THE UNIVERSITY DAHY KANSAN
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THE UNIVERSITY
DAIRY KANSAN
NEWS MANAGEMENT
Editor-in-chief Hannah Wise
Managing editors Sarah McCabe Niki Wentling
ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
Sales manager Jacob Snider
Business manager Elise Farrington
NEWS SECTION EDITORS
Associate news editor Joanna Hlavacek
News editor Allison Kohn
Associate sports editor Trevor Graff
Sports editor Pat Strathman
Entertainment and special sections editor Laken Rapier
Associate entertainment and special sections editor Kavia Banzet
Copy chiefs
Megan Himman
Taylor Lewis
Brian Sisk
Design chiefs
Ryan Benedick
Katie Kutsko
Designers
Trey Conrad
Sarah Jacobs
Opinion editor Dylan Lysen
PAGE 2
Photo editor Ashleigh Lee
ADVISERS
Web editor
Natalie Parker
General manager and news adviser Malcolm Gibson
The University Daily Kansas is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of The Kansan are 50 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at the Kansan business office, 2051A Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS, 66045.
Sales and marketing adviser
Jon Schlitt
Contact Us
editor@kansan.com
www.kansan.com
Newsroom: (785)-766-1491
Advertising: (785) 864-4358
Twitter: UDK_News
Facebook: facebook.com/thekansan
The University Daily Kansan (ISSN 0746-9467) is published daily during the school year except Saturday, Sunday, fall break, spring break and exams and weekly during the summer session excluding holidays. Annual subscriptions by mail are $250 plus tax. Send address changes to The University Daily Kansan, 2015A Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue.
KANSAN MEDIA PARTNERS
Check out KUJH-TV on Knology of Kansas Channel 31 in Lawrence for more on what you've read in today's Kansan and other news Also see KUJH's website at tvku.edu.
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2000 Doe Human Development Center
1000 Sunnyside Avenue Lawrence, Kan.
86045
What's the weather, Jay?
Forecaster: weather.com KU Atmospheric Science
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013
Heavy snow. 100 percent chance of snow. ESE winds at 21 mph.
Thursday HI: 31 LO: 19
HI: 37
L0: 21
Good day for a snowball fight.
day
HI: 27
LO: 8
Friday
Sunny. 0 percent chance of precipitation. SSW winds at 8 mph.
AM clouds /PM sun 10 percent chance of precipitation. WNW winds at 13 mph.
Hat and gloves required.
Saturday
At least the sun's out.
Wednesday, February 20
CALENDAR
**WHAT:** Step Afrika
**WHERE:** Kansas Union Ballroom
**WHEN:** 8 to 10 p.m.
**ABOUT:** This traveling step show features professional dancers and offers a step workshop for audience members. The performers encourage active participation throughout their rump-shaking performance.
WHAT: Full Student Senate meeting
WHERE: Kansas Union, Alderson
Auditorium
Thursday, February 21
WHEN: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
ABOUT: Voice your opinion at Senate's second full meeting of the semester. Legislation includes funding for the Big Event and other student organizations. All students have speaking privileges.
WHAT: Tea at Three
WHERE: Kansas Union, fourth floor
lobby
WHEN: 3 to 4 p.m.
ABOUT: It's time to enjoy your weekly
cookies and spot of tea, compliments
of SUA. So good, even the Queen of
England herself wouldn't pass it up.
ABOUT. Watch "Codebreaker," a docudrama about the British mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing. Afterward, executive producer Patrick Sammon will answer questions about the film.
**WHAT:** Film and Speaker: Codebreaker
**WHERE:** Spencer Museum of Art
**WHEN:** 6 p.m.
Friday, February 22
WHAT: Campus movie series: "Wreck it Ralph"
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**WBA:** Campus movie series: Wreck it Ralph™
**WHERE:** Kansas Union, Woodruff Auditorium
8 to 10 p.m.
about
ABOUT: Enjoy this Pixar comedy about video game characters, featuring the vocal talents of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jack McBrayer, among others. Tickets are $2 with a student ID, and SUA will provide free popcorn.
CAMPUS
WHEN: Final Friday
WHERE: Downtown Lawrence
WHEN: All day
ABOUT: Local artists, musicians and vendors display their work for February's Final Friday showcase.
Saturday, February 23
WHAT: University Dance Company Spring Concert
WHAT: SXSW Fest
WHAT: University Dance Company
Spring Concert
WHERE: Lawrence Arts Center
WHEN: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
ABOUT: Watch these trained dancers twirl and whirl as they preform this semester's concert. Call the University Dance Department for more information: (785)864-4264.
WHEN: Shawn Pot
WHERE: Jackpot Music Hall
WHEN: 9 p.m.
ABOUT! This show benefits musicians and press traveling to the South by Southwest music festival in Austin this April. The lineup for the night features local bands The Sluts, Up the Academy, The ACB's and Winner's Circle.
Film shows first generation students' struggles
DANON TAYLOR
dtaylor@kansan.com
The importance of the evening's festivities may not have been apparent upon walking into the Kansas Union Monday. Everyone in Woodruff Auditorium was full of laughter, eager to explain the various information tables, answer questions and provide brochures, business cards, beverages and popcorn. After the semi-formal introduction and the lights dimmed, the casual atmosphere faded and a sense of sympathy quickly filled the room as the stories of four California high school seniors flooded the screen.
The film "First Generation" debuted on campus Monday, sponsored by the Center for Educational Opportunity Programs. The center showed in celebration of National TRIO Day, a day meant to bring attention to the needs of disadvantaged young people and adults aspiring to improve their lives.
The film focused on the lives of four low-income, first-generation college students and brought attention the issues and struggles
they faced during their senior year of high school and transition into college.
Many of the CEOP directors and associates attended the screening, but Mulu Negash, director of the McNair Scholars Program, was an adamant supporter of the film and a driving force behind the various programs aimed at helping KU students in similar situations.
"Our goal is to increase the visibility of first-generation students on campus, along with services available to these students," Negah said. "Often times, I have students who are seniors in college come to my office, and it's too late to provide them necessary and essential support for success. This event will allow many students to see the resources available, as well as what it means to be a first-generation college student."
While the transition to college is an obstacle for nearly every freshman, studies show that first-generation students — undergraduates whose parents did not attend a university — and low-income students face greater challenges, and have lower retention and graduation rates than students who had at
least one parent attend college.
"It is difficult for first-generation students to feel like they belong when their peers have points of reference to higher education," Negash said.
"It is difficult for first-generation students to feel like they belong when their peers have points of reference to higher education."
MULU NEGASH
McNair Scholars Program Director
"Some of these students are coming from schools with far less-advanced curriculum, so they come to college unprepared and spend their time catching up instead of moving forward. There is something about having parents that went to college that makes managing and making it in college easier."
Programs such as TRIO, Upward Bound, Talent Search and Harvest of Hope Leadership Academy aim
at keeping first-generation, low-income and minority students on the pursuit of higher education. Some of these programs begin engaging students and introducing the idea of college in the sixth grade.
"These programs all create a community to help students that experience these less than fortunate circumstances, but the disadvantage is that people don't know about them and many students don't even know or consider that it is a disadvantage to be a minority, low-income or first-generation student," Negash said. "We continue to create awareness, but not enough is being done to shed light on who these students are. KU wants to diversify, but doesn't know what troubles these students are facing, and if they don't know than the students make regrettable decisions and the university struggles to help them."
Negash reiterated the importance of these programs and events such as the showing of "First Generation," by saying that the programs have a strong success rate and she feels like students do nearly 100 times better with the programs than without.
Anthony Harris, a freshman and first-generation student from Topeka, said that though his parents didn't go to college, they held him to a higher standard.
"They told me I had to go to college," Harris said. "I'm really lucky to have found Upward because otherwise I would have been trying to do it on my own and I wouldn't have been as successful as I am now."
When the film ended, a panel of 11 first-generation, low-income and minority students from the University and local high schools answered questions in relation to the film and their own personal stories. All 11 students agreed getting to college was only half the battle, and managing your time and priorities, along with seeking out the resources and getting involved was the other half.
"If you don't handle your business when you worked so hard to get here, then you're throwing your money away, and it's too much money to just throw away like that," Harris said.
REGIONAL
Edited by Tara Bryant
Gas explosion engulfs Plaza restaurant in flames
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A gas explosion that sparked a massive, block-engulfing blaze in an upscale Kansas City shopping district injured 14 people, a city official said Tuesday evening, adding it is believed that an accident by a utility contractor may have caused the blast.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Earlier Kansas City police had said the blast was caused by a car crashing into a gas main just after 6 p.m. Fire officials said later they were not aware of a crash being involved in the blast. Other witnesses noted street signs in the area indicated utility work was being done in the area, and a worker at a restaurant destroyed in the fire said the facility was being renovated at the time.
City Manager Troy Schulte said he did not know of anyone being reported missing and had not heard of any fatalities.
Police Sgt. Tony Sanders said the manager of JJ's restaurant was unable to account for three people, but it was unclear whether they were caught in the blaze or had left earlier.
"The first thing we need to be concerned about is the people that are injured," said Mayor Sly James, who also praised the work of first responders. James said
officials were in contact with Missouri Gas Energy.
The University of Kansas Hospital was treating five people injured in the blast, said spokesman Bob Hallinan. He said one person was in critical condition, two were in serious condition and two others were expected to be released. He said all the injuries were traumatic, such as broken bones, rather than burns or smoke inhalation.
Kerry O'Connor, a spokeswoman for St. Luke's Hospital, which is near the scene of the fire, said several patients were on the way to the hospital. She said they haven't been assessed yet but "they appear to be critical at this time."
Fire officials didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday evening.
The smell of gas remained very strong near the area long after the suspected explosion.
There were signs that utility work was being done in area. A phone message left Tuesday seeking comment from Missouri Gas Energy was not immediately returned.
Video showed dozens of fire fighters and other emergency responders battling a massive blaze that appeared to have engulfed an entire block.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Firefighters battle a massive fire Tuesday night at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. A car crashed into a gas main in an upscale Kansas City shopping district, sparking a massive blaze that engulfed an entire block and caused multiple injuries, police said.
Call today to schedule a tour!
(785) 843-0011
843-6000
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843-6000
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