Volume 124 Issue 2
kansan.com
TAKING CHARGE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Lawrence leads Manhattan in
INK
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
PAGE 13
LAW
Having too many roommates can get you evicted
IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Students moving into new homes at the start of the semester may want to check the city's housing code. Those who run afoul of ordinance 7323 may find themselves evicted. The city's code enforcement division is reminding Lawrence residents of a housing ordinance that limits the number of unrelated people who may occupy a single dwelling. Dwellings zoned as single-family are limited to three unrelated persons, and all other dwellings are limited to four.
The division posted a description of the ordinance on the city website together with an interactive map that shows how the city is zoned.
Spencer Boland, a senior from Overland Park, was kicked out of his house last year for violating the housing ordinance. City employees knocked on his door and informed him that, with more than five unrelated people living in the house, they were in violation of city code and needed to leave within 30 days. Boland said his landlord knew about situation but didn't inform him
or the other tenants of a problem.
"The problem with our landlord was her not being honest with us." Boland said.
The number of rental houses violating the code in the Oread Neighborhood and elsewhere isn't known exactly. Landlords and tenants alike may be unaware of the problem until it is reported to the city and the enforcement division takes action.
treni Wescott, a code enforcement officer, said the city notified landlords by mail and gave them 30 days to comply.
Wescott said many renters misunderstood the code, thinking that if two of the persons in their home were related, they were in compliance. In fact, the code dictates that four or more persons living together must all be related.
Tenants can check the zoning of a rental property by searching the address on the city's interactive map, or contact the city's code enforcement division for more information.
Claire McInerny contributed to reporting this story
CITY
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Citizens unhappy with road conditions
IAN CUMMINGS
icummings@kansan.com
Residents gave the City of Lawrence good marks in this year's citizen survey, with one notable exception: the condition of city streets.
The city's 2011 Citizen Survey gathered feedback from residents about 14 areas of city services, including customer service, public safety, parks and recreation, public works and transportation. More than 75 percent of those surveyed reported that they were satisfied with with services provided by the police and fire departments and with city parks and wastewater treatment. However, fewer than 50 percent were satisfied with the condition of neighborhood streets and major avenues.
The survey was conducted by the ETC Institute, which randomly surveyed more than 1,300 Lawrence households. Overall satisfaction with city services increased from 72 percent in 2007 to 76 this year, an uptick that runs counter to national and regional trends. On average as municipalities across the country, including Kansas City, Mo., saw a drop in resident approval in similar surveys.
Among all city services, trash removal envolved the highest rate of approval with 99%
percent. The lowest rating was given to timeliness of street maintenance, with 29 percent
Megan Gilliard, the communications manager for Lawrence, said city officials shared residents' concerns about the condition of the streets, and several projects were underway to improve them. She said these projects included work on Kasold Street, Sixth Street, and the Kansas River Bridge.
Gillard said the city spends $5 million every year on street maintenance and performed more than 16,000 repairs on potholes last year.
Some of the changes in public perception reported in the survey can't be directly tied to changes in city service.
For example, the survey said that residents reported significantly more satisfaction with the appearance and safety of downtown Lawrence, the city's preparation for emergencies, and management of traffic congestion, as compared with 2007. Gilliard said it wasn't possible to identify exactly what actions by the city might have improved their ratings in these areas.
Conversely, residents reported less satisfaction with the hours kept by downtown businesses. Gillard said the city's influence
our
bookstore recently began offering price comparisons between its own prices, Amazon.com and Halff. com.
"There was one student that said, It was the best idea that KU has ever had." Rourke said.
Rentals cost 61 percent less than new print textbooks and could reduce the yearly amount spent on textbooks, according to Student PIRGs, an organization consisting of college students that looks at the rising cost of college.
Renting textbooks has also become a more popular option among students.
"We are the non-profit store for the University," Rourke said. "Every profit that we make goes right back into student success such as the Student Union Activities (SUA) and the campus radio station,
But while students can save money renting or buying online, the bookstore prides itself on being there for students even after they've bought their textbooks.
GRAPHIC BY HANNAH WISE/KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS 2B CRYPTOQUIPS 4A SPORTS 1B CROSSWORD 4A OPINION 5A SUDOKU 4A All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Kansan.com will also be getting a new look in the coming months. To complement our print redesign, we're striving to make Kansan.com an online destination for students. We want you to check out our exclusive content, watch Web videos and daily KUH-TV broadcasts and talk with our football and basketball writers during games in live chats hosted on the website. If you have ideas of what you'd like to see on our website, let us know.
The UDK will continue to keep students and others up-to-date through our new mobile app and a stronger social media presence. You can find The University Daily Kansan's mobile app on Android and in the iTunes store. We've also re-branded our Twitter accounts to reflect our redesign and added more accounts. To stay updated on news on campus and around Lawrence, follow us at @UDK_News. For the latest on KU sports teams, follow @UDK_Sports. And to read opinion
Don't forget
saincon which is updated throughout the day to bring news to students and alumni.
Though the UDK is undergoing a gamut of changes, one thing hasn't change: We're still the student voice. We're your voice. So, let us know what you think. What do you think of our redesign? What do you want to see in the paper, on TV and online? Send an email to editor@kansan.com and let us know. After all, that's why we're here.
Another change will debut on Friday, Sept. 2 before Kansas takes on McNeese State at Memorial Stadium. Friday papers before home football games will have an expanded sports section sponsored by The Wave, our sports magazine, and will include game predictions and analysis. The paper will be tabloid-style like Jayplay, our weekly lifestyle magazine, and don't worry, we'll still have our regular news, opinion and entertainment content.
Facebook page, too.
Stroda is editor-in-chief of The University Daily Kansan. She is a senior from Salina.
Today is the first day of classes. Don't forget to go to yours or you could fail.
Today's Weather
Forecasts done by University students. For a more detailed forecast, see page 2A
HI: 92
LO: 71
at least it's not 100