Volume 126 Issue 52
kansan.com
Monday. November 25, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN UDK
the student voice since 1904
'WORTH THE PAIN
SURVIVAL STORY
Alumnus writes about deadly battle with meningitis
KATIE MCBRIDE
kcbride@kansan.com
It was the end of April, 2004 when Andy Marso first felt sick.
Marso decided to rest, thinking he would feel better after sleeping. However, Marso could not get out of bed when he woke up the next morning.
As it turned out, Marso was infected with bacterial meningitis, and said that it got into his bloodstream and released toxins that "slice and dice" the blood vessels. It impairs circulation, and prevents the internal organs and extremities from getting the blood they need.
Now, nine years after surviving the rare form of bacterial meningitis, Marso, a University graduate, is working to provide others with hope for overcoming difficulties through his book "Worth the Pain."
"I have a responsibility to make the most of my life so that these people see that their life can still be good too," Marso said.
available on Amazon just a few weeks ago. He said in addition to educating others about meningitis and the traumatic effects it can have, he wanted to tell a good story, and said “there’s a lot of pain in the book, but there’s also a lot of hope.”
One way he hopes to do this is through his book, which became
Before becoming infected with the disease senior year, Marso said he was enjoying his normal, busy life as a jayhawk. By senior year, he was surrounded with great friends, spent his free time playing intramural sports, wrote for the Kansan, was on his way to finishing his degree in journalism, and lived in Pearson Scholarship Hall.
One of his friends, Clay Britton,
noticed that Marso had missed class
one morning. He lived in Pearson
with Marso and when he got home,
he went upstairs to Marso's room
and opened the door to check on
him and ask if he was okay.
Britton said Marso told him he
had chills but was also sweaty,
and had purple spots covering his arms,
SEE BOOK PAGE 2A
ASHELIGH LEE/KANSAN
university alumnus Andy Marso survived bacterial meningitis in 2004. Since then, he published his book "Worth the Pain," which details his experiences on the way to recovery
STAYING FOR THANKSGIVING
ILLUSTRATION BY COLE ANNEBERG/KANSAN
Students spend Thanksgiving in Lawrence
DANI BRADY
dbrady@kansan.com
As college students plan to go home and celebrate Thanksgiving Break with family and friends, many international and out-of-state students cannot do the same.
When the dorms become empty, classes aren't in session and silence falls over the town, these students stay put and spend their break in Lawrence. It may not sound like the most ideal situation but many of these students are faced with high-priced airfare and too short of a time span to spend traveling. For Alyssa Ong, a senior from
Malaysia, it takes 48 hours to fly home. She is not familiar with the American holiday, so for her it is just like any other break. She will spend the long weekend studying and relaxing and has made plans to get lunch with her international friends on Thursday.
"It will not be anything traditional and I can assure you there won't be any turkey," Ong said. Residence halls will be closed over the break forcing students who cannot go home to look for another place to stay. McCollum Residence Hall on Daisy Hill will be the only dorm that will stay open. The hall will charge $85 for the five-night break.
Some are returning home, some are staying on campus and others are spending the holiday at a friend or roommate's house. No matter your plans or nationality, we should be thankful for those around us and make sure to make the best of our long weekend.
"My freshman year my aunt made like 40 pounds of turkey," Perryman said, "And until a few years ago I never knew people had turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving because we always eat Hawaiian food."
"I know many international students stress out about where they are going to live because $85 may not be a lot of money in America but it is a lot of money in our country," says Ong.
For many students, staying with family or friends during this oasis in the fall semester provides another option.
Katie Perryman, a senior from Hawaii, recalls it being very difficult her freshman year when she realized she was not going to be able to go home. She is grateful she had family close by to spend her holiday with, which also allowed her to learn some new Thanksgiving traditions.
Senate decision leads employment equality
Edited by James Ogden
HIRED
MCKENNA HARFORD
mharford@kansan.com
In a show of support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the U.S. Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that states employers can't discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This bill, if passed by the house, would mean a victory for those in the LGBTQ community in their fight toward equality.
"When LGBTQ students leave here they [would] no longer have that fear of moving to a state that will not support them in their employment based or gender expression, gender identity or sexual orientation," LGBTQ Resource Center Coordinator Michael Detmer said. "It's one less thing to worry about as a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender student when trying to find a job because they know they will be protected in every state."
Without the fear of being fired based on self-expression, Detmer feels that the workplace will be more productive and efficient.
"These laws impact the entire population because we are seeing federal support towards this group of people, which helps break down some of the barriers," Detmer said. "It will help us be more aware of inequality and we can take a stand for human rights and social justice and equality for people."
There are many groups on campus that work to make sure that students don't have to face discrimination, such as Queens and Allies. The LGBTQ Resource Center also works to raise awareness and education on campus so that students feel safe.
Student Senate is also working toward a more equal campus. They recently passed a resolution that would give the same benefits that heterosexual couples have to same-sex couples.
"The biggest thing is having the discussion and talking about it and making it real and bringing a humanistic viewpoint to the discussion so people will realize that the bisexual sitting next to them in class or the trans faculty person teaching their classroom is a human being." Detmer said. "There might be differences in terms of how they express themselves or who they have sex with, but that doesn't impact how they do their job or how they contribute to this world."
"It's important to students because if we can't attract openly gay faculty, then gay students, open or not, won't see themselves represented," student body vice president Emma Halling said. "We want a diverse perspective in the classroom because it's an important part of the liberal arts education."
Index
With the work being done to make a more inclusive environment for the LGBTQ community, Detmer hopes that will mean a move toward equality in other aspects of life.
Vice president for Delta Lambda Phi, the progressive men's fraternity on campus, Tim Hewitt also hopes that this will lead to more equality.
"Being able to have a stable job and keep it, and being secure in your life, that's pretty much all we are asking." Hewitt said.
CLASSIFIEDS 2B
CROSSWORD 5A
Edited by James Ogden
CRYPTOQUIPS 5A
OPINION 4A
SPORTS 1B
SUDOKU 5A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
Thanksgiving break starts on Wednesday.
Today's Weather
Partly cloudy. West southwest winds at 10 to 20 mph
HI: 40
L0: 22
Ice, ice baby