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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Bill could end subsidized loans
The change would go into effect next July and eliminate Stafford loans. GOVERNMENT | 3A
Raise high the nets of success Senior Paige Mazour achieves in athletics and academic performance VOLLEYBALL 1.1R
Senior Paige Mazour achieves in athletics and academic performance. VOLLEYBALL | 1B
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009
WWW.KANSAN.COM
13
CAMPUS
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 24
Student reports rape in Oliver Hall dorm room
BY BRANDON SAYERS bsayers@kansan.com
A female student was reportedty knocked unconscious and raped inside her Oliver Hall dorm room Sunday.
Capt. Schuyler Bailey, University police spokesman, said the incident happened after the student returned to her dorm room at 1815 Naismith Drive at about 6 p.m.
Bailey said that when the victim entered her room after returning from dinner, an unknown suspect grabbed her and pushed her against a wall, knocking her unconscious. The victim regained consciousness about 45 minutes later and reported to University police that she had been sexually assaulted. Bailey said the victim's roommate was not in the dorm at the time of the attack.
Bailey said the incident was not believed to be related to the series of unsolved rapes in the Lawrence and Manhattan areas.
The suspect was reported as a white male with brown hair, about 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call the University Crime Stoppers at 785- 864-8888.
"You have to remember to always lock your doors and be a good neighbor," Bailey said. "If you see someone suspicious around your residence, call the police immediately."
Bailey urged students to take necessary precautions to protect themselves, especially while in their personal residence.
— Edited by Nick Gerik
FILM
Junior wins Red Bull video challenge
BY JUSTIN LEVERETT jleverett@kansan.com
Higginbotham and 2,500 other students from across the U.S. were given 60 minutes of raw video from Pastrana's motocross and rally car racing career to edit into a highlight reel of less than three
Higginbotham, Overland Park Junior, won the Red Bull Rough Cuts video contest. Red Bull paid to fly Higginbotham, who is majoring in film and media studies, to Steamboat Springs, Colo., Thursday, and she met Pastrana on Friday.
Last Friday, Kayla Higginbotham accepted a ride from a nice guy in a sweet car. But it wasn't just any nice guy. It was extreme sports star Travis Pastrana, in his top-of-the-line rally car.
SEE CONTEST ON PAGE 6A
BY ALY VAN DYKE avandyke@kansan.com
Walking around campus after the first of June and up until winter, students are likely to see hundreds of 2-inch bags hanging from evergreen plants.
They're not some kind of seed or early Christmas decoration, and they're definitely not helpful for the plant.
The bags are home to inch-long, black worms that feed off the leaves of plants and trees, particularly evergreens. Left unchecked, these worms can devour and kill entire shrubs, leaving only a skeleton of what the plant used to be. Spraying for and removing the pests cost the University, the city and residents hundreds of dollars each year.
Sabrina Keidel, accountant for Facilities Operations, said the University spent $315.60 on an insecticide used to treat bagworms and other pests. Mike Lang, campus landscape manager, said getting rid of the worms required at least 100 hours of work.
Mark Graves, senior forester for the City of Lawrence, said treating and removing bagworms cost the city $1,160 this summer, more than double the usual cost of $430.
"I've done this for 20-plus years, and this year, in my memory, is the worst year I've ever seen for bagworms," he said.
Graves said the city usually sprayed once, if at all, for the worms and typically spent about 20 hours of work to get rid of them. This year, he said, the city sprayed three times and spent 60 hours of labor.
He said the bagworms were more prevalent this summer because of this summer's cool, wet weather. They hatched three times this summer.
instead of the usual one or two times.
This year's bagworms heavily invaded non-coniferous trees, such as crab apple and oak trees, which was abnormal. Lang said.
"Normally that's a sign that this is out of control," he said. "I don't remember seeing an infestation area-wide like we've seen this year."
Yet Lang said the University didn't spray any more than it did in the past, which has left some plants neglected and ravaged by the worms.
"We're short of employees, like everybody is," he said. "I'm not complaining. We still tried to get out and do our regular coverage."
He said the bagworm damage wasn't a direct effect from fewer employees, but that fewer employees could have contributed to the number of overlooked plants.
Though the bagworms have stopped feeding for the year, some of the bags contain the remains
of dead worms and others hold the eggs for next year's hatching. If the bags aren't physically removed and discarded — either in the trash or by incineration — the worms will emerge next June in full force.
"I don't remember seeing an infestation area-wide like we've seen this year."
Many bagworms still litter the evergreen trees and plants on campus, but Lang said the landscape department already was working to
MARK GRAVES Senior forester, City of Lawrence
remove the bags.
The juniper bushes outside Sigma Nu have a few remaining bagworm shells. Most of the members had no intention of removing the bags simply because they didn't know what the bags were.
"I thought it was just dead parts of the plant," Jos Goscha, Salina junior and Sigma Nu member said. Hoddea de, hawtoned, said.
from the juniper lining the Kappa Sigma parking lot. Nick Barr, Coppell, Texas, sophomore and member of the fraternity, said he knew what the bags held. He said the fraternity didn't spray for them and that he didn't think the fraternity had plans to remove them.
The fraternity isn't alone in that aspect. Many residences around Lawrence still have bags dangling from trees, a hanging testament to the pervasiveness of the worms this summer.
Edited by Abby Olcese
An exposed baggymagn hangs from a bush behind Flint-lank. A female bagmagn will lay eggs and catch her babies in the spring. Males turn into clear-winged moths that mate with females in August.
Adam Buhler/KANSAI
HOW TO TREAT BAGWORMS
- Purchase a ready-to-use spray found at any landscaping retail store. Graves said to look for spray with low LD50 numbers for a lower impact on the environment.
- Hire an arbiter from a local lawn and tree care business to spray for you. Professional service usually requires two treatments each summer.
- Physically remove the bags by hand. Either put the worms in a closed container and throw them away, or burn them. Check back at least once a week during the summer months to make sure you got all of the worms.
- Place birdhouses next to the infected trees for a natural predator to help you get rid of the worms.
index
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
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All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2009 The University Daily Kansan
'Wizard of Oz'turns 70 gets Blu-ray treatment
The classic film will also be re-released in theaters for one night only Wednesday. ENTERTAINMENT | 4A
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