NIVERSITY NEWSUMKC’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER Vol. 79, Issue 19 Jan. 30, 2012 Cover article COVER UMKC Students 13 stars in “the Wrestling Season” at the Coterie Theatre NEWS Civil rights laywer speaks 3at UMKC for MLK Keynot address. Photo courtesy of Google Images SPORTS Men’s basketball team 9 fights for Summit League qualifications Photo courtesy of UMKC Athletics Photo courtesy of the Cotorie Theatre 2|News Vol. 79, Issue 19 Going UMKC’s own electric truck designated for delivery and pick up of campus recyling. green photo courtesy of UMKC Sustainability A look at UMKC’s Sustainability initiatives Recycling contest scheduled to return to campus Kara Hart Asst. News Editor throughout our campus,” said UMKC recycling bins as usual, with extra pickup Sustainability Intern and a senior Urban for departments that request it. The weight Last year, UMKC ranked 49th place in Planning & Design major, Grace Bennett. measurements are sent to the school from the RecycleMania competition. A goal to During the competition, universities the company contracted to do its recycling. place in the top-5 in 2012 has been set. track recycling and trash from their This year’s events will include Waste- The 516 participating North American campus. Schools are ranked based on less Wednesdays, on which UMKC universities will begin the competition on the collection of recyclables per capita, Sustainability will organize events in Feb. 5. the total amount of recyclables, the least the Student Union during lunch hours. RecycleMania, which runs through amount of trash per capita and the highest These events include some promotional March 31, is used to benchmark “college recycling rate. giveaways and outreach. and university recycling programs to “[We] strive to raise awareness on RecycleMania was first started in promote waste reduction activities,” environmental and conservation issues, February 2001 by Ed Newman of Ohio according to the RecycleMania website. reduce waste and increase recycling across University and Stacy Edmonds Wheeler Past surveys have shown that 80 percent campus,” Bennett said. “This is a fun and of Miami University with the goal of Cafeteria switches to of RecycleMania participants schools saw easy event to achieve the goals. [It’s] as increasing recycling on their campuses. recycling increase during the competition. easy as tossing a recyclable item in the Since then, the 10-week competition compostable straws “UMKC will compete against hundreds recycling bin.” between Miami University and Ohio of other universities nationwide in To encourage competition, Bennett said University has spread to other universities. Teresa Sheffield Staff Writer collecting as many recyclables as possible the UMKC Sustainability will pick up [email protected] Dining Service’s plastic straws are out, and 100 percent compostable straws are in. However, there is a catch: the new straws are nearly double the cost of the previous ones. “Even though the cost for these straws are about 100 percent more than the previous straws Sodexo used, to save the environment for our future and for our next generation has no value,” Dining Services Manager Jatinder Singh said. Singh said Sodexo’s switch underscores UMKC’s commitment to being a 100 percent recyclable and compostable campus. UMKC Sustainability garners awards Other efforts by Sodexo to meet the UMKC goal include recycling all paper, cardboard and Kynslie Otte Staff Writer sustainability is one of the sustainability efforts.” “greenest” regional university. cans, using recycled napkins and composting reasons why the Green Other awards that have “We’ve got a pretty about 90 percent of all food waste. The Building Services’Cleaning Awards (GCA) 2011 been given to UMKC good system,” Operations “Sodexo has trained all our front-line employees commitment to sustainable Higher Education Honorable recently include Bridging The Coordinator Matt Chiesi said and provided containers at all work locations to environmental practices is Mention was given to UMKC. Gap, Inc.’s “Environmental of the green seal-certified soap use food wastage,” Singh said. threefold. Cited by the American School Excellence Award,” a place dispensers used in all campus Singh said Dining Services is always looking “We invest in the future by and University Magazine on the Sierra Club’s “Cool restrooms. “We’ve been for more ways to be environmentally friendly and being committed to protect (ASUM) were UMKC’s School 100 Top Universities” following along with Building hopes efforts will make campus better for students. the environment, campus “campus-wide recycling and a designation as a “Best Services. It allows us to use less “The switchover is good for the awareness that resources and campus and local efforts, Environmental Studies Program” by Mid America chemicals.” Sodexo brings to UMKC and to the students,” communities through best Student Association and Regional Council-Solid Waste Chiesi said more Singh said. “Sodexo is an international solution practices,” said the Building UMKC Sustainability Team, Management District. improvements will come in the company and we have been trying to improve new Services’ website. a faculty/staff group that UMKC was also featured in near future. and different items daily.” This new drive toward publicizes green cleaning and Greenability Magazine as the Continued on Page 4 [email protected] Jan. 30, 2012 News|3 Black History Month Civil Rights lawyer delivers keynote address Luke Harman Sports Editor after their release and possible holes in the King into her lecture. United States legal system. She forced the crowd to question its own The fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. While Dr. Alexander examines race, class role in working towards a more just society Keynote Address took place on Friday at the and gender with respect to U.S. history and and expressing the freedoms of this nation Student Union, attracting a diverse audience society, she also incorporated these ideas to make society work for us all as a "solitary of 400. in terms of their impact on current issues community and not just for ones own The keynote speaker of the night was Dr. within the U.S. in an attempt to increase the personal satisfaction". Michelle Alexander, a civil rights lawyer, awareness, understanding and "undeniability" Alexander discussed the Midwest advocate, legal scholar and current Ohio of the very issues which affect society. Innocence Project, a non-profit organization State University professor, who teaches at the Alexander impressed the attentive dedicated to providing pro-bono legal and Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and audience with her own, personal experience. investigative services for people wrongly Ethnicity there. Alexander presented details She helped to lead a national campaign convicted and imprisoned, as well as the Jobs of her lecture, what she labels "the issue of against racial profiling by law enforcement for Justice program which aims at providing the New Jim Crow Laws". during her time as Director of the Racial ex-felons with working opportunies Trivia Night to benefit Alexander’s first book in 2010 is titled Justice Project for the ACLU of Northern nationwide. The keynote lecture ended with a “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in California and the ideas she shared with the positive reception from the audience for Dr. School of Law’s Child the Age of Colorblindness.” audience were emotion-filled and heartfelt Alexander. The publication and her Soros Justice as she expressed her desire to "impact the The annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Family Services Fellowship, received in 2005, was the racial discriminations within what should be Keynote Lecture, which was sponsored foundation for Alexander’s keynote address. a modern justice system.” by UMKC’s Division of Diversity, Access Clinic Alexander tackled issues of wrongful Dr. Alexander not only provided an and Equity (DAE), was a success, and after imprisonment, misidentification, theopportunity to learn more about the U.S. such a large turnout, should continue to be Kara Hart Asst. News Editor struggles previously incarcerated members of legal system and its effect on communities successful in years to come. the public go through to gain employment of color, but also incorporated the legacy of [email protected] The UMKC Family Law Society will host its second annual Trivia Night at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (11 E. 40th St.). The event costs $200 for a table of eight, with proceeds benefiting the UMKC Child and Family Services Clinic. A silent auction and raffle will raise additional money. Door prizes will also be given out. “Contestants do not need to have a legal background to attend,” according to a UMKC press release. “Questions are not specific to the legal community, but will cover a wide range of pop culture.” Established in 2001, the Clinic has worked with more than 600 children while giving law students experience working with clients. Students in the clinic work under faculty, teaming up with area attorneys and child welfare agencies to work in areas of child probation, legal guardianship, adoption, paternity, child custody, support and visitation, divorce and modifications.” Students in the Clinic learn about Director of the Henry W. Bloch School of Managament’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Michael Song, Ph.D. Missouri’s child protection system and the photo courtesy of The Bloch School juvenile court through hands-on experience. Students receive additional training from experts in domestic violence, drug testing The Bloch School’s Entrepreneurship and and welfare programs. In April, the Clinic will partner with area agencies to present programs in its annual Innovation program honored recognition of Child Abuse Awareness Month. Lindsay Adams News Editor university-wide.” Both the IEI and MBA this institution so that we continue to become Contestants may RSVP for the Trivia program are housed inside of the The Henry a national entrepreneurship education model Night by emailing umkcfamilylaw@umkc.