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Kansan
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Monday February 1, 1999 Section:
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Vol. 108·No.84
The Kansas women's basketball team used stifling defense to hold rival Kansas State to only 45 points.
SEE PAGE 1B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
Influenza spreading at University
By Jennifer Roush Kansan staff writer
Flu season is striking again, and many KU students are beginning their battles with the achiness, fevers and sniffles that come along with the common illness.
Randall W. Rock, Watkins chief of staff, said that he had seen several students in the past week who had been diagnosed with influenza.
The flu season in the United States generally lasts from November until March.
"Kansas was pretty much spared in November and December," he said.
Rock said it was important for people in high-risk groups, such as people with asthma or other chronic respiratory problems, to get immunized against influenza.
"The flu shot is effective against a number of strains." Rock said. "However, the shot is modified each year to combat the strains that we anticipate will be the most problematic."
Rock said he did not know what type of influenza virus had been the most prevalent. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment had confirmed a number of cases of Influenza A in other parts of the state, he said.
Rock also said that a flu shot no longer would be practical for most students. Generally, only people who have not yet been exposed to the virus need to be vaccinated.
Although some prescription medications are available. Rock said rest and extra flu
"For those who haven't been exposed yet, we have 90 or so doses left of the flu shot," Rock said. "But keep in mind that it takes about 2 weeks to be effective, so it really won't be worth it for a lot of people."
He said that the best time to get the flu shot was in November or December, before the virus had a chance to become widespread.
INFLUENZA
■ The presence of influenza has been confirmed on campus.
- Symptoms of the flu include headache, fever, chills, cough and body aches. They usually appear one to three days after infection.
"The flui isn't really much of a problem for young, healthy people," he said. "Generally, 20 to 30 percent of people who get
ids were the necessary remedies for most students.
- To keep from becoming infected, avoid contact with infected animals and surfaces.
- To keep from becoming ill,
secrets of infected people, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and keep your hands clean.
If you are feverish or coughing uncontrollably, stay home. Get plenty of rest and extra fluids.
the flu will develop a secondary infection. This is why people with asthma should really keep it under control."
Students tackle Super Bowl partying
See VIRUS on page 2A
By Ezra Sykes
Kansan staff write
Residents of Sellards and Pearson scholarship halls watch the Super Bowl in the room of Pearson Hall. The crowd that had gathered showed little excitement late in the first half of the game. Photo by Jeff Sewerin/KANSAN.
The Super Bowl is more than a football game.
It means nachos. It means Shasta. It means talking frogs. It means parties.
At Battendfield Scholarship Hall, about 25 people gathered around the television in the living room and watched Denver defeat Atlanta 34-19 yesterday in Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami.
Nate Stange, Wichita soph more and social chair for
the hall, said he helped arrange snacks for the event, which included various chips and
dips, Oreo cookies, Swiss cake rolls, several flavors of Shasta soda and a crock pot of nacho cheese that was emptied before kickoff.
commercials on during the Super Bowl," Birge said. "It became this big media propaganda hype. It's a snowball effect."
"Someone just said, 'Hey, this has really high ratings,' and so people started putting their best
Birge, who said he enjoyed watching fan conflicts, thought the commercials took away from the game.
"It's a result of commercialism." Stange said.
Stephanie McNeil, Topeka sonbomber was assigned by her
Justin Birge, Omaha, Neb. sophomore, explained the commercial phenomenon surrounding the Super Bowl.
"After every two plays, there's a commercial," he said. "I'm getting sick and tired of seeing those damn frogs."
Stange said that the Super Bowl was a good excuse to eat a lot of snacks and that it was popular because of the advertisements that appeared during the game.
marketing instructor to watch the commercials and said she thought the Budweiser frog commercial was a highlight.
McNeil helped organize a Super Bowl party for students living in Pearson and Sellard scholarship halls.
Preparation wasn't too complicated, she said.
"We just went to Checkers and started throwing things into the cart." McNeil said.
During the Super Bowl, Alex Barnett, Chicago freshman, spent time in a Hashinger Hall room listening to the music of Steely Dan, the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa with some friends — except during the commercials.
"We turned down the music so we could hear the commercials," he said. "It's a big part of our culture. All of our new products are introduced. It shows our culture is highly focused on entertainment."
Back at Battenfeld, Eric Overstreet, Maize sophomore, thought the game was a little disappointing.
"It was kind of boring as far as action and content were concerned," he said.
But Overstreet was comforted by the Denver victory
"I hate the Falcons," he said. "They beat my 49ers. This is kind of revenge."
Aaron Akins, Olathe junior, also let revenge guide in his selecting a team to root for.
"I wanted Atlanta to win," he said. "I wanted Dan Reeves to win for the revenge factor. He
was fired because of a quarterback and was replaced by an assistant coach that he made. That had to be tough."
Groups hold vigil to protest violence in Iraq
Louise Hanson, Lawrence resident, expresses her opposition to current U.S. policy toward the situation in Iraq. About 32 people attended the anti-violence vigil Sunday afternoon. Photo by Roger Nomer/KANSAN
By Dan Curry
Kansan staff writer
A line of 32 people stood in the drizzle yesterday afternoon in front of the Douglas County Courthouse at 11th and Massachusetts streets to protest the U.S. policy toward Iraq.
At the center of the line, Pannirselvam Kangaratnam, Malaysia graduate student, held a flag pole that bore Kansas and U.S. flags over the sidewalk.
Allan Hanson, professor of anthropology, coordinator of the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, and one the organizers of the anti-violence vigil, said they would continue to hold vigils as long as the situation in Iraq remained the same.
"It's fair enough to say that everybody's frustrated with the situation in Iraq, which is causing a great deal of death and destruction for the Iraqi people," he said. "We want to do this. We want to do this not once, but every Sunday."
"It represents freedom," Kanagaratnam said, referring to the U.S. flag. "And we want freedom for the Iraq people. We want food for them."
Other people in the line held up signs that read,
"Destroy Power, Not People," "Food not Bombs," and "Peace Is Better than A Place In History."
The Iraqi vigil was sponsored by Ecumenical Christian Ministries, Peace Mennonite Church, Oread Friends and the the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice.
Hanson said he would like to see the United States stop what he thought was an ineffective foreign policy toward Iraq.
The United States should find a policy that would gain more international support, he said.
Wichita junior
"I put myself in the Iraqis'shoes.I feel suffering.I don't want that to happen to me."
"I think that the U.S. and its British lieutenant really stand alone in its policy," said Ian Lowe, Phoenix, Ariz., junior, who held a sign in front of his chest.
Lowe said that not only did the current policy hurt people, it strengthened Saddam's grip on the state.
Tom Broderick, Wichita junior, stood next to Lowe in the line.
"I think that a lot of the attention is on the no-fly zone and on Saddam and his violations," he said. "I think we should remember that there are a lot of innocent citizens, too. We want to draw attention to the plight of ordinary Iraqis."
Broderick said that although the sanctions against Iraq were designed to punish Hussein, they also prevented supplies, such as medical aid, from reaching the Iraqi people.
"We should think about the impact of our foreign policy." Broderick said.
Kanagaratnam said he came to the vigil for just that reason.
"I put myself in the Iraqi's shoes," he said. "I feel suffering. I don't want that to happen to me."
The vigils will continue at 12:30 p.m. Sundays at 11th and Massachusetts streets in front of the Douglas County Courthouse.
Studying diversity may soon be required
By Dan Curry
Kansan staff writer
A proposal to add a diversity requirement for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be voted on in tomorrow's College Assembly meeting.
The diversity requirement would make a class emphasizing issues of diversity in the United States mandatory for students seeking bachelor's degrees from the college.
These classes would include elements of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, class. ability or age.
"It would be additional required hours only in the sense that it would be fewer elective hours." Mason said.
Sally Frost Mason, dean of the college supports the requirement, which she said would not necessarily mean extra hours required for graduation from the University of Kansas.
The College Assembly is the governing body of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is composed of more than 100 faculty and student members.
The proposal has since been sent back to a committee to be revised.
The diversity requirement was introduced last spring by the Ad Hoc Committee for the U.S. Diversity Requirement
Kathryn Conrad, assistant professor of English and member of the ad hoc committee, said that the vote most likely would go to a mail ballot tomorrow, where ballots are mailed to all members of the College Assembly.
The meeting will be at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the Big 12 room in the Kansas Union.
Elizabeth Schultz, professor of English, said that she thought a diversity requirement would benefit students.
"I think it's very important because I think it's an American issue," she said.
Schultz said that W.E.B.Dubois, African American philosopher and writer, had said that the problem of the 20th century would be the problem between different races.
"I believe that it will be the problem of the 21st century." Schultz said.
Schultz said that the University did well with global issues but that it needed to address local diversity issues.
"It's wonderful to have a non-Western requirement," Schultz said. "But in the meantime, we're living in this country and in this century. A diversity requirement would be a good idea."
Colin Welsh, Salina senior, said he would support the requirement without a doubt.
"I guess self-segregation seems to need something done to combat it." Welsh said.
Welsh said that it surprised him when his younger brother and his friends had come to visit and had used various racial epithets.
"They need a diversity requirement in grade school," he said.
Phil Kelly, Chicago junior, was less enthusiastic.
"I think it would be a good thing for a lot of people," Kelly said. "But I don't think it should be required to graduate."