+ News >> 3 Cleaning Allen Fieldhouse requires requires hours of work after games + THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 8 Arts & Culture >> 5 Zach Tazhini, alumnus and coffee entrepreneur roasts his own coffee to sell to local businesses THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904 SNEAKERHEADS Senior Jimmy Ervin, Kansas City, has been collecting shoes since he was in grade school. Now, Erving has between 40 and 50 pairs total. MIssy Minear/KANSAN Sneaker enthusiasts get creative to find unique, collectible shoes BEN FELDERSTEIN @KansanNews For CJ Newton, a University senior from Houston, his love of sneakers started at a young age. When he was in third grade, his friends started showing up to school in new basketball sneakers. Each day he noticed more and more new shoes. For weeks he begged his mom to buy him a pair of white and Carolina-blue Michael Jordans. When she finally did, Newton knew from that moment sneakers were his passion. "That was the first pair of shoes that I ever picked out myself," Newton said. "Ever since that day, I grew to love sneakers." Through the years, Newton's collection has grown to nearly 50 pairs, which he estimates to be worth about $7,500. Living in Houston, he was able to purchase sneakers regularly in stores, but now living in the Midwest, adding to his collection has become a bit more difficult, he said. vantage because of the lack of sneaker stores nearby. Larger cities might have more of an abundance of stores and a wider variety. Now, Newton and Ervin have turned to other means to buy their shoes. Jimmy Ervin, a senior and self-identified sneakerhead from Kansas City, Kan., said sneakerheads in the Midwest are at a disad- For Newton, he relies on connections to obtain shoes he wants. "I have trust in them, and they trust me with always having my cash ready," Newton said. "It's a give and take." Newton said he is into fashion, so he exchanges fashion tips and locations to buy different clothing for his sneaker hook up. Ervin relies on friends he's made at the Footlocker in Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kan. Ervin, unlike Newton, has to wait for Footlocker to be notified of new releases, and he has to show up and wait for them. Sneaker enthusiasts' connections put them at an advantage over people without connections. They either don't have to wait online or they find out about releases before other people do. Preston Bukaty, a 2011 University alumnus who now works in Denver and fellow sneakerhead, said it is just part of the game. "You can't knock the hustle; everyone has a hookup for something," Bukaty said. Bukaty also said big chains, such as Footlocker, don't always have the same variety as online stores do. A Footlocker in Kansas City is not getting as many sizes as a FlightClub in New York or California. This leads to a large resale market that affects the way the sneaker game is played and can greatly raise the prices. Because stores don't always have what shoppers want in stock, sneakerheads are forced to log onto the web and pay two times and sometimes even three times the cost for a pair of shoes. These high prices come from fellow sneakerheads going to New York or California and finding unique sneaker boutiques, buying the shoes, then selling them because they now have the monopoly on the unique shoes. "When buying shoes online, people sell them for $300 or more." Bukaty said. "I don't want to do that because I know they cost half that." SEE SNEAKERHEADS PAGE 2 Chancellor addresses concerns at the University FOREST LASSMAN @ForestLassman Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little hosted the second University update Feb. 9. For 30 minutes, Gray-Little discussed multiple issues and successes the University has had over the past year. Condolences: Condolences: Gray-Little started the event by offering her condolences to Christopher Sowa's family. Sowa, who was interim associate director for residence life with KU Student Housing, died late last month. Campus construction: Gray-Little also discussed the multiple new building projects on campus. She addressed the opening of Learned Engineering Expansion Phase 2 and the current construction of the Earth, Energy and Environment Center. She also spoke about the development of the Central District project. Keleie Matousek/KANSAN Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little addresses a group of University faculty and staff Feb. 9 about major projects underway and goals the University is currently trying to obtain. "It's a very large project, and we have tried for years to get at least the science building part of this done," Gray-Little said. "We have not been able to raise the funds for that, either from state funding or donations, so we developed a funding strategy for that building. It does not use state-appropriated funds and does not require legislative approval." "We have lowered budget projections because of income tax reductions from a couple of years ago, and the actual collection of Budget concerns: taxes has been lower than those lower projections," Gray-Little said. "We are not collecting the level of income tax and other receipts that are anticipated, so the legislature is faced with how to fashion a budget for the coming year with really so much uncertainty about income." She also expressed concern over the potential for reduced funding from the state. "We depend very importantly on the state for state support," she said. "At this point there are no plans or proposals to reduce the state funding for higher education, but we don't know what that's going to be by the time the legislature ends in May." Diversity: Diversity: Gray-Little also discussed the issues of diversity and inclusion facing campus. "During the past few months, you have heard a great deal about diversity and inclusion on this campus, and you've read about diversity and inclusion issues on campuses around the country," Gray-Little said. "We have had many discussions here on our campus, [and] we have a plan that was launched [...] that updated the campus on where we are, what we are doing [and] plans that we are doing, and I think that is proceeding well." Gray-Little will hold another update March 1 at the School of Nursing Auditorium at the University Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo. Edited by Madi Schulz House committee hears bill to criminalize revenge porn JAMES HOYT @jamesjoyt The House Judiciary Committee heard a testimony Monday on HB 2080, which would ban the publication or distribution of nude photos or videos without an individual's TOPEKA - A House committee is debating a bill that would make "revenge porn" illegal. Current state law prevents the publication of photos taken without consent. The proposed legislation would prevent distribution of photos taken consensually but posted without an individual's knowledge. Currently, 17 states already have revenge porn laws, according to the Cy- consent. Rep. Sydney Carlin, D-Manhattan, a bill supporter, said she knows someone whose quality of life suffered after a revenge porn incident. ber Civil Rights Initiative, a group that aims to raise awareness about non-consensual porn. "It was devastating for her, for her family. She lost her job and her reputation was scarred, and people were coming to her assuming she was available for sexual favors," Carlin said. Carlin also said websites sometimes will charge users money to get photos removed, something not all individuals can afford. The only opposition to the bill came from the Kansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. In a written testimony, the ACLU raised concerns that the bill would not allow the use of images for educational purposes or when newsworthy. Rep. Stephanie Clayton, R-Overland Park, said she had drafted an amendment to the bill that would allay those fears and address issues surrounding images of public figures. Committee chair Rep. John Barker, R-Abilene, said work on the bill will continue this week. - Edited by Leah Sitz and Shane Jackson For additional coverage on the revenge porn bill go, to Kansan.com +