Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, October 25. 1989
3
Ballooning hits Douglas County hot-air high tide
By Jennifer Metz Kansan staff writer
Hot-air ballooning has gotten off the ground in Lawrence during the past year.
In particular, ballooning has become more than just a hobby for two partners of The Commercial Balloonists of Lawrence.
Andrew Petrehn, co-owner of Commercial Balloonists of Lawrence, had to pass four stages of pilot examinations>
Stacey Gore/KANSAN
Andrew Petreh, Overland Park junior, and Saundra McDavid, KU graduate, formally began the business last year by offering passenger flights and commercial ballooning in Lawrence.
Petrehn said the sport had become addictive for him.
"It's consuming," Petrehn said. "It occupies a lot of my time, but I envoy the business aspects of it."
McDavid, who became Petrehn's partner last year,
handles the individual business accounts, sales and
advertising. She also is part of the crew, which is in
a balloon while it is in flight, and belding the balloon.
while it is in flight, and belting the balloon.
The business began mostly with passenger flights, but the partners are working toward more commercial use, such as promotional sales for companies using banners on the balloon.
To become a balloon pilot, Petrehn said he had to pass four stages of examinations, which involved flight instruction, a written test administered by the Federal Aviation Administration, an oral exam and a flight
Petrelm said that it would be ideal to fly two times a day, but he usually has about three flights a week. The number of flights depends completely upon the weather conditions.
The balloon flies from 500 to 1,500 feet, and an average flight time is between a half hour and an hour.
Petreh, who has been ballooning for nearly 15 years, said ballooning had been a family sport. Three members of his family also are balloonists. His father holds six world records for distance and duration and also will attempt to fly around the world in a balloon next year.
Clear skies, winds less than 10 miles per hour and temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees are perfect conditions to fly, he said.
"I grew up and matured with the sport as the sport has evolved," he said.
Balloonists are technically not allowed to fly after sunset, he said. Other precautions include avoiding flying near power lines because of obvious safety risks and landing on farms because it scares the animals.
The current cost for a balloon flight is $175 for two people, he said.
Four couples have gotten engaged in the balloon, he said. The business also does wedding escapes, where the married couple will leave the ceremony in a hot-air balloon.
Ballooning draws huge crowds of people each time they fly, he said.
Most of the onlookers are families when the balloon launches or lands, McDavid said.
Petrehn said that each flight was different and that each flight was memorable.
"There is something magical and mystical about
batteries," he said. "Everybody loves batteries ever,
and you don't."
The balloon files from 500 to 1.500 feet.
Saundra McDavid, KU graduate. lavs out the balloon.
Panhellenic disappointed with greek newspaper
By Stacy Smith Kansan staff writer
A KU greek newspaper, The Column, which appeared for the first time Thursday, was greeted with mixed reactions from Greek members and disappointment by the Panhellenic Council.
"We were mised to believe that it would be a very positive thing," said Stacey Empson, Panhellenic vice president for public relations. "At this point, it does not have the support of Panhellenic. We are not going to encourage chapters to submit further articles."
Empson said Panhellenic would not comment on the quality of the paper.
Darren Whitton, member of Sigma Phi Education, said he was not happy
with the paper because it stereotyped greeks.
"The entertainment was kind of sleazy," he said. "I thought it made the greek system look bad."
Pi Beta phi member Ann Sommerlath agreed.
"I didn't like it at all," she said. "I know the purpose is to unify the greek community, but it also excludes the rest of campus. It perpetulates the greek stereotype."
Cliff Cate, the paper's general manager, said the idea for the paper originated from the owner, Terry Pool in Oklahoma City, who also publishes at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
More than 2,500 copies of the monthly newspaper were distributed to sororites and fraternities on the
KU campus. Cate said.
"Terry figured it would go over real well here," Cate said. "The purpose is more or less to make better relations between the Greek houses. But it's also supposed to be entertaining."
Cate said that every house was encouraged to submit pictures or stories for publication. Ten houses were represented in the first issue.
The paper included a section about philanthropies in which sororities and fraternities were involved, an advice section called "Dear Dick," a chapter called "Campus Wives" and a section on current Greek romances.
guys."
The paper also included seven "how to" lists, for example, about "how to get dates with sorority girls" and "pick-up lines used by fraternity
Teri Dart, member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, said she did not like the content of the paper. She said her house did not submit any stories or pictures for publication.
"We're trying to learn from it," he said. "Next time we will look through it more carefully, and the editorial team will help us improve the paper and best for the campus."
"It it goes against everything Panhellenic has worked for," Dart said. "It separates the Greeks from the independents."
Cate said he expected criticism after the first issue and that he planned to use it to make the paper better.
"I think it could really work if we can get to do it right."
Pool, owner of the paper, said he
also anticipated criticism to follow after the first few issues.
"Some people get a little mad about some of the stuff, but you can't please everyone," he said.
In the introduction to the "Dear Dick" column, the writer states, "I think I'll go finish my 12 pack and heckle exchange students on their way to class." Pool said this was not meant to be taken seriously.
"I don't want to hurt anyone. It's not to make someone feel bad," he
Pool said he would like to see more quality stories appear in the paper in future issues about greek activities on campus.
"If the people in the houses don't fill the paper with enough stuff, then I have to put the other stuff in," he said.
Fraternity's MU chapter bans alcohol Alpha Epsilon Pi at KU probably won't follow suit
By Stacy Smith Kansan staff writer
The Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at the University of Missouri announced yesterday that it would ban all alcohol at social events, making it the first fraternity at the university to go dry.
Mark Epstein, president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at the University of Kansas, said he did not foresee his chapter adopting the no-alcohol policy.
"We've never really considered banning it completely," he said. "I really don't think that it would pass favorably in the chapter."
The decision at the Missouri chapter came after a vote during the fraternity's house meeting. The chapter vice president, Jim Morris, said the decision was a result of expensive liability insurance and encouragement from the fraternity's national chapter.
"We've been moving in this direction for some time," Morris said. "The fraternity system had to do something to change if we want to be around in the 1990s. We have to do this to survive."
Morris said he expected most of the other Alpha Epsilon Pi chapters across the country to become dry in the future, but he was not sure what course other fraternities at Missouri would take. He said he thought the no-alcohol policy at parties would change the structure of fraternities.
"I think the fraternity system won't survive as it is now, but it will survive in some form," he said. "We'll have to wait and see."
Andy Ludbrook, president of Sigma Nu fraternity at Missouri, said he thought the actions taken by the students in Pi fraternity were a little extreme.
"Eventually it could happen to our house, but I don't think we'll go totally dry in the near future," he said.
The KU chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi has never been asked by the national chapter to ban alcohol completely, Epstein said. The fraternity now follows a policy in which house money cannot be used to purchase alcohol for parties, and all party guests are asked for identification to determine that they are 21. Epstein said the fraternity also provided transportation to and from parties for all guests.
"We're trying to prove that we're responsible," he said.
"I don't think fraternities would be destroyed if there was a ban on alcohol, but I think it could reduce membership," Epstein said.
He also agreed that a complete ban on alcohol at fraternity social events could affect the greek system.
Adam Pfeffer, KU Alpha Epsilon Pi member, said he thought his chapter acted responsibly at parties where alcohol was served.
"We keep an eye on drinking at parties to make sure we don't have a problem, he said. "If we asked to go out, we'd be abysse by our national's request."
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