THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11. 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOL.116 ISSUE 39
APARTMENT FIRE
BY FRANK TANKARD
tankard@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Of the 32 KU students who lived in Boardwalk Apartments, Raul Diaz was one of the few lucky enough to have renter's insurance.
But some of his possessions destroyed by fire early Friday morning were irreplaceable, like the $10,000 worth of books he had for his evolution research, including original copies from the 1800s.
When Diaz, Los Angeles graduate student, awoke to shouts of "Fire!" he grabbed his cell phone, keys and dog and ran down the stairs and out the front door of the three-story building. He's now living in the guest bedroom of a friend's house and looking for a new apartment.
rector of the Office of Student Financial Aid, said the University would award grants of up to $1,000 from an emergency fund. Johnson said grants would vary based on the level of need, but would typically be about $500. He said several students had requested assistance as of yesterday afternoon.
Johnson said displaced students should go to the Office of Student Financial Aid at 50 Strong Hall to meet with an adviser.
University officials said they were doing everything they could to accommodate students who lived in the destroyed apartments, including replacing textbooks and school supplies for free.
Chris Johnson, associate di-
Dave Heller, a Manhattan senior who lived in the complex, said the office gave him $500 yesterday. That amount won't go far to replace the possessions he lost in the fire.
Heller said he hoped to get his $375 security deposit back from Boardwalk Apartments, along with the rent he paid through January, totalling $1,560. He also was waiting to get his car back, which was impounded at the scene while investigators searched for clues to how the fire started.
office's records. She said residents' payments would be refunded when the records were returned.
Diana Robertson, associate director of KU Student Housing, said the University was offering housing to those who were displaced by the fire.
As of Monday afternoon, three students had called to ask about housing, but none had decided to move in.
Judy Miller, assistant manager of Boardwalk Apartments, investigators took all of the
Robertson said Jayhawker Towers had the most available space.
Members of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives take a break from investigating the cause of the fire in the Boardwalk Place Apartment complex. Three bodies have been discovered since the fire ravaged the apartment complex on Friday morning.
Kim Andrews/KANSAN
Jane Tuttle, assistant to the dean of students, said that if residents of the complex had any other needs, the University would try to accommodate them on a case-by-case basis. She urged students affected by the fire to contact the University.
Heller said his next step would be to move out of his friend's house and find a new apartment.
"I'm just in the process of getting my life back together," he said.
Staff writer Matt Wilson contributed to this story
- Edited by Erick R. Schmidt
Passing the time
Jennifer Farmsworth, Spring Hill junior, waits for a friend in the Smith Hall library while reading the newspaper Monday afternoon. Farmsworth said she often waits in Smith Hall to pick up her friend.
Megan True/KANSAN
APARTMENT FIRE
KU student among missing
BY FRANK TANKARD
ftankard@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Investigators confirmed Monday that they had found three bodies in the rubble of Boardwalk Apartments, which burned down early Friday morning.
Nicole Bingham, Wichita senior, is among three apartment residents missing, along with Jose Gonzales, 50, and Yolanda Riddle, an Ottawa social worker.
All of the other residents have been accounted for, Mark Bradford, interim chief of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical department, said in a press conference at 2 p.m. Monday.
Bradford said he was relatively sure emergency workers found all the bodies, but it could be a few days before medical examiners determine the identities of the three bodies found. The fire was reported at 1:19 a.m. Friday at Boardwalk Apartments, in the 500 block of Fire-side Drive, off 6th Street. When firefighters arrived at 1:25 a.m., the apartments were engulfed in flames. The fire was under control by 4:30 a.m. Thirty-two KU students lived there.
At least 18 people were injured and two were taken to Kansas City for treatment. One of those injured was Eli Greenbaum, a KU graduate student. He was listed in fair condition yesterday at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan. Monday afternoon, Lyz Matney, 19, watched from across the street as firefighters dug through the rubble.
She spoke of how lucky she was to move out of the building just the week before. And she thought of Nicole Bingham, whom she didn't know well, but frequently saw in passing at the apartment complex.
"I just talked to her in the laundry room," she said.
— Edited by Erick R. Schmidt
BUILDINGS
What was once home to many students will soon lose its own
BY GABY SOUZA
gouza@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
On top of the hill that shadows Potter's Lake sits a building that is sometimes overlooked.
It is not a building where classes are held, though it is home to the bursar's office and the KU Public Safety Office. Its neighbor to the north is JRP Hall, a newer-looking and more impressive building.
But that building, CarruthO'Leary Hall, will be torn down to make room for a new facility for the School of Business.
Toni Dixon, director of communications for the School of
The hall has never been completely renovated and is underequipped, said Don Steeples, vice provost of scholarly support. Its rooms are tiny, and the general wear and tear has taken its toll.
Business, said she hoped the new business facility would be built within the next five years. That means the demolition of Carruth-O'Leary.
1955. It first housed the football team and students attending an international student orientation, but in the fall of 1955, it became home to 200 male students. It also was the home to basketball wonder Wilt Chamberlain, who lived at Carruth-O'Leary sometime between 1955-1958.
"A person could walk into dozens of rooms and say, 'Yep, this was a dormitory.'" Steeples said.
Henry Fortunato, project director and editor-in-chief of the KU History Project, said the new residence halls were built to accommodate the University's growth. The University was shifting its focus from normal house-sized student residences with 60 residents to larger, highrise housing buildings such as Carruth-O'Leary.
Carnuth-O'Leary began its existence as just that when it opened its doors as twin residence halls for students in the summer of
The hall got its name from two University greats: Dr. William Carruth and Raphael O'Leary.
Dr. William H. Carruth was a University graduate who made a name for himself by becoming a professor of German and literature in 1887. He was a man before his time, coauthoring a book on women's suffrage and writing a famous poem advocating the idea of evolution.
English was O'Leary's strong suit. He was a member of the KU English department from 1895 to 1936. He was also the first editor of the KU Graduate Magazine.
Candice Rukes/KANSAN
Carruth-O'Leary Hall will be torn down to make room for a new business school building. The hall was once a residence hall and the home of Wilt Chamberlain.
SEE HOME ON PAGE 4A
Today's weather
Celebrating expression of sexual orientation The University's branch of Queers and Allies will acknowledge National Coming Out Day today to support the LGBT community. PAGE 2A
Graduate Teaching Assistants want pay raise GTAs in negotiations with the University to increase their annual salaries to meet a wage that would pay the cost of living in Lawrence. PAGE 2A
Who's it going to be? Saturday's loss at Kansas State has left the position of starting quarterback up in the air for football coach Mark Mangino. Adjustments to the offense also will be made this week in practices. PAGE 10A
Index
Comics. 6A
Classifieds. 7/8A
Crossword. 6A
Horoscopes. 6A
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 10A
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All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005The University Daily Kansan
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