Volume 124 Issue 24
kansan.com
Friday, September 23, 2011
BIG 12 COMMISSIONER DAN BEEBE GONE
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The Big 12 seemingly escaped yet another apparent collapse, but this time the conference will under new leadership.
According to a statement from the conference, the Big 12 Board of Directors and Commissioner Dan Beebe have reached a "mutual agreement" for him to step down from the position immediately.
"I put all my effort into doing what was best for the Big 12 great fondness, I wish the Conference a long and future," Beebe said.
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CLAIRE HOWARD/KANSAN
JUST DANCE
THEY'VE GOT
Beebes interim replacement will be former Big Eight Conference Commissioner Chuck Neilas; he will start working immediately. Neinas served as Big Eight commissioner from 1971 to 1980. Neinas currently runs his own consulting firm, Neinas Sports Services, out of his home in Boulder, Colo.
SPEAK
FIGHT OR FLIGHT
A HARD LESSON LEARNED: VIOLENCE DOESN'T SOLVE EVERYTHING
The black asphalt stretched across the parking lot behind me and I stood there shaking in fear for my life. I was in third grade, and some of the fifth graders were picking on my friends at recess. I did the only thing I could; I fought them and I won. The victory was bittersweet; the principal stormed out of the building, demanding to talk to the culprit. The sun reflected off his bald head, and the beads of sweat around his neck loosened the knot of his tie. Everyone pointed at me, and I was escorted back into the building to call my parents. The typical "Um-um-um-um" that kids used to say when a classmate got in trouble echoed behind me, trailing in my footsteps.
Since I was a kid, I've always had the inability to step away from any situation I couldn't control. I've always been the one to put myself in harm's way if it meant defending my friends and family. I don't have an anger problem, but I do have a fighter's instinct. I guess some might call it "little man syndrome," since I didn't even break 5-foot-6 until high school. Whatever the reason, my pride and instinct to protect have always come first, and I was mostly accustomed to being on the winning end of every fight, at least, until last summer.
You wouldn't expect a bar in Lawrence to be packed wall-to-wall in the middle of the week, but the drink specials that night in late July were just too good for any of us to pass up. Sometime during the night, I saw my younger brother, Ross, with some friends on the back patio, and I walked over to talk to them. The crowd overwhelmed us both, and we eventually became separated from our friends. We lost track of time and then heard the door guys yelling, "Bar's closed, everyone out," and had no choice but to leave.
Ross tried calling his friends for a ride, but no one answered. Mine had already left and headed back to my friend's house a couple blocks away. We decided to grab some pizza across the street. The humid air hung over us, and people definitely seemed on edge. My brother and I took our pizza out to the back patio to eat. We finished our food, and then started walking back to my friend's house.
About a block from the bar, a dark-colored SUV drove past us, and several male voices shouted out the window at my brother and I for no apparent reason.
"Fucking assholes!"
"Douchebags!"
It was like these guys were trying to provoke us, and it worked. Next thing I knew, we were yelling back at them, repeating the same thing they said to us. What happened next was something neither one of us expected. The SUV pulled into a vacant parking lot and the doors flung open. Five or six large guys poured out of it like a clown car, all wearing different colored shirts, and lined up in front of the vehicle like a firing squad.
"What'd you fucking say to us?"
They yelled at us like the whole thing was our fault. I could feel the anticipation growing inside me, the adrenaline pulsating and my old instincts returning to me. I clenched my fists and glanced over at my brother.
"Sack up, Max."
That was all he said and I had no idea what it meant at the time. He put his fists up in front of him, like Rocky about to face off against Apollo, and I turned back toward our opponents. They advanced toward us like a pack of lions converging on its prey and my own selfish pride wouldn't let me run away. I felt compelled to stand strong—to protect my brother at all costs. I can't remember the guys' faces, but I can remember the color of their shirts. One guy wearing a yellow shirt charged
toward me and I leapt forward and heaved my fist into the air. We were severely outnumbered, but I didn't care. I was running on autopilot, fighting subconciously and reflexively, and I can't remember any of it. I can't remember if that first punch I threw connected or if I missed completely. All I know is that when I finally came to, I was standing by my brother and we were both hunched over gasping for breath. The guys were gone.
One of my friends came back looking for me, and when he saw me his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.
"Uh, dude? What the hell happened?"
I tried to answer him, but I couldn't remember. My jaw was killing me, and blood covered half my face from a cut on my forehead. My hands and elbows were scraped up, and I couldn't help but think to myself: who won the fight? Ross was fine, for the most part. I was satisfied with that, since my ultimate goal was to protect him. I hadn't backed down. I took the beating, and he walked away with a few bruises, but my pride put us both in danger. We could have been killed. They could have had weapons. A million different things could have gone wrong, but they didn't, and we were still standing.
My friend walked me back to my apartment, and my brother managed to find a ride home.
I was fortunate to have one of my sober neighbors drive me to the emergency room. After several hours of check-ups, scans and X-rays, the verdict was this: a cracked jaw and eight stitches in my forehead.
I was fortunate enough that I didn't have to have my jaw wired shut, but I still couldn't eat solid foods for two weeks. The hospital felt like the principal's office, and I felt like an immature third grader. I don't know what happened to those guys, but I knew that ultimately, I had lost. My body eventually healed, but the leftover scar on my forehead is a constant reminder that even I have limits. I can't put myself in these situations. I'm not in third grade anymore. I'm 23-years-old, and the fighter inside me stepped out of the ring that night.
A month later, my friend Ali was talking to me about it, and one thing she said stuck out to me. "Next time, keep your damn mouth shut."
Jp
MAX GREENWOOD
Contributed photo the repercussions: an X-ray of Greenwood's injury; a cracked jaw.
Contributed photo Calm before the storm: Greenwood poses with friends the night before he got into a fight.
Andrew Joseph
year, conferences and Texan. the Big 12 of implo- expansion, remaining its allegiance forward. the Gray-Lit-er Sheahon saying tools "agreed ensure the race moving the Big 12 objective as interests of fans and fans," right's gain look at solidify the ending." dow schools television the confer- 2010. Beebee that the Big awarded him on through year How- how networks during result- Texas' Longs backed by estement work appar- animos- s that Texas Southeastern M President Texas' influ- reasons for
month.
Edited by Sarah Champ
SMITH/KANSAN to help with eld on campus in
Miguel Camacho, president of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO), said these events on campus are important to bring exposure to HALO and the Hispanic community.
HALO kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 16 by showcasing Hispanic dance and music, two things Camacho said are very important to the Hispanic culture.
GROWING UP HISPANIC
"When you say Hispanic or Latino, there's so many different cultures within that from each country," Stern said. "Each one has its own really rich tradition and it's really important to recognize and distinguish between those different cultures and not just lump them all together as Hispanic."
Velasco knows all about the importance of these traditions, having
used for his alignment,
comes year under
ence has
Texas
spending time with the Hispanic community on campus and in Lawrence and she wants every student to see how important this culture is.
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being the new student and being the minority student as well. I kind of tried to blend in as much as I could since I am lighter skinned, Velasco said. "Rather than just trying to challenge them and make them see the real side of being Hispanic, I didn't want to stand out
Once Velasco and his family moved to Wamego when he was 15, that all changed. As one of three non-white kids at his new school, Velasco, for the first time, felt ashamed of his culture.
grant parent.
help of Hispanic Heritage Month activities.
"Comeing to KU it was really great to see not just Mexicans, but people from other Hispanic countries fully embracing their heritage," Velasco said. "It was really easy for me to accept my own culture when I saw so many people celebrating it and people I could identify with."
The unity of Hispanic culture on campus is evident to non-Hispanic students as well. Sarah Stern, a junior from Lawrence, was vice president of HALO last year but now
themselves as wrence com-
"I don't think many stu-
Kellen Bolt, a senior from Iola and co-director of the University Center for Community Outreach, encouraged students to contribute to the United Way's efforts in supporting Lawrence non-profit organizations.
University students tossed footballs and donated money outside the Kansas Union yesterday afternoon as part of the United Way of Douglas County's fundraising kickoff event.
After several preliminary donations, including a $62,000 gift from Rock Chalk Review, the United Way is well on its
CLASSIFIEDS 11 CRYPTOQUIPS 3 SPORTS 12
CROSSWORD 3 OPINION 4 SUDOKU 3
many — I really didn't until I started getting involved," he said. "I don't think they realize how much the United Way does and helps to make the Lawrence community as strong as it is. It's here making the city a more attractive place to live."
Don't forget
SEE UNITED WAY 12
The Legends of the Phog basketball game is this Saturday.
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Today's weather
Forecasts done by
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HI: 72
LO: 50
Nice fall weather.
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