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FACE OF THE STREAK: ROUND TWO MATCHUPS CONTINUE, VOTE ONLINE AT KANSAN.COM
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
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Volume 128 Issue 111
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
kansan.com
Two professors hired to create new center focused on immigration
ALLISON CRIST
@AllisonCristUDK
The University recently hired two sociologists who will lead the way for the creation of a migration and immigration studies center.
Victor Agadjanian and Cecilia Menjivar are both distinguished professors at Arizona State University, and they will begin planning the center this fall.
At this point, it is unknown whether or not an entirely new building will be built, or if the center will be placed with an already existing building. The name for the center is still under consideration as well.
The need for this center comes from Bold Aspirations, the strategic plan that aims to improve the University as a whole. An aspect of the plan calls for growth in the area of human migration and immigration, as well as human trafficking. This center will be dedicated to researching in these areas.
Menjivar
QUICK HITS
In addition to Agadianian and Menjivar, the University will hire two foundation distinguished professors this year to fulfill the plan.
1. The University is creating a center that will be dedicated to researching migration and immigration.
2. Two Arizona sociologists have been hired to create the center.
3. The planning and implementation of the center will begin next fall.
David Smith, chair of the sociology department, said the center will satisfy the plan and allow people at the University to address issues of public concern.
"In the spirit of the Bold Aspirations plan, the issues associated with immigration and migration are not just relative to us, but worldwide," Smith
said.
The center is in its earliest stages of planning, and Smith said the two professors will think carefully on how to proceed with its implementation. Nonetheless, the two professors are in an agreement that the process will be fully participatory, meaning that they will welcome input from both students and faculty.
"They are both extraordinarily accomplished sociologists," Smith said. "Their geographic specialities differ when it comes to research, which allows them to cover a
lot of ground."
Menijvar has done extensive research regarding migration, specifically focusing on those immigrants that are U.S.bound from Central America. She has published six books, ranging in topics from Latin American women to Salvadoran immigrants in America.
"I've examined both how immigrants adapt to living in the U.S. and the problems many face when crossing the southern border to enter the country." Menijivar said.
Menjivar said she thinks this center will be beneficial because of the Kansas' location.
"It's easy to find immigration studies centers on the coasts, but to have one in the center of the country is important," Menjivar said. "It will provide a different angle and shed light on relevant issues."
Menijvar said she is looking forward to collaborate with the faculty here at the University to provide a space for people to focus on important issues.
Agadianian is also looking forward to collaborations.
"I'm excited to build this new center which will hopefully be an important place for new ideas to generate," Agadjanian said. "I want to focus on the migration process and broadly define it while relating it to every other aspect of human and social life."
Agadianian hopes to work with experts from a wide variety of disciplines to really look at migration and immigration from a broad perspective.
"Every place is affected by migration," Agadjanian said. "It's an increasingly global process, so it's important to find solutions to the problems and challenges of this process."
Agadjanian said he is ready to move to Lawrence.
"I've heard a lot of good things about the University's faculty and student body, but especially the life in Lawrence," Agadjanian said.
Edited by Valerie Haag
University research finds motivation behind small college athletic donations
SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolNews
A study by a group of University researchers found that donations to small NCAA Division III or National Association Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) athletics programs are largely motivated by rewards gained from donating, rather than a sense of giving back.
"It was more of a transactional relationship instead of this very relationship-based thing."
JORDAN BASS Graduate student
Jordan Bass, a graduate student at the University and assistant professor of health, sport and exercise science, researched the topic with University doctoral student Rebecca Achen and Brian Gordon, a student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
The study also showed why people choose to donate and why they choose to stop donating to their programs.
"We thought it would really be 'I want to give because I
have a strong attachment to the school,' that's what we've seen in the literature before," Bass said. "It was more of a transactional relationship instead of this very relationship-based thing."
Bass said the difference between funding for large schools like the University of Kansas and smaller Division III and NAIA schools lies in the consistency of funds and size of staffs.
Although the research focused on small schools, the team's discoveries highlighted the process of donations and revenue at larger schools as well.
"A school like KU has money consistently coming in from bowl games or [the NCAA Tournament]," he said. "Those are going to be consistent sources of revenue and these schools have a lot more expenditures."
Bass said at some of the small schools he researched, the school's sports staff would only consist of four people who weren't coaches, like sports information or marketing directors.
Because the schools have fewer resources than Division I schools, money that comes in from donations is much more valuable. But Bass said
QUICK HITS
1. The University group's study found that donations to small collegiate athletics programs are no longer based on one's affection toward a college.
2. Donations are more essential to a small college's funding than a large Division I program.
3. The study found that people stop donating because of an inadequate return on their investment in the university.
the reason people donate is changing.
"I have been shown that my love is only as deep as my pockets," one respondent wrote for the study, according to a University press release, acknowledging the idea that many donors feel like the schools don't care about them and only care about the donations they make.
The press release also said "benefits of giving, from touring facilities to something as simple as receiving a branded license plate frame, were the most cited reasons people liked giving. They also discussed the positive feeling of helping and being affiliated with the university as top benefits."
The study found that one of the reasons people stop donating is they don't receive
enough return on their investment. Among the reasons people donated were better seats for season tickets or gifts from the university. Bass said these benefits could also be small things like license plate covers.
According to the release, there are ways to win back donors and they can be small.
The study focused only on small donors, because large donors tend to get more attention and be less difficult to keep donating.
"[The reason people donate] has changed over time," Bass said. "You don't really have to give to be associated now. We can just follow from afar and have this connection without having to have a physical show that [a fan is] associated with a university."
— Edited by Chandler Boese
TONY GUTIERREZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Schneider, former coach at Stephen F. Austin State University, will replace Bonnie Henkinson as coach of the women's basketball team.
Brandon Schneider hired as women's basketball coach
DYLAN SHERWOOD
@dmantheman2011
Kansas Athletics announced Monday that Stephen F. Austin State University coach Brandon Schneider has been hired as the new women's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, after SB Nation and the Lawrence Journal World published multiple reports on Sunday.
"Brandon is an excellent fit for Kansas," KU Athletics Director Sheahan Zenger said in a press release.
Schneider will be officially announced as the new coach at a press conference at 10 a.m. today at Allen Fieldhouse.
Neiderle just finished his fifth season at Stephen F. Austin, where the Ladyjacks won back-to-back Southland Conference regular season championships. Following their 2014 regular season championship, Neiderle guided the Ladyjacks to the Women's Basketball Invitational championship games, where they were the runner-up. In 2015, the team lost in the first round of Southland Conference Tournament, but qualified for the Women's NIT, where they didn't make it past the first round.
During his time as coach at
Stephen F. Austin, Schneider combined an overall record of 108-49 in his five seasons. His best was the 2012-13 season, when the Jackrabbits were 28-2 and 17-1 in conference play.
During Schneider's tenure at Emporia State, his team qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament 11 times, made it to the Final Four twice and won the whole tournament in 2010.
His father, Bob, was also a successful coach in the world of women's basketball. He won more than 1,000 women's basketball games in a coaching career that lasted 43 years. In 1988, he coached West Texas A&M to a Division II National Championship game.
The Kansas position is not Schneider's first coaching job in the state of Kansas. Prior to Stephen F. Austin, Schneider was the coach at Emporia State. He spent 12 seasons at Emporia and produced a 306-72 record, making him the winningest coach in program history.
"We are confident that Brandon's teams at KU will display the same tenacity and competitiveness that his teams showed at Emporia State and Stephen F. Austin," Zenger said.
- Edited by Chandler Boese
Student wins Truman Scholarship, receives call from chancellor
University student Ashleie Koehn was chosen as the University's 18th Truman Scholar on Wednesday. According to a University press release, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little told Koehn the news over a Skype call. Koehn currently studies Russian and economics in Kyrgyzstan.
"At first, I thought she was just calling to congratulate me on the Udall [Scholarship]." Koehn said. "It had a surreal quality, being here in Kyrgyzstan and taking a break from helping my host family ... to Skype with the chancellor."
Koehn is a junior from Burns, studying environmental studies, global international studies and economics. She plans to work toward a Master of Science in Environmental Economics.
The Truman Scholarship, totaling $30,000, is a prestigious scholarship awarded to select students across the country who plan on attending graduate
PUZZLES 6
SPORTS 10
Nominations for the Truman Scholarship start at the university level with professors and advisors who interview the best candidates. The best candidates' applications are then sent to a regional committee who will select the finalists. There are usually one or two winners per state.
OPINION 4
A&F 5
"It is truly an honor to be included in the Truman community and I am looking forward to meeting all of the other scholars during orientation," Koehn said.
school.
According to the Truman Foundation website, Koehn is a Staff Sergeant at the Kansas Air National Guard, runner and mandolin player.
"Joining the Guard was the best single decision I have ever made and I am so grateful for the support and mentorship I have received from this great organization," Koehn said.
Koehn hopes to attend the London School of Economics after graduation for its environmental economics program that focuses on climate change.
CLASSIFIEDS 9
DAILY DEBATE 7
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