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MONDAY, FEB. 22, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 10
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
▶ CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
n the second week of February, freshman Isaiah Price's email inbox pinged with a message from a father of an incoming student.
The student's predicament was rather familiar for Price. The student plans to attend the University to become an engineer, but loves music—and wants to follow that passion.
Price, a nursing student from Topeka, was in the same situation less than six months earlier. Then, in his first semester at the University, he organized the Music Production Club.
"I was thinking, 'What could I do to possibly pursue [music] here? What opportunities does KU offer me to pursue that?'" Price said. "So I made a club, I found an adviser ... and we just got it rolling."
At the Senate meeting on Jan. 27, Price and the group were allocated $100 from Student Senate for funding
— the first formal recognition of the club's existence on the University campus.
Price came to the University interested in two hobbies: athletics and music. For athletics, Price found the boxing club to fill his need for competition. But, for his interest in music, he found nothing
beyond choir, orchestras and wind ensembles in the School of Music.
"There's nothing like that for hip-hop here," Price said. "The [Music Production Club] is just a really cool thing that everybody's who's interested in producing music should be interested in."
Price's own interest in music sprung up during his freshman year of high school. In high school, he explored music genres rather than listen to what the mainstream crowd plugged into. Then, he started to stumble across more and more genre varieties and his fondness for music deepened.
He's produced music on his own already, though it's been mostly hip-hop and electronic beats. Now, with the help of Brock Babcock, the club's adviser and the sound engineer at the School of Music, Price, and other students, will be able to expand their music boundaries further.
fore."
"I love recording music; I love all aspects of it, which is something that isn't done much at the School of Music," Babcock said. "Using a recording studio, not only just to kind of document what you're doing as a performance, but using the studio as a tool to write music, to create something that wasn't necessarily done be-
More than just the technical side of things, though, Babcock provides support. His vision for the club aligns with Price's: It's a place for non-music majors to create music and pursue their passion as a side to their school work.
"It's sort of a way for people who are interested in music and also music recording and production, but aren't necessarily music majors, to kind of come together," Babcock said. "To have a place where you can met up and play songs for each other and see how they can help each other out."
The club is still in its infancy with only one official meeting so far. However, Price and Babcock both said they hope to curate a place where collaboration is welcome, and eventually have full projects put together from the club.
"A good goal for this semester would be simply to get an EP of four or six songs that people bring to the group recorded, edited, mixed and put together." Babcock said. "Then we get something that we can maybe showcase that this is what the club has music-wise and this is what we can offer."
- Edited by Garrett Long and Deanna Ambrose
Christian Hardy/KANSAN
Christian Hardy/KANSAM Isaiah Price. A freshman from Topella, works on a song using his Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Price is the creator of the Music Production Club.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
A new strain of canine influenza has been confirmed in Colorado and St. Louis and is likely to spread to Kansas, according to the Lawrence Humane Society.
New canine flu strain likely to spread to Kansas
▶ TANNER HASSEL L
@thassell17
The Lawrence Humane Society is warning pet owners in the area of a new canine influenza strain that puts all dogs at risk.
The strain is confirmed in Colorado and St. Louis, and is likely to spread to Kansas, according to a Lawrence Humane Society press release.
Dr. Darren Rausch, veterinarian with Gentle Care Animal Hospital in Lawrence, said there currently is no risk of the virus spreading to humans, but the virus is highly contagious among dogs.
"We haven't had any reported cases close to Lawrence yet, but the risk of the virus spreading into Kansas through traveling animals
"This virus has been spreading since around April of last year," said Meghan Scheibe, director of development & marketing for the Lawrence Humane Society. "Dog-to-dog contact is the easiest way for the virus to spread, but it can also be spread through objects that dogs have come in contact with."
is very high," Rausch said.
Medical Director at the Lawrence Humane Society, Dr. Jennifer Stone, said all dogs are at risk of contracting the virus.
Rausch said that avoiding areas like dog parks and training classes drastically reduces the risk of exposure.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, symptoms of the virus are coughing.
runny nose and fever. The CDC's website said not all dogs show signs of illness, with the severity ranging from no signs shown to pneumonia and sometimes death.
"We are encouraging people to talk with their veterinarians about the risks associated with the virus and if they have the vaccine available," Scheibe said. "It's important to note that it's a two part vaccine with a booster given two or three weeks after the initial vaccination. The vaccine is not effective without the booster."
Scheibe said the Humane Society has the vaccine available for $20 through the end of February.
- Edited by Cele Fryer
Social Welfare students call for Dean's resignation
▶ LARA KORTE
Students in the School of Social Welfare are calling for the resignation of Dean Paul Smokowski.
The KU Social Welfare Student Activist Committee issued a press release Sunday night stating it does not have confidence in the dean and believes he has failed to uphold and adhere to the principles set forth in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. The code includes service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, integrity and competence.
There have been conflicts between the dean and social welfare students in the past. After what several students felt was failure to respond to issues raised at the Nov. 11 Town Hall Meeting on Race, Respect and Responsibility, students in the school presented a list of five demands to Smokowski on Nov. 23. The students demanded more efforts to make the school diverse and inclusive.
► LARA KORTE
@lara_korte
Smokowski released a statement the next day and said the school is "committed to actively engaging in a safe and meaningful dialogue, providing an environment and atmosphere of equity and inclusion for our Social Welfare students and all students, and contributing to the ongoing conversations that are being held at every level of the institution."
"I think that our purpose was to allow a space for students in particular, faculty and staff to talk about their experiences, and I welcome that," Smokowski said at the time.
Trinity Carpenter, a junior from Ottawa and chair of the KU Social Welfare Student Activist Committee, said despite the statement, forums and meetings, she feels the dean's actions have been inadequate.
On Nov. 30, the School of Social Welfare hosted a forum on race and inclusivity where students voiced concerns that Smokowski was not doing enough to lead the school on issues of diversity and inclusion.
"We tried, it's not working, you are not taking our school seriously, you are not taking social justice seriously, you have not for a long time, we are not willing to accept it, and at this point we cannot move forward with healing," Carpenter said.
Carpenter said following the events of last semester, steps were taken to create an office that would work with providing resources to students of color. The office, eventually named the Office of Race and Social Justice, is headed by William Elliott III, an associate professor in the School of Social Welfare. Despite meeting with Elliott several times, Carpenter said she did not feel students had a
Despite her feelings about the Dec. 16 meeting, Carpenter said she agreed to meet with Smokowski following winter break. However, Carpenter said during the meeting, the dean did not acknowledge the events of the previous month, and ultimately, the meeting was unsuccessful.
On Dec. 16, members of the Student Activist Committee and Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk met with members of the faculty in the School of Social Welfare. Carpenter said the meeting was not productive in moving forward with the goals of the Student Activist Committee.
"I had meetings with Dr. Elliott. We're never really on the same page, we asked to be involved, for the process to be transparent, to be at the table, and we've still had to fight to have any input in this office," Carpenter said.
sav in the process.
Carpenter said she expects to have the faculty's support following the call for resignation, and hopes that the school can begin working towards creating a space that's helpful and inclusive for all students.
"At this point I could never encourage anyone else that's of color to go into my program," Carpenter said. "And that's a problem."
- Edited by Matthew Clough
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