Kansan
Weather
Today: Partly cloudy with a high of 88 and a low of 60.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy with a high of 89 and low of 58.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Monday. October 2. 2000
Sports: The Kansas football team had seven turnovers in a 34-16 loss to Oklahoma Saturday in Norman. SEE PAGE 1B
Inside: Three female students were caught streaking near the Chancellor's home.
SEE PAGE 3A
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 25 For comments, contact Nathan Willis or Chris Borniger at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Student killed in car accident
By Jason Krall writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
A University of Kansas student was killed on his way home for the weekend Friday when his Toyota sedan crossed the median on Kansas Highway 10 and was struck on the passenger's side by a pickup truck.
Jonathan Langdon, Overland Parl sophomore, appeared to be heading east near Kansas Highway 7 when his black 2000 two-door sedan veered across the median and into oncoming, westbound traffic.
Langdon was pronounced dead at The
University of Kansas Medical Center in Overland Park shortly after the accident, which occurred at 11:55 a.m.
The Kansas Highway Patrol is still investigating what caused Langdon's vehicle to cross the median into westbound traffic. The Kansas Highway Patrol report on the accident stated that it is unknown whether Langdon was wearing his seat belt.
Highway Patrol officers blocked both lanes of westbound traffic for more than two hours after the accident.
Todd Cohen, assistant director of University Relations, said Langdon was a painting major in the School of Fine Arts.
Langdon's sister, Kathy Meneely, said Langdon enjoyed channeling his artistic talents through caricatures and cartooning. He held the school record in the long jump at Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, where he graduated in 1998. He was also interested in mountain climbing and snorkeling, she said.
"Everybody loved Jon." Meneely said. "He was a very good friend and very good-hearted."
Robert Cain, 45, Overland Park resident and the man driving the Ford pickup, was listed in fair condition at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. His condition was upgraded to good on Saturday.
After he collided with Langdon, a van
struck Cain's pickup, but that driver was not injured, police said. The Olathe Fire Department assisted highway patrolmen at the scene.
No citations have been issued.
No citations have been issued. Chancellor Robert Hemenway offered Langdon's family condolences in a statement.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of this terrible tragedy," he said. "On behalf of the entire University community, I express our deepest sympathies to Jonathan's family and friends."
Visitation for Langdon will be Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at W L Frye & Son Mortuary, 105 E. Loula St., Olathe.
- Edited by John Audelhelm
Paddling down the Kansas River, canoeists in Saturday's Kaw River float spent more than seven hours on the water. More than 350 people participated The sixth annual event. Photos by Selena Jabara/KANSAN
Friends of Kaw want access to clean river
University of Kansas swimmers Stacey Schneider, Atchison sophomore, and Kristi Miseijka, Blue Springs, Mo., sophomore, help bring canoes in from the Kansas River. Photos by Selena Jabara/KANSAN
Group canoes to increase awareness of Kansas River
Bv Matt Merkel-Hess
Kansan staff writer
The Friends of the Kaw took to the Kansas River this weekend to raise awareness of the limited recreational access to the river and its poor water quality.
More than 350 people participated Saturday and Sunday in the group's sixth annual canoe float from the Perry Dam to Riverfront Park in Lawrence.
Windy conditions didn't stop the kayakers and canoeists from having fun, although most agreed they wouldn't want to get out of their boats.
"It's a sewer," said Richard Gramza of Olathe. "And a shallow one at that."
the group hopes to increase access to the river, which has only three boat ramps.
Sallie and Michael Farmer, Friends of the Kaw members from Emporia, said they enjoyed canoeing the river because it was one of the only places for primitive camping in the state. But they usually have to get on and off at places where bridges cross the river — something they'd like to see changed.
Friends of the Kaw started in the mid-1990s to protest sand dredging on the river. Now
"Sometimes getting to the river is more dangerous than being on the water," Sallie Farmer said.
State senator Sandy Praeger spoke at a sandbar upstream from the Lecompton bridge — one spot the group is eyeing for a boat ramp — during Saturday's float. Praeger, who represents Lawrence and Douglas County, said she'd like to see access to a clean river, and that the two go hand in hand.
"Greater access leads to a greater call for clean water," Praeger said to the group.
See BOATERS on page 3A
American Eagle chooses Ottawa for facility location
Lawrence loses 150 to 300 jobs, $45 million center
By Matt Mermel-Hass
writer@kanson.com
Kansas staff writer
Plans for a new American Eagle Outfitters Inc. warehouse and distribution center in Lawrence took a turn south last week to Ottawa.
The Lawrence project, announced by American Eagle eight months ago, was estimated at $45 million and would have been the largest private economic development in Douglas County history.
Instead of developing an 88-acre farm field in Lawrence's East Hills Business Park, the company plans to buy the former Our Own Hardware distribution center in
A 402,000 square-foot building was planned to open in May 2001, but delays involving zoning and drainage slowed the project.
Ottawa. The vacant building had been listed at a cost of $6.5 million.
The company planned to start in Lawrence with about 150 employees and expand to 300 — many of them entry-level positions starting at $8.50 an hour.
Ottawa City Commissioner
Blaine Finch said the job market was tight in Ottawa and he hoped University of Kansas students would consider taking the jobs.
Finch said he thought Ottawa was chosen because of its proximity to Interstate 35 and its available work force from nearby KU, as well as Ottawa and Baker universities.
"I don't think 20 miles is out of the question for anybody," he said.
Ottawa made no effort to compete for the distribution center.
"They came looking for us," Finch said.
The 289.200-square-foot building in Ottawa has been vacant for two years. American Eagle plans to
expand it by about 100,000 feet.
The Ottawa City Commission and American Eagle will meet today to discuss a tax abatement.
Marty Kennedy, Lawrence city commissioner, said he thought the move was pure economics.
"They had a piece of property and a building available," Kennedy said. "They could start up a distribution center faster at a more economical price."
Although the distribution center will not be coming to Lawrence, an American Eagle retail store will open downtown in January 2001 at 619 Massachusetts St. after renovations are completed.
WHAT IT MEANS
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
What it means: Lawrence loses the opportunity for 150 to 300 jobs and a new $45 million center.
What happened: American Eagle Outfitters Inc. decided to buy an existing building in Ottawa for its new distribution center instead of building one in East Lawrence.
What's happening next:
American Eagle still plans to open a retail store in downtown Lawrence at 619 Massachusetts St. The store is being renovated and has an opening planned for January 2001.
Piers Shrourck, Minneapolis, Minn., freshman, recently lost 50 pounds from riding his bike. He said that people have treated him with more respect since his weight loss. Photo by Ashley Bonebrake/KANSAN
Students report more respect after weight loss
By Melissa Davis writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
"When I was heavier, people weren't nearly as friendly," he said. "They didn't look with interest. They would look and think. 'Wow, that kid is chubby.'"
Piers Shorrock now gets the respect he has always deserved.
Shorrock, Minneapolis, Minn., freshman, lost more than 50 pounds and said that he was treated better. He said that people would ignore him and disregard what he said and how he felt before he lost weight.
"I started riding my bike every day, and the weight just came off," he said.
Shorrock lost the weight by what he considers an accident.
John Wade, counselor at Counseling and Psychological Services, said there were societal rewards for people who fit the stereotype of acceptable weight. He said overweight people might be discriminated against, which would ultimately affect their self-esteem.
Shorrock is not alone when it comes to being mistreated by society because of his weight.
"Someone who is overweight might have to deal with rejection," he said. "Having to deal with this barrier of being mistreated would be hard to deal with on a daily basis."
"People do have their bias about the overweight," he said. "People look at the overweight, and they think it is their own fault. It would be hard to have to walk around and be judged every day by strangers on the street."
Wade said he thought people discriminated against overweight individuals because obesity was something they could not hide.
Nancy Besa, public relations manager for Weight Watchers, said she thought people who were overweight were blatantly ignored because of the view society had of them.
"People that are overweight are not waited on as quickly and not taken seriously in the business world, as if their opinion doesn't matter," she said.
Besa said that about 55 percent of American adults, or 97 million people, were overweight.
"It's interesting how people can discriminate against the overweight because over half of adults in America are overweight," she said. "It leaves me to wonder, 'Where is this discrimination coming from?'
Joel Hamis, Prairie Village senior, said he thought his recent weight loss might give him an advantage as he looks for jobs after graduation.
"I think employers are less likely to hire people that are overweight because they get viewed as lazy," he said.
Hamis lost more than 50 pounds last year by running and watching his diet. He said that people who hadn't seen him in a while commented on his weight loss.
"When I see guys that were in my (fraternity) house, they make comments like, 'Hey, where's the rest of Joel?'" he said.
— Edited by Erin McDaniel