Ashley Peaches

Dear Ashley,

Can a woman get pregnant if she has sex while on her period?

Sincerely

Curious

            While there is a lot of debate out there about whether or not a woman can get pregnant while on her period, in general, the answer is yes.

            Ultimately, the answer depends on each individual lady. Every woman has a different hormone balance and that is what really determines when and how you can get pregnant.

            For women with relatively normal hormone balances, ovulation, an egg being released from the ovaries, occurs about 14 days before the start of a woman’s period. However, this can vary from month to month and woman to woman. Although many people think that menstruation is the end of the cycle, it is actually the beginning, with the first day of bleeding being the first day of the new cycle.

            If the egg is fertilized, it will attach to the uterine wall and nine months later you have a bouncing bundle of joy. If the egg is not fertilized, it can live for about 24 hours and will be ejected from the body along with the uterine lining.

            But sometimes, the egg is released after menstruation has already begun. And since sperm can live inside the body up to five days in ideal conditions, you could get pregnant, even on your period.

            Something to keep in mind, some women also have spotting between periods that can be mistaken for the real thing. Even after a woman gets pregnant she can still have this spotting. And that is how we get shows like, “I didn’t know I was pregnant.”

Dear Ashley,

Can you get an STD from saliva?

Sincerely

Kisser

            Interestingly enough, it is very hard to contract an STI from saliva. For things like HIV/AIDS, it’s nearly impossible because saliva contains very little of the virus. It would actually take gallons of saliva to contract HIV/AIDS and who wants to drink saliva. HIV/AIDS can be passed through blood, semen, fluids from the vagina or breast milk according to WebMD.

            However, Syphilis can be transmitted through saliva with prolonged kissing but it is most commonly passed on through sexual contact. Genital Herpes can also be spread through direct contact including kissing.

            Most other STIs are transmitted through direct contact and/or sexual contact. If you think you have an STI, contact a medical professional. To prevent STIs, wear a condom.

            Or just keep it in your pants.

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Harrison George

Recently, www.cnn.com ran an article documenting one of the most surprising side effects of James Cameron’s epic “Avatar.” More than 1,000 people have commented on “Avatar” fan sites, claiming they are experiencing severe depression in trying to deal with the fact that they will never live on a world like Pandora.

More than that, they are disappointed in the world around them as it does not possess the splendor and beauty of Cameron’s fictitious planet.

For those who spent their winter break on the moon, let me catch you up.

“Avatar’ is now the highest grossing film in history. It has revolutionized film for the next 50 years and has made Cameron richer than 3 Jay-Zs.

 But, on a smaller scale, it has created a new form of depression called Post Avatar Depression Syndrome.

While you won’t find it in any text books any time soon, it’s already spread around the country and has filled many a fan site with those suffering from it.

Fans have been chiming in since the movie premiered last month with their own testimonies on how the movie affected them. According to www.cnn.com, one fan said, “I was depressed because I really wanted to live in Pandora, […] but I was also depressed and disgusted with the sight of our world, what we have done to Earth.”

Another commenter simply stated, “I still don’t really see any reason to keep … doing things at all. I live in a dying world.”

Now, I have not seen “Avatar.” As an outsider my initial reaction to this hysteria is “What’s wrong with Earth?” Sure we don’t have dinosaurs and giant neon flowers all over the place, but our planet is still a world of wonder and beauty.

As an outspoken advocate for the environment and member of the ESU Environmental Club, I have to say I’m surprised to hear these people’s comments. Those who say the Earth is not a magical place surely have not looked hard enough.

Have you watched the “Planet Earth” documentary? The one filmed in over 64 countries and 200 locations? The one that documented over 10 new events and species never before filmed? You cannot watch that and tell me there is not beauty still waiting to be discovered on this planet

I remember how I felt after watching “Planet Earth” for the first time. I was swelling with pride and admiration for my planet. And those feelings only fueled my desire to keep the planet clean and safe even more.  It’s part of why I got involved in the Environmental Club in the first place.

            Environmental issues can be overwhelming. Working on something that large-scale is bound to make your efforts feel unimportant from time to time. But the great thing about progress is that even a little progress is better than no progress.

            Look at the work the ESU Environmental Club has done. Since I’ve been in it, we have started work on a campus-wide recycling program, planted trees on campus, brought important speakers to campus and dug through quite a few trashcans for bottles and cans.

And if you think the connection the Na’vi people had with their planet was a fantastical as the dinosaurs, I have news for you – it’s possible for humans to have that same connection.

Check out the book “Ecotopia” by Ernest Callenbach. The book explores a world where humans have returned to the land and lives in harmony with it instead of opposition. It’s fiction, but it’s much closer to reality than that of the Na’vi.  We could have that connection we had enough people willing to make the change.

I’ll be the first to admit this planet is not perfect. We’ve got tsunamis, pollution, endangered species and a lot of garbage piling up. But that’s all the more reason we need people to work to improve things.

 If you’re dissatisfied by the way things are, get involved! Use those feelings as your motivation and you’ll see it isn’t hard to make a little difference in your local environment.

Has Environmental Club saved the planet? No. But we’ve made a lot of progress in the community and on campus and we are building awareness about important issues. Being an environmentalist is not just about noticing what is wrong with the planet. It’s also about loving all the things that are great about it.

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School has started again and much to the dismay of students, that means buying new text books. There are few college expenses more frustrating than purchasing books.

Ranging anywhere from $100 to hundreds of dollars, books quickly eat up students’ hard-earned tuition money.

So why are books so expensive? What is behind the high prices? A few factors actually. For one, students have no control over what books they buy – textbook lists are set by professors. Because of this, students have little power as consumers and are forced to pay whatever price book sellers set.

Another big obstacle when buying books is dealing with the constant updating and issuing of new editions. While the difference in price between the current edition and its predecessor can be shocking – sometimes more than twice the amount – the differences in content are typically small. The rearranging of chapters or the addition of a few select paragraphs are all it takes to necessitate a new edition.

New editions also create problems at the end of the semester when students are ready to sell books back. Few stores are interested in buying outdated or soon to be outdated material. The same goes for books containing web-codes, CDROMS, or any electronic components. These added features make it difficult to return once it has been used.

With all these problems, it is no surprise that students and faculty are getting fed up with the current text book system. Student activist groups have sprouted up across the country, aimed at curbing the out of control book fees and practices. Organizations such as The Affordable Textbook Campaign are helping universities nation-wide change the way they buy their books.

Here are just a few of the things we could start doing to make a difference:

1. Work with teachers to use older editions – most teachers do not see major differences in the new versions of their books. Working with the school and faculty to find the best material at the most affordable cost could save students hundreds of dollars a year.
2. Emphasize rental and online sources for books- sites like half.com and chegg.com offer the same books at a cheaper price. Our campus could do more to get the word out about these choices.
3. Create a campus book-swap program – Develop a system of exchanging books among ESU students. This would allow students to buy books at a reasonable price, sell them to fellow students for a decent amount and it would reduce the amount of shipping and traveling needed for other orders.

Of the ideas, the book swap program is the most practical. It could start small within one or two departments. This would make sense since most of the books would be dept-orientated. If that works, it could expand to the campus as a whole, growing to include basic and general education classes as well.

Whatever path is picked, it is important for this campus to start considering alternatives to the overpriced textbooks we are currently forced to buy. We urge professors to highly consider the costs of new textbook editions and evaluate the necessity of updating their class material every year or semester.

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While meandering through our campus the other day, a thought struck me: there are a lot of Asians on campus.

This is nothing new to me, I have been attending school here for years and I am proud of our student exchange program and all the work that they do. I also love meeting the Asian students and I am friends with several. I am also taking my second semester of Chinese here at Emporia State, so I particularly enjoy talking to Chinese people.

Talking to Chinese exchange students and my Chinese teacher, I have heard stories of the Chinese government that have shocked, confused and intrigued me. Of course, China is not the country it was under Mao Zedong. It has changed into a more capitalist country in many ways, at the very least economically.

But, despite economic reform, China still clutches on to the remnants of social totalitarianism that occurs in modern communism and, for the sake of China’s future, they need to drop it.

Deng Xiaoping developed the Social Market economic system that China now uses, which relies on the private sector to survive. This makes the nature of their economy very capitalistic, and it has served China well. They have the fourth highest Gross Domestic Product, according to the CIA World Handbook.

And, according to BBC News, China overtook Germany as the world’s largest exporter last month. It is undeniable that China’s economy is growing strong. So for such a modern country, it is odd to see all of the things that the Chinese government has been doing to control its people.

Since China was ruled by emperors, the government was always seen as an overbearing and stern, although wise, father figure. This is one explanation of why the Chinese go along with the government, but I don’t think it’s an excuse for what the government does.

Of course, there is the Google incident. Google refused to censor information and they were hacked, supposedly by the Chinese government, Google refused to release two android phones in China and the fight goes on, like a quarrel between two bratty children.

I am against all forms of government-mandated censorship and I feel that China has gone too far.  I believe it is the government’s responsibility to, in fact, make information as available as possible.

And it is not just through information censorship that China is showing its despotic side. Just last Friday, according to a Global Post article by Dinah Gardner, China’s first gay beauty pageant was broken up by police. The police told the organizer that there problem wasn’t with the homosexuality, but that a show with singing and dancing required certain procedures which they had not followed.

The organizers did not believe them, but they were no match for eight armed police officers. While homosexuality is becoming more accepted, high-profile events such as this are still antagonized by the government.

China is well on its way to becoming the next world super power, but it is restrained by its government. While they have made steps in the right direction, the government still uses its authority to control the masses.

Hopefully, with the patience and wisdom that the Chinese are known for, such closed-mindedness will recede and the government will realize that the Chinese people and culture are not to be policed, but nourished, encouraged and proudly displayed.

Deng Xiaoping once said, “When our thousands of Chinese students abroad return home, you will see how China will transform itself,” and I certainly hope that he was correct.

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Senior guard Jamie Augustyn shoots a three pointer over a MWSU defender Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The shot brought the Hornets to 20 three point baskets for the night setting a new ESU and MIAA record. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The Emporia State women’s basketball team set a school and MIAA record with 20 three-pointers while in the process of obliterating the Missouri Western State Griffons last night, 110-68. Five Hornets scored in double figures, highlighted by senior guard Cassondra Boston’s 28-point outing.

            “I think I’ve just been relaxing on my shot and they’ve been there so I’ve been taking them,” Boston said. “I’ve been feeling a little bit more confident in my shot.”

It was Boston who scored the first points of the game off of a set three pointer, giving the Hornets the early 3-0 lead. Thanks to key offensive efforts from Boston and sophomore guard Brittney Miller, the Hornets jumped to a quick 10-2 lead with over 17:30 left to play in the first half. Boston struck from beyond the arc again with 16 minutes remaining to give the Hornets a 13-6 advantage.

A buzzer beat by the Griffons’ Kristin Bush gave Missouri Western two points and brought the team to within one point of the Hornets’ lead, 13-12. Missouri Western evened the score at 16-all before another Boston three-pointer gave the Hornets a three point lead with over 12 minutes to play in the half. A trey from freshman guard Rachel Hanf gave the Hornets a seven point advantage over the Griffons, 25-18.

The Hornets saw their biggest lead of the half when senior guard Sophia Lenard hit a three ball which was followed by another three-pointer from Boston – the sudden barrage of points forced MWSU Coach Lynn Plett to call timeout, with the Hornets on top 36-23.

With 1:48 remaining in the first half, Boston hit yet another shot from beyond the arc, taking the score to 43-30 in favor of the Hornets.

The half ended with the same score. Boston led all scorers at the half with 17.

To start the second half, senior guard Jamie Augustyn hit a three-pointer, extending the Hornets’ lead to 16. Boston hit an uncontested three-pointer at the top of the key, which was followed by two made free throws off of a steal on the next Hornets possession, putting the score at 55-30 in favor of the Hornets with just over 17 minutes to play in the contest.

A full timeout was taken by Missouri Western after several transitional defensive breakdowns led to easy Emporia State baskets.

 With 10:30 left in the contest, Lenard rebounded the ball under the basket, made the shot and was fouled in the process – the traditional three point play gave the Hornets a 30-point lead, 76-46.

The Griffons showed their resiliency, battling back to cut the Hornets lead from 35 plus points to 28 with a little over six minutes left to play. The run from Missouri Western was short lived, however, as a three-pointer from Boston brought the lead back to 31. Another Boston trey extended the lead to 34.

The Hornets broke the 100-point mark with a three-pointer from Hanf, which was followed by another three from Augustyn, bringing the score to 103-61 in favor of the Hornets. The trey by Augustyn set a school and MIAA record for made three-pointers in a game by one team, with 20.

ESU coasted the rest of the way, and finished the game with a win over the Griffons, 110-68.

Hanf and Miller chipped in 17 and 15 points, respectively. Miller also added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Miller commented on the team’s recent shooting success.

“Shooting’s a big part of our team, and I think we’re awesome at it,” Miller said. “Our team’s very versatile, so I think if our shots aren’t going we can still get it inside and work our posts. I think that’s a big part of our game.”

Head Coach Brandon Schneider, having already seen the Griffons play earlier in the season, was impressed with Missouri Western’s interior defense, which inevitably led to the stellar three-point shooting performance from his team.

“They’re a keep it out of the paint team – that’s their philosophy,” Schneider said. “They did a great job in keeping the drive out of the paint. They did a great job of really making it difficult to play inside to your post players

The Hornets will hit the road for the next MIAA contest as they face off against Truman State University. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. on Jan. 30 in Kirksville, Mo.

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Senior guard Jeremiah Box puts up a jump shot Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Box was the high scorer for the Hornets with 15 of their final 70 points. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team defeated the Griffons of Missouri Western State last night, 70-53.

Senior guard Jeremiah Box talked about the team’s mentality heading into the game.

“We just knew we had to pull it off,” Box said. “We’ve been in a slump, in a little bit of a losing streak, and we knew we just hadn’t competed for a full 40 minutes yet, offensively and defensively. We knew we just had to come out and play our best – if we competed for 40 minutes we knew we could win the game.”

Box started off the first half strong for the Hornets, hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give his team an early 3-0 lead. A three-pointer by senior guard Dustin Andrews extended the Hornets lead to six, as ESU went up 8-2 with over 17 minutes to play in the half. A slashing move to the basket by Andrews extended the Hornets’ lead to seven at 13-6 with 15:31 left in the first half.

The teams traded points back and forth until Box stepped up and hit a three-pointer from the corner, extending the Hornets lead to 10 at 22-12. A 30-second timeout was called by Emporia State Coach David Moe at the 8:27 mark, with the Hornets still on top of the Griffons, 22-15.

Following the timeout, four points came the Griffons way on consecutive possessions, bringing the score to 22-19 with just over 6:30 left in the half. Senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a three-pointer from the corner to give the Hornets an eight point lead.

On the following Hornets’ possession, Wilbern was called for a foul on the rebound of a missed shot, then a technical foul. A steal by Wilbern on the next Griffons’ possession led to two breakaway points for Andrews. A media timeout gave a break in the action, with the Hornets leading Missouri Southern 31-23.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus chipped in three points off of a conventional three point play, giving the Hornets a nine point lead with just over 3:30 left to play in the half. The Hornets went into the locker room holding onto a close lead over the Griffons, 39-34.

            Early turnovers didn’t help the Hornets at the start of the second half as they saw their lead cut to two, 40-38. A three-pointer by Griffons forward Dominique Thuston gave Missouri Western a one point lead, 41-40, with 16:58 remaining in the half.

The Hornets retook the lead, 42-41, on a drive to the basket by Box – Box made the shot and was fouled, but couldn’t convert on the free throw line. Box scored again, this time with a five foot jumper in the post that extended the Hornets’ lead to three, 44-41. A timeout on the floor saw the Hornets leading the Griffons 46-43 with 13:38 remaining in the contest.

The Hornets lead was extended to nine with over 10:10 to play thanks to two made free throws from senior guard Tim Niles. After a three-pointer by Missouri Western, the Griffons took a timeout, trailing the Hornets 46-52. Another media timeout stopped the game right after Wilbern drove to the hole, made the basket and was fouled on the way there.

Following the timeout, Wilbern hit the free throw, improving Emporia State’s lead to 11. After a media timeout stopped the action, Andrews stepped up and hit a big three-pointer to pad the Hornets’ lead to 14 with over four minutes left in the contest. ESU went up by 19 with a trey from Box from the left corner, taking the score to 70-51 with less than a minute to play.

The Hornets kept their distance and captured a convincing victory over the Griffons, 70-53.

Box led the team in scoring with 15 points, followed closely by Niles with 12 and Andrews and Wilbern with 11 points apiece. Wilbern also had a game-high five assists.

Coming into the game, defense, especially in transition, was a point of concern for the Hornets. Moe said that because of the Hornets’ ability to shoot the ball well, the defense got better.

“We made some mistakes in transition, but when you’re scoring and hitting shots your transition defense is going to be a little bit better,” Moe said. “When you’re missing every time and you’re coming around standing, standing on offense and dribbling out the possession, your transition defense isn’t going to be any good.”

Andrews said that the team was well aware of the importance of the game.

“We knew it was a must-win game…as far as mentality goes, I think we were able to sustain it the entire game,” Andrews said. “We always come out and we compete hard. We limited mistakes tonight, which was big. We just competed for a full 40.”

The Hornets completed their three-game home stand and will next find themselves on the road versus Truman. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Kirksville, Mo.

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Shane Wilson

As of late, several conversations with Emporia State men’s basketball coach David Moe have led to the same few phrases being said over and over. Moe has admitted several times that his team is “not well prepared” and “not coached very well.”

A red flag went up in my mind after each occurrence.

Now we have to understand – it’s very commendable for a coach to step up and take responsibility for a team’s mishaps. Not very often do the anointed leaders of a team rise above the criticism and take the blame for a team’s losing ways.

One thing I don’t understand, however, is how a coach can continually take sole responsibility for a losing season and there not be much concern about it.

The men’s basketball team is loaded with ballers. The talent level of this team alone should be capable of a winning season. A senior-laden team as this one can dominate the game – and we’ve seen just that from time to time.

Take, for instance, the games versus Central Missouri and Ft. Hays State. The opposing teams were ranked in the top five in the nation at the time ESU played them. Despite the difference in ranking, Emporia State played each team neck and neck, down to the wire. Even though ESU lost both games, it was still worth noting how well the team played while facing far superior teams, on paper at least.

Now take, for instance, the last game versus Northwest Missouri. While the team took a 16-point lead in the second half, they couldn’t hold on for long and lost to a ho-hum Bearcats team.

So where’s the connection?

A well coached team doesn’t play down to their competition. A well coached team plays together and uses their collective talents to smother their opponent.

At times, this Emporia State men’s basketball team doesn’t look like it is well coached.

The inconsistencies that are on display when this team plays are ever apparent. Great plays are followed up by boneheaded ones on a regular basis. And the kicker is this – in conversations with some of the players on the team, not one of them can explain where the true problem lies. Yes, some offer possibilities in not valuing possessions and playing poor transition defense.

The problem of poor preparation is not one easily noticed, especially when you’ve been in the routine for some time.

I’m not saying the problem is Moe, only Moe and nothing but the Moe. And I’m certainly not advocating for his removal. I’m simply saying this – if a team loaded with talent is not performing up to par, shouldn’t there be someone, anyone, in the administration looking into the situation?

With these frequent admissions from Moe, I would say there’s definitely something to examine.

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Tuition can no longer be paid with Visa branded credit cards because Emporia State switched to a new online payment system, TouchNet. Discover, Mastercard and American Express credit cards are still accepted, but the processing of these cards adds a fee of 2.75 percent of the tuition amount.

Mary Mingenback, university controller, said the new system is more secure and complies with the credit card companies online payment requirements for institutions that accept credit cards.

“If you’re not within a secure site the credit card companies can take away your right to accept credit card payment and we didn’t want to that to happen,” Mingenback said. “TouchNet has been audited and approved by credit card companies.”

Mingenback said Visa company does not allow their cards to be processed on systems that charge a percent convenience fee, only those that charge a flat rate, which she thought unfair considering the broad range of payments that students make. Visa representatives were unavailable for a comment.

“We wanted to go with what seemed to be the fairest way,” Mingenback said. “And that was not accepting visa.”

Students can avoid the convenience fee by paying via check or webcheck. For freshman Enilisse Ortiz, undecided major, the new payment method was a minor inconvenience.

“I feel like visa is a card that is widely used and not being able to pay with it is inconvenient because we had to find other ways to pay,” Ortiz said. “Before, we could pay over the phone, but this semester I had to sit down with my mom and figure it out online.”

While it has it’s disadvantages, Vice President of Administration and Fiscal Affairs Ray Hauke said TouchNet allows students more options.

“Previously, if you wanted a direct deposit of financial aid into your student account you had to have a Lyon County State Bank,” Hauke said. “Subsequently, this year we had another option to do that and that is through TouchNet. Now we can direct deposit to any bank account.”

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Jen Hartman, graduate student of library science and President of Environmental Club, discusses ideas of how Emporia State University could be more environmentally friendly and save money during the Environmental Club meeting Monday night in the William Allen White Library. One idea presented was to purchase devices that would automatically turn of computers across campus in the evenings as to save electricity and money. Jonathan Elliott/The Bulletin

Emporia State’s Environmental Club discussed plans for this semester’s activities and club events at their first meeting of the semester on Monday night in the William Allen White Library.

            “We can do really easy stuff to help the environment and a lot people don’t know about them,” said President Jen Hartman, master of library science graduate student. “We can help by making ourselves known on campus.”

            The club’s first meeting began with some icebreaker activities and then quickly turned to means for helping increase the awareness of the environmental club on campus.

            “We’re holding an environmental forum on Feb. 15 so people can ask questions about the club and how they can get involved,” said Lacee Hanson, junior communications major. “We have a big goal of getting the dorms involved in some sort of recycling program.”

            Also discussed were the club’s aspirations to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative that recognizes and awards universities that benefit their community in a universally effective way. The club’s most prominent idea was the installation of “smart strips,” which are a type of energy saving power strip that shut off electronics that would normally just be in hibernate mode or left on.

            “The university as a whole could save up to $80,000 a year,” Hartman said. “Technology and computing services estimates it would probably cost between $12,000 and $20,000 to install them around campus but in that respect they’d pay for themselves within the first year.”

            The club also laid out plans for a movie that will be showing in the Kanza Room at 7 p.m. on April 21 called “Addicted to Plastic,” with the director of the film being available for a discussion directly afterwards.

            In the middle of the meeting the club received unexpected help from local attorney James Bordonaro who offered to pay for the club’s recently created t-shirts.           “Consider this my contribution,” Bordonaro said. “Any of you who want one and haven’t bought it yet, I can cover it.”

            After the unexpected announcement by Bordonaro, the club proceeded to continue brainstorming ideas for events for the upcoming months including film sessions, recycle bin decorating, and a monthly theme.

            The meeting’s largest focus, besides the obvious environmental concerns was the emphasis placed upon working together.

            “We have a business major, some environmental biology majors, and all sorts of talents in here,” Hartman said. “What we need to do now is utilize these talents to make some progress happen here in Emporia.”

            In the past, the club has helped sponsor Green Week activities that fall on the same week as Earth Day and the club plans to utilize the week to raise awareness at ESU, Hartman said.

ESU environmental club meets every Monday at 7 p.m. in the William Allen White Library.

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Junior sociology major Joel Dixon and sophomore communication major Joel Austin perform Saturday evening with Zoiks! at Natasha’s in downtown Emporia. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

Last Saturday, Zoiks! performed at Natasha’s for a crowd of about 40 people.

“It wasn’t one of our best shows,” said Luke Lehman, junior English major. “It’s hard to hear in a bar and hard to talk. We did a lot of long form which is tough on the audience and for us because there’s not a lot of breaks and you just having to keep building on the story.”

Overall, Lehman said the group likes performing at Natasha’s.

“I like just getting up in front of people and having fun,” said Joel Austin, sophomore communications major. “We have a really good group, which makes it fun to perform. Tonight we had a smaller audience, but it was more dedicated fans.”

The owner of Natasha’s, James Roberts, said Zoiks! is one of a variety of acts that he likes to bring to the bar.

“We try to host a wide variety of things so we so we don’t get the same things over and over,” Roberts said. “That way it’s different for everyone to see.”

As a fan of improv comedy because of its unpredictability, Roberts likes hosting Zoiks! in particular because most of the performers are fairly new to comedy.

“I like to watch no name comedians,” Roberts said. “They’re edgier because they’re trying to get a big name.”

As part of an act, Zoiks! performers pulled a member of the audience, Donley, on stage and incorporated her into their act. She said the experience was not an unfamiliar one.

“Being pulled up on stage was like a day in the life of being friends with a bunch of improv kids,” said Katie Donley, senior photography and sculpture major. “I go to every show, all the performers are my friends.”

While their most recent show was local, the group often travels to different cities around the state, mostly Kansas City, Salina and Wichita, and has performed in various venues.

“There’s a lot of places you wouldn’t expect that we go,” Lehman said. “One time we went to a country club. It was really awkward at first, but it was fun. I don’t think (the audience) knew a lot about improv comedy before we came but they were a really great crowd.”
    Though, Lehman prefers performing at ESU.

“I love the campus shows,” Lehman said. “Emporia students are just a fun audience because they are filthy college kids and there’s a lot you can say that will make them laugh.”

For those interested in improv comedy, Zoiks! will hold auditions in mid February. The auditions will take place over a couple days, one of which is a workshop to familiarize perspective performers with improv comedy and allow them to become acquainted with the group.

“The workshop is really helpful because it gets people warmed up for the audition and allows them to get comfortable with the other performers and really get prepared for the audition,” Lehman said.

Lehman said there are many qualities sought in an improv performer.

“Going out and having fun and being confident is huge, but not over confident,” Lehman said. “You have to be able to make the person you are working with look better by helping them out on stage.”

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