TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO PICK UP YOUR STUDENT BASKETBALL TICKETS. THEY ARE AVAILABLE AT ALLEN FIELDHOUSE OR ONLINE FOR THE GAMES AGAINST TEXAS TECH, OKLAHOMA AND IOWA STATE.
VOL.116 ISSUE 80
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
▼ MEN'S BASKETBALL
DOWNS AND OUT Freshman guard leaves Kansas returns to family home in Seattle
Rachel Sevmour/KANSAN
Freshman guard Micah Downs, second from the left, warms the bench during Saturday's game against Nebraska. Downs didn't make it onto the court in the blowout victory against the Cornhuskers.
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaiann@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SWITCHER
Texas. le is
Kansas freshman guard Micah Downs has returned to his hometown of Seattle and will be transferring, Kansas coach Bill Self announced yesterday.
In a press release by the Kansas Athletics Department yesterday, Downs cited personal reasons for his transfer.
"I apologize to my former teammates and coaches for leaving at mid-year," Downs said. "I feel I can best deal with some personal problems closer to
Downs, who has been sick with the flu for the past week, was unable to play Saturday against Nebraska because of his undisclosed illness. By not playing on Saturday, Downs enabled himself to play, when he transfers, beginning in the winter of 2006. NCAA rules require players who transfer from a Division I school to another Division I school to sit out a full year, and Saturday's game was the first of the spring semester for Kansas. Downs, a former McDonald's All-American, will be eligible to play for his new school after the fall semester of 2006.
"It is unfortunate that
D.
home that have been weighing on me over the last few months. I wish KU the best the rest of the season."
Downs' transfer will be the sixth by a men's basketball player since Self arrived in Lawrence nearly three years ago.
During Saturday's victory, Downs was the lone Kansas player not to play. At one point in the second half, Kansas coach Bill Self approached Downs on the bench and spoke with him, but did not insert the 6-8 guard into the game. Self said
afterwards that Downs was too sick to play and that it would have been a good opportunity for Downs to see significant playing time.
Micah's tenure as a Kansas basketball player only lasted one semester," Self said. "Micah has decided to go home to resolve some personal issues. We wish Micah and his family the best."
Downs saw significant playing time from mid-November to mid-December, but inconsistency eventually led to fewer minutes. For the season, Downs averaged just 4.3 points per minute.
When Downs was in High school and was committed to Kansas, his father, Steve, said that Micah would declare for the NBA draft. Steve Downs later retracted that statement
I apologize to my former teammates and coaches for leaving at mid-year. I feel I can best deal with some personal problems closer to home that have been weighing on me over the last few months."
Micah Downs Freshman guard
and Micah arrived on campus during the summer.
"Our family appreciates the treatment of Micah by the Kansas coaches, players and administration," Steve Downs said in a statement. "This is not a basketball issue. At this time in his life, being closer
to home will hopefully enable Micah to resolve some of his issues. We thank Kansas for its support and wish them the best of luck."
STUDENT LIFE
— Edited by Matt Wilson
Authorities can view profiles on facebook.com
BY KRISTEN JARBOW
kjarbow@kansan.com
KANANS STAFF WRITER
The Web site facebook. com, known for connecting old friends and starting new friendships, may cause users unexpected trouble with the law.
Police have reportedly been monitoring the networking Web site for large parties at at least two universities. Though University of Kansas officials said they hadn't used the Web site to monitor the site's 22,000 KU members, they do have the capability of doing so.
The New York Times reported that Kyle Stoneman, a student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., was convinced his party was broken up by the campus security force because he had posted it on facebook. Officers discovered underage drinkers at the party.
Stoneman and his friends fought back. They again posted a party on facebook, but this time when the university police showed up, they found cake and cookies with the word "beer" on them and a "cake-pong" table instead of a beer-pong table.
Other cases like Stoneman's occurred at schools such as the University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University, when students posted pictures of themselves illegally drinking in dorm rooms, according to The Courier Journal of Louisville, Ky.
No such accounts have been
reported at the University, but it would be easy for any employee of the University with a KU e-mail account, including the KU Public Safety Office, to set up a facebook account to monitor students.
Schuyler Bailey, spokesman for the office, said the department had no plans to monitor the Web site.
There are additional problems on top of getting in trouble with the law. At the University of Missouri, a task force has gone into effect for this semester to inform students about the consequences of facebook. Students are being educated in classrooms about the problems of putting personal information on their profiles.
"Students think facebook is just a one-on-one conversation, but it's not," said Mary Jo Banken, director of the MU News Bureau. "It's not a place to post a lot of information about yourself that is available for anyone to see."
"People are too trusting," Eversole said. "They put way too much information on there. Those who put their class schedules up there are just asking to get robbed or be stalked."
Ann Eversole, KU assistant to the vice provost for student success and dean of students, said she had heard comments about students posting photos to the site that show inappropriate behavior.
▼ SPEAKER
Moore talks money at Dole
U. S. Rep. Dennis Moore speaks to students in the Multicultural Scholars Program Tuesday night at the Dole Institute of Politics about the need to aid American soldiers and their families. Several protestors stood outside the Dole Institute during Moore's speech protesting the war in Iraq.
Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
For a campus perceived as supportive of the Democratic Party, the reception was only lukewarm for U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) Tuesday night at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.
Moore said he had been invited to the home of an individual affiliated with the Peace and Justice Coalition in Lawrence before speaking at the institute. After a "nice conversation," Moore said protestors blocked his path as he left for the Dole Institute.
"They have the absolute right to speak their opinion — agree or disagree," he said. "Frankly, if it were just me I wouldn't mind, but I was late getting here."
Moore made it obvious, however, that the handful of students opposing him didn't hinder his excitement to speak to members of the Multicultural Scholars Program, of which approximately 120 students and 12 faculty advisers were in attendance. The Multicultural Scholars Program hosted the congressman's speech, "Balanced Budgets and Values: Leadership in 2006."
SEE MOORE ON PAGE 8A
SAFETY
Police: Pepper spray use was appropriate
BY MIKE MOSTAFFA
mmostaffa@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The KU Public Safety Office determined an officer's use of pepper spray on a group of Jawhawk fans carrying goal posts after the KU football team's victory against Missouri in October was appropriate.
"Given the fact the officer felt like he was being charged, we found the officer's use of the spray justified." Chief Ralph Oliver said.
After the emotional victory, a group of fans carried a large piece of one of the goal posts from Memorial Stadium toward Massachusetts Street. A second group carrying another part of the disembled posts followed.
Brian Bizjack, Tulsa, Olka, junior who was part of the first group, said when the officers had asked the group to put the post down at 13th and Tennessee streets, the students complied. The second group was determined to parade its post down Massachusetts Street and had ignored the
officer's command, he said.
"He got angry after they ignored him," Bizjack said. "He told them a bunch of times."
Bizjack said he had seen an officer use pepper spray after the group dropped the posts and left the area. He said he hadn't seen the officer spray anyone directly in the face, but saw the officer staggering.
"He had his hands on his face and it looked like the cop who used the spray got the worst of it." Bizjack said.
The department wanted the
"We don't mind students celebrating, but we are always looking out for their safety, whether they realize it or not," Oliver said.
students to celebrate after a victory, but in a safe manner, rather than by carrying goal posts across busy intersections, Oliver said.
Oliver said in his 20 year career in law enforcement for the KU Public Safety Office, this was the first time he'd dealt with an incident involving an officer using pepper spray.
Edited by Lindsey St. Clair
Candidate speaks out
A gubernatorial candidate ripped Gov. Kathleen Sebelius last night as the KU College Republicans kicked off their series of speakers. PAGE 2A
Gameday supersizes
Check out the Gameday page for a preview of both the men's and women's basketball games. The men travel to Texas A&M and the women head to Kansas State. PAGE 12A
KUltre
Loyal Jayhawk fans recount their journey to Fort Worth, Texas, to witness Kansas' victory against the University of Houston. They made the trip despite approaching holiday celebrations and a long drive. PAGE 5A
Index
M
Comics... 6A
Classifieds... 7A
Crossword... 6A
Horoscopes... 6A
Opinion... 4A
Sports... 11A
例
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan
4.