Local Events

The Black Card Experience at the The Bird Comedy Theater in the Crossroads Art District

When: Saturday, Feb. 24 from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Price: $12-$15

Regarding this event, The Bird Comedy Theater said, “Fresh from performing live at SF SketchFest, Katherene Garry, (Let Me Explain My Blackness, It’s A Cultural Thing, The Anarchy Fun Time Show) brings back KC Fringe 2023’s Best of Venue show about the stereotypes of black culture for one night.” 

BLK + BRWN MOVIE NIGHT! @ Stray Cat Film Center on Broadway Blvd.

When: Sunday, Feb. 25 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Price: $ Free

The Stray Cat Film Center, partnering with BLK + BRWN, is screening “The Spook Who Sat by the Door,” in honor of Black History Month.

Jewell Kitchen in YGCU Room 221/222

When: Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Price: $10 

Here is a description obtained from the BSA Brightspace Page: “Bring your appetite to enjoy some soul food! This event will feature a raffle for a campus parking space and trivia where you can win prizes like a Nintendo Switch or a massage gun! Sponsored by BSA.”

Reading and Local Businesses:

For a quick read, hop on over to the Kansas City Black History website and download this year’s pamphlet. This booklet highlights Black historical figures, including a musician, a teacher, a physician, a politician and many more. Some of the famous names include Samuel U. Rodgers, Vincent O. Carter, Myrtle Foster Cook and Annetta Washington. For a longer read, check out Goodreads’s Black History Month List that recommends books such as “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison.

KC Black Owned created several lists that include Black-owned small businesses such as restaurants, cafes, bakeries, retail stores and much more. There are even some bookstores included, so check out the Goodreads list and pick up your next read at one of these Black-owned bookstores! Black History Month is an important celebration and commemoration of Black history. If you feel inspired by this list, consider using your voice to elevate Black voices.

The Link Project is part of a larger capital campaign at William Jewell College called “In Pursuit.” Other parts of this campaign that have been completed include the hillside in front of Jewell Hall as well as the renovation of Mathes Hall. The Link Project has undergone planning and fundraising for the last five years.

According to Clark Morris, The Link was originally expected to cost twenty million dollars and has gone up to thirty million due to inflation. The project has been split into two phases due to this increase in cost. Construction for the first phase will be conducted while fundraising is completed for the second phase. This project will be fully funded by donations, so there will be no need to pull money from any other source because of this.

One of the major reasons for the construction of The Link is the expansion of the Athletics division of the College. Jewell has twenty-four different sports as of Sep. 6, and as Clark Morris, Vice President for Advancement, said: “We quite literally have run out of space.”

Once The Link Project is done, different sports can practice at the same time in different areas, making time management more efficient for coaches and athletes. The Link Project will also be “a giant improvement” to accessibility, according to Morris. 

The hope is that improved parking will be available as soon as December of this year, and as late as March of next year.

For more information on The Link Project, click here: https://www.jewell.edu/alumni/pursuit/link

The following transcript outlines an interview that I conducted with Heath Hase, Assistant Vice President for Integrated Technology, to clear up any confusion regarding the recent Wi-Fi outages as well as the cyber attack that occurred on or before Aug. 18.

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Bodine: I have heard rumors about the cause of the initial outage and wanted to ask if there were any clarifications that could be shared.

Hase: On August 18, 2023, Jewell discovered it was the target of a cyber attack, which disrupted the operability of our network and systems. Our Department of Information Technology acted quickly to ensure the security of our systems. Additionally, the College partnered with third-party specialists to assist in investigating the nature and source of this event. That investigation is ongoing.

Side note: Hase mentioned in an aside that the above response is truly everything currently known about the attack.

Bodine: I have also heard that the Blue Valley school district experienced something similar in recent years. To your knowledge, are these cyber  attacks commonly directed at educational institutions?

Hase: There has been an increase in educational institutions being impacted by cyber attacks, making it a top concern for colleges and universities, including Jewell. We take the operability and security of our network and data very seriously. The groups that target educational institutions are clever in that they aim to disrupt the operations of colleges and universities, particularly at the start of a new school year.

Bodine: Am I correct in saying that the initial major outage is somewhat separate from the current Wi-Fi issues? Or are they connected?

Hase: The current Wi-Fi issue is unrelated to the August event. Last year, the institution began work on a $3 million I.T. project to upgrade the campus network and Wi-Fi infrastructure. Inevitably, an upgrade of this magnitude will experience hardware installation mishaps, which is what caused JewellSecure Wi-Fi to be temporarily disrupted.

Bodine: What upgrades will be done? I have seen the toolboxes in front of Jewell Hall as well as the crews around campus. Does it have to do with the security camera updates or the Wi-Fi system updates?

Hase: The toolboxes located in front of Jewell Hall are being used for HVAC [heating, ventilation and air-conditioning] upgrades. In general terms, the I.T. infrastructure project includes the installation of new network cabling in all buildings, the upgrading of over 300 new Access Points responsible for broadcasting WiFi and the expansion of our security camera fleet and network, among other things. HVAC projects will finish up in the next several weeks, and security camera updates are about to begin.

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Hase also mentioned that these network and Wi-Fi infrastructure upgrades will be a major boost to the strength of the system. Each of the 300 new Access Points will raise the Wi-Fi device limit from 40-50 all the way to 800. So, while there may have been a few issues during implementation, students will reap the benefits soon.