Volume 124 Issue 12
kansan.com
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
HANNΔH WISE/KANSΔN
Lawrence Sport Bike Association members rode Sunday evening to memorialize their friend, Josh Skipton. They ride from Johnny's West to the accident site at University and Iowa. They laid flowers on a cross that was adorned with items celebrating Skipton's life.
Respects paid to man killed in motorcycle accident
IAN CUMMINGS
icummings@kansan.com
CONTRIBUTED BY DIANNA MORRISSEY
LAURA SATHER
lsather@kansan.com
HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
Forty motorcycles whined and roared north on Iowa Street, trailed by two police cars, and came to a stop at University Street.
Josh Skipton's senior photo from his graduation in 2006. He was 23 when he was killed in a motorcycle accident.
The patrol cars, lights flashing, blocked the lane as members of the Lawrence Sport Bike Association paid their last respects and stood for a group photo. They rode away a few minutes later. Andrew Norton, 28, was among the mourners because Skipton had invited him to join the group. Norton and Skipton were childhood friends in
Forty friends of Josh Skipton, who was killed in an accident Wednesday night, walked to the southeast corner and laid their helmets in a row in front of a cross decorated with flowers.
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Deerfield, Kansas, near Garden City.
"It's really hard to explain what I'm feeling right now," Norton said. Skipton's funeral this weekend won't be the first that Norton has attended because of a motorcycle accident. His friend Rafael Oropeza, a fellow student from Deerfield High School, was also killed on a motorcycle.
Friends rode together and stay together
Skipton, a 23 year-old former University student, was killed while riding his motorcycle in an accident at Iowa and University Streets at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. Sgt. Matt Sarna, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman, said Skipton's black Yamaha sport bike was heading north on Iowa when it collided with a southbound van. Police found Skipton dead at the scene, and there were no other injuries.
Lacey Henry, a friend and former roommate of Skipton, said the motorcycle club has been a source of support for everyone affected.
"Not a lot of people understand it, it's really hard to explain to your family," Henry said of Skipton. "When he first died, when we first got news of it, we all got together at someone's house and it was just like one of those moments. Everybody just knows him and everyone
understands."
Skipton worked at Brigg's Auto and had attended Kansas State University before coming to the University. He was also a member of a motorcycle club in Garden City. His friend Dianna Morrissey, who is applying to the University's nursing school, said she thought Skipton would be proud of the way the Lawrence club has stayed together.
"We call each other, we text each other, Morrissey said. "Some people that really didn't talk before outside of the group are friends now. We hang out. Everybody in this group cares about everybody, and it's such a tragic thing to have happen to bring us closer together,
SEE MOTORCYCLE PAGE 3
Advice to Motorcvclists
Make yourself visible. Proper gear will increase your visibility and provide protection.
A motorcycle helmet is your most valuable piece of protective gear and should be quite visible to the driver.
Ride where you can be seen and avoid other driver's blind
Make lane moves gradually and use signaling.
Riders should never mix alcohol and riding.
- Source KD07
Advice to Drivers
Look out for the motorcyclist at intersections and when making a left turn.
Give the motorcyclist a full lane of travel.
- Clearly signal your intentions.
- Anticipate a motorcyclist's maneuver to avoid obstructions that are minimal to your vehicle but may be deadly for a motorcyclist.
Do not follow a motorcyclist too closely.
Be aware of blind spots. Window/door frames can block your view of a motorcycle.
Source KDOT
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Football legend died hours before season opener
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Former Kansas football coach and player Don Fambrough died at the age of 88 after a fall near his residence in Lawrence, according to the Kansas Athletics Department.
Fambrough played or coached in five of the nine bowl games Kansas has participated in. As a coach, he led Kansas to a 37-48-5 record in eight seasons. As a guard, Fambrough earned All Big Six honors in 1946 and 1947. Fambrough's 1947 team qualified to play in the Orange Bowl.
Coach Turner Gill said he only told a handful of guys before Saturday's game because he wasn't sure if telling the team was the best thing to do before a football game.
Senior linebacker Steven Johnson didn't find out about
Fambrough's death until the moment of silence held for him before the game.
"When I did find out, I was kind of shocked," Johnson said. "I dedicated that game to him. I played with a lot of passion, and that's probably how hed want his team to play."
In Fanbrough's post-coaching days, he has been known for his pre-game speeches to the team before Missouri games.
Senior tight end Tim Biere shared memories of Fambrough's pre-game speech after Saturday's game.
"Before the Missouri game he came and talked to us. I was warned by the older guys that it gets pretty intense, and I didn't believe it," Biere said. "He got up there and started swearing
SEE FAMBROUGH PAGE 3
CAMPUS
University to institute wireless improvements
BORRY BURCH
bburch@kansan.com
After meeting with student body President Libby Johnson and Vice President Gabe Bliss, University IT began a project to expand wireless internet to frequently used areas of campus. The wireless expansion, which will continue throughout the fall semester, will eventually reach areas including Jayhawk Boulevard, Wescoe beach and Potter Lake.
As students settle in for the new academic year, the University of Kansas' department of Information and Technology is busy improving services and telecommunication around campus.
Ann Erickson, a senior from Tonganoxie, replied to a University Daily Kansan inquiry on student wireless experience so far this year.
However, as IT expands wireless to new areas of campus, some students have expressed concerns about the University's existing Wi-Fi internet access.
Patrick Henke, a senior from Olathe, expressed similar concerns about KU's wireless reliability.
“It’s terrible.” Erickson wrote.
“From experience, it only works in certain areas and even then it's slow and cuts out.”
"We have problems in our room where it cuts in and out," Henke said.
In an effort to provide better service and more efficient technology support, University IT hired the Huron Consulting Group Inc., to review its technology services around campus in the summer of 2010. The group's report outlined that:
The University is behind the curve in terms of supporting technology-enhanced teaching in the classroom.
- Classroom standards have not been set, resulting in variable capabilities.
Overall need for more consistent consulting-level support for faculty and students related to technologies.
In an email notifying University deans, directors and department chairs of the new changes, Diane Goddard, Vice Provost for Administration and Finance, wrote that: "By fall 2011, we hope that the plan for increased academic technology support will be well on its way to filling the gap at KU."
Julie Loats, director of Enterprise Applications and Services for University IT, said that the merger of University IT and IDS will help
Following Huron's recommendations, the University's Instructional Development Services (IDS) merged its operations with the IT department, taking effect last spring.
Loats said that University IT hopes to further its service efforts by offering Blackboard technology support to students.
"One of the things we heard last spring loud and clear was that students didn't feel they had a place to go if they needed help with blackboard." Loats said. "With this merger wed like to be able to provide more support for students."
CLASSIFIEDS 10 CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 12
CROSSWORD 6 OPINION 7 SUPOKU 4
"It brings all of those staff to together so it can be a more focused and holistic approach to classroom support." Loats said.
Edited by Jayson Jenks
provide comprehensive technology support for students and faculty.
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