CELEBRATING MARDIS GRAS
Students go to St. Louis to partake in the festivities. FATTUESDAYI8A
BLOWOUT COULD BE ON HAWKS' HORIZON
Iowa States Craig Brackins won'surprise this time. GAME DAY 18B
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2009
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 120 ISSUE 102
BUDGET
State expects to be able to pay workers
Republicans say they will allow money transfers to pay employees
BY BRIANNE PFANNENSTIEL
bpfannensteel@akansan.com
As University students and faculty waited anxiously to hear whether they would be paid this week. Gov Kathleen Sebelius announced at a press conference Tuesday she had signed the budget reduction bill
passed by the state Legislature.
payments to health care providers and public schools. Without a certificate, state employees, including about 5,000 student employees of the University as well as about 5,000 faculty and staff members, would not be paid this Friday.
Republicans in the Legislature had previously refused to issue a certificate of indebtedness until Sebelius signed the budget bill. That certificate would allow the state to transfer internal funds into the account used to pay state employees, issue income tax refunds and make
After signing the bill, Sebelius called a meeting of the State Finance Court.
oil for 2 p.m. today to ask legislators to issue $22.5 million in certificates of indebtedness to pay state employees and handle other obligations.
State Republican leaders said they would sign the certificates today and Sebelius has instructed budget director Dume Goosen to begin processing paychecks for state workers.
"With legislative cooperation at the meeting tomorrow, our obligations can be met in a timely fashion," Sebelius said. "It's important that we pay our bills."
Check www.kansan.com for updates.
Edited by Chris Hickerson
LIFETIME
Extending
Changing majors or studying abroad can affect students' decisions to stay at KU longer
BY RACHEL BURCHFIELD
rburchfield@kansan.com
By the end of his seven-year career at the University, Malakai Edison had become something of a campus celebrity.
He wore colorful clothing. He rode a yellow bike everywhere he went. He
appeared on Department of Student Housing posters around campus, Edison. 2008 graduate, may not be at the University anymore, but he is still visible around Lawrence.
"I'dote like I get recognized all the time," Edison said. "My friends make fun of me when people approach me to tell me that they see me everywhere. I just tend to stick out at KU. I have never been interested in looking like others and I tend to be outsmen."
Edison enrolled at the University in August 2001 and graduated in May 2008. In his seven years as a student, Edison completed two bachelor's degrees and a minor, stud-
ed abroad in Cuba and Mexico, studied two languages and took as many art and film classes as he could. Despite the University's efforts to encourage students to graduate in four years, some, such as Edison, tend to linger on campus.
Tammara Durham, director of the University Advising Center, said it made sense for some students to stay at the University longer. She said that if students wanted to study abroad, work on a year-long political campaign or participate in a co-curricular activity that would enhance their college experience, they should be allowed to do that.
Illustration by Drew Stearns/KANSAN
"We cant force anyone to graduate we can only provide resources", Durham said. "But we can help people find themselves and move along. We want them to get through their college experience in a reasonable amount of time."
Durham said she would rather see students take longer to graduate with a degree they were passionate about than have them suffer through classes they didn't enjoy to complete degree requirements.
"I don't like to see students give up on their passions." Durham said.
"I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do as a younger guy." Dellasega
Chris Dellasega, Pittsburg sophomore, originally thought his passion was graphic design. His father was in the graphic design business, and he enrolled at Pittsburg State University in August 2004, first as a history major and then as a graphic design major.
LAWRENCE
SEELIFETIME ON PAGE 4A
Wal-Mart sees flood of first-day applicants
BY MIKE BONTRAGER
mbontrager@kansan.com
Wal-Mart received more than 200 applications the first day it started hiring for its new store at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive.
Ryan Edwards, store manager,
said the store would accept applications through March 23, which is the deadline for hiring more than 250 staff members. Edwards said jobs requiring the most training would be hired first. He said those hoping for jobs with less training,
Amanda Burgen, Lawrence sophomore, has been working at Lawrence's other Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa St., for more than a year. She said she liked working at Wal-Mart because the store helped her balance the job and school.
"I think it's a great job." Burgen said. "They are really flexible. If you need time off most likely they give it to you."
such as cashiers, would be notified closer to the April 29 opening.
SEEWAL-MART ON PAGE 4A
ATHLETICS
KU athletes no longer able to drink six Vitaminwaters
BY ADAM SAMSON asamson@kansan.com
The Kansas Athletics Department chose to have six flavors of Vitaminwater with banned or impermissible substances taken out of the vending machines within the athletics department as of Feb. 14.
Vitaminwater's remaining seven flavors will still be available within the athletics department, and all 13 flavors will still be sold elsewhere on campus.
Associate athletics director Jim Mar-
chiony said the removal was an easy decision because the six flavors had ingredients with the potential to affect a student athlete's eligibility.
"It was a simple decision because it has impermissible contents," Marchiony said.
"The best way to prevent it is to not bring the items into an area where they can inadvertently get it."
Ingredients in Vitaminawater, a sports drink in the same line of products as Ga-
SEEVITAMIN ON PAGE 4A
index
Classifieds. ... 5A Opinion... 7A
Crossword. ... 6A Sports... 1B
Horoscopes. ... 6A Sudoku... 6A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2009 The University Daily Kansan
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Green initiatives and road construction are part of $787 billion package. ECONOMY13A
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