THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KA
SUA ups quality to cut cost
This fall, the organization plans to do fewer, but better, events. STUDENT LIFE | 6A
Wilson amps up his game "Surprise player" looks to make a name for himself this season. SPORTS|1B
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
CAMPUS
KU sends e-mail on swine flu infections
BYMEGAN HEACOCK mheacock@kansan.com
Thirty-two cases of the swine flu have been reported on campus according to Todd Cohen, director of University Relations.
The University sent out an educational e-mail to KU students, staff, faculty and parents on Saturday. The email included advice on how to stay healthy and gave information about what to do if infected by the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus.
"We're trying to encourage people to take it seriously," Cohen said. "There's no need to panic, but people need to be 'mart about it.'"
Cohen said the e-mail was the latest in a series of steps the University was taking to decrease the spread of the virus. He said the University installed hand sanitizers on campus last spring and would continue educating students about the virus this fall.
The e-mail contained a special warning for those students living in group housing. Cohen said about half the swine flu cases on campus came from those in group-living situations.
Katheryn Krouse, Olathe sophomore, lives in Hashinger Hall. She said she wasn't too worried about getting sick but said she was taking more precautions than she had in the past.
"I wash my hands more now than I used to," Krouse said. "At work, I'm dealing with money all the time, and I've heard that stuff can spread through money really easily."
"It sounds like what you get from your mom," he said. "Get sleep. Wash your hands."
Cohen said the best advice was what students have probably heard all along.
Cohen encouraged students to read the e-mail. He said additional swine flu information and emergency updates could be found at www.alert.ku.edu.
Illustration by Drew Stearns/KANSAN
Build your own degree
Students with unique interests can petition to create majors
BY JUSTIN LEVERETT jleverett@kansan.com
Student life can be full of different pressures: pressure to pick a major, to graduate in four years and to choose a career. For students who have not yet chosen a major, this pressure can make
the early college years especially stressful.
But University advisers and current students advise freshmen and sophomores to be deliberate in selecting a major and to make sure it's a good fit. The University also offers students with specific or little-studied interests the option
to create their own major.
Dan McCarthy, academic adviser at the University Advising Center, has a sign in his office that reads, "Your major is not your career." He said many students sought a major that would give them a well-paying job straight out of college. But he said that if
students didn't enjoy their classes, they were running a real risk.
"What I see as the real recipe for disaster is when students put themselves in majors that they can't stand. Over time, when you work against your natural pro
SEE MAJORS ON PAGE 3A
CONTEST
Student in the running to win MTV Music Video Award
Share Reynolds, second from the left, and his high school friends pause while filming their entry for the Best Performance in a PepsiRock Band Video contest. Reynolds' video is one of five finalists in the competition. The winner will be decided through an online voting process.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
bsayers@kansan.com
BY BRANDON SAYERS
Reynolds was nominated for a video he and nine of his high school friends submitted to a contest sponsored by Pepsi and the makers of the video game Rock Band.
Reynolds, Chatham, III., freshman, was recently nominated for an MTV Music Video Award in the category of "Best Performance in a Pepsi Rock Band Video."
Shane Reynolds wants your help as he tries to bring an MTV Moonman award to the University of Kansas.
Their video was chosen of five finalists from more than 650 videos submitted during the contest. They are now up against finalists from Alabama, New York, Texas and Virginia.
r video was chosen as one
Students can view the video and vote by going to psi- rockband.com. After registering, voters can submit up to 10 votes per day. Voting continues through
Tuesday. Reynolds' video is the one performed by the group "Nerds in
Disguise."
continues through next
If their video wins, Reynolds
and his friends will each be rewarded with a
each be rewarded with a plane ticket to New York and a hotel room so they can accept their Moonman awards during the MTV Music Video Awards, which will take place at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Radio City Music Hall.
Reynolds said he hoped his fellow students would vote for his video so he
test on my dorm's message boards to spread the word, but we're probably going to need some more help." Reynolds said. "Everybody I know who's seen it has really liked the video."
could bring a Moonman to the University.
Contest rules said all video submissions had to incorporate both Pepsi and Rock Band products, could have no more than 10 people shown and could only feature music from a preapproved list of songs.
Reynolds said he and his friends knew from the beginning they wanted to incorporate a college
"I started writing about the con-
SEE MTV ON PAGE 3A
index
Classifieds. . . . . . . 4B
Crossword. . . . . . . 4A
Horoscopes. . . . . . . 4A
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 1B
Sudoku. 4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2009 The University Daily Kansan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reality TV star hangs himself
Search for Ryan Jenkins, who was accused of murder, ends with gruesome find. CRIME| 4A
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