At this year’s MLB draft, two former Cavalier pitchers were selected by professional teams.
The Chicago White Sox selected right-handed pitcher Jeff Soptic at pick 110. Soptic was selected in the third round of the draft, which makes him the highest drafted athlete in the school’s history.
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Soptic and Spilker selected MLB draft
New Trustee knows meaning of commitment
By Gabrielle Fitzgerald
High school valedictorian, University of Kansas Student Body president, top ten percent of the class at Virginia’s Law School, the college’s newly-elected trustee knows the meaning of hard work.
Greg Musil attributes much of his success to his grassroots childhood. Not only did it give him a desire to do his best, but also to be involved in the community, he said.
InFocus: A semester of Cavaliers, caffeine, comedians
Sports
Tennis
Following a 10th (Men’s) and 12th (Women’s) finish at NJCAA Nationals last year, coach Glen Moser looks to make strong strides this season with a mostly reloading cast of freshmen. The men’s tennis team finished out the season 8-8-1 and look to build on last season’s finish behind returning sophomores Maksim Fil (Minsk, Belarus) and Harry Lee ( Brisbane, Australia) alongside a cast of talented freshmen including Martial Lescure (France), Daniel DeZamacona, Michael Draper (Green Valley, Missouri) and Southwest Baptist transfer Juan Estepa (Columbia, South America). Consisting of a solid core and a large versatility of depth, the men’s are still looking for their dominating 1 for the season as coach Moser plans to rotate multiple players into the position leading up till conference play. For the Lady Cavs, the loss of their 1, 2, and 3 girls to graduation will certainly make an impact, but the Lady Cavs team will look to develop in their incoming recruits. Moser expects freshmen recruits Shannon Beckett (Australia) and Jean Ochs (Kurtsville, Missouri) to make a big impact this season as “a very good one-two punch.” The Cavs look to make an impact this spring season with assessing who’s to start in their set team roles, having lined up half a dozen scrimmage dates against four-year colleges in the area in the fall. As coach Moser explained, “It’s a time to see how our players are progressing and who might team up as doubles partners.”
Golf
Completing a 4th place finish in the East Jayhawk conference this past season, the men’s golf team have their eyes set on what they couldn’t achieve this past season: an NJCAA finish. With new talent being added to the team, along with returning players such as Devin Montague, the Cavs have added a new dimension to their game that they lacked in the previous system. Having the opportunity to use the indoor facilities of golf clubs, the Cavs are now able to specially zone in on their short game – focusing on both their putting and chipping game – while also utilizing a par-3 course in-house to improve their play throughout the season. It will aid the Cavs in giving them a different application and creating competition, something coach Lafayette Norwood would love to see in the coming season. “We’re in the area we want to be, and that’s becoming competitive,” explains coach Norwood. While the traveling teams spot have yet to be set, Norwood believe his new cast of freshman should fill the void and add a new element the team lacked last year. The Cavs begin compete in their first tournament on Sept. 11 and 12 as they compete in Garden City.
InFocus: A semester of Cavaliers, caffeine, comedians
News
Campus now tobacco-free
Students, staff and faculty who use tobacco will find a distinct change in school policy this semester. As of Aug. 1, the college has adopted a campus-wide tobacco ban. The areas designated for smoking in the past have been removed and the campus police now have the authority to hand out fines to those in violation.
The fines will be $10 for each violation. The fines do not increase with repeat offense. If payment is not made within ten business days, a hold is placed on the student’s records. This means that the student will not be allowed to access his or her grades and cannot enroll in new classes until the fine is paid.
“The purpose of the ban is student is student health, to endorse healthy decisions,” said Larry Dixon, Deputy Chief of public safety at the college.
There are a few exceptions to the hardline stance taken by the college. The school has constructed two small shelters on the south end of the campus next to the ITC building. The shelters were created specifically to address the needs of the students attending railroad technology courses, but they are open to all students. Smoking will also be tolerated if done inside of a car in the parking lots.
For the first two weeks of this fall semester, beginning Aug. 22, campus police will be handing out warnings to those found in violation. This will be done in an attempt to inform the students to the change in policy.
Coke-to-Pepsi conversion complete
Students and faculty may be less than happy to find a campus-wide switch from Coca-Cola products to the Pepsi brand when they arrive this fall. Vending machines and the Food Court will no longer offer the popular Coke brand.
This is the first time the school has done an exclusive beverage contract. The decision was made based on a need to streamline food and beverage service, said trustee member Bob Drummond.
“[This] allows us some efficiencies that we haven’t had in the past,” he said.
For Coca-Cola loyalists there will be one oasis. The C-Store will continue to carry Coke products in their coolers. Bookstore and C-Store General Manager Steve Rhodes is expecting his shop to become a destination.
“It’s not just one of the places to get (Coke products), it’s the only place to get a Coca-Cola on campus,” he said.
InFocus: A semester of Cavaliers, caffeine, comedians
Features
Author Sherman Alexie visiting
Several programs and initiatives are planned in the upcoming semester to promote diversity and cultural understanding in the student body. The college is hosting a presentation by Sherman Alexie, award winning author of the “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” which will soon become a large part of the curriculum for many English classes.
Alexie’s book was chosen by teachers of the English department this year as the common read for all Composition classes as well as several others. More than 1,200 students will read it.
“One reason we chose this book would be that it models good writing,” Thomas Reynolds, Associate Professor of English, said. “It’s a terrific book; it’s very funny, as well as serious.”
The presentation will occur Wednesday, Oct. 19, and is free and open to the public. It will focus on Alexie’s development as a writer and the early life he mirrors in his book, which discusses deep themes of assimilation, racism, social class, poverty, bullying, and community.
“We felt that our students could relate to this book in a lot of ways on a personal level,” Reynolds said.
Homegrown comedian Rob Riggle to put on a show
One event that has students particularly excited is a visit from comedian Rob Riggle. Best known for his roles in the movies “The Hangover” and “The Other Guys,” Riggle also worked as a correspondent for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
Something that sets Riggle apart from other comedians is his military service. He is currently ranked a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
Riggle also has a local connection here: he is a graduate of Shawnee Mission South.
“One of the agents I’ve worked with in the past floated the name Rob Riggle, and I did some research on him. He’s from Overland Park and he went to KU, and he has a real connection to the area,” Jake Akehurst, Student Activities Manager, said.
Riggle’s comedy show on Saturday, Oct. 8 is expected to consist of PG-13 or R-rated material. Tickets are on sale for $10.
“We really want students to get a lower price and to encourage students to check out the Carlsen Center and Yardley Hall and know that we have these state of the art theaters on campus,” Akehurst said.
Senate elections matter – to everyone
Staff Editorial
When Corey Paris was re-elected Student Senate president last semester, becoming the first student to do so, he made various promises to the school as to what the Senate would attempt to accomplish this year.
However, with his recent departure for another school – abandoning his role as Senate president – the entire Student Senate is up in arms as to who will take over his role of leadership. This also means that once again, the entire student body is responsible for deciding who will fill that void.
Students must start paying attention to the voting process. The vast majority of students seem to ignore the elections for Senate leadership roles, despite the efforts the Senate puts in to making voting accessible to all. This year, only 302 people voted, down from the mere 371 votes attained for the 2009-10 year. This isn’t working.
Perhaps many students feel voting for the Senate elections is a waste of time for an insignificant group on campus, but the truth is, Senate impacts much of what all of us do here. The PaperCut program, for one, was initiated by Student Senate.
Students, the campus-wide smoking ban was the idea of the Senate, who brought the idea to Dana Grove, the executive vice president of Education Planning and Development.
Student media revamped
By Rachel Kimbrough
Student media at the college is finally catching up.
Whereas in previous years, there was this Moses-and-the-Red-Sea-esque division between the Ledger, ECAV radio, and JCAV News, the college’s student-run broadcast news outlet, this year we’re getting in each other’s business in a big way.
For one thing, COM 260 is now overrun with equipment and student journalists of all sorts. This used to be just the Ledger office. Now it houses all three student-run news outlets, as well as a few courses this semester.
A place for health
Practical Nursing students were the first to try out the Olathe Health Education Center (OHEC), on August 4. The new building, located on the Olathe Medical Center campus in Olathe, Kan., features more room and better technology than the previous location at King’s Cove.
Director of Practical Nursing and Health Occupations Jane Zaccardi said the Practical Nursing and Health Occupations departments moved from King’s Cove to the new building. Improvements include more beds for students to practice patient care on and Wi-Fi coverage.
The Sun has gone down
By Renee Burkhart
Long a part of Johnson County culture, The Johnson County Sun newspaper is now only a page in media history. The week of Aug. 15 marks the last week of publication for the home-grown media outlet.
The closing of the Sun is about the bottom line, said Lee Sawyer, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NPG Newspapers, parent company of Sun Publications.
Re-elected incumbent departs for new college
By Ben Markley
The college’s first-ever reelected student senate president resigned from his position before beginning his second term.
Corey Paris, former Student Senate president, resigned this summer and left the college to attend Western Connecticut State University.
Mindy Kinnaman, Student Senate adviser, said she was aware of his plans to resign months ago.