O
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2009
VOLUME 120 ISSUE 105
PHILANTHROPY
Dance Marathon to benefit children's hospitals
BY DANNY NORDSTROM
editor@kansan.com
Last year at Indiana University's Dance Marathon, a student philanthropy event that raises money for the Children's Miracle Network, a child who was paralyzed from the neck down was having a blast.
The child looked at his mother and said, "Mont. I want to dance." One year later, after numerous doctor visits and hours of physical therapy, the child's wish came true — he was able to stand and join students for the final dance of the event.
It's stories like those that made Alex Ross, Chicago freshman and executive director of KU Dance Marathon, want to get involved with the organization. In his first year at the University, Ross has organized the University's first Dance Marathon, which will
take place April 18 at the Ambler Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
The event itself features a 12-hour fundraiser in which students, faculty and community members pay a $5 fee to dance, win prizes, eat food, listen to live music, play sports and video games, and spend time with families from local children's hospitals.
The program is 100 percent student-run and last year, more than 100 universities across the nation hosted Dance Manthons and together raised more than $5.5 million, according to Ross. Each university's proceeds benefited local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in their respective areas.
David Littman, Chicago sophomore and KUDM finance director, said the KU Student Senate and several local businesses were covering all the events' expenses.
The money K U Dance Marathon raises will go directly to the KU Pediatric Center and Children's Mercy hospitals and clinics in the Kansas City area.
"Not a penny is taken out." Ross said. "One hundred percent of your donations stay local."
thon, took him to the event during his senior year of high school. Though apprehensive at first, Ross said his experience at Vanderbilt influenced him greatly.
"I went to her marathon and saw the kids from the hospital, and I saw what it did for them and what it meant to them," he
said. "Seeing the tears from the kids and the families completely changed my mind."
When Ross realized the University didn't have its
"You're just going through life, and it doesn't ever hit you that you could be fighting a bigger battle."
COLLEEN DRAZEN KUDM staff advisor
own Dance Marathon, he contacted Aaron Quisenberry associate director for the Student Involvement Leadership Center. about starting a KU chapter.
KUDM, which consists of more than 100 University students, is spreading the word about the upcoming event and is raising money for the Children's Miracle Network.
Students may have noticed the phrase "Ask Weston," chalked throughout campus. The slogan
is part of a KUDM ad campaign aimed at getting more students involved in the event.
According to the Children's Miracle Network, Weston Funk was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia when he was 8 years old. He was treated at the Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., where he received a bone marrow transplant and is now a healthy 11-year-old boy.
Funk is the face of KUDM. He will be in attendance at the marathon along with several other families that benefit from local children's hospitals.
"As soon as you put a face with a name, you can see a child who has received these services from this great organization, and it's kind of hard not to want to be a part of it." Colleen Drazen, KUDM staff
SEE DANCE ON PAGE 3A
STUDY ABROAD
Common myth is disproved
BY RACHEL BURCHFIELD rburchfield@kansan.com
Students who study abroad graduate in four years more frequently than students who do not, according to data from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.
FIELDHOUSE BLUES
Samantha Danna, Hot Springs,
Ark., junior, will graduate this
December after just three and
a half years at the University.
Danna studied abroad in France
the summer after her freshman
year and will study abroad for
SEE STATS ON PAGE 3A
Eddie Miles, Olathe junior, plays the sousphone in the KU Band before the tipoff of Saturday's game against Nebraska in Allen Fieldhouse. Fans claim the change from band music to electronic music is breaking tradition and deadening the Fieldhouse atmosphere.
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Electronic music'a failed adventure'
BY ADAM SAMSON asamson@kansan.com
The difference in the atmosphere for the lawjays at Allen Fieldhouse between Wednesday's Iowa State victory and Saturday's Nebraska victory was obvious.
As a season-ticket holder since 1975, alumnus Bob Moody noticed a break in tradition during Wednesday's game.
"You could tell it just in the tenor of the fieldhouse," Moody said. "Even coach Self indicated in
The chatter among message boards and those waiting at Saturday's Nebraska game was that the electronic music played over the loud speakers for Wednesday night's game took away from the college basketball atmosphere and made it seem more like an NBA matchup.
Jeff Hays, Kansas City, Kan. junior, said he felt the game didn't have the college experience, especially the Kansas experience.
his post game interview that the fieldhouse atmosphere was dead."
"The piped-in music felt maru-
Moody said he felt the same way about the electronic music. He said that he thought sprinkling it in with the videos was all right, but that he didn't like the electronic music for the sake of music during timeouts.
factured and really drowned out the band." Hays said. "It felt like going to Missouri or another school and it didn't feel like Allen Fieldhouse."
During the first half of Saturday's game, there was an evident change in the atmosphere of the crowd and Moody said he believed the band played a significant role in keeping
the crowd loud and on its feet.
"I just don't understand what they were trying to accomplish and don't think they gave it a lot of thought," Moody said. "But, if you noticed today, the crowd was pumped up every timeout when the band was playing and I think that was significant."
After receiving both positive and negative e-mails from fans, Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said he would caution people about making any quick judgments on changes to the game-time experience at Allen
Fieldhouse.
"Don't make any judgments on just one game," Marchiony said. "The band is going to be a huge part of what we do at Allen Fieldhouse."
As for making the switch with only three home games left in the season, Marchiony said that there were 40 home basketball games each year and that they were trying to avoid a lackluster crowd at the end of the season.
"Things can get a little stale and we're just trying to prevent things from getting stale and complacent,"
Moody said that he saw the "night and day" difference between the Iowa State and Nebraska game and that the Athletics Department didn't give a lot of thought to the decision to drown out the band and pump in electronic music.
Marchionv said.
"I think they were just saying, 'Well let's give this a try and see what happens.'" Moody said, "Obviously it was a failed adventure."
index
Edited by Realle Roth
Classifieds...5A Opinion...7A
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All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2009 The University Daily Kansian
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