On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Public Library communication coordinator Callie Kolacny shares updates from the library.

<div><iframe title="Hays Public Library offers a variety of events during coming weeks" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=r26m3-11d1e20-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Public Library communication coordinator Callie Kolacny shares updates from the library.

🎙Post Podcast: Hays Public Library offers a variety of events during coming weeks

After being <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/4502fd64-a591-4bf8-8ba8-fc326c27f0cb">rebuffed
by the Ellis County Commission in January,</a> the Hays Board of Realtors
continues in its effort to bring a proposal to county voters that would
increase the number of commissioners from three to five.

To bring the measure to voters the board will need signatures
from five percent of Ellis County voters –&nbsp;around 950
signatures.

The effort to collect signatures began after the January meeting,
where County Commission chair Butch Schlyer said he was “100-percent opposed”
to the effort and asked that as they collect signatures, they tell the public, “This
is not in their best interest.”

Past president of the board Robert Readle said he had hoped the commission would be supportive of the measure going into that
meeting but were prepared to begin collecting signatures as well. 

“We looked into this petition effort and were advised by our
counsel, that there were really two avenues to go,” Readle said. 

He said the board was advised to approach the commission
first to see if they would be supportive of the measure.

“However, we were a little disappointed,” Readle said. “Neither
of the commissioners that were there that night&nbsp;– which ironically, one of the
commissioners had resigned at the beginning of that meeting, so, we were
presenting to two commissioners again&nbsp;– but nevertheless, neither one of them were
in support of that.”

And so, by default, they were forced to attempt the second
method, collecting signatures in order to bring the measure to voters.

“This is just placing it on the ballot,” Readle said. “This
isn't changing anything, it's really just putting it out to the public so that the
county can vote on this.”

And while the issue is being talked discussed in the public sphere,
he said some have been supportive of the effort itself, to bring the measure to a vote.

“Several people that actually have agreed to sign the
petition and said, ‘You know, I'm not saying whether I agree or disagree with
your effort, but I do think it should be put to a vote,’” Readle said. “And so,
it's really just to put it on the ballot.”

The first signatures were collected shortly after the
meeting with the commission, with the hopes of bringing the issue to the voters
this year.

After collecting signatures Readle said, “we take it to the
county clerk, they certify the petition. They'll have to make sure that
everybody that signed it is a registered voter in Ellis County. So that can be
a pretty lengthy process. Our goal is to get over 1000 signatures.”

Once certified the measure will be placed on the ballot.

“We’re looking to have this wrapped up by late July,” Readle
said. “That should give them plenty of time to certify the petition and put it
on the ballot for the November election.”

The board believes the commission should be expanded to help
bring more stability to the county government.

“As a board, we've kind of observed a couple of shortcomings
with the current county commission, just the way it's structured, not
necessarily the members or how they've been voting,” Readle said. “We've seen
just a couple of issues arise that we think could be very easily solved by just
expanding the commission from three seats to five.”

He pointed to land development projects that were rejected
by the commission as examples of why five commissioners would better suit Ellis
County, including Blue Sky Acres.

“That was a petitioner coming to the county government to do
a development south of Hays,” Readle said. “There were only three commissioners
at the time, and one of them had to recuse themselves. And so that left the
county commission, with only two voting members deciding on this, and
effectively a single commissioner was against it.”

“And so, they effectively had veto power on anything coming
through the commission when there's only two commissioners,” he continued. “Whether
you agree or disagree with the way she was voting, it's really not the point.
What we're concerned with is that we think with five commissioners, it would
take at least two commissioners to be against if one of them were to recuse.
And we just think two would be better than one. ... Veto
power like that is less than ideal in our eyes.”

While Readle said he was doubtful an expanded commission would
be an answer to every concern, it may help smooth over contentious issues, that
have in the past led to notable incidents during commission meetings.

“I do think that being able to communicate prior to
meetings, being able to go back to petitioners prior to them coming into the
public meeting, may help keep some of those really hot button issues from
boiling over,” Readle said. <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/7815a4ca-e1f2-45a7-a99d-bc45aa69e178">“I mean, I think one of those commission meetings a
gal got arrested during the meeting.”</a>

“And so, you know, just from our experience with the City
Commission, being able to come to them talk about the issue, they were able to
kind of step back, assess, think through it and come back to us again. I don't
know that the county really is able to work through that process as well. And
it may just help kind of iron out some of those issues prior to the meeting.
And then it isn't such a chaotic scene.”

Readle said while the board believes the expanded commission
would be a good move the Ellis County, he understands that with only three commissioners’
conversations, are more public by default.

“Some people that are against it, view a three-member
commission, as the best way to keep everything aboveboard,” he said. “With only
three commissioners, they cannot visit with each other directly. The Kansas
Open Meetings Act prohibits them from discussing things outside of the county
commission meeting itself.”

But the group’s experience with the five-member Hays City
Commission has demonstrated how well a five-member board can work.

“When there's a five-member commission, they're able to go
back and meet with each other on a one-on-one basis, discuss things, gain
additional insight, understand somebody else's point of view and oftentimes
that leads to more questions,” Readle said. “We were just able to really work
through a lot more of their concerns prior to it going to a public meeting,
which I think is good, it leads to better-informed decisions.”

“With the county, when there's only three, they can't visit
with each other before the meeting. And so sometimes it takes a long time to
work through the different issues. And we just feel like sometimes the
commissioners aren't seeing eye to eye on some issues. It leads to some
pretty wild meetings and on occasion.”

Hays residents interested in signing the petition that would
bring place the measure on the November ballot can visit most Hays realtors.

“If you're interested in finding out more you can go in,
talk to us,” Readle said. “Or if you're just ready to support our petition
again, just to place it on the ballot, stop in and sign up.”

<div><iframe title="Efforts to expand Ellis County Commission continue" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=p5dxi-11cc497-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostAfter being <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/4502fd64-a591-4bf8-8ba8-fc326c27f0cb">rebuffed
by the Ellis County Commission in January,</a> the Hays Board of Realtors
continues in its effort to bring a proposal to county voters that would
increase the number of commissioners from three to five.To bring the measure to voters the board will need signatures
from five percent of Ellis County voters –&nbsp;around 950
signatures.The effort to collect signatures began after the January meeting,
where County Commission chair Butch Schlyer said he was “100-percent opposed”
to the effort and asked that as they collect signatures, they tell the public, “This
is not in their best interest.”Past president of the board Robert Readle said he had hoped the commission would be supportive of the measure going into that
meeting but were prepared to begin collecting signatures as well. “We looked into this petition effort and were advised by our
counsel, that there were really two avenues to go,” Readle said. He said the board was advised to approach the commission
first to see if they would be supportive of the measure.“However, we were a little disappointed,” Readle said. “Neither
of the commissioners that were there that night&nbsp;– which ironically, one of the
commissioners had resigned at the beginning of that meeting, so, we were
presenting to two commissioners again&nbsp;– but nevertheless, neither one of them were
in support of that.”And so, by default, they were forced to attempt the second
method, collecting signatures in order to bring the measure to voters.“This is just placing it on the ballot,” Readle said. “This
isn't changing anything, it's really just putting it out to the public so that the
county can vote on this.”And while the issue is being talked discussed in the public sphere,
he said some have been supportive of the effort itself, to bring the measure to a vote.“Several people that actually have agreed to sign the
petition and said, ‘You know, I'm not saying whether I agree or disagree with
your effort, but I do think it should be put to a vote,’” Readle said. “And so,
it's really just to put it on the ballot.”The first signatures were collected shortly after the
meeting with the commission, with the hopes of bringing the issue to the voters
this year.After collecting signatures Readle said, “we take it to the
county clerk, they certify the petition. They'll have to make sure that
everybody that signed it is a registered voter in Ellis County. So that can be
a pretty lengthy process. Our goal is to get over 1000 signatures.”Once certified the measure will be placed on the ballot.“We’re looking to have this wrapped up by late July,” Readle
said. “That should give them plenty of time to certify the petition and put it
on the ballot for the November election.”The board believes the commission should be expanded to help
bring more stability to the county government.“As a board, we've kind of observed a couple of shortcomings
with the current county commission, just the way it's structured, not
necessarily the members or how they've been voting,” Readle said. “We've seen
just a couple of issues arise that we think could be very easily solved by just
expanding the commission from three seats to five.”He pointed to land development projects that were rejected
by the commission as examples of why five commissioners would better suit Ellis
County, including Blue Sky Acres.“That was a petitioner coming to the county government to do
a development south of Hays,” Readle said. “There were only three commissioners
at the time, and one of them had to recuse themselves. And so that left the
county commission, with only two voting members deciding on this, and
effectively a single commissioner was against it.”“And so, they effectively had veto power on anything coming
through the commission when there's only two commissioners,” he continued. “Whether
you agree or disagree with the way she was voting, it's really not the point.
What we're concerned with is that we think with five commissioners, it would
take at least two commissioners to be against if one of them were to recuse.
And we just think two would be better than one. ... Veto
power like that is less than ideal in our eyes.”While Readle said he was doubtful an expanded commission would
be an answer to every concern, it may help smooth over contentious issues, that
have in the past led to notable incidents during commission meetings.“I do think that being able to communicate prior to
meetings, being able to go back to petitioners prior to them coming into the
public meeting, may help keep some of those really hot button issues from
boiling over,” Readle said. <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/7815a4ca-e1f2-45a7-a99d-bc45aa69e178">“I mean, I think one of those commission meetings a
gal got arrested during the meeting.”</a>“And so, you know, just from our experience with the City
Commission, being able to come to them talk about the issue, they were able to
kind of step back, assess, think through it and come back to us again. I don't
know that the county really is able to work through that process as well. And
it may just help kind of iron out some of those issues prior to the meeting.
And then it isn't such a chaotic scene.”Readle said while the board believes the expanded commission
would be a good move the Ellis County, he understands that with only three commissioners’
conversations, are more public by default.“Some people that are against it, view a three-member
commission, as the best way to keep everything aboveboard,” he said. “With only
three commissioners, they cannot visit with each other directly. The Kansas
Open Meetings Act prohibits them from discussing things outside of the county
commission meeting itself.”But the group’s experience with the five-member Hays City
Commission has demonstrated how well a five-member board can work.“When there's a five-member commission, they're able to go
back and meet with each other on a one-on-one basis, discuss things, gain
additional insight, understand somebody else's point of view and oftentimes
that leads to more questions,” Readle said. “We were just able to really work
through a lot more of their concerns prior to it going to a public meeting,
which I think is good, it leads to better-informed decisions.”“With the county, when there's only three, they can't visit
with each other before the meeting. And so sometimes it takes a long time to
work through the different issues. And we just feel like sometimes the
commissioners aren't seeing eye to eye on some issues. It leads to some
pretty wild meetings and on occasion.”Hays residents interested in signing the petition that would
bring place the measure on the November ballot can visit most Hays realtors.“If you're interested in finding out more you can go in,
talk to us,” Readle said. “Or if you're just ready to support our petition
again, just to place it on the ballot, stop in and sign up.”

🎙 Efforts to expand Ellis County Commission continue

The Docking Insitute of Public Affairs survey finds majority of students have jobs; pleased with hours and pay

As workforce shortages continue to plague area businesses,
the Docking Institute of Public Affairs on the Fort Hays State University campus
recently completed a survey of students in the workforce to find out more about
their work habits and opinions of area employers.

Michael Walker, research scholar with the Docking Institute
said the effort had multiple goals.

“I think a big part of it was we were trying to get a sense
of the desire and willingness of college students to work in Hays because we
had heard that there's a perception out there that college students don't want
to work in Hays,” he said.

To find the answer to that question, he said they asked area
students about their employment status, their desire to find a job in the Hays
market, their expected wages and related questions.

What they found allowed for a detailed analysis of their
student workforce and offered generally positive news.

“We asked questions about their opinions of work and
employers,” Walker said. “We found that most students find that employers
provide good work schedules. ... Most students find that they provide positive
work environments.”

More than 60 percent of students said employers in Hays provide positive working environments for college students.

Further, about 70 percent of student job-seekers said Hays employers offer student-friendly schedules.

Wages were also found to be viewed positively in general, he
said.

“When you ask about wages, they did not seem excessive, at
least to me as a researcher, for a new or different job,” Walker said. 

He said their desired wage was close to the average wage
earned currently – $13.66 per hour, with a desired wage in a new job of $14.08
per hour.

The number of students in the job market is also high, he
said.

In total 93.3 percent of FHSU students reported some type of work.

During the survey, the institute looked at traditional hourly
jobs, local gig work and online jobs.

“We wanted to kind of measure how many folks were doing those kinds of jobs, as well as working on campus,” Walker said.

Nearly half, he said – 48 percent – reported working an
off-campus job, with 50.8 percent reporting an on-campus job.

Another 30.8 percent reported piecemeal or session-type jobs, like selling items online, pet sitting or occasional delivery jobs.

“We asked if they work on campus, and if you have a job off-campus, so there's going to be some overlap there,” Walker said. “That doesn't mean
100 percent work either on campus or off, but a large percentage do. About 9
or 10 percent overlap.”

He said those on-campus jobs are limited to 20 hours per
week, and so some students will supplement earnings with an off-campus position.

“Students are not afraid to work,” Walker said. "They do want
to work, and the number of students that do work in Hays, I would say, are very
beneficial to the economy of Hays. 

"I think it's fair to say that our college
students really benefit the local community,” Walker said, “and the employers
that hire our students, provide benefits to the students as well.”

With so many FHSU students in the local workforce, the institute
also wanted to know why there was a perception that students were no longer interested
in working off-campus jobs.

“Of course with the COVID pandemic, a lot of people in
general and students included, stayed away from crowded areas, and so a lot of
them did not go to work,” Walker said. “And then, of course, there was stimulus
money that helped people during that time, but we asked questions about that.”

“A majority of students did indicate that when the stimulus
money was available, it did help them pay their bills,” he continued. 

And while it may have weighed into the decision to work then,
it is no longer a factor, he said.

“To say that students are just staying home, and getting
paid by the government is a big mistake because it’s just not happening at
this point,” Walker said.

With a high percentage of students desiring to work
off-campus, he said other factors may be at the heart of the workforce
shortage, viewed from the lens of student employment. 

“I think one big factor on why it's difficult for employers
to find workers is because of the decrease in enrollment on campus over the
years,” Walker said. “We've had some big, big downturns if you will. COVID hit
us pretty hard.”

FHSU saw an on-campus enrollment drop of almost 9 percent during the first year of the pandemic and another 6 percent drop during the second
year.

And while student academic patterns remained the same during
a shift to online education, many faced impacts in their employment.

“So, the jobs that they had tended to be affected, more by
COVID, then keeping up with their academic plan,” said Fort Hays State
University chief communications officer Scott Cason. “Almost 75 percent of them
were able to keep up with their academic plan. But 50 percent reported that
they lost jobs or reduced work hours because of COVID.”

The survey found only 14 percent of students changed their academic course loads, while 49.7 percent reported a change in their employment hours.

“I think we can say that the students reported that they did
not change their academic patterns very much because the university did a great
job of shifting from on-campus to off-campus teaching or virtual teaching,”
Walker said. “Employers couldn't do the same thing. So, they had to, in many
cases, just stop, close the doors for a while. And then the students haven't
come back.”

He also said many students may have moved home while only online
education was offered and did not return to on-campus learning.

While the survey primarily looked at factors driving students
to, or out of, the workforce it also hinted at larger community issues.

“Eighteen percent or so of the students indicated that
child care was an issue,” Walker said. “We've measured child care issues, in many
different settings. We do a lot of labor studies across the Midwest, and child care
is one that we always ask about. 

"Now, it's never quite as large of a percentage
as we think it might be. Like, when we talk to people in the community, it's
like, ‘Oh, it's a big issue.’ But when you survey folks, it usually shows up to
be about 18 to 20 percent. But still, 18 to 20 percent of the population is a
big chunk of students.”

He said wage increases may also help address the problem,
but would not be a major factor in enticing more students into the workforce.

But for those in the workforce, in general, they seem satisfied
with their conditions, Walker said.

“Students do have a positive opinion about employers in
Hays, they certainly don't have a negative opinion,” he said. “Also, most of
our students do work in some capacity.”

<div><iframe title="New study finds FHSU students happy to be in area workforce" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=6u68d-11c8234-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><h2>The Docking Insitute of Public Affairs survey finds majority of students have jobs; pleased with hours and pay</h2>By JAMES BELL Hays PostAs workforce shortages continue to plague area businesses,
the Docking Institute of Public Affairs on the Fort Hays State University campus
recently completed a survey of students in the workforce to find out more about
their work habits and opinions of area employers.Michael Walker, research scholar with the Docking Institute
said the effort had multiple goals.“I think a big part of it was we were trying to get a sense
of the desire and willingness of college students to work in Hays because we
had heard that there's a perception out there that college students don't want
to work in Hays,” he said. To find the answer to that question, he said they asked area
students about their employment status, their desire to find a job in the Hays
market, their expected wages and related questions.What they found allowed for a detailed analysis of their
student workforce and offered generally positive news.“We asked questions about their opinions of work and
employers,” Walker said. “We found that most students find that employers
provide good work schedules. ... Most students find that they provide positive
work environments.”More than 60 percent of students said employers in Hays provide positive working environments for college students.Further, about 70 percent of student job-seekers said Hays employers offer student-friendly schedules.Wages were also found to be viewed positively in general, he
said.“When you ask about wages, they did not seem excessive, at
least to me as a researcher, for a new or different job,” Walker said. He said their desired wage was close to the average wage
earned currently – $13.66 per hour, with a desired wage in a new job of $14.08
per hour.The number of students in the job market is also high, he
said.In total 93.3 percent of FHSU students reported some type of work.During the survey, the institute looked at traditional hourly
jobs, local gig work and online jobs.“We wanted to kind of measure how many folks were doing those kinds of jobs, as well as working on campus,” Walker said.Nearly half, he said – 48 percent – reported working an
off-campus job, with 50.8 percent reporting an on-campus job.Another 30.8 percent reported piecemeal or session-type jobs, like selling items online, pet sitting or occasional delivery jobs.“We asked if they work on campus, and if you have a job off-campus, so there's going to be some overlap there,” Walker said. “That doesn't mean
100 percent work either on campus or off, but a large percentage do. About 9
or 10 percent overlap.”He said those on-campus jobs are limited to 20 hours per
week, and so some students will supplement earnings with an off-campus position.“Students are not afraid to work,” Walker said. "They do want
to work, and the number of students that do work in Hays, I would say, are very
beneficial to the economy of Hays. "I think it's fair to say that our college
students really benefit the local community,” Walker said, “and the employers
that hire our students, provide benefits to the students as well.”<h2>SO, WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?</h2>With so many FHSU students in the local workforce, the institute
also wanted to know why there was a perception that students were no longer interested
in working off-campus jobs.“Of course with the COVID pandemic, a lot of people in
general and students included, stayed away from crowded areas, and so a lot of
them did not go to work,” Walker said. “And then, of course, there was stimulus
money that helped people during that time, but we asked questions about that.”“A majority of students did indicate that when the stimulus
money was available, it did help them pay their bills,” he continued. And while it may have weighed into the decision to work then,
it is no longer a factor, he said.“To say that students are just staying home, and getting
paid by the government is a big mistake because it’s just not happening at
this point,” Walker said.With a high percentage of students desiring to work
off-campus, he said other factors may be at the heart of the workforce
shortage, viewed from the lens of student employment. “I think one big factor on why it's difficult for employers
to find workers is because of the decrease in enrollment on campus over the
years,” Walker said. “We've had some big, big downturns if you will. COVID hit
us pretty hard.”FHSU saw an on-campus enrollment drop of almost 9 percent during the first year of the pandemic and another 6 percent drop during the second
year.And while student academic patterns remained the same during
a shift to online education, many faced impacts in their employment.“So, the jobs that they had tended to be affected, more by
COVID, then keeping up with their academic plan,” said Fort Hays State
University chief communications officer Scott Cason. “Almost 75 percent of them
were able to keep up with their academic plan. But 50 percent reported that
they lost jobs or reduced work hours because of COVID.”The survey found only 14 percent of students changed their academic course loads, while 49.7 percent reported a change in their employment hours.“I think we can say that the students reported that they did
not change their academic patterns very much because the university did a great
job of shifting from on-campus to off-campus teaching or virtual teaching,”
Walker said. “Employers couldn't do the same thing. So, they had to, in many
cases, just stop, close the doors for a while. And then the students haven't
come back.”He also said many students may have moved home while only online
education was offered and did not return to on-campus learning.While the survey primarily looked at factors driving students
to, or out of, the workforce it also hinted at larger community issues.“Eighteen percent or so of the students indicated that
child care was an issue,” Walker said. “We've measured child care issues, in many
different settings. We do a lot of labor studies across the Midwest, and child care
is one that we always ask about. "Now, it's never quite as large of a percentage
as we think it might be. Like, when we talk to people in the community, it's
like, ‘Oh, it's a big issue.’ But when you survey folks, it usually shows up to
be about 18 to 20 percent. But still, 18 to 20 percent of the population is a
big chunk of students.”He said wage increases may also help address the problem,
but would not be a major factor in enticing more students into the workforce.But for those in the workforce, in general, they seem satisfied
with their conditions, Walker said.“Students do have a positive opinion about employers in
Hays, they certainly don't have a negative opinion,” he said. “Also, most of
our students do work in some capacity.”Cover image courtesy Pixabay.

🎙 Survey finds majority of FHSU students work, pleased with hours and pay

It’s a busy week for the Fort Hays State Department of Music
as the bands and choirs prepare for concerts.

The first of the performances is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when FHSU choirs are set to take the stage in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts
Center.

“You'll hear the Smoky Hill Chorale and then both choirs,
the Concert Choir and the Fort Hays Singers. They're going to do a combined
effort with the Fort Hays Singers singing songs in between each of the songs by
the Concert Choir,” said Terry Crull, associate professor of music and director
of choral activities.

The breaks will allow a special presentation during the
concert.

“We're doing that because we've got two special choir
segments ... three monologues by our own Dr. (Timothy) Rolls,
Shakespearean monologues. They were scenes from three Shakespeare plays that he
set to music and this will be a world-premiere of his latest composition,”
Crull said.

There are also set to perform three numbers that will
feature poetry by Sara Teasdale.

Crull said she is a poet who “choral composers love to set
to choral music.”

The choir will also perform a piece by Elaine Hagen Bergman
by Z. Randall Stroope and another by Andrea Ramsay.

“Our young singers will have worked with both Elaine Hagberg
and Andrea Ramsey in All-State choirs, which happened last weekend, although it
was Anton Armstrong who directed last Saturday for our All-Staters. They've
both been great composers and conductors and kids love singing their music
because they're singers themselves and choir directors, so they know how
to write for choirs.”

He said those more serious pieces will be offset by
lighthearted tunes.

“We've got some folk songs from a fun arrangement of Alouette,
the French folk tune, to Way Up on Old Smokey and I Lost my True Lover
by Sparking Too Slow, an old country-western,” Crull said.

Then at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the FHSU bands will present
their spring concert.

“Peter Lillpopp will have both of those bands in shape,
assisted by our newest assistant band director, Dr. Ryan Pearson, who's been
teaching drum percussion ensemble here and just applied and received and
accepted the position,” Crull said. “So we've got a new band director to place
our dearly departed Jeff Jordan, who passed away last December.”

Crull hopes the community will show to support both
performances.

“I just want to I want to invite people to come out and
support our kids,” Crull said. “They do great music.” 

“They work hard and we're proud of them,” he said. “So we
hope you'll come in support our kids and hear some great music.”

Both events are free of charge and open to the public.

<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/music-and-theatre/">For more
information about the FHSU Music Department, visit the FHSU website, fhsu.edu.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583259164034.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostIt’s a busy week for the Fort Hays State Department of Music
as the bands and choirs prepare for concerts.The first of the performances is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when FHSU choirs are set to take the stage in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts
Center.“You'll hear the Smoky Hill Chorale and then both choirs,
the Concert Choir and the Fort Hays Singers. They're going to do a combined
effort with the Fort Hays Singers singing songs in between each of the songs by
the Concert Choir,” said Terry Crull, associate professor of music and director
of choral activities.The breaks will allow a special presentation during the
concert.<div><iframe title="FHSU choirs and bands to take the stage this week" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=6ybzq-11c6271-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>“We're doing that because we've got two special choir
segments ... three monologues by our own Dr. (Timothy) Rolls,
Shakespearean monologues. They were scenes from three Shakespeare plays that he
set to music and this will be a world-premiere of his latest composition,”
Crull said.There are also set to perform three numbers that will
feature poetry by Sara Teasdale.Crull said she is a poet who “choral composers love to set
to choral music.”The choir will also perform a piece by Elaine Hagen Bergman
by Z. Randall Stroope and another by Andrea Ramsay.“Our young singers will have worked with both Elaine Hagberg
and Andrea Ramsey in All-State choirs, which happened last weekend, although it
was Anton Armstrong who directed last Saturday for our All-Staters. They've
both been great composers and conductors and kids love singing their music
because they're singers themselves and choir directors, so they know how
to write for choirs.”He said those more serious pieces will be offset by
lighthearted tunes.“We've got some folk songs from a fun arrangement of Alouette,
the French folk tune, to Way Up on Old Smokey and I Lost my True Lover
by Sparking Too Slow, an old country-western,” Crull said.Then at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the FHSU bands will present
their spring concert.“Peter Lillpopp will have both of those bands in shape,
assisted by our newest assistant band director, Dr. Ryan Pearson, who's been
teaching drum percussion ensemble here and just applied and received and
accepted the position,” Crull said. “So we've got a new band director to place
our dearly departed Jeff Jordan, who passed away last December.”Crull hopes the community will show to support both
performances.“I just want to I want to invite people to come out and
support our kids,” Crull said. “They do great music.” “They work hard and we're proud of them,” he said. “So we
hope you'll come in support our kids and hear some great music.”Both events are free of charge and open to the public.<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/music-and-theatre/">For more
information about the FHSU Music Department, visit the FHSU website, fhsu.edu.</a>

🎙 FHSU choirs, bands take stage this week, beginning Tuesday

Representatives from the Hays chamber will be out and about
this week for the annual Stepping Out Day.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., chamber ambassadors will be stopping
by member businesses to change out their decals from the year before, visiting
each business in person.

“You’re into those businesses, you're talking to people,”
said Chamber Ambassador LaVonne Giess. “Everybody's super friendly. Let's take the old
decal off, put the new one on. Sometimes it's a trick to find it. Sometimes
it's right upfront. But it is it's always a nice time to get out of the
office.”

This year, the members will also be collecting entries for a
raffle.

“When they go into the businesses, not only do they give
them a decal, but they also ask for a business card,” said Rhonda Meyerhoff, vice
president of membership. “And if they get a business card, then the business
member will be entered into a raffle drawing. So that's always just kind of a
fun little thing.”

The Chamber ambassadors, who will be representing the
organization during the event, are a vital part of the Chamber,&nbsp;Meyerhoff said, and
often serve as the public relations arm of the organization.

“The Chamber could not do what we do without our wonderful
group of 50 ambassadors,” she said. “They are absolutely amazing, absolutely amazing. They're there to be ready pretty much whenever the need
arises for them to do things. And so, we really appreciate that they'll be able
to take any of those comments back to the Chamber.”

Along with visiting with the businesses and replacing Chamber membership decals, they will also be collecting donations for the Chamber’s
upcoming golf tournament.

“Last year, as we were doing the Stepping Out, we kind of
just started talking to some businesses and said, ‘Well, let's just ask while
we're here instead of making a second trip,’ and said, ‘You know, the golf
tournament is coming up. Do you have any item you'd like to donate for the
auction? We're looking for items,’ ” Giess said. “And a lot of businesses were
like, yes, some of them gave them to us right away. Some said, 'Yes, come back,
we're definitely going to donate something.'

“And so, we really wanted to push that further this year,”
she continued, “and start early, letting those businesses know that when we're
in there doing the Stepping Out and putting up their decal. That is their
opportunity, if they have an item they want to donate for the auction, we can
take it right away that day and not have to make another trip back.”

For those members in service industries who would still
like to donate, Giess said cash donations can also be accepted. Those donations
will be used to buy raffle items from other Chamber members.

“We will take that around town to businesses and buy gift packages or gift cards and things like that that can be used at the
auction,” Giess said. “So your business does not have to have an item necessarily,
they can do a monetary donation, and we will go buy something for the auction.”

Last year, “they were able to put some really nice gift baskets
together,” Meyerhoff said. “And it would say on the online website who
sponsored that gift.”

And while the donations can be a fun way to participate, they
serve a vital need for the organization.

“A lot of people don't understand 55 percent of the
Chamber's budget comes from membership dues,” Meyerhoff said. “The other 45
percent comes from non-dues revenue, such as the sponsorship. The Chamber does
not receive any annual fund funds from the city, the county, the state or
federal. So having these types of events be profitable is imperative for our budget,
and allows us to keep doing the great things that we're doing at the chamber.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646533751009.jpeg" alt="This week the Hays Chamber will be "stepping out" to replace their member decals around the city of Hays. (Courtesy photo)" />
 <figcaption>This week the Hays Chamber will be "stepping out" to replace their member decals around the city of Hays. (Courtesy photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostRepresentatives from the Hays chamber will be out and about
this week for the annual Stepping Out Day.From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., chamber ambassadors will be stopping
by member businesses to change out their decals from the year before, visiting
each business in person.“You’re into those businesses, you're talking to people,”
said Chamber Ambassador LaVonne Giess. “Everybody's super friendly. Let's take the old
decal off, put the new one on. Sometimes it's a trick to find it. Sometimes
it's right upfront. But it is it's always a nice time to get out of the
office.”<div><iframe title="Hays Chamber visiting business this week" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=hwbzw-11c26e6-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>This year, the members will also be collecting entries for a
raffle.“When they go into the businesses, not only do they give
them a decal, but they also ask for a business card,” said Rhonda Meyerhoff, vice
president of membership. “And if they get a business card, then the business
member will be entered into a raffle drawing. So that's always just kind of a
fun little thing.”The Chamber ambassadors, who will be representing the
organization during the event, are a vital part of the Chamber,&nbsp;Meyerhoff said, and
often serve as the public relations arm of the organization.“The Chamber could not do what we do without our wonderful
group of 50 ambassadors,” she said. “They are absolutely amazing, absolutely amazing. They're there to be ready pretty much whenever the need
arises for them to do things. And so, we really appreciate that they'll be able
to take any of those comments back to the Chamber.”Along with visiting with the businesses and replacing Chamber membership decals, they will also be collecting donations for the Chamber’s
upcoming golf tournament.“Last year, as we were doing the Stepping Out, we kind of
just started talking to some businesses and said, ‘Well, let's just ask while
we're here instead of making a second trip,’ and said, ‘You know, the golf
tournament is coming up. Do you have any item you'd like to donate for the
auction? We're looking for items,’ ” Giess said. “And a lot of businesses were
like, yes, some of them gave them to us right away. Some said, 'Yes, come back,
we're definitely going to donate something.'<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588269644630.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“And so, we really wanted to push that further this year,”
she continued, “and start early, letting those businesses know that when we're
in there doing the Stepping Out and putting up their decal. That is their
opportunity, if they have an item they want to donate for the auction, we can
take it right away that day and not have to make another trip back.”For those members in service industries who would still
like to donate, Giess said cash donations can also be accepted. Those donations
will be used to buy raffle items from other Chamber members.“We will take that around town to businesses and buy gift packages or gift cards and things like that that can be used at the
auction,” Giess said. “So your business does not have to have an item necessarily,
they can do a monetary donation, and we will go buy something for the auction.”Last year, “they were able to put some really nice gift baskets
together,” Meyerhoff said. “And it would say on the online website who
sponsored that gift.”And while the donations can be a fun way to participate, they
serve a vital need for the organization.“A lot of people don't understand 55 percent of the
Chamber's budget comes from membership dues,” Meyerhoff said. “The other 45
percent comes from non-dues revenue, such as the sponsorship. The Chamber does
not receive any annual fund funds from the city, the county, the state or
federal. So having these types of events be profitable is imperative for our budget,
and allows us to keep doing the great things that we're doing at the chamber.”

🎙 Hays Chamber 'steps out' to visit Hays businesses

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams shares information about the ongoing work around Interstate 70, exit 157.

<div><iframe title="Infrastructure around I-70 exit key to development" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=qkbk4-11c25db-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast, Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams shares information about the ongoing work around Interstate 70, exit 157.

🎙Post Podcast: Infrastructure around I-70 exit key to development

On this episode of the Post Podcast Hays dentists, Jon Kinderknect and Jarrod Jones stop by to speak about the upcoming Kansas Mission of Mercy dental clinic.

<div><iframe title="Free dental clinic coming to Hays in March" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=kpu8e-11c25ce-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast Hays dentists, Jon Kinderknect and Jarrod Jones stop by to speak about the upcoming Kansas Mission of Mercy dental clinic.

🎙Post Podcast: Free dental clinic coming to Hays in March

While the current situation in Ukraine has dominated domestic and
international headlines in recent weeks, one Fort Hays State University expert
said the conflict is less a standalone event and more of an escalation of hostilities.


Along with her academic expertise as a historian of central and eastern
Europe, Amber Nickell, associate professor of history, also spent time living in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled
to and from the country for research since 2018.

While half a world away, she said there are parallels to the people
of Ukraine and those living in the area.

“Ukrainians are extremely resilient, very hard-working,”
Nickell said. “And it definitely reminds me of some of the hard-working folks
here in Kansas, that you know, are pulling themselves up and doing what it
takes to get things done. And we're definitely seeing that in Ukraine right
now, as Ukrainians are fighting against Russian aggression.”

And much like the Kansas farmers who help drive local economies,
Ukrainians also rely on agriculture, with corn, wheat and seed oils among their
top five exports.

“Ukraine has a large swath is what of what is known black
earth territory,” Nickell said. “And this is soil that is so nutrient-rich that it can give two crops per season as opposed to one. And so, for those
folks out there that are working in agriculture, know that there are many
Ukrainians out there just like you spending their days in the fields. This is
this is part of who they are.”

Now with the recent conflict escalation, those people are
fighting for their county, but she said current hostilities are only the most
recent in a long history of Russian interference in the county.

“For some time, Ukrainians have been trying to fight Russian
aggression,” Nickell said. “And we can really reach back pretty far in the
historical narrative, all the way back to the violent escalation inside of
independent Ukraine in the interwar and Bolsheviks, kind of forcibly placing
power over the Ukrainian population.

“But in the more recent memory, Ukraine has been illegally
occupied since 2014, in both Crimea and the Donbass region which is Luhansk,
and Donetsk. Here, Russians have backed so-called separatists and well over
4,000 Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have died in this conflict since 2014.”

While the conflict might be an old one, in the last week the
conflict has become decidedly more pronounced. 

“Things have definitely escalated exponentially in the past
five days,” Nickell said. “The emails and messages and Facebook messages that
I'm getting from my friends and colleagues in Ukraine are heartbreaking. Bombs dropping on their neighborhoods in their communities, children
doing kindergarten underground and bunkers, folks fleeing to the borders
looking for any chance to help their families survive. ... It's
heartbreaking to see the escalation these past few days.”

Along with the similarities of the people of Ukraine, she
said the country is like the U.S. — multiracial, with populations living in the
country from around the globe.

"It is, in very many ways, a civic nation, much like us here,
where you can be a citizen of the United States, regardless of where you come
from,” Nickell said. “And you can have that patriotism and sense of belonging
really, regardless of what languages you speak.”

And so, while Russian language and culture might remain prevalent
in Ukraine, the sense of self-determination is also a large part of the society.

“Much like me sitting here, I have family from Poland, but I
am an American citizen,” Nickell said. “And so that is something that I think
we need to think about a little closely when we're listening to some of the
media that is coming out of these places.”

The trend toward simplicity in reporting from the region,
she added, can create an understanding that does not fully reflect national
complexities. 

“I think often folks think that Ukraine is just this small
country out in the middle of nowhere,” Nickell said. “And I've definitely heard
those things said. But it isn't a small country. It isn't in the middle of
nowhere.”

The size of the nation itself is important for a good
understanding of the situation and relevant to the desire of Russia to increase
their sphere of influence in Ukraine.

“It is the largest country entirely in Europe. It's bigger
than Germany. It's bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's bigger than
the UK. And so, we're talking about a very, very large swath of territory,
we're talking a couple Kansases, for those that are thinking about size relative
to where they are,” Nickell said. “It is geopolitically important for both the
Kremlin and for the European Union because of this relative size.”

The country is also a regional economic power, that despite
ongoing conflicts, has seen growth in recent years.

“(It’s a) massive economy,” Nickell said. “A very vibrant tech
sector is emerging from Ukraine, especially in the past six or so years. ...
They also have a very large education sector that they are building. They are
exporters of various raw materials, perhaps the most beautiful, and maybe I'm
biased, is amber. But this is something that they are building and they're
working very hard to build this economy, despite the fact that it was decimated
in 2014, in the wake of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan">Euromaidan</a>, and despite the fact that their former
president absconded with almost the entirety of the National Treasury when he
left in 2014.”

The size, location and economic value of Ukraine is a
primary driver of the desire of Russian to control the country, in part or in
whole, and she said is an important buffer between NATO-allied countries and Russia.

“One of my scholarly colleagues by the name of Serhii&nbsp;Plokhy, he has called Ukraine the gates of Europe,” Nickell said. “And I think this
is a really apt description, because it is the gates of Europe and Mr. Putin is
afraid that those gates will come flooding open and European ideas, and what
are perceived as Western ideas, like democracy will flood into Russian
territory.

“And so I think he sees this as strategically a place to try
to cut those ideas from flooding over,” she said. “So that location is very,
very important. And, of course, it is bordering several NATO countries.”

Putin’s invoking of NATO creeping into the area is also a misrepresentation
of the situation, Nickell said.

“I think it's important when we're listening to the news and
thinking about these things, you're going to hear several people say that Mr.
Putin is worried about NATO coming to his doorstep. I encourage you to open a
map of NATO. You will see that NATO is already on his doorstep in the Baltics
and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, so he does have NATO countries already
bordering Russia. So much of this is just rhetoric.”

But while the rhetoric coming out of the Russian government
has been presented around the globe, Nickell said the situation has shown even
within the country Putin’s messaging has been increasing scrutinized.

“I think we're seeing definitely over the past five days
that some of our assumptions about some of these things are breaking down,” she
said. “If you would have asked me five days ago about the extent of Putin's
propaganda machine and its success, I might have thought it to be a little bit
more successful than we're finding out it actually is. The propaganda is
breaking down on the ground. Russians are coming out into the streets in the
thousands, despite the very literal threat to their personal livelihoods to
protest this. They're getting arrested. They're getting disappeared.”

Further, as those protests are occurring in the light of a “very
sophisticated propaganda machine” and the heavy clampdown on the public sphere,
showing complexity and divergence of thought within the region that highlights
potential threats to Putin.

“Much of this is also just kind of in rooted in an autocrats' attempt to maintain power,” Nickell said. “And, really, I think he's afraid
right now.”

Specifically, she said he seems to fear a growing trend
toward democracy on Russia’s doorstep.

While Ukraine continues the fight to fend off Russian
forces, Nickell said the Ukrainian response has come as
surprising to Putin and his allies.

“We have evidence, empirical evidence at this point, he
thought that this was going to go very differently,” she said. “He was under
the impression that Russia would arrive and then Ukraine would capitulate
within three days. We know these to be facts, because the Wayback Machine, which
Putin tried to prevent from having access to Russian media outlets, caught
something that was supposed to go out 48 hours ago, with pictures and
everything, announcing that Ukraine had capitulated. And that is not what
happened.

“So here we are. We're two days after that (and) Ukraine is
fighting hard. And the world is seeing the propaganda machine for what it is.”

A large part of that propaganda perpetuated by Putin, is
based on “entangled history,” Nickell said. But is not actually rooted in
historical fact.

He often tries to use the shared history “as a way to depict
both entities as the same thing, when in fact, they are different, but related
things and the true heirs to Kievan Rus’ are not only Russians, but also Bella
Russians and Ukrainians, all distinct separate national identities and now
distinct sovereign nation states,” Nickell said.

While, historically, borders have shifted as the result of conflicts
and wars in Europe, Ukrainian borders as they are now formed after World War
Two.

“It's important that we understand that all of this rhetoric
coming from the Kremlin, that Ukraine was always part of Russia is just that
Ukraine is composed of parts of several different empires, be it Polish, be it Ottoman,
be it Russian, be it Austrian,” Nickell said. “And so, it really is this place
for many places, and not necessarily something that was Russian, and then
became something else after.

While the lines were formalized in more recent history, they
stem from movements in the 17th to 20th centuries.

“There's an independent Ukraine that emerges in 1917-1918,”
Nickell said. “There's a brief moment in which they are kind of put down or
pacified. And then they emerge as an independent Ukraine again shortly after
that. This is short-lived, because unlike our war for independence, where we
succeeded in gaining our independence from an imperial power, they did not
succeed in gaining their independence from an imperial power. The Bolsheviks
violently pacified Ukraine, they murdered millions in the process of doing
this and incorporated Ukraine into the Soviet Union. And so that's how Ukraine
gets into the Soviet Union.”

Ukraine would function as a part of the Soviet Union until
1991.

“But there was always kind of an undercurrent or demand for
Ukrainian independence,” Nickell said. “This is hard to do in a totalitarian
state, to come out and be like 'I want to independent state,' but there were
always those ideas and cultures of Ukrainian independence. And as they steadily
marched closer and closer to the collapse of communism, you saw them become
more overt in these calls.”

After the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainians voted for
their independence.

But in doing so, they found themselves in a precarious situation
that was the impetus behind a meeting in Budapest in 1994.

“It's here that Yeltsin, that leaders of the United States,
leaders of the U.K., and leaders of Ukraine all came together to discuss one of
the biggest issues facing independent Ukraine,” Nickell said. “And that was the
fact that they were sitting on top of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the
world. And we wanted to denuclearize. We were moving away from the Cold War
world, and that we put full faith in Russia and full faith in ourselves that
we would begin this process of disarming our nukes.

“As a Colorado girl,” she continued, “I watched that process
unfold at home. ... Ukraine agreed to this, that they
would give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for one thing — that Russia and
the United States acknowledged their territorial sovereignty and promise to
protect it. So, we are right now contractually obligated to protect Ukrainian
sovereignty, though much of our conversation has been about NATO. And Russia is
also contractually obligated to do so. And this is kind of a little bit of a
lesson and Putin's promises.”

As elections in Ukraine yielded pro-Russian and more pro-democratic
leaders, tensions with Russia would come to a head in 2014 with the
Euromaidan.

“Maidan is just the word for Square in Ukrainian, which is
why Ukrainians call this the Revolution of Dignity, because this was the moment
that they claimed back their dignity from the state,” Nickell said. “And they
demanded democratic policies.”

Despite the desire of the people to live in a democratic
system, the president at the time desired to bring Ukraine closer to Russia.

“And so, he essentially sicced the secret police on the
population that was protesting,” Nickell said. "(A) little over 100 individuals
were murdered ruthlessly in the streets of Kiev protesting. And today
Ukrainians call them the Heavenly 100.”

The timing of those deaths corresponds with the Russian annexation
of Crimea, something she attributes to Putin, or at least on his behalf. Soon
after as a democratic election was underway, he took advantage of the situation
to invade Crimea.

It was at this time he “also began the process of backing so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine in two regions called Donetsk and Luhansk,”
Nickell said. “And they're kind of the equivalent to states here in the United
States. And this has been ongoing since 2014. Well, over 4,000 Ukrainians have
died in this war and war has been part of their everyday lives since."

Until recently, military action has been confined to those
two regions.

“And Mr. Putin has at least maintained the facade of nonintervention
in the eastern kind of crisis in Luhansk and Donetsk, the war of aggression
there,” Nickell said. “However, over the past five days, we've seen this rapid
escalation there. ... There is no more facade. Mr. Putin is
sending in troops, he is sending in tanks, he is sending in planes, he is using
weapons that even here we consider violations of human rights. And so, this is
a violent, violent escalation that most of us hoped that we would not be coming
to.”

And while allegiances in those regions created complex international
relations, Ukrainian borders had been clearly set, she said.

As a historian, Nickell said she has no ability to predict
what the outcome of the conflict might be, but fears the situation will not be
quickly resolved.

“What I can say is based off of what has been occurring so
far and the ratcheting up of violence, I do think this will be a very long and
protracted — like very long — conflict,” Nickell said. “And given Putin's general
approach to Ukraine over the past 15 years or so, I do think that he will continue to fight&nbsp; (and) Ukrainians will continue to resist. This is something I
can say, I think, with some level of certainty.”

But she is encouraged by internal action to stop Russian
aggression.

“Some of the rhetoric inside of us inside of the Russian
Federation is really starting to break down his grip on power, I think
protests out of Belarus in 2020 and again, this week, protests in Kazakhstan,
all of these areas surrounding the Russian Federation, as well as inside where
there are calls for democracy calls for an open public sphere calls for
transparency,” Nickell said. “I think this is where our best hope lies, this
would be the most ideal outcome, that democratic ideas overturn autocratic
ideas.”

“But other than that,” she continued “I don't I don't know
what comes next. I do know that the people of Ukraine need our support, they
need our voices, they need anything that we can send their way. Call your
congresspeople, do what you can do your bit. And this is a place that does
their bit. So do your bit and make change.”

Nickell is scheduled to speak on this topic at the Hays
Public Library at 10 a.m. Thursday. The public is invited to attend.

The meeting is also scheduled to live stream on the library Facebook page,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary">facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary</a>.

<div><iframe title="Area Ukraine expert shares insights into situation; history" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=d3fid-11bd71a-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostWhile the current situation in Ukraine has dominated domestic and
international headlines in recent weeks, one Fort Hays State University expert
said the conflict is less a standalone event and more of an escalation of hostilities.
Along with her academic expertise as a historian of central and eastern
Europe, Amber Nickell, associate professor of history, also spent time living in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled
to and from the country for research since 2018.While half a world away, she said there are parallels to the people
of Ukraine and those living in the area.“Ukrainians are extremely resilient, very hard-working,”
Nickell said. “And it definitely reminds me of some of the hard-working folks
here in Kansas, that you know, are pulling themselves up and doing what it
takes to get things done. And we're definitely seeing that in Ukraine right
now, as Ukrainians are fighting against Russian aggression.”And much like the Kansas farmers who help drive local economies,
Ukrainians also rely on agriculture, with corn, wheat and seed oils among their
top five exports.“Ukraine has a large swath is what of what is known black
earth territory,” Nickell said. “And this is soil that is so nutrient-rich that it can give two crops per season as opposed to one. And so, for those
folks out there that are working in agriculture, know that there are many
Ukrainians out there just like you spending their days in the fields. This is
this is part of who they are.”Now with the recent conflict escalation, those people are
fighting for their county, but she said current hostilities are only the most
recent in a long history of Russian interference in the county.“For some time, Ukrainians have been trying to fight Russian
aggression,” Nickell said. “And we can really reach back pretty far in the
historical narrative, all the way back to the violent escalation inside of
independent Ukraine in the interwar and Bolsheviks, kind of forcibly placing
power over the Ukrainian population.“But in the more recent memory, Ukraine has been illegally
occupied since 2014, in both Crimea and the Donbass region which is Luhansk,
and Donetsk. Here, Russians have backed so-called separatists and well over
4,000 Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have died in this conflict since 2014.”While the conflict might be an old one, in the last week the
conflict has become decidedly more pronounced. “Things have definitely escalated exponentially in the past
five days,” Nickell said. “The emails and messages and Facebook messages that
I'm getting from my friends and colleagues in Ukraine are heartbreaking. Bombs dropping on their neighborhoods in their communities, children
doing kindergarten underground and bunkers, folks fleeing to the borders
looking for any chance to help their families survive. ... It's
heartbreaking to see the escalation these past few days.”<h2>A civic nation</h2>Along with the similarities of the people of Ukraine, she
said the country is like the U.S. — multiracial, with populations living in the
country from around the globe."It is, in very many ways, a civic nation, much like us here,
where you can be a citizen of the United States, regardless of where you come
from,” Nickell said. “And you can have that patriotism and sense of belonging
really, regardless of what languages you speak.”And so, while Russian language and culture might remain prevalent
in Ukraine, the sense of self-determination is also a large part of the society.“Much like me sitting here, I have family from Poland, but I
am an American citizen,” Nickell said. “And so that is something that I think
we need to think about a little closely when we're listening to some of the
media that is coming out of these places.”The trend toward simplicity in reporting from the region,
she added, can create an understanding that does not fully reflect national
complexities. “I think often folks think that Ukraine is just this small
country out in the middle of nowhere,” Nickell said. “And I've definitely heard
those things said. But it isn't a small country. It isn't in the middle of
nowhere.”The size of the nation itself is important for a good
understanding of the situation and relevant to the desire of Russia to increase
their sphere of influence in Ukraine.“It is the largest country entirely in Europe. It's bigger
than Germany. It's bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's bigger than
the UK. And so, we're talking about a very, very large swath of territory,
we're talking a couple Kansases, for those that are thinking about size relative
to where they are,” Nickell said. “It is geopolitically important for both the
Kremlin and for the European Union because of this relative size.”The country is also a regional economic power, that despite
ongoing conflicts, has seen growth in recent years.“(It’s a) massive economy,” Nickell said. “A very vibrant tech
sector is emerging from Ukraine, especially in the past six or so years. ...
They also have a very large education sector that they are building. They are
exporters of various raw materials, perhaps the most beautiful, and maybe I'm
biased, is amber. But this is something that they are building and they're
working very hard to build this economy, despite the fact that it was decimated
in 2014, in the wake of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan">Euromaidan</a>, and despite the fact that their former
president absconded with almost the entirety of the National Treasury when he
left in 2014.”<h2>Why it matters</h2>The size, location and economic value of Ukraine is a
primary driver of the desire of Russian to control the country, in part or in
whole, and she said is an important buffer between NATO-allied countries and Russia.“One of my scholarly colleagues by the name of Serhii&nbsp;Plokhy, he has called Ukraine the gates of Europe,” Nickell said. “And I think this
is a really apt description, because it is the gates of Europe and Mr. Putin is
afraid that those gates will come flooding open and European ideas, and what
are perceived as Western ideas, like democracy will flood into Russian
territory.“And so I think he sees this as strategically a place to try
to cut those ideas from flooding over,” she said. “So that location is very,
very important. And, of course, it is bordering several NATO countries.”Putin’s invoking of NATO creeping into the area is also a misrepresentation
of the situation, Nickell said.“I think it's important when we're listening to the news and
thinking about these things, you're going to hear several people say that Mr.
Putin is worried about NATO coming to his doorstep. I encourage you to open a
map of NATO. You will see that NATO is already on his doorstep in the Baltics
and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, so he does have NATO countries already
bordering Russia. So much of this is just rhetoric.”But while the rhetoric coming out of the Russian government
has been presented around the globe, Nickell said the situation has shown even
within the country Putin’s messaging has been increasing scrutinized.“I think we're seeing definitely over the past five days
that some of our assumptions about some of these things are breaking down,” she
said. “If you would have asked me five days ago about the extent of Putin's
propaganda machine and its success, I might have thought it to be a little bit
more successful than we're finding out it actually is. The propaganda is
breaking down on the ground. Russians are coming out into the streets in the
thousands, despite the very literal threat to their personal livelihoods to
protest this. They're getting arrested. They're getting disappeared.”Further, as those protests are occurring in the light of a “very
sophisticated propaganda machine” and the heavy clampdown on the public sphere,
showing complexity and divergence of thought within the region that highlights
potential threats to Putin.“Much of this is also just kind of in rooted in an autocrats' attempt to maintain power,” Nickell said. “And, really, I think he's afraid
right now.”Specifically, she said he seems to fear a growing trend
toward democracy on Russia’s doorstep.<h2>The conflict</h2>While Ukraine continues the fight to fend off Russian
forces, Nickell said the Ukrainian response has come as
surprising to Putin and his allies.“We have evidence, empirical evidence at this point, he
thought that this was going to go very differently,” she said. “He was under
the impression that Russia would arrive and then Ukraine would capitulate
within three days. We know these to be facts, because the Wayback Machine, which
Putin tried to prevent from having access to Russian media outlets, caught
something that was supposed to go out 48 hours ago, with pictures and
everything, announcing that Ukraine had capitulated. And that is not what
happened.“So here we are. We're two days after that (and) Ukraine is
fighting hard. And the world is seeing the propaganda machine for what it is.”A large part of that propaganda perpetuated by Putin, is
based on “entangled history,” Nickell said. But is not actually rooted in
historical fact.He often tries to use the shared history “as a way to depict
both entities as the same thing, when in fact, they are different, but related
things and the true heirs to Kievan Rus’ are not only Russians, but also Bella
Russians and Ukrainians, all distinct separate national identities and now
distinct sovereign nation states,” Nickell said.While, historically, borders have shifted as the result of conflicts
and wars in Europe, Ukrainian borders as they are now formed after World War
Two.“It's important that we understand that all of this rhetoric
coming from the Kremlin, that Ukraine was always part of Russia is just that
Ukraine is composed of parts of several different empires, be it Polish, be it Ottoman,
be it Russian, be it Austrian,” Nickell said. “And so, it really is this place
for many places, and not necessarily something that was Russian, and then
became something else after.While the lines were formalized in more recent history, they
stem from movements in the 17th to 20th centuries.“There's an independent Ukraine that emerges in 1917-1918,”
Nickell said. “There's a brief moment in which they are kind of put down or
pacified. And then they emerge as an independent Ukraine again shortly after
that. This is short-lived, because unlike our war for independence, where we
succeeded in gaining our independence from an imperial power, they did not
succeed in gaining their independence from an imperial power. The Bolsheviks
violently pacified Ukraine, they murdered millions in the process of doing
this and incorporated Ukraine into the Soviet Union. And so that's how Ukraine
gets into the Soviet Union.”Ukraine would function as a part of the Soviet Union until
1991.“But there was always kind of an undercurrent or demand for
Ukrainian independence,” Nickell said. “This is hard to do in a totalitarian
state, to come out and be like 'I want to independent state,' but there were
always those ideas and cultures of Ukrainian independence. And as they steadily
marched closer and closer to the collapse of communism, you saw them become
more overt in these calls.”After the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainians voted for
their independence.But in doing so, they found themselves in a precarious situation
that was the impetus behind a meeting in Budapest in 1994.“It's here that Yeltsin, that leaders of the United States,
leaders of the U.K., and leaders of Ukraine all came together to discuss one of
the biggest issues facing independent Ukraine,” Nickell said. “And that was the
fact that they were sitting on top of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the
world. And we wanted to denuclearize. We were moving away from the Cold War
world, and that we put full faith in Russia and full faith in ourselves that
we would begin this process of disarming our nukes.“As a Colorado girl,” she continued, “I watched that process
unfold at home. ... Ukraine agreed to this, that they
would give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for one thing — that Russia and
the United States acknowledged their territorial sovereignty and promise to
protect it. So, we are right now contractually obligated to protect Ukrainian
sovereignty, though much of our conversation has been about NATO. And Russia is
also contractually obligated to do so. And this is kind of a little bit of a
lesson and Putin's promises.”<h2>The conflict heats up</h2>As elections in Ukraine yielded pro-Russian and more pro-democratic
leaders, tensions with Russia would come to a head in 2014 with the
Euromaidan.“Maidan is just the word for Square in Ukrainian, which is
why Ukrainians call this the Revolution of Dignity, because this was the moment
that they claimed back their dignity from the state,” Nickell said. “And they
demanded democratic policies.”Despite the desire of the people to live in a democratic
system, the president at the time desired to bring Ukraine closer to Russia.“And so, he essentially sicced the secret police on the
population that was protesting,” Nickell said. "(A) little over 100 individuals
were murdered ruthlessly in the streets of Kiev protesting. And today
Ukrainians call them the Heavenly 100.”The timing of those deaths corresponds with the Russian annexation
of Crimea, something she attributes to Putin, or at least on his behalf. Soon
after as a democratic election was underway, he took advantage of the situation
to invade Crimea.It was at this time he “also began the process of backing so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine in two regions called Donetsk and Luhansk,”
Nickell said. “And they're kind of the equivalent to states here in the United
States. And this has been ongoing since 2014. Well, over 4,000 Ukrainians have
died in this war and war has been part of their everyday lives since."Until recently, military action has been confined to those
two regions.“And Mr. Putin has at least maintained the facade of nonintervention
in the eastern kind of crisis in Luhansk and Donetsk, the war of aggression
there,” Nickell said. “However, over the past five days, we've seen this rapid
escalation there. ... There is no more facade. Mr. Putin is
sending in troops, he is sending in tanks, he is sending in planes, he is using
weapons that even here we consider violations of human rights. And so, this is
a violent, violent escalation that most of us hoped that we would not be coming
to.”And while allegiances in those regions created complex international
relations, Ukrainian borders had been clearly set, she said.As a historian, Nickell said she has no ability to predict
what the outcome of the conflict might be, but fears the situation will not be
quickly resolved.“What I can say is based off of what has been occurring so
far and the ratcheting up of violence, I do think this will be a very long and
protracted — like very long — conflict,” Nickell said. “And given Putin's general
approach to Ukraine over the past 15 years or so, I do think that he will continue to fight&nbsp; (and) Ukrainians will continue to resist. This is something I
can say, I think, with some level of certainty.”But she is encouraged by internal action to stop Russian
aggression.“Some of the rhetoric inside of us inside of the Russian
Federation is really starting to break down his grip on power, I think
protests out of Belarus in 2020 and again, this week, protests in Kazakhstan,
all of these areas surrounding the Russian Federation, as well as inside where
there are calls for democracy calls for an open public sphere calls for
transparency,” Nickell said. “I think this is where our best hope lies, this
would be the most ideal outcome, that democratic ideas overturn autocratic
ideas.”“But other than that,” she continued “I don't I don't know
what comes next. I do know that the people of Ukraine need our support, they
need our voices, they need anything that we can send their way. Call your
congresspeople, do what you can do your bit. And this is a place that does
their bit. So do your bit and make change.”Nickell is scheduled to speak on this topic at the Hays
Public Library at 10 a.m. Thursday. The public is invited to attend.The meeting is also scheduled to live stream on the library Facebook page,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary">facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary</a>.

🎙 'Democratic ideas overturn autocratic ideas': FHSU professor shares insights into Ukraine

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Convention and Visitor's Bureau executive director Melissa Dixon along with Kurt Martin from Canterbury Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery share information about the upcoming Kansas Mission of Mercy free dental clinic in Hays.&nbsp;

<div><iframe title="Upcoming free dental clinic benefits area in variety of ways" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=53zj3-11bbc8b-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Convention and Visitor's Bureau executive director Melissa Dixon along with Kurt Martin from Canterbury Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery share information about the upcoming Kansas Mission of Mercy free dental clinic in Hays.&nbsp;

🎙Post Podcast: Upcoming free dental clinic benefits area in variety of ways

After being impacted by the pandemic last year, the annual
Downtown Hays Development Corporation fundraiser Brews on the Bricks is set
to return to downtown Hays this spring.

“It's going to be on May 7, back to the first Saturday of May,
where it's supposed to be, back where it belongs, when it's not too hot, not
too cold,” said Executive Director Sara Bloom. “We won't be ice skating and we
won't be melting.”

The event features breweries from around the region, allowing
local residents to sample a diverse range of styles of beer from across the
U.S.

“We are hoping to get different brewers in this year,” said
Allie Glidewell, director of events and operations. “We're reaching out to all
the usual cohorts.”

She said they are working with local brewers as well to help
generate an expanded interest for the event.

“Gella’s and Defiance are setting up at a Beer Expo at the
beginning of March,” Glidewell said. “And so we'll be passing out information
about Brews on the Bricks, then to all the brewers in the hope that we keep
things fresh, keeps some new things in there. So that should be really fun and
exciting to see who that brings out.”

But a special effort to reach out to Kansas brewers is ongoing
as well.

“There's almost 70 breweries in Kansas alone, which is
pretty incredible,” Bloom said. “We also sent out save the date postcards to
every single one of them last week, we're sending emails out to every single
one of them trying to get them to register early.

“We're working really hard to get as many breweries here
into downtown Hays as possible,” she said.

With the event now back to a spring date, Bloom also said
finding food vendors should also be easier, providing even more to offer during
the event.

“When we when we had it last year, August is just a really
busy time (when) we had it,” Bloom said. "School was already back in session. ... Fairs were happening across the area, so that really hindered food trucks.”

While the shift last year had caused a shift in the event, one
positive outcome was a better balance was found in ticket sales, she said.

“We're selling the exact same amount of tickets that we sold
last year, which is around the 1,500 mark,” Bloom said. During “the event from
2019, before the pandemic, we sold closer to 2,500. So, there's 1,000 less
tickets available.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645822231687.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Brews set to once again flow on the Bricks this spring" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=kp22b-11b8485-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostAfter being impacted by the pandemic last year, the annual
Downtown Hays Development Corporation fundraiser Brews on the Bricks is set
to return to downtown Hays this spring.“It's going to be on May 7, back to the first Saturday of May,
where it's supposed to be, back where it belongs, when it's not too hot, not
too cold,” said Executive Director Sara Bloom. “We won't be ice skating and we
won't be melting.”The event features breweries from around the region, allowing
local residents to sample a diverse range of styles of beer from across the
U.S.“We are hoping to get different brewers in this year,” said
Allie Glidewell, director of events and operations. “We're reaching out to all
the usual cohorts.”She said they are working with local brewers as well to help
generate an expanded interest for the event.“Gella’s and Defiance are setting up at a Beer Expo at the
beginning of March,” Glidewell said. “And so we'll be passing out information
about Brews on the Bricks, then to all the brewers in the hope that we keep
things fresh, keeps some new things in there. So that should be really fun and
exciting to see who that brings out.”But a special effort to reach out to Kansas brewers is ongoing
as well.“There's almost 70 breweries in Kansas alone, which is
pretty incredible,” Bloom said. “We also sent out save the date postcards to
every single one of them last week, we're sending emails out to every single
one of them trying to get them to register early.“We're working really hard to get as many breweries here
into downtown Hays as possible,” she said.With the event now back to a spring date, Bloom also said
finding food vendors should also be easier, providing even more to offer during
the event.“When we when we had it last year, August is just a really
busy time (when) we had it,” Bloom said. "School was already back in session. ... Fairs were happening across the area, so that really hindered food trucks.”While the shift last year had caused a shift in the event, one
positive outcome was a better balance was found in ticket sales, she said.“We're selling the exact same amount of tickets that we sold
last year, which is around the 1,500 mark,” Bloom said. During “the event from
2019, before the pandemic, we sold closer to 2,500. So, there's 1,000 less
tickets available.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645822219569.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Last year, the drop in tickets was an effort to reduce COVID
risks, but it was accepted positively overall.“We had such great feedback. ... This is
the perfect size. These were the perfect line lengths. It just felt really good,”
Bloom said. “So, we're going to maintain that at around 1,500 tickets this year.
So that means there's not very many tickets. ... They're going to go very fast.”Tickets are set to go on sale Tuesday at 7 a.m.., both online and in the office.She said general admission tickets are likely to sell out before
the event, but VIP are expected to sell out in hours.“There's only 250 VIP tickets. So again, VIP is going to go
very quickly,” Bloom said. “It sells out within that those first couple of
hours of tickets going on sale. So, you need to be ready to purchase at 7 a.m.”VIP tickets allow the participants are a variety of extras during
the event and run $80.“That gets you nice swag,” Bloom said. “It gets you in an
hour and a half early, so you don't have to fight the crowds and no lines. It
gets you a very nice spread of food that we bring in for you from restaurants
all over downtown.”General admission tickets run $40 and will run from 2 p.m.
to 5 p.m.“So, you still get three hours of tasting, there will still
be some food available, and we'll have a DD booth for those that don't want to
drink or if you need some water or you need to take a break from the beer while
you're there,” Bloom said. “We'll have all that for you. We'll have some music
playing. We'll have some games that up. Lots of fun happening.”While planning continues, she said the DHDC is also
continuing the search for event sponsors.“Even as low as I think $20 is our lowest sponsorship level,”
Bloom said.“It is great exposure,” Glidewell said. “So, all the way up
to the $600 level and anywhere in between we always find a way to make it worth
your while whether it's signage or what have you.”Event volunteers are also needed.<a href="https://www.brewsonthebricks.info/">For more about Brews on the Bricks, visit brewsonthebricks.info.</a>