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Volume 126 Issue 75
kansan.com
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
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SENTIMENTS ON SOCHI
WINTER OLYMPICS
University professors talk security, politics and conditions of the 2014 Olympics
KATE MILLER
news@kansan.com
After the first week of the 2014 Winter Olympics, social and political issues surrounding the games have received international attention. Security, President Vladimir Putin's politics and inadequate housing for journalists are at the height of the Olympics scrutiny. University of Kansas professors at the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES) gave insight on some of these issues.
Sochi security
sians are not alone in attempting to contain these threats. Gerald Mikkelson, a professor of CREES, explained that international forces are joining together to provide security for these games, creating a safer environment for all involved.
Visiting Fulbright scholar and professor Dr. Valery Khan, an Uzbekistan native and Korean-Russian, said security is as
and they are demanding their rights and equal treatment, and they are much farther away from getting that than they are in the United States." Khan explained that the anti-gay legislation is not as severe as Western media has portrayed it to be. The laws specifically refer to "pro-gay propaganda" that can reach children. "This is not an anti-gay law"
"This is not an anti-gay law,"
Security is as vital as ever in these Olympic Games, with attacks in surrounding areas and reports inspiring an increased level of security for airlines into Sochi. However, security concerns may not be as threatening as they appear to be.
"If anything, Sochi unites the Russians...It stirs up their patriotism and nationalism."
MARIYA OMELICHEVA associate professor and director of CREES
"Of course, there will be lots of security concerns, but there is no way to assess the magnitude of the threats," said Mariya Omelicheva, associate professor and director of CREES. "The threat is real, but it has definitely been exaggerated by the media. No one can say exactly what the level of threat will be."
The biggest current threat to the games is the group Imarat Kavkaz in Russia, which has publicly announced its plans to disrupt the Olympics in some way. In addition, concerns about explosives hidden in toothpaste and cosmetic containers have arisen out of declarations from a Chechen rebel extremist leader and CIA detections of "chatter." The Rus-
difficult to measure in Russia as it is anywhere else in the world.
Political controversy
Another area of concern for international viewers is Russian President Vladimir Putin's anti-gay legislation. These strict laws have inspired boycotting by some organizations, while others have blatantly flaunted their support for gay rights, such as Greece's rainbow-fingered gloves in the Olympic opening ceremonies and Google's pro-gay rainbow Olympic doodle on the opening day of the games. These protests have had little effect on Puin's stance on homosexuality.
"The Russian parliament is particularly sensitive and paranoid about the whole business of gays," Mikkelson explained. "There are lots of gay people in Russia, as there are everywhere else in the world,
he said. "It doesn't mean that gays cannot participate in the Olympic Games. If you're an adult, you can do what you want, but you have no right to make that kind of propaganda among children. There is no discrimination."
Khan explained that the situation of gay people in Russia is not as drastic as it appears.
"If you come to Russia, on the street, everywhere, you can see [gays,"] he said. "There is no problem. It is an artificial problem, I guess." Omelicheva explained that Putin has actually become more popular among Russians because of these games; despite what negative press the international media have been giving him. "If anything, Sochi unites the Russians around this project," she said. "It stirs up their patriotism and nationalism,
and actually improves Putin's rankings, because he comes across as a strong man who is able to stand up to the Western media's criticisms. He hasn't had this level of approval among Russians since his first couple of years as president." Mikkelson also said the Russian people see the Sochi Olympics as a way to reclaim their status as a major player in international politics. "One of the most important reasons, in the Russians' minds, when they started making plans for the Winter Olympics was to, number one, re-establish Russia's prestige in the world. Russians have a kind of inferiority complex when it comes to being compared with the United States, particularly."
Housing and construction concerns
Part of this media criticism has arisen out of the inadequate living conditions of international journalists covering the games. Photos and videos of unfinished hotel rooms in Sochi have flooded Twitter, even inspiring the account @SochiProblems. Omelicheva said the subpar housing for journalists is partly due to the migrant workers who built these new hotels. Their work ethic — a cause of the unfinished hotels — is a direct result of their small salary, which is still more than they could hope to earn in their hometowns. Mikkelson said the housing
SEE SOCHI PAGE 2
SOCHI Q&A
Egor Agafonov is a native Russian and current MBA candidate at the University of Kansas. Agafonov was born in Tolyatti in the Volga River region, moved to the U.S. in 2006 and graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University in 2009. He competed for the Kansas track and field team, earning a national title in the hammer throw. After returning to Russia for three years, he returned to Lawrence to further his education.
- Egor Agafonov
Q: As an athlete and a Russian, what is your opinion on the political and social issues surrounding the Sochi Olympic Games?
A: I'm trying not to concentrate on them. I know that there's always some noise around any athletic events. Personally, I'm trying to support the athletes, because I know how hard it is to qualify for the Olympics, and it's their holiday, so they should enjoy their presence over there. It's an honor to be able to compete for their countries.
A: They are showing their best performances. Hopefully, they can improve later on and that's why Russians are looking towards ice hockey, because that is one of their biggest sports for Russians. So that is what everyone is expecting--for the Russian team to do well. That's going to be the most important event for Russians.
Q: How do you feel about Russia's performance and how the Russian athletes are presenting themselves so far in the games?
Q: What would you say to KU students who may not be getting the full picture of the Sochi Olympics?
A: They should support their countries and cheer for them. It's an event that happens only every four years, so it's very,very unique for athletic competitions.
NATION
CVS to stop selling cigarettes, tobacco
DARCEY ALTSCHWAGER
news@kansan.com
Beginning Oct. 1, 2014, CVS pharmacy will stop selling all cigarettes and tobacco products nationwide in more than 7,600 of their stores.
"It's the right time and the right decision to remove cigarettes and tobacco products from our store shelves, positioning us for a growing role in the health care delivery system," said Larry Merlo, president and CEO, in video statement released on cvs.com.
CVS estimated that it would lose about $2 billion dollars in sales from customers that enter the store to buy cigarettes and tobacco products.
Ashley Hrabe, a junior from Salina, is the founder of Breathe Easy At KU (BEAK), an organization that "promotes a healthy environment for all through a tobacco-free KU." The organization has administration and faculty support and is currently trying to gain student support for its initiative through student petitions. Its goal is to make the University a tobacco-free campus by July 1, 2015.
"To make a campus tobacco free, the policy would include not allowing the use of tobacco products on campus so that would include anything from cigarettes to chewing tobacco," Hrabe said.
University policy states that smoking is prohibited inside or within 20 feet of any building on campus. Anyone who violates that law could face a fine between $100 and $500.
Hrabe said that the program began with a slow start but is now picking up speed and recently received a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to help pursue the organization's efforts. Hrabe hopes that CVS no longer selling any tobacco products will start a trend in the tobacco industry. She also feels that CVS's program will help her own efforts on campus.
"I feel like they are definitely going to be a strong influence on [tobacco use] not only at KU but also in the Lawrence community," Hrabe said. Carlos Calderon, a freshman from Leavenworth, has been smoking for the past year and a half. Calderon said on average he smokes about every three
BROOK BARNES/KANSAN
or four days but is trying to cut back because he is feeling the negative effects of shortness of breath and a bad cough. Calderon usually buys his cigarettes from a gas station or the CVS located on Iowa Street, but is still supportive of the action CVS will be taking against selling cigarettes and tobacco products.
"It's really good that CVS is getting rid of cigarettes because it's saving lives," Calderon said. "I smoke but I don't advocate for it. It's horrible and if I could take it back and not have started smoking I totally would and I recommend nobody start."
Although Calderon thinks that CVS no longer selling cigarettes and tobacco products is a step in the right direction, he thinks that it will be difficult to wipe out all cigarettes and tobacco product sales. "The FDA can try all they want, but smokers will still have their way."
Edited by Austin Fisher
CVS pharmacy will stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products nationwide, beginning Oct. 1, 2014.The company stands to lose an estimated $2 billion dollars in sales.
Facts from American Lung Association
1. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals.
2. About 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking.
3. Among current smokers, chronic lung disease accounts for 73 percent of smoking-related conditions.
4. Men who smoke die 13.2 years earlier than men who do not smoke.
5. Women who smoke die 14.5 years earlier than women who do not smoke.
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 5
CRYPTOQUIPS 5
OPINION 4
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 5
6. Smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer related deaths.
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
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