Volume 124 Issue 10
kansan.com
Thursday, September 1, 2011
AND THEN THERE WERE
After denying rumors of leaving the Big 12, the Aggies make it official: They're moving on
SABRINA AHMED sahmed@kansan.com
ANDREW JOSEPH
aroseph@kansan.com
After weeks of speculation, Texas A&M has officially notified the Big 12 of its intention to withdraw from the conference.
Texas A&M announced in a release on Wednesday morning that the institution will end its 15-year affiliation with the Big 12 and submit an application to join another conference. The Aggies are expected to join the Southeastern Conference, effective June 30, 2012.
The president of Texas &M, R, Bowen Lutin, wrote to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe, "After much thought and consideration, and pursuant to the action of the Board of Regents authorizing me to take action related to Texas A&M University's athletic conference alignment, I have determined it is in the
best interest of Texas A&M to make application to join another athletic conference."
The announcement comes after conversations between Loftin and SEC commissioner Mike Slive that began on July 21, according to ESPN.com.
"We appreciate the Big 12% willingness to engage in a dialogue to end our relationship through a mutually agreeable settlement," Loffin said. "We, too, desire that this process be as amicable and prompt as possible and result in a
resolution of all outstanding issues, including mutual waivers by Texas A&M and the conference on behalf of all the remaining members."
That process includes the negotiation of an exit fee with the Big 12 that could range anywhere from $15 million to $33 million, according to The New York Times and Orangebloods.com. In addition, Texas A&M's departure is dependent on the SEC formally extending an invitation to the
SEE A&M
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
LAWRENCE
JONATHAN SHORMAN/KANSAN
A firefighter unfurls a tarp to cover the view of a fatal motorcycle accident Wednesday evening. A motorcycle and van collided on Iowa Street near University Drive, killing the driver of the motorcycle. Police have not yet identified the victim.
Fatal accident near campus
JONATHAN SHORMAN
ishorman@kansan.com
A fatal accident involving a motorcycle and van occurred Wednesday night near the intersection of Iowa Street and University Drive.
Sgt. Matt Sarna, a spokesman with the Lawrence Police Department, said the motorcycle and van collided around 6:13 p.m. The motorcycle was traveling north on Iowa Street and the van was traveling south. Police found the driver of the motorcycle dead when they arrived. Sarna said there were no other injuries.
Police officers blocked off Iowa Street between Bob Billings Parkway and Stratford Street, and directed traffic away from the scene, causing major traffic delays in the area. The section of Iowa Street was shut down for several hours Wednesday evening.
The name of the victim has not been released.
Sarna said fatalities at the intersection are rare.
Juliana Tidwell contributed to reporting this story.
CATCH THE QUAFFLE
Jordan Dauer, a junior from Lee's Summit, Mo., pushes through two defenders with the quaffle during a match. The Kansas Quidditch team is now an official KU club.
CONTRIBUTED BY JERRY WANG m is now an official KI club
ALEXA RUSH
arush@kansan.com
Riding on broomsticks, preparing for a zombie invasion and obsessing over ugly sweaters and flying kites are all considered a normal day activity for some of the organizations at KU. The Kansas Quidditch Team, Zombie Awareness Council and Ugly Sweater & Kite Flying Society, although unique in their interests, are fully dedicated and passionate about their purposes.
KANSAS QUIDDITCH TEAM:
Starting out as just dormroom conversation for a couple of freshmen in the fall of 2009, the Kansas Quidditch Team was made an official KU Sports Club at the
beginning of 2011.
Stemming from the renowned Harry Potter books, Quidditch at KU is played as similarly as possible to the original game, minus of course, the witches, wizards and sadly, the magic.
"A lot of times people don't give Quidditch a chance because they brush it off as something that's childish and immature because it evolved out of the Harry Potter series, but it's not. It's an extremely fun sport to play and will surprise you," said junior captain Doug Whiston.
Each Quidditch team has seven players. Three chasers try to score in the opposing team's goal with a volleyball, which is called a quaffle. Ten points are awarded to the scoring team. The keeper defends the goal from the other
team's chasers, much like a goalie. The two beaters use dodge balls, referred to as bludgers, to try and "knock out" other members from the game for a temporary amount of time.
The seeker's job is to snatch the snitch, which is a tennis ball wrapped in a yellow sock attached to the waist of the snitch runner, who, according to the International Quidditch Association, is allowed to use physical contact, climb trees or hide in the audience to escape the seekers. The captured snitch is worth 30 points and signals the end of the game, unless it brings the scores to a tie, which then leads to an overtime.
According to Whiston, every year a new handbook is developed by the rules council within the IQA and each year the rules are
becoming more refined.
Although this activity may seem a tad strange to on-lookers, ask any of the KU Quidditch team members and they will assure you, without hesitation, that there is a lot more to the sport than what meets the eye,
"Some things to keep in mind, though, are that Quidditch is a full-contact sport and it, like other sports, it's a little rough. The players take away a little bit of pride with being able to say that you're a Quidditch player. And I'll let you know that it's quite a nice workout too. It certainly beats sitting in your dorm room or apartment with nothing to do." Whiston said.
SEE CLUBS PAGE 3
FOOD
KU Dining offers unlimited meal plan
KU Dining Services has overhauled its meal plans for the first time in six years. Students have until 5 p.m. on Friday to change to a lesser plan.
Students living in the residence halls can pick from five new plans, two of which include unlimited
They can switch to a higher package at any point in this semester.
DANA MEREDITH
dmeredith@kansan.com
dining hall access and range from $3,598 to $3,798 per year. Because of that unlimited access, Mrs. E's and Oliver dining centers have switched to continuous service and no longer close between lunch and dinner.
It's all the result of a two-year process involving a student taskforce, meetings among members of the dining staff and approval by the Student Housing Advisory Board and the Kansas Board of Regents.
Kidwell said that the unlimited plans were designed to alleviate student fears about running out of meals and to also give students the best possible value for their money. To promote the unlimited plans, Dining Services added some incentives to those packages, including more Cusine Cash, more guest passes and several free 14-inch pizzas each semester.
"We wanted to be responsive to both student and parent feedback that we've gotten over the years," said Sheryl Kidwell, an assistant director for KU Dining Services.
Caleb Adegoke, a freshman from Shawnee, has an unlimited meal plan. He said he loves it and he drops by Mrs. E's about three times a day for snacks and meals.
"I think it's a good deal, but it's up to the student how they use it."
SEE DINING PAGE 3
For more on the dining options and how to switch your package, go to union ku.edu/dining.shtml
CLASSIFIEDS 9 CHYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 10
CROSSWORD 4 DPINION 5 SUDOKU 4
Don't forget
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2011 The University Daily Kansa
Don't forget to purchase your Legends of the Phog tickets. They go on sale Tues., Sept 6.
Today's Weather
Forcasts done by
University students. For
a more detailed forecast,
see page 2A.
HI: 103
LO: 71
Don't sweat it