FHSU University Relations and Marketing

The Global Leadership Project at Fort Hays State University will host a community action poverty simulation (CAPS) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Fort Hays Ballroom in the Memorial Union. This learning tool was created as a way to help people understand the realities of poverty.

Three billion people in the world live in poverty, or on less than $2.50 a day.

During the simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families; some are Temporary Assistance to Needy Families recipients, some are disabled, and some are senior citizens on Social Security.

Participants will have the stressful task of providing for basic necessities and shelter on a limited budget during the course of four 15-minute “weeks.” They will interact with human service agencies, grocers, pawnbrokers, bill collectors, job interviewers, police officers, and others.

Although play money is used, CAPS is not a game. It is a simulation that enables participants to look at poverty from a variety of angles, and then to recognize and discuss the potential for change within their local communities.

The simulation was designed to sensitize to the realities of poverty those who frequently interact with low-income families, and to create a broader awareness of poverty among policy makers, community leaders, and others.

CAPS is presented utilizing a kit purchased from the Missouri Community Action Network.

The kit was funded by the FHSU Psychology Club, the Departments of Philosophy, Political Science, Leadership Studies, Applied Business Studies, and the Center for Civic Leadership.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Although not ideal, a property lease has been negotiated with Union Pacific Railroad that would allow the Downtown Pavilion Project to move forward in Hays.

Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood updated city commissioners during their work session Thursday night.

“It’s been a long and arduous process with UP,” Wood said. “We did not get a lot of concessions on the lease. They are not willing to bend too much.”

City Attorney John Bird began lease negotiations with the railroad last year in July.

“The pavilion will increase foot traffic in the area of their railroad tracks, and they’re not real excited about that. The lease is basically a 30-day termination lease. It’s very broad and for almost any reason they can say ‘we’re done with this’ and they would require us to remove the building,” Wood explained.

However, the city is requiring an indemnification agreement with Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC). “DHDC will remove the building if UP were to call the lease. The city would not be left on the hook,” Wood assured commissioners.

Two other areas of contention are a requirement for more insurance than the city normally would have, and the release and indemnity provisions of the lease do not comply with city ordinances.

The indemnification agreement, which Wood said DHDC has agreed to, obligates DHDC to pay the annual $3,000 lease fee, requires DHDC to remove the structure should Union Pacific terminate the lease and requires DHDC to complete construction of the structure should Fort Hays State University not be able to participate in the project.

Annual costs to be paid by the city total $1,294 which includes utility bills for restroom heat and electric meters, janitorial supplies and the additional insurance required by UP. Wood told commissioners the restroom has been ordered will be installed as soon as it arrives, estimated to be within six to eight weeks.

The project was first presented to the city May 5, 2016, by DHDC and a group of FHSU Construction Management students for construction of a pavilion and restroom to be located adjacent to Union Pacific Park on 10th Street in downtown Hays.

City commissioners will vote next week whether to sign the UP lease and DHDC indemnification agreement.

Last August, DHDC received a $100,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation to be used to match private donations already secured by DHDC for the project. The funds will be used for construction materials. Labor will be provided by FHSU students and city of Hays employees.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Although some residents have recently inquired, the city of Hays is not picking up downed tree limbs after the Jan. 15-16 ice storm.

“We typically only pick up tree limbs in residential areas when it becomes a matter of concern to the health and welfare of the residents,” Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty said Jan. 17.

“This was not anywhere a disaster-level event,” Public Works Director Greg Sund said this week.

“We’ve had some questions about whether the city is going to pick up the tree branches that were done from the ice storm. This wasn’t like last July’s event with the windstorm. The city is not going to be picking up branches and limbs that fell from this storm.

“This is considered a personal responsibility and we want to remind people if they have lost branches and trees in the recent ice storm, they should take them out to the Ellis County Landfill,” Sund urged.

“Hays residents can dump tree limbs and branches out there free of charge. There is no cost in taking those out there,” he added.

By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
FHSU University Relations and Marketing

The Fort Hays State University Department of Agriculture prides itself on its hands-on learning opportunities for students at its 3,800-acre University Farm.

The department is getting even more attention these days because of a project that involved a large rancher from Newkirk, Okla.

Six FHSU students prepared more than 20 head of Hereford and Red Angus cattle for the annual National Western Stock Show last month in Denver.

It provided a unique opportunity to show cattle at one of the most prestigious stock shows in the country, often referred to as “the granddaddy of them all.”

The students took 14 head to the show and were rewarded with one of their pens of Herefords winning reserve grand champion honors in the winter heifer category.

Mike Stoppel, manager of the beef division for the University Farm, said a friend of his from Lucas had been preparing the Bowling Ranch cattle for the stock show in years past, but because of a personal commitment, he wasn’t able to do it this year. So he approached Stoppel about FHSU students taking on the job.

From the start of the project when the cattle were brought to the Fort Hays State campus in October to the final day of the show, it was a win-win situation for all involved, said Nancy Bowling, owner of the Bowling Ranch on the Kansas-Oklahoma state line south of Arkansas City.

“We’re helping kids, and it helps us,” said Bowling, who has operated the ranch alone with help from a ranch manager and several employees since her husband, Dan, died in 2012. “We’re contributing to their education.”

She is doing that in more ways than one.

In addition to taking several students along to Denver for the show, Bowling gave each student who participated in the project a $1,000 scholarship.

Having college students help with the show hasn’t gone unnoticed by other ranchers.

“The idea of us using college kids has been overwhelming,” Bowling said. “I have nothing but high praise how these students conducted themselves, and people were complimenting them and asking us about the college kids.”

Bowling is more than happy to tell them.

During the Hereford show, a commentary was read about each ranch as its cattle were presented in the ring.

“Nancy wrote up a unique little story about Fort Hays State students helping with her herd,” Stoppel said. “I have talked to numerous people in the industry, and they said it’s a great deal.”

From the time the cattle arrived in Hays, students were responsible for the care of a couple dozen Bowling cattle, from feeding and watering to grooming and breaking them to lead.

“They learned about nutrition and feed rations and grooming them,” Bowling said. “They experienced heifer breeding and even had to go through seeing what it was like losing a bull.”

Stoppel said the experience was invaluable.

“It definitely gave kids who hadn’t been exposed to anything like this before a different aspect of the cattle industry,” Stoppel said.

One of those students was Kylie Jones from Rexford, who graduated in December with a degree in animal science. Jones had worked at the University Farm since coming to FHSU in 2014, but she had never been to a stock show.

“I was excited for a new opportunity and to see a different side of the industry I’d never been around,” said Jones, who got in on the ground floor of the project when she accompanied Stoppel to Oklahoma to visit with Bowling about the project.

“I was able to build a relationship with the owner,” Jones said, “and that was a cool opportunity to get involved with the decision-making and planning from the beginning.”

Students who participated had a diverse experience range with preparation for stock shows.

Jones said she not only learned a lot from Stoppel but also from fellow students such as Garret Stoppel from Russell and Casey Jensen from Courtland. Both were involved with cattle in 4-H and FFA growing up and are sophomore agriculture business majors who are quite familiar with stock shows.

“Garret had grown up around all this, so he was able to teach me a lot about what was going on,” Jones said. “I learned a lot from Mike and my peers, getting their ideas about things.”

Garret Stoppel, Mike’s son, said it was a learning experience for him as well.

“The people who had never been exposed to something like this, it was very different for them than for someone like me who are up on this sort of thing,” he said. “I’ve been going to stock shows since I can remember.”

Jensen agreed.

“It was neat to see some of your fellow students experience something like this, something they had never seen before,” he said. “But it was also a learning opportunity for me. I knew the ropes, but it was different being able to show others who had worked at the beef unit the right way to do things for showing cattle.”

Jensen also understands the project also could have some long-term benefits for the students.

“You get to meet a lot of good people and make some connections at these shows,” he said. “With my family being in the Hereford industry, I already knew quite a few people, but we got introduced to a lot more people (in Denver), and I got to know Nancy Bowling better.”

Jensen also got to see first-hand his uncle win the Hereford Bull Pen Show.

“That’s a really big honor, so that was neat,” Mike Stoppel said. “The entire experience the students gained from this, they couldn’t have gotten in a classroom or even on the university farm otherwise without this opportunity.”

“It’s cool that we are building relationships with ranchers like that,” Jones said. “If we do a good job, they’re going to promote the college. It’s great advertising for our ag department, for students to see all the different opportunities they can have if they come to Fort Hays State.”

Don Benjamin, interim chair for FHSU’s Department of Agriculture, said he and other instructors in the department consistently look for hands-on opportunities for students to learn.

“Our goal is to involve the students in the farm,” he said. “You can teach them theory in the classroom, but you can’t teach them experience.”

Jones said that she is glad that FHSU is progressive in its teaching approach for ag students.

“I’m not a classroom learner; I’m more of a hands-on learner,” she said. “Besides working on the farm, we get to utilize a lot of different producers and feedlots around the area, so it’s great as much as my teachers utilize the farm to help us learn about different aspects of agriculture.”

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

February may be a short month, but it’s jam-packed with activities in Hays for residents and visitors.

Melissa Dixon, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, has the highlights.

For an updated CVB Calendar of Events, go to www.visithays.com.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

An Ellis mother and her 14-year-old son plan to testify Tuesday in Topeka in favor of a bill that would require private insurance companies to cover costs of a life-sustaining formula prescribed to Kansas residents with eosinophilic disorders.

Kellie Crnkovich and her son Joey support House Bill 2103 (Insurance Coverage for Amino Acid-Based Formula) introduced Jan. 19 by 79th Dist. Rep. Ed Trimmer (D-Winfield) to the House Committee on Insurance. 

Amino acid-based formula, also known as an elemental formula, is a type of hypoallergenic formula made from individual amino acids, the building blocks of protein needed for growth and development. The amino acids are in the simplest form, making it easy for the body to process and digest.

Eosinophilic disorders affect less than one percent of the population, and it is estimated fewer than 500 Kansans will need the formula long term. Joey Crnkovich is one of them.

“My son needs amino acid-based formula for nutrition. He has had to enroll in virtual school for his 8th grade year. We are hoping to get him healthy enough to return to regular high school in the fall at Ellis High where he misses his friends,” Crnkovich said. “Amino acid-based formula is necessary for him to do this.”

Joey is working with Dr. Stephanie Page, director of the Eosinophilic Esophagitis Program at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and has been on the special nutrition for three months. “He’s finally started growing again and has gained 12 pounds,” his mother reported.

“Joey was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease (EGD) in July after months of tests. Eosinophils (white blood cells) are attacking his GI tract. It affects his esophagus, colon, and ileum,” she explained. “It causes severe pain and many times he can’t eat at all. Because the eosinophils are attacking the food proteins in the body,  we have to keep eliminating foods to try to stop his body’s reactions.”

Joey takes amino acid-based formula every day to supplement his nutrition. It’s expensive.

“A box of his formula costs $132, the cheapest from Amazon. This box has 27 eight-ounce boxes of the formula. So far he only needs a few a day as a supplement but for many children this is their only nutrition so they would drink nine or more boxes a day to meet their daily nutrition needs. Insurance does not usually cover this except in states that passed medical nutrition bills.”

Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska have passed such bills. Medicaid, Medicare and TRICARE also cover the costs.

According to the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, people with Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease (EGID) are allergic or sensitive to food. The body mistakes foods as if they are parasites. In trying to protect itself, the body attacks the GI tract with white blood cells called eosinophils. When the eosinophils attack the tissue, they can cause inflammation, tissue damage, scarring and bleeding. This leads to very serious health problems, including failure to grow and thrive, uncontrollable vomiting, severe stomach and throat pain, nausea, inability to sleep, severe headaches and joint pain.

“Amino acid-based formula is the only FDA-approved treatment for EGID,” added Crnkovich.

Crnkovich knows of some parents who pay “$2,000 to $5,000 a month to get this this when insurance doesn’t cover it, causing serious financial hardship. It’s emotionally devastating.”

“They are spending more time trying to figure out how to pay for the medical nutrition that their children need rather than the energy that could be spent on taking care of their families.”

Crnkovich has sent emails to her legislators, Rep. Ken Rahjes, (R-Agra) and Sen. Rick Billinger, (R-Goodland)  asking for their support on House Bill 2103.

 

 

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The newest Hays city commissioner was sworn into office Thursday evening.

Sandy Jacobs was selected by the other commissioners from six candidates to fill the unexpired term of Eber Phelps. He is now serving as the 111th District State Representative.

City Clerk Brenda Kitchen issued the oath of office to Jacobs at the beginning of the city commission meeting.

The commission then reorganized, which is traditionally done each January. This year, however, there were no changes.

The reason, according to City Manager Toby Dougherty, is because of legislation adopted last year by the state which moves municipal elections to November.

“The city commission used to have their municipal elections in April and the new commission would take seats at the first regular meeting after the elections. The new commission will now take seat in January of 2018. There was a nine-month period, sort of a gap, that it created,” Dougherty explained.

“The city commission decided at that time that Mayor Phelps would fill half of the gap and then Mayor (Shaun) Musil would fill half of the gap.

“This reorganization, which would normally be Mayor Musil’s term, will put you back on schedule so that next year you guys will reorganize in January and everybody would move just like normal.”

As a result, commissioners voted to retain Shaun Musil as mayor and James Meier as vice-mayor.

The unexpired term Jacobs is filling will end in January 2018. She thanked her fellow commissioners “for the welcome” and said she “appreciates the confidence in the commission for putting me in this position.”

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

There are homeless people living in Hays and Ellis County.

“It’s not a big homeless problem,” according to Linda Mills, regional coordinator of the Hays Homeless Coalition. “It’s different–different than what exists in urban areas and more populous states.”

“You don’t really see people living under bridges in Hays. What we have is more hidden. People are doubling up in living spaces with other people or ‘couch surfing,'” Mills explained.

The annual “Point In Time” count began Thursday and continues Friday at the Hays Public Library and at several agencies, including First Care Clinic and First Call for Help. The federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department requires that Continuums of Care conduct an annual count of homeless persons who are sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Safe Havens on a single night.

Volunteers are surveying the public and asking questions about where they spent the night Wed., Jan. 25. The survey is voluntary and individuals can opt out of answering any question. No personal information is collected.

When the random survey was conducted in 2015, out of the 50 people participating, “five were literally homeless,” Mills said. “Another 22 people were staying in motels where someone else had paid the bill.”

There is no homeless shelter in Hays or in the 18 counties of northwest Kansas. The nearest homeless shelter is 90 miles away in Salina and “sometimes we put people on the bus to Salina,” she said.

There are no services available locally for the homeless although there are some programs for homeless veterans. There is no local transitional housing.

Homeless people often have other problems, including mental illness, drug abuse or chronic unemployment which also need to be addressed, Mills said. “HUD, which focuses on veterans, works first to get them into housing, a roof over their heads.”

The collected information will be entered into the Kansas MAAClink database, the Mid America Assistance Coalition, compiled into a statewide report, shared with the Kansas Statewide Homeless Association and submitted to HUD.

The county-specific results will be used when applying for federal and state housing grants.