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BRENT BURFORD AND GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Big Jay and Paul Quiglev, marketing representative, invite students to vote online for the 2013 Capital One Mascot of the Year. The winner receives $25,000 for mascot costume upgrades or equipment
Big Jay is vying for the title of 2013 Capital One Mascot of the Year and needs your support. He is one of 16 college mascots selected through video entries for the nationwide competition. Each week, Big Jay goes head-to-head with another mascot and each match's winner is declared based on who receives the most votes. The winner of the title will be chosen the week of the Capitol One Bowl and receives $25,000 for their school's mascot program, which could be used for costume upgrades and additional equipment.
Not only does Big Jay deserve to win, according to Paul Quigley, a marketing representative for the
mascot, but his senior-night tuxedo is looking a little worm.
"The reason Big Jay was chosen is because he's a unique character. There's nothing else in the nation that's anything like Big Jay," Quigley said. Big Jay is the tallest (over 7'4") and most accomplished mascot with five national basketball championships under his belt.
Big Jay defeated Mike the Tiger from Louisiana State University last week with 52 percent of the vote and is currently ahead of Rocky the Rocket from the University of Toledo with 53 percent of the vote in this week's match-up. Voting ends on Sunday of each week.
"He's kind of full of himself. He's
cooler than everybody else and he knows it. It's kind of hard not to choose Big Jay when he's that popular," Quigley said.
"There's nothing more important to him than a win for the Jayhawks."
PAUL QUIGLEY
Marketing representative for Big Jay
Charlotte Lane, a senior from Olathe, played alto saxophone in
the Marching Jayhawks for four years and said that game days can be exhausting for the band. Members attend an early morning rehearsal and begin performing an hour before kickoff.
"I know Big Jay was a reminder to me that we were there to entertain and to keep spirits up if they were down, and to keep us excited until the very end." Lane said.
It's a given that Big Jay should win — he's from a school with one of the best student sections in the nation. Lane said.
Preston Randall, a sophomore from Lawrence, is a running-back for the jayhawks. He said Big Jay is a great symbol for fans on game
day. "He represents a great school and that's a great reason to vote for him." Randall said.
For many students, Big Jay is a symbol not only of game day spirit, but also of the hard work and dedication that is present throughout the University. Big Jay lives and dies with Jayhawk wins and losses, Quigley said.
"There's nothing more important to him than a win for the Jayhawks," Quigley said. "Big Jay deserves to win because there's no better way to show the rest of the nation how proud and how loud Jayhawk nation is."
Edited by Kayla Overbey
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO VOTE
1. Go to Capitalonebowl.com and click "VOTE NOW" on Big Jay's mascot page. (1pt)
2. Each week there is a new challenge or question. Answer it in a tweet or on Facebook using #CapitalOneBiglay. This week's question is, "if your mascot played on the team, what position would he
play and why?" (25pts)
3. Make a video of the weekly challenge. This week, that means filming yourself playing Big Jay's position, and share it on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using *CapitalOneBigJay* (100pts)
NETWORKING
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Justin Christian, a senior from Topeka, was motivated to start a student development program that will include alumni mentorship and work experience.
New journalism program connects students with alumni
ASHLEY BOOKER
abooker@kansan.com
After six months of hard work, Justin Christian, a senior from Topeka, can sit back and watch applications roll in as his new group, Next Generation Program, unveils.
This program is the first student development program at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. It is devoted to interaction with the community and fellow students, real-world work experience and engagement with the journalism school alumni.
This program consists of alumni and 20 students from each class (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) who will be divided into five groups with equal class representation. Groups will work all
This program was part of last year's Challenge Day at J-School Generations. Justin's team was given four and a half hours to give a presentation on a design of a 21st century journalism curriculum with no funding limitations.
"If a 16-student team with an alumni advisor approaches a business that they decided as a group they want to help, that organization is crazy not to say yes," Christian said.
During the year students will come up with three presentations: a research presentation, a progress report and a final presentation, which will be presented to faculty and alumni at J-School Generations the next fall.
year for a business, school group or any organization that needs a void filled.
The team's main goal was to create a mentorship program where students would be able to network with other students, talk about their experiences and also pass down techniques learned inside or outside the classroom.
For a previous major, Christian was involved in a mentorship program where he was required to meet with a mentor two times. They met twice and parted ways. This process not only was frustrating at the time, but also made him feel that his mentor was too busy for him.
These experiences shaped what Christian thinks a mentorship program should be and, better yet, he thinks it's a program that will give students a more enriched experience than his own.
Journalism school advisor Dan McCarthy, who has worked with
Christian, compared education to a car engine, and said that students are the driving force and the steering wheel. McCarthy said that students are the ones who can say, "No, I want to go more in this direction."
The Next Generation Program lets students drive each group making their own decisions on what business they will be working with, how much time they spend together and how they will complete the project.
As applications are arriving in Christian's inbox, he's a little nervous, but excited since he is seeing the results of his hard work.
Applications are underway and should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 26. For more information email Christian at J.Christian@ ku.edu.
Edited by Kayla Overbey
Daughter remembers Ground Zero heroes
I grew up in a suburb 24 miles from Ground Zero with a father who was a firefighter in one of the busiest firehouses in New York City's East Harlem. "The Fire Factory" is a broken down, two-story brick structure, but it was a second home to my father. When he wasn't there, we were home together raising the volume every time there was news of a fire on the TV, or listening to the FDNY fire dispatch playing subtly in my kitchen.
On the morning of Sept. 11, I attended another seemingly normal day of third grade at Covert Avenue Elementary School. At 10 a.m. I was picked up early by my friend's mother. I didn't know our country was in the midst of experiencing one of the worst terrorist attacks in our history, I was just thrilled not to be sitting through another boring classroom activity. At the same time, Mayor Rudy Giuliani was issuing an "all-city alert." This meant all NYC firefighters and police officers must report to their jobs.
That included my dad. With that, my mother removed my father's FDNY medal, a birthday gift she got him a few years prior, from around his
My dad left for Ground Zero around 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, and returned on Friday, Sept. 14.
He was a first responder and made it to Ground Zero before the collapse of the second tower. As the day dragged on and the look of fear and anxiety consumed my mother, I grew curious. Our phone was ringing off the hook and the TV in our living room was blasting with voices of scared and confused newscasters. Nobody knew what was happening. Some people were calling this an act of terrorism; others were calling it an "accident."
After four nights, my father returned home. We were the lucky ones - some families are still waiting on their loved ones. But he had slept in the firehouse, working day and night, ceasing the fire and rummaging through the rubble. I don't know what my father saw during those long hours, and to this day he is quiet about the experience. What I do
CLASSIFIEDS 9
CROSSWORD 5
SPORTS 10
SUDOKU 5
neck and said goodbye as he left for lower Manhattan, not knowing when, or if, he'd return
CRYPTOQUIPS 5
OPINION 4
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
SEE 9/11 PAGE 4
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