THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANTAN
Self-defense classes offered
The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation is providing free courses. CAMPUS | 2A
Stuckey remains steady on defense The senior safety is the one constant presence in a recently reshuffled secondary. FOOTBALL | 10A
The senior safety is the one constant presence in a recently reshuffled secondary. FOOTBALL | 10A
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2009
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 42
CAMPUS
Road expansion plans near Memorial Stadium under review
Athletics proposes to alter intersection
BY DANIEL JOHNSON djohnson@kansan.com
On the northeast lawn of Memorial Stadium sits a coveted tailgating haven. Hamburgers sizzle and kids play, tossing footballs in the grassy field next to the stadium.
The lot is a blur of crimson and blue on home football game days.
"It's fun to see the kids running around on that field," said Zach Kahler, Overland Park junior. "It's what game day is all about."
But as plans for the Gridiron
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Club mature, roads and parking lots might soon replace the field.
Along with plans to expand seating on the east side of Memorial Stadium, the Athletics Department has proposed to realign the intersection of 11th and Mississippi streets and provide access to parking lots where the
SEE STREET ON PAGE 3A
Under a new proposal by the Athletics Department, the intersection of 11th and Mississippi streets would be realigned to provide better access to expanded parking lots. The proposal, which awaits approval by the Lawrence Historic Resources Commission, accompanies the expansion of Memorial Stadium.
TEMPTING TARGETS
Photo illustration by Howard Ting/KANSAN
Thefts of unattended belongings at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center account for 30 percent of the crimes on campus this semester. Mary Chappell, director of Recreation Services, said students should leave their valuables at home or secure them with locks.
Locking up prevents thefts
Unsecured property easy steal for thieves at recreation center
BY BRANDON SAYERS
bsavers@kansan.com
bsayers@kansan.com
Troy Dargin classifies himself as a bit of a fanatic when it comes to securing his property.
Dargin, Lawrence graduate student, said he brings a lock with him every time he goes to the Amber Student Recreation Fitness Center. But during fall break, Dargin stuffed his coat and wallet in an unsecured locker while he took a quick shower. Less than three minutes later, Dargin's wallet was gone and in its place was a valuable lesson.
"You got to lock it up, or take it with you," Dargin said. "It could literally happen in just the time to use the bathroom."
Dargin is not alone. More than 30 percent of all the thefts on campus
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this semester have taken place at the Ambler recreation center, according to KU Public Safety Office's crime log. Nineteen people have reported thefts at the center
Mary Chappell, director of Recreation Services, said students could protect themselves from theft by leaving
since the first day of class.
"Don't bring it in unless you absolutely need it." Chappell said, "Don't bring in unnecessary things like large amounts of money, multiple credit cards and other valuables that you would hate to lose."
unnecessary valuables at home.
"Don't bring it in unless you absolutely need it."
"Almost all of the thefts that occur here are to unsecured property," Chappell said. "If you lock it up you can rest assured it is going to be safe."
Chappell said students should also remember to secure their possessions in a locker or other storage space that has a lock on it.
Students can bring their own locks and use one of the lockers
for free, or they can pay to rent their own personal locker for an extended period of time. Students can also purchase locks from the Ambler recreation center for $3. However, Chappell said many students choose to store items
"Our days are just so full, so when people come in they only
She said one reason that students don't use the lockers is because of time constraints.
in the unlocked lockers, which makes them more prone to theft.
have so much time available to do what they want." Chappell said. "Some people just don't want to make the extra trip downstairs to the locker rooms."
Chappell said that in addition to the locker rooms, smaller spaces for storage are available in the area of the cardio and free-weight machines, as well as inside the racquetball courts. Chappell said thefts could happen anywhere that people leave unattended property, including the gymnasium and basketball courts.
Chappell said it was also common for students to use the part of machines intended to house water bottles as storage space for personal items, but she said it was important that students remember to take these items with them when they leave a machine.
John Willson, Flower Mound, Texas, graduate student, said he also had a wallet stolen from an unlocked locker at the recreation
SEE THEFTS ON PAGE 3A
LAWRENCE
TAKER GORDAN KUBANZEI FILE PHOTO
Justin Gonzalez, Mission freshman, donates blood for the KU Blood Drive on Sept. 22 inside the Kansas Union Vessel. Mobile blood drives will increase in Lawrence because of the Lawrence University Blood Center's recent closing.
Tanner Grubbs/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Dry economy prompts blood center closing
Lawrence donors have three other locations to go to
mheacock@kansan.com
BY MEGAN HEACOCK
Chuck Cordt arrived at the Lawrence Community Blood Center to give blood for the 485th time when he found it had closed its doors.
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Almost every month since 1984, Cordt had sat through apheresis, which removes only platelets from the blood and puts the other blood components back into the donor. This
"... I must've been taken off that list because I didn't get a call, and they said they were sorry."
Stann Tate, director of marketing for the center, said the
"They said the Topeka office
process allows donors to give blood once a month, which is far more often than the usual six to eight weeks required between whole blood donations.
CHUCK CORDT Blood donor
was supposed to have called everybody and told them," he said. "But I must've been taken off that list because I didn't get a call, and they said they were sorry."
It came as a surprise to find the door to the blood center locked after arriving for his usual appointment time. Only after calling the center's number did he find out the Community Blood Center had permanently closed its Lawrence location a couple of weeks earlier.
reason for closing the Lawrence location was, in part, a decrease in blood demand in 2009. The major reason for the closing, however, was the economy.
"CBC has been proactively evaluating every aspect of
its business model during the current economic slump," he said in an e-mail. "Through this evaluation it was determined the Lawrence neighborhood donation center would be closed."
index
Faith Nilhas, who coordinates the blood bank at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, said despite the closing, the hospital's blood supply and availability would not be affected. Although many blood donations came from the
SEE LAWRENCE ON PAGE 3A
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