TOPEKA – This May the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) joins the federal Administration on Aging, part of the Administration for Community Living, in recognition of Older American’s Month (OAM). For 55 years, OAM has been observed to celebrate older Americans and their contributions to our communities.
Every May offers an opportunity to hear from, support, and celebrate our nation’s older adults. This year’s OAM theme, “Engage at Every Age,” emphasizes the importance of being active and involved, no matter where or when you are in life. You are never too old (or too young) to participate in activities that can enrich your physical, mental and emotion well-being.
“We should all keep in mind the contributions that older people continue to make to our state and nation. I am proud that the State of Kansas respects and supports the older Kansans in our state who have a lifetime of experience to share with us and pave the road of opportunity for younger Kansans,” Secretary Tim Keck said. “While KDADS provides services, support and resources to older adults year-round, Older Americans Month is a great opportunity to reach out to elders and show special appreciation for their presence in our communities – and our lives.”
To learn more about activities and events planned for Older Americans Month, or to find ideas about what you can do to unleash the power of age, visit the Older Americans Month website athttps://oam.acl.gov/index.html.
Lee’s Summit, Mo. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a road rage incident involving a St. Joseph man.
This is the victim’s 2003 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab Z71 edition. At the time of the incident, the victim had a large, zero turn mower in the bed of the truck-photo courtesy Lee’s Summit Police
Just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, emergency crews were dispatched to the area of northbound M-291 Highway near the Interstate 470 merger on the report of a man stumbling in traffic, according to Lee’s Summit Police.
When crews arrived they found a man who had collapsed in the inner median; the man identified as 24-year-old Cody M. Harter of St. Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene. At this point investigators have the man’s truck which was found on the shoulder of the roadway.
Detectives have interviewed a handful of witnesses who described what they saw as a possible road rage incident. They reported seeing another vehicle stopped in front of the Harter’s vehicle, according to a media release from police. Harter and suspect were arguing outside of their vehicles. It is believed that that Harter suffered a single stab wound to the chest during the altercation and stumbled back into the lanes of traffic where he died.
Cody M. Harter is a member of the USAF Reserves and had been deployed overseas.-photo courtesy Lee’s Summit police
The suspect and suspect vehicle then fled north on I-470. Police are asking anyone that was travelling along I-470 last night around 7:30 p.m. or anyone that may have seen the victim’s vehicle travelling north on M-291 from 50 Highway to call and speak with Detectives. The number to call is 816-969-1705.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Races for the Kansas Legislature and other state offices this year will be flooded with campaign spending from third-party organizations that can spend unlimited amounts of money without having to disclose their donor lists.
Four former governors, including two Democrats and two Republicans, are supporting the Save Kansas Coalition, a network of 11 separate groups dedicated to electing more Democrats and moderate Republicans to the Legislature.
Some of the groups include the MainStream Coalition, Stand Up Blue Valley, Game On for Kansas Schools, Women for Kansas, and Reroute the Roadmap.
“We got involved — we, the former governors — by joining in and being supportive of what they were doing. We didn’t put it together,” said former Gov. John Carlin, a Democrat who served from 1978 to 1987. “These groups put it together.”
Carlin said one of the coalition’s main goals is to counter the large amounts of third-party money that is already being spent by conservative groups, including the Kansas Chapter of Americans for Prosperity.
He said the coalition was established out of frustration over the 2014 election, when a large number of moderate Republicans had united behind Democrat Paul Davis of Lawrence, hoping to unseat incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback.
Both the Save Kansas Coalition and AFP are organized as nonprofit, tax-exempt “social welfare” organizations under a federal tax code that allows them to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, as long as they don’t spend more than half their funds on political activity.
MARSHALL COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 4a.m. Sunday in Marshall County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Yamaha ATV driven by Adams D. Weston, 27, Frankfort, was in a field east of U.S 87 and five miles south of U.S. 36.
The ATV left the field and entered the roadway from the east ditch traveling southbound.
The driver turned around and began traveling northbound on U.S. 87, crossed into the east ditch and rolled.
The passenger Arianna Lynn Martin, 22, Frankfort, was ejected. The ATV came to rest on top of her, according to the KHP.
Martin was transported to Community Memorial Health Care where she died. Authorities released no additional details.
Summertime and vacations are likely to include entertaining, travel and outdoor excursions. But before engaging in these and other recreational activities, make sure you evaluate your insurance risks and needs as summer approaches.
The following tips from the Kansas Insurance Department and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners can help.
Pools and Trampolines — and maybe swing sets
Before inviting friends and family over to enjoy any of your house’s outdoor amenities, know that any of them may increase your insurance risk. Consider purchasing an umbrella policy in addition to your homeowners insurance to increase your liability coverage for any use of those objects.
However, because pools, trampolines and swing sets pose potential dangers, some companies may not insure your property if you own them, or there may be policy exclusions for liability for related injuries. An insurance company may also deny coverage or cancel your policy if you do not follow the policy’s safety guidelines or fail to inform the company when you build a pool or purchase a trampoline.
Check with your insurance provider for rates, discounts and safety guidelines (such as installing a fence or locked gate). If you lease a property with a pool, discuss your insurance options with your agent or insurance company.
Boats
A boat insurance policy provides liability coverage if someone is injured on your boat. It also covers bodily injury inflicted on others and property damage to your boat. Read your policy carefully and speak to your agent.
The personal property coverage of your homeowners policy may cover a small boat for $1,500 or less in physical damage. However, coverage for your liability risk is limited.
Personal watercrafts, such as jet skis, often require a separate policy that may be offered by your homeowners insurer. Talk with your insurance agent and get quotes from other companies to understand your options.
Also, some boat policies allow for a “lay-up” period so that coverage can be suspended during the off-season. But, because losses such as theft, fire and vandalism can occur any time, it is good for your insurance agent to review coverages to see if they can be adjusted during the off-season. And, if there is a lien on the boat, a lender may require year-round coverage.
All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)
ATVs are not covered by standard automobile insurance policies, but your homeowners policy may partially cover liability. Ask your agent if you have sufficient coverage. Also, ask about age restrictions regarding who may operate the ATV, or if the policy covers friends and family.
Drones
Outdoor activities increasingly include drone flying for hobbies such as photography. Because of increased drone popularity throughout the United States, having liability insurance, in case of accidents, and damage insurance, for the machine, is recommended. Drone users should check with their insurance agents about whether their homeowners policies cover drone use or whether a separate policy is needed.
Traveling
Whether you are leaving home for a weekend getaway or a long road trip, be aware of what your homeowners or renters policy will cover while you are gone. Typically, your homeowners insurance will follow you, protecting you even while you are not at home.
In addition to your deductible, items will typically have a limit on items such as jewelry. If you are traveling with high-priced items, it is a good idea to get separate insurance coverage for these items. Check with your agent or company.
More Information
Contact the Kansas Insurance Department’s Consumer Assistance Division at 800-432-2484 for more information. You can also use the department’s Online Chat feature, located on the home page of our website, www.ksinsurance.org.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge will allow lawyers for a man accused of a two-state murder spree to send an investigator to Mexico to research the man’s childhood and background, and he has ordered the attorney general’s office in Missouri to pay most of the cost.
Serrano-Vitorino- photo Montgomery Co.
Pablo Serrano-Vitorino goes to trial in October in the March 2016 death of a Montgomery County, Missouri, man. He also is accused of killing four men in Kansas. He could face the death penalty in the Missouri case.
Serrano-Vitorino is a Mexican nationally who was in the U.S. illegally when the killings occurred.
Judge Steven Ohmer has ruled that the attorney general’s office must pay up to $40,000 of the estimated $59,000 price for the investigation in Mexico.
By SAMANTHA KENNER Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
ABILENE – The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is pleased to announce the commencement of a complete museum redesign. “This is an exciting time for all of us. With new scholarship and technology, the redesign will offer visitors many reasons to keep coming back. Ike and Mamie deserve the best and that is our goal,” stated Director Dawn Hammatt.
Beginning May 14, exhibits will be located in the library building while the museum gets a new look. The project is expected to take 12 months. The work will encompass the museum’s entire 25,000 square foot exhibit space. The comprehensive exhibit redesign is made possible by the Eisenhower Foundation’s successful multi-million dollar fundraising campaign.
“We are so grateful for our partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation. They have worked very hard raising funds from private donors to make this project a reality. We are also pleased to receive federal funding for much needed structural improvements for accessibility and public amenities,” Hammatt said.
The PRD Group from Chantilly, Va., is designing the new exhibits and general contracting services will be provided by Jacobs.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library will maintain regular operating hours during the project. The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (June and July: 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.). Guided tours of the boyhood home are offered every 15 minutes with the last tour at 4:30 p.m. Increased public programs and activities will be scheduled throughout the duration of the museum project.
Connect with us on social media at @IkeLibrary or visit www.eisenhower.archives.gov for additional details and updates on this exciting project.
About the Eisenhower Presidential Library
The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. Public programs and exhibits at the Eisenhower Presidential Library are made possible through the generous support of the Eisenhower Foundation. To learn more, please visit eisenhowerfoundation.net.
By BOB GARDNER Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and GARY MUSSELMAN Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association
One of the responsibilities that parents take most seriously is protecting their children from injury, whether it is buckling seat belts in a car or wearing a helmet while riding a bike. And when their kids become teenagers and want to participate in sports or other activities, parents do everything they can to keep their sons and daughters from getting hurt.
But not all injuries are caused by a twist, fall, collision or accident. Many are caused when young athletes repeat the same athletic activity so often that muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones don’t have time to recover—especially among middle school and high school students. These injuries can end promising careers, cost families tens of thousands of dollars, squash dreams and literally change lives.
Examples include elbow and arm injuries to teenagers who play baseball or softball all year long, shoulder injuries to year-round swimmers, wrist and elbow injuries to gymnasts, and stress fractures to soccer players.
The culprit, most often, is what’s commonly known as “sport specialization,” the process of playing the same sport all year long with the goal of either gaining a competitive edge or earning a college scholarship. It involves intense, year-round training in a single sport.
Research shows that sports specialization is putting teenage athletes at risk. According to a study commissioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin, high school athletes who specialize in a single sport are 70 percent more likely to suffer an injury during their playing season than those who play multiple sports.
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says much the same. It reports that “overuse injuries” (injuries caused when an athletic activity is repeated so often that parts of the body do not have enough time to heal) are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle school and high school students.
There is a solution. Young athletes should be encouraged to play multiple sports.
When student-athletes cross-train, they work different muscle groups and joints which, in fact, results in better overall conditioning. They also develop a new set of athletic skills like hand-eye coordination, balance, endurance, explosion and agility that are transferable to their primary sport. It’s no coincidence that 30 of the 32 first-round picks in the 2017 National Football League draft played multiple sports in high school.
Parents can play a key role in preventing these overuse injuries by encouraging their kids to play multiple sports rather than pushing them to specialize in one sport. They will have more fun, will be less likely to suffer burnout and will actually become better athletes. .
Calista Leigh Isbell, age 15, of Hays, Kansas passed away Wednesday, May 2, 2018, in Hays. She was born November 17, 2002, in Suixi, Guangdong China. Calista was adopted on May 24, 2004, by Jeanne Isbell, who became her loving and devoted mother.
Calista was a student at Hays High. She participated in softball, tennis, and karate. She enjoyed chess and started the Hays Middle School chess club. She was a vocalist and musician playing the clarinet, piano, and guitar. She was also an avid reader and enjoyed drawing.
She cherished her friends, especially Alexis White, who would spend the night filling the house with laughter long into the night. Singing and music were Calista’s passions. Her happiness could not be contained as she, along with a friend, won first place in the Hays High School talent show. She also earned a I rating for her clarinet solo at the State Music Festival and an excellence rating for her vocal solo. Listening to her play the piano at home was a joy for her mother.
She worked so hard at school, earning straight A+’s, and her teachers loved her attitude, helpfulness, and sense of humor. She aspired to be a pediatric oncologist and was considering colleges with Stanford being her first pick. Last summer she was invited to tour with the Kansas Ambassadors of Music to seven European countries singing the choir and playing in the band.
Calista loved her brothers and sisters. We will always remember her playful banter with Christopher whom she cherished. She considered being a family the most important part of life. She hoped as they grew up they would always stay connected.
She is survived by her mother, Jeanne Isbell of Hays; two sisters, Cori and Judith Isbell, and two brothers, Jesse and Christopher Isbell, all of Hays; uncles Scott Isbell (Carol) of San Juan Capistrano, CA, Rand Isbell (Vilma) of Canyon County, CA, and Dann Isbell (Jessica) of Taiwan; aunts Lynne Isbell of Davis, CA, and Leigh Isbell of Oberlin, KS, numerous cousins, and a very special family friend, Merlin Schroer of Hays. She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Judith Isbell Miller, and family friend John Leyda of Oberlin, KS.
Memorial services will be 3 p.m. Sunday, May 6, 2018 with a memorial visitation starting at 2:30 p.m. all at the North Oak Community Church, 3000 Oak Street, Hays, KS 67601.
Arrangements in care of Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine St., Hays, KS 67601.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected]
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Calista Isbell Memorial Fund for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.afspdonordrive.com/campaign/CalistaIsbellMemorialFund
Robert “Bob” Schibi, age 71, of Hays, Kansas passed away Friday, May 4, 2018 in Hays. He was born September 12, 1946 in Denver, Colorado to Henry and Fern (Miller) Schibi. He graduated from Rockhurst High School in Kansas City and Regis University in Denver. On July 10, 1971 he married Susan Soderblom at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays. She preceded him in death October 31, 2002.
Bob was the owner of Field Abstract and Title Company in Hays where he was a title insurance agent and abstractor. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
He is survived by his son, Eric Schibi and wife Kelly and their children Adam, Alison and Arin all of Hays and a brother, Frank Schibi of Phoenix, Arizona.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Tom Schibi on Feb. 27, 2014 and a brother, John Schibi.
Funeral services will be 10 AM Monday, May 7, 2018 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery.
Visitation will be Sunday 4 PM-7 PM and Monday 9 AM – 9:30 AM at Brock’s – Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601.
A parish vigil service will be Sunday at 6 PM followed by a rosary service at 6:30 PM all at the funeral chapel.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Hospice at Hays Medical Center, The Cancer Council of Ellis County or Masses.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email [email protected]
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
Twenty years ago, a study found that medical and health information available on the internet was unreliable and error-laden. Today, a new study by a University of Kansas professor shows that our current youth continue to face the same wasteland of internet quackery and remain just as vulnerable to misinformation as before.
In the June 1998 issue of Pediatrics, physicians McClung, Murray and Hietlinger investigated “The Internet as a Source for Current Patient Information.” They selected the topic of acute childhood diarrhea—a problem that can be fatal to young children—and searched the top 60 web sites.
Despite these web sites being run by medical professionals, university hospitals and health news services, 80 percent provided wrong or out-of-date information. Out of the top 300 search engine results, these 60 were selected from what appeared to be mainstream or medically credible sources. But only 12 of those 60 websites provided information that matched the medically-accurate diagnosis and prescription of the American Academy of Pediatrics for management of childhood diarrhea.
Subsequent research demonstrated that faulty websites pushing medical quackery cannot be distinguished by their .edu, .com, .org or .gov addresses either.
In a recent news release, research at K.U. shows that this situation has not improved. In “Just Google It: Observing Youth Searching for Health Information Online,” Susan Harvey, an Assistant Professor of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences observed youths to determine how they search for and locate online health information.
Professor Harvey surveyed the students’ own perceptions of their ability to search for online information as well as their belief in their ability to judge the quality of the website. As you might expect, our new generation is quite confident about finding online information. Overconfident.
They also felt they could detect valid information and distinguish it from bogus sites. They couldn’t.
While her student subjects searched for information on the Internet, she used tracking software to record the sites they accessed. And they told Professor Harvey their thought processes while they searched.
In the news release, Harvey described how “Most of them didn’t scroll through the webpages at all, they just clicked on the first link.” She continued “And many of them found their information from sites that weren’t credible. When they did click on credible sites, like the National Institutes of Health, they clicked off of it very quickly.”
Harvey found that students averaged only about 20 seconds on the credible sites and attributed some of this to “…the unreliable sites were just more visually appealing for them.” However, she also blamed the accurate websites for writing the information at too high of a grade level for the students to understand, and recommends the quality sites lower their reading level.
Unfortunately, U.S. schools went through a five year “reform” of removing technical language from science books in the late 1990s. That disaster proved that technical language is necessary for comprehension of concepts. And reading levels, determined by letter and word counts, do not reflect students’ ability to read higher than their grade level when interested.
This new study repeats familiar recommendations for more teacher training in online literacy and in detection of unreliable sites. However, the infamous University of Connecticut “tree octopus” study long ago showed that there is no universal method for detecting bogus online information. And even worse, once students “learn” wrong information, they own it and will not change their minds.
Today, K-12 schools nationwide are throwing away carefully-reviewed, accurate textbooks and sending their students into the vast internet wasteland. Therefore it is not surprising that in the annual “Education Counts” just issued by Education Week, “79 percent of principals are ‘moderately’ or ‘extremely’ concerned about their students’ inability to gauge the reliability of online information.”
Simply, if there was a god-like method to separate good online information from bogus, we would all be using it.
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
In the last year, the number of Cherokee County Kansas children in state custody shot up by roughly half.
FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
The places available for those kids to stay, meanwhile, hasn’t changed.
So that’s meant shipping them two hours away — and regularly taking deputies from the 19-person sheriff’s department off patrol to drive the children to Andover, Kansas — the closest place available with any room.
Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves took his frustration to Twitter this week after he had to dispatch a deputy four counties away so a child flagged for possible entry into the state’s care could have a place to sleep.
Groves said that was the sixth time he’d had to pull one of his deputies for that drive in just over a week.
“Our kids deserve better & our community deserves to have cops that are able to serve them,” he said in the Tweet.
Pulled another deputy off the road last night to spend hours driving a child to Andover, due to lack of area foster homes. Our kids deserve better & our community deserves to have cops that are available to serve them. This is the 6th time in just over a week. #ksleg@DCFKansas
Children can land in police protective custody for a variety of reasons. Maybe they’re found wandering unsupervised, or both parents are in jail. Perhaps a car accident injured all their caretakers.
They can stay in police protective custody for 72 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. To go from there to the Department for Children and Families’ custody, they need to appear before a judge who decides whether to hand them off to the agency.
In the past, the Cherokee County sheriff’s office was able to lean on local resources to keep those kids closer to home. Local foster homes, local family members or other adults the kids trusted could offer them a home for a few days.
Cherokee County Undersheriff Terry Clugston said that started changing in January. In the past month, the department has been transporting children to Andover — or occasionally as far away as Topeka — at least once a week.
“It’s just continued to progress to where it’s like everyone that we pick up now is going out to central Kansas,” Clugston said. “Which has, in turn, caused us to have to call out officers to cover shifts and endure the extra overtime and manpower issues with transporting these kids so far away.”
The number of foster homes in Cherokee County hasn’t changed much. A DCF spokeswoman said there are 40 homes in the county as of Wednesday, one more than a year before.
That hasn’t kept pace with the number of kids in care.
Last fiscal year, 48 children in the county entered DCF custody. This year, it’s up to 62 in just the first nine months. That doesn’t include kids pulled into police protective custody who didn’t end up in DCF’s care.
At the same time, kids aren’t leaving DCF custody fast enough to keep up.
A spokeswoman for KVC, the contractor managing foster placements in the eastern half of the state, said their 40 foster homes in the county are nearly all at or over capacity.
Families can open their homes to kids in police protective custody without having to go through the full licensing process necessary for a foster home.
In roughly the past year, neighboring Crawford County has added 10 homes that will take in kids in police protective custody. The faith-based nonprofit Global Orphan Project helped recruit families there. It’s consulted with counties across the state to set up similar programs.
Tate Williams, the state director for Global Orphan, said Cherokee County can do the same — local law enforcement would just have to set rules for designating someone an “appropriate adult” to take a child in police protective custody.
Williams said in other counties where the Global Orphan Project has helped set up homes, that’s included a background check, a home walk-through, and a one-day training in handling traumatized kids and the basics of the child welfare legal system.
A spokeswoman for DCF said the agency is aware of the ongoing need for more foster families across the state.
“All areas of the state are in need of additional placement options, Cherokee County included,” she said in an email.
She added that DCF is actively seeking additional homes and facilities in that region.
Sam Zeff is KCUR’s Metro Reporter. You can follow Sam on Twitter @samzeff.
By SHAELIN SWEET
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Fort Hays State University’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity Excellence recently teamed up with diverse student organizations to educate the FHSU community on issues of prejudice and privilege through a “Tunnel of Oppression.”
The “tunnel” consisted of a series of stations located in the Memorial Union’s Fort Hays Ballroom which formed a pathway. The room was dimly lit with individual lighting focused on each station to metaphorically shine a light on issues of oppression.
“The purpose of this event is to create an impactful, educational experience that helps people understand oppression, discrimination and bias from a local, national and global perspective,” said Taylor Kriley, director of the Office of Inclusion and Diversity Excellence.
Five student groups, Us4U, African Ambassadors, Black Student Union, International Student Union and Gay Straight Alliance, each selected an area of oppression to highlight. Participants had the opportunity to speak with each group while walking through the tunnel and interacting with presentations, which covered issues of oppression at local, national and global levels.
“My organization, Us4U, wanted to show the oppression women in poorer countries face with water quality,” said Dalton Steinert, Otis senior. “We focused our project on water qualities locally, nationally and internationally.”
Us4U faculty advisor Dr. Cheryl Duffy, professor of English, stressed how raising awareness of oppression fits into the organization’s mission. “Our motto is ‘Come as you are–Serve as you can,’ and this year we’ve been focusing on a variety of social justice issues,” said Duffy. “The Tunnel of Oppression just seemed like a perfect venue to raise awareness.”
The African Ambassadors dedicated their presentation to raising awareness about the discrimination and prejudice that African students encounter while living in the United States. The Ambassadors specifically highlighted micro- and macro-aggressive stereotypes about Africa and the people who live there.
“The main [stereotypes] are that Africans live with animals, Africa is a country instead of a continent and that African students can only afford to study in the U.S. by earning athletic scholarships,” said Amele Hounakey-akakpo.
“The Africa associated with poverty that is usually shown in the media clashes with the reality of many African countries that are beautiful and have the same infrastructure as any developed nation,” she continued. “It’s important for us to raise awareness about false misconceptions about our continent.”
In addition to raising awareness about stereotypes and aggressive speech, the Tunnel of Oppression also provided students and faculty with the opportunity to learn how they can be allies in the fight for equality.
People looking to raise awareness of oppression can start by recognizing their own privilege and biases.
“I know how very privileged I am, and I don’t want to be blind to the harsh realities for those not born into privilege,” said Duffy. “Us4U is a faith-based organization, and I think that ‘living my faith’ means working consciously to raise awareness and end oppression.”
“It’s important for us to recognize that the way we view the world comes from the way we’ve lived in it,” said Kriley. “Whether intentional or unintentional – and often with a good heart – we can’t help but have preconceived barriers of bias.”
“Being educated helps us see the world differently,” she continued. “It helps us to shape our thoughts and perspectives so that we can be better leaders, advocates and supporters. We are more impactful leaders when we can help break down those barriers of bias.”
Another easy way to start working as an ally is to speak out against oppression that occurs in daily life.
Duffy shared this advice: “Don’t laugh at racist jokes. Don’t thoughtlessly spread ‘fake news’ that can ultimately be hurtful. Speak up gently when someone speaks out of ignorance and prejudice or when people make sweeping and unfounded generalizations about someone different from themselves.”
“Engaging with people different from us is essential to get a better understanding and appreciation of differences and points of view,” said Arthur Courbis, a member of the African Ambassadors. “When someone is being rude to someone else, if you can’t stop that person from being rude, which can be difficult to do, at least have compassion for the victim of aggression. Hopefully this could lead to beneficial action afterwards.”
For information about the Tunnel of Oppression or diversity and inclusion, contact the Office of Inclusion and Diversity Excellence at 785-628-4276.
KDADS 
