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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
VOL.102.NO.131
KANSAN
KANSAS STATE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1993
NEWS:864-4810
Leaving Main Street, U.S.A.
Rachel G. Thompson / KANSAN
Abbyville, which lies 20 miles west of Hutchinson, is a seemingly desolate town with a population of 140.
Students see few opportunities in small towns
Kansan staff writer
By Blake Spurney
I n kent Rains' hometown of Sharon Springs, a person could leave a wallet with a $100 bill showing in an unlocked car and not have to
Because only 872 people live in this town near the Colorado border, there is a lot of pressure to be a good person, says Rains, as senior majoring in economics. The bad apples stand out.
"There's no danger growing up in a small town," he says. "I'd rather raise a family in a large town."
A town where violent crime is almost non-exist ent, where homes and automobiles can remain unlocked, and where people are not consumed in violence or in rage. Sound like an invitation to live?
It may sound great. But it's not great enough for Rains to move back home.
Like most students who come from rural Kansas, Rains does not plan to return to a small town after he graduates from the University. And he's far from alone.
The population of the rural United States has been declining for decades. But since the early 1880s, the trend has accelerated rapidly, particularly in the corn and wheat belts of the Midwesi ern states.
Of all the counties in the Midwest that lie outside of urban areas and have no town bigger than 2,500 people, 66 percent have declining populations, according to a 1992 report by Kenneth Johnson, an associate sociology professor at Loyola University of Chicago, and Calvin Beale, a demographer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The trends in Kansas are even more drastic.
The trends in Kansas are even more drastic. Forty-five Kansas counties fit the Johnson and Beale study's criteria and 39 of them, almost 87 percent, have declined in population since the 1980 census. In that same time span, Kansas' overall population has risen 4.8 percent.
The primary cause of falling population in rural areas is what Johnson calls the push factor, when young people — in their late teens to mid-20s — are pushed away from small towns, because they believe there is nothing to go back to.
In the fall semester of 1991, 527 students enrolled at KU were from counties that had no town bigger than 2,500 people, according to University data. Of them will return to their roots, statistics show.
According to the 1990 census, 6,378 people between the ages of 21 and 24 lived in the 45 rural
Kansas counties. That accounted for 3.2 percent of the population in those counties. That age group makes up 5.9 percent of the population in the state's other 60 counties.
Migration out of the small towns is even more drastic for college graduates.
Demographers and small town advocates agree. It's hard to keep kids down at the co-op after they've seen KU.
The higher the skill level young people achieve, the less likely they are to return to a small town, Johnson says.
"The opportunities available to them in rural areas are more limited," Johnson says.
Jerry Rank, a first-year law student from Abbyville, agrees. He said that he would not move to a small town after graduation because there was no market for lawyers in rural Kansas. Abbyville has a population of 140 and is about 20 miles west of Hutchinson.
He said that living in Lawrence and going to KU played a part in his decision to seek a new life in a
"It opened my eyes a lot," Rank says. "You name it, Lawrence has it. There are so many things you can do."
Story continues, Page 7.
AND COUNTRY
Town
Dan Schauer / KANSAN
Small town populations across the United States, especially in Kansas, have been gradually declining for the last decade. Many experts say that the trend is irreversible because few young people are returning to their roots.
Classes are canceled today from 2:20 to 4 p.m.
A really to honor the Kansas men's basket ball team is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today at Memorial Stadium.
A Parade for the team is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. April 15 on Massachusetts Street.
Championship game coverage, Page 9
Classes canceled for rally Players will speak during celebration
By Jess DeHaven
Kansan staffwriter
Classes are canceled from 2:20 to 4 p.m. today so students can attend a rally in honor of the Kansas men's basketball team.
The event will be at 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium and will feature remarks from the team members and an address by Student Body President Brad Garlinghouse. The KU Pep Band and Spirit Sound also will perform
The rally will celebrate the accomplishments of the team in the NCAA basketball tournament. Kansas reached the Final Four before being defeated by North Carolina in the semifinal Saturday night.
Edward Meyen, executive vice chancellor, said that classes were canceled this afternoon so the entire KU community could attend the rally.
"To the extent that it is consistent with other obligations, we hope that faculty and staff will turn out to show the team their appreciation," he said.
Caryl Smith, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, said that despite earlier reports that classes would be canceled at 1:30 p.m., the plan had always been for a 2:20 p.m. cancellation.
Smith said the rally was not held yesterday because, although the team had returned from New Orleans, the coaching staff and traveling party would not return until today.
Meyen said the purpose of the rally was to congratulate Coach Roy Williams, his staff and the basketball team for a season well done.
"We are excited about their success, and we appreciate the fine way they have represented the University of Kansas throughout the season," he said. "We are proud of our commitment to teamwork are excellent examples for all of us."
In addition to the rally, Downtown Lawrence Inc. and the Chamber of Commerce have organized a parade to honor the team at 4:30 p.m. April 15 on Massachusetts Street.
Peggy Johnson, member of Downtown Lawrence Inc. and event organizer, said that since 1986, a parade had been held on June 4, 2007, hawks had entered the Final Four.
"I'm a diehard Jayhawk fan, and I think it's a nice way to thank the team for their work during the season," she said.
Issues in architecture
Students, faculty and administrators in the School of Architecture gathered yesterday at an all-school forum to discuss issues creating tension in the school, including an alleged lack of minority perspective and sexual harassment.
See story. Page 3.
FOCUS promises more student input from start to finish
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of four articles profiling Student Senate presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Ed Austin and Jeff Russell, FOCUS presidential and vice presidential candidates, do not like broken promises.
By Brett Riggs
Kansan staff writer
With that in mind, they have made policy feasibility and student involvement two of the primary themes for their campaign.
"We wanted to put things down that we knew we could promise to do as a Student Senate." Austin said. "Everyone can help in the campaign can and will happen."
Austin, Olathe junior, is finishing his first year on Senate. He was last year's sophomore class vice president and is
vice president of Delta Upsilon fraternity.
Russell, Olathe junior, has never served on Senate. He has served on the Senate finance committee, which does not require Senate membership, and is one of the junior class and is the president for Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Russell said that he thought that Senate sponsored activities that involved more students, students who were under the allocation of their activity fee.
"We want to affect students the day we get elected all the day we get out,"
One change Austin and Russell think could involve more students would have Senate working with Student Union Activities to sponsor events such as Day on the Hill, SUA Free Films Series, KU Lecture Series and a variety of live music shows.
Senate co-sponsorship could make free many SUA events that charge admission costs.
Austin said he also considered campus transportation a high priority for his coalition. His platform supports full funding of the growing Saferide cab service and development of a city bus system to serve both students and the Lawrence community.
Russell said that FOCUS would continue Senate's efforts to persuade the University and the Lawrence Tavern Owner's Association to contribute money for the operation of Safeerd. He said they would not favor making students pay for rides.
Austin and Russell both said that they liked the makeup of their coalition, especially the fact that the coalition was together on their issues.
"People who agreed and were enthusiastic," Austin said. "Those are the people on our coalition."
Ed Austin Jeff Russell