2A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008
"There has got to be more to life than being a really, really, ridiculously good actor."
quote of the day
Gary Busey
fact of the day
Gary Busey played football for Pittsburgh State University in the 1960s. He later earned a theater degree from Kansas State University.
TV.com
most e-mailed
1. Three freshmen struggle to replace senior cornerback
2. 'Cream of the crop' recruits visit Lawrence
3. Wireless Internet hits residence halls
4. Friends and family remember slain law student
5. Cohen: How Palin's campaign made me appreciate Hillary Clinton
Want to know what people are talking about? Here's a list of the five most e-mailed stories from Kansan.com:
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of The Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at the Kansan business office, 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045.
et cetera
The University Daily Kansan (ISSN 0746-4967) is published daily during the school year except Saturday, Sunday, fall break, spring break and exams. Weekly during the summer session excluding holidays. Periodical postage is paid in Lawrence, KS 66044. Annual subscriptions by mail are $120 plus tax. Student subscriptions of are paid through the student activity fee. Postmaster: Send address changes to The University Daily Kansan, 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Tyler Danforth: Big Jay
BY JOSHUA HAFNER
editor@kansan.com
Coming on the heels of an incredible athletic season, it's not hard to find someone on campus with school spirit. But for Tyler Danforth, an engineering major and resident assistant at Oliver Hall, school spirit goes beyond following games and waving the wheat. Even the residents on his floor have taken notice.
"If someone told that man to wear something formal, I think he might show up in a KU shirt and some gym shorts," said Justin Petty, an Oatlite freshman who lives across the hall from Danforth.
Tyler Danforth keeps a busy schedule that includes classes, his job and his role as Big Jay for the Spirit Dawn. Danforth has been involved with the squad since last year.
However, the crimson and blue attire Danforth wears during the week to classes somehow pales in comparison to the wardrobe he dons on the weekend. While many KU fans gather in Memorial Stadium for football games, Danforth is on the field, bringing Big Jay to life.
Danforth, a fifth-year senior, has been involved in the KU Spirit Squad since last fall, when he sought out the position and successfully advanced through tryouts.
He said he acted not only as a mascot, but also as a guard and escort for Baby Jay. Additionally, Danforth is the Official Spirit Squad Motivator.
"Well, I gave myself that title," he iokingly admitted.
The Big Jay suit weighs close to 50 pounds and the temperature is 30 degrees hotter inside the suit than out. In order to prepare physically for the role, members of the Spirit Squad routinely participate in morning workouts.
Anyone who has seen Big Jay gallop and groove through four quarters might assume it's all fun and games. But maintaining stamina, Danforth insists, is a constant challenge.
"We do mostly running and abs, and we push some weights on the
ground," Danforth said. "I throw up. But we work out with the dancers, so it's worth going at seven in the morning."
In devoting his time to the Spirit Squad over the past year, Danforth says he's been afforded many fond memories, including a trip to Florida to lead fans in cheering the Jayhawks on to the Orange Bowl championship.
"I got a free trip to the Orange Bowl," he said. "I got to do pep rallies, I got into a dance-off with the Orange Bowl mascot. I even caught an orange that James McClinton threw. It was a line drive. One of the tuba girls got knocked out. It was a great experience."
Yet while it's Big Jay's job to get everyone at the game excited,
Danforth insists that the fans play just as much of a role in Big Jay's task as the Spirit Squad does.
He described the interplay of energy between the squad and fans, something he said he hoped poured over into the team's performance.
"The crowd tells us what's going on. It's kind of like a lagging computer game," he said. "We hear the crowd cheering and then we start cheering. The fans can help in a game when it comes to getting a team motivated. Even though I'm not playing the football game, when the fans get pumped you still get pumped."
Edited by Scott R. Toland
Fruit, vegetables take a stand
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Greenpeace activists dressed as a carrot and an apple stand at the entrance of the Secretary of Education headquarters to protest the selling of junk food in public schools in Mexico City on Monday. The number of obese children has climbed 8 percent per year in the last decade. The sigh read in Spanish, "Healthy food in schools now," left, and "We don't have a brand but we are healthy!"
ODD NEWS Nebraska law bans indoor furniture from outdoors
LINCOLN, Neb. — Relaxing on the porch in a ratty recliner might not be allowed in Lincoln any longer.
The city council voted 5-2 Monday to ban porch couches and other indoor furniture used outside.
No one testified against the proposal during the council's
public hearing last week.
Supporters of the ban say it's a way to help revitalize older neighborhoods. It also likely targets college students who move in and out of rental homes. Lincoln is home to the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
An aide to the mayor says he doesn't intend to veto the ordinance, which goes into effect Oct. 7.
At least 10 other cities have similar bans, including Ames,
Iowa, Boulder, Colo., and East Lansing, Mich.
BANGOR, Maine — A Maine TV news anchor who bears a resemblance to the Republican vice presidential nominee says she's been getting "hate mail and nasty phone calls" from viewers who think she's trying to copy Sarah Palin's signature style.
News anchor criticized for resemblance to Palin
has long brown hair that she sometimes wears up in a style similar to Palin's, and wears glasses on occasion.
Michaela says viewers accused her of copying Palin's style or trying to subliminally swate votes.
Cindy Michaels from WVII-TV
While smarting over accusations of bias, Michaels says she's generally flattered by the comparisons to Palin. Michaels describes her as a "beautiful woman."
Associated Press
on the record
A KU student reported a stolen 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee valued at $10,000 on Sept.21. The vehicle also contained over $500 in personal effects, reported the Lawrence Police Department on Sept.23.
One hundred and fifty compact discs and an iPod were stolen from a Monte Carlo parked on campus on Sept. 22, reported the KU Public Safety office. On the same day, a Trek bicycle valued at $420 was removed from a bicycle rack outside Budig Hall with the cable lock intact, and $110 was removed from a vending machine in the Kansas Union after the machine was pried open.
The lecture "University Forum. 100 Years of Local Food: 1910 vs. 2010" will begin at noon in the ECM Center.
on campus
The social event "15 Minutes of Freedom" will begin at noon, on the 1st Floor Conference Room in Watkins Memorial Health Center.
The play "The King Stag" will begin at 1 p.m. in William Inge Memorial Theatre in Murphy Hall.
The Truman Scholarship information meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in Nunemaker Center.
The academic date "Advising 101" will begin at 1 p.m. in the Pine Room in the Kansas Union.
The ceremony "3P Professional Convocation" will begin at 6 p.m. in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
The workshop "Things You Always Wanted to Know About Research but Were Afraid to Ask" will begin at 7 p.m. in the lobby in Ellsworth Hall.
The lecture "My Role as Publisher, Designer, and Editor at McSweeney's Publishing House" will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Hall in Hall Center.
The concert "Celebrating Hispanic Heritage through Music" will begin at 7:30 p.m in Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall.
contact us
. Is it Time to Rethink the Drinking Age?
Tell us your news
Contact Matt Erickson, Mark
Dent, Dam Hurst, Brenna Hawley
or Maren Hurst, 4810
idris@adrian.com
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Kansas Stauffer Flint Hall
Lawrence KS 65049
Lawrence KS 65049
(785) 864-4810
. Do you really think State Senate doesn't matter?
Scott supports the Amethyst Initiative, an effort of college
Drunk driving is unacceptable but has the drinking age helped or hurt? Scott thinks it's OK to ask.
www.ScottMorganForSenate.com\KUStudents.htm
presidents to open a thorough discussion on whether the 21 drinking age is appropriate.
paid for by Scott Morgan for Senate Committee, Brad Finkeldei, Treasurer
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