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University of Kansas, Kansas State University partner on Sunflower State Tour for prospective students
LAWRENCE — In a partnership to share information about admissions and scholarship processes with high school and transfer students, the University of Kansas and Kansas State University will host the Sunflower State Tour from Sept. 8 to 11 in seven Kansas cities: Emporia, Liberal, Humboldt, Dodge City, Wichita, Colby and Phillipsburg.
Study traces history of legislation to help low-income households pay for energy
LAWRENCE — As extreme temperatures drive energy bills higher, low-income households increasingly face utility shutoff. Policy addressing such energy insecurity has traditionally been viewed as the domain of poverty law, but new research from the University of Kansas proposes it should be a more central part of energy law. The article published in the journal Environmental Law traces the history of legislation that assists with home energy bills and outlines how energy and poverty law could work together to ensure better energy insecurity policy.
Prison to possibility: KU TRIO program helps incarcerated individuals rebuild through education
LAWRENCE — The TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers, a program within the Center for Educational Opportunity Programs at the University of Kansas, is working to make reentry to society easier through education, support and connections. Melody Lawrence, a TRIO EOC academic adviser, works with the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex to create pathways to education for inmates seeking a fresh start.
Center for Community Outreach to host annual Super Service Saturday
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Center for Community Outreach is preparing to host its annual Super Service Saturday on Aug. 23. Jayhawk volunteers will travel to nonprofit service sites and assemble sustainable pet toys for donation to the Lawrence Humane Society. In 2024, more than 230 student volunteers traveled to 21 nonprofit service sites, contributing an estimated $22,000 in economic impact to the community.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Kaylin Burris, Enrollment Management, kaylin.burris@ku.edu
University of Kansas, Kansas State University partner on Sunflower State Tour for prospective students
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas and Kansas State University will host the Sunflower State Tour from Sept. 8 to 11 in seven Kansas cities: Emporia, Liberal, Humboldt, Dodge City, Wichita, Colby and Phillipsburg.
The event is designed for high school and transfer students to learn about the admission and scholarship processes at two of the state’s largest universities. Guests and family members are also welcome to attend to receive information about admissions and scholarships.
High school and community college counselors can also attend special sessions in each city during the tour. These sessions will include resources to help guide students through the college search process for both institutions.
Students attending the events will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win tickets to the KU vs. K-State football game Oct. 25. Winners will be announced at each event.
Students and counselors can register at the official website.
For more information, contact adm@ku.edu.
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KU activity supports nearly 88,000 jobs — or 1 in every 23 jobs in Kansas.
If KU by itself were its own industry sector, it would be the 10th-largest sector in Kansas.
https://economicdevelopment.ku.edu/impact
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Contact: Mike Krings, KU News Service, 785-864-8860, mkrings@ku.edu
Study traces history of legislation to help low-income households pay for energy
LAWRENCE — As extreme winter cold and rising summer temperatures drive energy bills higher, low-income households face utility shutoff for not being able to afford the cost. Policy addressing such energy insecurity has traditionally been viewed as the domain of poverty law, but new research from the University of Kansas proposes it should be a more central part of energy law. The work traces the history of legislation to assist in covering home energy bills and outlines how energy and poverty law could work together to ensure better energy insecurity policy.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, was established by Congress. The legislation recently marked its 40th anniversary as the centerpiece of federal low-income energy policy.
“Although it makes sense that help on energy bills is administered through social service programs, it’s always bothered me that energy insecurity and energy burden are usually addressed only abstractly, as part of general affordability, in energy law. I pursued this research to better understand that split,” said Uma Outka, William R. Scott Professor of Law at KU.
Outka has published an article examining the history of LIHEAP and related programs, calling for a greater focus on energy insecurity within energy law and outlining ways it can be addressed. The article was published in the journal Environmental Law.
Outka’s work traces the passage of LIHEAP and its original intentions to help low-income households afford energy bills, especially in times of extreme temperatures, which most often has been winter heating bills, but is increasingly needed for cooling bills during the hottest days of summer. She also details legislation such as the Weatherization Assistance Program, designed to help homes become more energy efficient, and how both have come up short in various ways.
While never intended to fully solve the problem of energy insecurity, LIHEAP has never served all eligible households. The program has only reached roughly 16% of eligible households over time, ranging from the low single digits to about 30% of eligible households each year, depending on the state. In Kansas, only about one-fifth of eligible households receive help with energy bills through LIHEAP.
Outka examines how some states have taken measures to supplement programs such as LIHEAP, but also how households across the country fall through the cracks every year due to problems applying for such programs, lack of knowledge of the existence of assistance and other barriers.
Further, shifting political winds illustrate the danger of relying on programs that themselves rely on congressional funding. During President Donald Trump’s first term, the White House proposed that LIHEAP funding be eliminated, though Congress rejected that proposal. Trump’s latest budget proposal for 2026 again has LIHEAP on the chopping block.
“This remains a critical issue, as the budget proposal for next year proposes eliminating LIHEAP, and the staff who administer the program have been fired,” Outka said.
Research shows that energy insecurity disproportionately affects Black, Latino and Native households and that low-income households also frequently have high numbers of children, seniors and individuals with disabilities residing in them. Outka cites research that shows the economic effects energy insecurity has on such households, including statistics showing that the most common reason people seek high-interest, short-term payday loans is to afford energy bills.
“We have much more information now than we ever have about what the experience is like when people face energy insecurity, but it still seems as if the specific needs of very low-income households are sidelined within energy law,” Outka said.
Further, Outka distinguishes a difference between energy insecurity and energy poverty. Many areas of the world have people living each day without access to energy, whereas the United States has the capacity to provide energy for every citizen, though many cannot afford to pay for it. Thus, she reviews the issue under the definition of energy insecurity in the United States.
Because the capacity exists, energy law would be well-served to consider energy insecurity more directly and not assume it is a problem that will be solved by poverty law, Outka writes. Those involved in energy law and policy, especially at the state level, could help by making sure the issue is at the forefront, for example, when utilities seek approval to raise utility rates for consumers. And while energy law can’t solve poverty, it can play a bigger part of ensuring just rates for low-income households and centering them in clean energy reforms, she writes.
In future research, Outka hopes to study states that have been the most successful in assisting low-income households address energy insecurity, what steps they have taken and if they can be strengthened or duplicated in other states.
Ultimately, energy and poverty law should work together to address energy insecurity, as relying on annual congressional appropriations in a divisive political climate can be precarious, according to Outka. Through such collaboration, the issue could move beyond crisis response into a rethinking of law that both addresses energy insecurity and centers low-income households in a stronger energy policy.
“To treat low-income energy insecurity as primarily a poverty problem has allowed inequities to continue,” Outka said. “By tracing the intertwined history, we see compelling reasons to reconceive low-income energy policy as energy, not to displace the critical assistance provided by anti-poverty programs, but rather to reinforce it.”
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KU spent $78.9 million across Kansas on research-related goods and services in FY23.
https://ku.edu/distinction
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Contact: Justin Leonard, Achievement & Assessment Institute, 785-864-0753, justin.leonard@ku.edu
Prison to possibility: KU TRIO program helps incarcerated individuals rebuild through education
LAWRENCE — Imagine spending 10 years behind bars with limited contact with the outside world. Then one night, you’re removed from your cell and dropped off in an unfamiliar city, alone, with no job, no savings and no connections. This was the reality for Destney Williams, a former Topeka Correctional Facility inmate.
“I’m not from Topeka, and I didn’t know anyone in Topeka when I got out of prison,” Williams said. “They pretty much just kick you out and tell you to figure it out.”
After a decade in a state prison and with no degree, Williams said she struggled to stay afloat, even after finding a job.
“I just couldn’t afford to support myself no matter how many hours I worked,” Williams said. “I just could not get ahead.”
Reentry into society after years can be abrupt and overwhelming, especially for those who entered the system as teenagers. With little preparation, many have to navigate a maze of housing, employment and education alone. Their success can be the difference between moving forward and ending up back behind bars.
The TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC), a program within the Center for Educational Opportunity Programs at the University of Kansas, is working to make reentry to society easier through education, support and connections. Melody Lawrence, a TRIO EOC academic adviser, works with the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex to create pathways to education for inmates seeking a fresh start.
Williams wanted to go back to school but didn’t know where to start. She was referred to Lawrence, who was offering FAFSA assistance at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library by a Shawnee County Reentry Council member. Lawrence helped Williams fill out her FAFSA and learn about the nearby opportunities. Since then, Williams has received certifications in welding and electrical technology from Washburn Tech University.
“TRIO EOC has helped me a lot because I probably would have gone back to prison if Melody was not here for me,” Williams said.
Inspired by Williams’ successful reentry and educational journey, Lawrence participated in the Shawnee County Reentry Council meeting to help more people like Williams. At the conference, a reentry simulation highlighted the difficulties and barriers of reentry.
“It was very eye-opening as to the barriers that justice-involved folks encounter upon reentry into society,” Lawrence said. “My first thought was that this is why people go back to prison or jail. Because they don’t have the resources for them to be successful.”
Lawrence joined the Reentry Opportunity Conference of Kansas (ROCK) committee to help plan the annual ROCK conference, which is dedicated to advancing reentry services for Kansans. It was there that Lawrence met Justin Knutzen, a reentry coordinator at Shawnee County Department of Corrections who teaches life and employment skills. The two connected and began their partnership to support individuals reentering society and benefit Kansas as a whole.
“Kansans spend around $24,000 to $26,000 a year on average for a single person to be incarcerated, and that’s not even adding the mental or physical health aspect, which bumps the cost up further,” Knutzen said. “When they receive this education and don’t come back, that’s saving cost and putting money back into the system.”
While Knutzen focuses on skills needed for daily life and employment, Lawrence teaches students about the education opportunities available to them, whether that’s getting a GED diploma, enrolling in college or going to a trade school. She also shares information about scholarships, applying for FAFSA and leveraging their experience.
Lawrence said these classes are just the beginning. She is looking for ways to grow TRIO EOC’s offerings to justice-involved individuals and is interested in partnering with organizations doing similar work to expand the center’s reach. Lawrence will also be presenting a breakout session at the 2025 ROCK Conference, Aug. 26-28 in Topeka, on education opportunities for individuals currently and recently incarcerated.
“We’re all human, and we all fall sometimes,” Lawrence said. “I want to provide as many opportunities as possible to show people that it’s okay to ask for help. There is hope.”
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Don’t miss new episodes of “When Experts Attack!,”
a KU News Service podcast hosted by Kansas Public Radio.
https://kansaspublicradio.org/podcast/when-experts-attack
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Contact: Kate Kemper, Center for Service Learning, 785-864-0960, katekemper@ku.edu
Center for Community Outreach to host annual Super Service Saturday
LAWRENCE — Every Hawk Week, the University of Kansas Center for Community Outreach (CCO) hosts Super Service Saturday, an opportunity to assist area nonprofit service organizations.
The 2025 event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 23. While this event is traditionally targeted toward students, CCO leadership encourages all Jayhawks, including faculty and staff, to sign up to volunteer for this day of service. Employees can join with their students or individually and partake in a meaningful team-building opportunity.
In 2024, more than 230 student volunteers traveled to 21 nonprofit service sites, contributing nearly $22,000 in economic impact to the local community, based on estimates from the Independent Sector’s 2025 Value of Volunteer Time Report.
“When we come together as a campus, we’re also coming together as a community to help each other work towards a better place for everyone to live, learn and work,” said Avery Swanson, CCO executive director.
Super Service Saturday includes an opportunity for participants to connect with CCO and other community service programs, assemble sustainable pet toys for donation to the Lawrence Humane Society and learn from influential keynote speakers prior to being transported by bus to service sites for two hours of volunteering.
This year’s Super Service Saturday keynote speakers are Linda Luckey, founding director of the Center for Service Learning and a current assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Melinda Lewis, School of Social Welfare professor of the practice.
Swanson said she is “excited to listen to two Jayhawks with a deep understanding of what it means to engage with the community as vital partners and how to pursue service that is actually positively impactful.”
All Super Service Saturday volunteers receive free breakfast, an event T-shirt and transportation to and from service sites. Sign up to volunteer by noon Aug. 22 and contact cco@ku.edu for questions or accommodation requests.
The KU Center for Community Outreach is a student-led service organization founded in 1995 at KU with the mission “to provide meaningful service opportunities for students, address various needs through collaborative partnerships, and strengthen our community through education and advocacy.”
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, ebp@ku.edu
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