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KANSAN.COM
The Underground cashier celebrates retirement
Angie BALDELOMAR
@AngieBaldelomar
When the clock marked 3 p.m. on Friday, April 14, The Underground cashier Tracy Landis served her last client ever. Once the space closed for the day, a party was waiting to celebrate Landis' retirement after nine years of working at The Underground.
Originally from San Diego, Landis moved to Kansas in 1989, when her daughter was five years old.
"We just needed to get out of California," she said.
In 1993, she started working for the University as a custodian at McCollum Hall. Landis said it was a very demanding job, especially at the end of the year, when she had to take everything from her floor out. She worked there for 11 years, until 2004.
"I like this [being a cashier] the best because I get to interact with customers," she said. "They get me through my day."
behind the counter at stations like Pizza Hut, the salad bar and Brellas, until she became a cashier.
She came back to work for the University, this time at The Underground, in 2008. There, she worked
Groups of friends, co-workers and customers stopped by the party to wish her a happy retirement. She said she was excited for retirement, so much so that she turned off the alarm on her phone in front of everyone.
Brenna Boat/KANSAN Tracy Landis, a longtime cashier at The Underground, poses for a picture in front of her happy retirement banner during her retirement party on Friday. April 14.
Because [students] get so stressed out, I try to keep them positive. I want to believe I've made an impact on them."
Now that she is retired, Landis said she is going to try to do roller derby with her daughters in an effort to keep herself active, but is concerned that she isn't going to be able to continue her daily walk.
"I walked to work every day," she said. "Now, I'm not sure how I'm gonna make myself walk."
She is considering just walking up to The Underground every day so she
Tracy Landis
Retired cashier
Brenna Boat/KANSAN happy retirement banner
can make silly faces and poke fun at her now former co-workers.
Kailey Utech, a senior from Wichita, has worked at The Underground for two years and describes Landis as a positive person. Utech said it is going to be sad without her and she knows she will be missed.
"She makes a big impact with people," Utech said. "My general experience with Tracy is that she just makes things seem not as bad."
continues with her positive attitude outside of work.
Utech said that Landis
"I work at Dillons too, and sometimes she'll come and visit me, say 'hi' and come through my line, and that makes my day there too," she said.
Utech said Landis' enthusiasm and positivity
will be missed by everyone who frequents The Underground.
"She always just gives people a smile, if someone's having a bad day," she said.
Landis said that keeping students positive is what she enjoyed the most of her work as a cashier.
"Because they get so stressed out, I try to keep them positive," she said. "I want to believe I've made an impact on them."
- Edited by Brenna Boat
FROM CANNABIS
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pain, a lot better than narcotics," Harrell said. "I don't think it's any more dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol. I think it's kind of ridiculous that it's on the same level as heroine and stuff. People treat it like that, but it's not as dangerous."
Harrell also said Kansas should legalize cannabis for financial and social reasons.
"We're broke. We need
the tax money," Harrell said. "I think [legalization] is good because there are so many people that are in jail for a long time for a little bit of weed. It seems so ridiculous that they get their life ruined for that."
Despite growing support for the legalization of recreational and medical cannabis, Warf said that Kansas is unlikely to see change soon.
"Medical is conceivable, although not in the near future," Warf said. "Kansas is such a reactionary trog-
lodyte state that is slow to adapt to national norms."
Lisa Sublett, the president and founder of Bleeding Kansas Advocates, a medical cannabis advocacy organization, said the resistance to the legalization of medical cannabis is a result of ignorance.
"The stigma and ignorance still rears its head," Sublett said. "At this point, Kansans have to consider it willful ignorance. Anyone still ignorant at this point, it's simply because they
don't care, and that's reprehensible when we have people's lives, people are suffering everyday."
However, Sublett said this ignorance is not necessarily tied to the policies of the GOP, but is due to the odd nature of Kansas politics, where tradition supersedes progress, she said.
"Only in Kansas we have to deal with this resistance to data to science to research," Sublett said. "Kansas is very odd. You can't chalk it up to a GOP thing."
Sublett said that Republicans across the nation have supported the legalization of medical cannabis and that is the case in Kansas as well. However, while the majority of young Americans support the legalization of cannabis, Sublett said this is not necessarily the case with young Republican legislators.
"Some of the greatest advocates we have in Topeka are older Republicans," Sublett said.
Regardless of the current stance of the legislature, marijuana advocates remain resilient in their stances on medical and recreational cannabis.
"Why have any penalties for marijuana?" Warf said. "It's a completely harmless drug. I think it should be treated with respect, used in moderation, not abused. It should be taxed as a luxury item. I'm not saying everybody should spend all day stoned, but I don't understand why there's any penalty whatsoever."
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATIONS The University of Kansas
Congratulations to the following outstanding J-School students!
The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications is honoring more than 175 students with awards and scholarships today at our annual William Allen White Day ceremony.
Mona Ahmed
Lakin Allen
Deanna Ambrose
Jared Anderson
Rachel Asbury
Olivia Austin
Nashia Baker
Abigail Bamburg
Adam Baughman
Brittany Baumli
Abigail Beck
Michaela Behymer
Emily Bermel
Catherine Bernard
Hannah Bettis
Courtney Bierman
Chandler Boese
Juliann Branson
Jessica Brewer
Nolan Brey
Gage Brock
Alexandra Brown
Haley Burkett
Travis Calvin
Courtney Carpenter
Matilda Carter
Madeline Chestnut
Gabrielle Cinnamon
Lily Clark
Matthew Clough
Cailin Coker
Lyndie Copeland
Ashley Couch
Nicholas Couzin
Abigail Cox
Natalie Craig
Emalee Crosser
Caitlin Culhane
Alexandra Dahlgren
Augenlina Dhm
Lauren Davidson
Emily Derrick
Sydney Di Bernardo
Megan Doolittle
Brendan Dzwierzynski
Madison Ernzen
Garrett Farlow
Catherine Field
Alana Flinn
Kayla Foley
Chandler Frame
Peter Fusilero
Juliana Garcia
Daniel Garrett
Michelle Geiser
Anthony George
Samantha Gilstrap
Graciela Gomez
Vanessa Gonzales
Elizabeth Gorby
Logan Gossett
Gillen Gray
Emma Green
Trae Green
Carla Guillen
Matthew Gwin
Dayton Hammes
Brooke Hanson
Christian Hardy
Nicole Harrington
Kaitlin Hayes
Grant Heiman
Paige Henderson
Ashley Hocking
Allison Hogan
Emilia Holl
Griffin Hughes
August Hunninghake
Margaret Huwe
Danya Issawi
Liefu Jiang
Ann Jones
Mylan Jones
Amie Just
Caleb Kampsen
Ilana Karp
Aksinya Kichigina
Victoria Kilkenny
Lara Korte
Mara Kubicki
Jackson Kurtz
Addison Lake
Sarah Lang
Camden Leary
Cain Lever
Ryan Liston
Monique Luisi
Aaron Lynn
Riley Magee
Garrett Maltby
Belen Maluenda
Juan Pablo Marroquin
Alexandra Martinez
Sacha Mayer
Arleasha Mays
Libby McEnulty
Cameron McGough
Alex McLoon
Kinley McQueary
Hanna Melton
Riley Messina
Anna Meyer
Katelyn Miller
Dallas Milligan
Melissa Minear
Conner Mitchell
Morgan Mitchell
Jose Montoya
Julia Moore
Vincent Munoz
Sean Murray
Jack Nadeau
Greta Nepstad
Julia Nordhem
Margarita Nunez Arroyo
Kelly O'Connor
Hadley Oehlert
Baylee Parsons
Marcette Perales
Laveda Peterlin
Danny Pinedo
Cassidy Ragland
Hanna Ritland
Harrison Rosenthal
Caitlynyn Salazar
Sarah Salvini
Omar Sanchez
Autumn Sauer
Marcea Say
Cooper Scott
Morgan Shandler
Bethany Snow
Tyler Soetaert
Danielle Sorensen
Katherine Staab
Reid Stein
Lilly Stewart
Kailin Stinson
Hannah Strader
Joshua Suos
DeAsia Sutgrey
Rebekah Swank
Thomas Tamblyn
Kathleen Tankard
Candice Tarver
Lindsey Taulbee
Emma Thimmig
Kaleigh Thomas
Megan Tiger
Andrea Torres
Alexander Treaster
Samuel Valdez
Juniper Valeo
Emily Wellborn
Laura Werner
Stephanie Wilco
Kelsey Willits
Zachary Wilson
Jasmyn Wimbus
Jordan Winter
Whitney Winter
Jordan Wolf
Lauren Wolfe
Anna Wonderlic
Kathy Wong
Raeley Youngs
Kendall Zellars
KAPPA TAU ALPI
Deanna Ambros
Olivia Austin
Benjamin Burch
Madeline Chestn
Hunter Cohee
Emily Derrick
Logan Hassig
Payton Hein
Victoria Kilkenn
Kyrie Killen
Missy Linville
Garrett Maltby
Ashley Maska, top sc
Rachel North
Sara Prendergas
Jaden Scott
KAPPA TAU ALPHA
Deanna Ambrose
Olivia Austin
Benjamin Burch
Madeline Chestnut
Hunter Cohee
Emily Derrick
Logan Hassig
Payton Hein
Victoria Kilkenny
Kyrie Killen
Missy Linville
Garrett Maltby
Ashley Maska, top scholar
Rachel North
Sara Prendergast
Jaden Scott
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