THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Senior ready to motivate
Dom will lead the tennis squad on the court and academically. **SPORTS** | 1B
Group debuts lunch lectures
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Students can bring a brown bag meal and enjoy provided dessert. CAMPUS | 2A
ENVIRONMENT
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 11
Future eco-city contracts professor
BY DANIEL JOHNSON djohnson@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Richard Branham has his hands full this semester. On top of teaching classes at both the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, Branham will be helping plan what will become the world's most sustainable building in the world's most sustainable city.
He said it would be unlike anything anyone's ever seen.
The complex, called Masdar Headquarters, will be located in the future eco-city of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It will be the world's first energy positive building, producing more energy than it consumes.
"This building breathes," Branham said. "It's like a living organism."
Branham, professor of industrial design, will be working with his Chicago-based design firm, Forcade Associates, to develop a way-finding system that helps people navigate the innovative design and structure of the building.
George Ressler, St. Louis senior, said he was impressed when he learned of Branham's latest project during his class last semester.
"This is really ground-breaking stuff," Ressler said. "It's cool that he is actually out there doing the things he teaches."
Branham's firm competed with dozens of firms around the world last year to win the bid to develop way-finding for the Masdar Headquarters. He said the reason it was important to research and develop ways to help people navigate the eight-story, 1.4 million-square-foot building was because of its
SEE BUILDING ON PAGE 6A
THE PRESCRIPTION TRADE
Studies are showing an increase in the abuse of ADHD prescriptions among college students. More than half of students with ADHD prescriptions say they have been asked to share their medications. Some students use the drugs as study aids.
Photo Illustration by Adam Buhler/KANSAN
ADHD medication abuse on rise
BY BETH BEAVERS bbeavers@kansan.com
Lydia Krassensky, Washington,
D.C., junior, began taking Adderall to treat her attention deficit hyperactive disorder, or ADHD, halfway through her freshman year. With the help of her doctor, she found the right dosage to help treat her ADHD.
“If I wake up late, I don't take it. Krassensky said. “I know I will have trouble sleeping if I do.”
— from 318 to 581 among the students who were surveyed — from 1998 to 2005. The number of prescriptions rose 80 percent during the same period.
But Krassensky seems to be part of the shrinking number of college students who try to use their prescriptions correctly. A study released in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that abuse of ADHD prescriptions, including Adderall and Ritalin, rose nearly 83 percent
"It's not medication to take casually in any way," said Linda Keller, a psychiatrist with Counseling and Psychological Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
Keller said that at CAPS students undergo an extensive evaluation process, which includes various testing and educational programs, before any medications are prescribed.
"I think there is a casual, cavail use among people who have not had the education," Keller said. "Specifically in the academic community, use has become much more widespread."
Krassensky said she gets asked by friends and other students once or twice a month for some of her Adderall.
"When people find out I have it they are interested," Krassensky said. "Definitely around finals
people hit me up for it. It's not up to me to be the one deciding who needs it and who doesn't."
In an article in the September 2009 edition of the Journal of Attention Disorders, 56 percent of the 115 college
dent, and 26 percent actually gave or sold medication to another student.
"Students who receive medication without a prescription have no education that students on the prescription have," Keller said.
"Definitely around finals people hit me up for it. It's not up to me to be the one deciding who needs it and who doesn't."
students on medication who were surveyed had been asked to give or sell medication to another stu-
LYDIA KRASSENSKY
Washington, D.C., junior
"They don't know the risks and benefits."
Keller said students who took ADHD prescriptions improperly ran the risk of increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and paranoia.
Mental Health Center, 200 Maine St., said one way to curb abuse was to prescribe medicines that
Dr. Julie Boyston, psychologist at Bert Nash Community
were harder to use incorrectly. She points to drugs like Concerta, another ADHD medicine, which cannot be opened or crushed and then snorted.
Boyston said research has shown that interventions, which can include instruction on time management and support from job coaches, family and friends, whether in conjunction with medications or by themselves, can also be beneficial to students with ADHD.
The University of Kansas Disability Resources offers various resources to students with ADHD, including extended testing time in a quiet setting, using note-takers, tape-recording lectures and finding tutors.
— Edited by Samantha Foster
George Duncan, Lincoln NE, senior, reacted to Representative Lynn Jenkins' response to his question during her listening tour at the Dole Institute of Politics dawn Tuesday afternoon. Duncan said although she gave a politician's response, he still felt Jenkins attempted to answer his question.
Chance Dibben/KANSAN
POLITICS
BY JESSE RANGEL jrangel@kansan.com
Jenkins talks health care during town hall meeting
The politically-charged town hall meetings on health care hit campus Tuesday.
Space was at a premium at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics' Simons Media Room, as U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) heard from Douglas County constituents in her congressional recess "listening tour" series. People packed every seat, sat on the floor, crowded the walls and even watched from the main hall by closed circuit video as Jenkins
spoke about her first days of her first term in Congress. Some in the room, after a few minutes, then started demanding a discussion on health care.
Jenkins started by saying she was labeled as being a member of the party of "no." She said she had chosen to embrace that.
"Folks, I'm going to vote no on every piece of legislation that comes before the House that I believe takes this nation and the people of the great state of Kansas in the wrong direction," Jenkins said.
She said Republicans had overspent when they were in power earlier this decade.
Half of the room applauded.
"I'll be the first to admit that this administration inherited a mess," Jenkins said.
The other half of the room applauded.
The meeting then turned to a health care debate, where about a dozen people lined up to voice their opinions to Jenkins.
index
Kristin Maun, Lawrence first-year law student, told lenskies she
Classifieds...3B
Crossword...4A
Horoscopes...4A
SEE JENKINS ON PAGE 6A
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 1B
Sudoku. 4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2009 The University Dailv Kansan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NY schools to get free flu shots
The nation's largest school district will offer the H1N1 vaccine to 1 million-plus. HEALTH | 6A
weather
TODAY
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isolated T-storms
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
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