FEATURES
CAMPUS
Coffee gets its own shops, its own following and its own personality. Page 12A
Finals week will bring some changes in campus services' hours. Page 3A
services' hours. Page 3A
LIGHT SNOW High 36° Low 20° Weather: Page 2A.
THE UNIVEP KAN
CITY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA, KS 66612
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
VOL.104,NO.74
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1994
(USPS 650-640)
Study shows an increase in binge drinkers
NEWS:864-4810
By Nathan Olson Kansan staff writer
When Charles Hargadine helped celebrate a friend's 21st birthday two years ago, he didn't think he would get bitten.
But the friend, after becoming drunk, refused to leave the bar.
"He finally said he'd get into the car, so we let him go. Then he bit my arm," said Hargardine, Lawrence senior.
Hargadine's experience was an example of the harm caused by binge drinking. According to a survey published in yesterday's Journal of the American Medical Association, 44 percent of college students binge drink.
Binge drinking, as defined by the survey.
is the consumption of at least five drinks in a row for men and four drinks in a row for women. The survey was conducted between February and June 1993 and involved 17,592 undergraduate students at 140 college campuses.
The survey also looked at secondary binge effects, which are the effects of binge drinkers on nonbinge drinkers. At schools that were classified as having a moderate binge level, incidents of violence were more frequent than at those schools with a low binge level.
For example, 42 percent of students at low binge level schools said that their sleep or studying had been interrupted by binge drinkers, and 64 percent said the same had occurred at moderate binge
level schools.
Local experts say they've been dealing with binge drinking for many years. Janine Gracy, coordinator of health promotion at Watkins Health Center, talks to students about the effects of excessive drinking.
Gracy said that college students drank because it was part of their culture.
"Look at the KU basketball game last weekend," she said. "There were advertisements all over the court for alcohol. And the sad thing is that most college students aren't old enough to drink."
Gracy said that another reason for high levels of consumption was that since alcohol used to be legal for 18-year-olds, many people had the mindset that it should be legal for that age group now.
"The issue of alcohol consumption is particularly dangerous for women," she said. "They can become alcoholics much more quickly because alcohol is physiologically much harder on women's 'bodies.'"
The effect of alcohol on women was reterated by Francis Elling, substance abuse counselor at DCCCA, a state-wide agency responsible for educating people about substance abuse.
Elling cited a study conducted this summer showing that 35 percent of college women drink to get drunk. The number was 10percent in 1977.
"Alcohol is a big part of the culture of college," he said. "It's almost looked at as a rite of passage."
Binge drinking common at colleges
Ominous findings in a new survey of 27,000 students at 340 colleges:
suga drinking in past 2 weeks?
(10% of women)
5% of women
Binge drinking most common at:
■ Colleges in Illinois
■ North Central states
■ Residential schools
■ more or more students live on campus)
Coed colleges
Frequent binge drinkers
Binge drinking least common in:
■ West, South
■ Traditionally Black colleges
■ Commuter colleges
■ Women's
SOURCE: Harvard School of Public Health study, Journal of American Medical Association
From Royals to Rock Chalk
Kansas City centerfielder Brian McRae makes the grade at KU
"Stings drinking"
more drinks in a row (mum) or four or more (women)
or two (women)
"Three or more binges?"
more in past two weeks
Photos by Jay Thornton
Story by Shannon Newton
Knight:Ridler Trihune
Zach Klein, Chicago junior, and Brian McRae discuss the football game in Olathe between Mid-America Nazarene College and Baker University during halftime. It was McRae's first experience announcing for an actual radio broadcast.
assignment sucked, and they re'sick of school. And how about those Rovals?
brian McRae sits at the end of the table before class. He and his classmates talk about the weekend — going out, lounging. They agree that the last
"I remember when I called you little B-Mac," one classmate tells McRae. "I would always go with my dad to games and watch your dad. The first time I saw you come up to bat, you hit a home run."
MrMcRae, centerfielder for the Kansas City Royals, has been enrolled in a University of Kansas sports broadcasting class all semester.
As a switch hitter, last year he batted .307 left-handed and .259 left-handed. He hit four home runs and had 40 RBIs.
And then came the strike.
As a result of the baseball strike, McRae decided to do something he had thought about for a few years.
Ten years after graduation, and 10 years after he walked away from KU to pursue a professional baseball career, McRae went back to school.
MMcRa is enrolled in Tom Hedrick's sports broadcasting class. He says he wants to be more marketable after he retires from baseball.
McRae had been considering taking the class for the last couple of years, but until the strike he didn't have the time for school.
"The semester had already started when the strike began, so I called Tom to see how I could enroll," McRae says. "We talked to the Dean. I was allowed to enroll late."
McRae passes Hedrick his tape and waits for the class to listen and critique it.
"It's good." Hedrick says, "But it's a litte short."
...
Hedrick has known McRae since he was 8 years old. As a sportscaster for 37 years and now an instructor of radio and television in the School of Journalism,
Hedrick knows many of the Royals players and remains good friends with Hal McRae and his family.
Hedrick remembers giving McRae two baseballs and telling him he'd get $10 if he could get an autograph from all of the players.
"He accomplished the task," Hedrick said, "but he didn't take the money."
Royals manager in September with maturity. "He wasn't bitter. He said he understood."
McRae is at talented in the classroom as he is on the diamond, Hedrick said. "He's got a solid voice and he's always prepared. He sometimes gives pointers to students on sportscasting — like how to talk to a player after a big loss."
Hedrick said that McRae took the news of his father's termination as the
After McRae's playing days are over he wants to remain part of the action.
"I want to stay in Kansas City and sportscast," McRae said. "I'm lucky because I have name recognition here."
...
The name McRae has been around Kansas City since 1972 when his father, Hal McRae, started with the Royals. Growing up as the son of a member of the Royals Hall of Fame meant living in
See McRao, Page 9A.
Sophomore guard Jerod Haase and the rest of the Kansas men's basketball team scrapped for the loose balls and defeated the Florida Gators 69-63 last night at Allen Field House.
Thieves have a holiday during winter break
Page 18.
Although winter break is a good time to unwind and forget about school, some quick and easy steps can help students safeguard their belongings while they are out of town.
By Manny Lopez Kansan staff writer
"This is one of the times students are vulnerable because student living areas are generally vacant," said Sgt. Rick Nickell of the Lawrence police department.
In a college town people often move, so it is hard for police and neighbors to tell who actually lives where, Nickell said. Because of that, burglar can come and go as they please without drawing attention to themselves
But students do not have to become victims of thefts during the winter break.
Nickell said he told students to keep
Students also should let neighbors know that no one will be home and leave a key with a friends so they can check the apartment and pick up newspapers and mail. Another good idea, police said, is to buy a timer that will switch a light on periodically.
a list of valuable items. The list should include serial numbers and descriptions of jewelry, computers, bicycles and other expensive items. And the list should not be kept in the apartment or residence hall room.
Sgt. Rose Rozmiarek of the KU police said that if students were going to leave valuables in their rooms or apartments, they should move them out of view from windows. If students do find that their residence hall rooms were broken into during the break, they should report the theft to police as soon as they get back to campus, she said.
Students who are going out of town and leaving their car here in
Apartment managers said they wanted residents to remove Christmas trees from their apartments if they were leaving for an extended period of time because dry trees could become fire hazards.
4.
Lawrence should remove any items that would entice someone to break into the car, Rozmiarek said.
Also, students should remember to leave the heat on in their apartments but to turn it down to save money. If the heat is turned off and the temperature drops, pipes might freeze, leaving students with flooded apartments and expensive damage bills.
Finally, Nickell said, students should take five minutes right before they leave to take one last look around their apartments to make sure that they did not leave any appliances turned on and that all windows and doors are locked.
Bill returned to committee after groups denied status
Senate says no to block allocation
By James Evans
Kansan staff writer
Tuesday night's Student Senate meeting ended in heated debate.
At issue was a bill, recommended by the Senate Finance Committee, to grant two-year block allocation status to campus groups. The block alloca-
The bill failed by a vote of 22 to 9,
and will be given back to the Senate
Finance Committee. The committee
will look at the bill Jan. 17, the first
committee meeting of the
meeting.
Many senators said the bill was out of order because Campus Transportation, the KU Dance Company and the Election Board were not approved by the finance committee to receive two year block allocation status. Fifteen other groups were recommended for block allocation status.
FEE: Student Senate has postponed a vote on an increase the activity fee. Page 6A.
The finance committee ruled during block allocation hearings in
Funding debate
A bill to fund campus groups in two-year block allocations failed Tuesday night in Student Senate. The Senate disagreed with the Senate Finance Committee's recommendations about which groups should receive block allocation status. The bill was sent back to the finance committee, with the recommendation of adding three groups to the list of 15. The three groups are*
Transportation Board
University Dance Company
Election Board
November that the three groups had not qualified under the four general requirements for block allocation status. The four requirements are that groups must provide a broad tangible benefit to the University, must show continued viability, must have been funded continually by Senate for the last three years and must demonstrate a need for block allocation on a two year basis.
"There was a definite premeditated malice attack on the Transportation Board," George Wyatt, Interfraternity Senator said. He said the board based their decision outside the four general criteria, such as the emissions of the buses on campuses. He recommended that the bill be sent back to the finance committee with a binding resolution which would require the committee to put the three groups back on block allocation status.
Members of the finance committee felt they had made the right decision. However, the idea of a binding resolution annoyed some members of Senate.
"Student Senate overstepped its bounds," said Ami Hizer, off-campus senator. "It's not our job at Student Senate to tell the finance committee what to do."
She said that if senate was going to treat finance that way the committee might as well stay home. Hizer asked during one portion of the meeting whether it would be possible to discharge the finance committee. Eric Medill, student body vice president, said the committee could be removed, but the idea was not acted on by Senate.
In the end, the binding resolution was not brought up in bill form by Senate. But recommendations were sent back to the finance committee about what needed to be changed with the bill.
Jackie Flannigan, off-campus senator, said it would be redundant for the committee to look at the bill again.
"We will be debating the same thing." Flannigan said
"We spent more than half an hour on this."
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