“Kelsey is an obvious leader on our team,” said Jory Collins, head coach. “She is one of our more talented players, even as a sophomore. We are really excited to have her leadership on our team.”

Growing up in Olathe, Kelsey competed in track, volleyball and basketball. She was involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Student Volunteers, where she worked in a sixth grade classroom her senior year.

In high school she focused on basketball with support from her family. According to ESU’s website, she played in three straight Kansas state championship games while leading her team to victory as a senior.

“I am really close to all of my family,” Balcom said. “My parents never forced me to play but have always been very supportive by coming to watch me.”

Kelsey’s sister, Megan, will be joining the team next season.

“My sister and I are very close,” Balcom said. “She is my biggest fan, and I am her biggest fan.”

According to ESU’s website, Balcom was the MIAA Freshmen of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All MIAA last season. She averaged 11.6 points and 7 rebounds per game to go along with four double-doubles.

“Ali V. (Volkens) was a senior last year as a post player,” Balcom said. “She was great. She helped me with a lot of things, helped the whole team with a lot of things. It was a good learning experience all around. I want to continue to improve from there.”

Kelsey has high hopes for the team and their future and plans to work as hard as necessary to reach those goals.

“We don’t want to settle with just being good,” Balcom said. “Every day we want to get better and better. We want to be great. Personally, I want to improve and be as good as I can every day. I need to move away from not thinking as much and just play the game.”

Her presence and leadership on and off the floor is vital to the success of this team. The team chemistry is noticeable to many.

“Our team chemistry is one of the strengths of this team,” Balcom said. “We all get along. We have players at every position that can play.”

Marcus Hix

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Rex Fish, battalion expert and former fire marshal, demonstrates the steps of how to correctly use a fire extinguisher at the fire prevention workshop Monday in Webb Hall. Many students arrived welcoming the three men from Emporia’s fire department who had put together the presentation in hopes to better educate students on ways to prevent fires in the home. Jenny Pendarvis/The Bulletin

Lin and Yawei Fan, who passed away in an apartment fire last semester.

Harry Imbeau, director international students and scholar services, said there is a need for fire safety education on campus. The Office of Student Life, Office of International Education and the Emporia Fire Department worked to make the workshop possible.

“Because of the recent tragedy, we had a very significant name to put with it,” Imbeau said. “So (the workshop) is not necessarily a direct reaction to it, but we did have something that was fresh in people’s minds that would really draw attention to it.”

During the presentation, students watched a video about the different hazards that may occur around an everyday environment. The video reinforced that it’s not objects that cause fires, but rather, people who misplace items either too close to warm objects or forget about things creating heat.

“Ultimately, it’s responsibility in students themselves,” Imbeau said. “Hopefully they came, they learned, and now they’re prepared.”

Students are more likely to cause fires, said Tom Andrews, fire marshal. Household items such as candles, curling irons, blow dryers or incense are frequently used by college students and can be potentially dangerous.

“(Students) aren’t thinking of the basic things they need in the house for safety, like the smoke detector and the fire extinguisher,” Andrews said. “They’re just thinking about how they need a couch, a bed and a refrigerator. But if it can get hot, it can start a fire.”

Garion Masterson, junior music and digital audio production major, said a many of the students at ESU are probably living on their own for the first time.

“They probably never had to think about fire safety while they’re sitting in the house,” Masterson said.

The program also advised students to have two escape routes and to practice these routes at least once a month. Students should look at their own living space and be able to know how they would escape a fire, Andrews said.

“Windows are put in for two reasons – (for) light and air, and they are put in the sleeping rooms as a second exit,” Andrews said. “That is their second option to escape.”

The Emporia Fire Department is available to make sure that students are living in a safe and fire-free environment, Andrews said. Apartment buildings are annually inspected to ensure safe fire escapes routes. Upon request, the fire department will also do fire prevention inspections on private property.

Susan Welte

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Senior music education and performance major, Ben Reilly and junior music major, Manny Requenes talk about ESU Music opportunities in Webb Hall. The Department of music encouraged students to participate in various music events and performances. Yo Han Kim/The Bulletin

Students gathered in Webb Hall yesterday to find out about campus activities and take part in the annual Huge Activities Fair.

Ben Riley, senior music education major, helped run the Emporia State music program booth.

“The great thing about the music program here at Emporia State is that you do not have to be a music major to join an ensemble,” Riley said.

Emporia State currently has sixteen music ensembles. The choral ensembles include Community Chorus, Opera Theatre, A Cappella and Chamber Choir. Instrumental ensembles include Brass, Wind, Jazz, Percussion, Saxophone, and Chamber Winds ensembles, as well as Emporia Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, Marching Band, Hornet Revue, Saxophone Quartet, Flute and Clarinet Choir.

Emporia State offers three music degree programs, which include Music Performance, Music Education and Digital Audio Recording. Riley said that Emporia State has a masters program in music and there are plans to add guitar to the music program.

The music department is planning a Music Day in Beach Hall on Feb. 8. There will be an opening recital at 9 a.m., with a 2:15 p.m. finale in Albert Taylor Hall. A jazz festival is planned for Feb. 14, also in Albert Taylor Hall, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a jazz concert finale at 7:30 p.m.

Russell Swanson, junior elementary education major, was also a participant at the Huge Activities Fair at the booth for CRU, formerly known as Campus Crusade For Christ.

“CRU is a non-denominational Christian group,” Swanson said. “We talk to people about our faith on campus.”

CRU meets every Thursday night at 7:11 p.m. in Cremer Hall, room 415. The Inner Bean, a coffee house at 1328 Exchange St., is hosting a Valentine’s Day CRU event at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10.

President of Newman Kansas Association of Nursing Students and senior nursing major Liem Halim helped with the Emporia State nursing program booth. Halim said ESU has a three-year nursing program, and that the tours for the program are done through Newman Regional Health.

“Great faculty sets us apart from other nursing programs,” said Mallory Bedford, senior nursing major. Bedford is the treasurer of the Newman Kansas Association of Nursing Students.

Steven Edwards

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Junior guard Rachel Hanf goes for a shot against the Bearcats at White Auditorium. The Lady Hornets won 63-50 on Sunday. Audrey Millard/The Bulletin

The Lady Hornets hosted the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri at William L. White Auditorium on Sunday, the 47th meeting between the two teams in which Emporia leads the series 33-14. Even without sophomore Kelsey Balcom in the lineup, the Hornets were able to pull away with a win, 63-50.

Emporia started the game with momentum, winning the tip. After two possessions down the floor, freshman forward Kathryn Flott took the ball to the lane for the first two points of the game.

“I know I had to step up to fill Kelsey’s shoes,“ Flott said. “We boarded the ball and got out and ran and got our transition going.”

Head Coach Jory Collins yelled “patience” as his team worked the ball around, showing good movement. The game grew physical as many bodies were on the floor fighting for every loose ball.

“For about 32 minutes we played really good on defense,” Collins said. “We did much better guarding their post than we did the last time we played them, and I thought that was probably the difference of the game.”

Senior guard Heather Robben drained a three pointer to put the Hornets up 10-4, ending the game as the leading scorer with 12 points. A drive by junior guard Jocelyn Cummings and a three-pointer made by junior guard Rachel Hanf, had the crowding exploding in excitement. The Bearcats were forced to take a timeout with the Hornets leading by a score of 15-4.

“We had a good game plan going in, and we knew what we had to do to get stops,” Rachel Hanf said, adding 11 points for the team. “It feels really good to start hitting shots again.”

The Hornets got offensive rebounds, which gave them multiple opportunities for second chance points. Emporia struggled to get points from the post as the Bearcats double-teamed them when the ball entered inside. Flott continued to score and contribute points off second chance opportunities. The Hornets went into the locker room at half with a lead of 37-23.

Hanf hit a three from the corner to score the first points of the second half, as she soon later scored another to help the Hornets surmount a 19-point lead.

Robben continued to push the ball up the floor as the Hornets seemed to be transitioning easier, driving the full length of the court. Hanf continued her strong three-point shooting, as Flott attained multiple rebounds, ending the game with 8 points and 11 rebounds, a career high. Emporia finished the game strongly and stayed on top of the Bearcats for the victory.

“I think we are continuing to get better,” Collins said. “We have a young team, so our margin for improvement is big still.”

Chelsie Slaughter

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One of Sigma Tau’s oldest members, Chuck Hanna, glances through his 1948 ESU yearbook. Hanna attended Emporia State from 1946 to 1948 before transferring to KU. Delta Chapter Sigma Tau held a dinner celebration for their 90th Anniversary Tuesday evening. Jenny Pendarvis/The Bulletin

When 83-year-old business administration major alum of the Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State, Chuck Hanna brought his faded 1948 yearbook to the 90th anniversary of Sigma Tau Gamma this Tuesday, it brought back a lot of memories from his past.

“It’s a great fraternity. I’m proud that they are still here,” Hanna said. “When I was in school, there were five fraternities, and only two of them have been here all through the years.”

There were 77 active members at Hanna’s time. When looking at their smiling mug shots in his yearbook, he said he could only remember two-thirds of them.

“I want to show you something,” Hanna said when he pointed at a list of basketball results on the yearbook. “Here is Emporia State, 67, Kansas University, 44. We beat KU in the civic auditorium. I’m going to tell the boys that.”

The Sigma Tau Gamma Chapter at ESU was established in 1922. Since then, about 1,200 members have joined the chapter. This year, they have 40 active members on campus.

At the 90th anniversary, 56 active members, guests from the national headquarters, university officials and alumni joined the special dinner in their basement dining room full of blue and white balloons.

“I really appreciate the opportunity of the extended invitation for this evening,” said President Shonrock, who was in attendance. “What a wonderful 90-year celebration of the organization. I appreciate their leadership and service to this wonderful campus and this community.”

Shonrock said his affiliation is Delta Tau Delta, and his undergraduate chapter is the Zeta Lambda chapter at Western Illinois University.

“It’s special to be a part of it,” said Trevor Steinbacher, senior physical education and health education major and an active member of the chapter, “seeing alumni from the 40s and 50s still coming back today and celebrating with us. If I never joined this fraternity, I would never be a part of anything like this.”

Sigma Tau Gamma will have an actual 90th reunion in April, which, according to Steinbacher, might be the biggest reunion they’ve had in a long time.

“I’ve been working with the chapter since I was an undergraduate (from 1961-65),” said Harry Stephens, ESU emeritus vice president for student affairs and the alumni chapter advisor. “I celebrated my 50th year in 2011.”

Stephens said Sigma Tau Gamma has been located at 1309 Sylvan St. for 48 years. He was the treasurer when they bought the house with the original price at $48,000.

“I’m excited that the chapter has been successful for 90 years,” Stephens said. “We are the oldest Chapter on campus, and we’ll continue to be successful.”

At the end of the evening Sigma Tau Gamma presented Shonrock with checks totaling $1,300 to go toward the ESU Foundation to help fund undergraduate scholarships, according to Gwen Larson, assistant director of marketing and media relations. The donation was made by members and friends of the fraternity in celebration of its 90th anniversary.

Tianhai Jiang

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Hugo Gellert's portrait of Pemberton

While William Allen White may be the most well known journalist from Emporia, one of his colleagues, Murdock Pemberton, will soon be on the radar.

Pemberton was the first art editor for The New Yorker, worked for the Emporia Gazette and was a founding member of the Algonquin Roundtable. Georgia O’Keefe used his shirt as a smock, and he was a business partner of Albert Stieglitz.

Pemberton was a member of William Allen White’s fraternity at KU and was the brother of Broadway producer Brock Pemberton, according to an email from Roger Heineken, administrative officer for the Memorial Union.

Despite all of these accomplishments, little was known of Murdock until his granddaughter, Sally Pemberton, recently found suitcases in her childhood home that contained Murdock’s works and some of his art collection.

This inspired Pemberton to research her grandfather’s background even further, which eventually spawned a book, “Portrait of Murdock Pemberton: The New Yorker’s First Art Critic.”

“As I dug deeper, some of these were letters from Georgia O’Keefe and Albert Stieglitz and some other artists, and it became a wild adventure of listening and tracking down all of his friends and piecing together his life,” Pemberton said.

Pemberton is not an author by trade, but she found a passion in this project.

“I started out feeling a sense of responsibility to him personally because I knew he died… not thinking he was recognized for what he did,” Pemberton said. “I tracked down whoever I could in terms of the heirs of the artists and the dealers. I became very attached to all the characters in the book. I wanted to tell their story.”

While the Algonquin Roundtable was set up to be a roast of sorts for one of his friends, Alexander Woollcott, it became a daily lunch for some of the big names in New York at the time, Pemberton said.

Pemberton’s boss at The New Yorker, Harold Ross, hired him at one of the Roundtables, despite, by his own admission, no experience in art critiquing, according to the book.

His writings were regarded as “blunt, scrupulously muckraking journalism that delighted admirers from Greenwich Village studios to the Algonquin Round Table,” according to the Editors review.

The book is set up as a scrapbook to be more accessible to everyone, not just art historians, Pemberton said.

“The book wasn’t meant to portray him as any great man or great writer, but it was more to let people see the world through his eyes,” Pemberton said.

Charlie Heptas

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Sophomore Kelsey Balcom shoots a free throw during Lady Hornet's basketball game at Washburn, Saturday afternoon. Washburn came out victorious in this game defeating ESU 66-73. Julie Thephachan/The Bulletin

On Saturday the Hornets hit the road to faceoff against the Ichabods of Washburn. Emporia led the series coming into the game at 43-40, having won three of the last six meetings in Lee Arena. Expectations were high, but the Hornets fell short 73-66.

“Anybody can get beat anywhere,” said Jory Collins, head coach. “We did not execute on offense. You will not get any easy baskets on a team like Washburn.”’

Winning the tip to start the game, the Hornets had possession, but Emporia struggled to score early as they made multiple turnovers.

It wasn’t until there were just 16 minutes left when sophomore forward Kelsey Balcom drained a three pointer to get the Hornets on the board for the first time.

Changing to a zone defense seemed to help the Hornets slow the Ichabods down, allowing them to close the score to 18-14 with a little over nine minutes left in the first half. Throughout the half both teams were physical and aggressive, but the Hornets went into the locker room at halftime down 36-27.

“We struggled in a lot of places, and I do not feel that we came out as strong as we should have against this Washburn team,” Balcom said. “We all need to show up at the same time.”

To start the second half the Hornets gave up a quick two-point bucket only 12 seconds in. But a strong defense was executed by the Hornets, causing the Ichabods to turn the ball over early.

The aggressive defense continued on both sides of the court, but Emporia allowed Washburn multiple three point play chances by fouling underneath the basket. Emporia was down by 15 points but managed to cut the score down to within five points with about 38 seconds left. Still, it was not enough to come out on top.

Senior guard Heather Robben led the team with 27 points but was disappointed with the overall defense.

“We need to play better defense and execute on offense,” Robben said. “It is the simple things that matter.”

Collins said the loss was no need for discouragement.

“In our league you cannot hang your head on a game because there is another one coming two days later,” Collins said. “You have to put it behind you as quick as you can and move on to the next one.”

Chelsie Slaughter

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Gearing up for her general health, Julie Dorneker is also preparing for the Healthy Hornet Health Initiative that begins Jan. 23. Dorneker, junior crime delinquency major, said that her team hasn’t thought of a name yet, but their number one goal is to win. Jenny Pendarvis/The Bulletin

Now that classes have started, the Student Recreation Center is kicking off a campus wide “get fit” program to help promote healthy living.

“We just feel like it’s our responsibility to help (students) to develop lifestyles that will help them become healthy, happy and productive people once they graduate from ESU,” said Mike Wise, director of Recreation Services.

Beginning Jan. 23, registered students and faculty will embark on a six week long health initiative. To make this program a success, the Recreation Center has teamed up with the HPER Department and health promotions majors as well as the Student Wellness Center.

“Some of our counseling center staff are doing sessions on sleep and on stress management,” said Mary McDaniel, assistant director of Student Wellness for Health Services. “Those two things not only are very healthy habits but they also play into people’s health fitness goals.”

Wise said that participants will focus on activities such as exercising, getting enough sleep, drinking the right amount of water and monitoring the type and amount of food they eat.

By reaching specific goals throughout the program, students will earn points. Those who earn100 points throughout the program will receive a pedometer. Also, after reaching 300 points, participants will receive a Healthy Hornet t-shirt.

Overall winners will be rewarded additional prizes. The staff team who receives the highest score throughout the six weeks will receive a free membership to the Recreation Center for the rest of the school year. The winning student team will also receive free intramural league passes for a year.

“To help things along and keep it fun, what we’ve done is each week during the six week period we have focused on a different area that has to do with wellness,” Wise said.

Wise said the program kickoff next week will begin at 6 p.m. in the recreation center. The event will begin with an exercise class for all to participate with an appearance by Corky and opening remarks from President Shonrock.

Wise said the second week will focus on walking and jogging, the third week on the pool, the fourth week will have a group fitness challenge and the fifth week will host the Wellness Center’s “lunch and learns.” By participating in these additional activities, participants will earn extra points.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity to kind of help get yourself on track to living a healthier lifestyle,” said Whitney Runer, assistant director of Recreation Services. “After the six weeks we’re hoping that people will get into their routines and feeling good about themselves and want to continue on…we’re hoping that it will be something we continue for years to come.”

Entries for the program will be accepted through Jan. 23. Runer said that students and faculty can sign up by downloading the online form or coming to the Recreation Center. Participants will sign up in teams of four and if someone doesn’t have a team, the staff will help match them with one.

Brooke Schultz

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President Michael Shonrock said recruitment and boosting enrollment will be a focus for the administration. Yiqing Fu/The Bulletin

Newly appointed President Michael Shonrock sat down for an interview with The Bulletin last Tuesday to discuss his first week on campus and his plans for the future of Emporia State.

What has surprised you the most in your first full week as president of Emporia State?

I am not sure there were any surprises. Maybe the one surprise was the weather. It has been sunny and warm. Other than that it has been what I anticipated.

In the fall, ESU’s enrollment was down 4.6 percent, the highest loss in the state. How concerned are you about enrollment?

I am very concerned. As you know, enrollment is a major part of building an institution. Not only in terms of the number of students living on the campus or going full time or online, so if you looked at the information that was in the prospectives for the 16th president of Emporia State University, clearly if it wasn’t number one, it was number two. The first day on the job I had the opportunity and privilege to meet with the entire enrollment management staff and we talked about where we are and where we are going.

What are your plans to help increase enrollment?

It is something that is important for all of us to engage in. I have already talked to our student government about putting together a task force on student recruitment and student retention and ways of engaging our student leaders more. Thanks to Gwen (Larson) and Dr. Williams and others, I will be on the road trying to contact both alums and prospective donors and get as many opportunities as I can to interact personally.

The Faculty Senate recently passed a resolution calling into question the salaries of KBOR presidents. What are your thoughts on presidential compensation? Is it out of line with faculty and staff salaries?

I have not had a chance to look at faculty and staff salaries. Give me another week or two so I have a chance to review a few things. I will certainly work with the Faculty Senate. I will appreciate the compensation that my wife and I will have and the opportunity to be here. From my experience I think it is consistent with comparable types of positions and comparable types of institutions. But remember, every institution is different and every state is different. We came because we absolutely fell in love with Emporia State University and Emporia.

In light of the recent tragedies in the Chinese community here at ESU – a double fatality fire last semester and a suicide on the interstate last week – do you have any concerns regarding the international student population? What should the university’s response be?

Well, first our thoughts and prayers are with the families even though I wasn’t here in the fall. I know they were on the campus and it is certainly a loss for our community. We should be concerned for any students. As you know, when you have a transition from one country, in this case culture, to another you have to be sensitive about those types of things. I have talked to the senior leadership to get a post-review and ask what better things we could look at in the future. I think the folks did a very good job in terms of responding but I am always interested in finding out ways we can enhance communication and enhance the experience for students. I am always concerned when there is a loss.

Should the ESU president be furnished a luxury SUV to drive, as in the past? What’s your style?

Well if you go out and look you will find a Ford, not an SUV, in the parking spot, which is saving $222 a month (and) it gets much better gas mileage. I did read your staff editorial (in The Bulletin’s Dec. 12 special issue). I feel very comfortable with the vehicle I now have and I feel it is much more cost efficient.

Anything you would like to add?

We are just thrilled to be here, my wife and I. We certainly want people to have the opportunity to visit the residence. We turned around pretty quickly and our stuff is still in Texas and it may be until about March until we get everything here, but we are settling in a little bit. We want to have an open house and have people come by. Everyone in the community and the campus has been very gracious and we really appreciate that – it makes us feel at home. We just look forward to the future. I tend to be an optimist and I look at the future very brightly and I see a bright future for Emporia State University and all I ask is if things come up, let’s talk.

Rocky Robinson

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Michael Shonrock, newly appointed president of Emporia State, answers questions during a press conference immediately following the regents' announcement in Albert Taylor Hall. Shonrock said he was honored and excited to accept the presidency. Jon Coffey/The Bulletin

Albert Taylor Hall was bustling with people Friday as the Kansas Board of Regents announced the new president of Emporia State, Michael Shonrock. The regents convened a session on the stage and took an official vote, selecting Shonrock as the 16th president of ESU.

But they had previously extended him the offer, coming to a consensus in an executive session, said Vanessa Lamoreaux, associate director of communications for KBOR.

“The meeting was – there was no binding action that was taken,” Lamoreaux said. “Instead what the regents did the other night after they concluded the interviews is they reached consensus as a group on who the offer would be extended to. The offer was extended, the candidate tentatively accepted and the formal and binding action took place at the meeting that took place this morning (Dec. 9) on the ESU campus.”

Lamoreaux said the Kansas Open Meetings Act was not violated and cited the 1990 case O’Hair vs. UDS 300 as reference.

Still, Shonrock said he was “just overwhelmed with joy” and also joked that he “loved the way you vote out here in Kansas.”

Shonrock and his wife Karen were on campus following the announcement, having a brief press conference and then meeting students, faculty and community members in the Plumb Hall rotunda.

“Sincerely, we fell in love with Emporia State University, and we fell in love with Emporia,” Shonrock said. “We look forward to the many opportunities ahead.”

He said that this was an exciting time for ESU with the approach of the 150 year celebration, and during his first months as president he wants to continue to assess the university and build relations on campus.

He said that there will be many opportunities to build ESU’s brand and find ways to encourage growth in various parts of the institution to help aid enrollment and the retention of students.

“We want to look at our current plan in terms of our strategies for the future,” Shonrock said. “In terms of enrollment we want to work very closely with the foundation. We don’t get a second chance to have a 150 year anniversary, and so it’s a great opportunity for us to really seriously look at a capital campaign to help benefit the institution.”

Derryl Wynn, search committee chair, said Shonrock’s passion for education and his sense of humor were among the reasons they suggested him for the position.

“We gravitated towards Dr. Shonrock mainly because of what he was able to accomplish at his prior university and because…he demonstrates a genuine interest in (students’) welfare,” Wynn said. “One of the things that we also liked, frankly, was his energy.”

The atmosphere was one of the chief reasons Shonrock said he desired the presidential position, as well as the time he had spent here previously in college.

While fundraising and improving town and gown relations are top priorities for Shonrock, he said that he also hopes to teach at some point during his presidency.

“I really do hope to have the opportunity very early to be a member of the faculty. That’s very important to me,” Shonrock said.

Shonrock said he and his wife intend to “start the new year as Kansans,” and will move into the presidential residence at 1522 Highland St. after Christmas. He will assume official duties as president on Jan. 3, 2012.

Charlie Heptas/The Bulletin
news@esubulletin.com

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