THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 80
CAMPUS
New announcer for basketball shines as voice behind the mic
Lawrence native Eric Danielson grew up miles from Allen Fieldhouse. Now he's sitting courtside as the new public address voice of the Kansas men's basketball team, and is making himself heard.
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CAMPUS
KU reveals home page with new features
The University of Kansas recently put a new home page online. University administration hopes the new features will help better show what happens at KU.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
HEATH LEDGER DEAD AT 28
Australian-born actor may have overdosed on sleeping pills
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weather
27 3
Scattered Flurries weather.com
25 10
index
37 25 Light Wintry Mix
Classifieds...5A
Crossword...6A
Horoscopes...6A
Opinion...7A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...6A
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2007 The University Daily Kansan
ATHLETES
These KU athletes must find time to excel in sports and child care.
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
A piercing wall awakens KU track athlete Cortney Jacobs from a deep sleep. She stumulates out of bed and checks the clock on her cell phone. It's the middle of the night. A long day of track practice, classes and homework awaits her in a few hours, but the noise keeps Jacobs awake.
It's Kiara, her baby. She's crying.
Jacobs and boyfriend, Aqib Talib, All-American cornerback and Orange Bowl MVP, have adjusted to life with a child since their daughter was born June 22, 2007. They and other KU varsity athletes who become parents have to balance classes, child care and sports obligations, making every hectic day a test of their discipline. They must piece together money from summer jobs, savings and parent support to pay for babysitting, medical care, food, clothing and other child care expenses because the NCAA does not allow the University to provide extra benefits to athletes who are parents.
Jacobs and Talib, basketball player Sherron Collins, volleyball player Paula Caten and football player Eric Butler have all discovered that with or without support, raising a child is more difficult and rewarding than competing in sports.
MAKING THE CHOICE
She went to tell Talib about the situation.
Frightening thoughts quickly crept into Cortney Jacobs' mind when she learned she was pregnant last October. Jacobs thought she might lose her scholarship or have to drop out of school if she had the child.
"I talked to Aqib about it, and the whole time he was telling me he wanted to have it." Jacobs said. "But I was upset and telling him it's not going to affect your life and all this. We had a serious conversation about it, really sat down and looked at things, and he kind of just told me everything was going to be OK."
Jacobs was still afraid to tell Kansas track coach Stanley Redwine she was pregnant and continued going to practice through November. Then, during a mile time trial, Redwine pulled Jacobs to the side of the track after she was vomiting and cramping.
"Cortney," he told her, "I'm not stupid."
Jacobs went to his office the next day, started crying and told him everything. Redwine was supportive. He went to the Athletics Department and made sure Jacobs kept her scholarship and got an extra year of eligibility.
"I just think you support your athletes," Redwine said. "It's doing what's right. It comes down to moral issues. I was just trying to do what I believe in."
In the wake of Jacobs' pregnancy and reports of abortions and athletes losing scholarships at other universities, the Athletics Department created a policy in July that states the University can't revoke a female athlete's scholarship because of pregnancy. It would help such athletes extend their eligibility by one year, which NCAA rules allow. On Jan. 14, the NCAA approved legislation that would make it illegal for any college to reduce or cancel a scholarship because of pregnancy.
However, NCAA rules forbid providing such considerations for male athletes who father children except for counseling, and the NCAA doesn't grant males extended eligibility to take time off for parenting. Female athletes who become pregnant also have to pay for their own medical expenses.
Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, said that the Athletics Department didn't educate athletes, male or female, about relationships, pregnancies, sexual education or child care responsibilities. He called them personal issues.
SEE CHILDREN ON PAGE 4A
Photo Illustration by Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
POLITICS
Students intern for Obama's campaign
Three dog bites and a donkey chase may not sound like a fun winter break, but one student endured the pain for an experience of a lifetime. Four students traveled to New Hampshire to campaign for Barack Obama before the state's primaries, while another student traveled to Nevada. College students across the country are contributing to Barack Obama's campaign by participating in internships.
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RESEARCH
Legislators visit Institute promote research
Dole Center facility gives tour to 16 representatives
Sixteen Kansas representatives took a tour of the University of Kansas' Life Span Institute yesterday to raise awareness of the
research the Institute conducts.
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