THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SECTIONTWO
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1992
SECTION B
Justin Knupp / KANSAN
Justin Knudo / KANSAN
What a rush!
More than 700 hopeful rush participants gather on the lawn in front of Allen Field House for Bid Day, one of the final events of rush week. Students received their bids Wednesday afternoon after a week of rush activities.
Week of activities introduces students to KU greek system
In a moment of excitement, Marcy McAdam, Tulsa, Okla., sophomore, opens her bid during the Bid Day activities. The rushees received their bids Wednesday and then went to parties at their new sororities. McAdam received a bid to the Sigma Kappa house.
By Lynne McAdoo
Kansan staff writer
Amid a crowd of more than 700 women celebrating the results of an exhausting and exhilarating week, Jennifer Prather, El Dorado sophomore and new Kappa Alpha Theta pledge, stood crying and hugging a rush counselor.
Prather went through rush last year at the University of Kansas and did not receive an invitation to join a sorority. But she decided to participate again and this year she received a bid from the sorority she wanted.
Prather was one of 844 women who participated in sorority rush last week and one of the 734 who received invitations for membership to a Greek chapter.
Sorority rush occurs the week before school begins and introduces women to the different Greek chapters on campus. The process attempts to match women with sororities through a series of parties where the rushees meet and interact with the members of each house.
"It's a hard process to place 800 women," said Julie Garney, Panhellenic vice president for membership. "It is a mutual selection process, both on the part of the rushee and the house.
The reasons for going through rush are as varied as the participants.
"The short gatherings are the best way for the rushees to see what the chapter has to offer and for the chapters to see what the rushees have to offer."
"Rush means different things for different people," said Barbara Ballard, acting dean of student life. "I think the reasons for going through rush are certainly diverse."
"I wanted to try new things and I thought I might be missing out if I didn't try rush," she said.
Katie Hilstrom, Leawood freshman and Alpha Chi Omega pledge, participated in rush to get involved on campus.
Sarah James, Oklahoma City freshman and Pi Beta Phi pledge, said she thought rush would help her learn more about KU.
"I didn't know anyone coming up here," she said. "I thought it would be easier to adjust to school if I met some people."
Brooke Leary, Overland Park freshman and Kappa Kappa Gamma pledge, said she thought being in a sorority would give her guidance in academics.
Rush takes on a different meaning for active members, who spend weeks planning the daily rush parties.
Rebecca Boresow, Prairie Village sophomore and Delta Gamma pledge educator, said, "Rush should be looked upon as a fun, energetic experience, not as a chore."
Rush counselors, called "Rho Chis," play an integral part in the rush process. They are sorority members who are chosen several months before
rush by a Panhellenic committee They meet throughout the spring semester, discussing how to deal with the disappointment of women who do not receive any invitations.
Maggie Faith, Glen Ellyn, Ill. junior,
and a Rho Chi, said that the worst part
of rush was telling a rushee bad news.
Rho Chis have a hard time answering the question, "Why wasn't I asked back?" Faith said.
Rushees and actives said long hours and repetitive conversations were the worst parts of rush, but meeting new people made it worthwhile.
Garney, who spoke at summer orientation sessions about the greek system, always encouraged women to participate in rush.
"Even if a person was not sure whether she should participate in rush, she should do it anyway to see what the greek community has to offer a woman, like scholarship, friendship, leadership and community service," Garney said.
Construction will unearth time capsule
See related story, Page 5B.
Special to the Kansan
By John Brothers
A forgotten legacy has the Kansas Union staff in a quandary.
The legacy is a time capsule placed in the Union's cornerstone at its dedication in 1926.
The quandary is what to do with the capsule when the cornerstone is moved as part of the Union renovation project now under way.
Bill Towns, operations supervisor,
has taken on the task of researching
both the capsule and the appropriate way to handle it when it is exposed during renovation. The project grew out of research Towns was doing on the history of the Kansas Union in conjunction with the 65th anniversary of the building's dedication.
gestalt."
Towns said he found out about the capsule from a 1926 Kansan story about the dedication of the Union.
"Actually, it's really not even a time capsule." Towns said. "It's a copper box. It was the 1926 equivalent to a time capsule. We call it a time capsule now because that's somewhat in our
The box, according to the Kansai story, was placed inside the cornerstone by war veterans at the building's dedication as a memorial to University students who died in World War I. The box and its contents are part of the memorial to the students.
Because the box is part of a war memorial, it needs to be handled in a dignified and somber way, Towns said.
ing a tomb."
"In my mind, it's somewhat analogous to going into a monument of any kind," he said. "It's almost like open-
"What do you do with a time capsule when you have to expose it?" he said. "Do you open it up? Do you put its contents on permanent display? Do you put it back in a new time capsule? What do you do with it?"
Towns said much of his research had been directed toward finding the proper protocol for handling such a memorial.
Towns said he had found no set protocol for time capsules and that no instructions had been left for handling the one in the Union corner
stone.
"There being no protocol, it's up to us to make a rational and sound judgment, keeping in mind the circumstances were somber and dignified circumstances," he said.
James Long, director of the Union, shared Towns' concern about the proper handling of the box.
"We are aware that this is an important piece of University history, and we're researching an appropriate way to handle it." Long said.
The copper box's contents underscore its memorial aspect. The Kansan story listed its contents as the names of the 129 dead service men, newspaper stories about the war's beginning and end, a picture of the governor of Kansas, a picture of a Jayhawk and three roses.
Because the box is not a true time capsule, there may have been some deterioration of the contents, Towns said.
Towns said the cornerstone would not be disturbed by the renovation project until sometime in October.
Cars parked on yards now will be ticketed
City ordinance aims to clean up neighborhoods
By Silvia Peralez Special to the Kansan
After many University of Kansas students left Lawrence for the summer, an ordinance banning the parking of vehicles on front and side yards went into effect May 26.
"The purpose of the ordinance was not to go after the football game-day parking but the parking in the yards."
David Corliss Assistant to the city manager
The ordinance prohibits parking in the front of what is called the "setback area" — the area between the public right-of-way and the rear line of a building — except on parking or driveway surfaces. Violators will face fines ranging from $25 to $100.
David Corliss, assistant to the city manager,
said the ordinance resulted from discussions
between city staff and neighborhood associa-
treatment representatives who expressed concerns about vehicles parking in yards.
Sue Kapler, secretary-treasurer of the Oread Neighborhood Association, said, "We have worked for years to improve the appearance of the neighborhood, and having a number of cars parked in yards doesn't look good, as well as being against the zonner laws."
The new ordinance allows city officials to deal with violators more effectively. Instead of ticketing the landlords, officers can now
ticket vehicle owners directlv.
Before passage of the ordinance, parking on front and side yards was punishable only as a violation of the environmental code, under which city officials would notify the landlord of an infraction. Then the landlord would notify tenants. Sometimes the entire process took several weeks.
LL Mike Reeves of the Lawrence police said that the new ordinance would be enforced on a complaint basis.
"The complaints will probably increase as people become aware of the new ordinance. I'm sure there are some areas of town that will have a higher incidence of complaints than others, but the ordinance is not targeted to ticket one particular area." Reeves said.
Although officials now have the power to ticket vehicle owners directly, the environmental code remains in effect, so landlords could still be liable.
Monte Milstead, landlord and owner of several rental properties, said, "I have informed my tenants of the ordinance. If I get fined, they get fixed. If they continue to park in the front yard and I see them, I will call a wrecker and have them towed away."
Since the new ordinance has been in effect.
Brad Levene, Prairie Village senior, said, "We try not to park too much in the front yard because it kills the grass, and our landlord told us not to." He said that although he and his roommates tried to avoid parking in the front yard, his neighbor's visitors usually parked there.
Kapfer said she had noticed an improvement in the parking situation.
"There have been a number of landlords who have put up fences in their front yards to keep people from parking there," Kapfer said. "The results have been great."
Also included in the ordinance is a provision to permit waving the restrictions at specified locations for a period up to 24 hours. This provision was designed to allow people to use their yards for parking during football season.
"The purpose of the ordinance was not to go after the football game-day parking but the parked in the yards." Corliss said.
John Sheahan, Columbia, Md., senior, was relieved to learn about that provision. Sheahan said that he specifically chose an apartment close to the football stadium for the possibility of earning some money.
"We like to park cars in our front yard during football games," Sheahan said. "It's a good way to supplement rent. I know a lot of students who earn money doing the same and could have been affected by the ordinance."