IT'LL PALIN COMPARISON Cohen says VP choice is another question mark in a string of bad decisions
OPINION
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STOP THE RUN AND GET BURNED BY THE PASS The Jayhawks exhibit a high-powered passing game when opponents prevent big yard gains on the ground. SPORTS 113
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 120 ISSUE 14
ATHLETICS
Student section lets vulgar chant rip
**The Athletics Department is again asking the student section at football games to end a vulgar jargon that has become a kickoff tradition. Eats watching Saturday's nationally televised game could clearly hear all of the words of the man. So far, media outlets have not threatened to stop covering games, but the Athletics Department hopes to clean up Kansas'衣裳 in the stands.**
Illustration by Catherine Coquillette
Illustration by Catherine Coquillette
BY B.J. RAINS
rains@kansan.com
If a student section chanted "Rip his fucking head off" and no one was around to televise it, would people make a fuss?
The cheer has become a student section tradition over the past few years, and during the national TV broadcast, people watching the Jayhawks' 29-0 victory Saturday night could clearly hear it coming from the stands.
But with the added media exposure that the football team has received after a successful season and an Orange Bowl victory, Athletics Department officials are again asking students to find a different way to support the team.
"The support that the students have given the football program has been great," said Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director. "But this is one instance where we would hope the students would give it more thought and try to come up with something else that is meaningful to the students but yet not offensive to so many others in the stadium. It doesn't take any intelligence. It's embarrassing."
After unsuccessful pleas last season, the Athletics Department is again attempting to improve Kansas' image in the stands. Last year, families complained about the same vulgar chant. The Athletics Department wasn't able to do anything to stop the chant last year, and this season is looking just as bleak, with record attendance bolstering the student section.
Coach Mark Mangino said he had never heard the chant because the headphones he wore blocked outside noise.
"I am not aware of any profane chant during the games," Mangino said. "If there is, I would respectfully ask the fans not to do that. I have always asked our fans to cheer responsibly, and the overwhelming majority complies."
Although Mangino and Athletics Department officials wanted the chant to stop, some Kansas players said they liked it.
Media outlets have not threatened to stop broadcasting games because of the chant, despite ESPN's decision not to televise students wearing Muck Fizzou shirts to Kansas basketball games.
Sophomore defensive tackle Jamal Greene said that he loved the chant and
that his grandmother yelled it louder than some of the students. Senior linebacker Joe Mortensen said he didn't think it was that offensive.
"It's nothing new to me," Mortensen said. "I'm a Raiders fan. I'm from Oakland.
California. That's a little PG. I've heard more than that."
Mortensen said when he takes the field, he hoped to achieve what the chant asked for.
"When I try to hit people," Mortensen
said, "that's what I try to do."
Athletics Department officials know that they can't force students to stop chanting any type of profane chant during games, but they hope the solution will come from the students who decide to stop the chant.
"We have certainly let our feelings be known about the chant," Marchiony said. "I think that this has to come from within."
— Edited by Lauren Keith
ENVIRONMENT
Campus cafes get eco-friendly
KU Dining Services asks 'Do you really need that lid?'
BY JOE PREINER jpreiner@kansan.com
KU Dining Services is taking steps to reduce its waste.
The process started modestly during the summer when the department switched to biodegradable utensils in The Market in the Kansas Union, The Underground in Wescoe Hall and the Crimson Café in the Burge Union. Since then, the department has added several landfill-friendly items including biodegradable plates, bowls, to-go bags and straws.
Sheryl Kidwell, assistant director of KC Dining Services, said the change didn't come without a cost. The law of supply and demand makes biodegradable items more expensive, she said.
Kidwell also said that the effects of the transition were ongoing and that the results could take a while to see.
"This is why we are going to take this process one step at a time," Kidwell said. "So far we have been making smart choices."
"Look, people really don't have time to stop and read the labels when they're getting something." Pearson said. "It's a quick grab and then running to classes. When you're rushing like that, nothing else really matters."
She said the department realized that students didn't always have a lot of time, and that being able to take food to-go was important. She said that providing biodegradable to-go containers was part of KU Dining Services environmental responsibility.
Along with using biodegradable materials, KU Dining Services is also implementing programs to help reduce dining-related waste. One program, Lose the Lid, has had an immediate effect on students
Chris Pearson, Wichita junior, said he wasn't sure how much students would really care about the changes.
at The Underground: Lids for fountain drinks have been moved away from the cups and are now available after the registers.
Kidwell said the program urged students to ask themselves if they really needed a lid or straw for their drink. Signs in the retail dining area explain the idea and note that KU Dining Services distributed more than one ton of plastic lids for fountain drinks and coffee last year. Kidwell said the program would help cut overall costs.
Stacy Gorse, St. Louis sophomore, drank a lidless beverage from The Underground on Monday. She said at first she didn't understand the point, but then she read the posted signs. She said that she opted to forego a lid because she liked the cause, but that she thought many students would go without just because the lids weren't close to the cups.
"I appreciate what they are trying to do because I've been getting into the whole green thing lately," Gorse said. "I don't think I really reflect the majority of students, though."
Edited by Becka Cremer
Julianne Kueffer/KANSAN Flowers made from KU Dining Service's new biodegradable cups and napkins illustrate the idea of biodegradability. KU Dining began introducing biodegradable products this summer.
STUDENT SENATE
Meet your freshman candidates
Twenty-five freshmen are vying for one of five spots on Student Senate. Freshmen can cast their vote today and tomorrow at studentsenate.ku.edu.
FULL STORY PAGE 2A
Air Force ensemble visits campus
MUSIC
The US Air Force musical ensemble, Winds of Freedom, performed in Murphy Hall Monday night, playing both classics and original compositions.
FULL STORY PAGE 6A
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