THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
10A
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2005
VOL. 116 ISSUE 70
HEALTH
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MP3 players can cause hearing loss
BY STEVE LYNN
slynn@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
The portable MP3 player that every KU student seems to have has become a significant cause of hearing loss.
Kevin Boulware, Shawnee freshman, said he listened to his iPod two hours per day and sometimes cranked the volume to drown out surrounding noise.
Walk anywhere on campus and the iPod's signature white wires creep out of students' jackets and into their ears. The popularity of iPods and other MP3 players has posed a greater risk of hearing loss for those who listen often and at high volume, researchers say.
Sandy Banks, clinical audiologist in the department of speech, language and hearing, said she had evaluated many KU students who complained of ringing in their ears and the inability to hear their friends' conversations in crowded bars.
"I have found noise-induced hearing loss," Banks said. "A lot of them are saying iPods."
Robert Novak, clinical professor of audiology at Purdue University, conducted a study of college students who used portable music players that found students had damaged their ears.
Researchers measured volume levels on the students' players and found in the past five to 10 years many students had sustained damage to their cochleas, a snail-shell division of the inner ear that converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. They also found damage to the hairs in the ear essential to hearing, Novak said.
Many students were listening for several hours and at levels as high as 100 decibels, he said.
"It's becoming a very significant public health issue in terms of hearing loss," Novak said. "It's totally preventable."
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's guidelines for reducing noise exposure in the workplace state that 90 decibels for eight hours is the maximum level of exposure one can sustain without damaging hearing.
At 100 decibels, one can only listen for two hours.
A chain saw can emit 100 decibels. Crowd noise at a basketball game can rise to 120 decibels.
Students can prevent hearing loss by using headphones that cup the ear instead of the popular ones inserted directly into the ear canal, he said. Students are safe if they can hear someone talking three feet away, he said.
SEE HEARING ON PAGE 2A
FOOTBALL
The Big 12 Conference Coaches named Senior linebacker Nick Reid 2005 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Tuesday, Reid finished first in the Big 12 with an average of 9.6 tackles per game.
Jayhawk earns Big 12 honors
Reid named defensive player of year
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaiani@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Nick Reid thought he was in trouble when Kansas football coach Mark Mangino had his secretary call Reid into his office
The fear was short-lived when Reid opened the door. Mangino
was waiting with a hug of appreciation after Reid was named Big 12 defensive player of the year by the conference's coaches Tuesday.
"It is a great honor to get this award, especially in such a conference like the Big 12, with all the great athletes that we have." Reid said.
Being selected by the conference's coaches made the award even more special for him.
"Those are the guys that are basically in the trenches with us. They are out at practices every day. They are down on the sidelines at the games," Reid said "They go through all of the emotions like everybody else."
This is the third season that Reid has posted triple-digit tackle numbers. Reid has 106 tackles, including 15 for loss on the season.
"Nick is very deserving of this recognition," Mangino said. "He is a dedicated player that made a difference in our program. Nick will be remembered as one of the finest defensive players ever to play at Kansas."
SEE REID ON PAGE 2A
BELIEFS
E-mail angers 'fundies'
BY FRANK TANKARD
ftankard@kansan.com
KANSAK STAMP WRITER
A controversial KU intelligent design class to be taught next semester has spurred a debate among state legislators that isn't likely to end before the legislature returns to session Jan. 9.
On Monday, the department of religious studies formally approved the class, formerly known as "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies," but renamed it by removing the words "and other Mythologies."
A statewide debate about the class heated up when its professor, Paul Mirecki, sent an e-mail to a 92-person yahoo.com list serve that serves as a discussion board for the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics, a student group with 121 members for which Mirecki is the faculty adviser.
Mirecki, chairman of the religious studies department and faculty member since 1989, wrote in the Nov. 19 e-mail, "The fundies want it all taught in a science class, but this will be a nice slap in their big fat face by teaching it as a religious studies class under the category 'mythology.'"
State legislators said they would discuss the class when they return to session, and some said they would consider taking action against the University.
Sen. Kay O'Connor (R-Olathe) said, "I'm very disappointed that this professor seems to think he can use taxpayers' dollars to teach a class that will poke a stick in the eye of conservative Christians out there."
O'Connor didn't dismiss the possibility of legislators withholding funding from the University unless it makes significant changes to the class or appoints a new faculty member to teach it.
"The legislature does have the authority to fund and de-fund anything, period," she said. "Will they do anything about it? I don't know."
PROFILE
"I don't think that the legislature should really be in the position of managing of what the course work is." he said.
Rep. Bob Bethell (R-Alden), said he was concerned that the class wouldn't be taught fairly based on Mirecki's e-mail, but he was wary of legislative action against the University.
SEE ANGERS ON PAGE 3A
Short in size, big in game
Kansas recruit's height serves as extra motivation
BY KELLI ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SEHORI SPORTSWITER
AUSTIN, Texas — In the world of Texas high school football, Todd Reesing is king.
The excitement that follows the senior quarterback, who has verbally committed to Kansas, is unreal.
At every home game, he is introduced to thousands of fans as he runs out of an inflatable tunnel through a screen of smoke.
He plays in front of sell-out crowds everywhere, and radio stations have been known to broadcast his games statewide.
Any of his football games this year could have passed for a scene in "Varsity Blues" or "Friday Night Lights."
But for all the excitement he brought to Lake Travis High School and all of the Austin area, there was nothing he could do on a football
"That's how it's been all year," Reesing said. "We've had packed stands and wild crowds. It's been a lot of fun."
Reesing
field to impress the college football experts.
to his name.
One look at a media guide was all it took to chase the college coaches and scouts away.
The two numbers have haunted Reesing in his quest to make it as a quarterback at the college level. He's never quite figured out why. Everything else about his game is up there with the blue-chip recruits.
They could never get past the two numbers listed next
Height: 5 feet 11 inches.
The Associated Press Sports Editors even named him Texas State 4A Offensive Player of the Year as a junior over Matthew Stafford, who recruiting Web site riuals.com ranked
He threw for 3,543 yards and 41
touchdowns in a 10-game season.
He stepped into a spread offense and transformed a winless Lake Travis team into an undefeated juggernaut by the time he was a senior.
But for all the excitement he brought to Lake Travis High School and all of the Austin area, there was nothing he could do on a football field to impress the college football experts.
the No.1 high school quarterback in the country.
Scouts ignored his accomplishments; rivals.com rated him as a three-star quarterback on a five-star scale. Coaches pursued taller players who better represented a stereotypical college quarterback.
But it didn't matter.
"It its frustrating. You hear it time and time again," Reesing said. "You put up better numbers, have a higher completion ratio, make more plays with your legs and everything. But they're the better players simply because they're taller.
Reeing considered it a slap in the face.
Then Kansas expressed interest in Reeing and he jumped at the opportunity to prove his critics wrong.
"It gets old."
He's so eager to show what he can do that he is currently taking classes
at three schools
— Lake Travis, Texas Tech and Austin Community College — to graduate from high school a semester early and become a freshman at Kansas in January.
He will leave his friends, family and celebrity high school status to participate in Kansas' spring football practices.
"It was tough," said Reeing of his decision to graduate early. "In the long run, though, I think it's the best decision. It will give me the chance to jump-start my college life and obviously give me the chance to see playing time early in my career."
Reeing's mother, Debi, was the hardest person to persuade into letting him leave early. She said she would miss him too much.
SEE REESING ON PAGE 4A
Jayhawks aiming for top scores The Kansas women's basketball team hasn't scored this well since the 90s, because of its deep lineup with promising reserve players. PAGE 1B
Goalpost celebrations cause concern The Kansas Athletics Department is displeased with fans tearing down goalposts after victories. Of seven instances of fallen goalposts at colleges nationwide, three happened in Lawrence. PAGE 1B
Honor and chivalry
Index
Honor and chivalry KU student Kasey Moomau wears a different kind of suit — a suit of armor. He's a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a group devoted to re-enacting the Middle Ages and Renaissance. PAGE 6A
Comics. 4B
Classifieds. 5B
Crossword. 4B
Horoscopes. 4B
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 1B
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005The University Daily Kansan