Two of the least-known freedoms protected by the First Amendment — 
the rights of assembly and petition — are being tested in today’s 
rancorous, confrontational social atmospherics.

With confrontation comes vexing problems, for both speakers who fear 
retaliation from opponents and the government officials who often must 
preside over meetings that run from contentious to violent.

Democracy requires robust but peaceable discussion

To be sure, more of us than seen in recent decades are speaking out 
peacefully, from those opposed to what they see as heavy-handed 
government <a href="https://www.freedomforum.org/2021/05/19/perspective-tide-may-be-turning-toward-religious-exemptions-from-vaccine-mandates/" target="_blank">enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions</a> to Black Lives Matter supporters calling for police reform.

Passions run high. The words, like the issues, are strong and 
challenging. But the process of self-governance calls for degrees of 
patience, tolerance and often — in the final push to a workable policy —
 compromise. The First Amendment itself provides protection when we 
“peaceably assemble” and “petition the Government for a redress of 
grievances.”

No strangers to the hot tempers, provocative speech and outright 
violence that accompanied political turmoil in their day — think 
Revolutionary War — the nation’s founders felt compelled to provide 
protections in the amendment for two contrary ideas: We can speak in 
tones, terms and words that provide for what the U.S. Supreme Court in 
1964 called “robust, uninhibited and wide open” discussion of public 
issues. But then the founders provided that conceptual counterweight 
word just before assembly and petition: “peaceably.”

While the First Amendment allows no government judgment about the 
content or viewpoint of what we say, we ought to be worthy of its 
protections by having something worth saying.

And it follows that if it was worth saying, it’s worth hearing — if only to be better prepared with a counterargument.

Far too often today, that entire thread that supports our core 
freedoms is lost in the heat of the moment — or in intentional 
disruption that, no matter how loudly one proclaims patriotism or waves a
 flag, is just as anti-American as any foreign foe.

We have “robust” public discussions on small and large issues, not just to vent our emotions as <a href="https://www.freedomforum.org/2021/06/03/news-new-state-anti-protest-laws-if-upheld-threaten-to-mute-our-first-amendment-freedoms/" target="_blank">a kind of civic therapy</a>,
 but to parse approaches, proposals and legislation and determine that 
which best serves the greatest number of our fellow citizens, hopefully 
in the shortest amount of time.

The “heckler’s veto” and intentionally packing meeting rooms with 
vocal opposition to intimidate public officeholders are tactics as old 
as time, but that does not make them valid in a participatory democracy.

Federal and state courts through the years have held that the public 
has a right to attend and speak at government meetings — but also have 
upheld the authority of public officials to set reasonable “time, place 
and manner” rules to ensure orderly sessions or deal with intentional 
disruption.

Such rules walk a fine line between protected free speech on matters 
of public interest and allowing government to carry out its 
responsibilities. Courts consistently have said government officials 
cannot restrict speakers because of their viewpoints, however 
controversial or critical.

“… when you assemble a number of men to have the 
advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men,
 all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their 
local interests, and their selfish views.” – Benjamin Franklin

But free speech protections do not cover threats of immediate violence — which may well include <a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/we-know-who-you-are-group-seen-threatening-medical-professionals-outside-williamson-co-school-board-meeting" target="_blank">protesters threatening harm</a>
 to speakers in the parking lot following a meeting. Even more 
importantly, such threats have a multiplier effect, likely chilling 
speech far beyond the specific target. A new survey by the Freedom 
Forum, to be released Sept. 22, finds significant numbers of our fellow 
Americans today fear retaliation if they voice their opinions.

Let’s turn to Franklin again: As he was leaving the Constitutional 
Convention, he reportedly was asked what sort of government the 
delegates had created. His answer: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

For more than two centuries, we have kept that republic in no small 
degree because we have freely spoken to each other, secure from 
government interference or punishment — benefiting from that shared 
wisdom Franklin noted.

And, just as certainly, we have kept that republic because so many times we also have listened.

Gene Policinski is Freedom Forum senior fellow for the First Amendment. You can reach Gene at <a href="mailto:gpolicinski@freedomforum.org" target="_blank">gpolicinski@freedomforum.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593729871227.png" alt="Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum. " />
 <figcaption>Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum. </figcaption>
 </figure>Two of the least-known freedoms protected by the First Amendment — 
the rights of assembly and petition — are being tested in today’s 
rancorous, confrontational social atmospherics.With confrontation comes vexing problems, for both speakers who fear 
retaliation from opponents and the government officials who often must 
preside over meetings that run from contentious to violent.<ul>
 <li>At a Salt Lake City area public meeting in May, protesters shouted down a speaker and <a href="https://kslnewsradio.com/1951526/11-people-charged-for-disrupting-granite-school-board-meeting/?" target="_blank">disrupted the meeting</a> with catcalls and loud insults, forcing the Granite School District board to adjourn.</li><li>In Loudoun County, Va., this summer, protests erupted over a 
proposed school policy of protection for transgender students. The 
online news operation LoudounNow reported disruption at a June board meeting led to the <a href="https://loudounnow.com/2021/06/22/one-injured-as-loudoun-school-board-meeting-crowd-erupts/" target="_blank">public being expelled</a>
 and an arrest for disorderly conduct. At an August meeting, small 
groups were admitted for comments, requiring some to wait outside in a 
rainstorm, with <a href="https://www.loudountimes.com/news/following-hours-of-public-comment-school-board-pushes-controversial-vote-to-wednesday/article_a1193428-fa47-11eb-832c-ab295935882e.html" target="_blank">no general audience present</a> — a new policy adopted after the June disorder.</li><li>In Anchorage, Alaska, hours of public testimony to a school board about mask policy repeatedly were <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/08/04/outbursts-tears-and-jeers-dont-sway-asd-school-board-from-mask-mandate/" target="_blank">interrupted by shouting audience members</a>.
 Alaska Public Media reported that at least one person cursed at the 
board, with some shouting to board and administrators, “You’re going to 
jail!”</li><li>Anti-mask demonstrators heckled masked people, including doctors and
 nurses, leaving a Williamson County, Tenn., school board meeting Aug. 
10. One man was <a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/we-know-who-you-are-group-seen-threatening-medical-professionals-outside-williamson-co-school-board-meeting" target="_blank">followed to his car</a> and had a person shout at him, “We will find you” and “We know who you are.”</li>
 </ul><h2>Democracy requires robust but peaceable discussion</h2>To be sure, more of us than seen in recent decades are speaking out 
peacefully, from those opposed to what they see as heavy-handed 
government <a href="https://www.freedomforum.org/2021/05/19/perspective-tide-may-be-turning-toward-religious-exemptions-from-vaccine-mandates/" target="_blank">enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions</a> to Black Lives Matter supporters calling for police reform.Passions run high. The words, like the issues, are strong and 
challenging. But the process of self-governance calls for degrees of 
patience, tolerance and often — in the final push to a workable policy —
 compromise. The First Amendment itself provides protection when we 
“peaceably assemble” and “petition the Government for a redress of 
grievances.”No strangers to the hot tempers, provocative speech and outright 
violence that accompanied political turmoil in their day — think 
Revolutionary War — the nation’s founders felt compelled to provide 
protections in the amendment for two contrary ideas: We can speak in 
tones, terms and words that provide for what the U.S. Supreme Court in 
1964 called “robust, uninhibited and wide open” discussion of public 
issues. But then the founders provided that conceptual counterweight 
word just before assembly and petition: “peaceably.”<h2>Speaking has a corollary: Listening</h2>While the First Amendment allows no government judgment about the 
content or viewpoint of what we say, we ought to be worthy of its 
protections by having something worth saying.And it follows that if it was worth saying, it’s worth hearing — if only to be better prepared with a counterargument.Far too often today, that entire thread that supports our core 
freedoms is lost in the heat of the moment — or in intentional 
disruption that, no matter how loudly one proclaims patriotism or waves a
 flag, is just as anti-American as any foreign foe.We have “robust” public discussions on small and large issues, not just to vent our emotions as <a href="https://www.freedomforum.org/2021/06/03/news-new-state-anti-protest-laws-if-upheld-threaten-to-mute-our-first-amendment-freedoms/" target="_blank">a kind of civic therapy</a>,
 but to parse approaches, proposals and legislation and determine that 
which best serves the greatest number of our fellow citizens, hopefully 
in the shortest amount of time.The “heckler’s veto” and intentionally packing meeting rooms with 
vocal opposition to intimidate public officeholders are tactics as old 
as time, but that does not make them valid in a participatory democracy.<h2>Where First Amendment protections end</h2>Federal and state courts through the years have held that the public 
has a right to attend and speak at government meetings — but also have 
upheld the authority of public officials to set reasonable “time, place 
and manner” rules to ensure orderly sessions or deal with intentional 
disruption.Such rules walk a fine line between protected free speech on matters 
of public interest and allowing government to carry out its 
responsibilities. Courts consistently have said government officials 
cannot restrict speakers because of their viewpoints, however 
controversial or critical.“… when you assemble a number of men to have the 
advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men,
 all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their 
local interests, and their selfish views.” – Benjamin FranklinBut free speech protections do not cover threats of immediate violence — which may well include <a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/we-know-who-you-are-group-seen-threatening-medical-professionals-outside-williamson-co-school-board-meeting" target="_blank">protesters threatening harm</a>
 to speakers in the parking lot following a meeting. Even more 
importantly, such threats have a multiplier effect, likely chilling 
speech far beyond the specific target. A new survey by the Freedom 
Forum, to be released Sept. 22, finds significant numbers of our fellow 
Americans today fear retaliation if they voice their opinions.Let’s turn to Franklin again: As he was leaving the Constitutional 
Convention, he reportedly was asked what sort of government the 
delegates had created. His answer: “A republic, if you can keep it.”For more than two centuries, we have kept that republic in no small 
degree because we have freely spoken to each other, secure from 
government interference or punishment — benefiting from that shared 
wisdom Franklin noted.And, just as certainly, we have kept that republic because so many times we also have listened.Gene Policinski is Freedom Forum senior fellow for the First Amendment. You can reach Gene at <a href="mailto:gpolicinski@freedomforum.org" target="_blank">gpolicinski@freedomforum.org</a>.

FIRST FIVE: Protect assembly, petition by preserving listening at public meetings

By GREG DOERING Kansas Farm Bureau There were no surprises in the recently released 2020 census numbers that will be used to draw new lines for congressional and state senate and house districts. Kansas grew, but at a rate slower than the nation overall. Rural areas largely saw their populations dwindle while metros swelled, an ongoing trend since the industrial revolution. Overall, rural parts of the country lost 226,000 people in the past decade to urban and suburban places, which grew by more than 20 million. As a state, we’re slightly older and more diverse, overall. Beyond the obvious demographic shifts, the census numbers mean political power is shifting, too. This is worrisome not because the issues facing cities and towns are all that different from the challenges across the countryside. It’s because far too often a policy or program that works in one area is a total bust when expanded to another. Many of the challenges we face across the state are the same, from housing and childcare to taxes and labor shortages. The solutions to these are nearly as varied as the more than 2.9 million people who call Kansas home. But with fewer folks walking in the statehouse or the halls of Congress with rural backgrounds means there’s less understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist in communities where the nearest neighbor might be a quarter-mile or more away. The rules and regulations that make sense in cities where people interact with one another more frequently are often ineffective or even counterproductive in less populated areas. While the proportional political power flowing to cities carries real risks for those of us who enjoy rural lifestyles, we still have a lot of capacity to shape the outcomes of laws. I don’t expect our big city citizens to wield their growing power over their country cousins with malice. But there’s only so many issues we have the time to fully grasp. Self-interest being what it is, we usually don’t stray too far outside our immediate neighborhood when trying to solve a problem. That’s why it’s so important to tell the story of farming and ranching, the benefits of rural living and, most importantly, why people who do none of those should listen. They’re not going to agree with you on everything, but through conversations with friends, family and business partners, greater understanding of rural issues and their solutions is possible. It’s also a good opportunity to talk about the quality of life available in the country and small towns. Most aren’t looking to give up their lives in the city, but in a world where it’s increasingly common to work anywhere, the choice of where workers live is everywhere. That means one of the primary drivers of urbanization is perhaps at its weakest point since the steam engine was invented. Technology alone won’t undo centuries of change quickly, but it’s certainly a welcome tool in reviving rural living. Not only does this mean access to jobs that allow people to stay in rural areas, but benefits like clean air and water, less stress and traffic and more privacy are certainly going to be enticing to some city folks as well. By the time the next census comes around, there’s a real chance the story will be about the dawning of the next rural migration.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574694551876.png" alt="Greg Doering&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Greg Doering&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By GREG DOERING Kansas Farm Bureau There were no surprises in the recently released 2020 census numbers that will be used to draw new lines for congressional and state senate and house districts. Kansas grew, but at a rate slower than the nation overall. Rural areas largely saw their populations dwindle while metros swelled, an ongoing trend since the industrial revolution. Overall, rural parts of the country lost 226,000 people in the past decade to urban and suburban places, which grew by more than 20 million. As a state, we’re slightly older and more diverse, overall. Beyond the obvious demographic shifts, the census numbers mean political power is shifting, too. This is worrisome not because the issues facing cities and towns are all that different from the challenges across the countryside. It’s because far too often a policy or program that works in one area is a total bust when expanded to another. Many of the challenges we face across the state are the same, from housing and childcare to taxes and labor shortages. The solutions to these are nearly as varied as the more than 2.9 million people who call Kansas home. But with fewer folks walking in the statehouse or the halls of Congress with rural backgrounds means there’s less understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist in communities where the nearest neighbor might be a quarter-mile or more away. The rules and regulations that make sense in cities where people interact with one another more frequently are often ineffective or even counterproductive in less populated areas. While the proportional political power flowing to cities carries real risks for those of us who enjoy rural lifestyles, we still have a lot of capacity to shape the outcomes of laws. I don’t expect our big city citizens to wield their growing power over their country cousins with malice. But there’s only so many issues we have the time to fully grasp. Self-interest being what it is, we usually don’t stray too far outside our immediate neighborhood when trying to solve a problem. That’s why it’s so important to tell the story of farming and ranching, the benefits of rural living and, most importantly, why people who do none of those should listen. They’re not going to agree with you on everything, but through conversations with friends, family and business partners, greater understanding of rural issues and their solutions is possible. It’s also a good opportunity to talk about the quality of life available in the country and small towns. Most aren’t looking to give up their lives in the city, but in a world where it’s increasingly common to work anywhere, the choice of where workers live is everywhere. That means one of the primary drivers of urbanization is perhaps at its weakest point since the steam engine was invented. Technology alone won’t undo centuries of change quickly, but it’s certainly a welcome tool in reviving rural living. Not only does this mean access to jobs that allow people to stay in rural areas, but benefits like clean air and water, less stress and traffic and more privacy are certainly going to be enticing to some city folks as well. By the time the next census comes around, there’s a real chance the story will be about the dawning of the next rural migration."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: The next rural migration

Last spring, with COVID vaccine distributed widely, we anticipated a fall school start where children’s hugs rekindled long-separated friendships, teenagers high-fived favorite teachers and everyone could cheer the football team from the stands.&nbsp; It would be a return to in-person instruction and excitement for teaching and learning.

The fall, however, has erupted in an explosion of anger at school board and county commission meetings amidst rising COVID infections with spikes among children.&nbsp; All this has killed the expectation of a fully productive school year.

CDC guidelines require masks inside school buildings, on buses and during school activities.&nbsp; The Kansas State Department of Education has recommend following the CDC guidelines.&nbsp; In Topeka, Perry-Lecompton, Wichita and at least 10 other school districts that include about 35 percent of the state’s students, masks are required, in many other districts “strongly encouraged.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yet, in Wichita, among scores of protesters to a county-wide mask mandate at a Sedgwick County meeting, an irate man threatened to protest outside homes of county commissioners.&nbsp; In the Shawnee Mission school district, two parents have sued challenging&nbsp;the district’s COVID protocols.&nbsp;&nbsp;The school district, upheld by a district court, is awaiting a Kansas Supreme Court hearing.

Nationally, the president of the American Federation of Teachers supports mandatory masks in schools.&nbsp; Eight states prohibit school districts from setting mask requirements while 14 states and the District of Columbia require masks be worn in schools.&nbsp; The remaining states have left the decision to each school district.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the battle over mask mandates, just about everyone seems to be ignoring the real problem—COVID will not ultimately disappear.&nbsp; As long as the virus keeps circulating, it will keep evolving and vaccines will eventually become less effective while variants, like Delta, can become stronger.&nbsp; It’s not inconceivable that infection rates may grow so high that schools again will be closed.&nbsp;&nbsp;

School mask (if considered dress code) and school vaccine mandates (12 are currently required for Kansas six-year-olds) have withstood legal challenges at the U. S. Supreme Court level.&nbsp; But more than a legal or political issue, the battle over safe schools is an ethical concern about how we live as Kansans.&nbsp;&nbsp;

COVID frustration and anger are understandable, but public behavior should be civil and public schools should align with the direction of public officials.&nbsp;

In America, each of us have the choice to wear a mask or not; yet isn’t following the advice of health and education leaders the right thing to do?&nbsp;&nbsp;

What are we teaching our children when they see us shouting disrespectfully at public meetings or disregarding requests from schools?&nbsp; We are role-models to our children; that’s reason enough to make our behavior considerate.&nbsp;

There have been reports, although limited, that mask-wearing children are being bullied on the playground by the kids who don’t wear masks.&nbsp; This is a COVID-related safety issue that teachers shouldn’t have to deal with.&nbsp;

It’s only fair for those who refuse for their children to wear a mask to use another form of education such as online learning, home schooling or private schools that don’t require masks.

All of us should look at the reality of the situation and show gratitude for the ability to go back to in-person school, then focus on what we can do to fight COVID and hold our communities together.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>Last spring, with COVID vaccine distributed widely, we anticipated a fall school start where children’s hugs rekindled long-separated friendships, teenagers high-fived favorite teachers and everyone could cheer the football team from the stands.&nbsp; It would be a return to in-person instruction and excitement for teaching and learning.The fall, however, has erupted in an explosion of anger at school board and county commission meetings amidst rising COVID infections with spikes among children.&nbsp; All this has killed the expectation of a fully productive school year.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CDC guidelines require masks inside school buildings, on buses and during school activities.&nbsp; The Kansas State Department of Education has recommend following the CDC guidelines.&nbsp; In Topeka, Perry-Lecompton, Wichita and at least 10 other school districts that include about 35 percent of the state’s students, masks are required, in many other districts “strongly encouraged.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet, in Wichita, among scores of protesters to a county-wide mask mandate at a Sedgwick County meeting, an irate man threatened to protest outside homes of county commissioners.&nbsp; In the Shawnee Mission school district, two parents have sued challenging&nbsp;the district’s COVID protocols.&nbsp;&nbsp;The school district, upheld by a district court, is awaiting a Kansas Supreme Court hearing.Nationally, the president of the American Federation of Teachers supports mandatory masks in schools.&nbsp; Eight states prohibit school districts from setting mask requirements while 14 states and the District of Columbia require masks be worn in schools.&nbsp; The remaining states have left the decision to each school district.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the battle over mask mandates, just about everyone seems to be ignoring the real problem—COVID will not ultimately disappear.&nbsp; As long as the virus keeps circulating, it will keep evolving and vaccines will eventually become less effective while variants, like Delta, can become stronger.&nbsp; It’s not inconceivable that infection rates may grow so high that schools again will be closed.&nbsp;&nbsp;School mask (if considered dress code) and school vaccine mandates (12 are currently required for Kansas six-year-olds) have withstood legal challenges at the U. S. Supreme Court level.&nbsp; But more than a legal or political issue, the battle over safe schools is an ethical concern about how we live as Kansans.&nbsp;&nbsp;COVID frustration and anger are understandable, but public behavior should be civil and public schools should align with the direction of public officials.&nbsp;In America, each of us have the choice to wear a mask or not; yet isn’t following the advice of health and education leaders the right thing to do?&nbsp;&nbsp;What are we teaching our children when they see us shouting disrespectfully at public meetings or disregarding requests from schools?&nbsp; We are role-models to our children; that’s reason enough to make our behavior considerate.&nbsp;There have been reports, although limited, that mask-wearing children are being bullied on the playground by the kids who don’t wear masks.&nbsp; This is a COVID-related safety issue that teachers shouldn’t have to deal with.&nbsp;It’s only fair for those who refuse for their children to wear a mask to use another form of education such as online learning, home schooling or private schools that don’t require masks.All of us should look at the reality of the situation and show gratitude for the ability to go back to in-person school, then focus on what we can do to fight COVID and hold our communities together.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Anger won’t stop school COVID spread 

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

Let’s meet some freedom fighters. These won’t be found in some jungle fighting a dictator. These fighters are working to achieve freedom from bad Internet service, and they are based in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Daniel Friesen is founder and chief innovation officer at IdeaTek in Buhler. He describes his company’s staff as freedom fighters for good Internet service, particularly in rural communities.&nbsp;

Daniel went to high school in Buhler. He was a tech-savvy kid. “When our teachers at the school got computers, they would ask me to set them up,” Daniel said.&nbsp;

In 1999, he and four high school friends started a computer repair business in Buhler with $250 in the basement of his parent’s house. The business was named IdeaTek.&nbsp;

Daniel continued the business in college while his four friends pursued other interests.&nbsp;He studied computer systems support at Hutchinson Community College and management information systems at Wichita State before pursuing the business full time in Buhler, where he and his wife and family live today.&nbsp;

Daniel served three terms as mayor of Buhler and is currently a Reno County Commissioner. He was a member of the Kansas Broadband Expansion Taskforce and the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Commission Competitive Infrastructure Working Group. Locally, he is a member of community foundation boards and trustee of the Buhler MB Church.&nbsp;

Back in 2005, Daniel transitioned IdeaTek from computers to the telecommunications business. IdeaTek pioneered fiber-to-the-home internet service in Buhler in 2007, followed by servicing nearby rural communities such as Bentley, population 530, and Yoder, population 194 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

The business continued to grow and change. Daniel transitioned from CEO to chief innovation officer.&nbsp;

“Today we are highly focused on high quality fiber optics,” Daniel said. “We are an internet service provider focused on underserved areas of the state of Kansas.”&nbsp;

“Everyone deserves high quality, robust broadband service. Geography shouldn’t be a limiting factor.”&nbsp;

The pandemic demonstrated the importance of broadband service for quality education, health care and more.&nbsp;

“We’re big proponents of competition,” Daniel said. “If you let the free market work, it will solve problems. Competition always benefits the consumer.”&nbsp;

Today, IdeaTek has grown to more than 120 employees. IdeaTek’s service area now reaches from Strong City to Liberal.&nbsp;

In 2020, federal CARES Act funding was allocated for broadband telecommunications in rural, underserved areas. IdeaTek took on several projects.&nbsp;

“That was a monumental lift,” Daniel said. In three months, IdeaTek reached out to serve 17 counties. Nearly 20 communities received fiber for the first time. The company deployed 20 cable plows and 39 bore machines to build 70 towers and 358 route miles.&nbsp;

In the end, the project involved 115,000 hours and 25,805 fiber miles with potential to serve 10,335 homes and businesses. The total investment was $18 million. “It was the most rewarding and challenging project we’ve done,” Daniel said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The goal remains to reach underserved areas of Kansas. According to IdeaTek, Kansas ranks 28th in the nation for broadband connectivity - 173,000 Kansans do not have wired broadband services available in their home, and 26 percent of rural Americans lack access to broadband compared to only one percent of urban customers.&nbsp;

“We call ourselves Internet freedom fighters,” Daniel said. “We want to free people from poor Internet service.” The company website even describes a freedom fighter’s characteristics: passionate, tenacious, inventive, hyper-adaptable and trustworthy.&nbsp;

IdeaTek was named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing private companies. The company website says: “We’re&nbsp;small-town&nbsp;techies and&nbsp;Kansans at heart,&nbsp;passionate about helping&nbsp;rural communities thrive. If we can help make that happen by connecting community members and organizations with our&nbsp;fast, reliable internet,&nbsp;we are&nbsp;all about it.”&nbsp;

For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ideatek.com/">www.IdeaTek.com</a>.&nbsp;

It’s time to say goodbye to these freedom fighters. They’re not fighting guerilla warfare in some jungle somewhere; they are fighting for better broadband service in rural Kansas.&nbsp;

We salute Daniel Friesen and all the people at IdeaTek in Buhler for making a difference with rural broadband advocacy and investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;I hope they keep up the good fight.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629897872208.png" alt="Daniel Friesen,&nbsp;IdeaTek" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Friesen,&nbsp;IdeaTek</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Let’s meet some freedom fighters. These won’t be found in some jungle fighting a dictator. These fighters are working to achieve freedom from bad Internet service, and they are based in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Daniel Friesen is founder and chief innovation officer at IdeaTek in Buhler. He describes his company’s staff as freedom fighters for good Internet service, particularly in rural communities.&nbsp;Daniel went to high school in Buhler. He was a tech-savvy kid. “When our teachers at the school got computers, they would ask me to set them up,” Daniel said.&nbsp;In 1999, he and four high school friends started a computer repair business in Buhler with $250 in the basement of his parent’s house. The business was named IdeaTek.&nbsp;Daniel continued the business in college while his four friends pursued other interests.&nbsp;He studied computer systems support at Hutchinson Community College and management information systems at Wichita State before pursuing the business full time in Buhler, where he and his wife and family live today.&nbsp;Daniel served three terms as mayor of Buhler and is currently a Reno County Commissioner. He was a member of the Kansas Broadband Expansion Taskforce and the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Commission Competitive Infrastructure Working Group. Locally, he is a member of community foundation boards and trustee of the Buhler MB Church.&nbsp;Back in 2005, Daniel transitioned IdeaTek from computers to the telecommunications business. IdeaTek pioneered fiber-to-the-home internet service in Buhler in 2007, followed by servicing nearby rural communities such as Bentley, population 530, and Yoder, population 194 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;The business continued to grow and change. Daniel transitioned from CEO to chief innovation officer.&nbsp;“Today we are highly focused on high quality fiber optics,” Daniel said. “We are an internet service provider focused on underserved areas of the state of Kansas.”&nbsp;“Everyone deserves high quality, robust broadband service. Geography shouldn’t be a limiting factor.”&nbsp;The pandemic demonstrated the importance of broadband service for quality education, health care and more.&nbsp;“We’re big proponents of competition,” Daniel said. “If you let the free market work, it will solve problems. Competition always benefits the consumer.”&nbsp;Today, IdeaTek has grown to more than 120 employees. IdeaTek’s service area now reaches from Strong City to Liberal.&nbsp;In 2020, federal CARES Act funding was allocated for broadband telecommunications in rural, underserved areas. IdeaTek took on several projects.&nbsp;“That was a monumental lift,” Daniel said. In three months, IdeaTek reached out to serve 17 counties. Nearly 20 communities received fiber for the first time. The company deployed 20 cable plows and 39 bore machines to build 70 towers and 358 route miles.&nbsp;In the end, the project involved 115,000 hours and 25,805 fiber miles with potential to serve 10,335 homes and businesses. The total investment was $18 million. “It was the most rewarding and challenging project we’ve done,” Daniel said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The goal remains to reach underserved areas of Kansas. According to IdeaTek, Kansas ranks 28th in the nation for broadband connectivity - 173,000 Kansans do not have wired broadband services available in their home, and 26 percent of rural Americans lack access to broadband compared to only one percent of urban customers.&nbsp;“We call ourselves Internet freedom fighters,” Daniel said. “We want to free people from poor Internet service.” The company website even describes a freedom fighter’s characteristics: passionate, tenacious, inventive, hyper-adaptable and trustworthy.&nbsp;IdeaTek was named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing private companies. The company website says: “We’re&nbsp;small-town&nbsp;techies and&nbsp;Kansans at heart,&nbsp;passionate about helping&nbsp;rural communities thrive. If we can help make that happen by connecting community members and organizations with our&nbsp;fast, reliable internet,&nbsp;we are&nbsp;all about it.”&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ideatek.com/">www.IdeaTek.com</a>.&nbsp;It’s time to say goodbye to these freedom fighters. They’re not fighting guerilla warfare in some jungle somewhere; they are fighting for better broadband service in rural Kansas.&nbsp;We salute Daniel Friesen and all the people at IdeaTek in Buhler for making a difference with rural broadband advocacy and investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;I hope they keep up the good fight.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Daniel Friesen, IdeaTek 

This week, I received via Facebook Messenger, a recipe for Carp Cakes, fish cakes made from carp meat. I messaged fellow outdoor writer and host of the weekly radio program “What’s in Outdoors” Phil Taunton, to ask if he had ever eaten carp. Phil phoned me, and during our conversation, I was reminded of the story about the year Inman Lake first went dry.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Prior to 1900, more than 9000 surface acres of marshes existed in west central McPherson County. It’s said that ducks were so plentiful in those marshes that duck hunters would literally fill wagons with harvested ducks and haul them with teams of horses several miles north to the tiny town of Conway where they would be put on trains to be sold to restaurants in Kansas City. Around the turn of the century, the Blaze Fork drainage ditch was built to drain much of this marsh area, leaving behind the McPherson valley Wetlands and the largest NATURAL Lake in Kansas, Inman Lake.&nbsp;

During the late 1950’s, Inman Lake went dry for the first time ever, and after a coworker convinced me what a great story that would make if I could still find some witnesses from that era, I began knocking on doors. My first stop was at the home of Paul and Elverna Reimer, just southeast of the lake. Paul remembered that the Navy actually using the lake for some sort of maneuvers during World War II. He says you could hear boats and commotion at the lake, but the roads were all closed and guarded so none one ever really knew what was going on. He also remembers that while swimming there in the 20’s and 30’s, cold spots would be found throughout the lake, leading most to believe that Inman Lake was somehow spring fed. After the lake first dried up, the county decided those phantom springs must be plugged with mud and decided it was worth a shot to try to blast them open. (This was one of a couple stories everyone I spoke with agreed upon.)&nbsp; Norman Schmidt, who was just a young boy at the time and lived right along the lake, remembers barrels full of explosives being buried in the mud around the middle of the lake. He says a huge plume of mud shot skyward with each detonation, only to fall straight back down to the lakebed again, sealing the holes opened by the blast. As far as anyone remembers, no springs were every found, and the lake stayed dry. This was also possibly around the time Inman’s famous mythical swamp creature, Sink Hole Sam first appeared, perhaps shaken from his bed by all the fuss.

Although not a fishing hotspot in recent times, Inman Lake once held a decent population of both channel and flathead catfish, plus lots of carp and other rough fish. Naturally as the lake slowly dried up, all fish were forced to the remaining water. The bottom of the lake is black, oozy, sticky mire that remains nearly unnavigable for days and possibly weeks, even after being fully exposed to the sun, meaning any fish in that last pool of water would be all but lost. Norman Schmidt remembers helping his dad and several other guys harvest many of those remaining fish, mostly carp and rough fish, when the lake dried up the first time. They collected enough big wooden planks to make a plank sidewalk across the oozy mire by placing planks in front of them and slowly working their way to the remaining pool of water that teemed with fish. Norman says one poor fellow fell off the planks into the muck and became nearly hysterical before being rescued. Two flat bottom boats were also pulled along with them, and once they reached the middle, just enough water was poured into each boat to keep fish alive. “Gunny sacks” were filled with fish caught from the puddle and dumped into the boats, then the loaded boats were arduously dragged back toward the lakes edge and the plank sidewalk collected on the way. Norman remembers 75 or so people showing up to get some of the free rescued fish.

The other story remembered by everyone, was how the lake was farmed the year it first went dry. It seems at that time the lake was owned by four neighboring farmers. As I understand it, after it went dry, all four farmers fenced their portion of the dry lake bed and planted Milo. Memories vary as to whether a crop was harvested, but all agreed that several inches of rain in a short period filled the lake again just as the milo crop was ready to cut. The water was deep enough that only the milo heads protruded above the surface, and the ducks flocked to the lake in droves for the smorgasbord that could be had by merely floating along.&nbsp;

Listening to my elders who remembered Inman Lake in its heyday when boat races were run there and skiers enjoyed its waters, brought back many memories for them and many other stories; like the possibility the lake had gone dry one other time, and descriptions of the homemade chicken-wire contraptions used by fishermen to catch forty or fifty carp at a time from huge schools of carp that were common there (it seems lots of carp were eaten back then.) Even though Inman Lake is in no danger of going dry anytime soon, its like a friend recently told me; “Here in Kansas, we’re only ever about 30 days away from a drought.” &nbsp; 

Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevegilliland@idkcom.net

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>This week, I received via Facebook Messenger, a recipe for Carp Cakes, fish cakes made from carp meat. I messaged fellow outdoor writer and host of the weekly radio program “What’s in Outdoors” Phil Taunton, to ask if he had ever eaten carp. Phil phoned me, and during our conversation, I was reminded of the story about the year Inman Lake first went dry.&nbsp; &nbsp;Prior to 1900, more than 9000 surface acres of marshes existed in west central McPherson County. It’s said that ducks were so plentiful in those marshes that duck hunters would literally fill wagons with harvested ducks and haul them with teams of horses several miles north to the tiny town of Conway where they would be put on trains to be sold to restaurants in Kansas City. Around the turn of the century, the Blaze Fork drainage ditch was built to drain much of this marsh area, leaving behind the McPherson valley Wetlands and the largest NATURAL Lake in Kansas, Inman Lake.&nbsp;During the late 1950’s, Inman Lake went dry for the first time ever, and after a coworker convinced me what a great story that would make if I could still find some witnesses from that era, I began knocking on doors. My first stop was at the home of Paul and Elverna Reimer, just southeast of the lake. Paul remembered that the Navy actually using the lake for some sort of maneuvers during World War II. He says you could hear boats and commotion at the lake, but the roads were all closed and guarded so none one ever really knew what was going on. He also remembers that while swimming there in the 20’s and 30’s, cold spots would be found throughout the lake, leading most to believe that Inman Lake was somehow spring fed. After the lake first dried up, the county decided those phantom springs must be plugged with mud and decided it was worth a shot to try to blast them open. (This was one of a couple stories everyone I spoke with agreed upon.)&nbsp; Norman Schmidt, who was just a young boy at the time and lived right along the lake, remembers barrels full of explosives being buried in the mud around the middle of the lake. He says a huge plume of mud shot skyward with each detonation, only to fall straight back down to the lakebed again, sealing the holes opened by the blast. As far as anyone remembers, no springs were every found, and the lake stayed dry. This was also possibly around the time Inman’s famous mythical swamp creature, Sink Hole Sam first appeared, perhaps shaken from his bed by all the fuss.Although not a fishing hotspot in recent times, Inman Lake once held a decent population of both channel and flathead catfish, plus lots of carp and other rough fish. Naturally as the lake slowly dried up, all fish were forced to the remaining water. The bottom of the lake is black, oozy, sticky mire that remains nearly unnavigable for days and possibly weeks, even after being fully exposed to the sun, meaning any fish in that last pool of water would be all but lost. Norman Schmidt remembers helping his dad and several other guys harvest many of those remaining fish, mostly carp and rough fish, when the lake dried up the first time. They collected enough big wooden planks to make a plank sidewalk across the oozy mire by placing planks in front of them and slowly working their way to the remaining pool of water that teemed with fish. Norman says one poor fellow fell off the planks into the muck and became nearly hysterical before being rescued. Two flat bottom boats were also pulled along with them, and once they reached the middle, just enough water was poured into each boat to keep fish alive. “Gunny sacks” were filled with fish caught from the puddle and dumped into the boats, then the loaded boats were arduously dragged back toward the lakes edge and the plank sidewalk collected on the way. Norman remembers 75 or so people showing up to get some of the free rescued fish.The other story remembered by everyone, was how the lake was farmed the year it first went dry. It seems at that time the lake was owned by four neighboring farmers. As I understand it, after it went dry, all four farmers fenced their portion of the dry lake bed and planted Milo. Memories vary as to whether a crop was harvested, but all agreed that several inches of rain in a short period filled the lake again just as the milo crop was ready to cut. The water was deep enough that only the milo heads protruded above the surface, and the ducks flocked to the lake in droves for the smorgasbord that could be had by merely floating along.&nbsp;Listening to my elders who remembered Inman Lake in its heyday when boat races were run there and skiers enjoyed its waters, brought back many memories for them and many other stories; like the possibility the lake had gone dry one other time, and descriptions of the homemade chicken-wire contraptions used by fishermen to catch forty or fifty carp at a time from huge schools of carp that were common there (it seems lots of carp were eaten back then.) Even though Inman Lake is in no danger of going dry anytime soon, its like a friend recently told me; “Here in Kansas, we’re only ever about 30 days away from a drought.” &nbsp; Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevegilliland@idkcom.net

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: The year the lake went dry

Fort Hays State University exists to improve lives. Every day, I witness and experience our relentless focus on excellence and the unwavering resilience of my Fort Hays State colleagues. We work hard at supporting our students, faculty, and staff. We are responsible to one another and for one another. Together we build a better world.

By the time this Heart of the Tiger column is published, we will have welcomed our faculty, staff, and students back to campus. It is my pleasure to introduce to the community the newest members of our senior leadership team: Dr. Angela Pool-Funai, dean of the Graduate School, and Dr. Dan Blankenship, interim dean of the College of College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS).

Angela, a native of Houston, Texas, relocated to Hays from the high desert of southern Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park, by the way, is one of her favorite locales on the planet. I am adding that to my travel wish list.&nbsp;

Angela is a nearly empty-nester mom of five boys. She shared with me that she has gone from feeding an army to needing to relearn how to grocery shop for much smaller portions.&nbsp;

Angela and I share a love for boxing. Her other hobbies, I learned, are much more ambitious than mine. She is restoring a 1988 Ford Thunderbird that she affectionately refers to as her midlife crisis project. “I like working with my hands,” she said. “There are few things more gratifying to me than repairing something myself.”&nbsp;

Angela loves the outdoors. She can be seen biking around Ellis and enjoys taking her canoe out to explore the lakes and reservoirs in the area. She says that spending time on the water helps her decompress both mentally and physically.

A fun story Angela shared with me is that her first book was on ethics in fiscal administration (managing public resources in an ethical manner). The best compliment she received came from a student who told her that he expected to hate the book. Instead, he not only enjoyed reading it, he asked her to autograph his copy.

Angela comes from a non-traditional academic background, in that she had many years of experience as a staff member before joining the faculty. The role of Graduate School Dean connects both paths of her career by allowing her to work across disciplines and with all areas of the university. I loved and appreciated this about her background as well as her positive, creative, high energy.

Look for Angela at a Tiger football game as she is “pumped” for our first home game – as am I! She is also especially excited about a new virtual Lunch &amp; Learn series that the Graduate School is launching to stay engaged with all of our graduate students, both on campus and online. I love this.

“The people I have met at FHSU made me feel at home before I even stepped foot on campus. I'm thrilled to be part of Tiger Nation!” Angela shared. We are excited about her talents and very optimistic how her efforts will benefit our students and our university.

When long-standing and beloved dean, Paul Faber, retired after 38 years of dedicated service to FHSU, Dr. Jill Arensdorf, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, wisely decided to appoint an interim dean of the college for one year. Dr. Blankenship was a perfect match to fill that role. He&nbsp; serves a special niche in higher education, providing strategic leadership for universities wanting to keep an institution moving forward while taking a more thoughtful approach in transitioning leadership.

Dan came to Fort Hays State after serving for three years at Fort Valley State University in Georgia as dean of the College of Agriculture, then as vice provost for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies. He is very talented in keeping a university moving forward while creating processes for a successful transition for the leader selected to follow him. I feel very fortunate to have him on our team this year.&nbsp;

Fun facts about Dan include that he is a licensed pilot (for about 20 years), has flown various aircraft, and currently owns a Mooney aircraft.&nbsp;

Dan’s academic credentials include achieving faculty rank of professor of biology as well as earning tenure three times at three different institutions.&nbsp; He has been involved in liberal arts education most of his academic career and has delivered a keynote address to the faculty of Beijing Normal University in China and published in proceedings in Hong Kong, for example, on the application of a liberal arts education.&nbsp;

What I really love about Dan is that he is very committed to student access and success. He has an academic background as a faculty member and 20-plus years in administration, demonstrating that commitment through retention and graduation initiatives.

I asked Dan about his hopes for this academic year. “I’d like to see that the CAHSS becomes known for its initiative, creativity, and innovation – leading to better access by students to our programs and to be able to highlight the strengths of our programs,” he said. “I also would like us to find ways to better influence thought processes and thinking skills to help our constituents and students more critically analyze the world around us.”

I am so excited to welcome our newest senior leaders, Angela and Dan, to Fort Hays State as well as to our wonderful Ellis County neighborhood. Celebrating and sharing some of the newest members of Tiger Nation brings me great joy!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>Fort Hays State University exists to improve lives. Every day, I witness and experience our relentless focus on excellence and the unwavering resilience of my Fort Hays State colleagues. We work hard at supporting our students, faculty, and staff. We are responsible to one another and for one another. Together we build a better world.By the time this Heart of the Tiger column is published, we will have welcomed our faculty, staff, and students back to campus. It is my pleasure to introduce to the community the newest members of our senior leadership team: Dr. Angela Pool-Funai, dean of the Graduate School, and Dr. Dan Blankenship, interim dean of the College of College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS).Angela, a native of Houston, Texas, relocated to Hays from the high desert of southern Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park, by the way, is one of her favorite locales on the planet. I am adding that to my travel wish list.&nbsp;Angela is a nearly empty-nester mom of five boys. She shared with me that she has gone from feeding an army to needing to relearn how to grocery shop for much smaller portions.&nbsp;Angela and I share a love for boxing. Her other hobbies, I learned, are much more ambitious than mine. She is restoring a 1988 Ford Thunderbird that she affectionately refers to as her midlife crisis project. “I like working with my hands,” she said. “There are few things more gratifying to me than repairing something myself.”&nbsp;Angela loves the outdoors. She can be seen biking around Ellis and enjoys taking her canoe out to explore the lakes and reservoirs in the area. She says that spending time on the water helps her decompress both mentally and physically.A fun story Angela shared with me is that her first book was on ethics in fiscal administration (managing public resources in an ethical manner). The best compliment she received came from a student who told her that he expected to hate the book. Instead, he not only enjoyed reading it, he asked her to autograph his copy.Angela comes from a non-traditional academic background, in that she had many years of experience as a staff member before joining the faculty. The role of Graduate School Dean connects both paths of her career by allowing her to work across disciplines and with all areas of the university. I loved and appreciated this about her background as well as her positive, creative, high energy.Look for Angela at a Tiger football game as she is “pumped” for our first home game – as am I! She is also especially excited about a new virtual Lunch &amp; Learn series that the Graduate School is launching to stay engaged with all of our graduate students, both on campus and online. I love this.“The people I have met at FHSU made me feel at home before I even stepped foot on campus. I'm thrilled to be part of Tiger Nation!” Angela shared. We are excited about her talents and very optimistic how her efforts will benefit our students and our university.When long-standing and beloved dean, Paul Faber, retired after 38 years of dedicated service to FHSU, Dr. Jill Arensdorf, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, wisely decided to appoint an interim dean of the college for one year. Dr. Blankenship was a perfect match to fill that role. He&nbsp; serves a special niche in higher education, providing strategic leadership for universities wanting to keep an institution moving forward while taking a more thoughtful approach in transitioning leadership.Dan came to Fort Hays State after serving for three years at Fort Valley State University in Georgia as dean of the College of Agriculture, then as vice provost for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies. He is very talented in keeping a university moving forward while creating processes for a successful transition for the leader selected to follow him. I feel very fortunate to have him on our team this year.&nbsp;Fun facts about Dan include that he is a licensed pilot (for about 20 years), has flown various aircraft, and currently owns a Mooney aircraft.&nbsp;Dan’s academic credentials include achieving faculty rank of professor of biology as well as earning tenure three times at three different institutions.&nbsp; He has been involved in liberal arts education most of his academic career and has delivered a keynote address to the faculty of Beijing Normal University in China and published in proceedings in Hong Kong, for example, on the application of a liberal arts education.&nbsp;What I really love about Dan is that he is very committed to student access and success. He has an academic background as a faculty member and 20-plus years in administration, demonstrating that commitment through retention and graduation initiatives.I asked Dan about his hopes for this academic year. “I’d like to see that the CAHSS becomes known for its initiative, creativity, and innovation – leading to better access by students to our programs and to be able to highlight the strengths of our programs,” he said. “I also would like us to find ways to better influence thought processes and thinking skills to help our constituents and students more critically analyze the world around us.”I am so excited to welcome our newest senior leaders, Angela and Dan, to Fort Hays State as well as to our wonderful Ellis County neighborhood. Celebrating and sharing some of the newest members of Tiger Nation brings me great joy!– end –

MASON: Newcomers adding energy to FHSU

By KIM BALDWIN McPherson&nbsp;County farmer After a few months of all that summer on the farm entails, the kids have returned to school. From helping with wheat harvest, hauling meals and equipment out to fields, taking naps in the car while helping me complete parts runs, sweeping shop floors, assisting with irrigation duties and making popcorn deliveries, it’s safe to say my kids experienced a healthy dose of farm-kid living during their summer break.&nbsp; &nbsp; Secretly, my husband and I conspired and we now fully admit that some of the summer tasks were created to encourage our kids to say, “Man, I can’t wait to get back to school!” &nbsp; This school year, our family has entered a new phase. No longer am I shuttling kids to and from school on a daily basis because both are old enough to ride the school bus. &nbsp; It’s been the topic of many conversations throughout the summer. The excitement of the idea of riding a bus to and from school is something both my children have really built up over the last few months. In fact, as we have approached the start of a new school year, it wasn’t the promise of wearing new clothes, meeting new teachers, making new friends or getting to enjoy a school pizza lunch with their buddies that truly excited my kids. &nbsp; What has motivated my two children every morning has been the countdown to the first day they could ride the big, yellow bus. &nbsp; A week before the first bus ride, we decided everyone needed to get back into the morning school routine. We agreed everyone would need to get out of bed earlier. Everyone would need to be dressed and at the breakfast table by a specific time. And everyone would need to head out the door to ensure the bus would make a stop for the Baldwin children. &nbsp; Oddly, the plans to return to a morning routine were well received by both children. The excitement surrounding the school bus led to both children waking up way before they needed to every morning. They were fully dressed and at the table with plenty of time to spare. They wanted to make sure they practiced the morning routine because they wanted to get on that big, yellow bus. &nbsp; Finally, the big day arrived. The children were awake, dressed, fed and excitedly waiting at the end of our driveway for their chariot. They waved as trucks drove past. They stood in silence to listen for the bus. And finally, after offering assurances that the bus had not forgotten our stop, the big yellow bus arrived. &nbsp; Following the first day, my son realized they would travel many miles of bumpy dirt roads. His overwhelming excitement of sitting in the back of the bus was momentarily quelled that first day thanks to his tendency to get car sick. Apparently all those bumpy rural roads make for a pretty uneasy ride if you sit in the way back of the bus.&nbsp; &nbsp; However, after making a seating adjustment, my two agree that you can still enjoy a bus ride even if you sit closer to the driver. &nbsp; While my two children are not the first on or the last off the bus, they’re pretty darn close to it. Our small school district only has a few busses running the country routes. My kids ride a bus that traverses the far boundaries of the west, north and northeast parts of the school district.&nbsp; &nbsp; Catching the bus in the morning means heading out the door almost 40 minus earlier than when I would chauffeur my passengers last year. It also means you get home later.&nbsp; &nbsp; As we continue our morning routines and the newness of a new school year begins to fade, it is my hope that my two will continue to look forward to going to school every morning – even if it’s mainly because they get to traverse the bumpy rural dirt roads on a big yellow bus.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573617414005.jpeg" alt="Kim Baldwin" />
 <figcaption>Kim Baldwin</figcaption>
 </figure>By KIM BALDWIN McPherson&nbsp;County farmer After a few months of all that summer on the farm entails, the kids have returned to school. From helping with wheat harvest, hauling meals and equipment out to fields, taking naps in the car while helping me complete parts runs, sweeping shop floors, assisting with irrigation duties and making popcorn deliveries, it’s safe to say my kids experienced a healthy dose of farm-kid living during their summer break.&nbsp; &nbsp; Secretly, my husband and I conspired and we now fully admit that some of the summer tasks were created to encourage our kids to say, “Man, I can’t wait to get back to school!” &nbsp; This school year, our family has entered a new phase. No longer am I shuttling kids to and from school on a daily basis because both are old enough to ride the school bus. &nbsp; It’s been the topic of many conversations throughout the summer. The excitement of the idea of riding a bus to and from school is something both my children have really built up over the last few months. In fact, as we have approached the start of a new school year, it wasn’t the promise of wearing new clothes, meeting new teachers, making new friends or getting to enjoy a school pizza lunch with their buddies that truly excited my kids. &nbsp; What has motivated my two children every morning has been the countdown to the first day they could ride the big, yellow bus. &nbsp; A week before the first bus ride, we decided everyone needed to get back into the morning school routine. We agreed everyone would need to get out of bed earlier. Everyone would need to be dressed and at the breakfast table by a specific time. And everyone would need to head out the door to ensure the bus would make a stop for the Baldwin children. &nbsp; Oddly, the plans to return to a morning routine were well received by both children. The excitement surrounding the school bus led to both children waking up way before they needed to every morning. They were fully dressed and at the table with plenty of time to spare. They wanted to make sure they practiced the morning routine because they wanted to get on that big, yellow bus. &nbsp; Finally, the big day arrived. The children were awake, dressed, fed and excitedly waiting at the end of our driveway for their chariot. They waved as trucks drove past. They stood in silence to listen for the bus. And finally, after offering assurances that the bus had not forgotten our stop, the big yellow bus arrived. &nbsp; Following the first day, my son realized they would travel many miles of bumpy dirt roads. His overwhelming excitement of sitting in the back of the bus was momentarily quelled that first day thanks to his tendency to get car sick. Apparently all those bumpy rural roads make for a pretty uneasy ride if you sit in the way back of the bus.&nbsp; &nbsp; However, after making a seating adjustment, my two agree that you can still enjoy a bus ride even if you sit closer to the driver. &nbsp; While my two children are not the first on or the last off the bus, they’re pretty darn close to it. Our small school district only has a few busses running the country routes. My kids ride a bus that traverses the far boundaries of the west, north and northeast parts of the school district.&nbsp; &nbsp; Catching the bus in the morning means heading out the door almost 40 minus earlier than when I would chauffeur my passengers last year. It also means you get home later.&nbsp; &nbsp; As we continue our morning routines and the newness of a new school year begins to fade, it is my hope that my two will continue to look forward to going to school every morning – even if it’s mainly because they get to traverse the bumpy rural dirt roads on a big yellow bus."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Kids on the bus

The recent release of additional 2020 Census numbers is a treasure trove of fascinating data about Kansas. While redistricting and the urbanization of Kansas have dominated the political chatter about these data, they also tell an interesting story about our state’s growing Hispanic population.&nbsp;

Let’s clarify some concepts.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Census measures “Hispanic” as an ethnicity that crosses racial lines. However, studies on racial identity show that most Americans, including most self-identified Hispanics, perceive Hispanic as a race itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Further, Gallup and Pew surveys find that about 60 percent of self-identified Hispanics in America prefer the term “Hispanic” when asked to label themselves, about a third prefer “Latino,” and less than 5 percent prefer “Latinx.”&nbsp;

That said, let’s talk numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Both the country and Kansas grew more racially diverse since 2010 as the White percentage of the population declined. The Hispanic percentage of the American population grew from 16 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2020. In Kansas, Hispanics grew from 10.5 percent of the state to 13 percent.&nbsp;

Put differently, Kansas’s Hispanic population grew roughly 25 percent since 2010. In contrast, Kansas’s population overall grew just 3 percent last decade. And Hispanics grew as a share of the population in all but 9 Kansas counties, even as 80 of 105 counties lost population. So, Hispanics are disproportionately driving Kansas’s modest population growth.&nbsp;

Kansas Hispanics remain concentrated in Southwest Kansas, where Finney, Ford, Seward, and Grant counties are majority Hispanic. Elsewhere, Hispanics are more concentrated in urban communities, especially Wichita, Topeka, Emporia, Salina, Hutchison, Newton, Kansas City, and Olathe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

What are the politics here, especially for Kansas Hispanics to achieve greater political power as they grow?&nbsp;

First, the voting weight of Kansas Hispanics doesn’t reflect their numbers. Take Ford County, for example. In the 2020 Census, 58 percent of residents were Hispanic. However, the Census’s American Community Survey puts the county’s citizen voting age population at 63 percent non-Hispanic White.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Add to that comparatively lower voter registration and turnout rates among Hispanics. The result is that—for now—majority Hispanic Kansas communities have majority White electorates and often no elected Hispanic representation.&nbsp;

Second, most voter mobilization happens through partisan campaign activities, but neither party has strong incentives to target Hispanic Kansas voters. Hispanics skew significantly Democratic and often more liberal than Whites on issues, giving Republicans little reason to engage them. Democrats likely win more votes by focusing their more limited resources on blueing high turnout White suburbanites.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Barriers to voting aside, to effectively mobilize Hispanic voters in Kansas, that push likely has to come from community organizations, perhaps from within the Hispanic community itself, that operate outside of traditional campaigns.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Third, gerrymandering in some communities, especially for local office, limits Hispanic political representation. For example, some Kansas counties drawn county commission lines that divide more concentrated Hispanic neighborhoods across multiple districts, sometimes using questionably legal non-contiguous districts. This prevents Hispanic voters from being concentrated enough in any one district to elect a Hispanic candidate.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As Kansas’s Hispanic population grows, the political power that their growth merits won’t just magically appear. Starting at the local level, it will necessitate promoting engagement within that community, changing the electoral calculus of political establishments, and eliminating institutional barriers to Hispanic representation. It won’t happen overnight, but if demographics are destiny it will happen.&nbsp;

Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575644168170.png" alt="Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The recent release of additional 2020 Census numbers is a treasure trove of fascinating data about Kansas. While redistricting and the urbanization of Kansas have dominated the political chatter about these data, they also tell an interesting story about our state’s growing Hispanic population.&nbsp;Let’s clarify some concepts.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Census measures “Hispanic” as an ethnicity that crosses racial lines. However, studies on racial identity show that most Americans, including most self-identified Hispanics, perceive Hispanic as a race itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Further, Gallup and Pew surveys find that about 60 percent of self-identified Hispanics in America prefer the term “Hispanic” when asked to label themselves, about a third prefer “Latino,” and less than 5 percent prefer “Latinx.”&nbsp;That said, let’s talk numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Both the country and Kansas grew more racially diverse since 2010 as the White percentage of the population declined. The Hispanic percentage of the American population grew from 16 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2020. In Kansas, Hispanics grew from 10.5 percent of the state to 13 percent.&nbsp;Put differently, Kansas’s Hispanic population grew roughly 25 percent since 2010. In contrast, Kansas’s population overall grew just 3 percent last decade. And Hispanics grew as a share of the population in all but 9 Kansas counties, even as 80 of 105 counties lost population. So, Hispanics are disproportionately driving Kansas’s modest population growth.&nbsp;Kansas Hispanics remain concentrated in Southwest Kansas, where Finney, Ford, Seward, and Grant counties are majority Hispanic. Elsewhere, Hispanics are more concentrated in urban communities, especially Wichita, Topeka, Emporia, Salina, Hutchison, Newton, Kansas City, and Olathe.&nbsp;&nbsp;What are the politics here, especially for Kansas Hispanics to achieve greater political power as they grow?&nbsp;First, the voting weight of Kansas Hispanics doesn’t reflect their numbers. Take Ford County, for example. In the 2020 Census, 58 percent of residents were Hispanic. However, the Census’s American Community Survey puts the county’s citizen voting age population at 63 percent non-Hispanic White.&nbsp;&nbsp;Add to that comparatively lower voter registration and turnout rates among Hispanics. The result is that—for now—majority Hispanic Kansas communities have majority White electorates and often no elected Hispanic representation.&nbsp;Second, most voter mobilization happens through partisan campaign activities, but neither party has strong incentives to target Hispanic Kansas voters. Hispanics skew significantly Democratic and often more liberal than Whites on issues, giving Republicans little reason to engage them. Democrats likely win more votes by focusing their more limited resources on blueing high turnout White suburbanites.&nbsp;&nbsp;Barriers to voting aside, to effectively mobilize Hispanic voters in Kansas, that push likely has to come from community organizations, perhaps from within the Hispanic community itself, that operate outside of traditional campaigns.&nbsp;&nbsp;Third, gerrymandering in some communities, especially for local office, limits Hispanic political representation. For example, some Kansas counties drawn county commission lines that divide more concentrated Hispanic neighborhoods across multiple districts, sometimes using questionably legal non-contiguous districts. This prevents Hispanic voters from being concentrated enough in any one district to elect a Hispanic candidate.&nbsp;&nbsp;As Kansas’s Hispanic population grows, the political power that their growth merits won’t just magically appear. Starting at the local level, it will necessitate promoting engagement within that community, changing the electoral calculus of political establishments, and eliminating institutional barriers to Hispanic representation. It won’t happen overnight, but if demographics are destiny it will happen.&nbsp;Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

INSIGHT KANSAS: Hispanic population growing, but short on political power 

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Today let’s meet a rural doctor who practices medicine but doesn’t have patients. You may ask, “How can that be?”

The answer is that the people he sees are more than patients – he sees them as friends and neighbors. This type of relationship with those in his care has led to a lifelong career in practicing rural medicine.&nbsp;

Last week we learned about the Community HealthCare System in northeast Kansas where Dr. Tom Walsh practices. He will retire at the end of 2021 after 46 years of practicing medicine in the rural community of Onaga, population 751 people. Now, that’s rural.

Dr. Walsh’s father Eugene was a family doctor in Onaga as well. After medical school, Eugene came to Onaga for one year to help his friend Dr. Fleckenstein – but he liked Onaga so much he never left.&nbsp;

Tom and his brother accompanied their dad on house calls. Tom decided to follow his father into the medical field. “I knew what I was getting into,” Tom said.&nbsp;

“When my folks took me to college (at Notre Dame), it was the first time I had ever been east of Kansas City,” Tom said. After graduation, he went to medical school at KU. He also met and married Marcia.&nbsp;

In 1975, Dr. Tom Walsh and Marcia moved to Onaga to join his father’s practice. Dr. Walsh would later become affiliated with what is now the Community HealthCare System of northeast Kansas. Marcia would rise to become the system’s chief operating officer.&nbsp;

Dr. Tom, as he is affectionately known in the community, has seen lots of changes in his 46 years of practicing medicine. “There have been so many improvements in treatments,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;When he began, Onaga didn’t even have ambulance service.&nbsp;

“One time when we needed to transport a patient to Topeka, we used the undertaker’s station wagon,” Dr. Tom said. Fortunately the patient survived, so the undertaker’s other services were not needed.&nbsp;

Dr. Tom has delivered thousands of babies and cared for countless patients. He appreciates how people in the rural communities care for each other.&nbsp;

Dr. Tom remembered one winter night when a man’s wife was in labor and he was trying to drive her to Onaga in a snowstorm. “He came to a huge snowdrift on Highway 16 and couldn’t get through,” Dr. Tom said. While he was stopped, a car came from the other direction carrying four K-State students. When they stopped at the snowdrift, the students learned what was going on, carried the woman around the snowdrift to their car, and drove her to the hospital in Onaga.&nbsp;

“She delivered an hour-and-a-half later and all was well,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;

Among Dr. Tom’s friends was a local police officer. “When I’d get in from the hospital at 2 or 3 in the morning, he would pull in my driveway and flash his lights at me just for fun,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;

One day, that officer pulled over a driver, got out of his car, stepped on a beer bottle and turned his ankle so badly that he couldn’t walk. The guy he had stopped took the officer into the hospital where he saw Dr. Tom. “I got to call the police department and tell them there was a patrol car left out there,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;

The people factor is what has kept him in Onaga and has even drawn others.&nbsp;

“Somebody told me we’d never be able to recruit doctors to a small town,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“But now, we have some of the finest young physicians anywhere.”&nbsp;

Dr. Tom and Marcia have three married children and nine grandchildren. “I have been very blessed,” he said.&nbsp;

For more information about the Community HealthCare System, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chcsks.org/">www.chcsks.org</a>.&nbsp;

A doctor without patients?&nbsp;&nbsp;Another friend wrote:&nbsp;Dr. Walsh loves getting to know patients as people rather than just as medical conditions. “I don’t have patients,” Dr. Tom said. “These are neighbors, friends, colleagues, and co-workers.”&nbsp;

We commend Dr. Tom and Marcia Walsh for many years of service to families in the region, and for seeing patients as people. Happy retirement, Doc.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629301074554.png" alt="Dr. Tom Walsh" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tom Walsh</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural DevelopmentToday let’s meet a rural doctor who practices medicine but doesn’t have patients. You may ask, “How can that be?” The answer is that the people he sees are more than patients – he sees them as friends and neighbors. This type of relationship with those in his care has led to a lifelong career in practicing rural medicine.&nbsp; Last week we learned about the Community HealthCare System in northeast Kansas where Dr. Tom Walsh practices. He will retire at the end of 2021 after 46 years of practicing medicine in the rural community of Onaga, population 751 people. Now, that’s rural. Dr. Walsh’s father Eugene was a family doctor in Onaga as well. After medical school, Eugene came to Onaga for one year to help his friend Dr. Fleckenstein – but he liked Onaga so much he never left.&nbsp; Tom and his brother accompanied their dad on house calls. Tom decided to follow his father into the medical field. “I knew what I was getting into,” Tom said.&nbsp; “When my folks took me to college (at Notre Dame), it was the first time I had ever been east of Kansas City,” Tom said. After graduation, he went to medical school at KU. He also met and married Marcia.&nbsp; In 1975, Dr. Tom Walsh and Marcia moved to Onaga to join his father’s practice. Dr. Walsh would later become affiliated with what is now the Community HealthCare System of northeast Kansas. Marcia would rise to become the system’s chief operating officer.&nbsp; Dr. Tom, as he is affectionately known in the community, has seen lots of changes in his 46 years of practicing medicine. “There have been so many improvements in treatments,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;When he began, Onaga didn’t even have ambulance service.&nbsp; “One time when we needed to transport a patient to Topeka, we used the undertaker’s station wagon,” Dr. Tom said. Fortunately the patient survived, so the undertaker’s other services were not needed.&nbsp; Dr. Tom has delivered thousands of babies and cared for countless patients. He appreciates how people in the rural communities care for each other.&nbsp; Dr. Tom remembered one winter night when a man’s wife was in labor and he was trying to drive her to Onaga in a snowstorm. “He came to a huge snowdrift on Highway 16 and couldn’t get through,” Dr. Tom said. While he was stopped, a car came from the other direction carrying four K-State students. When they stopped at the snowdrift, the students learned what was going on, carried the woman around the snowdrift to their car, and drove her to the hospital in Onaga.&nbsp; “She delivered an hour-and-a-half later and all was well,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp; Among Dr. Tom’s friends was a local police officer. “When I’d get in from the hospital at 2 or 3 in the morning, he would pull in my driveway and flash his lights at me just for fun,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp; One day, that officer pulled over a driver, got out of his car, stepped on a beer bottle and turned his ankle so badly that he couldn’t walk. The guy he had stopped took the officer into the hospital where he saw Dr. Tom. “I got to call the police department and tell them there was a patrol car left out there,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp; The people factor is what has kept him in Onaga and has even drawn others.&nbsp;“Somebody told me we’d never be able to recruit doctors to a small town,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“But now, we have some of the finest young physicians anywhere.”&nbsp; Dr. Tom and Marcia have three married children and nine grandchildren. “I have been very blessed,” he said.&nbsp; For more information about the Community HealthCare System, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chcsks.org/">www.chcsks.org</a>.&nbsp;A doctor without patients?&nbsp;&nbsp;Another friend wrote:&nbsp;Dr. Walsh loves getting to know patients as people rather than just as medical conditions. “I don’t have patients,” Dr. Tom said. “These are neighbors, friends, colleagues, and co-workers.”&nbsp; We commend Dr. Tom and Marcia Walsh for many years of service to families in the region, and for seeing patients as people. Happy retirement, Doc.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Dr. Tom Walsh 

By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher The past couple of weeks I had the privilege of attending several Farm Bureau events in person — Big Tent Reunions, Summer Summit and Young Farmers and Ranchers Leaders Conference — without masks, and it was awesome. This isn’t a statement about restrictions, masks or vaccinations, it is a statement of how much we all need social interaction and how valuable relationships are. The whole time we were staying at home, I knew I was missing people. I just didn’t realize how much. I don’t know how many times in the last two weeks I commented on the fact I couldn’t remember the last time I saw whomever I was talking to. In many cases it was prior to March 2020. That is a long time to not see friends, and I truly believe that took as much of a toll as the virus itself. Except for a very few of us, we humans are social beings and to not be able to do so really hurts our mental wellbeing. I saw it in conversations I participated in and those I overheard. Often, they would start with the usual topics like “How much rain are you getting?” or “How do the crops look?” and then evolve from there. Many times, what started out as a fairly routine conversation would lead to much deeper topics. It makes sense, for almost a year and a half we have really only talked to our spouses, kids and close family, and they didn’t need to be told because they were there living it like we were. Here we are with 16, 17 months of pent-up joys, disasters, concerns and observations and no one to share them with. Let’s face it, it is one thing to vent to your wife and kids, but it is far more therapeutic to find sympathy and empathy from a peer. I guess that is why it was so good to attend the Big Tent Reunions I did. It was cathartic to see old friends, to share the life happenings and to find out what was going on in their lives, too. I guess I have come to realize that one of the best benefits to Farm Bureau is the friends you develop because of your involvement. I hope everyone else got as much out of the meetings and events we have recently hosted. Don’t get me wrong, the education, advocacy and service are all things our organization is built on and represent the good and important work we do. However, at the end of the day it is the relationships and friendships we gain with fellow farmers and ranchers that make it all worthwhile. I tell young farmers and ranchers on their way to their first YF&amp;R Conference that the most important thing you learn is you are not alone, and there are people going through the same things you are. I believe that to be true and something that does not change with age. The last 18 months may have limited our interactions, but I am grateful for these recent gatherings and looking forward to catching up with everyone again soon. Let’s all do our part to stay safe and ensure we can see each other in person at Kansas Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in December.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576508626397.png" alt="Glenn Brunkow" />
 <figcaption>Glenn Brunkow</figcaption>
 </figure>By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher The past couple of weeks I had the privilege of attending several Farm Bureau events in person — Big Tent Reunions, Summer Summit and Young Farmers and Ranchers Leaders Conference — without masks, and it was awesome. This isn’t a statement about restrictions, masks or vaccinations, it is a statement of how much we all need social interaction and how valuable relationships are. The whole time we were staying at home, I knew I was missing people. I just didn’t realize how much. I don’t know how many times in the last two weeks I commented on the fact I couldn’t remember the last time I saw whomever I was talking to. In many cases it was prior to March 2020. That is a long time to not see friends, and I truly believe that took as much of a toll as the virus itself. Except for a very few of us, we humans are social beings and to not be able to do so really hurts our mental wellbeing. I saw it in conversations I participated in and those I overheard. Often, they would start with the usual topics like “How much rain are you getting?” or “How do the crops look?” and then evolve from there. Many times, what started out as a fairly routine conversation would lead to much deeper topics. It makes sense, for almost a year and a half we have really only talked to our spouses, kids and close family, and they didn’t need to be told because they were there living it like we were. Here we are with 16, 17 months of pent-up joys, disasters, concerns and observations and no one to share them with. Let’s face it, it is one thing to vent to your wife and kids, but it is far more therapeutic to find sympathy and empathy from a peer. I guess that is why it was so good to attend the Big Tent Reunions I did. It was cathartic to see old friends, to share the life happenings and to find out what was going on in their lives, too. I guess I have come to realize that one of the best benefits to Farm Bureau is the friends you develop because of your involvement. I hope everyone else got as much out of the meetings and events we have recently hosted. Don’t get me wrong, the education, advocacy and service are all things our organization is built on and represent the good and important work we do. However, at the end of the day it is the relationships and friendships we gain with fellow farmers and ranchers that make it all worthwhile. I tell young farmers and ranchers on their way to their first YF&amp;R Conference that the most important thing you learn is you are not alone, and there are people going through the same things you are. I believe that to be true and something that does not change with age. The last 18 months may have limited our interactions, but I am grateful for these recent gatherings and looking forward to catching up with everyone again soon. Let’s all do our part to stay safe and ensure we can see each other in person at Kansas Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in December."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Grateful for gatherings

	The August evening was steamy-hot and humid as I quietly walked across the alfalfa toward a tree line thick with fallen cottonwoods and old rotting hay bales. I followed the tree line until it ended abruptly, then tiptoed through a sea of Poison Ivy to the back door of our pop-up hunting blind. Once inside, I settled into a camp chair and unzipped windows on 3 sides. Approaching storms blew a nice breeze through the blind. In front of me was a narrow strip of alfalfa, hemmed in on the far side by a tilled wheat stubble field, and framed on 2 more sides by the river as it meandered through the countryside.

	My quarries tonight were wild turkeys which I had seen here with some regularity, and I was prepared to shoot as many as possible. The flock I’d been seeing was perhaps a dozen birds, and I was pretty sure I could get them all with 2 shots at most! Three Blue Herons rose from the timber along the river, but were gone before I could shoot. A lone Red Tail Hawk perched high above the river was also giving me a nice shot if I hurried!&nbsp;

	Now before you overload the switchboard at Operation Game Thief to turn me in for hunting turkeys out-of-season, and attempting to shoot blue herons and red tail hawks, allow me to explain. That night my weapon of choice hung by a strap around my neck; its barrel was a lense, and the trigger a small silver button. You guessed it! I was “shooting” photos with a camera.&nbsp;

	In the Kansas Hunter Education Manual, the chapter on Hunter Responsibility lists four stages of a sport hunter. This topic discusses how the standards by which a hunter defines success evolve and change as the hunter develops and matures. Stage 3 is called the “Trophy Stage,” and stage 4 is the “Method Stage.” During these 2 stages in a hunter’s life, he or she matures to the point where a trophy can just as easily be a photograph rather than a mount on the wall.

One frigid and snowy April morning years ago I shared a blind with a young man and his guide during the early youth turkey hunt. That was before cell phones had such fantastic cameras, so I had a digital camera around my wrist, hoping to record some of the hunt in pictures. Among the group of birds that came to our decoys were several hens, and among them was a white-speckled hen. My camera wouldn’t work in the icy morning air, so I didn’t get a photo of her, and now I’m relegated to remembering her only in my mind, (which is quickly fading.) I was more disgusted over the camera malfunction than if I had missed a shot at a long-bearded tom!&nbsp;

	I started deer hunting when I was just a kid, and I wish I had pictures or videos of every awesome, unusual and hilarious event I’ve seen in the woods since. Once, as I sat quietly on a log during deer season, a mother fox and several cubs ran by me so closely I could have reached out and grabbed one. The first red fox I ever caught in Ohio grabbed the toe of my rubber boot and wouldn’t let go. While fishing one evening at McPherson State Fishing Lake, I watched a beaver swim clear across the lake with a huge leafy branch in its mouth. Another time during the early January antlerless-only deer season, a buck with a monstrous rack hanging full of long grass and weeds became curious of my presence, and stood just yards away from me before coming to his senses. He looked like some exotic hanging garden on four legs.

`	I could go on, but my point is that all these things are in my mind’s eye only, and someday will probably be forgotten. If they were documented as photos, at least I could pass them on for others to enjoy as well. High dollar trail cameras are available that transmit photos directly to a computer, so why not a pair of glasses that does the same with images and action seen through their lenses?&nbsp;

	The Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. has a collection of fur pelts from every furbearing animal in Kansas. Among those pelts is a hat made from three skunk pelts. Whenever I take those pelts to an educational event or help with the booth at the state fair, I have more fun than I deserve to have with that hat. I put it on kids of all ages and senior citizens in wheel chairs and let moms and family members take all the pictures they can. They will all remember that experience for years.

	Now days, I always have my cell phone camera at the ready wherever I go, in the deer blind, checking traps, on fishing trips etc. Not many years ago, if someone had suggested I could be as happy with a picture as with a mounted trophy on my wall, I would have bristled at the thought. Now, however, I feel like that transition will someday be an easy one… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>	The August evening was steamy-hot and humid as I quietly walked across the alfalfa toward a tree line thick with fallen cottonwoods and old rotting hay bales. I followed the tree line until it ended abruptly, then tiptoed through a sea of Poison Ivy to the back door of our pop-up hunting blind. Once inside, I settled into a camp chair and unzipped windows on 3 sides. Approaching storms blew a nice breeze through the blind. In front of me was a narrow strip of alfalfa, hemmed in on the far side by a tilled wheat stubble field, and framed on 2 more sides by the river as it meandered through the countryside.	My quarries tonight were wild turkeys which I had seen here with some regularity, and I was prepared to shoot as many as possible. The flock I’d been seeing was perhaps a dozen birds, and I was pretty sure I could get them all with 2 shots at most! Three Blue Herons rose from the timber along the river, but were gone before I could shoot. A lone Red Tail Hawk perched high above the river was also giving me a nice shot if I hurried!&nbsp;	Now before you overload the switchboard at Operation Game Thief to turn me in for hunting turkeys out-of-season, and attempting to shoot blue herons and red tail hawks, allow me to explain. That night my weapon of choice hung by a strap around my neck; its barrel was a lense, and the trigger a small silver button. You guessed it! I was “shooting” photos with a camera.&nbsp;	In the Kansas Hunter Education Manual, the chapter on Hunter Responsibility lists four stages of a sport hunter. This topic discusses how the standards by which a hunter defines success evolve and change as the hunter develops and matures. Stage 3 is called the “Trophy Stage,” and stage 4 is the “Method Stage.” During these 2 stages in a hunter’s life, he or she matures to the point where a trophy can just as easily be a photograph rather than a mount on the wall.One frigid and snowy April morning years ago I shared a blind with a young man and his guide during the early youth turkey hunt. That was before cell phones had such fantastic cameras, so I had a digital camera around my wrist, hoping to record some of the hunt in pictures. Among the group of birds that came to our decoys were several hens, and among them was a white-speckled hen. My camera wouldn’t work in the icy morning air, so I didn’t get a photo of her, and now I’m relegated to remembering her only in my mind, (which is quickly fading.) I was more disgusted over the camera malfunction than if I had missed a shot at a long-bearded tom!&nbsp;	I started deer hunting when I was just a kid, and I wish I had pictures or videos of every awesome, unusual and hilarious event I’ve seen in the woods since. Once, as I sat quietly on a log during deer season, a mother fox and several cubs ran by me so closely I could have reached out and grabbed one. The first red fox I ever caught in Ohio grabbed the toe of my rubber boot and wouldn’t let go. While fishing one evening at McPherson State Fishing Lake, I watched a beaver swim clear across the lake with a huge leafy branch in its mouth. Another time during the early January antlerless-only deer season, a buck with a monstrous rack hanging full of long grass and weeds became curious of my presence, and stood just yards away from me before coming to his senses. He looked like some exotic hanging garden on four legs.`	I could go on, but my point is that all these things are in my mind’s eye only, and someday will probably be forgotten. If they were documented as photos, at least I could pass them on for others to enjoy as well. High dollar trail cameras are available that transmit photos directly to a computer, so why not a pair of glasses that does the same with images and action seen through their lenses?&nbsp;	The Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. has a collection of fur pelts from every furbearing animal in Kansas. Among those pelts is a hat made from three skunk pelts. Whenever I take those pelts to an educational event or help with the booth at the state fair, I have more fun than I deserve to have with that hat. I put it on kids of all ages and senior citizens in wheel chairs and let moms and family members take all the pictures they can. They will all remember that experience for years.	Now days, I always have my cell phone camera at the ready wherever I go, in the deer blind, checking traps, on fishing trips etc. Not many years ago, if someone had suggested I could be as happy with a picture as with a mounted trophy on my wall, I would have bristled at the thought. Now, however, I feel like that transition will someday be an easy one… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Photo shoot

That the beliefs which political parties express—like the Republican party and “conservatism” or the Democratic party and “liberalism”—are best understood as packages of ideas, which can be re-packaged and re-arranged as political elites find it useful to do so, is hardly a new idea. Still, the use of “choice” in Kansas politics is a good reminder of this fact.

A year from now the “Value Them Both” amendment will be on the ballot. If it passes, it would invalidate the Kansas supreme court ruling that our state constitution includes a guaranteed right to access abortion services. It is, therefore, a “pro-life” amendment, which generally aims to protect fetal life rather than protect the right of women to make certain medical choices. Those committed to passing this amendment likely don’t care what language is used—but when it comes to winning a statewide election, language matters, and that is where some Kansas voters may find the messages they hear confusing.

Why? Because those who have historically organized to defend the right to abortion—and thus would oppose the passage of the amendment—have tended to emphasize trusting women’s choices. And that “pro-choice” language is pretty similar to that which many prominent Republican supporters of the proposed amendment have relied upon throughout the pandemic.

The words of Senator Ty Masterson, a Republican leader who has consistently opposed various public health restrictions proposed by Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, over the past year and a half, is emblematic. As low vaccination rates led to a recent surge in a deadly COVID-variant across Kansas, and Kelly mandated a return to masks for state employees in an attempt to control its spread, Masterson strongly dissented. He stated that when it comes to personal medical decisions, the government needs to trust Kansans’ choices and “stop telling people how to live.”&nbsp;

Such a libertarian insistence upon personal choice and responsibility is perfectly compatible with many well-established arrangements of conservative thought. But it is also arguably in contradiction to the effort to remove a guaranteed right to choose to access abortion services. Thus will a few conservative Kansas voters perhaps find themselves perplexed. If the pandemic taught you to strongly affirm that the government should respect the free choices of the people when it comes to getting vaccinated or wearing a mask, then why would you also affirm that the government should restrict free choices when it comes to abortion?

Of course, the reason I wrote “perhaps” above is because ideas can always be re-packaged. If necessary, conservative leaders in Kansas will surely find ways to insist that the free choice not to get vaccinated and the free choice to obtain an abortion are completely different ideas, and so there is no contradiction in honoring the first while limiting the second. Depending upon the reasoning used, they won’t be wrong. (And remember all of this goes for Democrats as well, who can equally arrange their liberal ideas so as to defend one person’s personal right to choose abortion while also denying another person’s personal right to refuse to wear a mask.)

What’s the upshot of all this? Perhaps simply that the principle of being free to make personal choices in America depends upon how the parties that win elections justify it. The next time you hear a politician insist that their beliefs about what the people should be free to choose are the built upon bedrock ideological principles, remember that in politics, even bedrock can change.

Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583339056495.jpeg" alt="Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.</figcaption>
 </figure>That the beliefs which political parties express—like the Republican party and “conservatism” or the Democratic party and “liberalism”—are best understood as packages of ideas, which can be re-packaged and re-arranged as political elites find it useful to do so, is hardly a new idea. Still, the use of “choice” in Kansas politics is a good reminder of this fact.A year from now the “Value Them Both” amendment will be on the ballot. If it passes, it would invalidate the Kansas supreme court ruling that our state constitution includes a guaranteed right to access abortion services. It is, therefore, a “pro-life” amendment, which generally aims to protect fetal life rather than protect the right of women to make certain medical choices. Those committed to passing this amendment likely don’t care what language is used—but when it comes to winning a statewide election, language matters, and that is where some Kansas voters may find the messages they hear confusing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Why? Because those who have historically organized to defend the right to abortion—and thus would oppose the passage of the amendment—have tended to emphasize trusting women’s choices. And that “pro-choice” language is pretty similar to that which many prominent Republican supporters of the proposed amendment have relied upon throughout the pandemic.The words of Senator Ty Masterson, a Republican leader who has consistently opposed various public health restrictions proposed by Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, over the past year and a half, is emblematic. As low vaccination rates led to a recent surge in a deadly COVID-variant across Kansas, and Kelly mandated a return to masks for state employees in an attempt to control its spread, Masterson strongly dissented. He stated that when it comes to personal medical decisions, the government needs to trust Kansans’ choices and “stop telling people how to live.”&nbsp;Such a libertarian insistence upon personal choice and responsibility is perfectly compatible with many well-established arrangements of conservative thought. But it is also arguably in contradiction to the effort to remove a guaranteed right to choose to access abortion services. Thus will a few conservative Kansas voters perhaps find themselves perplexed. If the pandemic taught you to strongly affirm that the government should respect the free choices of the people when it comes to getting vaccinated or wearing a mask, then why would you also affirm that the government should restrict free choices when it comes to abortion?Of course, the reason I wrote “perhaps” above is because ideas can always be re-packaged. If necessary, conservative leaders in Kansas will surely find ways to insist that the free choice not to get vaccinated and the free choice to obtain an abortion are completely different ideas, and so there is no contradiction in honoring the first while limiting the second. Depending upon the reasoning used, they won’t be wrong. (And remember all of this goes for Democrats as well, who can equally arrange their liberal ideas so as to defend one person’s personal right to choose abortion while also denying another person’s personal right to refuse to wear a mask.)What’s the upshot of all this? Perhaps simply that the principle of being free to make personal choices in America depends upon how the parties that win elections justify it. The next time you hear a politician insist that their beliefs about what the people should be free to choose are the built upon bedrock ideological principles, remember that in politics, even bedrock can change.Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

INSIGHT KANSAS: The continuing confusion over “choice” in Kan.

A sense of excitement is growing as we are days away from the start of the fall semester and a new academic year. Ripples of hope are flowing throughout the campus as we prepare to initiate welcome back activities like a long-awaited family reunion.

We are ready. We return with a restored sense of confidence following many highly successful summer camps and conferences.&nbsp;

Summer athletic camps brought much joy and hard work for nearly 1,300 youngsters eager to develop their skills in football, women’s soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball.

For those looking for a bit more of a cerebral experience, our fabulous and highly engaging Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SEMI) hosted summer camps for students in grades 2-8. A variety of camp options allowed these youngsters to learn to build, program, and test LEGO robots using LEGO EV3 software; to expand upon their engineering knowledge by constructing a pully, bridge, raft, and sturdy house; make new friends through team projects and experiments focused on engineering, nanotechnology, and rockets as well as to design, build, and run their own store. We had about 100 kids involved in these wonderful programs.

In June, these SEMI camps were supplemented by a three-day summer community Welcome Back to Campus event that more than 200 people attended. Activities included making bubbles and Oobleck (A substance that mimics the qualities of both a liquid and a solid). It gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.) Participants also learned about density, electromagnetism, and Little Bits. &nbsp;

The number one question I received from community members last spring was: “When will Beach /Schmidt Performing Arts Center return to its original performing arts purpose?” To uphold safety standards during COVID last year, we canceled special events and repurposed the center as a classroom.

This summer, the performing arts made a triumphant return to the center. In addition to hosting several dance recitals, the return of the High Plains Music Camp this summer brought a lot of smiles and reassurance that we are “all in” in repopulating our campus.&nbsp;

Speaking of the High Plains Music Camp (HPMC), this great annual event returned to campus in July. More than 130 student musicians came to the camp. Campers came from across Kansas (Kansas City to Goodland, Pittsburg to Garden City, and more) plus Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, &amp; Utah.&nbsp;

HPMC campers are student musicians who travel to campus and train with professional musicians for one week. The camper’s experience culminates in a performance they deliver at the conclusion of camp. Rising sixth and eighth-graders were offered a middle school band experience with the Tiger Band under the direction of Johannah Cox from Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. Cox said this summer’s group was one of the best Tiger Bands we have hosted in years.&nbsp; This sentiment was expressed over and over in descriptions about the other HPMC ensembles and classes this summer.

HPMC faculty consisted of 46 music professionals and teachers in individual instruments from across the state of Kansas (including professional jazz musicians in Kansas City), as well as Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah. Camp faculty were supported by 16 counselors; camp librarians who helped prepare the music before and during camp; an equipment team who moved stands, chairs, and percussion equipment before, during, and after camp; and four interns who helped the camp director keep everything moving smoothly during the week.&nbsp;

For many campers, this was their first opportunity to be on a college campus. Besides working closely with the outstanding HPMC faculty and staff, campers enjoyed exploring the FHSU campus during the week.&nbsp; Stops at Starbucks in the Memorial Union were a highlight for many.&nbsp;

In addition to the return to campus summer activities I just covered, our fabulous Kansas Wetlands Education Center in Barton County hosted drop-in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities that offered a great opportunity for folks to walk through a water trailer. This is a mobile trailer that hosts a wealth of information and experiential learning opportunities for the curious, including stormwater issues in watersheds. Other activities included making and then eating an aquifer, discovering how much usable water is on our planet, and developing drone piloting skills while learning about drone use in water quality management and conservation. I especially loved the book launch event for “Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet.” An Avocet is a bird found in wetland habitats.&nbsp;

I was thrilled that our Sternberg Museum of Natural History was also able to return some of their summer camps to in-person experiences, including the Colorado Dinosaur experience and the Field Paleontology: Kansas camps. Last year I received the sweetest letter from a mom and dad of a summer camper that read in part, “My family can’t say enough good about the camps and the director, David Levering. I first found Sternberg and Fort Hays State University through a Facebook paleontology group when I was looking for a resident camp for my 12-year-old daughter… Living in rural northern Wisconsin, we knew our daughter would have to travel to get a quality paleontology education. The camp exceeded any expectations – she learned so much. Our daughter even started her own business in order to continue to pay for future camps…The growth and confidence we have seen in her is amazing.”

That letter meant so much to me. It demonstrated our educational reach and commitment to providing quality, engaging educational experiences. We educate the young, the traditionally aged, and adult learners. We inspire dreams, and for the 12-year-old in the letter above, we even kindled her entrepreneurial spirit. We exist to improve lives.&nbsp;

Our summer camps and conferences serve as an extension of our educational mission. This year they also helped create a sense of normalcy, and in a way, served as a “dress rehearsal” for a full return to all on-campus operations. We are excitedly ready and “all in” for the fall of 2021. Welcome home, Tigers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575302014229.png" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>A sense of excitement is growing as we are days away from the start of the fall semester and a new academic year. Ripples of hope are flowing throughout the campus as we prepare to initiate welcome back activities like a long-awaited family reunion.We are ready. We return with a restored sense of confidence following many highly successful summer camps and conferences.&nbsp;Summer athletic camps brought much joy and hard work for nearly 1,300 youngsters eager to develop their skills in football, women’s soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball.For those looking for a bit more of a cerebral experience, our fabulous and highly engaging Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SEMI) hosted summer camps for students in grades 2-8. A variety of camp options allowed these youngsters to learn to build, program, and test LEGO robots using LEGO EV3 software; to expand upon their engineering knowledge by constructing a pully, bridge, raft, and sturdy house; make new friends through team projects and experiments focused on engineering, nanotechnology, and rockets as well as to design, build, and run their own store. We had about 100 kids involved in these wonderful programs.In June, these SEMI camps were supplemented by a three-day summer community Welcome Back to Campus event that more than 200 people attended. Activities included making bubbles and Oobleck (A substance that mimics the qualities of both a liquid and a solid). It gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.) Participants also learned about density, electromagnetism, and Little Bits. &nbsp;The number one question I received from community members last spring was: “When will Beach /Schmidt Performing Arts Center return to its original performing arts purpose?” To uphold safety standards during COVID last year, we canceled special events and repurposed the center as a classroom.This summer, the performing arts made a triumphant return to the center. In addition to hosting several dance recitals, the return of the High Plains Music Camp this summer brought a lot of smiles and reassurance that we are “all in” in repopulating our campus.&nbsp;Speaking of the High Plains Music Camp (HPMC), this great annual event returned to campus in July. More than 130 student musicians came to the camp. Campers came from across Kansas (Kansas City to Goodland, Pittsburg to Garden City, and more) plus Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, &amp; Utah.&nbsp;HPMC campers are student musicians who travel to campus and train with professional musicians for one week. The camper’s experience culminates in a performance they deliver at the conclusion of camp. Rising sixth and eighth-graders were offered a middle school band experience with the Tiger Band under the direction of Johannah Cox from Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. Cox said this summer’s group was one of the best Tiger Bands we have hosted in years.&nbsp; This sentiment was expressed over and over in descriptions about the other HPMC ensembles and classes this summer.HPMC faculty consisted of 46 music professionals and teachers in individual instruments from across the state of Kansas (including professional jazz musicians in Kansas City), as well as Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah. Camp faculty were supported by 16 counselors; camp librarians who helped prepare the music before and during camp; an equipment team who moved stands, chairs, and percussion equipment before, during, and after camp; and four interns who helped the camp director keep everything moving smoothly during the week.&nbsp;For many campers, this was their first opportunity to be on a college campus. Besides working closely with the outstanding HPMC faculty and staff, campers enjoyed exploring the FHSU campus during the week.&nbsp; Stops at Starbucks in the Memorial Union were a highlight for many.&nbsp;In addition to the return to campus summer activities I just covered, our fabulous Kansas Wetlands Education Center in Barton County hosted drop-in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities that offered a great opportunity for folks to walk through a water trailer. This is a mobile trailer that hosts a wealth of information and experiential learning opportunities for the curious, including stormwater issues in watersheds. Other activities included making and then eating an aquifer, discovering how much usable water is on our planet, and developing drone piloting skills while learning about drone use in water quality management and conservation. I especially loved the book launch event for “Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet.” An Avocet is a bird found in wetland habitats.&nbsp;I was thrilled that our Sternberg Museum of Natural History was also able to return some of their summer camps to in-person experiences, including the Colorado Dinosaur experience and the Field Paleontology: Kansas camps. Last year I received the sweetest letter from a mom and dad of a summer camper that read in part, “My family can’t say enough good about the camps and the director, David Levering. I first found Sternberg and Fort Hays State University through a Facebook paleontology group when I was looking for a resident camp for my 12-year-old daughter… Living in rural northern Wisconsin, we knew our daughter would have to travel to get a quality paleontology education. The camp exceeded any expectations – she learned so much. Our daughter even started her own business in order to continue to pay for future camps…The growth and confidence we have seen in her is amazing.”That letter meant so much to me. It demonstrated our educational reach and commitment to providing quality, engaging educational experiences. We educate the young, the traditionally aged, and adult learners. We inspire dreams, and for the 12-year-old in the letter above, we even kindled her entrepreneurial spirit. We exist to improve lives.&nbsp;Our summer camps and conferences serve as an extension of our educational mission. This year they also helped create a sense of normalcy, and in a way, served as a “dress rehearsal” for a full return to all on-campus operations. We are excitedly ready and “all in” for the fall of 2021. Welcome home, Tigers.

MASON: Extending our educational mission through summer programming

By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Customer reviews are a staple in the digital world. If you cannot see a product in person, the next best thing is reading about another person’s experience. The trust we instinctively place in each other’s opinions and observations are not limited to product reviews. Our everyday conversations leave impressions we probably never think about. Years ago, I took friends home to visit my family in Wisconsin.&nbsp; I was completely unaware of my friends’ apprehensions created by the colorful stories shared of my childhood home and adventures. I was slightly embarrassed to learn how relieved they were when we pulled into the yard of a perfectly normal country home instead of the “two double-wide trailers stacked on top of each other” they were expecting. Some self-reflection helped me to realize I was sharing only entertaining stories about the quirky habits of my family, mischievous adventures my siblings and I undertook, and my dad’s impressive levels of inventiveness and ingenuity. I never really talked about more objectively normal things. It can be so easy to forget that during everyday interactions with people we often unintentionally become the expert for what others have not experienced. Someone who has never visited your town, will likely believe whatever you say about it and may remember what you said if ever asked about it in the future. Since taking my friends home, I have become a much better advocate for my home community, and I am much more conscious of whom I choose to share the quirky but funny stories about my home. The power and obligation to influence others opinions about our community has been on my mind lately because of a conversation I had at a recent networking event. While visiting with the manager of a facility that employs several people locally, I quickly realized he was a kindred spirit. Instead of nodding politely with a blank stare when I extolled the virtues of my community, he lit-up, sharing that he had been moved here from the East and fallen in love with Kansas because of the affordable housing, high quality of life and the truly “Midwest nice” people. In fact, many of his family members had followed him here because of his praise for the area. What he told me next has been replaying in my mind ever since. He has been working to change culture within his facility; to get his employees to stop griping or saying uncomplimentary things about the area because he does not want corporate to move the facility because no one wants to live there. Many of the people at his corporate office have never been here; they rely on the opinions of local workers often gleaned from casual conversation to form an opinion of the community. If they ever have to consider closing a facility, he wants to make sure they know how wonderful his community is and how much employees are thriving so they will want to continue doing business here. Just like with the product reviews, the opinions and observations of people living in a place are likely to be the deciding factor for someone to visit, move to or start a business there. The simple act of restraining from complaints or comparisons to other towns shows positivity. Sharing about your great community assets or the ways you and others are working to make it better creates images of a thriving community. Most outsiders aren’t going to seek out community officials to learn about your town. They are going to listen to the experts. What will you tell them?

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575406519723.jpeg" alt="Jackie Mundt" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Mundt</figcaption>
 </figure>By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Customer reviews are a staple in the digital world. If you cannot see a product in person, the next best thing is reading about another person’s experience. The trust we instinctively place in each other’s opinions and observations are not limited to product reviews. Our everyday conversations leave impressions we probably never think about. Years ago, I took friends home to visit my family in Wisconsin.&nbsp; I was completely unaware of my friends’ apprehensions created by the colorful stories shared of my childhood home and adventures. I was slightly embarrassed to learn how relieved they were when we pulled into the yard of a perfectly normal country home instead of the “two double-wide trailers stacked on top of each other” they were expecting. Some self-reflection helped me to realize I was sharing only entertaining stories about the quirky habits of my family, mischievous adventures my siblings and I undertook, and my dad’s impressive levels of inventiveness and ingenuity. I never really talked about more objectively normal things. It can be so easy to forget that during everyday interactions with people we often unintentionally become the expert for what others have not experienced. Someone who has never visited your town, will likely believe whatever you say about it and may remember what you said if ever asked about it in the future. Since taking my friends home, I have become a much better advocate for my home community, and I am much more conscious of whom I choose to share the quirky but funny stories about my home. The power and obligation to influence others opinions about our community has been on my mind lately because of a conversation I had at a recent networking event. While visiting with the manager of a facility that employs several people locally, I quickly realized he was a kindred spirit. Instead of nodding politely with a blank stare when I extolled the virtues of my community, he lit-up, sharing that he had been moved here from the East and fallen in love with Kansas because of the affordable housing, high quality of life and the truly “Midwest nice” people. In fact, many of his family members had followed him here because of his praise for the area. What he told me next has been replaying in my mind ever since. He has been working to change culture within his facility; to get his employees to stop griping or saying uncomplimentary things about the area because he does not want corporate to move the facility because no one wants to live there. Many of the people at his corporate office have never been here; they rely on the opinions of local workers often gleaned from casual conversation to form an opinion of the community. If they ever have to consider closing a facility, he wants to make sure they know how wonderful his community is and how much employees are thriving so they will want to continue doing business here. Just like with the product reviews, the opinions and observations of people living in a place are likely to be the deciding factor for someone to visit, move to or start a business there. The simple act of restraining from complaints or comparisons to other towns shows positivity. Sharing about your great community assets or the ways you and others are working to make it better creates images of a thriving community. Most outsiders aren’t going to seek out community officials to learn about your town. They are going to listen to the experts. What will you tell them?"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Hometown reviews

“There is a madness afoot here, and only government can make a difference.” New York state senator from district with low vaccination rate and high Covid death levels.

Madness afoot, indeed. And our governmental, non-profit, and private sectors must all respond.

Whether it’s KU, McDonalds, school districts or Via Christi, our largest and most powerful institutions, public and private, simply must mandate that their staff and students get vaccinated as a condition of employment or educational status. No ifs, ands, or buts.&nbsp;

As the Delta variant wreaks havoc, unnecessarily, with our lives, it is past time for Kansas institutions to require vaccinations. Across the country, cities, universities, and large employers have done this. Now it’s time for Kansas to follow suit, even if that means challenging current legal restrictions on vaccine requirements.

In April, the Legislature inserted a budget proviso prohibiting state entities from requiring proof of vaccination. But that was then, and this is now. Indeed, a policy that seemed reasonable in the spring is now clearly counterproductive.&nbsp;

We know exactly what we need to do to stop the Delta variant surge; we need to vaccinate the large numbers of Kansans who have not yet stepped up. We have a remarkable, near-miraculous remedy, and we have institutions that can effectively enforce a vaccination requirement.&nbsp; Across the country universities, large employers, and health care systems have embraced mandates, with an immediate increase in vaccination levels.

How to accomplish this in Kansas?&nbsp; For private firms, large and small, it’s simple: require vaccinations as a condition of employment, with appropriate religious and health exceptions. Many restaurants, bars, and gyms could go further, requiring proof of vaccination for service. Many patrons would rejoice.

Nonprofits could do the same.&nbsp; Hospitals, libraries, recreation centers could require vaccinations for staff at a minimum, but in many instances, clients could be included.

For Kansas, governmental requirements might seem out of reach, given the April budget provision and the Legislature’s limitations on the governor’s power.&nbsp; But a recent court decision has apparently provided the governor with a much fuller range of power, and a Legislative Coordinating Council decision (or a one-day special session) could reverse the limit on mandates.

Every member of the Board of Regents and all the university and community college leaders should immediately lobby the Legislature to change its policy, if only for six months or a year. Why should we fight the Covid variant with bringing the full weight of institutions to bear?

More than two dozen higher education organizations have called on states to allow universities to mandate vaccinations, and in a landmark Indiana University case, an appellate&nbsp; court, including two Trump appointees, upheld the university’s right to do this, citing a 1905 Supreme Court decision.

To be a bit more palatable, mandates could include exceptions for those tested twice a week and wearing masks. But most of the unvaccinated would choose to get a jab.

We have tried pleas to reason, we have used incentives, we have appealed to a sense of community. Now we must push the unvaccinated hard to do the right thing.&nbsp; Vaccine mandates have been in place more than a century. Like requiring the use of seatbelts, they are a tool in societal efforts to rein in a widespread problem.

For the sake of our fellow Kansans, we should all work to make vaccination mandates happen. Today.

Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574348610067.jpeg" alt="Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas." />
 <figcaption>Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.</figcaption>
 </figure>“There is a madness afoot here, and only government can make a difference.” New York state senator from district with low vaccination rate and high Covid death levels.Madness afoot, indeed. And our governmental, non-profit, and private sectors must all respond.Whether it’s KU, McDonalds, school districts or Via Christi, our largest and most powerful institutions, public and private, simply must mandate that their staff and students get vaccinated as a condition of employment or educational status. No ifs, ands, or buts.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As the Delta variant wreaks havoc, unnecessarily, with our lives, it is past time for Kansas institutions to require vaccinations. Across the country, cities, universities, and large employers have done this. Now it’s time for Kansas to follow suit, even if that means challenging current legal restrictions on vaccine requirements.In April, the Legislature inserted a budget proviso prohibiting state entities from requiring proof of vaccination. But that was then, and this is now. Indeed, a policy that seemed reasonable in the spring is now clearly counterproductive.&nbsp;We know exactly what we need to do to stop the Delta variant surge; we need to vaccinate the large numbers of Kansans who have not yet stepped up. We have a remarkable, near-miraculous remedy, and we have institutions that can effectively enforce a vaccination requirement.&nbsp; Across the country universities, large employers, and health care systems have embraced mandates, with an immediate increase in vaccination levels.How to accomplish this in Kansas?&nbsp; For private firms, large and small, it’s simple: require vaccinations as a condition of employment, with appropriate religious and health exceptions. Many restaurants, bars, and gyms could go further, requiring proof of vaccination for service. Many patrons would rejoice.Nonprofits could do the same.&nbsp; Hospitals, libraries, recreation centers could require vaccinations for staff at a minimum, but in many instances, clients could be included.For Kansas, governmental requirements might seem out of reach, given the April budget provision and the Legislature’s limitations on the governor’s power.&nbsp; But a recent court decision has apparently provided the governor with a much fuller range of power, and a Legislative Coordinating Council decision (or a one-day special session) could reverse the limit on mandates.Every member of the Board of Regents and all the university and community college leaders should immediately lobby the Legislature to change its policy, if only for six months or a year. Why should we fight the Covid variant with bringing the full weight of institutions to bear?More than two dozen higher education organizations have called on states to allow universities to mandate vaccinations, and in a landmark Indiana University case, an appellate&nbsp; court, including two Trump appointees, upheld the university’s right to do this, citing a 1905 Supreme Court decision.To be a bit more palatable, mandates could include exceptions for those tested twice a week and wearing masks. But most of the unvaccinated would choose to get a jab.We have tried pleas to reason, we have used incentives, we have appealed to a sense of community. Now we must push the unvaccinated hard to do the right thing.&nbsp; Vaccine mandates have been in place more than a century. Like requiring the use of seatbelts, they are a tool in societal efforts to rein in a widespread problem.For the sake of our fellow Kansans, we should all work to make vaccination mandates happen. Today.Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

Opinion