she decided to lose weight. Anorexia wasn't about losing weight to look attractive and get attention. She wanted to disappear by making herself as small as possible.
"I just felt so bad," she said. "I felt so detached and unmotivated that I wanted to just cut off completely and disappear."
Cowger liked to test how long she could go without eating. If she planned out not eating until Saturday and messed up, she would punish herself by nothing but three Ritz crackers and a glass of water a day for a week.
When Cowger would try to get out of bed in the morning, she would lose vision for 30 seconds and her ears would ring. She'd have to sit still before she could stand up. She felt a sense of accomplishment from being shaky and light-headed throughout the day.
"I interpreted it as meaning I was doing it right," she said. She liked feeling empty. It made her feel clean.
Cowger went to a small high school with only 28 people in her class. Cowger said she was underweight and very sick. Everybody knew.
"It was very obvious that I was not doing well," she said.
CRYPTOQUIPS 5
OPINION 4
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
SEE HEALTH PAGE 7
Kate Cowger, a sophomore from Topeka, has struggled with mental illness since she was 8 years old. Now, Cowger gets good grades and is involved in different organizations at the University.
CLASSIFIEDS 13
CROSSWORD 5
KU ACTIVE MINDS STUDENT ORGANIZATION:
https://www.facebook.com/KUactiveminds
Index
COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES APPOINTMENTS:
(785) 864-2277
SPORTS 14
SUDOKU 5
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:
1 (800) 273-8255
Don't Forget
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
Student Senate elections are on Thursday.
Today's Weather
A few showers in the morning with scatter thunderstorms later.
therefore
HI: 63
L0: 41
Fo' drizzle.
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