10A NEWS
TEAM SPIRIT
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2008
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008
Fans debate game day shirt color
BY LUKE MORRIS
lmorris@kansan.com
Jessie Fetterling/KANSAN
Sean McDonald, Shawnee senior, and Maggie long and Jennifer Schmidt, Overland Park seniors, applaud the halftime show at the Kansas vs. Baylor game Saturday night at Allen Fieldhouse. Many students wear blue to the games, but some still wear crimson to support the Jayhawks.
Crimson and blue. And green and pink! Some unfamiliar shirt colors have leeched their way into the stands at Kansas basketball games.
The sea of blue in Allen Fieldhouse evolved into a vast ocean of colors. Some fans are annoyed by the decreasing uniformity in shirt color at games.
The green shirts Lemon refers to have the phrase "Rock Chalk Shamrock" printed on them. The shirt celebrates St. Patrick's Day. Various stores on campus and around Lawrence sell shirts in colors such as pink, yellow and green. Orange shirts also began to sell after the Jayhawks were selected to play in the 2008 Orange Bowl.
Kansas associate athletics director Jim Marchiony said that in the past few months, he felt that student fans became better at wearing blue to the games. He also said that students seemed to do a better job with sticking to blue than most other fans.
"Why do people wear green shirts?" I just don't understand." Megan Lemon, Smithville, Mo., junior and member of the Student Alumni Association, said.
Christina Steger, manager at Tarheel Bookstore in Chapel Hill.
N. C., the bookstore of the University of North Carolina, said non-Tarheel colored shirts didn't sell very well.
"We have a few off-color shirts, but they're not that popular," Steger said. "People tend to wear more Carolina blue."
North Carolina's university colors are white and "Carolina blue," a light blue.
At some other universities, groups regulate the shirt colors in their student sections. At Michigan State University, students who want to sit
in the Izzone, the university's basketball student section, must wear white.
"Students have to sign a contract saying they'll wear white to the games before they can get their tickets to the Izzone." Michelle Berry, a junior at Michigan State and co-director of the Izzone said.
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Carolina Fury, a group that makes up most of North Carolina's student section, has a similar program that asks students to wear the university's colors at basketball games and other athletic events. The group uses a point system to determine who sits in the lower bowl of the arena. If fans don't wear the university's colors, they forfeit their points.
Allison Berg, marketing specialist for University of Illinois Athletics, said that more than 90 percent of Illinois fans wore orange to every home basketball game without any enforcement of uniformity.
Berry said that Michigan State shirts that didn't use the university's colors, green and white, weren't very popular on the campus.
"We don't require anyone to wear orange, but they choose to," Berg said. "But we've developed a culture throughout the years with our fans with a combination of promotions and other things the athletic department has done to push the orange color."
"We don't want people to feel like they're not free to express themselves as fans," Benz said. "But it's part of the culture here anymore. We're known for our sea of orange, so most everyone comes to the game wearing orange."
Erik Benz, University of Illinois senior and president of the Orange Krush, an organization that makes up most of the Illinois student fanbase, said that the Orange Krush didn't put a rule on shirt color because it felt like the rule would limit creativity.
Marchiony said that although the University didn't enforce wearing blue shirts, it took steps to encourage all jayhawk fans to wear blue.
Edited by Jared Duncan
ARMY ROTC. START STRONG.
》 ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Bryan Marvin/KANSAN
The pink portion shows seats reserved for former University athletes during tomorrow's game against Colorado. The alumni will include two former Olympic champions.
BY LUKE MORRIS
Imorris@kansan.com
Basketball alumni obtain reserved seats
Kansas Athletics plans to save about 300 seats in the student section for former Kansas basketball players, coaches and their families.
The former players return for the celebration of 110 years of Kansas basketball. Associate athletics director Jim Marchiony said that Kansas Athletics holds an anniversary ceremony every five years.
Basketball fans may have a tough time finding seats for Saturday's game against Colorado.
Seats are reserved near the court on the south side of the student section. The athletic department saved about 50 seats in that area Saturday against Baylor for inductees in the University of Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame.
But not every student spectator is frustrated by Kansas Athletics taking the seats. Johana Bravo, Lima, Peru sophomore, said it bothered her that the athletic department was reducing the number of student seats, but she trusted that it was for a good reason. She only wished that the former players and coaches would be seated higher up.
"That's total crap," Kindle said.
"The student section is for students. We've already paid for them, and we've been camping for them."
Erryn Kindle, Eudora freshman, said he didn't like the idea of taking seats away from the student section.
The anniversary celebration includes recognition of those in attendance at halftime and a 20-year anniversary celebration of the basketball team's 1988 national championship. The returning Jayhawks attend a pre-game brunch and a post-game banquet.
Tip-off for Saturday's game against Colorado is scheduled for 12:45 p.m.
A variety of Jayhawks return to Allen Fieldhouse for the anniversary celebration. Those who attend reach as far back as the Phog Allen coaching era, which ended in 1956. Bill Hougland and Clyde Lovellette, members of the 1952 national championship team, plan to attend. Other Jayhawks planning to attend include Darnell Valentine (1978-81), Ryan Robertson (1995-99) and Wayne Simien (2001-05).
Marchiony said that he and other Kansas Athletics representatives discussed the reservations with basketball campers Feb. 4.
He also said that the department would remind fans about the reservations the day of the game.
"We'll put a sign up to encourage campers to fill up the north end first so we can save seats on the south end for these former players." Marchiony said.
—Edited by Samuel Lamb
"We wanted to make sure they would know that there were going to be seats down low on the south end that would be taken," Marchiony said.
STATE
TOPEKA — People involved in serious or fatal vehicle accidents could be tested immediately for drugs and alcohol under a bill passed by the House.
Bill to allow immediate drug, alcohol testing
The 117-5 vote Thursday sends the bill to the Senate.
Supporters of the bill say re-
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BASKETBALL POSTER SERIES
LOOK FOR THEM IN BIG XII HOME GAMES AGAINST...
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Iowa State Jan. 23
Nebraska Jan. 26
Missouri Feb. 4
Colorado Feb. 16
K-State Mar. 1
Texas Tech Mar. 3
quiring immediate testing in such cases could mean law enforcement officers don't lose valuable evidence, such as the blood-alcohol level or evidence of drugs. That evidence could disappear if testing is delayed too long.
TOPEKA — Republican legislators are split over a plan from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to allow Kansans to use state parks for free.
The proposal is part of the governor's budget. She would set aside $1.5 million so that the 23 parks could drop their summer fee of $4.20 for every vehicle from Kansas. Camping fees would remain.
Kansans may enter state parks for free
A decision last year to cut those fees in half increased park use. Rep. John Grange, an El Dorado Republican, believes eliminating them would increase usage.
Sebelius' plan would use revenues from casinos and slot machines at dog and horse tracks to provide money for parks.
Research center to be built in Kansas City
The 280,000-square-foot facility for BioMed Lake Discovery has a $20 million price tag and will also house laboratory support and storage operations.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An offshoot of Stowers Institute's medical research center is moving into its own facility in south Kansas City.
Construction is scheduled to start within two months and be finished early next year.
Associated Press