Friday
October 4,2002
Vol.113. Issue No.32
Today's weather
67°
Tonight:55'
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
Tell us your news Call Jay Krall, Brooke Hesler or Kyle Ramsey at 864-4810
Mangino, Kansas feel pressure to extend Baylors' losing streak p.1B
Cyclists receive citations
By Michelle Burhnn
mburhenn@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Bicyclists who keep pedaling when they see a stop sign on campus could land themselves a $92 fine.
Even though it violates traffic regulations, most students don't pay attention to stop signs, said Lt. Schuyler Bailev of the KU Public Safety Office.
Two KU Public Safety officers issued traffic citations to seven students within an hour last month when the students failed to stop at Jayhawk Boulevard and Sunflower Road, the road between Watson Library and Stauffer-Flint Hall.
"Bicyclists need to realize they need to obey the same laws as motorists," he said.
Bailey said that because it had enough available officers, the KU Public Safety Office randomly monitored traffic at the intersection Sept.19. The office had only issued one other violation to a bicyclist in 2002 for failing to stop at a stop sign.
"It's $92 total." Bailey said. "Ouch, how many students want to give $92 to the city?"
The fine for failing to stop at a stop sign is $60 and the court fee is $32.
Lara Holley doesn't. Holley, St. Louis freshman, said she crossed the street with a group of pedestrians and was issued a citation for not stopping at the intersection.
just going to give her a warning
"I don't have any other traffic violations otherwise," she said. "I was kind of surprised that my first ticket was a $22 ticket on a bike."
Holley said she thought the $92 was too much for a traffic violation involving a bike.
"It's not like I could have done any harm on my bike like a car could," she said. "It's not as dangerous."
But City Prosecutor Jerry Little said traffic fines were set based on a statute that requires both bicycles and cars to follow the same rules and regulations.
"Running a stop sign is running a stop sign," Little said. "Whether you are on a bike or in a car, you're going to pay the same fine."
Aaron Showalter/Kansan
"It was obvious that the officer wasn't worried about safety," he said. "It was just to give me a ticket. It wasn't like I was endangering anyone."
Myles Ikenberry, Salina junior, also received a fine. He said no cars were in the intersection when he went through the stop sign.
Ikenberry said he stopped at every stop sign now. The $92, he said, scared him enough to change his habits.
She said she thought the officer was — Edited by Katie Tusho
Most bicyclists don't stop for stop signs, says Lt. Schuyler Bailey of the KU Public Safety Office. Failure to heed the often-ignored traffic law could earn cyclists $92 in fines if they are caught.
Bailey said the traffic enforcement was about safety.
"Bikes are sharing the roads with both pedestrians and motorists and they need to be aware and stay safe," he said.
Stretching out to shape up
Yoga and tai chi: nontraditional ways to exercise
By Lindsay Hanson
Ihanson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The class is one of two full sections of yoga offered at the University of Kansas this semester.
Walk into 248 Robinson on Thursday afternoons and you can find a 70-yearold woman instructing 30 people with their legs spread in the air.
Anne Adams, who has taught yoga since 1977, said fire codes prevented the class from expanding. She said students competed during enrollment for entry into the class.
One student in the class; Jon Hankin,
Overland Park senior, said persistence was the key to landing a spot.
“Being a senior, I think that's why I got in so easily,” he said. “I didn't make it in last year.”
Hankin said moves such as the Upward Dog — in which participants placed hands and feet on the ground and pressed their hips toward the ceiling — eased his mild scoliosis condition.
The class uses different yoga techniques so students can cater their program to fit their own needs.
Focus on breathing and visualization is a central element of every class, Adams said.
"Open your hands and let the sunshine fill your palms," Adams said to the class yesterday.
She said yoga was most effective when participants focused on spiritual thought to relax, such as visualizing light.
Tai chi is a similar exercise technique, said Steven Noble, private tai chi instructor and Overland Park nontraditional student.
He called it "moving meditation," in which the practitioner uses soft, slow martial arts movements. Tai chi looks like yoga movements in one fluid motion.
Noble, who began practicing tai chi 11 years ago to cure his asthma, said the movements could improve physical mental and spiritual health.
"I had problems with my breathing. I was a real sickly kid," Noble said. "Tai chi increased breathing, stamina, concentration, focus — everything."
Noble said he trained about 10 students, ranging from healthy college students to senior citizens.
His students noticed a stronger sense of focus and balance after practicing for a
period of time.
Tai chi can relieve stress from school and improve test results as well, he said.
"Oh my god, whenever I had a chance to do tai chi before I took a test, it took a lot of pressure off," he said.
Tai chi can complement another form or exercise, such as jogging, or it can stand alone, like Noble uses it.
He said one of his students several years ago had used it as an alternative to traditional cancer treatment and recovered.
"The last I heard, she's doing good," he said.
Even though the moves are slow, tai chi can be energized in emergency situations to be used as a form of self defense.
— Edited by Chris Wintering
Dean, students talk about budget usage
by Molly Gise
mgise@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
In a time when budget cuts are unavoidable, the former president and CEO of the Board of Regents said he was optimistic about the future of the University of Kansas. Rankings matter, said Kim Wilcox, now the dean of liberal arts and sciences, and the University must dedicate its resources in the areas that will make a difference.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Kim Wilcox discusses recent school budget cuts with Kyle Timmermever, Derby freshman. The special talk for students took place last night at Nunemaker.
"The number, I don't think, is as important as the idea of being one of the nation's best public research universities." Wilcox said.
He spoke yesterday night to a small audience of four students in Nunemaker Hall. Wilcox's talk "Budget Cuts?"
Abby West/Kansan
Money raised from the tuition increase was earmarked by the Board of Regents to improve the University, not cover where the budget fell short, Wilcox said. Tuition money has already been spent to increase the salaries of graduate teaching assistants and to improve classrooms.
Tuition Increases? Is This New Math? Implications for Students" focused on the University's budget crisis and desire for higher rankings.
Michael Danielson, Sioux Falls, S.D., sophomore, asked the dean if the University had tried to conserve energy as a cost-cutting measure.
Students asked questions for most of the hour-long meeting. Their questions ranged from the state budget situation, to the future of tuition costs, to saving money.
"At night you go to a computer lab, and
you see a whole lab of computers on," Danielson said. "They're a major drain."
Energy conservation policies exist at the University, Wilcox said, but he didn't know how well they were followed.
Most other states are facing the same money woes as Kansas, but the tuition
increase gives KU an advantage over other state schools, Wilcox said.
"This is an important time in the history of the state," Wilcox said. "If we're smart, we can come out of this in the right way."
Edited by Melissa Shuman
Environs challenge University's paper supply
By George Schulz
gschulz@kansan.com
Kansan writer
University of Kansas student environmentalists initiated a campaign this week to end the Boise Cascade Corporation's contract with the State of Kansas for printing and office supplies.
Calling Boise Cascade "morally bankrupt," the KU Environers are basing their campaign on three key points: protecting biodiversity, preserving the spiritual and aesthetic value of old-growth timberlands and ensuring environmental sustainability. The Environers say Boise Cascade has failed in these three areas, and they think that by terminating the contract. Boise Cascade may buckle under market pressure and change its position on the environment.
Boise Cascade's contract with the State of Kansas has been in place since 1999 and is up for renewal on Dec.31 of this year.State agencies and institutions including the University, are bound to the exclusive contract for purchases of office and paper supplies.
Barry Swanson of the University's purchasing department said most offices on campus, excluding KU libraries and printing services, bought approximately 10,000 cases of printing paper per year at a cost of about $250,000.
The Environs said one of the primary objectives for the campaign would be to pressure the University to purchase postconsumer, recycled content printing paper. The group said Boise Cascade was continuing to harvest trees from endangered old-growth forests for its printing paper.
But Ralph Poore, senior communications associate for Boise Cascade, said the company was committed to sensible environmental policies. He cited its long-standing relationships with some mainstream environmental groups, including the Nature Conservancy.
"We've seen groups such as this one before and they make false statements about Boise time and time again," said Poore, referring to the Environs. "The claims are grossly inaccurate, misleading and false. We have set the record straight time and again but they have ignored us."
In March 2002, Boise Cascade announced it would not enter into new federal timber contracts that required the harvest of timber from old-growth forests. Further, the company said it would phase out old-growth logging completely by 2004.
But the Environs contend that Boise Cascade's environmental actions are nothing more than public relations diversions. They said Boise Cascade's definition of old-growth forests was not consistent with those of most major biologists.
"Some people don't really understand the term old-growth forest," said Trisha Shrum, Olathe sophomore and member of the Environs. "It's a pristine ecosystem with a lot of diversity."
Boise Cascade's definition of old-growth forests, according to the company's Web site, states that old-growth timberlands include predominately 200 to 1,000-year-old undisturbed forests of 5,000 acres or more in size. The definition is similar to one given by the Rainforest Action Network, one of Boise Cascade's most active opponents.
However, Chris Brown, assistant professor of environmental studies, said a consistent definition of old-growth forests cannot always be applied to every ecological region around the world.
"My understanding is that there are
SEE PAPER ON PAGE 6A