Wednesday, October 18, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 3
Obessive-compulsive disorder can affect students differently
Bv Melissa Davis
Kansan staff writer
When he was 5, Andy Gassaway would wash his hands 25 times before touching his favorite books or toys.
In high school, he checked his alarm clock at least 10 times a night and spent hours contemplating math concepts.
Even though Gassaway was a bright student, his concentration was taking a beating. His parents told him to "knock it off," but he couldn't.
Doctors determined that Gassaway, Neodesha junior, had obsessive compulsive disorder. He is not alone.
John Wade, counselor at Counseling and Psychological Services, said that OCD was the fourth most common psychiatric disorder.
But David Holmes, professor of psychology, said explaining obsessive-compulsive disorders could be tricky because the symptoms were often eccentric.
Amy Ellis, Kansas City, Kan, sophomore, once had OCD and now said her rituals were bizarre.
"I would wear the same shirt everyday or at least
carry it with me — everywhere," she said. "I was afraid if didn't carry it something bad would happen to me."
Ellis said she was also afraid of odd numbers.
"If I listened to a CD, I would have to listen to each song twice, because one was an odd number," she said.
But Ellis didn't think she had a problem. She thought she was just superstitious — until a counselor accidentally diagnosed the disorder.
"I went to a counselor because I was doing bad in school, and I took a personality test when I was there, and they told me I had OCD," she said.
Ellis was given Zoloft, an antidepressant, and since then has had no occurrences of the disorder. She even put the shirt away.
"I told myself I just needed to get a grip," she said. Holmes said it was important to distinguish between obsession and compulsion.
A compulsion is a behavior that an individual feels driven to perform again and again, whereas an obsession involves persistent ideas, thoughts, images or impulses individuals could not get out of their head.
rhotomes said people possess different obsessions.
"Common obsessions include fear of contamina
GETTING HELP
Contact Counseling and Psychological Services on the second floor of Watkins Memorial Health Center or at 864-2277.
tion or constant wondering whether you have hurt an individual." Holmes said.
Wade said the difference between quirky superstitious personality traits and OCD was whether an obsession or compulsion significantly interfered with a person's life.
Holmes said there were many different causes for the disorder. He said contributing factors could be low serotonin levels, which is a neurotransmitter in the brain, brain damage or inappropriate learning.
Holmes said there were two types of treatment. One exposes people with the disorder to their ritual or situation, but prevented them from doing it, or antidepressant medications.
After Holmes lectures on the disorder, students often think they have some symptoms.
"Every year when I lecture on OCD, my office is flooded with people weeks after," he said.
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
Chris Howard, third-year law student, poses a question to a Phi Beta Sigma-sponsored town hall discussion on racial profiling. Howard demonstrated how an ordinary-looking man or woman could be seen as threatening to a policeman based on race, clothing, and surroundings. Photo by Craig Bennett/KANSAN
Audience claims racial profiling
By Leita Schultes
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
About 40 students said they had been stopped by police based on the color of their skin in a discussion about racial profiling last night at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union.
The students went to the Union expecting to hear a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union speak on the issue. But when the speaker failed to show, the event turned into a town meeting — with most of the audience members identifying themselves as victims of racial profiling.
Andre McCloyn-Fortune, president of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, which sponsored the event, said he was stopped almost monthly in both Lawrence and Kansas City because he was an African American.
One time, McCloyn-Fortune said, he was questioned for entering his own house, which is in a primarily white neighborhood. His car was parked behind his house, but he forgot something and ran in the front door. The officer stopped him and said he looked suspicious.
suspended. "And pretty much there's nothing you can do because anything is reasonable cause," said the Kansas City, Kan., senior.
"Basically you just have to sit there and take what they say." he said.
what they say, he said.
Law students who attended the town meeting disagreed. They said students did not have to answer questions or consent to car searches.
"You also do not have to cooperate with the police like you think you do," said Chris Howard, a third-year law student and Lawrence resident. "If he has an idea that you know something about the law, he will back off."
Most students agreed that racial profiling was not something done just by white police officers. African Americans do it too, said Leigh Ann Lawrie, Kansas City, Kan., senior.
They just kind of fall into the same frame of
mind," she said. "I do know that Black cops do it."
Students said they understood that most police officers were "good cops" trying to do their jobs. They also agreed that perceptions were influenced by the media.
Look at the television show Cops, one audience member said.
"When they're in Kansas City, you think every minority is doing something wrong." he added
"Prosecute them as coldly as they are willing to prosecute us." Dale McCormick, Lawrence resident, said of prosecuting police officers. "A few successful lawsuits for this kind of thing will have more effect than anything else you can do."
The evening ended with students discussing how to solve the problem. Most students said ramifications for police officers needed to be tougher in Kansas.
- Edited by John Audlehelm
Charlie Pierce, Lawrence resident and manager of the natural foods section of Hy-Vee, stocks some organic juices at the 23rd Street store. The Community Mercantile another Lawrence grocer, is expanding to compete with national grocers that have added organic food sections. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
Organic food at root of grocery competition
By Courtney Smith Special to the Kansan
Organic grocery competition is heating up in Lawrence.
Food store chains have added aisles of organic food to their stores and the Community Mercantile, Lawrence's only completely health food grocer, is moving to bigger quarters.
The Merc, located at Ninth and Mississippi streets, will relocate to the corner of Ninth and Iowa streets next April. The Merc has survived in Lawrence for 26 years.
Jeannie Wells, general manager at the Merc, said there was no space left to expand. The store needs more room for parking, along with fresh meats and seafood.
"Most people say 10 parking spaces for every $1 million you make in sales," Wells said. "We are at $4.5 million. We simply need more room."
The new location in the former Alvin's IGA building in the Hillcrest shopping center will mean more space and more jobs.
right now we have 80 employees." Wells said. "Half of them are part-time, and the others are full-time employees. When we move to the new store, we will probably have over 100 employees."
Two Hy-Vee stores, 3504 Clinton Parkway and the new store at 4000 W. Sixth St., have jumped into the organic food competition in Lawrence.
The new store location houses an organic store within a store. More than 3,000 organic products line the aisles in one corner of the mega grocery.
Chain grocers are adding organic products to their aisles, too.
Kristen Fellows Walker, health market manager at Hy-Vee, said the demand for organic foods was on the rise.
"Most people think that organic foods are only purchased by the hippie type of person," she said. "I have
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all different types of people in my aisles. I have mothers wanting to feed their kids nutritious food to elderly people who want to be in control of their health, instead of it being in control of them."
The Merc's research shows the same trend.
Nancy O'Connor, nutrition educator at the Merc, said the store's own marketing surveys showed that the Merc held the upper hand in the organic food industry in Lawrence.
"Our survey shows that 20 percent of our customers come from outside the Lawrence area," she said. "People drive from Topeka, Kansas City and other outlying farm towns to buy our foods."
Chad Wells, assistant grocery manager at Super Target, 3201 Iowa St., said the organic food craze was not all that new to him. His store has offered organic food since it opened five years ago, he said, and the demand has increased in the past few years.
"We get a lot of people who are generally very specific with regards to organic foods. They seem to know exactly what they want when they come in," Wells said. "We have seen more KU-aged people interested especially in the vegetarian areas, meatless and vegan foods."
O'Connor said there was no doubt that Lawrence's college-town atmosphere had contributed to the shift toward organic foods.
"I think the influence of the University can only help our town," she said. "Lawrence is an unusual community that supports its businesses, and that can only help the organic food industry continue to expand."
Julie Zeka contributed to this story.
— Edited by Amy Randolph
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