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THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 WWW.KANSAN.COM VOLUME 120 ISSUE 47
BLACKSMITHING IS BACK
Course returns after hiatus
Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
Student support and additional funding prompt the comeback of lecturer Walt Hull's blacksmithing course
BY BRANDY ENTSMINGER bentsminger@kansan.com
The harsh sound of metal striking metal fills the air as Walt Hull uses a hammer to bend a spare piece of steel into the shape of a tree branch.
Kate Dinneen, blacksmith instructor, and Chris Hinton, Overland Park junior wait for the forge to heat up their steel materials. Dinneen along with Walt Hull teach the blacksmithing class, a new class in the school or architecture.
Hull, adunct lecturer and local blacksmith, owns Walt Hull Iron Works and teaches a blacksmithing class to University students. Students in the class, "Topics in Design: Blacksmithing," are currently designing their major projects.
The class meets once a week for three hours at Hull's shop in Pleasant Grove. Students watch Hull demonstrate for the first hour of class and then work to develop their own techniques for basic skills such as punching a hole.
Hull said he hoped to give students insight into what could be done with blacksmithing because he often received overly complicated designs from clients.
The class is made up of eight architecture, two art and two design students. Garret Wilson, Grayslake, Ill., graduate student, said the class was unique because it gave students the opportunity to see the relationship between what artists drew by hand and what they actually created.
Wilson said he planned to create a set of tongs with animal heads that would appear to eat what was being picked up for his major project.
Other students are creating projects
Other students are such as tables, candelabras and wine racks.
Joshua Behder, St. Louis senior, said the class provided hands-on experience that architecture students didn't often receive. He said the most challenging part of the
class was figuring out where to begin.
"There's always things to learn in blacksmith it seems like." Bender said.
@ KANSAN.COM
Whit Bones, Tulsa, Okla., senior, has worked with metals in sculpture. He said he hoped to use what he was learning in the class as part of his art in the future.
he decided to get involved after students expressed interest in bringing the blacksmithing class back.
Although the shop could be dangerous. Hull said, most accidents were easily avoidable with common sense. The first day of class included an in-depth safety lecture.
To take a look at the class in action, check out www.kansan.com/videos
Hull first taught the class in 2006, but was unable to continue last year because the School of Fine Arts was no longer able to fund it.
The School of Architecture and Urban Planning is helping to pay for the class this year. John Gaunt, dean of the school, said
Jon Havener, professor of design, helped propose the idea while Wilson worked to generate student interest.
"It was really the students that made it happen by their support," Wilson said.
Hull graduated from the University with a degree in English. He also taught English as a Second Language and Linguistics before working at a steel fabrication plant
as a truck driver.
Hull said he eventually transitioned into a position in the shop and became interested in the ornamental side of steel work.
The only formal blacksmith training
Hull received was at workshops, none of which lasted more than 10 days. Most of his knowledge came from observing other blacksmiths and experimenting with his own techniques.
Hull works with clients from Lawrence and Kansas City and completed patio railing for downtown businesses such as the Free State Brewery Company, Teller's and Papa Keno's.
"Once you start doing it eight hours a day,you develop a lot of your own tricks," Hull said.
Hull will teach the class again next semester. He said he hoped to continue the class in the future, but has not made any definite plans.
Edited by Rachel Burchfield
Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
Walt Hull works to mold a piece of iron on Thursday night during a blacksmithing class now being offered at KU. The class meets on Thursday nights at a shop just outside of Lawrence.
Town hall about election airs live from campus
ELECTION 2008
BY FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
fchambers@kansan.com
He's running for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives as a Democrat, yet Tyler Holmes, Overland Park freshman, said that didn't necessarily mean he would vote for Barack Obama as president on Election Day.
thought Barack Obama was going to be a clear-cut change, and unfortunately. I thought it really ended up being the lesser of two evils," he said. "My ballot is still up in the air."
Holmes was one of 16 KU students who had the opportunity to voice his political views on NewsRadio KMBZ 980 Thursday morning. The popular AM station"s "Kansas City's Morning News" program with E.J.
The hosts asked the students questions on a range of topics, including who students were voting for and why, and what they thought about "Saturday Night Live" 2008 election sketches.
Becker and Ellen Schenk played host to a live student hall hall forum at The Robert I. Dole Institute of Politics.
accomplishments of the Kansas Democratic Party and Kansas Democrats like Dennis Moore.
Holmes said he was registered as a Democrat because he was inspired by the
"I consider myself a Kansas Democrat, but the Kansas Democratic party considers me a Republican at the national level," he said, further explaining why he was still an
SEE TOWN HALL ON PAGE 3A
KICK THE CHANT
Kansan online poll unveils winner
Derek Meier, transportation coordinator and Independence sophomore, said scheduled stops on routes 24 and 28 had been shifted five minutes earlier. He said the move would help students arrive at their destinations on campus in time for classes that start on the hour.
We have a winner.
Kansan.com users have voted in the second round of the Kick the Chant campaign, and "Kayyyyyyy (kick) Youuuuuu!" has come out on top. Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll and shared their comments and opinions with the Kansan online and in print.
"What I've struggled with is I really
Get ready to start a new KU football tradition this Saturday by shouting the new chant when the Jayhawks kick off.
Starting Monday, the Park and Ride service will begin running in five-minute intervals at 7 a.m., an hour earlier than the service currently begins running at that frequency. Route 21, Campus Express, and route 27, which runs service between campus and Bob Billings and Kasold streets, will also run with increased frequency.
"We tweaked the schedules based on rider feedback." Meier said.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus routes modified in response to rider feedback
Updated maps and schedules of the KU On Wheels routes can be downloaded from the Parking and Transit Web site.
Just beyond the mid-semester hump, KU Parking and Transit is responding to rider feedback and altering selected route times and frequencies. It is also considering truncating one route to address overcrowding concerns.
BY RYAN MCGEENEY rmcgeeney@kansan.com
The Daisy Hill portion of route 29, which runs to Second and Michigan streets, has been removed in order to better maintain the route's schedule.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, Parking and Transit will hold a public comment session regarding the proposed elimination of a stop at Irving Hill and Engel roads on the Park and Ride Express route. The change is intended to reduce overcrowding on the route by forcing some passengers to use the Campus Express to reach the Daisy Hill residence halls.
The hearing will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Regionalist Room in the Kansas Union. Comments can also be e-mailed to kupark@ku.edu until 4 p.m., Oct. 30. Parking and Transit administrators will reach a decision on whether to eliminate the stop Oct. 31.
index
Edited by Kelsey Hayes
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