6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2002
Pranks common, almost a tradition in community living
By Todd Rapp
trapp@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Fish-gut air fresheners make bad gifts but good pranks, as John Wright, Grace Pearson resident; and his roommates discovered last year.
"We noticed our bathroom was starting to stagnate despite the multiple air fresheners," Wright said. "We kept adding and changing air fresheners, but it kept getting worse. Eventually, we found a little bit of fish guts in each one."
Every year, student organizations come up with new pranks to perform on rival organizations, but they never stray far from tried-and-true pranks.
Scholarship hall pranks vary from stolen silverware and mascots to water fights. Fraternities and sororites tend to paint each other's letters and steal composites, only to return them with some additions.
"We'll cut a magazine clip that says 'hottie,' or put a woman's body under the man's picture on the composite," Molly Russell, Gamma Phi Beta member, said.
It is somewhat traditional for the new member class in a sorority to acquire as many composites as possible, Russell, Leawood sophomore, said.
Wright, St. Louis sophomore, said pranks provided students with an outlet for stress.
"When we prank each other, it is a good way to let loose the pressure of classes, and we
"When we prank each other,it is a good way to let loose the pressure of classes,and we know it is all in good fun."
John Wright
St. Louis sophomore
know it is all in good fun," Wright said.
Wright said the student housing directors in the scholarship halls gave their residents guidelines to follow, but otherwise washed their hands of the pranks.
Bob McKenney, program assistant for fraternity and sorority life, said the fraternity and sorority life administration had some guidelines for what was authorized. He said anything involving a chapter's charter document or anything that could bring in the police was off limits.
"We basically have to stick to the building itself. We'll mess with the kitchens and the bathrooms, but not people," Wright said.
McKenney said pranks were usually good-natured and meant to be an icebreaker.
"Some chapters take the composites and will only return it to the owners during a function, but it's a bit easier just to call the chapter and set up a mixer," he said.
Edited by Erin Ohm
Local restaurants brave slump
By Nathan Dayani
ndayani@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The success of Lawrence restaurants has been simmering down because of increased competition and a struggling economy.
Nineteen restaurants affiliated with the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce have opened in Lawrence since 2000. Judy Billings, director of Lawrence convention and visitors bureau, said the growth in restaurants should benefit the community because it increased the variety for Lawrence residents, as well as visitors to the city.
"It's good for the community and for the economy as long as they're strong and people end up using them," Billings said.
Patronage at well-established local restaurants may be on the decline, said James Truscello, general manager of Teller's, 746 Massachusetts St. He said the growth in dining options, combined with a slumping economy,
"It's been a terrible year for restaurants." Truscello said. "Nobody has been talking about a banner year since 1996."
resulted in limited patronage at local dining venues.
In the past few years, Teller's has adjusted to the difficult market by lowering meal prices on its menu by 25 percent to 35 percent, Truscello said.
Not all Lawrence restaurants have been able to merely adjust to the market's demands. Billings didn't have information on restaurant closings, but in the past year, Prairie Fire: An American Bistro closed and Fifi's has closed indefinitely. The Bleujacket, which recently closed, had success in its first year but couldn't survive the second, Truscello said. He said patrons were often intrigued enough with new restaurants to adequately support them during their first year, which becomes more difficult after the hype and newness of the restaurant fades.
Bill Staples, professor of sociology, generally dines in Lawrence restaurants at least
once a week and has noticed the decline in fine dining options.
"I think Lawrence is a very fickle restaurant market," he said. "Some of it clearly is the cycles in the economy, even on special occasions people have stopped going out because they can't afford it."
La Familia Cafe, 733 New Hampshire St., has lost some of its business to recently established venues, said Philip Rodriguez, manager at the restaurant.
Rodriguez and Truscello both said corporate restaurants may be changing the Lawrence dining scene. Truscelo said it was easier for Massachusetts Street restaurants to maintain their individuality.
"The great thing about downtown is that entrepreneurial status - people who own the shops are in the shops," Truscello said. "The further and further you get away from that, the less unique it becomes."
Karen Clawson, Leawood senior, said she dined out about twice a week but frequented only
Lindsey Gold/Kansan
The Bleujacket.811 New Hampshire St., closed after two years of business. The restaurant once served French cuisine to the Lawrence area and lost business last year when the economy began to slow.
locally owned restaurants.
"I think most of the locally owned restaurants have better food and better options," she said.
Edited by Ryan Malashock,
Chris Wintering and Nicole
Roché
Leadership switches difficult for greeks
By Todd Rapp
By lyd Rapp
trapp@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
ize themselves with their tasks.
Shifts in fraternity and sorority leadership roles can be stressful for incoming officers who are already anxious about finals.
The majority of chapters have their elections for new house leadership in November. Some chapters have their new position holders take charge immediately and train on the job, and others have a transition period to allow the incoming leaders to familiar-
Fall recruitment is one of the largest events the Panhellenic system organizes, and a new president and executive board could become overwhelmed.
Having the former president still living in the chapter is helpful to incoming leaders, said Patrick Wetta, Wichita junior and president-elec for Phi Gamma Delta.
"Transitions aren't long—there is no possible way to get all the information to the new president in that short amount of time," he said.
Another responsibility the new president-elect has is establishing communication between new and old officials.
Others include having innovative ideas for community service, being a role model, and representing the chapter and its interests at the Panhellenic meetings.
Kara Ryckman, Kappa Alpha Theta's current president, told the sorority's president-elect Kelly Lupton to come to her anytime she had a question.
"She told me, 'you only have a year to get into the presidency,'
and by the time you start feeling comfortable, it is time for turnover."Lupton said.
Lupton said academic workloads also made it difficult to get all the old officials and the newly-elected ones together to exchange information.
Angie Carr, coordinator for chapter life, said turnovers took place in November to give officials time to get experience in the spring before the more hectic fall semester arrived.
- Edited by Melissa Shuman
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