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MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 20
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
DAY IN THE LIFE
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ANTHONY GARDNER
ACTIVE DUTY STUDENT-SOLDIER by Tanner Hassell @thassell17
In the wee hours of a weekday before the sun is up, most students at the University are still snuggled up in their beds. For Anthony Gardner, a junior from Garden City and Army Reserve Specialist (SPC), the day begins around 5 a.m. when he walks into the gym.
He might be there again later that day, but after a couple hours of cardio and lifting while the sun rises, it's time to get ready for class. By 9 a.m. he's in the classroom. This is just another day in the life of this student-soldier.
"Being a college student is stressful in and of itself," Gardner said. "I've always had a lot on my plate, but I've learned that it's much harder to be involved with so much and still balance the college and military lifestyles."
As a political science major, Gardner said he normally enrolls in 15 to 17 credit hours per semester. In addition to school and training, he also meets with the Reserve once a month for a three-day weekend of training. He said being in the Army Reserve and being a student can sometimes create scheduling issues.
"The most stressful part of the military side is not knowing anything ahead of time," Gardner said. "Being a lower-enlisted soldier, I
have to be patient with my higher command because I don't know what's going on until they send me the information. When you're trying to plan stuff for school or for work, you really have to pay heed to what they want. If they decide to plan drill for a specific weekend or week and you have plans, those go right out the window. Orders aren't recommendations or suggestions. They're mandatory."
Gardner, who enlisted in the Army Reserve immediately after graduating high school in 2013, came to the University for the 2014 spring semester upon completing basic training.
"Being a soldier was something that he talked about doing since he was a little kid, so it came as no surprise," Gardner-Bland said. "At the time I was concerned because I didn't want him getting shipped off overseas without getting an education first. I knew he could do it though."
time in the Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition.
An average day for Gardner involves hitting the gym once or twice a day to train to compete for a third
Gardner'smother, Melissa Gardner-Bland said she never doubted he could handle being a student and soldier, but she had some concerns initially.
"I won my first and second competitions, and qualified for the competition right below the USARC (United States Army Reserve Command) competition," Gardner said. According to the Army and Army Reserve websites, soldiers and reservists compete in events like firing weapons, land navigation, the Army fitness test and surprise events meant to test each soldier's adaptability.
"If you win, you get 'Soldier of the Year,' which basically means you're in the best soldier in your division or component," Gardner said. "This in conjunction with school and work has been pretty stressful."
Despite the added stress and responsibilities that come along with being a student and soldier, Gardner said his military training has helped him through it all.
"Being in any branch of the armed forces, you learn time management skills," Gardner said. "You learn to get things done in a very short amount of time, which has really helped me."
— Edited by Madi Schulz
Alex Robinson // Kansan Specialist Anthony Gardner, now in the army reserves, is a junior Political Science major at KU.
Alex Robinson // Kansan
ORDERS AREN'T RECOMMENDATIONS OR SUGGESTIONS. THEY'RE MANDATORY."
-ANTHONY GARDNER
never anything for some time," Kokobobo said.
"Then two weeks ago I received an email saying that I had received the grant."
Kokobobo said the grant, part of the NEH program, Enduring
and philosophical works to talk about community and the moral and ethical responsibilities that people have toward one another," Kokobobo said. "Then towards the end of the course we'd talk about community in 21st
as a service component.
"Part of the requirement for the course is for students to help out at a soup kitchen for a couple hours." Kokobobo said.
Kokobobo said she hopes to have the course fulfill an ethics and
Edited by Garrett Long
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
Ani Kokobobo, Slavic Professor, poses with her picture of Russian Author Tolstoy. Kokobobo is receiving a grant from National Endowment for the Humanities to teach a course on ethics and community in 19th century Russian literature.
On Thursday, Kansas coach Bill Self was named National Coach of the Year by the AP, according to a KU Athletics release. Right now, Self is in Houston, where the Final Four is taking place, to accept the award.
According to the AP release, Self is the first Kansas coach to win the distinction twice while at the University. The only other Kansas coach to win the award was Roy Williams in 1992.
This year, Self received 21 of a possible 65 votes. Xavier's Chris Mack came in second with 15 votes; Oregon's Dana Altman received 13, according to the release.
Year by the AP
Self coached the Jayhawks to a 33-5 record in the 2015-16 season, falling in the Elite Eight. The team earned the No.1 overall seed in the 2016 NCAA tournament, following a season in which it won the Big 12 regular season title and tournament.
@SChasenKU
Kansas also won the Maui Jim Maui Invitational earlier in the year. On January 30, the team picked up a win in the Big 12/SEC Challenge against Kentucky.
This is the second time Self has won the award from the AP. He racked up National Coach of the Year honors from the outlet in 2009.
USA Today, Bleacher Report and the NABC have also named Self as National Coach of the Year for this season.