THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2008
NEWS
3A
FUNDING (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
going to have to be really smart in how we view the requests. This has made us take a good hard look at our finances and at how and where we're spending our money"
Alex Porte, Great Falls, Va.
junior and Student Senate treasurer, said the lack of Senate funds
this semester was not necessarily a bad thing, because it meant more groups had received funding already.
"There will be a scramble, and that always happens in the spring." Porte said. "I think there's going to be enough money for groups but
groups need to be innovative in looking for other sources of funding. Groups tend to lean on Senate when they could be out fundraising or looking for other sources of funding."
— Edited by Susan Melgren
VOLUNTEERING
Tvler Wauuh/KANSAN
Monica Saha, Overland Park freshman, and Tyler Longpine, 2007 graduate, carry a wire fence in Greensburg on Saturday. Saha and Longpine were part of a group that spent the day volunteering in Greensburg. It has been over a year since a tornado hit the small Kansas town
Group lends helping hand
20 months after the tornado, volunteers are still cleaning up Greensburg
BY KEVIN HARDY
BY KEVIN HARDY
khardy@kansan.com
More than 20 months after an F-5 tornado devastated the south-central Kansas town of Greenburg, the community is still struggling to rebuild.
Several KU students visited Greensburg over the weekend to help with the recovery effort. The trip was part of the Presidential Inaugural Committee's effort to push Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national day of service.
Matt Deighton, volunteer coordinator for the South Central Kansas Tornado Recovery Organization, said the work performed went a long way in helping Greensburg residents.
"I think some of the kids were really touched by what they did," Deighton said. "It was kind of cool to see the teamwork they had going on. It was impressive."
Chelsea Mertz, Topeka junior and a coordinator for the National Day of Service, led a group of 17 KU students in Greensburg. Mertz said students involved with LeaderShape and Engineers Without Borders participated in the project.
Students spent six hours in Greensburg and, in addition to volunteering, were given a guided tour
of the town.
Tyler Enders, Leawood sophomore, said he was struck by the amount of visible destruction.
"They haven't even finished the cleanup process, even though it's been over a year." Enders said.
Enders said interacting with Greensburg residents was a highlight of the trip.
"Those who remain feel very fortunate and very optimistic about the future." Enders said.
Jordan Cox, Mulvane sophomore, said the group helped with clearing debris still left from the tornado from residential properties.
"We were given a really simple task," Cox said. "We felt we could have done a lot more, but we were glad to help."
Cox described the town as desolate and the volunteer community as "lifeless."
Of the 1,478 people living in Greensburg before the tornado struck, Deighton said 775 remained.
"A lot of people who originally left town have come back to see Greensburg and have been struck by all the progress, and decided they want to move back home," Deighton said.
Deighton said the absence of businesses was the biggest concern
KANSAN.COM
Visit www.kansan.com/
videos later an afternoon
to view an audio slide
show of the Greensburg
recovery effort.
of the recovery effort.
"We have to build busheshes in order to make it feasible for people to want to live here," Deighton said. "There's no pharmacy, no barber shop or beauty salon. Once we have those essentials, people will be more inclined to come back."
Deighton said Greensburg would eventually be one of the most self-sustaining cities in the world by using geothermal, solar and wind energy and other green technologies.
"This is going to be like living on the moon," Deighton said. "Where else can you walk downtown to a city hall that's off the grid?"
Deighton said Greensburg relied on volunteer services to aid in the continuing rebuilding process.
"Even if you're here for only an hour, you can really help out," Deighton said.
Edited by Melissa Johnson
"My apartment is a hostel for the next two weeks," he said.
Wood has kept an eye on what bridges and streets are off limits to vehicles or completely shut down.
Saunders was not so lucky. She and friends are staying in a hotel in Alexandria because D.C. hotels are filled to capacity with patrons. Everywhere, pictures of the president-elect, merchandise bearing his semblance and advertising campaigns targeted at inauguration attendees litter Washington, D.C., streets. But pushing aside the glitz of the moment or the hassles of such a large-scale event, Green said she remained focused on why she traveled to Washington.
Saunders is one of 240,000 people with a ticket to the event. The remaining attendees will watch the proceedings on giant video screens set up near the Washington Monument. Television trucks have been camped out on roads adjacent to the National Mall all week.
WASHINGTON (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
"I'm really looking forward to seeing so many together for the same reason," Green said. "Hope."
"I'll probably come in Tuesday night just to see the insanity," Wood said.
- Edited by Melissa Johnson
ernment,transit agencies work to keep things operating smoothly.
KU telecom program assistant, witnessed Vice President Dick Cheney and Vice President-elect Joe Biden swain in Biden's successor on Capitol Hill.
"Years from now I'll be so glad to be a part of history." Green said.
celebrating with "huge smiles on their faces" interested in watching the "momentous" event.
Alex Murnan, Pittsburg junior decided last Sunday to rent a car and make the 19-hour drive with her roommate.
But as Mike Wood, 2005 graduate, is quick to note, some preparations have been underway for months. Wood, who lives in Alexandria, Va., watched as D.C. traffic patterns slowed from their usual crawl to an all-out gridlock. He's also watched the various gow-
"They understand the kind of change that this transition of power represents," he said.
The most recent estimates predict 2 million people will attend the swearing in ceremonies. Those estimates are reduced drastically from the figure of five million to eight million speculated in previous months. According to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the D.C. public transit system is bracing for "crush-level" crowds and will be operating trains at "rush-hour" levels all day today.
Wood is also housing some of the college friends so they can save
Murman described herself as someone interested in current events, but not heavily invested in political campaigns. But she said Obama's inauguration was a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity.
INAUGURATION (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Mertz said the lead-up to the inauguration was an emotional "commencement" for Obama supporters excited for his term.
"It's the end to one period and the beginning of another," she said.
Chelsea Mertz, Topeka junior, was also involved in Obama's campaign and wanted to be present at his inauguration.
But it wasn't just students heavily involved in the campaign — or even in politics in general — who decided to travel to Washington.
"I couldn't not do it," she said. Murnan said she expected to
Murnan said she expected to
"I couldn't not do it," she said.
ThepoliticalgroupLawrencians for Liberty organized a rally on Massachusetts Street today to raise awareness of its smaller-government cause.
Sally Fink, a former student and member of the group, said the event wasn't for or against Obama so much as an opportunity to use the current political interest to get students and Lawrence residents involved in politics at the local level.
Several students — even some who did not support Obama's campaign — found ways to get politically active on Inauguration Day right here at home.
Sources:TVGuide.com, thegranada com, inaugural.senate.gov
Students also participated in
community service events yesterday in a national drive led by Obama.
WHERE TO WATCH
spend $200 to $300 on travel and souvenirs but said it was worth it.
"We all know that this is a historic moment — a step towards equality, change and a change in how the world views us," she said.
Earle said he thought so many people were making journeys such as Murnan's and Shannon's because Obama's campaign made people feel like it was a political movement more than just a presidential campaign.
"I was extremely happy to be a part of the National Day of Service and, after some brainstorming, to have made it to the inauguration," she said.
Inauguration ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. CBS, ABC, NBC and PBS will provide live coverage.
"People feel a part of what he's about," Earle said.
The Granada Theater, 1020 Massachusetts St., will host Inauguration Bash with local bands The Dactyls, The Noise FM, Andrew Morgan and Hidden Pictures at 7 p.m.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will broadcast the ceremony at its Website, inaugural.senate.gov.
Edited by Casey Miles
Pick up the Kansan every home game day for the basketball poster
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN