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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
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Monday
September 15, 1997
Section:
A
Vol. 104 - No. 17
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Send someone you love a virtual floral bouquet.
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Sports today
Thanks to Ron Warner's sack, with 49 seconds remaining against Missouri, the Jayhawks beat the Tigers on Saturday.
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Freshman dies in car accident days before 19th birthday
Family, friends mourn loss of 'gifted' person
By Ryan Koerner
rkoerner@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A University of Kansas student was killed Saturday on his way to his 19th birthday celebration.
Justin Ramirez, Topeka freshman, died when his 1991 Ford Explorer drifted off the right side of westbound Interstate 70
and overturned, a Kansas Highway Patrol official said. Ramirez was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Topeka, where he was pronounced dead. Alcohol was not involved in the accident, the highway patrol official said.
The accident occurred 2.2 miles east of the East Topeka exit as Ramirez was traveling toward Topeka. At
Ramirez; Car went into a ditch and overturned
6:20 p.m., his vehicle drifted onto the right shoulder, struck a guard rail, overturned and ejected him from the driver's seat, a highway patrol official said. Ramirez was not wearing a seat belt.
Billie Ramirez, Justin's mother, said her son was on his way home after the Kansas football game to have a birthday dinner with his family. He would have turned 19 today.
Mass of Christian Burial will be be celebrated at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Most Pure Heart of Mary Church in Topeka, where Ramirez was an altar server for many years. Burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery.
Ramirez was a freshman majoring in education. He had received a Kansas Minority Scholarship and a Gateway Center Scholarship.
Ramirez was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Center and the Hispanic American Leadership Organization.
"He loved what he was doing," Billie Ramirez said. "He was really excited about what he was involved in at KU."
Justin Ramirez also played pick-up games with members of the Kansas men's basketball team. He would have had the opportunity to try out for the team, said Dean Buchan, director of sports information.
"He played forward in high school," said Emil Ramirez, Justin's father. "He had high hopes of making the basketball team."
Troy Pomerei, Topea freshman, knew Justin Ramirez from high school. Pomerei said that although he and Ramirez hadn't spoken much since high school, both had attended a party together Friday night.
"I was just looking forward to hanging out with him again." Pomeroi said. "He was one of the most gifted people I have ever met. He had it all — a sense of humor, intelligence. He really cared."
Visitation: After 5 p.m. tomorrow at Most Pure Heart of Mary Church, 3601 S.W. 17th St., Topeka
Nighttime is free-ride time
Prayer Service: 7 p.m. tomorrow at Most Pure Heart of Mary
Mass of Christian Burial: 4 p.m. Wednesda
day at Pure Pure Heart of Mary
Memorial info
Funeral Services
Burial: Following the Mass at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 801 S.W. Westchester Road, Topeka
Scott Kaiser, transportation coordinator, said the free night routes were attractive because of their small price tag.
The projected cost of making the routes free for the entire year is $280, which was what KU on Wheels grossed last year through its three nighttime routes.
■ Justin Ramirez Scholarship Fund at Topeka High School 800 S.W. 10th St. Topeka, KS 66612
■ Capitol City Youth Basketball League P.O. Box 666
"This uses existing resources instead of having to initiate a new program," Kaiser said.
Memorial contributions:
Walden said the idea for the change came from last year's Campus Safety Task Force, a group of administrators, KU police officers and students that focused on campus safety issues.
Walden was the chairman of the task force, and Sullivan also was on the task force as the transportation representative.
Andrew Rohrback/KANSAN
Safety concerns fuel free routes
By Tim Harrington
tharrington@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The issue of campus safety, specifically nighttime transportation, came up in last year's Student Senate race. One proposed solution was an on-call security escort service. Mike Walden, student body vice president, said after looking into the idea, it was decided that it was not cost-effective.
Sulillan said KU on Wheels would look into expanding the area the night routes cover, but such a proposal would take time to examine.
The three nighttime bus routes that KU on Wheels offers will become free tonight.
Topeka, KS 66601
"Our top priorities were the ideas that were most feasible," Sullivan said. "This has really been our first chance to act on it."
Bus routes 12, 14 and 15, which run as far south as 27th Street to the Colony Woods area, as far north as West Sixth Street into the Trailridge area and through campus from Daisy Hill to Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin Hall, will be offered at no charge in an effort to make night transportation in Lawrence more accessible.
The rest of KU on Wheels' routes still will cost $1 per ride for people without bus passes.
"This is the first step towards making campus as safe as it could be," said Scott Sullivan, student body president. He said he hoped free night routes would help alleviate the burden on Saferide, which offers free rides from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The earliest of the routes begins at 5:30
p. m. The latest stops running at 12:25 a.m.
Indian art market successful
Native Americans powwow while displaying artwork
Mimi Alexander practices finger-weaving techniques she learned from the Oijibway at the Haskell Indian Art Market. Artists exhibited their works this weekend at Haskell Indian Nations University. Photo by Tara Bradley/KANSAN
By Ann Premer
@kansan
Kansas staff writer
Native-American artists from across the country showed their works this weekend at the Haskell Indian Art Market on the grounds of Haskell Indian Nations University.
The market, which is part of the month-long Lawrence Indian Arts Show, was sponsored by Haskell, the University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology and the Lawrence Arts Center.
The artists, who represented nearly 50 different Indian nations, exhibited a variety of artwork, including pottery, jewelry, bead work, paintings, drawings, clothing and baskets.
Darrell Jumbo, an artist from New Mexico, said he attended the show to display silver jewelry and to visit his sister, who lives in Lawrence.
Jumbo has exhibited jewelry at the market for the past two years and has been making jewelry for the past six years.
Jumbo utilizes many Navajo symbols in his work. He said that he explored unlimited subjects so there would not be
"It started out being a form of serenity, and it has turned into a business thing." Jumbo said. "It's sad to say, but money is also essential."
any boundaries on his pieces.
"When I do my art I observe, look and listen. I don't just throw anything out there," Jumbo said. "Art is an expression. It's a statement."
Maria Martin, coordinator of the show and public relations coordinator for the anthropology museum, said 40 artists displayed their pieces at the first market in 1989 and that 165 artists had exhibited this year. Attendance also has grown through the years — from 6,000 to nearly 25,000.
"The response to the artists has just been fantastic," Martin said. "They come back year after year because of the warm reception."
Martin said while many new artists attended each year, artists from the original market still returned.
Annette Fees, Cheney artist, and Debra Wisha, Wichita artist, sold hand-woven Cherokee baskets made of rattan reed. Laws said she planned to come to the show again because it was inviolable.
Martin said one reason the show was established was to make the anthropology museum, which houses a large collection of Native-American art.
"One of things it does is it helps relationships." Martin said of the show. "It helps introduce to other cultures through art."
'Seventeen' looks for college stars
By Corrie Moore
The Kansas Union looked like "Star Search" Friday as students gathered to show off their talent for "Seventeen" magazine's campus tour.
Student Union Activities sponsored the magazine's visit, which was in search of the newest talent in modeling, music, acting and comedy.
Students did everything from singing "Maniac" and "Flashdance" to acting out a scene from "The Wizard of Oz."
Kansan staff writer
This was the second stop on a 10-college campus tour.
"I figured, 'What the heck?'" he said.
"The worst thing you can do is make a total idiot out of yourself."
Dan Rathbun, Wichita freshman, participated by doing a short comedy act.
In addition to the talent search, students also could get their hair and nails done, get a make-over or pick up a free bag with products from sponsors.
"I don't think a lot of people realize our market ranges from a lot more than just 17-year-olds," she said.
Stephanie Tulacro, special events manager for "Seventeen," said there was a good response. She said the magazine came to the University to reach an older audience.
Lyndsey Fitzgerald, Dodge City freshman, waited in line to get her hair done.
"I think it's neat that they could bring this here for everybody," she said. "A lot of people are taking advantage of it."
Students weren't the only ones taking advantage of the event.
The Marine Corps was promoting its sponsorship of "Seventeen."
Aly Jones, Lenexa freshman, waits her hair is curled at the "Seventeen" Name Your Fame tent. Student Union Activities sponsored the magazine's college visit to the University of Kansas Friday. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
"We're looking for a few good women."
The price of tea in Japan? Maybe less cancer risk Green beverage abounds in antioxidants, study finds
The Japanese smoke more but die less.
By Daniel E. Thompson
dthompson@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Three University of Kansas scientists made a step toward proving that. They located high levels of antioxidants, which are cancer-fighting substances, in green tea.
Lester Mitscher, distinguished professor of medicinal chemistry, presented the results to almost 10,000 people Thursday at the American Chemical Society's conference in Las Vegas.
Must be the green tea, the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" surprised...
Mitscher said he didn't gamble when he was there, but he'll bet on green tea.
Here are the stakes:
By the time people reach 85 years old, it is rare not to have had cancer.
Incidents of cancer increase rapidly in people when they reach their late 40s.
Mitscher began the research last spring along with Del Shankel, professor emeritus of microbiology, and Segaran Pillai, postdoctoral research scientist.
And here are the odds:
They discovered a way to quantitatively measure different foods and vitamins for antioxidants. After analyzing food and drinks, such as red wine, preserved animal fat and vitamins, they determined green tea contained the highest amount of antioxidants.
The odds are enough to prompt Mitscher to take a green tea extract pill each day.
Despite high amounts of antioxidants, the researchers will not claim green tea will stop cancer.
Green tea has twice the antioxidants of red wine and black tea.
"It is an article of faith that what you are studying protects you from cancer," Mitscher said. "But the evidence is pretty good. We're not making any health claims, but if you include it as part of a healthy lifestyle, it's an insurance policy."
Green tea has 25 times the antioxidants of vitamin E.
Green tea has 100 times the antioxidants of Vitamin C.
Shankel said he drank a cup or two every morning.
But the research that confirmed those suspicions was not funded by the University. Pharmanex, a manufacturer of herbal extracts, contributed about $80,000 to the research. The company makes Teagreen 97, a green-tea extract. Mittscher said Pharmanex funded the research so it could identify the constituents and standardize the pills.
"For years, they've suspected something," he said.
Mitscher said Pharmanxan took a major risk in funding the research. Because the researchers were free to publish the results of their work, negative results could have hurt the company.
- "They would have had egg in their face," he said.