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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Cool tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies.
Kansan
Thursday
November 12, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No. 60
Don't forget that you can still submit entries for On Campus activities on the UDKi.
Online today
http://www.kansan.com/services/
oncampus
Sports today
Senior guard Shandy Robbins scored 10 points to help lead the Kansas women's basketball team to a 95-61 win against Latvia last night.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Smoking a threat to men's sex lives
(USPS 650-640)
Impotence linked to cigarette usage recent study claims
By Julie M. Sachs
Kansan staff writer
Men who smoke could be stifling their sex lives.
Health experts have found that smoking may cause impotence in men, and anti-smoking forces have used the information to their advantage.
William Dixon, staff physician at Watkins Health Center, said that the information might get people to kick the habit.
"Maybe not getting an erection will get them to stop smoking." Dixon said.
This correlation between smokers and impotence is causing concern around the world.
In Thailand, the health ministry ordered the country's tobacco monopoly to print a new warning on cigarette packages: Cigarette smoking causes sexual impotence.
However, the label only appears on some packages.
In England, public health activists are pushing for a similar warning.
Clive Bates, director of the London-based Action on Smoking and Health, said the warnings about smoking and impotence are effective because cigarettes are often associated with the after-sex experience.
But the link between smoking and impotence is not absolute.
Dixon said that smoking could cause a decreased blood supply to the penis, which would affect a man's ability to have an erection.
"The advantage of the penis, from a communications point of view, is that it is easy to imagine it shriveled up and shrunken, whereas damage to other vital organs, such as the heart, is much less obvious," Bates said.
A 1994 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that smokers were twice as likely as non-smokers to be impotent.
"Literature on smoking and impotence is not at the level where we can say smoking causes impotence." Dixon said.
Despite concerns, not everyone has taken the warning seriously.
Sam Iga, Plano, Texas, senior,
said he didn't really believe
smoking caused impotence.
The risk of impotence also has not affected Alan Liddeke, Lindsborg sophomore, from cutting his habit.
"Right now, it's really not a big concern." Liddeke said.
Liddeke said that a bigger concern for him was lung cancer. He said that he was actually thinking about quitting.
The hype regarding impotence and smoking also could be an inaccurate distortion of the 1994 study, said statistician Steven J. Millov.
Milloy adjusted the CDC data to consider blood vessel disease, hormone imbalances and other risk factors. As a result of Milloy's adjustments, the link between smoking and importance became statistically insignificant.
Viagra's popularity also has contributed to the hype.
Pfizer Inc. reported that three of four men who participated in its clinical trials for Viagra were smokers.
Although there is a debate regarding the correlation between smoking and impotence, Dixon said the only way to avoid any effects of smoking was to just not do it.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
U.S. Government attempts to break Joe Camel's back
The scene was the Federal Trade Commission, and government lawyers were trying to show an administrative law judge just how prevalent the Joe Camel advertising campaign was. Testimony opened Tuesday in what amounts to a trial of the cartoon character.
Judge James T. Timony laughed as a gravely voice sang, "Ain't no doubt the Hard Pack sure is tough," after the cassette was lifted in a box beam
Star80
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
dropped Joe Camel from its
domestic advertising campaigns more than a year ago after the commission filed its legal complaint, but the Federal Trade Commission continues to press its case to make sure the popular camel and his buddies remain in retirement.
- The Associated Press
From left: Craig Haning, member of the Glitter Kicks, Mike Tobin, member of Stick, Jason "Dr. Lave" Lovell, member of Danger Bob, Jim Dayton, Lawrence musician. Center: Andy Morton, member of Danger Bob and Tawni Freeland, member of the Glitter Kicks, make up the '80s band star 80. Photos by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
Club seeks mid-week crowd with '80s band
By Augustus Anthony Piazza
Kansan saff writer
Members of local rock bands and one local musician have joined together to give the Lawrence mid-week club scene a shot in the arm.
Star 80 is an '80s cover band that plays at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., every Wednesday night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The band has played at The Bottleneck since the beginning of September.
"I don't think that there is a bar in America that is busy on a Wednesday night," said Al Jacobsen, manager and bartender at The Bottleneck.
Towni Freeland, vocalist for Star 80,
sings at the Bottleneck, 740 New
Hampshire St.
Jacobsen said the management wanted to give people an option for something fun to do in the middle of the week that would increase the amount of Wednesday night bar patrons.
He said that the show's popularity had started off slow, only averaging about 100 people each Wednesday night.
Star 80 was organized by Andy Morton, who is a member of Danger Bob. The band also is composed of Jason "Dr. Love" Lovell of Danger Bob, Tawni Freeland and Craig Hanning of the Glitter Kicks, Mike Tobin of Stick and Jim Dayton, the only member who does not play in a band.
Morton said that the idea for an '80s cover band had been talked about for the last two years. Morton and The Bottleneck management knew that retro music was very popular in Lawrence, and they wanted to bring the enthusiasm generated by the Thursday retro night at Granada Theater, 1020 Massachusetts St., to The Bottleneck.
Star 80 has a 28-song set list that it picks from each week. It plays both popular songs and songs that people barely would remember.
"winter 24 hours we had a band," Morton said.
Morton was approached by management this summer to go ahead with the idea.
BAND MEMBERS
Tawni Freeland of the Glitter Kicks
Craig Hanning of the Glitter Kicks
Jason "Dr. Love" Lovell of Danger Bob
Andy Morton of Danger Bob
Mike Tobin of Stick
Mike Pownell - Ballet
Jim Dayton, local musician
"There are some songs that you have to play because they are so important to the decade, but there are a lot of screwball songs that people haven't heard since the '80s," Morton said. "You can only play so many screwballs before you lose your audience."
Last night, Katie Angermeier, Lawrence freshman, attended the show.
"It's better to hear the music played live, rather than the retro show at the Granada," Angermeier said. "You get to watch the show while you listen to the music."
The future of the band is uncertain.
Morton said that the band would continue to play as long as it was fun and people wanted to see them.
"It's a fad," Morton said. "It will wear off, and when it does, we will all go home."
Streamlining creates improvements
By Chris Fickett
Kansan staff writer
When Chancellor Robert Hemenway streamlined administration and cut staff positions in 1996, he had specific goals in mind for the University of Kansas.
executive vice chancellor was eliminated and the provost's position was created. The information technology and library departments were joined into a new department under the provost.
In Spring 1996, Hemenway unveiled his plan to reorganize the University's administration. The position of
Former and current administrators and the chancellor say the changes resulted in less bureaucracy and improved computer tech-
public funds efficiently
Hemenway said that streamlining had enabled numerous campus improvements, including the Budig Hall computer lab.
In his Fall 1995 convocation address, Hemenway said that the University should allocate both private and
nology.
"I think we have saved money, but we have reallocated it to the academic areas and places where we need to see improvement." Hemenway said.
Bill Crowe, vice chancellor for information services, said that the change in computer technology at the University since Hemenway's arrival in 1995 was astonishing.
He said advancements had been made in University technology because the chancellor made funds available by streamlining administration and because of the combination of the libraries and information technology offices. 'Crowe said that information technology was much less organized before Hemenway arrived and that the present structure made it easier to keep the computer system at the University competitive.
tion of the libraries and information technology offices.
"His idea of aligning information technology with
See STREAMLINING on page 2A
Computer usage
One of Chancellor Hemerway's goals from his 1995 convocation speech was to cut administrative costs and put the money into other areas of the University. In the fall semester below show how computer usage has increased since the speech.
Source: http://www.ure.uksw.edu/AboutAdministration/
convenience98/Prior98.html Kristi Ellott / KANSAN
Study for virus planned
120 women sought for genital wart trial
By Sue Franke
Kansan staff writer
Buck said fliers and posters would be placed at campus sites to solicit participation.
The University of Kansas will participate in a vaccine study designed to prevent one strain of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that causes genital warts and cell changes.
tion in the study.
Physicians also will speak to women at Watkins.
The study for the HPV 16 Virus-like Particle Vaccine will begin after today at the University. About 120 females will be sought for participation in the study, which will take up to three years to complete, said Henry Buck, head of gynecology for Watkins Memorial Health Center.
HPV
Merck & Company is the pharmaceutical firm conducting the study. Buck said the firm had tested the vaccine safely on 61 people.
The study is being conducted at 15 medical sites, six of which are college health centers. The results will help Federal Drug Administration approval.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can be contracted by men and women through sexual intercourse, genital-to-genital touching, oral sex or hand-to-genital touching.
Type 16 is only one of more than 80 strains of the HPV virus. One-third of those are sexually transmitted and can result in genital warts or abnormal cells. But people can carry the virus without ever having symptoms.
Half of the study's participants will be injected with a placebo, and the
Henry Buck, head of gynecology for Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that condoms did not provide adequate protection from HPV.
other half will be given the HPV 16 Virus-like Particle Vaccine. Subjects will receive an initial injection, a second injection at one month and a third injection at six months.
"It has protein structures similar to the virus that make the immune system think that it is a virus," Buck said. "It's similar to safe vaccines for other types of viral diseases."
Buck emphasized that women could not catch HPV Type 16 from the vaccine because it was not made from a live virus
More than 50 percent of all cervical cancers are related to Type 16. That is the reason the strain is being studied, Buck said.
Buck said although some experts had said that once someone contracted the virus, it never went away, he thought the most important factor was that genital warts and abnormal cells could be removed. Once they are removed, a person probably will not infect another person with the virus.
Both men and women can contract HPV by contact with genital warts or abnormal cells found on the cervix. Contact can occur in sexual intercourse, genital-to-genital touching, oral sex or hand-to-genital touching.
Because of how it can be contracted, Buck said that condoms did not provide adequate protection and that sexual abstinence was the only sure way to avoid infection.
According to the American College Health Association, college-age people continue to be at a higher risk than the general population for HPV.
Barnara Babbat, supervisor for the Center for Disease Control's national STD Hot line, said the college-age population lacked knowledge about HPV.
"There is not much published about it, and it is not a life-threatening sexually transmitted disease," she said. "And, there is no test for HPV. Men and women don't know they have it until they develop warts that can be seen or until a woman has an abnormal psmel that shows abnormal cells."
40
Buck said that in 11 years he had seen an average of 300 cases of sexually transmitted strains of HPV each year.