THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2007.
NEWS
7A
THE CROSSING
Popular Oread bar will close
The Crossing, located at 12th and Oread streets, closes Dec.6. The bar has been popular for beer bong and friendly staff.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Oread Inn could be erected
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
The Crossing will close its doors forever after one last party on Dec. 6, Stop Day Eve, according to management. The bar, located on 12th and Oread streets, will be demolished sometime during Winter Break.
It's possible that Oread Inn could be built on the same site as the Crossing. The City Commission had the opportunity to approve the development plan for the hotel Tuesday night, but as of press time, the commission's decision was unknown. Beat the Bookstore, Big Burrito and the already-closed Yello Sub would also be demolished if the Oread Inn proposal passed.
Marie Pile, Kansas City, Mo.
senior and manager of The
Oread Inn is a seven-story structure that would feature 74 hotel rooms, condos, restaurants and an underground parking garage. It would have a height of 94 feet, which is about 50 feet shorter than Fraser Hall. The Oread Inn plan also calls for reconstruction of the intersection of 12th and Oread streets.
Crossing, said a demolition planner came to the bar Tuesday afternoon. She said the bar staff knew The Crossing's days were numbered since the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted 9-1 to formally
"We're all scared about losing
recommend Oread Inn for approval by the City Commission in late October.
"There's nothing we can do about it. It's like waiting for a death sentence."
MARIE PILE Manager, The Crossing
our jobs," Pile said. "There's nothing we can do about it. It's like waiting for a death sentence."
About 20 people were at the Crossing at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. The
bar is usually full of students on weekends.
Dani Singer, Overland Park freshman, Paige Crosswhite,
Louisburg freshman, Mauren Prindahl, Chicago freshman, Marlena Adams, Cancun freshman and Nathan Jones, a Johnson County Community College student, all expressed concern about the scheduled closing of the Crossing.
"It's the best bar in Lawrence," Jones said. "I have a lot of memories here of just being with all my friends and having to drop all my classes because I want to get drunk every night."
"We believe the Crossing should stay open," Singer said. "They should build the hotel above it."
only bar in town with beer pong and that it had the friendliest workers.
The group of friends had been playing beer pong earlier in the night. They said that it was the
Pile said the Crossing owners and staff had discussed plans to move the Crossing to the building that housed Molly McGee's at 2412 Iowa Street. Molly McGee's closed in June. But Pile said nothing was for sure and that the talks were preliminary.
Edited by Rachael Gray
PARKING
Spaces to open in front of recreation center
BY ERIN SOMMER
esommer@kansan.com
The Parking Commission yes
University students without a yellow permit may find it easier to park in front of the Student Recreation and Fitness Center next semester.
The Parking terday approved a proposal by Ray Wittlinger, Olathe senior and student body vice president, to open the row of about 50 parking spaces directly in front of the recreation center in order to allow students who do
of the row of spaces to inform students with yellow permits that they could not park in that row. She said that signs cost about $100 each.
"It will be especially beneficial to students who want to use the Rec throughout the day."
not or cannot own a yellow permit to park and use the Center during day time hours.
RAY WITTLINGER
Student Body Vice President
Hultine also said that she and Wittinger would review the new parking system near the end of next semester. They will then report to
Once the plan is implemented, students who own a yellow permit cannot park in those spots between 8 a.m and 4 p.m., when they have access to the rest of the parking lot in front of the recreation center.
Wittlinger said that he still needed to work with the Parking Department to finalize details of the plan, but the parking spots would be available by the start of the spring semester.
According to the proposal, students must own a valid University parking permit and can park in front of the recreation center for a maximum of three hours. Wittlinger said that students can park, go into the recreation center and take a parking permit, place it on their dashboard and then workout and return the permit when they are done exercising.
"It will be especially beneficial to students who want to use the rest throughout the day." Wittlinger said.
Donna Hultine, director of the Parking Department, said that she would buy signs to place at both ends
the Parking Commission at its last meeting of the year about how the system worked. She said that at that time the Parking Commission would decide if any changes needed to be made.
"Next semester is an experiment." Hultine said.
Wittlinger said that Student Senate would promote the new system throughout campus and especially to freshmen. Freshman can benefit the most because they are not allowed to buy yellow permits, and therefore do not have access to the lot in front of the recreation center. Wittlinger said that he was excited to complete the project, which was one of the platform issues he campaigned on when running for vice president with Hannah Love, Dodge City senior and student body president.
NATION
"It is exciting for us to call this a success, while reviewing it to make sure it's working," Wittlinger said. "It's really exciting for us to be able to work this closely with the Parking Commission to be able to pass this. I can't wait to see it implemented and see students benefit from it."
- Edited by Rachael Gray
No confidence in Oral Roberts president
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS
TULSA, Okla. — Embattled Oral Roberts University president Richard Roberts, facing accusations he misspent university funds to support a lavish lifestyle, has received a vote of no confidence by the tenured faculty at the evangelical university.
The resolution was approved by faculty Monday and obtained late Tuesday by The Associated Press. Faculty plan to distribute the nonbinding document to the school's Board of Regents and the faculty assembly at an upcoming meeting.
Donald Vance, a professor of biblical languages and literature who voted with the majority, said the vote by a quorum of faculty was "nearly unanimous," but he declined to give the exact tally.
“It’s essentially how the university has been run,” said Vance, who has
taught at the 5,700-student school for 13 years. "We see the Board of Regents as allies wanting to do the right thing, but we're not sure they know everything and we're not sure they knew how the faculty felt."
Jeremy Burton, a spokesman for Oral Roberts University, declined to comment on the vote Tuesday.
Richard Roberts has been on temporary leave while an investigation into the school's finances continues.
Accusations of lavish spending were detailed in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed Oct. 2 by three former ORU professors. The lawsuit includes allegations of a $39,000 shopping tab at one store for Richard Roberts' wife, Lindsay, a $29,411 Bahamas senior trip on the university jet for one of Roberts' daughters and a stable of horses for the Roberts children.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Richard and
Lindsay Roberts denied wrongdoing. Richard Roberts has said the lawsuit amounted to "intimidation, blackmail and extortion."
Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson, who filed the lawsuit against ORU on behalf of the former professors, said he was "encouraged" to see that steps are being taken to preserve the university.
"When we filed the suit, I said I really personally believe that this lawsuit is very much like surgery," Richardson said Tuesday. "When there's disease in the body, sometimes it requires surgery in order for there to be healing."
Last week, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley announced a Senate investigation into whether six televangelists violated their organizations' tax-exempt status by living lavishly on the back of small donors.
The Robertses were not among the six.
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