Volume 124 Issue 117
kansan.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Student Senate to discuss budget Page 2
COMMUNITY
Lawrence prepares for day of volunteering at Big Event
REBEKKA SCHLICHTING
rshlighting@kansan.com
More than 1,500 students and faculty members will devote one day to give back to the Lawrence community during the Big Event on March 31.
Former student body president Michael Wade Smith initiated the volunteer program, which originated at Texas A&M University in 1982, at the University last spring. About 500 students contributed their time and effort at more than 70 local locations, including homes and businesses that had sent in job requests.
"They can request painting, raking leaves, planting in the yard or just general maintenance," said Margaret Hair, program adviser at the University. "It's open to everyone."
Last year, although the day attracted volunteers, the organizers had difficulties obtaining job requests from the Lawrence
community. Job registration forms for residents are available online at www.thebigeventku.com.
"People were a little skeptical because they think it's a charity kind of thing, but it's a big thank you," said University Big Event executive director Daniel Bjornson.
The Big Event will also have students working in schools, Douglas County buildings and a community garden. Student Senate has helped the Big Event by providing funding to purchase transportable tools, such as wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, trash bags, garden shovels, hedge trimmers and latex paint.
Bailey Perkins, a former student from Wichita, took part in the Big Event last year. She and other members of Omega Phi Alpha, a volunteer-oriented sorority, helped a woman hang curtains.
"There were four or five girls that had never used power tools," Perkins said. "We were trying to drill holes in her wall. It was a lot of fun. Then we got to sit down,
BIG EVENT PARTICIPATION
- 2011: About 500 volunteered at more than 70 job sites.
2012: 1,797 volunteers will work at approximately 160 job sites.
have tea and play with her cats. She was an artist and so was her son, so she was showing us everything that they had done. She was really sweet."
Hair said the Big Event provides volunteers with service-learning opportunities. For the organizers, it builds experience in leadership, managing an organization and working with the community on a large project.
"It's a chance for the community to get service from KU." Hair said. "It's a way to say thank you to them for being a home for KU in Lawrence."
Edited by Taylor Lewis
CULTURE
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Naoh Oskow, right, poses with convenience store employees and a friend in a video he made that went viral in Japan. Oskow studied abroad in Japan for two years and was impressed by the country's sophisticated convenience stores.
The making of an Internet star: student's video is viral in Japan
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
Becoming a Japanese pop icon was not what Noah Oskow, a senior from Minneapolis, Minn., expected when he decided to study abroad in Japan for two years.
However, Oskow, with the help of fellow students at Sophia University in Tokyo, developed a music video about Japanese convenience stores that went viral. Even spending time as Yahoo! Japan's most-viewed music video, Oskow's video gained him notoriety not just in Japan, but worldwide.
The idea for the music video stemmed from a project assigned to some of Oskow's dorm-mates, coupled with an original song composed by another dorm-mate. With the help of 15 others, Oskow filmed for a few days and, after 15 hours of editing, the 3 minute 23 second video was complete. In it, the characters convey their deepest affections for Japanese convenience stores —
"The stores are special, because unlike American convenience stores, they tend to stock a wide range of fresh, quality, food and drinks". Oskow said. "It's a more useful and enjoyable atmosphere than in the U.S."
Konbini in Japanese — and Oskow at one point even expresses his desire to marry them.
"A common theme in the lyrics and video is a strong sense of irony," said John Stowell, Oskow's collaborator from The University of Melbourne in Australia. "It's a sense of humor that's appreciated across Japanese and Western culture."
"The Japanese students loved it," said Oskow. "We decided the Japanese public might enjoy it, despite its silliness, so I uploaded it to YouTube."
"I believe it went viral — at least in Japan — due to an outsider's perspective on something so normal, a convenience store," said Ed Stahl, a student from the University of North Carolina who starred in the video while on exchange with Oskow.
The video received hundreds of comments that praised it for embracing good aspects of Japanese culture and for its love of something that, while commonplace, is also a cultural icon in Japan, Oskow said.
Soon enough, the video spread to other popular Japanese media sites and started getting 30,000 hits a day.
Stahl can be seen wearing a green, long-sleeved shirt in the video.
WATCH THE
VIDEO
http://udkne.ws/w7TWpi
Some Japanese viewers, however,
had trouble deciding whether the
video was intended to be a joke, Oskow said.
The video currently has more than 300,000 bits on Japanese media and still has bursts of popularity. Even as the stars of the video became recognizable by the masses of Tokyo, Oskow said the project had become a personal symbol for his dorm-mates.
"Even though the video is silly, it's come to mean something to us that is more than the sum of its satirical parts," Oskow said.
The video is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwyswTCYl&feature=youtbe.
CAMPUS
Food inspections help keep dining facilities sanitary
Graphic by Nikki Wentling
KU Dining works to quickly correct its health code violations
rsalyer@kansan.com
RACHEL SALYER
Students on campus shovel food into their mouths as they skim notes and computer screens, and in doing so, they may fail to notice the cleanliness of their dining experience.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture enforces health codes throughout the state and performs Food, Safety and Lodging Inspections on all licensed establishments at least once a year, including campus locations and sorority and fraternity houses.
— Edited by Katie James
The results list critical and noncritical violations.
"The difference between the two is that a critical violation must be handled immediately, because it is a threat to safety and may cause foodbourne illnesses," said Nicole Hamm, an inspection manager for the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Hamm said if a violation poses an immediate health hazard, a follow-up inspection must be performed.
Mrs. E's had a follow-up inspection after inspectors found live cockroaches behind steam kettles in October, according to reports. A pest-control company was called and treated the problem the same day. The follow-up in November revealed no critical violations.
KU Dining, which oversees Mrs. E's, serves approximately 15,000 meals daily, and Nona Golledge, director of KU Dining, said every one of those meals is made cautiously.
"We take it incredibly seriously," Golledie said. "We have a dietician on staff that does her
own inspection just to ensure that we are up to standards in every area."
According to inspection results, The Underground had one critical violation when meat was observed at an improper temperature in April. The Market
at the Kansas Union had two critical violations because a tomato slicer had dried food particles on it, and a Pizza Hut station was cleaned with a solution that did not
contain enough sanitizer. All violations were corrected on site.
Beta Theta Pi had five critical violations during a November inspection, the most among the Greek houses. These violations included food obtaining enough mold to make the food unidentifiable and a dishwasher not having a detectable level of chlorine sanitizer. All five violations were corrected on site. Calls to the fraternity were not returned.
Hawk Food Stops at Anschutz Library, Strong Hall, Pearson Hall, Summerfield Hall and the Jaybowl food area had no critical findings in the latest inspections.
Mortar and Pestle Café received five critical violations, the most of all KU Dining locations, during an inspection in February. A few violations were for moldy eggplants and incorrect expiration dates. All of the violations were corrected on site.
Robert Funk, a junior from Wichita, said he eats on campus every other day and would continue doing so unless there were repeated violations.
"I like it," Funk said. "It's a fast way to eat, so unless something kept happening over and over again, I don't really think I'd stop."
ROBERT FUNK Student
Of the 29 sororities and fraternities with kitchens, a total of 36 critical violations were issued in the most recent inspections.
Allen Fieldhouse had two critical violations during a January inspection because
a sink did not dispense water, and tomatoes were observed at the wrong temperature after the refrigerator door was left open too long. Memorial Stadium had three critical violations because the hamburger patties were not hot enough, a sink temporarily had no hot water and turkey was not dated. All were corrected on site.
Richard Brown, general manager for Allen Fieldhouse and Memorial Stadium, said keeping food facilities clean for students is important.
"We take great pride in our facilities," Brown said. "We want the students to take pride in them too and feel safe and comfortable."
Edited by Caroline Kraft
CLASSIFIEDS 9
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
SPORTS 10
SUDOKU 4
contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
It's March 14 - Pi Day. Celebrate by indulging in a piece of apple pie. Or Boston cream pie. Or Key lime pie. Or pecan pie.
Don't forget
Today's Weather
Mostly sunny, warm and breyex. Wind south southwest 15-20 mph.
HI: 84
LO: 58
Summer or global warming?