Section A • Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, August 29, 1997
Wet T-shirt contest draws patrons, criticism
Tremors features near-nude show
By Racholle Detweller
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
The once-crowded dance floor is now empty, except for three 30-gallon jugs of warm water and three plastic baby pools.
It is midnight, Wednesday, at Tremors,
749 New Hampshire.
A few cheers break the tension as three women walk on stage in tiny T-shirts and boxer shorts.
As the water hits Barbara Hopkins, she laughs and bends backwards while dancing, doing her best to win the $100 cash prize for the first-place winner. In December, a grand finale will be held. The first prize winners from each competition will compete for a $1,000 cash prize.
For the next 10 minutes, the club's owner, Dennis Steffes, monitors the crowd's response with a hand-held volume meter as the disc jockey yells into the microphone to warm the crowd.
The meter's indicator needle is the fairest way to measure audience response and determine a winner, Steffes said.
Tremors began holding its Wednesday wet T-shirt contest last October. Business has more than doubled since then, Steffes said. About 100 people attended Wednesday's show.
Despite occasional rowdy men, no contestants have been touched or harassed, Steffes said. The club owner takes precautions against negative behavior.
"This is supposed to be a clean event," Steffes said. "The worst they do is get wet."
Bouncers line the stage during the show to ensure the contestants' safety and to
prevent any woman from stripping,
Steffes said.
*distinia* performs during the wet t-shirt contest at Tremors, 749 New Hampshire St. She went on to win the S100 prize for first place. Earlier in evening, the night club featured a Playland international show to cater to its female clientele. *staff photographer/KANSAN*
After her performance, Hopkins wanders through the crowd in the white T-shirt provided by the club. To the disappointment of many of the club's patrons, she is now mostly dry.
"I'm a good sport, so I'm not disappointed," Hopkins said, about her second-place finish. "She seemed like a nice girl. It was good fun and no big deal."
The men in the crowd were also having fun.
Hopkins said that this was her first time to enter a wet T-shirt contest. During the day, she works in the medical field and has a 7-year-old child. She said she saw the competition as a way to have fun.
Austin Karns, Onaga freshman, said that he would return to the club. But he was surprised at the contest's turnout — only four contestants — considering the large amount awarded for first prize.
Despite Hopkins' and Karns' enthusiasm for the event, some students seem to be leery of the nightclub's weekly feature. And Steffes is aware of their concerns.
"From rumors going around town, it's sextist," Steffes said. "That's why we try to do the balance and do things for women too."
But some female students still object to the club's Wednesday entertainment.
Elise Feinberg, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, said that although the club also offers male shows, she doesn't condone the contests.
The club offered a Playgirl International show Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m..before the contest.
"I wouldn't go there," she said while reading the essay "Pornography Hurts Women" for her freshman composition class. "It's depressing that there's a market for that. The whole idea makes me sick."
A change of leadership
Stuff Sgt. Matt Drake, Leavenworth sophomore, salutes the flag during the playing of the National Anthem. The Army ROTC battalion conducted its annual change of command ceremony yesterday in the Frontier Room of the Burge Union. Photo by B. E. Howell/KANSAN
Bv Corrie Moore
Kanson staff writer
Renovations finished, Crimson Cafe opens
Burge's new cafeteria offers variety, space
After five years of planning, the Burge Union cafeteria has been recreated with a touch of school spirit.
The Crimson Cafe opened last Monday, decorated with school colors end offering a wider variety of easily accessible food choices.
The old cafeteria, which was called the Hawk Stop, had one line which often reached out the door, said Jay Glatz, manager of food services for the Kansas and Burge Unions. The remodeled cafeteria has one large, open area with a variety of counters offering different types of food.
"It's more efficient for a customer to grab something and go, or sit down and enjoy a nice meal." Glatz said.
The Hawk Stop had a limited menu, but the Crimson Cafe offers brand names such as Pizza Hut, Bagel & Bagel, and Sara Lee. Other options are the Carvery, a brand that was developed by the Union and offers home-style food, and the Rotisserie, a Kansas City-based company that specializes in coffee.
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Glatz said he was excited about the selection and the quality of products.
"The intent was to bring in the best." he said.
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"The cafeteria was showing its wear." he said.
The cost of the renovations totaled between $600,000 and $700,000, which came from the Union's expansion fund. Glatz said the Hawk Stop was out-of-date and needed a change.
During the planning for the Crimson Cafe in 1992, a consultant was brought in to organize focus groups and conduct phone surveys of students, faculty and staff. The University of Kansas' Office of Institutional Research and Planning also sent out mail surveys to find out what people wanted in the new cafeteria.
"I think it's nice having the option of both the fast food or the more traditional," she said.
that she probably would eat at the Crimson Cat's more often.
Debbie Luman, who works in the athletic department, said she occasionally ate at the Hawk Stop but
Glatz said that the surveys determined that people wanted traditional food along with well-known brands. Sandwiches and pizza were among the most popular requests.
Lisa McKenzie, Topeka second-year law student, ate in the new cafeteria for the first time earlier this week.
"The building looks so much better and brighter," she said.
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Cathleen Hull, Lawrence second-year law student, said the Hawk Stop was more of a hang out for law students and athletes who had a break during the day.
"There are more people in here now than I have ever seen," she said.
The Crimson Cafe is open from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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