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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009
NEWS
3A
GPS (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
The next day, Dave Chinner ventured into the woods of Beaver Creek, Ore., with a black bucket containing a logbook, pencil and various prize items: videos, books, software and a sling-shot. He shared the coordinates of his stash online with the simple rule: "take some stuff, leave some stuff."
Nearly a decade later, Geocaching has become an obsession for more than 2.5 million treasure hunters. Worldwide, there are 924,213 active caches and 727 in Lawrence, according to Geocaching.com.
Larry Robinson, an Olathe geocacher, said he became a hooked geocatcher after receiving a GPS device for Father's Day in 2005. "I have been to many places I would not have seen it not for geocaching," he said. "I have been in caves, castles and on top of mountains. There is no end to the rich diversity of places I have seen."
Geocaching encourages people from all age groups to wander onto the serene scene of nature, disturbing an otherwise unknown location. Respect and support for the environment are strongly emphasized."Cache In Trash Out" is a worldwide clean-up effort sponsored by geocaching designed to preserve the environment.
The impact of this high-tech treasure hunt is personalized for each cacher. A new appreciation for the outdoors, Bickford said, was his greatest benefit. For Robinson, it has been a life-changing experience. He has lost more than 100
pounds since he started participating.
"Geocaching has changed my life," Robinson said. "It helped me make some very healthy choices in my lifestyle,brought me some lifelong friends and helped me to see the world in ways I never would have otherwise"
GEOCACHING:
A HOW-TO
To start, register for free at Geocaching.com, search your postal code, and select a cache to find that fits your goals, considering distance, difficulty, and time (especially close to sunset). Enter the GPS coordinates and begin the hunt for your cache. Once found, sign the logbook and return the cache to its original location. If you take something, leave something of equal value for the next visitor to find. All age groups are encouraged to participate and the search can be solo or as a group. Share your adventures and photos with other cachers online. However, Olathe geochacher, Larry Robinson, offers a word of caution.
"I would most definitely recommend this activity, but I will warn anyone taking it up that it is addictive and once you start if you really get into it you will never be the same afterwards."
"You kind of feel like you're part of some secret network of people."
DANA ATWOOD-BLAINE Graduate student
Dana Atwood-Blaine, Ada, Okla., graduate student, researches ways to use GPS in K-12 education.
She said geocaching has allowed her to become more confident, persistent and able to spend more quality time with her husband and 8-year-old son.
"Our whole family gets to
whole family gets to spend time together",
Atwood-Blaire said.
"It's exciting and fun,
and you learn a lot.
You kind of feel like you're part of some secret network of people.
It's a sneaky, fun feeling."
Bickford plans to continue the adventure of hiding and seek.
treasures into the future. The alluring activity has him hooked
sharing activity has hint looked.
"It's like hiking but there's always a surprise ending."
Edited by Betsy Cutcliff
DEFENSE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Beta Phi, of which Ali Kemp was a member, Alpha Delta Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon and the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center.
Michael Gillaspie, Ashland senior and former student body vice president, helped organize the event, which he said was spurred by "a real need for safety awareness programs on campus," according to students who spoke with student senators.
Students participate in a self-defense class at Robinson Center Tuesday. More than 300 women attended the course.
He added that education was just as important as security in helping to prevent crimes.
Howard Tina/KANSAN
Annie McKay, assistant director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, said self-defense classes were a "piece of the puzzle" in preventing sexual assault.
She said she advocated women taking classes as a way to arm themselves and feel more empowered.
She also said women should arm themselves with knowledge about sexual assault resources available in the community and should be aware of the fact that 85 percent of sexual assaults are committed by people known by the victim.
"Women should know it's not just about defending themselves physically," McKay said. "They
have to think, "There's things I have to do to help prevent getting in that situation."
McKay said these things included being aware of surroundings, trusting one's gut in potentially harmful situations, not letting one's guard down
when students know people and learning the resources available for getting more information.
Just before the TAKE class began, Burgardt echoed McKay's advice, saying she planned to use the class as the first step to a "complete package" of safety
awareness.
"Just learning self-defense isn't enough to prevent something bad from happening," Burgardt said. "You have to know what's going on around you."
NATIONAL
— Edited by Tim Burgess
University of Illinois chancellor resigns
BY VID MERCER Associated Press
Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman resigned Tuesday following months of pressure over special attention the school paid to politically connected applicants at its Urbana-Champaign campus and news that some were admitted over more qualified students.
faculty and staff, and its smart and ambitious students, and I plan to continue to contribute to ensuring the bright future of the University
"Ours is a great institution with its brilliant and hardworking
In a resignation letter to the board of trustees that oversees the university's three campuses, Herman called his time at the school an honor.
of Illinois",
Herman wrote.
"Thank you for the honor to serve the University.
I have enjoyed every minute, in fact, every nanosecond."
His resig
Herman
nation from the $400,000-a-year chancellor's job is effective Monday. The 68-year-old Herman will remain with the central Illinois
school as a tenured math professor, the university said, earning $244 000 a year.
The Faculty Senate last month called for Herman, who is in charge of the Urbana-Champaign campus, and university President B. Joseph White — chief executive of all three Illinois campuses — to step down amid the admissions scandal. White plans to leave his post in December.
Board chairman Christopher Kennedy said Tuesday that Herman's replacement will have to have a strong focus on attracting good faculty and on science and research.
"Richard had a sense of that,
which was evident in areas where he put a lot of focus, like the (Institute for Genomic Biology)," Kennedy said, referring to the on-campus research center that opened in 2003.
"The more you talk about Richard, the more impressive he is," Kennedy said. "It'll be a challenge to find somebody."
The board's executive committee will meet Friday to act on Herman's resignation and new employment contract.
Gov. Pat Quinn, who created a commission to examine the admissions troubles at the university, said Tuesday it was best that Herman resigned.
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