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US Army’s battle to solve own racial crisis during Vietnam War explored in new book
LAWRENCE — In 1968, the United States Army was fighting two wars: one against enemy forces in Vietnam, the other in its own barracks between soldiers of different races. How the Army effectively addressed this problem is the subject of a new book from a University of Kansas professor of history. Beth Bailey is the author of “An Army Afire: How the US Army Confronted Its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era,” published by University of North Carolina Press.

Dylan Bassett receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Brazil
LAWRENCE — Dylan Bassett, lecturer of percussion at the University of Kansas School of Music, has received a Fulbright Specialist Award to travel to Brazil, where he will compose works, perform, direct a musical group and teach. Bassett is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens selected each year to share their expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program.

Scholars outline responsibilities of schools of social welfare in era of anti-trans legislation
LAWRENCE — Through workshops and scholarly writing, experts from the University of Kansas are guiding conversations about the roles and responsibilities that schools of social work have to educate the next generation of social workers serving LGBTQ+ individuals in an environment of expanding anti-trans legislation across the country.

KU recognizes 13 students with University Awards, Campanile Award
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has awarded 13 students with honors that recognize community engagement, leadership and academics. They include Jayhawks from Augusta, Kansas City, Lawrence, Olathe, Overland Park, Topeka and Wichita.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
US Army’s battle to solve own racial crisis during Vietnam War explored in new book
LAWRENCE — In 1968, the United States Army was fighting two wars: one against enemy forces in Vietnam, the other in its own barracks between soldiers of different races.
This racial unrest among the troops led to murders, riots, beatings, burnings and mass refusal to follow orders. A new generation of Black GIs were rejecting the treatment their forefathers had endured at the hands of a rigid military chain of command.
But how the Army effectively addressed this problem is the subject of a new book.
“People tend to assume that the Army is a profoundly conservative institution — and it is in many ways,” said Beth Bailey, Foundation Distinguished Professor in History and director of the Center for Military, War & Society Studies at the University of Kansas.
“Yet what I found and what I keep finding as I look at Army leaders trying to figure out what to do when they perceive a crisis is an enormous amount of creativity and flexibility.”
Bailey’s “An Army Afire: How the US Army Confronted Its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era” reveals how military leaders proved surprisingly innovative in confronting demands for racial justice, even willing to challenge their core principles of discipline, hierarchy and authority. It’s published by the University of North Carolina Press.
She emphasizes these racial issues were particularly volatile because of that specific moment in time. For instance, the Long Binh Jail uprising/riot in Saigon (in which 200 Black soldiers seized control) took place at exactly the same time tanks rolled onto the streets of Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
“It was a period where young Black men were embracing notions of Black pride and Black power,” she said. “And it was a period where so many young men being conscripted into the military really didn’t want to be there.”
First, the Army turned to traditional problem-solving options such as training and education. This made little impact. At some point, the top brass decided they should listen to what their Black soldiers believed was causing such turmoil.
“What seemed to be upsetting them the most was hair,” she said.
As the armed forces in Vietnam became further enmeshed in a failing campaign and casualty rates were high, it seems like hair would not top the list of problems. Yet a survey at Fort Carson found that two out of five soldiers said hair policy was their greatest concern.
“So they experimented with letting people use symbols of identity. Young Black men were very conscious of these symbols that conveyed their Black identity and pride, and in so many cases the thing that mattered most to them was an Afro,” Bailey said.
Army leaders, worried about the impact of racial conflict on the institution’s ability to fulfill its mission of national defense, decided to loosen regulations and allow soldiers to display cultural symbols, including the Afro.
“But because the Army has to have universal regulations, once you say that a group can use cultural symbols, all groups have to be able to use cultural symbols. So white Southerners could now fly the Confederate flag — and that didn’t exactly improve race relations.”
Bailey includes a 1971 Beetle Bailey cartoon in her book that encapsulated the position leaders found themselves in. In Mort Walker’s hoary strip set in a fictional Army post, General Halftrack discusses the lone Black character, Lieutenant Flap, with a subordinate.
Halftrack says, “Look, I’m letting Lt. Flap keep the goatee, right? AND the Afro hairstyle? What more could he want?”
The follow-up panel shows Flap wearing a long fur coat and wide hat with a feather plume, looking just like a blaxploitation movie pimp.
She said, “Among many white officers, there was a sense of, ‘What more can they ask for?’”
Bailey began working on the book by requesting all the information available from the National Archives listed under: US Army and race.
“They sent me a thin file that had one piece of Xerox paper in it, which was an article about Maj. Lavell Merritt,” she said. “I begin the book with his story. He was a major in Vietnam who went into a press briefing in Saigon and distributed a statement that said, ‘The American military services are the strongest citadels of racism on the face of the earth.’”
Eventually, she unearthed thousands of pages concerning this topic.
A KU professor for the last eight years, Bailey has written and/or edited a dozen books, including “Managing Sex in the U.S. Military: Gender, Identity, and Behavior” (University of Nebraska Press, 2022), “Beyond Pearl Harbor: A Pacific History” (University Press of Kansas, 2019) and “America’s Army: Making the All-Volunteer Force” (Harvard University Press, 2009).
She believes her latest work is fundamentally about how an institution confronts demands for social change.
“The military is still struggling with how to address such problems, more having to do with gender than race these days. And I’m hoping this is going to be a book that military leaders find useful,” she said.
Bailey adds that it’s undeniable soldiers faced seemingly insurmountable systemic and institutional racism during the Vietnam War.
“So often when we think about systemic racism, we assume that means individuals don’t matter,” she said. “Over and over through this research, I found individuals who made a huge difference. That’s the optimistic lesson I take away from the book. Individuals matter, individual actions matter, and the things people learn over time matter.”
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Dylan Bassett receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Brazil
LAWRENCE — Dylan Bassett, lecturer of percussion at the University of Kansas School of Music, has received a Fulbright Specialist Award to travel to Brazil, where he will compose works, perform, direct a musical group and teach.
This summer Bassett will take part in the internationally recognized Festival de Percussão 2 de Julho hosted by the Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, Brazil. Salvador is in the state of Bahia, which is widely celebrated for its global influence in the world of percussion.
As part of the six-week residency, Bassett will compose percussion works for the festival, perform with the musical groups Tambores do Mundo; the Conceção, Bassett, & Pam Trio de Percussão; and the Sacramento/Bassett Duo, and direct Grupo de Percussão da UFBA, which performs Brazilian, U.S. and Brazilian-U.S. fusion compositions. While at the university, Bassett will also teach master classes on the U.S. drum set, drumline and other percussion styles as well as applied lessons.
“I am excited to facilitate connections that transcend geopolitical boundaries,” Bassett said. “Music has the power to help people find commonalities and connect in authentic ways. In this world of divisiveness, we need genuine peaceful connections more than ever.”
Bassett is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens selected each year to share their expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program. Recipients are selected based on academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Established in 2001, the Fulbright Specialist Program enables U.S. academics and professionals with significant expertise to complete short-term, project-based exchanges designed by institutions around the world.
Before he received the Fulbright Specialist award, Bassett was named to the Fulbright Specialist roster for a three-year tenure.
“I am thrilled that Dylan was selected for the Fulbright Specialist Program,” said Colin Roust, associate dean for academic affairs at the KU School of Music. “Dylan already contributes to the school’s internationalization efforts through his popular Drumming Cultures of the World course, by leading occasional study abroad courses to Brazil and by directing the award-winning KU West African Drum Ensemble. His Fulbright-funded work in Brazil will further enrich the international engagement initiatives of the School of Music.”
Bassett is a core faculty member in the Center for Caribbean & Latin American Studies, and his 20 years of teaching experience includes work with the Federal University of Bahia, University of Northern Colorado, Missouri Fine Arts Academy, Drury University, Webster University, Missouri State University, Washburn University, Americana Music Academy and lessons through his private percussion studio.
He has traveled in the U.S., Brazil, Cuba, Ghana, Guinea and Senegal recording and performing with Giba Conceição, Mario Pam, Louie Bellson, Karrin Allyson, Sekou “Balandougou” Keïta, Souleymane Faye, Babara Bangoura, Balandougou Kan, Bolokada Conde, Luisito y Son Cuba, Choro au Jazz, Sapes Highlife Band, Quixotic Performance Fusion, Sunu, Son Venezuela, Balacobaco do Brasil and many others.
In 2022, Bassett received a grant from the Kansas African Studies Center to travel to Morowaya, Guinea, to collaborate with internationally acclaimed djembe artist Bolokada Conde on a forthcoming book on traditional drumming from the Sankaran region of Guinea.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

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Scholars outline responsibilities of schools of social welfare in era of anti-trans legislation
LAWRENCE — Through workshops and scholarly writing, experts from the University of Kansas are guiding conversations about the roles and responsibilities that schools of social work have to educate the next generation of social workers serving LGBTQ+ individuals in an environment of expanding anti-trans legislation across the country. Adding weight to the conversation is that sometimes such social workers are transgender or gender-expansive individuals who themselves experience the same challenges that put people in crisis.
The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare has hosted two annual town halls and led a recent scholarly journal special edition on the roles and responsibilities that schools of social work have in such an environment.
“We’ve seen an onslaught of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ policy and legislation across the U.S. Every year we hear it is the worst year yet for such policy and then the next year is worse again,” said Meg Paceley, associate professor of social welfare and director of the Toni Johnson Scholars for Racial and Social Justice Program. “The social justice values of our profession call for us to fight against oppression through social work education. Many of us do community-based work, and the ethics and values of our field call on us to do more.”
Following the inaugural 2022 town hall on anti-trans policies and social work education, the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare approached the organizers about editing a special issue of the journal focusing on similar topics. The issue was published in an open-access format this month. Paceley and co-editor Candace Christensen of the University of Texas, San Antonio, made a call for submissions. The journal includes contributions from scholars and students from across the country on the broad themes of transgender and gender-expansive student and faculty experiences in social work education and strategies for teaching, organizing and innovating social work education to promote more trans-inclusive social work education.
The goal of the journal issue is not to advocate for or against any certain policies at a state or national level, but rather to critically engage with social work and social work education’s responsibility to acknowledge the harm caused by anti-trans policies and rhetoric and commit to centering transgender and gender-expansive people, communities and issues in their curriculum, programs, procedures and community-based work.
Paceley and Christensen wrote an introduction to the special issue. In it, they address the larger issue of anti-trans policy, how it has largely targeted youth and students and the specific topics authors address throughout the special issue. They close with a call for faculty, social work education programs and accrediting bodies to create equitable, affirming and inclusive structures, systems and practices for the trans and gender-expansive community.
“Something I’m very happy about is the positionality of our authors. We have students, organizers, faculty and others,” Christensen said. “And as an open access journal, we wanted it to be available to anyone who is interested in seeing it.”
Topics covered by contributing authors include accounts of transphobia in class, a challenge to schools of social work to evolve, practicum experiences of trans and nonbinary social work students, trans-affirming pedagogy, mutual aid from queer and trans perspectives and anti-trans policies and practices in social work education, accreditation and licensing, among others.
Paceley and Emera Greenwood, a KU Master of Social Work student, co-wrote a chapter as well.
“It takes a look at individual experiences and what it’s like to be a trans, nonbinary student in the Midwest. And it also pulls in their journey through the program, recognizing the harm they experienced alongside the hope and community they found,” Paceley said of the entry. “And it’s interspersed with my experiences as a faculty member and recommendations on how programs can address these issues and do better. We can all do better.”
Recommendations include examining syllabi and school policies for instances of anti-trans language, creating inclusive written materials, ensuring guidebooks are gender inclusive and finding ways to talk about transphobia in the classroom.
“Sometimes what students experience is pretty explicit, and people don’t know how to respond. So we’re providing recommendations on classroom competency and how to respond to such incidents, whether explicit or unintentional,” Paceley said.
The journal and town hall from which it formed are not political in nature or responding to any specific policies, but designed to encourage educators, university administrators and accrediting bodies to consider the reality of current society and how the landscape of anti-trans policy can be perpetuated within schools that are not only teaching trans and gender-expansive individuals, but also the future social workers who will work in diverse communities.
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Contact: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU News Service, 785-864-8858, [email protected], @ebpkansas
KU recognizes 13 students with University Awards, Campanile Award
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has awarded 13 students with honors that recognize community engagement, leadership and academics.
Campanile Award
Issued by the Board of Class Officers, the Campanile Award is given to a single graduating senior who has displayed remarkable leadership, character and respect for KU.
Claire Dopp is senior from Olathe majoring in chemistry with a minor in environmental studies. Dopp’s research in inorganic chemistry has taught her the importance of small molecules and their greater impact. Dopp said James Blakemore, associate professor of chemistry, and his research group altered her career path and because of them Dopp will attend graduate school in the fall.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to have had such an amazing undergraduate experience at the University of Kansas,” Dopp said. “I owe much of who I am to my family and friends, and I cannot thank any of these people enough for their continued support of my work, my interests and myself.
“I cannot wait to represent KU throughout my career, and I am incredibly proud to be a Jayhawk for life.”
University Awards
The University Awards, among the most prestigious awards presented at KU, were established to recognize students who embody service excellence, dedication or whose academic achievements are stellar.

Class of 1913 Awards
These annual awards go to two graduating students who show evidence of intelligence, devotion to studies, personal character and promise of usefulness to society.
Aylar Atadurdyyeva is a senior from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, majoring in microbiology, political science, Slavic studies and global & international studies and is minoring in German studies and psychology.
Atadurdyyeva said her time at KU has provided the privilege of exploring most, if not all, of her interests. Atadurdyyeva’s research spans from Wolbachia-Drosophila interactions to language policies in Kazakhstan to antimicrobial resistance in Europe to Turkmen wedding traditions.

“I have wonderful mentors who supported my endeavors and encouraged me to further grow as a scholar,” Atadurdyyeva said. “As a first-generation college student having moved halfway across the globe, I felt welcomed at KU and will forever be grateful for and to everyone I interacted with these past four years.”

Kade Townsend is a senior from Topeka majoring in microbiology.
Townsend said he has achieved much more than he thought possible as a first-generation student and credits his mentor, Josephine Chandler, associate professor of molecular biosciences, “for showing me the ropes of bacterial genetics research and pushing me to be the best version of myself.”
Townsend is also thankful for professors, friends and especially family for being at his side in times of need and times of celebration.
“Without the ability to conduct research at KU, I would be in a completely different position than I am today and for that, I am forever grateful,” Townsend said.
The Donald K. Alderson Memorial Award
The award goes to a graduating senior who has demonstrated loyalty to and interest in the university and who has been active in events and services that benefit other students. This award was established in memory of Alderson, former dean of men and dean of student services.
Quinn Smith is a senior from Phoenix, Arizona, majoring in psychology and minoring in social justice.
“It is an honor for me to be recognized for service to the university,” Smith said. “KU has given me so much over these last four years — a sense of community and purpose, fun athletics to watch and great friends. It’s been a privilege to give back to others.”
The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award
This award goes to two graduating students who have unselfishly contributed to the university through campus involvement. It was established in 1993 by Dillard’s family and friends to remember and honor him.
Ethan Christ is a senior from Overland Park majoring in biochemistry and anthropology.
Christ said he is thankful for family, friends and mentors for their continued support during his four years at KU.
“They taught me the value of service and getting involved in your community, which has been a significant part of the work I have done while here,” Christ said. “Progress does not come easy, and it is a student leader’s responsibility to rise to the occasion and make KU a better place for those who follow. I only hope I was able to motivate and inspire other student leaders like how I was inspired from those who came before me.”
Kamiyah Hicks is a senior from Kansas City, Kansas, majoring in human biology.
Hicks said she is honored to receive the Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award and is proud to leave a mark and inspire future students of “such an amazing university.”
“All of the organizations I joined allowed me to achieve things I never thought I could,” Hicks said. “The University of Kansas has helped me grow and develop into the proud Black woman I am today, and I am more than excited to be recognized as a deserving person of this prestigious award.”
The Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award
This award annually goes to students who demonstrate a concern for furthering the ideals of the university and higher education. The award was established by a group of seniors in 1973 to honor their fellow student, Leffel.
Mary Morrison is a senior from Lawrence majoring in political science and minoring in African & African diasporic languages, Middle Eastern studies, global & international studies and Jewish studies.
Morrison said KU has given more than just an education. Rather, Morrison has gained lasting relationships, a passion for community service and “a hunger” for making a difference.
“Being a member of the scholarship halls, Student Senate and other groups on campus taught me that the best person to speak about your own experiences is you,” Morrison said. “I have many friends, family members and mentors to thank, but mostly I want to thank TRIO for giving me the tools to succeed, for showing me that I can be a first-generation student and be successful, and that those two things are not mutually exclusive.”
Murtaza Shoaib is a senior from Overland Park majoring in psychology.
Shoaib said his time and experiences at KU have been a source of personal growth.
“My work with disadvantaged groups in the Lawrence community has taught me lessons and developed in me a sense of empathy that will long outlive my time at KU,” Shoaib said.
“I urge my peers to recognize that they are capable of giving back to their communities and making a difference, even as students.”
Navya Singh is a junior from Chandigarh, India, majoring in biochemistry.
At KU, Singh became involved in undergraduate research, gaining executive positions in cultural organizations and pursuing opportunities through the University Honors program. She credits support of friends and the “incredible mentorship” of Laird Forrest, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, and Regan Baker, senior academic advisor for the University Honors Program.
“I am incredibly thankful for KU’s undergraduate research program and for all the opportunities to conduct, present and be awarded for my research project,” Singh said. “I look forward to another amazing year full of exciting opportunities at KU.”
The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award
This award goes to a graduating sorority or fraternity member who has demonstrated commitment to the local chapter, the KU sorority and fraternity community, the university and the Lawrence community. It was established in 1993 to honor Smith, a former dean of student life.
Sadie Williams is a senior from Augusta majoring in English and economics and minoring in Spanish.
Williams said she is grateful to professors, friends and family members “who have given me so much more grace than I ever deserved, and all the love I could ever hope to receive.” Williams said one constant in her time at KU has been her sorority, Chi Omega, and the Panhellenic community as a whole — which led her to serve as president of the Panhellenic council, of her sorority’s chapter and eventually of the KU student body.
“I feel sincerely lucky to have been able to benefit so greatly from this university and the awe-inspiring people who compose it for the past four years,” Williams said.
The Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle Student Scholar Award
This award is presented to a graduating senior scholarship hall student. Recipients have demonstrated academic focus, leadership in the scholarship hall and also commitment to the KU and Lawrence communities.
Dulani Hannadige is a senior from Colombo, Sri Lanka, majoring in global & international studies and sociology and minoring in women, gender & sexuality studies.
Hannadige said that, as an international student, coming to KU could feel daunting, but that her time at KU has exceeded expectations and allowed her to pursue interests and develop academically, professionally and personally. In addition to gratitude for friends and family for love and support over the last four years, Hannadige said she is especially grateful to the Sellards Scholarship Hall community.
“I have met so many incredible people at Sellards who have exemplified leadership, compassion and excellence and driven me to be the best I can be as student, leader and friend,” she said.
The Agnes Wright Strickland Awards
These awards were established in 1953 in memory of Strickland, a member of the Class of 1887. They go annually to graduating seniors in recognition of their academic records, demonstrated leadership in matters of university concern, respect among fellow students and indications of future dedication to service in the university.
Javen Betts is a senior from Kansas City, Kansas, majoring in elementary education.
Betts credits supportive family members, friends, mentors and professors as contributing to his success at the KU — an experience “nothing short of amazing.”
“Ensuring that campus was equitable for all Jayhawks was a big goal of mine, which led to my experiences of leading, serving and impacting campus through a variety of capacities,” Betts said. “To our current and future Jayhawks, I am elated to pass the torch and hope that we continue to enhance our great alma mater. I am excited to continue serving KU even during my alumni years.”
Mikayla Leader is a senior from Wichita majoring in mathematics.
Leader said she values creating a welcoming environment and support system on campus for all students.
“I will never be able to thank my mentors, experiences and connections enough for what I have gained through my involvement at KU,” Leader said.
“I promise to return to my nest often, continue to support Jayhawks and give back to the community that has given me the best four years of college.”

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Headlines

New book by Spencer Museum curator centers voices of unrecognized performers
LAWRENCE — A new book by Joey Orr, Spencer Museum of Art curator for research at the University of Kansas, presents the often unheard experiences of collaborators who perform in other artists’ work. “A Sourcebook of Performance Labor: Activators, Activists, Archives, All” is part of the series Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies. The book includes an introduction and review of the concept of performance labor and 13 interviews with collaborators who participated in notable works attributed to famous contemporary artists, including Francis Alÿs, Tania Bruguera, Suzanne Lacy, Ernesto Pujol, Asad Raza, Dread Scott and Tino Sehgal.

KU geochemists determine age of the dinosaur Utahraptor
LAWRENCE — A geological study of the rock formation that encased a fossilized example of the world’s biggest “raptor” shows it’s 10 million years older than previously understood. The report, co-written by researchers with the University of Kansas, recently appeared in the journal Geosciences.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Elizabeth Kanost, Spencer Museum of Art, 785-864-0142, [email protected], @SpencerMuseum
New book by Spencer Museum curator centers voices of unrecognized performers
LAWRENCE — A new book by Joey Orr, Spencer Museum of Art curator for research at the University of Kansas, presents the often unheard experiences of collaborators who perform in other artists’ work.
“A Sourcebook of Performance Labor: Activators, Activists, Archives, All,” is part of the series Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies. The book includes an introduction and review of the concept of performance labor and 13 interviews with collaborators who participated in notable works attributed to famous contemporary artists including Francis Alÿs, Tania Bruguera, Suzanne Lacy, Ernesto Pujol, Asad Raza, Dread Scott and Tino Sehgal.
In the book’s introduction Orr asks, “Why aren’t the voices of the people who activate and provide the public access points for these works of contemporary art a more significant part of understanding them?” Throughout the chapters Orr and his interviewees unpack this question, including the struggle to accurately define this type of work.
“The ‘Sourcebook’ addresses a category of work I refer to as performance labor. I was trying to convey the experiences of these workers on their own terms. Without understanding the mechanics of how relations are co-constructed for socially engaged artworks among performers and participants, we are not fully addressing the work,” Orr said.
From Joy Whalen’s time spent listening to the stories of strangers in downtown New York to Richard Perales’ labor as one of 500 volunteers moving a sand dune in Lima, Peru, the range of experiences shared provides unprecedented insights into the effort, care and knowledge behind the spectacle of performance art.
A book launch and discussion will take place at The 8th Floor in New York on May 9. This event is supported by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation to explore the potential of art as an instrument for social change in the 21st century. Orr will be joined by artist Dread Scott, whose 2019 “Slave Rebellion Reenactment” is a subject in the book, as well as Rudy Gerson and Kyle Carrero Lopez, who both participated in Tania Bruguera’s “Untitled (Havana, 2000)” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The talk will address the ethics of participation in performance art.

“A Sourcebook of Performance Labor” is published by Routledge and available for sale.

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Contact: Julie Tollefson, Kansas Geological Survey, 785-864-2114, [email protected]
KU geochemists determine age of the dinosaur Utahraptor
LAWRENCE — Three scientists, three state geological surveys, a common fascination with dinosaurs, and one simple yet profound question: Just how old are the rocks that preserve the world’s biggest “raptor,” Utahraptor?
More than a decade ago, Greg Ludvigson, emeritus senior scientist with the Kansas Geological Survey, Jim Kirkland, state paleontologist with the Utah Geological Survey, and Matt Joeckel, state geologist and director of the Conservation and Survey Division at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, joined together to tackle that question.
They succeeded beyond their greatest expectations.
“We determined the age of the dinosaur Utahraptor and found that it was much older than previously supposed,” Ludvigson said. “That finding has important implications for the evolutionary history of dinosaurs. We also learned to our complete surprise that the rock strata from the Stikes Dinosaur Quarry were deposited during a global change episode known as the Weissert Event. This is an agenda-setting discovery that will reverberate for decades.”
The scientists described their findings in a recent issue of the journal Geosciences.
The fieldwork took place in Utah at the well-known Utahraptor Ridge site, named for the larger cousins of the velociraptor dinosaur stars of the “Jurassic Park” movies. The ridge is home to Stikes Quarry, a fossil quicksand deposit packed with dinosaur fossils that are largely intact and preserved in much the same positions as when they died. Stikes Quarry is part of the Cedar Mountain Formation, a rock unit that contains fossils of more kinds of dinosaurs than any formation in the world.
To answer their question — how old are these rocks? — researchers took two different research approaches.
One path — uranium/lead dating of zircon crystals — involved analyzing samples of these minerals collected at different depths in the rock layers. The second looked at changes in the relative abundance of two types of stable carbon isotopes found in buried organic matter and linked results to specific periods in Earth’s history when global changes in the carbon cycle were known to have occurred.
The big takeaway? Rocks in the Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation — and the Utahraptor fossils found within — are 10 million years older than previously known. Earlier estimates put the age of the rocks and fossils at 125 million years old.
“That’s a lot of evolutionary time,” Ludvigson said. “It’s kind of a vindication of something Jim’s argued for some time, but arguing doesn’t put an absolute age on it, and that’s important to him.”
The revised age indicates the rocks at the Stikes Quarry are at least 135 million years old. The lower part of the Yellow Cat Member encompasses even older strata. The findings narrow the gap in the rock record at the boundary between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in Utah.
“Before, we had a 25 million year gap between them,” said Kirkland, who first named and described the dinosaur Utahraptor ostrommaysi in 1993. “That’s a third of the age of mammals, more than double the length of time for hominid evolution. It’s a big chunk of time. Anything can happen over 25 million years if you have no record of what’s going on. We’ve plugged that record, for the most part.”
The oldest rock sample analyzed produced an age of 139.7 million years plus or minus 2.2 million, showing that rocks in the lower part of the Yellow Cat Member at Utahraptor Ridge belong in the oldest stage (Berriasian) of the Cretaceous Period.
Many scientists, one goal
Behind the discoveries is a decade-plus of scientific collaboration that combined the work of 11 researchers in Utah, Nebraska, Arkansas and Kansas. Their work merged the fields of paleontology and geochemical laboratory analyses.
“We were mainly carried forward by the belief that this was important work and we’d find a way to get it done,” Ludvigson said. “Everyone had full-time jobs with other duties. This was a backburner project. When we could carve out snippets of time, we’d do these things.”
One of Ludvigson’s longtime goals was to pursue a record of global carbon cycle changes in mid-Cretaceous terrestrial deposits. The so-called carbon isotope excursions are known to have coincided with global changes that had profound paleoenvironmental consequences, including abrupt climate changes and extinction events. Such changes were already well documented in marine deposits and in terrestrial plant fossils preserved in marine deposits.
Ludvigson theorized he should be able to find similar changes in rocks of the same age formed on dry land, and more than 25 years ago, he set out to connect with the scientists most knowledgeable about Cretaceous terrestrial rocks — those who study dinosaurs. That’s how he met Kirkland, and they discovered Ludvigson’s goals overlapped with Kirkland’s studies of the dinosaur fossils. Kirkland had extensive knowledge about the dinosaurs found in the Cedar Mountain Formation, but he needed a collaborator to help nail down the age of the rocks in the dinosaur bone beds.
In 2014, Ludvigson, Joeckel, and Andreas Möller, associate professor of geology at KU, traveled to Utah to collect samples for zircon dating. Kirkland invited them to be present when workers excavated a haul road in the cliff side at Utahraptor Ridge to remove a 9-ton, plaster-jacketed block of the bone bed at Stikes Quarry, an opportunity to study the site when the rock strata were best exposed. When they arrived, they found another scientist with KU ties already there collecting samples of soil organic matter to analyze carbon cycle changes. KU alumna Celina Suarez, associate professor of geosciences at the University of Arkansas, had arranged for her graduate student, Garrett Hatzell, to collect samples there for organic carbon isotope analysis.
Both zircon dating and carbon isotope analyses would yield information about the age of the rocks at Stikes Quarry, the two teams decided to coordinate their efforts. Though Ludvigson’s duties recalled him to KU before all of the samples were collected, Joeckel remained to coordinate both teams’ efforts.
“I said, Matt, you must make certain that the positions of the zircon samples and the carbon samples are accurately placed within the same measured stratigraphic succession,” Ludvigson said. “At the end of the day, we collected samples that were in known positions so that the two data sets would speak to each other.”
What followed was years of geochemical lab work. Answers that gave the scientists an inkling they were on track to discover something really exciting began to emerge as early as 2015.
Zircon dating: uranium-lead geochronology at KU
Zircon dating works like this: Zircon crystals are among the most durable minerals on Earth. They contain trace elements, such as uranium, that undergo radioactive decay at known rates, producing “daughter isotopes,” including radiogenic lead. If those elements remain intact within a zircon crystal — if the mineral hasn’t been chemically altered — scientists can measure the abundance of the uranium isotopes and their daughter isotopes and thus gauge how old the zircon crystal is.
To obtain high-precision ages, the team looked for fossil volcanic ash deposits. Such deposits are relatively common in marine rocks, formed when ash fell into what was then a sea, but are not as often found in terrestrial rocks, such as those at Utahraptor Ridge. Surface processes, such as shrink-swell phenomena in soils and burrowing activity by soil-dwelling organisms, can mix sediments in soils and obscure the depositional record.
“We tried an innovative application of a newer concept — cryptotephras — to ancient buried soils,” Ludvigson said. The concept refers to laboratory separation of microscopic fragments of volcanic ash in soils that are not visible to the naked eye to find the volcanogenic zircon crystals.
The precise analyses and number crunching associated with these analyses took place at KU during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when precautions limited scientists’ ability to work together and only one person could occupy a lab at a time.
The initial analysis, performed by Möller using a laser to zap zircon crystals, resulted in a deposition age of 136 million years ago but came with an inherent 2% uncertainty, or a range of nearly 5.5 million years. Ludvigson and Möller knew that they could do better.
Another member of the team, Noah McLean, associate professor of geology at KU, performed additional analyses using a high-precision technique that involved a time-intensive procedure using chemicals to dissolve the zircons. McLean’s analyses yielded absolute ages for the samples with uncertainties of less than 1 million years.
Detecting changes in Earth’s carbon cycle
While the KU team pursued answers from zircon crystals, Celina Suarez’s team in Arkansas began studying the soil organic matter samples they collected in Utah to detect changes in Earth’s carbon cycle. Their process involved analyzing the relationship between two types of carbon, known as carbon-13 and carbon-12. The carbon-13/carbon-12 ratio yields a snapshot of Earth’s ocean-atmosphere system at any given time and can improve correlations between the ages of marine and terrestrial rocks. The Cretaceous Period is noted for multiple carbon isotope excursions — such as the well-known Weissert Event, which recorded abrupt changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations related to global volcanic activity.
“We first began to suspect that we had a record of the Weissert Event in 2015 but wanted to be very careful that we were absolutely certain about the reliability of the results,” Ludvigson said.
The initial processing and analyses of the carbon isotope samples took place at the University of Arkansas. During the pandemic, those organic matter samples were transferred to the Kansas Geological Survey for additional processing and analyses at the Keck Paleoenvironmental and Environmental Stable Isotope Laboratory directed by KU associate professor of geology Marina Suarez, sister of Celina Suarez. The data published in the Geosciences paper were all generated at KU during the shutdown period of the pandemic.
With this second set of results from the KU lab, Marina Suarez, Celina Suarez, and Ludvigson conferred.
“There was greater variability in replicates run in different labs than we expected,” Marina Suarez said. “That required that we go through each sample individually (more than 100) to investigate the possible reason for this.”
The researchers traced the variability in results to the pretreatment methods used to prepare some of the samples.
“Once these were identified, things fell into place,” she said. “It highlights how much attention to detail is needed in our studies. Every little bit of information is important.”
The two approaches — zircon dating and carbon isotope analysis — “gave us two independent lines of isotopic geologic evidence for the age of the deposits at Utahraptor Ridge — a real breakthrough,” Ludvigson said. “If you use multiple techniques and they tell the same story, it increases your confidence in the final result.”
Opening new avenues of research
The Utahraptor Ridge findings have resulted in a succession of papers and presentations at national and international conferences. In addition to the findings reported in Geosciences of the age of the Yellow Cat Member and Utahraptor fossils, papers in 2010 and 2015 showed that Cretaceous carbon isotope changes are recorded in terrestrial deposits just as they are in marine deposits of the same age, as Ludvigson had theorized.
“In the end, we found multiple carbon isotope excursions extending the record at Utahraptor Ridge back to about 140 million years ago, a much longer record than previously known,” Ludvigson said. “Moreover, the 135 million year age of strata just below the Stikes Quarry coincides with the most recently accepted age of the Weissert Event. The carbon isotope stratigraphic interpretation led by the Suarez sisters and geochronologic results from zircon dating are in agreement. These results confirm Kirkland’s long-held view that the Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation contains a much longer geologic record than was previously documented.”
“It’s been a good collaboration,” Kirkland said. “We’ve argued about stuff over the years to no end, but that’s how you hone the ax of scientific knowledge.”
Beyond their current findings, Ludvigson, Kirkland, Joeckel, and their colleagues have unlocked new avenues for future research. “We’ve opened up this can of worms that’s going to keep the next generation busy figuring out what’s going on and why,” Kirkland said.
Marina Suarez, one of the new generation of scientists poised to continue pursuing questions raised by the new research, sees the potential for significant new discoveries in the years ahead.
“We are coming to understand that at least for the Cedar Mountain Formation, we have a much longer record of the past than we thought when I first started working in the formation as an undergraduate,” she said. “This has implications for understanding the evolution of dinosaurs and the change from Jurassic dinosaurs to Cretaceous dinosaurs. In addition, we are able to derive climate conditions from rocks and with the added dimension of time, we are able to understand the rate of changes in climate to better understand how climate can change in the future and how biota responds to those changes.”
For more information, contact Greg Ludvigson, [email protected]. For information about Utahraptor, contact James Kirkland, [email protected].

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KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

Contact: Lauren Cunningham, School of Business, 785-864-9540, [email protected], @KUbschool
KU accounting student chosen for prestigious GASB Postgraduate Technical Assistant Program

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas School of Business student Carson Morrow has been selected for the Postgraduate Technical Assistant Program with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), the independent organization that establishes accounting and financial reporting standards for U.S. state and local governments.

The GASB holds the program twice a year, selecting only four students nationwide for each of its summer and winter cohorts. Morrow will begin his yearlong assistantship in July.

To be considered for the program, students must be nominated by an accounting faculty member and have an outstanding academic record. Candidates also must demonstrate excellent communication skills and have completed coursework that provides a comprehensive understanding of accounting theory and practice.

Last year Luke Kennedy, a 2022 graduate, was the first KU student to be selected as a postgraduate technical assistant for the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Morrow’s selection marks the first among KU students for the GASB’s program.

“Carson is an amazing person and the first student in our program to be selected for such a prestigious opportunity,” said Alee Phillips, director of KU’s Master of Accounting program. “His experience at the highest level of governmental accounting standard-setting in the United States will unlock new possibilities for him and for future KU accounting students.”

As a postgraduate technical assistant, Morrow will be highly involved with GASB’s accounting standards-setting process and will learn about the roles of preparers, auditors and users of financial information. Postgraduate technical assistants are assigned major agenda projects or short-term practice and implementation issues, depending on needs, and attend relevant board and task force meetings.

Morrow is from Dodge City and received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the School of Business in 2022. He will graduate with his Master of Accounting this month.

“The School of Business and accounting program both hold a very special place in my heart,” Morrow said. “Without the knowledge, support and guidance of our incredible faculty or the camaraderie and friendship of my classmates, participating in this program would not be possible.”

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KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

Fossil find in California shakes up the natural history of cycad plants
LAWRENCE — Cycads, a group of gymnosperms that can resemble miniature palm trees (like the popular sago palm houseplant), were long thought to be “living fossils,” a group that had evolved minimally since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, a well-preserved 80-million-year-old pollen cone discovered in California has rewritten scientific understanding of the plants. The findings are detailed in a new paper by two University of Kansas paleobotanists.

Dole Institute to celebrate distinguished Kansan’s legacy of finding common ground
LAWRENCE — This year, the Dole Institute marks its 20th anniversary and Dole’s centenary with a Landmark Celebration. On April 25, in a groundbreaking ceremony, renowned Kansas artist Stan Herd broke ground for a tribute earthwork to be dedicated at a public celebration July 22 at the institute. A series of special programming and events will follow over the next few months.

KPR to present an evening of folk and bluegrass music with Ordinary Elephant
LAWRENCE – Kansas Public Radio continues to celebrate its 70th anniversary with a special upcoming evening of folk and bluegrass favorites. KPR and its folk program, “Trail Mix,” will present a concert May 4 at the Lied Center of Kansas Pavilion, featuring award-winning duo Ordinary Elephant and Kansas City singer-songwriter Joy Zimmerman.

Study shows governments escape blame by contracting services such as prisoner transport
LAWRENCE — Governments and private contractors work together on countless functions, but when something goes wrong, who is to blame? Zach Mohr, associate professor of public affairs & administration at the University of Kansas, is involved in a series of studies to examine how people determine blame and hold those in power accountable.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Brendan Lynch, KU News Service, 785-864-8855, [email protected], @BrendanMLynch
Fossil find in California shakes up the natural history of cycad plants
LAWRENCE — Cycads, a group of gymnosperms which can resemble miniature palm trees (like the popular sago palm houseplant) were long thought to be “living fossils,” a group that had evolved minimally since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, a well-preserved 80-million-year-old pollen cone discovered in California has rewritten scientific understanding of the plants.
The findings are detailed in a paper by two University of Kansas paleobotanists just published in the journal New Phytologist.

“Cycads aren’t well-known but make up a significant part of plant diversity, accounting for around 25% of all gymnosperms,” said lead author Andres Elgorriaga, postdoctoral researcher with the KU Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. “Cycads are plants that have thick stems and short stature, with thick, palm-like leaves on top. They produce cones like pine cones and are related to other seed-bearing plants that also don’t produce flowers, like Ginkgo and the monkey puzzle tree. But they’re also highly endangered, with the highest level of endangerment among all plant groups. Trafficking of cycads also is a significant issue.”
Despite their importance, a lack of fossil evidence and confusion over the years about how to classify some fossil specimens has led to a murky scientific grasp of the plants’ evolutionary history. One prominent idea was that cycads today are nearly identical to their prehistoric ancestors.
The findings are detailed in a paper by two University of Kansas paleobotanists just published in the journal New Phytologist.
“The prevailing school of thought is that cycads did not change much in deep time,” said co-author Brian Atkinson, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and curator of paleobotany at the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. “But the fossil record of cycads is poorly understood, and many things that have been called cycads have turned out not to be cycads at all. Here, we have a three-dimensionally preserved cone clearly assignable to cycads because it has internal anatomy and pollen grains typical of this group. However, the external morphology of this pollen cone is different from living cycads today. This finding suggests cycads aren’t really ‘living fossils’ and they probably have a more dynamic evolutionary history than previously thought.”
According to the KU researchers, their analysis of an 80-million-year-old permineralized pollen cone found in the Campanian Holz Shale formation located in Silverado Canyon, California, tells a more accurate cycad natural history — one where the plants diversified during the Cretaceous.
“With this type of discovery, we realize during this time there were cycads that were really different than the ones today in their size, in their number of pollen sacs, in a lot of things,” Elgorriaga said. “Maybe we haven’t found that many cycad fossils as well — or maybe we’re finding them but we’re just not recognizing them because they were so different from how they are today. They aren’t ‘living fossils.’ They were different in the past.”
To perform their analysis, Elgorriaga and Atkinson studied the specimen’s cone’s architecture, anatomical details and vasculature organization using serial sectioning, scanning electron microscopy and 3D reconstruction. They also performed a series of evolutionary analyses to place the fossil within the cycad family tree.
Relying partly on the shapes of the cone’s scales, pollen and pollen sacs, they assigned the ancient plant to Skyttegaardia, a recently described genus based on isolated cone scales found in Denmark and dated to the Early Cretaceous (about 125 million years ago). Further, they erase some initial doubt about the new genus’ placement in the cycad group.
“The 3D reconstruction was striking because it only had two pollen sacs per cone scale, and the form of this cone scale reminded us of a fossil described from Scandinavia called Skyttegaardia,” Atkinson said. “There were many similarities, but the original in Scandinavia was only described in 2021 based on isolated cone scales. They cautiously explored the idea that the fossil belonged to cycad but were uncomfortable with firmly concluding this primarily because it only had two pollen sacs per cone scale — while cycads today have 20 to 700. Most cycad pollen cones are quite large, while this fossil was only half a centimeter in length.”
With the additional information from the new fossil plant, the KU researchers were “quite confident” in their phylogenetic analysis showing Skyttegaardia’s positive relationship with cycads.
The investigators said their description of the primordial plant shows how paleobotany can tell us more about how nature works through deep time.
“This shows us that the information we collect from the fossil record greatly impacts our understanding of evolutionary patterns,” Atkinson said. “Time, just like fossils, can reveal insights that aren’t apparent from studying only living plants or organisms. This case study is an excellent example of how fossils can contribute to our understanding of evolution over extended periods.”
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Contact: Maria Fisher, Dole Institute of Politics, 785-864-4900, [email protected], @DoleInstitute
Dole Institute to celebrate distinguished Kansan’s legacy of finding common ground

LAWRENCE — Twenty years ago this July 22, thousands gathered on the University of Kansas’ West Campus to honor the public service and bipartisan legacy of Russell native Bob Dole at the dedication of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. That same day marked the former U.S. senator’s 80th birthday.

This year, the Dole Institute marks its 20th anniversary and Dole’s centenary with a Landmark Celebration. On April 25, in a groundbreaking ceremony attended by former U.S. Sens. Trent Lott and Tom Daschle — Dole’s former colleagues and majority leaders from each party — world-renowned Kansas artist Stan Herd broke ground for a tribute earthwork to be dedicated at a public celebration on July 22 at the institute. A series of special programming and events will follow over the next three months.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to create a work that signifies reengaging people with the legacy of this distinguished Kansan and his leadership that prioritized finding common ground,” Herd said. “That is a concept that could use some attention these days.”
Over the coming weeks, the public is invited to observe Herd at work on-site at the institute and watch the earthwork take shape. The next scheduled work visit coincides with Memorial Day weekend, beginning May 26.
Students from across Kansas are encouraged to contribute their own artwork, which will be incorporated into the completed earthwork in July. Participation is free, and details are available at doleinstitute.org/landmark.
“Americans are looking for a way to engage in politics different from what we see today. The Dole Institute’s mission to cultivate common ground and bipartisan compromise in tomorrow’s leaders has never been more important,” said Audrey Coleman, the institute’s director. “We’re excited to engage the public very broadly as we commemorate these historic anniversaries. It’s an ideal and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the bipartisan leadership of Senator Dole as an inspiration for the next generation of Kansans and beyond.”
Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole expressed support for the Dole Institute’s plans to honor her late husband.
“My husband Bob’s legacy of strong leadership should never be forgotten,” Elizabeth Dole said. “I am delighted that, two decades later, the institute is vibrant and thriving.”
Details about upcoming events, including Herd’s work days, a special exhibition opening June 14 and July 22 events will be announced in the coming weeks. The earthwork will be maintained on the Dole Institute grounds through October. The public is invited to come view this unique art installation in development and explore the Dole Institute’s museum exhibitions. Visit doleinstitute.org for updated information.
From his humble beginnings in rural Kansas, to the battlefields of Italy in World War II to 35 years of legislative service to the country, Bob Dole dedicated his life to serving the American people. He was the driving force behind countless legislative initiatives benefiting Americans on both sides of the aisle including the bipartisan passing of the Social Security Reform Act of 1983, the Americans with Disabilities Act and several initiatives providing nutrition assistance to those in need worldwide.
He was respected for his ability to foster bipartisan support on significant issues as well as his support for military veterans. In 2017, Dole received the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian award, for his contributions as a soldier, legislator and statesman. In 2019, he was only the third person in history, after George Washington and the explorer William Clark, to receive an honorary promotion by the U.S. Army.
Sponsors of the Landmark Celebration include AARP Kansas, KU, C.J. and Becca Mahoney, Jeff and Mary Weinberg, Mark and Bette Morris Family Foundation, Capitol Federal, Carol and Fred Logan, H. Neil Mecaskey Jr. Foundation Inc., KU Alumni Association and Crickett and Scott Reed.
The Dole Institute, a landmark facility on par with the U.S. presidential libraries and the first of its kind in the world for a legislative leader, has become a vibrant forum for civil discourse, civic engagement, and idea exchange across the political spectrum, not only for KU students but for audiences of all ages. It is home to the historical collections of both Bob and Elizabeth Dole. All resources of the Dole Institute are free and open to the public.

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Contact: Emily Fisher, Kansas Public Radio, 785-864-0190, [email protected], @kprnews
KPR to present an evening of folk and bluegrass music with Ordinary Elephant
LAWRENCE – Kansas Public Radio continues to celebrate its 70th anniversary with a special upcoming evening of folk and bluegrass favorites. KPR and its folk program, “Trail Mix,” will present a concert May 4 at the Lied Center of Kansas Pavilion, featuring award-winning duo Ordinary Elephant and Kansas City singer-songwriter Joy Zimmerman. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the concert can be found at kansaspublicradio.org and will also be available for purchase at the door.
Husband and wife duo Pete and Crystal Damore make up Ordinary Elephant’s pairing of banjo, guitar and vocal harmonies. They have toured extensively throughout the United States and boast an impressive array of awards, including the International Folk Music Awards Artist of the Year in 2017. Their albums Honest (2019) and Before I Go (2017) have also been nationally recognized.
Local singer-songwriter Joy Zimmerman will open the concert, including music from her latest album The Canvas Before Us (2021). Zimmerman is described as being a natural writer, which is highlighted in the lyricism throughout her body of work. She is also the recipient of several awards and is a 10-time Walnut Valley Festival NewSong Songwriting Contest winner.
Kring’s Interiors and the Lied Center of Kansas are the event sponsors. Additional information about the event can be found at kansaspublicradio.org.
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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/when-experts-attack
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Contact: Mike Krings, KU News Service, 785-864-8860, [email protected], @MikeKrings
Study shows governments escape blame by contracting services such as prisoner transport
LAWRENCE — Governments and private contractors work together on countless functions, but when something goes wrong, who is to blame?
Zach Mohr, associate professor of public affairs & administration at the University of Kansas, is involved in a series of studies to examine how people determine blame and hold those in power accountable.
While research has shown deaths in prisons have increased in recent years, there is little public data available about how those deaths occur in specific contexts. There are a few high-profile cases of deaths happening during transport like that of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, but the majority do not make national headlines.
To better understand how people view such service failures, Mohr led one study that examined prisoner transport — a common practice at local, state and national levels, although it is not clear just how often it is contracted. He and colleagues surveyed more than 1,000 respondents to understand whether contracting services for prisoner transport allows governments to escape blame if someone dies during the operation.
Researchers found that blame does shift, depending not only on who provided the service, but also whether the victim was a fellow prisoner or civilian.
The study found that people blame government less when a service is contracted, reinforcing the idea that governments can escape blame for failures by contracting services to private providers.
“Sometimes when there is government and contracted services it is hard to hold those folks accountable, or even know who to blame when something goes wrong,” Mohr said.
The study also found people blame government more when the victim was another prisoner.
“There are a lot of people that are harmed in prisons. The common narrative is that people might not care about prisoners,” Mohr said. “But this suggests that, if given all the information, they do care, and we hope that would help lead to accountability and realizing that people care more than we might think.”
Published in the journal Public Management Review, the study was written with Jared McDonald of the University of Mary Washington and Jaclyn Piatak and Suzanne Leland of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The experiment asked respondents to read a vignette about a prisoner transport that resulted in a death. In some cases, the department of corrections was conducting the service. In others, a private contractor conducted the service. In some scenarios, a prisoner killed a fellow inmate, while in others the victim was a civilian. Respondents were then asked who they felt was to blame for the failure and if the characteristics of the victim made a difference.
“It’s conclusive from our findings that contractors significantly reduce blame for governments in these types of failures,” Mohr said. “Which is a good reason for contracting services. But I should point out businesses do this, too — contracting certain services to avoid blame.”
By examining whether the characteristics of a victim influenced blame, the researchers were able to test whether the fundamental principle of equal protection under the law is possible.
Results showed people blame government more when the victim was another prisoner than when it was a bystander, contradicting social identity theory. That suggests people would not blame government more if the victim was of a lower social status, such as a prison inmate, compared to a citizen.
Mohr said that shows when a death occurs in a situation where the government should have more control, blame is higher, Mohr said.
An experimental look at how people assign blame when failures occur can help shine a light on public attitudes toward prison services and how prisoners are often treated like commodities, Mohr said.
Better understanding of how people assign blame in such cases could ultimately lead to better policies for accountability and ensuring people are properly held to account when failures lead to deaths of people in custody, he said.
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KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Media advisory

Contact: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU News Service, 785-864-8858, [email protected], @ebpkansas
Information for news media covering University of Kansas Class of 2023 Commencement

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas invites news media to cover the university’s Commencement ceremony May 14 for the Class of 2023.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. as graduates begin the traditional “walk down the Hill” to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, followed by a program and the conferral of degrees by Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. As part of the program, Fred Logan will receive the inaugural Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award.

News media photographers will need KU credentials to shoot in the photo pen on the Campanile plaza and to get inside the stadium. News organization credentials alone will not suffice. To receive KU credentials, email [email protected] by 5 p.m. May 8.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. Members of the news media are welcome to capture photos or video of the events from any publicly accessible area.
2. The graduates will be seated on the field facing south, and the platform party will be seated in the south end zone. Limited roaming in the graduate seating area is allowed; however, photographers may not photograph on or from the dais.
3. Because of space constraints, media members may not bring large video cameras with tripods into the photo pen.
4. Only graduates and the university’s official photographers from KU Marketing are allowed to walk through the Campanile.
5. Unmanned aerial systems, including drones — other than those of official photographers from KU Marketing — are not allowed.
6. Nearly 2,300 parking stalls are available a short distance from the stadium, and a complimentary shuttle service will run May 14.
7. Additional details, including an inclement weather plan, are available at commencement.ku.edu.

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KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs