The University News » Entries tagged with "Kansas City"
Death in Spandex: Death dances the streets of 1980s Kansas City in ‘Slashdance’
It’s easy to say the walking un-dead have infested almost every corner of the present culture. Zombies are proving to appear as a full blown cultural force, finding a place for themselves in any setting, any genre and any decade. Thus, it’s no surprise they would find a comfortable spot in the 1980s. “Slashdance” which premiered on March 7, is a musical horror-comedy performed at the Coterie Theatre. It meets ‘80s dance classic “Flashdance” with a hostile, zombie-infested Kansas City as survivors struggle to make their dreams come true. The original “Flashdance” was released in 1983 and starred actress Jennifer Beals as Alexandra Owens, a welder who dreams of becoming a professional dancer. The film has since gained a cult following. It should be noted that “Slashdance” is not simply “Flashdance” with zombies. When … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts & Entertainment
Sports unite us all
There is no such feeling as the one experienced with a game-winning goal in the last minute, a three-pointer basket with seconds on the clock or an interception that led to a touchdown. Sports can paralyze a whole town, state or even country. But why? When two teams clash in a pitch, field or court, thousands, and sometimes millions, of people are involved. This is probably is the reason why the World Cup, Super Bowl and World Series find themselves at the very top of television ratings. When I moved to this country less than two years ago, I encountered many things that made me like America even more, especially the love of sports. Kansas City’s passion and love for the Chiefs and Royals really surprised me, mainly because of the terrible seasons they … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
UMKC to participate in all-state tornado drill
In May 2011, a deadly EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, Mo., killing more than 150 people, destroying homes, schools, churches and even hospitals. As the storm worsened, massive black spiraling clouds moved over the Kansas City area. Sirens went off and students on campus enrolled in early summer classes were escorted to campus tornado shelters. Taylor Silvestro, junior communication studies and theater major, had no idea UMKC had designated storm areas. She was escorted to the basement of Flarsheim Hall during the 2011 storm, but thinks UMKC needs to be more organized in the event of a tornado emergency. “I didn’t know what to expect, honestly,” Silvestro said. “I was worried about contacting my parents, since my cell phone had no service in the building they moved us to. “UMKC should be more organized … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
artist’s spotlight: Roberts’ ‘Eat This!’ provides food awareness to audiences
Stephanie Roberts, assistant professor of theatre, is serving up a new kind of theatre experience about something that affects people everyday—food. In her newest play “Eat This! KC Chews on the Politics of Food,” Roberts and her MFA acting graduate students created a social commentary on where and how food reaches dinner tables. Receiving her degree from Del Arte, a performing arts institution in the California Redwoods, Roberts’ MFA is in ensemble based physical theatre. In the creation of “Eat This!,” Roberts says the actors are not just regenerating the work of the playwright, but contributed to making the script. “I had the idea a couple years ago,” Roberts said, explaining that the same process used for her previous play “Slammed,” was used for “Eat This!” She continued, “The students and I went out into … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts & Entertainment
Inclement weather leads to class cancellations
Two large blizzards imperiled Kansas City’s roads but gave students an unusual treat—snow days. Classes were cancelled Monday evening and Tuesday this week and Thursday and Friday last week. Students waited in anticipation last Wednesday for the University to call off classes a day in advance in preparation for Winter Storm Q. UMKC was one of the last area schools to cancel class, as snow was forecasted to reach a new record. Around 4 a.m. Thursday morning, students were awakened by the robotic phone call the University sends out in emergencies. By mid-morning Wednesday, the entire Kansas City metro area was blanketed in snow falling at a heavy rate of up to four inches per hour to the south. At one point, Kansas City received more snow in one hour than the area has had … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
‘Troost Wall’ the product of Kansas City’s long-running racial plight: Racist real estate practices leave urban decay
The perpetuation of Kansas City’s segregation problem requires a history lesson. “We didn’t start out racially segregated,” said Dr. Jacob Wagner, Director of UMKC’s Urban Studies Program. “The Troost Wall is really a very recent creation of the 1970s.” The process of hyper-segregation in Kansas City began with J.C. Nichols, a man whom Kevin Fox Gotham refers to in his book, “Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development: The Kansas City Experience, 1900 – 2000,” as “one of the first and most prominent developer-builders to promote the use and enforcement of explicitly racially restrictive covenants.” Nichols was the director of the Kansas City Real Estate Board for seven separate years, spanning a period of three decades. His practices in the ’20s served as an example for other real estate companies to follow throughout the … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
Rachael Coulter teaches area adults how to
Undergraduate English Council publicity officer Rachael Coulter, a senior English major, has signed on to create flyers for upcoming events, and plan Quidditch matches and spelling bees for Literature for Life week each spring semester. She will also attend bi-weekly meetings a student group dedicated to English tutoring. Coulter has a passion for E.E. Cummings and modern poetry, but she works with a 22-year- old- student who has trouble reading a restaurant menu. Coulter volunteers at Literacy Kansas City, which pairs trained tutors with functionally illiterate adults. The initial goal is to advance the students from a first-grade level to at least a ninth-grade level to enable students to achieve GED certification. “I think that people forget how crucial to everyday life is the ability to read,” Coulter said. “Many of the students’ … Read entire article »
Filed under: Student Life
A disaster that shook Kansas
JJ’s, a local and beloved restaurant, went up in flames last Tuesday and that day will forever remain in Kansas City’s memory. Around six o’clock that evening, I was opening the door to my apartment when I heard and felt a very loud blast. The magnitude of the explosion was so large that I thought it had taken place in the building next to mine. As I opened my curtains, I immediately noticed the huge cloud of black, thick smoke. I then grabbed my keys and ran to the destruction site a few blocks away to find out what happened. I caught my breath and thought about how lucky I was to not have been any closer. Then I began to feel sad for those injured, many critically. And later, when we learned … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
Kansas City gets it good and hard
It’s coming. Everyone says so. Snow will inherit the earth, and chances are it has already covered the sacred hills of Lawrence. I’m willing to bet that every student is extremely happy about the chances of classes being canceled at the University. The University forcing students to skip class is always more fun than skipping class because students are lazy. But one thing I know students don’t think about when classes are canceled is possibly the most crucial: Snow is the worst. First and foremost, snow is dangerous. The University doesn’t cancel classes because Chancellor Leo Morton thinks students would really enjoy playing in the snow and having a grand ol’ time. No—classes get canceled because people could possibly die if they were to drive to and from campus on the icy roads, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
Player Profile: Cousins, teammates, roommates and best friends unite at UMKC
Kelsey Barnwell and Lauren Dudding, both guards for the ’Roos, were separated by 500 miles. Today, they share everything in Kansas City, especially their talent on the court. Dudding has already started 10 games, and averages 3.6 points. Barnwell has yes to start, but has appeared in all 26 games and averages 3.2. Dudding and her family traveled from Lubbock, Texas to Jay, Okla. every summer to visit the Barnwells. Their visits always included time on the basketball court. “We played basketball against one another or against our brothers,” Dudding said. “When we went one-on-one, the loser always asked for a rematch until they won.” Even though the main purpose was having fun, Barnwell said that their “games were always intense.” “We were very competitive when we played, but we always supported one another on and off … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sports
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