PAGE 4A
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15.2012
JUMP FROM PAGE 1
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
started to sprinkle in more and more to get a little taste. We call it 'get your feet wet,' where you just get a little bit of game action."
There may have been some doubt as to whether Luhrsen was ready, but he had his supporters, and they weren't just on the offensive side of the ball.
Senior defensive end Toben Opurum has been facing Lahrsen all year in practice. He's seen the Illinois native's potential and how quickly he's begun to reach it.
"I don't think a lot people were real high on him at the beginning of the season," Opurum said. "Since he's come down to scout team, he's helped us a lot. He's a work-hard guy and a very physical guy, that alone will put him in a position to get reps."
Even losing a big body like Mike Ragone at tight end will be a loss, and while Jimmy Mundine has started to emerge, he isn't the only one: Jordan Shelley Smith has been slowly rising as well.
It also helps the maturation process having an experienced 24-year-old Ragone helping out a 19-year-old freshman, even if it can be intimidating at times.
"He was so nervous the first day," Ragone said of Shelley-Smith. "I was lined up in my three-point stance, and he was lined up in his, and he tried to undercut me, but he punched me right in the mouth. He was so shaken up."
Apparently not too shaken up, though. Shelley-Smith ended up punching Ragone again a few plays later. Chalk it up to the learning process.
Luhrsen, Mundine, Shelley-
Smith — they're all coming, and
they'll be thrown into an experienced mix. A mix of guys like Gavin Howard, Aslam Sterling and Randall Dent. Guys who have had the fortune of playing with the likes of Duane Zlatnik, Trevor Marrongelli and Tanner Hawkinson.
While those three seniors won't be around to see Kansas' success, they will be a big reason for it if the wins start piling up. They've already made sure of that.
"We've been there to show the younger guys this is how you've got to work each day," Hawkinson said. "We'll talk to some of the guys who are going to be seniors next year, too, and tell them. 'You've got to keep this going.' I think they're going to be in good hands for years to come."
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
GOP missing out on young votes
POLITICS
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
Republicans' inability to communicate with young people is one reason they lost last week's election, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told his audience of more than 400 at the Dole Institute of Politics Wednesday evening. In an interview with institute director Bill Lacy, Gingrich, a former presidential hopeful, discussed the election, the future of the Republican party and his new novel, "Victory at Yorktown."
"People under 30 get more news from Colbert and from the The Daily Show than they do from any cable network." Gingrich said. "To not compete in that market is to put yourself at a stunning disadvantage." Appearing on the Colbert Report the night before, Gingrich noted how Republicans candidates, including Mitt Romney, have largely been absent from venues geared toward younger audiences.
Gingrich also said a left-leaving higher education environment swayed the youth vote toward the left. But if economic conditions do not improve, Gingrich predicts younger people may be more persuaded to conservative ideas.
Gingrich spoke on his book about the Revolutionary War alongside his collaborator, author William Forstchen, and laid out the dramatized end to the war while drawing allusions to the current political environment and American Exceptionalism.
Kristin Nance, a senior from Topeka and study group coordinator for the institute, said despite Gingrich's conservative politics, his historical knowledge gives him bipartisan appeal.
"Gingrich is a fantastic analyst, and he is typically the smartest man in the room," Nance said. "He can be a polarizing figure, but he brings a lot of insight to the table."
James Leiker, a junior from Haven, supported Gingrich during the Republican primaries.
Hoping to leave with an autographed copy of Gingrich's book, Leiker enjoyed hearing Gingrich's political opinions.
"Until the minority and youth vote increase its support for Republicans, it's going to be impossible for them to get a president elected," Leiker said.
And while Christina Ostmeyer, a freshman from Colby, considers herself politically liberal, she agreed with Gingrich's stance opposing super-PACs and excessive campaign spending.
"I was a little wary of what he would have to say, but I was pleasantly surprised that I agreed with most of what he had to say," Ostmeyer said. However, she noticed most topics remained neutral, which kept Gingrich from having to take a political stance. Instead he relied on his dry humor to provide analysis.
"He didn't let policy issues get in the way." Ostmeyer said.
Edited by Laken Rapier
CAMPUS
Gonzo journalism display to be held by alumnus
EMILY DONOVAN edonovan@kansan.com
Photojournalism and art are one and the same for Gary Mark Smith. The street photographer will be holding a lecture, "Gary Mark Smith, Gonzo Visionary: The Methodology of a Most Unusual Fine Art Career," tonight from 6-8 p.m. in the Hancock Ballroom of the Oread Hotel, 1200 Oread Ave., to discuss his motivations and life experiences.
Smith is a KU alumnus and world-renown photographer. Since graduating from the School of Journalism in 1984, he has worked in nearly 70 countries — from Cold War Russia to the slums of Brazil — across six continents to become known for blurring the line between documentation and art. Smith's work generally depicts people in their everyday life, but he is best known for his photographs of war, natural disaster and revolution.
Gary Mark Smith, a KU alumnus and photojournalist, will be speaking in the Hancock Ballroom of The Oread from 6-8 p.m. He will present about his experiences during his career as a street photographer.
RENEE DUMLER/KANSAN
“This is definitely unlike anything that we've done at the library before,” said Rebecca Smith, KU Library's Executive Director of Communications, Advancement and Administration. “Gary Mark Smith is one of the most honest people I've ever met. This is will be a no-holds barred conversation. He will talk very openly about his experiences.”
"I think that his artistic goal is that journalism is a part of art," Rebecca said. "If you were to look at the photos, you'd see a much more evocative story than what you might be able to read in the
The Gary Mark Smith presentation is one of a series of events hosted by the library that engage with donors and friends of the library.
paper."
Gary Mark Smith has donated thousands of photographs as well as articles both authored by him and about him to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Students can request to view this collection in-person at the surface desk.
"The images really do tell the rest of the story," Rebecca said. "And most importantly, they talk about the people who are involved in these particular issues
or encounters and how it affects their lives."
"Gary Mark Smith, Gonzo Visionary" will cover topics such as street photography's place in photojournalism and his artistic and personal practices. The lecture is free and open to any students interested in the fields of journalism or visual art.
Edited by Laken Rapier