THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CAMPUS
MONDAY, AUGUST 23,1993
Pilgrims to the papal visit
Kansan photographer Doug Hesse followed KU student on their trip to see Pope John Paul II in Denver. He brought back sights from a journey for faith.
SECTION B
Page 3B.
Play takes look at AIDS crisis
Taking responsibility is cast's urgent message
By Donella Hearne Kansan staff writer
Your best friend could be HIV positive. Your brother might be showing the first symptoms of AIDS. And the one time you had sex without a condom, you may have been infected with the virus which causes AIDS.
As part of Freshman Orientation, the play
The message — that the AIDS virus affects us all — is what cast members of "The Inner Circle," a play by Patricia Loughrey, are trying to convey to KU students.
was performed at Oliver Hall on Thursday and at Hashinger Hall on Saturday. Another performance will be at 8 pm, Saturday in the Inge Theater at Murphy Hall.
"There's a reason we did it at Freshman Orientation," said director Phoebe Zimmermann, Wichita senior. "We did it for this age group because they're the educators of their generation. They know it's OK to buy a condom if they're going to have sex."
"The Inner Circle" is about a young man named Mark, played by Sean Holland. Kismet senior, who tests HIV positive. After testing positive, Mark must face his own mortality and his friend's fear of the
And although the play addresses educational issues, the focus is on the reality that young people die of complications of AIDS.
disease as he experiences the onslaught of AIDS symptoms.
But she added that being responsible didn't mean living in constant fear.
Pfat Latham-Winter-Green, Virgin Islands senior, plays the part of Sarah, Mark's girlfriend. After the play she stressed the importance of young women in the politics and AIDS prevention.
"You don't have to live with morbid thoughts," she said. "Just take responsibility for yourself."
Students in the audience agreed with the cast that most people are educated about AIDS but do not take the disease seriously.
"Most people don't have any concept of how much AIDS affects society," said Janet Pryor, Lawrence senior. "I'm a part of the gay community, and I have lost friends."
According to a 1960 study by the Center for Disease Control, AIDS is the second leading cause of death in men and the sixth leading cause of death in women ages 25-44 nationally. The HIV virus can be dormant for a number of years, thus it is possible that most of those 25-35 acquired AIDS in their late teens or early twenties.
"We're encouraging them to be tested," said Steven Bryce-Holtzman, Lawrence junior.
The play is followed by a question-and-answer session where students are encouraged to ask about any concerns they might have.
Randy Weinstein, Skokie, Ill. freshman, said that even though he knew quite a bit about AIDS, the play was worth seeing.
"Ireinforced what I do know in a powerful kind of way," he said.
Renee Knoeber/ KANSAN
It's really you
D. J. Paulsen; Morton Grove, Ill., freshman, reacts to a caricature drawn by artist Fred Gonzalez of Kansas City, Mo., and laughs with others gathered at the Kansas Union Campus as commissioned by Student Union Activities as part of Unionfest '93 Wednesday.
Snare me
Human Jaybowling was one of the Unionfest '93 activities during Hawk Week. A photo story focuses on last week's activities.
The state of Montana
Page 9B.
The Kansas City Chief's newest quarterback is healthy and serious about winning — when he's not masterminding practical jokes.
Page 108.
Sorority rush ends with bids to 656 new pledges
By Shan Schwartz
Six hundred fifty-six freshmen women, all new pledges to KU sorority chapters, were drained of energy by heat and a week full of activity, but many still jumped with joy when they opened their bid cards Thursday morning on the Allen Field House lawn.
Kansan staff writer
Rush is the term for the week-long process that potential sorority members, or rushees, go through to join the chapter that's right for them. Sorority rush began Aug. 11 and ended Thursday with Bid Day, the assembly where rushees receive bids from the chapter they will be pledging. Rushees are placed in a house by a system of mutual selection between the chapter and the rushee.
The women screamed, hugged each other and cried upon receiving their notices from the sorority chapters. All of the participants remaining on Bid Day knew they would be accepted into one of three chapters they had selected.
Degner said 185 participants withdrew from rush during the week, 16 were dropped by all chapters, mainly because of low high school grades, and 20 were termed "no-reaches," meaning they were acceptable to chapters but couldn't be placed on bid day because of chapter quotas. No-reaches may wait for openings in the year or participate in rush again next year.
Of the 877 rushes she registered and began rush, about 75 percent finished Rush Week and pledged a chapter Thursday, said Randy Degner, adviser to Panhellenic Association.
Jennifer Stoner, Wichita senior and vice president for membership of the Panhellenic Association, said preparation for this year's rush began last November. Stoner said rush was orchestrated by 48 rush counselors, who helped rushes through the emotional week, and 12 rush staff members, who handled administrative duties.
Deger said that during the week, the rushes attended a series of house parties in which chapter members met the rushes and rushes were acquainted with the traditions and facilities of each chapter. Rushes then ranked the chapters they wanted to join, and chapters ranked who they wanted to pledge. This year, each chapter made bids to 47 new pledges.
Bid Day was an emotional end to a
"It was tedious and tiresome. But it was worth it."
Sara Necessary
Lenexa, freshman
long, nerve-wracking week for the rushes.
"The process wasn't what I expected," said Sara Necessary, Lenexa freshman, after the initial excitement died down. "It was tedious and tiresome. But it was worth it."
"Waiting has been the worst," said Joy Franklin, Overland Park freshman, as she celebrated with two of her nledge sisters in the Gamma Phi Beta chapter. "I was really nervous. But all of the people were great."
"I'm so excited I can't believe it," said Kristin Stomp, Olive the freshman. "I was scared that I wouldn't get my first choice."
Johnny's offers new bus service
keeping people off the streets will keep city safer, owners say
By Brian James Kansan staff writer
Owners of Johnn's Tavern, 401 N. Second St., know that many students come to their bar to get drunk. They will do so on the phone home.
many students come to them out to get data.
That's why the owners decided to drive them home
"We've been here 15 years and feel now is the time to make a conscious effort to give everybody a safe way to and from Johnny's, as well as other establishments," said Louie Riederer, Johnny's co-owner. "It will keep the streets safer for all of us."
On Thursday, the tavern began a bus service that runs customers between Johnny's and five Greek houses and four downtown street corners. The 47-passenger bus runs Wednesday through Saturday five times a night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
A few Lawrence bar owners said Johnny's service was just a temporary way to help business while street construction was rerouting traffic away from the bar.
"The hole affects lunch business, but at night it doesn't as much," Renfro said. "The service will insure the status quo for business."
But Johnny's co-owner Rick Renfro said construction work on the hole in front of the bar was not the primary reason he had decided to start the service.
Other Lawrence bar owners are supportive of the idea, but many savit it is not affordable or practical.
"We want to make a difference in the number of DWIs this year," Renfro said. "This, we hope, will do it."
Renfro and Riederer said the $800 a week price tag for the service was worth it.
Lawrence police logged 790 driving under the influence arrests in 1992, according to the Lawrence police's crime analysis unit.
Taking responsibility
Johnny's bus shuttle, a unique service to the Lawrence bar scene, raises the question of who is responsible for getting drunken people home.
ring drunk drivers, bar owners, police and drunken driving awareness groups agreed that the primary responsibility for stopping drunken driving resists with the individual. But those groups realize that intoxicated people don't always take that responsibility.
Julie Huntstinger, Watkins Health Educator and faculty adviser for PARTY, or Promote Alcohol Awareness Through You, said free transportation services such as SafeRide, a free University-sponsored transportation service, have been popular.
But she questioned the effectiveness of a shuttle that doesn't take riders directly home.
"It concerns me, with a bar providing this kind of service, that they might let people off near other bars," she said. "Then how are they going to get home?"
Huntingstar said bars had to take responsibility and train their employees to look for people who were drunk.
"They should stop serving people who look intoxicated, but that is difficult," she said. "They shouldn't keep serving and serving."
Lance Rutledge, manager of Hockenberry's Tavern, 1016 Massachusetts St., said bartenders should be responsible for "cutting off" people when they were too intoxicated.
"We do it a couple times a night, but they probably just sit in their car and drive to another bar."
"We do it a couple times a night, but they probably just get in their car and drive to another bar." Rutledge said the bar often calls SafeRide to take patrons home.
Continuing service
The idea of a shuttle bus transporting customers to and from points in Lawrence was discussed five or six years ago, Johnny's Renfo said.
"We could never afford it back then, but we're in a position now to provide this type of safety and convenience." Renfro said.
Renfo said the number of patrons that ride the bus every night will determine how long the bus keeps rolling.
After a month, we will re-evaluate the service and
Renfo said the service, if successful, would expand to include users at government complexes.
Lawrence and KU police and drunken driving awareness groups said there was an increased concern in curbing drunken driving.
"Bars are increasingly very public in their support of SafeRide and designated drivers," said Lt. Mark Brothers, Lawrence police. "That is encouraging."