Volume 126 Issue 54
Monday, December 2, 2013
kansan.com
ON THE AIR
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Senior Michael Engelken from Overland Park works for "Live @ KJHK" Engelken hosts and helps produce the weekly show that airs every Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
PRIME PRODUCTION
Student host of popular KJHK show surprised by success
CODY KUIPER
ckuiper@kansan.com
Michael Engelken almost quit working for KJHK his freshman year, but the station manager convinced him to stick around and apply for a paid-position at the station. Three years later, that decision has proven to be a great one, as Engelken finds himself the creator and host of a national award-winning show for the student-run station.
"I was a freshman and I just didn't feel very involved," he said. "Then the boss-man offered to pay me and make me production director, so I'm glad I ended up taking that."
bands and stuff for that show when they would have people on, and I just started thinking: "I could do this every week," he said. "So I mentioned to my boss I wanted to start making these videos, and he was totally cool with it."
The senior from Overland Park hosts "Live @ KJHK," a weekly program that features live performances from local and touring bands every Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
will send them to me or sometimes I'll be able to email him and tell him I need someone, and he always comes up with good stuff for me."
The station then put about $3,000 into more camera and
"Live @ KJHK" has turned into an unexpected success for Engelken. Since its first airing, the show has become a staple in the KJK lineup and has garnered
Not only does Engelken serve as the host of the show, he also books the bands, sets up the equipment, video tapes the performances and interviews the performers.
Engelken served as production director of an old program on the station called "Plow the Fields," which used to feature a live band on air once a month, but Engelken saw an opportunity to make it a more common occurrence.
"Somebody in every state has watched our videos too, so it's encouraging and you know you're doing something right."
"I was in charge of mic-ing the
MICHAEL ENGELKEN
Senior from Overland Park
sound equipment and the show made its first weekly airing in August of 2012.
Engelken spent the early days of the show doing all of the preparation and production himself, but since then, Engelken has gathered a small team of staff members to assist in the production of the show. His featuring of local talent also led to a relationship with Rolf Petermann, who operates Lawrence music collective Whatever Forever Tapes and continually supplies the show with new local bands.
"They send a lot of good artists my way," Engelken said. "Whenever he finds somebody good, Rolf
national recognition, winning the award for Best Regularly Scheduled Program from College Broadcasters Inc. in November. Engelken said he's been contacted by alumni throughout the country who want to express their interest in the show, and his work even led to an internship in California with a documentary production company.
Preparation for the 7 p.m. show begins an hour before they go on air, when Engelken and his staff begin to set up microphones, amplifiers and sound boards in the station's studio in the Kansas Union.
The 30-minute show begins with
a performance from the featured band in the KJHK studio, which is filmed by Engelken and other KJHK workers, followed by an interview with the artists. The show airs live on air and the video portion is posted to the station's website shortly after.
Engelken regularly checks the video statistics on the show's Youtube channel, which has nearly 100,000 views, and said the number of viewers and reach of the show continue to shock him.
RELIGION
"There's even people listening in other countries. There's 6,000 views in Canada and the U.K., so it's just crazy" he said. "Somebody in every state has watched our videos too, so it's encouraging and you know you're doing something right."
One of the students who helps produce the show is Mason Kilpatrick, a sophomore from Hutchinson who has been tapped as Engelken's replacement as the show-runner next year. He said he's interested in the technical aspects of the show that Engelken has mastered, but that wasn't the most important reason for him joining the show.
"The way this is structured, with the station being student run, is
SEE KJHK PAGE 3
Campus offers community for student growing in faith
Junior Laisa Alcantar expands and deepens her Catholic beliefs
ASHLEIGH TIDWELL atidwell@kansan.com
This story is the first in a weeklong Kansan series on religion. Check tomorrow's Kansan for a story on Judaism.
As a child, church on Sundays, taking communion and saying prayers were all part of a routine that Laisa Alcantar didn't feel connected to.
Since coming to the University, she has found a deeper understanding of the routine that defined her childhood. Her experience here has given her a deep connection with God that she didn't have before. Alcantar said it has allowed her to grow in her faith on a personal level.
There was a time when Alcantar would fall asleep on her mom's shoulder during Mass or spend the time daydreaming, rather than listening to the prayers. She remembers wanting to be anywhere other than the hard, uncomfortable pew.
Raised a Catholic, Alcantar knew the steps and went through the motions. She knew the rituals were important, but she didn't grasp their significance until recently.
Alcantar, a junior from Garden City, now finds the words of the homily to be comforting and encouraging. Rather than passively sitting through Mass, she takes the priest's message to heart.
"I actually go to church because I want to now, not because I have to. It has taken on a whole different meaning to me," Alcantar said. "It really puts me at ease and brings inner peace."
It's not at all what she expected to get from her years at the University. She said she had expected a typical college experience, consisting of late nights and new experiences. However, she said she gained something much more lasting.
It has been tough for Alcantar to balance her religion and her schoolwork, as both are considerably time-consuming. She said the varying Mass times offered at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center allow her multiple opportunities to worship.
Religious students often encounter ideas that challenge their own beliefs inside and outside of the classroom. Alcantar said this range of beliefs found on campus serves as an opportunity to learn from others.
In the two and a half years since moving to Lawrence, Alcantar has seen herself change as her faith grows. She has a new outlook on life and she isn't worried about the small stuff.
"I've been able to take the negatives in my life and switch them around and see them as a learning experience," Alcantar said.
"I really don't stigmatize them, I try to see from their point of view
To help adapt her religious views and practices into the collegiate realm, Alcantar turned to the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center. She attends Mass every Sunday and has become more involved with the Center and the Catholic community through various activities at the Center. One thing that has truly helped Alcantar to connect with God has been the student-organized retreats taken every semester through the Center. Alcantar said the retreat is an opportunity for any student of any faith to reconnect with God. For Alcantar, it was an enlightenment that completely changed the way she lives her life.
and respect their beliefs," Alcantar said. "I just try to keep an open mind."
These retreats are called Koinonia, which is Greek for "community." Father Steve Besseau of the St. Lawrence Center describes them as welcoming retreats to create a tight-knit community of students at the Center.
"It's a powerful experience. Everyone takes it in differently but it's great to see how much love for God there is," Alcantar said. "If I wouldn't have gone to that retreat my freshman year I don't know where I would be now."
Junior Laisa Alcantar sits inside the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, located near Daisy Hill. Alcantar is a religious student who found her faith while in college.
SEE RELIGION PAGE 3
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS 11 CRYPTOQUIPS 5 SPORTS 12
CROSSWORD 5 OPINION 4 SUDDUK 5
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
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