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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Kursten Phelps or Leita Schultes at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20,2001
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 19 VOLUME 112
Brains to be focus of new Med Center facility
By Matt Norton Kansan staff writer
Ground was broken last week on a new facility on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus that will give researchers an opportunity to uncover new information and devise treatments for various ailments of the brain.
Michael K. Welch, vice chancellor for research at the Med Center, said the 11,500-square-foot Hoglund Brain Imaging Center would be used for conducting studies on Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and headaches, among other illnesses.
Welch said information obtained by doing this research would help doctors in a variety of ways. During pre-surgical planning, doctors could see where a brain tumor was in the brain and what functions it was affecting.
Welch also said that studying images of the brain could help with in utero diagnosis of the brain, helping determine how exposure to drugs or alcohol might affect an unborn child's genetic makeup and if those genetic changes would be expressed in the child's physical makeup.
Other uses for brain imaging include improving gene therapy and providing crucial information on how the brain heals itself, he said.
The main technological component of the facility will be a MEG (magnetoencephalography) unit, which is used to take functional images of the brain. It is only one of three such devices in the country that can do so on a developing brain in the womb. Welch said.
The center is named for KU alumni Forest and Sally Roney Hogglund of Dallas, who donated $4 million to the project. The building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2003.
Scott Barbay, a research associate in the department of molecular and integrative physiology, said he studied how the cortex changed in response to injury. Having functional images of a human brain would allow him to correlate specific human functions with brain activity.
"This would show us exactly how the brain is reorganizing," Barbay said. "We could see what rehabilitatory techniques are the most effective."
Contact Norton at 864-4810
Investors focus on long term
University, students not concerned by recent Dow drop
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
The technology stock bubble burst didn't phase Dirk Richter, and neither has the sudden decline in his telecommunications and pharmaceuticals stocks since the New York Stock Exchange reopened Monday.
"It's good I don't have much invested," said Richter, an MBA student who takes courses at the Edwards Campus.
With only a few thousand dollars invested during the past year and a half,
he said he didn't have much to lose
"I'm young. I've got a lot of time before retirement and I don't need this money I'm investing." Richter said.
Student and faculty investors encouraged a long-term perspective during the current market turbulence, which has seen every major stock exchange tumble and the Dow Jones industrial average fall almost 9 percent.
Though Richter works full-time at a local financial services firm and often sees people lose money, he doesn't worry about daily market fluctuations or the future of his own investments.
"Over the long run, I'm confident that the companies I've invested in will do well for me," Richter said. "You need to keep the long-term in mind."
George Bittlingmayer, distinguished professor of business, agreed that investors shouldn't panic.
Bittlingmayer — who served as a visiting economist on the Federal Trade Commission from 1983 to 1984 — said he witnessed a market decline of more than 5 percent on several occasions. Despite his optimism, he said it's too early to forecast the long-term economic impact of the World Trade Center attack.
John Scarfe, communications director for the Endowment Association, said he shared Bittlingmayer's uncertainty and optimism. The Endowment Association invests a substantial amount of money into the stock markets.
"If the markets rebound, then we'll be fine," Scarfe said. "We've been investing
for a long time and will continue to invest, and we will ride this out."
He cited the Dow Jones closing on Tuesday as a positive indicator, when the market fell only 17 points.
Not all stocks are falling.
Jeff Russell, Detroit, Mich., MBA student, said he owned a few hundred shares of oil stock. He said his stock was out-performing the market.
"The market sucks, and it doesn't suck as bad," Russell said. "Everybody needs oil. When they invent some really cheap solar energy, then I'll worry."
The Associated Press contributed to this
Students not immune to auto thefts
Contact Smith at 864-4810
Police say crimes occur in waves hard to predict
By Courtney Craigmile Kansan staff writer
A quick study break yesterday morning cost just Shirach $250.
Snrack, Lawrence junior,
returned from campus to his
apartment at 2:30 a.m. yesterday,
taking a break from his
homework to run home. While
he was inside, someone
unzipped the back window of
his 1999 Jeep Wrangler and stole
his Sony CD player, he said.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
"It was out there for an hour," he said. "I figured, 'What could happen in an hour?'"
Car burglaries are a common problem in Lawrence, especially among students' vehicles. Car stereos and other valuable items are usually a thief's target.
Since Sept. 1, 13 KU students have reported auto burglary and theft to the Lawrence police department. Since the fall semester began, four students have reported auto burglary and theft to the KU Public Safety Office, said Lt. Schulver Baillie.
From Sept. 1 through Sept. 18 of last year, 14 students' cars were burglarized, according to University Daily Kansan archives.
Sgt. Mike Pattrick of the Lawrence Police Department said car burglaries and thefts came in waves and it was hard to determine when they would come, where they would happen and how long they would last. He said that students were often targets because they tended to live in densely populated areas of town.
people tend to break into cars in parking lots or along streets
usually a thief's target.
where several cars are concentrated in one area, Patrick said.
He recommended locking car doors, as thieves often look for unlocked doors before striking.
Bailey and Patrick agreed that leaving anything in sight invited a break-in.
Items most often stolen were CDs, stereo equipment, backpacks and purses.
To prevent theft, Pattrick and Bailey suggested that people park in well-lit areas and areas where the vehicle was in view of many people, lock doors and keep personal items out of view. Bailey also said students should engrave all stereo equipment and put a name or initials on all CDs.
prevent theft," Pattrick said.
"Anything you can do to make it more difficult will help
He said that car alarms were often ineffective. By the time the alarm goes off and someone notices, the thief has usually fled. Reporting the theft
Upon returning to his car in the parking lot of Meadowbrook Apartments at 15th Street and Crestline, where he lives, Shrack saw that his stereo was
missing and the dashboard was damaged. He went to the police to file a report. Patrick and Bailey said that any time a vehicle was entered or damaged, a report should be filed, regardless of whether anything was taken. Filing a report assists police in tracking the thefts and locating suspects.
SEE THEFT PAGE 5A
Professors refuse to let age keep them out of classrooms
By Eve Lamborn Kansan staff writer
Dennis Quinn has taught at the University of Kansas for 45 years.
According to a report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in February, the number of professors over the age of 70, like Quinn, has increased in recent years. And the number should keep increasing, the study predicted.
The professor of English, 72,
teaches two freshman honors
English classes this semester
and has no plans of slowing
down anytime soon.
"I love what I do," he said.
"I've always liked teaching."
In 1994, federal law eliminated mandatory retirement at age 70 for university faculty.
The report, conducted by Orley Ashenfelter, professor of economics at Princeton University, and David Card, professor of economics at the University of California-Berkley, traced the retirement patterns before and after 1994 of 16,000 faculty members at 104 universities. The study showed that with the elimination of mandatory retirement seven years ago, 50 percent of faculty members ages 70 or 71 continued to teach for at least two more years.
Card said longer lifespans and better health were reasons for the increase of older professors.
Virginia Nichols, statistical and information officer at Institutional Research and Planning, said 14 KU professors are over the age of 70.
Also, because of the early 1970's baby boom, universities experienced rapid enrollment increases and many new professors were hired. Card said this large generation of professors would reach the 70-year mark in the coming decade without being forced to retire.
English professor Dennis Quinn (far left) conducts a class discussion in the early 1970s.Quinn, 72.is one of 14 professors more than 70 years old .He has been teaching at the University of Kansasfor 45 years.
"The age gap between faculty and students widens quite a bit," he said. "This could have a psychological affect on campus."
Card said although the number of professors in this demographic was small, effects could still be felt.
Card said a balance between older and younger professors was good, but as the number of older professors increased, fewer slots would be left to be filled by younger professors.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
SEE PROFESSOR PAGE 3A
INSIDETODAY
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
WORLD NEWS ...2A
SPORTS ...8A
WEATHER ...4B
CROSSWORD ...4B
NEWS: Local law enforcement officials to conduct sobriety checkpoints Friday night.
SPORTS: Kansas football team gets ready for its return to the field.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
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