MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3A
RESIDENCE HALLS
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BY ERIC SORRENTINO
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KANSAN STAFF WRITER
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The number of first-time freshmen living in residence halls increased 12 percent in the past two academic years to 2,983 students. With a high number of freshmen, increasing numbers of upperclassmen and Hashinger Hall closing, the KU Department of Student Housing is cutting some of the perks for returning residents.
The department issued housing contracts March 14 for students who intended to return to the residence halls. Contracts were due on March 30, and first choices were not granted to everyone, Diana Robertson, associate director of student housing, said.
"Everyone who requested a contract got one, but their assignment wasn't necessarily what their first choice was," she said.
Freshman enrollment increased this year, and the number of freshmen living in residence halls is growing at a steady pace. The number of freshmen in residence halls has gone up from 2,701 in the last academic year to 2,983 in this academic year, according to student housing. The increase of 282 students this year is more than the total population currently living in Lewis Hall and Templin Hall — 275 students.
Hashinger is closing this May for renovation, taking away 460 student living spaces. When Hashinger reopens in Fall 2006, it will have 375 student spaces.
Robertson said student housing will compensate for the increasing freshman class and loss of space by not allowing any upperclassmen to live in a two-person room alone, as it had in the past. All of the two-person rooms will have two people in the residence halls next year, she said.
The "squatter rule," another returning-resident perk, will be eliminated for next year. The rule allowed residents to keep
the same room for the following year if they turned in their Intent-to-Return forms by the deadline, which was February 2.
Robertson said the department also issued 250 fewer ITR forms this year because of the Hashinger renovation. In the past, student housing has issued about 600 ITR forms. They issued 350 this year.
"We're still offering the same number of fresh spaces, just issuing fewer returning contracts." Robertson said.
Student housing issued TIR forms in January on a first-come, first-serve basis, which caused a rush of returning students to housing headquarters, adjacent to GSP-Corbin Hall.
Laura Evers, Ellsworth resident and Olathe sophomore, said it was nerve-racking trying to keep a spot in the residence halls for next year. Evers got the student housing office before 8 a.m. on the first possible day, Jan. 24, to turn in her ITR form. She said with the first come, first-serve
Freshmen in residence halls:
2002-2003*: 2,653
2003-2004: 2,701
2004-2005: 2,983
RESIDENCE HALL POPULATION
Sphoronites:
2002-2003* : 397
2003-2004* : 609
2004-2005* : 424
Juniors:
2002-2003*: 109
2003-2004: 113
2004-2005: 129
system, she may not have had anywhere to live had she forgotten to complete the ITR form.
Seniors:
2002-2003*: 56
2003-2004: 60
2004-2005: 63
Heather Wood, Jayhawker Towers resident and Wichita senior, said she requested a two-person bedroom in the Towers for next year. She received the two-person bedroom but with three other people. Two people will share a room together. Wood said if she had known
Graduate:
2002-2003*: 8
2003-2004: 8
2004-2005: 3
- year Ellsworth Hall was renovated.
Source: Department of Student Housing
that Hashinger was closing, she would have turned in her ITR form on the first day possible.
"I think changes need to be made," Wood said. "I've been in student housing for four years, and that should have some effect in choosing where I want to live with my money."
Edited by Nikola Rowe and Azita Tafreshi
Charter
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
taking responsibility for its actions.
"We held ourselves accountable and faced the consequences for our actions," he said. "We need to move on and hopefully all of us will learn our lessons and mistakes."
Chapter fraternities at the University that have parties must fill out a party notification form and send it to the Interfraternity Council for registration. The unregistered party had 16 kegs of beer, $517 in cash and signs that advertised the party.
Moreno went to Indiana this weekend with the fraternity's vice president and the president of the alumni board. Moreno was scheduled to meet with the national fraternity's board of trustees this weekend, Moreno said in a previous
interview.
Pilshaw said the atmosphere of the house upon Moreno's arrival was self-explanatory.
"We were obviously really down," Pilshaw said. "There's nothing positive that came out of this weekend."
Pilshaw said he expected the national charter to be revoked since the University sent the national fraternity a letter recommending the course of action.
Members of Phi Kappa Theta,
1111 W. 11th St., are not allowed
to pledge another fraternity or
remain in the greek community.
Pilshaw said several people in the 35-member fraternity thought about moving to Highpointe Apartments, 2001 W. Sixth St., next year to preserve the community feeling.
Pilshaw said he would not be interested in pledging another fraternity anyway.
next year. He is a member of the IFC executive board and his term lasts until November. He said he would like to see issues handled differently in his remaining time with the IFC. Incidents like Phi Kappa Theta's happen all the time and do not get noticed, he said.
For now, Plisham will be the only member of Phi Kappa Theta to remain in the greek community
"I'd like to see equality toward all the houses," Pilshaw said. "There seems to be a bias toward the bigger houses."
Even though the fraternity could appeal to the IFC General Assembly a second time, Moreno said it would not because of the decision made this weekend.
He said he wanted other fraternities to look at Phi Kappa Theta's situation as an example.
"We hope this shows to a lot of fraternities that maybe it's time to re-evaluate how their chapter is ran," he said. "This should definitely be a wake-up call to fraternities to take risk management seriously."
— Edited by Jennifer Voldness
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Sting
upset of Kansas on March 18.
"I would say we are down 30 percent," said Fee Menshizadeh, manager of JB Stout's. "We really lose money on the days KU would have played."
Owners and managers around the city would have liked the heightened occupancy and the money that comes with it.
ON THE RECORD
final game, Jefferson's and Stout's would be looking at $10,000 more in revenue.
On average, Jefferson's Restaurant, 743 Massachusetts St., loses approximately $2,000 dollars a day when Kansas would have played, said Matt Schram, manager of Jefferson's Restaurant.
Bars around the city are feeling the loss of revenue normally expected in late March, Menshizadeh said. JB Stout's is losing approximately the same amount of money, per game, as Jefferson's Restaurant.
Although the potential tournament revenue that the bars may have counted on is not technically a loss of revenue, establishments in the city have come to expect more than a first-round loss.
"We didn't expect KU to lose to Bucknell," Schram said. "Although we don't have the same business, we are not doing anything to try to bring it back."
If Kansas had made it to the
Patrons that do go to the bars for a taste of March Madness often do not have to wait for a table, but then again there are not as many people as usual.
"The bar cleared out while the games were still going on," Holiday said. "It's really a somber time to be in Lawrence, very depressing."
Edited by Azita Tafreshi
The KU Public Safety Office arrested an 18-year-old Naperville, Ill., resident for urinating in public and unlawful use of a driver's license at 1:11 a.m. April 1 at 14th and Ohio streets.
♦ The KU Public Safety Office arrested a 19-year-old KU student for operating under the influence at 2:47 a.m. April 1 at 11th and Louisiana streets.
An 18-year-old KU student reported his cell phone missing to the KU Public Safety Office between 8 and 9 p.m. March 30 from the Student Recreation Fitness Center. The phone is valued at $300.
- A 19-year-old KU student reported her bus pass missing to the KU Public Safety Office sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. on March 30 in Wescoe Hall. The pass is valued at $100.
ON CAMPUS
- The Center for East Asian Studies will sponsor a screening of the film "The Colonel Comes to Japan," to be followed by a panel discussion, at 2:30 today at the Parlors Room in the Kansas Union. Call 864-3849 for more information.
♦ The Russian and East
- The Russian and East European Studies department presents a lecture,"Jazz, East and West: Influences and Borrowings," by Norman Saul of St. Petersburg State University and Liuba Ginzberg of the Russian and East European Studies department noon tomorrow at room 318 Bailey Hall. Call 864-4236 for more information.
CLARIFICATION
- An article in Friday's University Daily Kansan needs clarification. The article, "Rumors are wrong; 'Jocasta' clothes stay on," stated the play was a one-man show. It is a one-woman show.
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