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MASON: A freshman’s world provides a different perspective on life

Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president

Each year since 1998, as traditional freshmen journey off to college, a list of generational facts known as the College Mind-Set List has been published. The list always makes me smile, and it makes me realize that my experience of our world is in many ways vastly different from the experiences of our college freshmen.

The list was created at Beloit College, Beloit, Wis., as a funny but thoughtful way to see the world through the eyes of these 18-year-olds. Last year, the list moved to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and it is as entertaining and enlightening as ever.

The full list of 60 is at www.marist.edu/mindset-list, but here, just for fun, are my top 10 items from the freshman class of 2019:

No. 44 Most of them will rent, not buy, their textbooks.

No. 31 By their sophomore year, their generation will constitute one-quarter of the US population.

No. 19 They may well not have a younger sibling, as the birth rate in the U.S. has been dropping since they were in grammar school.

No. 3 The primary use of a phone has always been to take pictures.

No. 17 Snapchat has become their social media app of choice, thus relieving them of the dilemma of whether or not to friend Mom.

No. 46 There have always been “smartwatches.”

No. 20 PayPal has always been an online option for purchasers.

No. 27 YouTube has become the video version of Wikipedia.

No. 37 Face recognition technology has always been used at public events.

No. 43 They have grown up with Big Data and ubiquitous algorithms that know what they want before they do.

As intended by the list creators, these items serve as great conversation starters. When I meet our newest Tigers, I must remember to ask them for tips on taking pictures with my phone!

I love the fact our new freshmen come to campus with more technological experience than those of previous generations. Our hands-on, technologically enriched campus is designed to challenge them and to help them become successful on campus and get them ready for the workforce of tomorrow.

Similarly, I think a lot about how this generation accesses YouTube for everything – including class materials. The impact of YouTube on how our students learn is intriguing to me, as is the growth of artificial intelligence in helping students learn on a very personal level. A couple of years ago, I read about an artificial intelligence tutor that could ask and answer questions on course material to help the students deepen their knowledge base. That sounds like a lot more fun than the way I studied!

What is especially exciting to me is that, as we welcome our new students to campus and to Hays, I recognize how different their world view is from mine and how much fun we will have learning from one another. They are beginning their incredible college learning journey, even as I continue on my own lifelong learning path.

FIRST FIVE: First Amendment protections resilient for free speech, free press

Gene Policinski

Attempts to throttle journalists and frighten social media platforms have come to light recently, and while worthy of note — and criticism — none is likely to do serious harm to the First Amendment’s protections for our rights to free speech and a free press.

In one instance, multiple news outlets report an effort by supporters of President Trump to raise funds to target and track journalists and cable TV pundits seen as opponents to the White House, aiming to use old social media posts to show bias or prejudice.

In terms of the First Amendment, there’s no legal bar to such tactics. Freedom to write and speak does not carry any immunity to being criticized for it. As a piratical matter, holding journalists responsible for past social media posts or published works would seem limited by the likely small number of reporters and editors who have such embarrassing items in their history — despite what media critics would wish to be the case.

Another effort: A second, unsuccessful attempt by the White House to suspend the access pass of a journalist for what it deemed unprofessional conduct by engaging in a loud exchange with a former adviser during a Rose Garden event.

As in an earlier move to suspend the “hard pass” allowing access to the White House grounds held by CNN’s Jim Acosta, the proposed suspension of Playboy magazine correspondent Brian Karem’s credential through Sept. 14 was deemed by a federal court to be based on requirements too vague to be enforced, while clearly doing “irreparable harm” to his First Amendment rights.

The White House press office should stop trying to punish reporters it deems hostile or critical to send some sort of message to the Oval Office press corps. A more effective approach would be to provide accurate, factual regular briefings, position papers or even tweets to the public through the press on matters of substance, rather than deferring to brief, chaotic shouted press scrums as Trump enters or leaves the White House with Marine One’s engines intentionally roaring in the background.

And finally, there is the ongoing campaign by the administration and press critics that alleged bias against the president by social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Google mean they are violating free speech protections. But such claims run aground on the simple fact that as private companies, those organizations are not subject to First Amendment restraints that prevent government from limiting or punishing any of us — individuals or global powerhouses — for what we say or write.

Some would even revive the long-discredited idea of a government-enforced “fairness doctrine” that could be applied across all forms of news media. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill in August that would strip companies of key legal protections unless the Federal Trade Commission ruled them politically “neutral.”

If such legislation ever got through Congress — not likely — First Amendment lawyers would line up to challenge it as unconstitutional and counter to the very idea that we the people have the right to hold and express our own views, particularly when critical of government or public officials.

Again, the appropriate fix here is more speech — not as politically satisfying but more effective in the long run — presenting facts and opinions that allow the news consumer to decide on his/her own.

Current conflicts and criticism around controversial speech and press credibility issues — from Washington to college campuses to protest marches to the political slant of various cable TV outlets — can mask an important truth: The public has a solid commitment to protecting both free expression for us all and a free press’ role on our behalf as a “watchdog on government.”

The 2019 State of the First Amendment survey, by the Freedom Forum Institute, found 65 percent of us oppose restraints on what we post online, even when repugnant, and 72 percent of us support that role of a free press to hold government accountable on our behalf.

Any attempts to limit First Amendment rights deserve scrutiny, but clearly run against the core values held by sizeable majorities in an era when such majorities rarely exist.

Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

Kan. school district to settle sexual assault lawsuit involving 8th grader

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The Shawnee Mission School District will settle a lawsuit that alleged school officials didn’t act when a male student was repeatedly accused of sexual offenses before he assaulted a student in a middle school classroom.

Westridge Middle School-google image

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed. The lawsuit claimed an eighth-grade student at Westridge Middle School was accused of making unwanted advances toward three students before he assaulted a female student in 2017.

The district says in court documents that it was investigating the reports of unwanted advances when it learned about 2017 assault.

The student was expelled in March 2017 and the school resource officer filed a police report that month.

The boy was convicted in December 2017 of three counts of battery and one count of aggravated liberties with a child.

Supreme Court allows broad enforcement of asylum limits for immigrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing nationwide enforcement of a new Trump administration rule that prevents most Central American immigrants from seeking asylum in the United States.

U.S. Border Patrol and BORSTAR agents processing individuals in March 2019 at El Paso, TX – image courtesy Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol

The justices’ order late Wednesday temporarily undoes a lower-court ruling that had blocked the new asylum policy in some states along the southern border. The policy is meant to deny asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the U.S. without seeking protection there.

Most people crossing the southern border are Central Americans fleeing violence and poverty. They are largely ineligible under the new rule, as are asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and South America who arrive regularly at the southern border.

The shift reverses decades of U.S. policy. The administration has said that it wants to close the gap between an initial asylum screening that most people pass and a final decision on asylum that most people do not win.

“BIG United States Supreme Court WIN for the Border on Asylum!” President Donald Trump tweeted.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the high-court’s order. “Once again, the Executive Branch has issued a rule that seeks to upend longstanding practices regarding refugees who seek shelter from persecution,” Sotomayor wrote.

The legal challenge to the new policy has a brief but somewhat convoluted history. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco blocked the new policy from taking effect in late July. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed Tigar’s order so that it applied only in Arizona and California, states that are within the 9th Circuit.

That left the administration free to enforce the policy on asylum seekers arriving in New Mexico and Texas. Tigar issued a new order on Monday that reimposed a nationwide hold on asylum policy. The 9th Circuit again narrowed his order on Tuesday.

The high-court action allows the administration to impose the new policy everywhere while the court case against it continues.

It’s not clear how quickly the policy will be rolled out, and how exactly it fits in with the other efforts by the administration to restrict border crossings and tighten asylum rules.

For example, thousands of people are waiting on lists at border crossings in Mexico to claim asylum in the U.S. And more than 30,000 people have been turned back to Mexico to wait out their asylum claims.

Asylum seekers must pass an initial screening called a “credible fear” interview, a hurdle that a vast majority clear. Under the new policy, they would fail the test unless they sought asylum in at least one country they traveled through and were denied. They would be placed in fast-track deportation proceedings and flown to their home countries at U.S. expense.

Lee Gelernt, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is representing immigrant advocacy groups in the case, said: “This is just a temporary step, and we’re hopeful we’ll prevail at the end of the day. The lives of thousands of families are at stake.”

Justice Department spokesperson Alexei Woltornist said the agency was “pleased that the Supreme Court intervened in this case,” adding, “This action will assist the Administration in its objectives to bring order to the crisis at the southern border, close loopholes in our immigration system, and discourage frivolous claims.”

Contract negotiations stall between teachers, Hays USD 489

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Hays USD 489 has reached impasse in negotiation with teachers for the second year in a row.

The teachers and the school district are citing differences over insurance and pay.

The district is wanting to decrease the percentage it pays toward dependent health insurance, which is currently about 83 percent. The district proposed continuing to pay 100 percent for single plans.

The district also proposed allowing for horizontal and vertical moves on the pay schedule as well as a flat $1,300 per year pay increase for both teachers and classified staff.

The approximate cost for raises for both certified and classified staff would be $750,000 of the $1.3 million additional funds the district will receive this year from the state.

The school board asked school officials to file the impasse paperwork after meeting with teachers Wednesday night. A date has not yet been set to meet with federal mediators.

See more on this story on Friday at Hays Post.

Soler hits 2 homers, Royals beat White Sox

CHICAGO (AP) – Jorge Soler hit a pair of two-run homers among his career high-matching four hits, leading the Kansas City Royals to an 8-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Soler has 43 homers this season, two behind American League leader Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.

It was the fifth multi-homer game of Soler’s career and third this season. He also has five more homers than the Royals’ previous team record of 38, by Mike Moustakas in 2017.

Adalberto Mondesi homered and had three hits, and Bubba Starling and Ryan O’Hearn also connected as the Royals beat Chicago for the fifth time in six games.

Rookie Eloy Jimenez homered, his 26th, and drove in four runs, and Jose Abreu added a two-run shot for the White Sox.

Abreu has 32 homers and 114 RBIs, which is three off the major-league lead at the start of Wednesday.

The teams combined for seven homers and have hit a total of 13 in the first two games of the series.

Glenn Sparkman (4-11) allowed three runs on four hits and snapped a nine-start winless streak. He had last won on July 16, against the White Sox at Kansas City.

Scott Barlow worked two scoreless innings and Ian Kennedy pitched the ninth for his 28th save.

Chicago starter Reynaldo Lopez (9-13) was coming off a complete-game one-hitter, but was roughed up for six runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed four homers and has given up 31 in 166 2/3 innings this season.

Kan. man remains jailed after confronting children on school playground

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an alleged incident at a Kansas elementary school.

Debarea photo Sedgwick Co.

Just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday deputies were dispatched to Wineteer Elementary School 8801 E Ent Drive in Wichita,  for report of a suspicious character later identified as Tyler J. Debarea, 38, walking around the school parking lot and playground, according to Lt. Tim Myers with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department.

As deputies were getting close, dispatch advised the man was in a truck and tried to ram the McConnell Air Force Base gates leading onto 31st Street south.

The truck hit barricades which were concrete filled pipes in the ground and the truck stopped. Debarea jumped the fence and ran. When deputies arrived, it was determined Debarea had a ten minute lead. The truck was found to have been stolen from McConnell Air Force Base.  Deputies searched a mile perimeter diligently.

A deputy went to the school where the school security officer advised he heard, third hand that some children were grabbed, pushed and pulled. Shortly after this,  dispatch was contacted with a suspicious character walking on in the 3800 Block of Webb Road where a deputy found and took him into custody, according to Myers.

After the arrest, deputies returned to Wineteer Elementary where he was alleged to have confronted children on the playground.  Deputies identified five victims from ages seven to eight who said DeBarea either swatted them on the arm or tried to grab their shirt.

A spokesman for the Derby school district says staff was able to scare him away and move students inside.

Debarea is being held on suspicion of kidnapping, battery and criminal threat, according to online jail records.

 

Lifeline phone bill discount available to low-income Kansans

KCC

TOPEKA – Access to emergency services and community resources is vital to all Kansans. The Lifeline program offers discounts to help eligible low-income families and individuals connect to voice and broadband networks to call for help in an emergency, access health care, find jobs, take classes and connect with family.

As part of National Lifeline Awareness Week, September 9-13, the Kansas Corporation Commission wants to make residents aware of the assistance the program can offer.

Under the federal Lifeline Program, low-income consumers can receive up to $9.25 per month off their monthly bill for phone (residential or wireless), broadband, or bundled phone and broadband service.  Some may also be eligible for the state Lifeline program that provides an additional $7.77 monthly discount.

Lifeline serves more than 10 million Americans, nearly 41 thousand in Kansas. Forty-nine companies currently offer Lifeline services in the state. The program has provided discounted phone service for qualifying consumers since 1985. In 2016, the program was expanded to include broadband.

Residents enrolled in any of the following assistance programs are eligible for the Lifeline program: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance (FHPA), Veterans Pension & Survivors Pension Benefit, Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start Tribal Programs (only those meeting its income qualifying standard), and the Food Distribution Program on Tribal Lands.  Those at 135% of the federal poverty level also qualify. Participants must provide three consecutive months of statements as documentation of income, or provide a copy of their tax return for the previous year. Recertification is required each year.

A Lifeline Awareness Week information sheet is attached. More information on program eligibility, enrollment, and annual recertification is available on the KCC’s website: https://kcc.ks.gov/telecommunications/lifeline. For a list of Kansas providers, go to https://data.usac.org/publicreports/CompaniesNearMe/State/StateOption/KS.

Police: New child sex allegations against former Kansas City bishop

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming says it has reported to police three new credible allegations of child sexual abuse against a retired bishop.

Diocese officials said in a statement Tuesday the new complaints against Bishop Joseph Hart are in addition to three separate allegations previously determined to be credible.

Cheyenne Police Officer David Inman said the department is aware of the new complaints. Police have recommended Laramie County prosecutors file charges over the previous complaints.

The prosecutor has not commented and no charges have been filed against Hart in Laramie County.

Hart, who led the Diocese of Cheyenne from 1976 to 2001, has consistently denied the allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct.

The diocese in Kansas City says it has settled lawsuits in 10 cases involving Hart who served in the diocese  from 1964-76.

Kan. man charged with murder for Dillons parking lot beating

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man accused of beating another man in a Dillons grocery store parking lot has been charged with second-degree murder after the victim died from his injuries two weeks after the attack.

Speakman photo Sedgwick Co.

Thirty-five-year-old Steven Speakman made his first appearance Tuesday in Sedgwick County District Court. His bond was set at $250,000.

He has been in custody since Aug. 21, when police say a fight broke out between Speakman and 33-year-old Haley Collins, of Bel Aire. When police arrived, Collins was unconscious. He died Sept. 5.

Police say the two men knew each other.

FHSU men’s soccer shutout for second straight match

Courtesy FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – No. 12 Fort Hays State University was defeated on Wednesday night by No. 19 Maryville University, 3-0.

In every nearly every major statistic, the Saints came out leading. By the end of the match, the Tigers had failed to put even one shot on goal.

Santiago Agudelo opened up the game with a fire lit inside from their previous defeat at Eastern New Mexico, taking two shots in the first four minutes. Following a corner by Sergio Villalba in the 12th minute, Maryville raced down the field and scored a goal off of the boots of Mirza Hasecic from the edge of the 18-yard box.

From that moment the Saints had complete control of the first half, only allowing one shot from the Tigers.

Beginning the second half, an Agudelo shot that missed the target preceded a pair of fouls, one by each side. After that foul, the Saints were once again backing the Tigers into their own territory. In the 53rd minute, the Saints’ Braden Johson hit the back of the next on a three-yard tap in to increase the Maryville lead, 2-0.

Just over 20 minutes later, the Saints struck again. The ball found the feet of Grady Schliepsiek just outside the six-yard box. Schliepsiek struck the ball inside the left post past goalkeeper Cullen Fisch for the final goal of the match.

A bright spot of the Tigers performance was their ability to win corners (6) and the abilities of Fisch, who tallied four saves on seven shots faced, at the back of the defense.

The Tigers will head to Denver, Colo. on Sunday to face off against the Regis University Rangers for Fort Hays’ final out of conference matchup of the regular season. While the two programs have never gone head-to-head, Regis currently posts a 0-1-1 record after drawing with Saint Martin’s University and losing to Concordia University (Ore.).

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