people
Love 'em, don't leave 'em
His big brown eyes begged you to keep him. You couldn't say
Cary Sanders, Lawrence senior, gets a big wet "doggy kiss" from her dog Ben.
"no. Now he's yours — for life."
Kansan staff writer
By JL Watson
Kansas staff writer
Students return to campen en masse at the end of the summer. They are not the only population to increase. Many students cannot bear to part with beloved pets, so they bring them along $ ^{—}$ for the educational experience.
"We have to screen prospective owners because we want them to be responsible and to really think about the amount of commitment involved in owning a pet," House said.
Other students adopt pets after they arrive in Lawrence. Pets can be obtained at pet stores, through giveaways, advertisements and at the Lawrence Humane Society, 1805 E. 19th St. Renee Harris, humane society manager, said she is choosy when deciding whether a student will be allowed to adopt a shelter animal.
The worst times
Spring and summer are the worst times for aban
doned pets, she said.
"Two hundred sixty-seven dogs were brought in last month, and when we get that many, we can't keep them for any length of time. With so many, we usually keep them about a week, which doesn't give them much exposure to the public. This gives them less chance of being adopted."
During the fall and winter months, more pets are adopted, which leaves more kennel space for new arrivals. During that time, the animals are kept for three to six weeks and have a better chance of finding homes.
One of the most common reasons pets are left at the shelter is that owners can no longer afford to care for them. Harris said students should take this into consideration when adopting pets.
It costs $60 to adopt a dog from the Lawrence Humane Society. Fifty dollars of the fee is applied toward spaying or neutering the pet. In addition, there are the costs of vaccinations, food and treatment for other health complications a pet may have.
Final costs vary
Veterinarian W.W. Wemp, 219E Ninth St., said apet owner can expect to spend at least $200 during the first year after adopting a pet. "Of course, the final costs will vary from pet to pet," he said. "Generally, the smaller dogs are less expensive, especially when it comes to feeding costs."
Wempe said owners can cut costs in the long run by giving their pets a healthy start. "Give the proper vaccinations, give them a good diet and spend time training them," he said.
Cary Sanders. Lawrence senior, gets a big wet "oowee"
such as puppies "because they are cute." They do not
consider the fact that pets need care for a lifetime.
Wempe said that students are usually conscientious pet owners. The ones who do not often adopt animals
"Sometimes the students leave at the end of the school year and leave the dogs running loose." Wempe said. When that happens, the animals either are picked up by an animal control officer or are left to roam the streets looking for food.
Situation has improved
Wenpe said the most common injuries he treats are in dogs that have been hit by cars. The situation has improved since the city passed an ordinance banning loose animals, he said.
Jonathan Wilke, Still well senior, has owned a black Labrador German shepherd mix named Syd for seven years. He trained her to avoid streets, but he said the process took a long time.
"I think she was brushed by the wheels of a car once or twice, and that made her more aware." Wilke said. He
said he trusts Syd to avoid traffic and does not chain her to a leash
Energy and time
Patience is a requirement for owning a pet, particularly a dog. Most puppies go through a chewing phase
It took Syd eight months to grasp the idea of house training, Wilke said.
Owning a dog requires energy and time. "If you're not going to spend time with a pet then you shouldn't own one." Wilke said.
Despite the extra efforts required of pet owners, Harris said that most do a good job and find the experience rewarding.
"Of the animals that are picked up and brought to the shelter, 30 percent are returned to their owner," she said. "That's a fairly high number."
John Gamble / KANSAN
Jonathan Wilke, Stillwell senior, and his dog Syd, a black Labrador and Gen man shepherd mix, play catch outside Wilde's home.
Ben's paradise:
3 cats and a big yard
Sara Bennett
Cary Sanders has a soft spot for animals. Sanders, Lawrence senior, has adopted four pets since becoming a KU student. Her first three pets were cats. Last year she adopted a puppy, Benjamin, from Wayside Waffa, a human shelter, in Grandview, MO.
"I wanted a dog so that I could have more interaction than I get with my cats," Sanders said. "I feel like there's a real connection, a bond between us."
Cats are more independent and need less supervision, Sanders said. When she began adopting pets, Sanders lived in the country. Since then he has moved to a the city.
"Initially, Beu had to make an adjustment," Sanders said. "For awhile I lived in an apartment, and that was kind of difficult because he
couldn't go outside whenever he wanted."
Sanders and her menagerie now live in a house with a fenced yard so Ben has more freedom to play outside.
"It works out great because I don't have to be with him every second." Sanders said.
"Ben has taught me a lot about patience," Sanders said. "I've had to learn to understand his behavior and try to modify it in a constructive way so that we can live together."
The best way to achieve good behavior is time and consistency. Sanders said, "We repeat commands until Ben understands them." Rewards such as dog bones are effective motivational tools for getting a dog's attention, Sanders said. Ben is now a year old and has outgrown most
But how is a year out of his chipping phase.
"It has been frustrating at times," Sanders said,
"but I'd do it again."
Dead Playwrights breathe life into plays
In the tradition of the Dead Poets Society, KU graduate students in the theater meet to read plays.
Sara Rennett
Robert Findlay, professor of theater and film, isn't Robin Williams, and his graduate students aren't rich and repressed prep-school boys. But they do have a few things in common with the Peter Wewer film "Dead Poets Society." They're members of KU's Dead Playwrights Society, and Rick Mundy, Lawrence graduate student, said there were many similarities.
Since its founding last year, the group has read over 42 plays and drank an estimated 25 gallons of coffee.
Like Robin Williams' charismatic English class in "Dead Poets Society," Findlay's graduate-level modern drama courses inspired the formation of the Dead Plavwrights Society.
"In the film, a group of students (like us) meet secretly at night (like we do) to read aloud (like we do) the works of dead poets (like we do)," said Mundy in one of the group's fiers. "Their hunger for life and art is summed up in their motto, "Carpe Diem" — Seize the Day. Our motto is "Carpe Noctem" — Seize the Night. They met in a cave. We don't Yet."
Instead, the Dead Playwright Society meets weekly at a member's
meeting at Perkins at night at night to read assigned plays aloud together.
Stacey MacFarlane, Lawrence graduate student, said the group was born when she and her classmates began
Findlay said the study group had improved class discussion and understanding of the ___.
"I must say that the chance to hear the plays brought to bear a much better discussion than I'd ever had in a class," he said. "It been a very significant addition to what normally went on in my classes."
"That became the seed of DFS," she said. "It was just a fun way to get the plays read. But it's really sort of blossomed."
MacFarlane said the Dead Playwrights Society brought plays to life.
The society is dedicated to exposing students to works they might not otherwise read.
"When you're a theater student, you'll get into beginning theater and read "A Doll's House" by Ibsen," he said. "Then you get into Theater in
In theater, it is something that's alive, and this brings the written word to life," she said. "When you can hear how a play sounds, it's much different than reading it silently."
"Theater is
"Their hunger for life and art is summed up in their motto, 'Carpe Diem'— Seize the Day." Robert Findlay professor of theater and film
Mundy said the Dead Playwrights Society had grown from a study group to an organization with a charter and
Western Civilization and you read "A Doll's House" by Ibsen. Then you go to the theater and you see "A Doll's House" by Ibsen. There's a lot of other stuff out there.
To expose students to that other stuff, the society focuses on lesser-known works by featured playwrights, plays from selected periods or genres, or a related
series of plays.
And no, the playwrights don't have to be dead. The society holds that all authors are dead because meaning is created in the minds of the audience and that the authors themselves are irrelevant to the work.
Mundy said the popularity of the
Dead Playwright Society was growing. Local playwrights have approached the group to hear them read their works, and staged readings are held periodically.
Saturday, the group is hosting a Texas Trilogy barbecue, where three plays by Preston Jones will be read.
Mundy said the group ranged from five to 20 members and always was looking for new members.
Roles are assigned without regard to the training, experience, age, nationality, race or gender of the readers, and plays are chosen to be read by group consensus.
MacFarlane said the Dead Playwrights Society hoped to become an official University organization soon.
Both MacFarlane and Mundy said the most valuable aspect of belonging to the Dead Playwrights Society was the sense of long friendships with their colleagues.
"We're able to see each other in a different venue that’s a little more relaxed," said MacFarlane. "It’s just a good way to be together."
Mundy said, "You make professional contacts in class, you make artistic contacts in rehearsals, but we build friendships in Dead Playwrights Society."
Anyone interested in becoming a member can seize the night by calling the Dead Playwrights Society at 865-5704.
Issues and trends at the University of Kansas.
calendar
NIGHT LIFE
Benchwarmers Sports Bar & Grill
1601 W. 23rd St.
John Brown Underground, formerly Fuzzbox with Lowlife, 9:30-10.pm. Thursday Love Squad, 9:30-10.pm. Friday L.A. Rammers, 9:30-10.pm. Saturday
12th and Oread
The Crossing
Dos Hombres
Arkansas White Trash, 9 p.m. Thursday
Die Waiting, 9 p.m. Friday
Sedition, 9 p.m. Saturday
815 New Hampshire St.
Don Coons, 9 p.m. Friday
Eight Men Out, 9 p.m. Saturday
The Jazzhaus
926 1/2 Massachusetts St.
Milwaukee Nixons, 9:30 p.m. Thursday
Month of Sundays, 9:30 p.m. Friday
Joanna Connor, 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Liberty Hall
642 Massachusetts St.
Good time Radio Review, 8 p.m. Saturday,
$7.00
1993 Flood Relief Concert: Saity Iguanas,
Love Squad, Mahoots, Turquoise Sol, 8 p.m.
Monday, $5
Granada Theater
1020 Massachusetts St.
Jim Boyd, 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, $2
Rick's Neighborhood Bar and Grill 623 Vermont St.
Soulshaker, 9:30 p.m. Saturday, $3
The Brass Apple
3300 W. 15th St.
So What Band, 9 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, $2
Movies
Movies Friday thru Sunday, except SUA films.
Cinema Twin
31st and Iowa streets
Aladdin (G), 5 p.m., with a 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday.
Dave (PG-13), 7:30, 9:40 p.m., no show Saturday or Sunday.
Last Action Hero (PG-13), 5, 7:20 and 9:40 p.m. with a 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday.
See CALENDAR. Page 10.