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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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