I
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013
PAGE 3
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter account alerts students of free food
MARK ARCE
marce@kansan.com
Free Food: something desired by all college students during their days on campus thanks to the Twitter account @FreeFoodAtKU.
Periodically, the account will tweet out events and opportunities where followers can find free food on campus. It has proven quite popular, given the content of the account.
Alek Jayce, a senior from Lawrence, is one of the founders of the account. He stated that the idea for the account came two years ago while he was working in the summer at Student Senate along with co-founder Kris Velasco. During that time, both of them realized that the university offered many opportunities for free food, but lacked a central source to find it all, so they started an account to fill that need.
"I think it's useful. I mean, when I'm on campus and I see they tweet something, I get free food," said Amy Melby, a junior from Wamego.
Melby also said that thanks to a re-tweet from the account she won a gift certificate for free food from Cupcake Construction Company.
Since then, Velasco has graduated and Joyce is the primary administrator of the account. The account has more than 3,000 followers and includes mentions from places such as the Lawrence Journal-World for a "must follow" account.
joyce is responsive to followers of the account and vice-versa. From time-to-time followers will ask some form of the question, "Where can I find free food?" @FreeFood.atKU will reply or ask followers for help. Emily Poppe, a senior from Omaha, Neb., has reached out to the account before.
"The Alumni Association had their free food last week, and I went there, and I knew about it because of him," Poppe said.
Poppe is also an Assistant Director of the Culinary Committee on SUA, and stated that the account sometimes helps to publicize their events by re-tweeting SUA events on the Free Food account.
Besides gaining positive feedback from students and student groups, University entities such as KU Libraries also like the Free Food account.
Katie Coffman, Communications Coordinator, in charge of the KU Libraries' Twitter account, tweeted at Free Food for several food-related library events, such as the Anschutz Open House.
"I just thought it would a good way to attract attention to our events that have free food," Coffman said.
While she wasn't sure if promotion on the account helped with turnout at Anschutz's event, 800 total pieces of pizza were distributed.
in addition to campus-related free food options, the account occasionally publicizes free food offerings from local restaurants as well. They tweeted about Hot Box Cookies offering free samples during the first week of school on Wesco Beach, but the company manager in Lawrence was unsure how much impact resulted solely from the publicity from @ FreeFoodAtKU.
Joyce's time at the university ends with his graduation in May, which has forced him to give some thoughts to a successor. He isn't very far into the selection process, and is trying to decide between asking somebody he already knows and accepting possible candidates through an interview process. Joyce plans to be very selective in a possible successor.
"This has been a baby of mine this whole time at campus. It's probably my favorite accomplishment on campus thus far."
3,989
FOLLOWERS
Followed by Shanah, University of Kansas, Tara Bryant and 4 others.
Tweets
Sebastian Sanchez ©bastianseed
7 Sep
@suaevents: Our first tailgate is today! Free burgers, bratwursts, games and fun We'll be on The Hill starting @ 4 @FreeFoodAtKU ya heard?
Retweeted by Free Food At KU
from Lawrence, KS
Free Food At KU FreeFoodAtKU
6 Sep
@Will_America Now until 3 am!
View conversation
Liberty Hall libertyhall
6. Sep
Retweeted by Free Food At KU
We've got a handful of free tickets for tonight's Banff film fest. First come first serve.
@FREEFOODATKU/TWITTER.COM
CRIME
Drug-related home robberies incease locally
At least five home invasions have been reported in Lawrence since December, but police think the true number is much higher but that many victims don't want to report them to police. And the break-ins involve guns more often than they did in the past, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Police are seeing a troubling rise in the number of drug-related home invasions committed in Lawrence, especially against young people who are considered easy targets.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
and you're seeing, more and more, firearms being used. That's disturbing."
In some cases, the criminals have forced their way into a home after their intended target has moved away, leaving them to terrorize the current residents who don't have drugs or cash to give up.
"It is a regular occurrence," said police spokesman Sgt. Trent McKinley. "It didn't used to happen with that much frequency,
Often the victims are drug dealers — college-age youths selling marijuana from their homes — police said. Some victims have been beaten, others have been shot and killed.
So far this year, nobody has been shot in any of the home invasions. In December, one of three men accused of invading a home was accidentally shot while he and an accomplice tried
to kick in a door. Connor McKenzie Mayhan, 21, of Olathe, testified in court that the target of the robbery was $30,000 in drug
"It didn't used to happen with that much frequency, and you're seeing, more and more, firearms being used. That's disturbing."
SGT. TRENT MCKINLEY
Lawrence police officer
ment officers said it appears to be a problem in Lawrence more than in other cities. For instance, in Overland Park police counted only one or two drug-related home robberies in a year.
Police and prosecutors have complained of an increase in drug-fueled home invasions before. In 2011, they identified six drug-related home robberies over the previous two years, while in 2008, they counted four, including one that resulted in a double homicide.
While such robberies have been happening for a long time within the illicit drug trade, law enforce-
money.
In that case, two teenagers went to the home of Roland Klundt, a 20-year-old Baker University student, to rob him of drugs and money. Klundt was armed, though, and shot and killed one of the teens. The other teenager;
Kellam Jones, who was 16 at the time, killed Klundt with a rifle.
Jones was convicted of murder and is serving a 14-year prison sentence in El Dorado. He will be eligible for parole in June 2020.
While some may view marijuana as less harmful than other illegal drugs, he said, being involved in large quantities of drugs and cash has gotten people killed.
"We certainly want to impress upon young people how dangerous this can be," said Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson.
"They're putting their lives at risk, their friends' lives at risk, and, of course, their property" at risk, he said.
KU offers study abroad programs in over 75 countries. Check out the Study Abroad Fair today in the KS Union from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
POLICE REPORTS
Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 35-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 1700 block of 24th Street on suspicion of violating a protective order. No bond was posted.
— Kaitlyn Klein
- A 29-year-old male was arrested Sunday on the 1700 block of Lincoln Street on suspicion of domestic battery and criminal damage to property. No bond was posted.
- A 44-year-old male was arrested Sunday on the 3000 block of Rimrock Drive on suspicion of violating a protective order. No bond was posted.
- A 22-year-old female was arrested Sunday on the 700 block of Indiana Street on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence and no insurance. A $600 bond was paid.
CHANCELLOR FROM PAGE 1
relation to the number of students,
and that cut makes it a lot harder."
Gray-Little says the budget cuts could cause an even bigger loss than the initial $5.3 million, as it could discourage people from donating to the university.
"I don't think it helps our fundraising when we get budget cuts," she said. "Donors don't like to see their funds go to make up for holes, they like to see their money go to expand or increase the quality or something like that, so I don't expect donors to come in and say, 'We'll fill in for faculty donations the state didn't give.'"
Issues involving higher education such as student loan rates and budget cuts were a contentious political topic over the summer, and Gray-Little thinks the decisions that were made regarding them are a result of a disconnect between representatives and their constituency.
"It makes me wonder about how much the general population, the students and their parents out in the different communities where the legislators come from, to what extent do legislators know that those families want them to support higher education?" she said. "I hope that message will be carried forward by people other than me, because if I go to the legislator they know why I'm there and what I represent, so I think it's a message that needs to come from the people who the legislators represent as well."
RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE
Edited by Heather Nelson
75¢ Off
Any Sub
No valid with any other offers
1814 W.23rd Lawrence, KS 843-6000
GET IN ON THE ACTION
It's fast, it's intense and it's just 30 minutes down the road. Adult Hockey at the Kansas Expocentre hits the ice soon!
Registration deadline is September 13th. League play runs through March with 21 ice dates.
785.235.1986
www.KsExpo.com
1