Tuesday, May 2. 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Walk to aid multiple sclerosis patients
By Warisa Chulindra writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
People will have the opportunity to raise money to benefit those with multiple sclerosis at the MS Walk from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at "Dad" Perry Park, Monterey Way and Harvard Road.
The event is one of the largest fund-raisers for the Mid-America Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, which serves 105 counties in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Similar walks will take place in 13 other Kansas cities and towns.
About 250 people participated in the Lawrence walk last year, raising $16,961. Overall, the branch raised more than $90,000 and hopes to raise $100,000 this year.
"It's raising money and awareness for a disease that they have no known cure, no known cause for the disease," said Emily Fosha, chairwoman for the Lawrence MS Walk. "You can wake up one day and feel tingly and numb and not be able to move your body at the very beginning of your life. It's devastating."
Vicki Collie, Lawrence junior and Hawks for Health coordinator, said the walk was important in raising
awareness.
"I don't think many people know about multiple sclerosis and the widespread effect it's had on community members and even KU students," she said.
About one third of a million Americans have MS. People usually are diagnosed with the chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system between the ages, of 20 and 40.
In the 40 counties the eastern Kansas branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society serves, about 5,000 people suffer from the disease.
Of the money raised, 60
percent will be used locally, and 40 percent will go toward national research, said Sheri Daudet, branch manager of the eastern Kansas society.
"We're just now seeing a lot of promising research," she said. "In the meantime, it's important to support the people with the disease."
Three injections — Avonex, Betaseron and Copaxone — help slow the progression of the disease by 20 to 25 percent.
"This really has been a breakthrough for us," Daudet said. "Twenty to 30 percent may be the difference between walking and being in a wheelchair."
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
The MS Walk will be from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Dad "Perry" Park, Monterey Way and Harway Road. Participants may choose to walk nine, six or three miles. The three-mile path is handicap-accessible.
Registration begins at 8 a.m.
Participants also may register
for the walk by logging onto
www.nmss.org.
There is no minimum pledge, although $100 must be collected to qualify for a T-shirt. Volunteers also are needed. If interested, call Emily Fosha at 832-1731.
McNair Scholars to be recognized for research
McNAIR GRADUATES
Gbaike Ajayi,
Lawrence
■ Andreana Albott,
Tonka
Michael Bell, Detroit
Simeona Berroya,
Lawrence
Kristopher Carlson,
Lawrence
Jennifer Ivie, Tulsa, Okla.
Ahmad Khalil, Wichita
Twilah Kiel, Kansas
City, Kan.
By Ryan Blethen
Holly Lane, St. Louis
Robert Loya, Kansas City, Kan.
Aurora Marin, Leoti
By Ryan blenem
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Aurora Marin will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark, this summer to present her research about the diplocaulus amphibian to the American Society of Limonology and Oceanography conference.
Marin. Leoti senior, said she credited the McNair Scholar's Program for allowing her the time to do the research on the ancient animal.
"I just feel like I truly benefited from the program," she said.
Marin and 10 other University of Kansas seniors will be honored at the McNair
Scholars Program Awards and Recognition Banquet at 5:30 today at the Jayhawk Room in the Kansas Union.
The program allows students from low-income families and minority students who are the first in their families to attend college the chance to engage in research as they would do at the graduate level.
Robert Rodriguez, academic services coordinator, said the idea was to prepare students for the future.
"The goal of the program is to prepare them to enter and succeed in graduate school," he said.
It also provides students with test-taking workshops and tutoring to prepare them
for the Graduate Record Examination. Another integral part of the program is faculty mentors, who work with the scholars when doing their research and help them network in their chosen field.
The program is named for Ronald McNair, who was the second African American in space and was on the space shuttle Challenger when it exploded.
Rodriguez said the program had no set deadlines for applying. He said it was set up for iuniors and seniors.
"The ideal time to enter is at the beginning of their junior year," Rodriguez said.
uate school for the 2001 school year, said the program should help her improve her test scores.
Jamie·Thomas, an Olathe
jonnie will apply to grad-
"All my scores should go up from where they are now," she said.
During the summer, Thomas said she will use the $2.400 the program provides for summer research to survey parents' perceptions of their children with autism.
Rodriguez said everybody involved with the program was excited to recognize the graduating group of seniors because of the level of success they had had with the program.
"We're really proud of this class in particular," he said.
4 students may wax fire trucks for role in courtroom break-in
By Sara Shepherd
Kansan staff writer
An evening at a casino earlier this month may lead to a stint waxing fire trucks for four members of a KU fraternity.
According to an informational report from the KU Public Safety Office, the four students had been removed from the Argosy Casino in Riverside on the evening of April 13 because they were drunk and creating problems.
The KU Public Safety Office was contacted April 14 by an officer from the Riverside, Mo., Police Department for assistance locating four KU students who allegedly were involved with an incident there.
Police transported them to Riverside City Hall to wait for a ride. While there, some of the students were videotaped breaking into the city courtroom, where they stole a flag from behind the judge's bench and a suitcase containing confidential records.
The students later admitted their involvement, saying that it was a fraternity prank and that they wanted some souvenirs, the informational report said.
Mike Shelton, commander of the Riverside Department of Public Safety, said he couldn't release information about the incident because the students didn't commit a crime. No reports were made and no charges were filed, he said.
"Basically, it's just a minor situation that was taken care of," he said. "It was something that was handled internally. We just asked them to correct the situation, and they were kind enough to do that for us."
Shelton said that the students offered to make amends for their actions but that he had not discussed the options with them further.
However, information from the KU Public Safety Office said the four would perform community service by waxing Riverside's fire trucks.
Lt. Schuyler Bailey of the KU Public Safety Office said Shelton contacted the KU department, requesting that they contact the suspects. In turn, the suspects contacted Riverside police. The KU Public Safety Office is not investigating the incident.
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