Volume 125 Issue 74
kansan.com
Monday, February 18, 2012
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Over 200 University students gathered on Wescoe Beach Sunday to do the Harlem Shake. Tigger, hamsters, Jayhawk Superman, and teddy bears were just a few of the characters getting down in front of Strong Hall.
UNIVERSITY BUSTS A MOVE
DANON TAYLOR dtaylor@kansan.com
More than 200 students were spotted on Wescoe Beach yesterday enjoying the weather, cruising on skateboards, chalking the sidewalks, chatting away and wearing a variety of get-ups and costumes. They were all brought together by one common denominator, and when the beat dropped, synchronized dance chaos ensued.
The popular dance that possessed the KU men's basketball team just days ago also called
on all students of KU on Feb. 17 at 4 p.m., thanks to freshmen Alexander Delgado from Austin, Texas and Eric Bridgewater from Topeka, Kan.
What started out as 45 minutes of Harlem Shake YouTube watching in Delgado's residence hall quickly progressed into a Facebook event with over 1,200 invitations and 203 confirmed attendees. The event then spread onto Twitter and through text messages, and hundreds of people showed up to take part in the 1981-inspired dance.
"We just invited, like, 100 people
Moore, a freshman from Gardner, Kan. Moore was dressed as an infamous Hooters girl, while also sporting bunny ears.
While some students were dressed in casual attire, most were dressed in costumes, including Perry the Platypus, a milk carton, a redneck, Tigger, hamsters, Jayhawk Superman and teddy bears. However, the costume receiving the most attention was that of Max
and told them to invite all of their friends and so on. Facebook did its magic, and then we were at, like, 1,000 invites," Delgado said. "It could have been bigger, but for only four days planning, it was an awesome turnout. The location was great, and no cops showed up."
"The Harlem Shake is just so popular because everybody can get involved and it doesn't take any skills to wiggle around and gyrate." Moore said. "It took forever to get started, but it was rocking and was the best one by far. We had the most costumes and spirit in comparison to all other schools."
Edited by Allison Hammond
http://bit.ly/Xf2bPn
CHECK OUT KU DOING THE HARLEM SHAKE!
LAWRENCE
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
The Environmental Protection Agency selected Lawrence to receive technical assistance in making the Oread neighborhood more environmentally friendly and economically efficient.
Traffic congestion, parking and sidewalks targets of EPA
EMILY DONOVAN
edonovan@kansan.com
As any private resident, store owner or bar patron will vouch, Tennessee Street isn't an easy place to park on the weekends, or any day for that matter. With the help of the Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Lawrence will be taking steps to address the traffic congestion issue this April.
The Oread neighborhood between the main campus and
downtown Lawrence has long been home to traffic congestion, lack of parking availability, deteriorating sidewalks and biking difficulties. This is an outstanding challenge for senior Ryan Carney, a marketing major from Chicago, who has trouble parking in the area when he visits his girlfriend's house on the 1200 block of Tennessee Street.
"If you go in the afternoon on any day really, it's tough to find a parking spot," Carney said. "You have to pick and choose when you
Out of 121 cities who applied the EPA selected 23 communities to receive technical assistance through its Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. Lawrence will be receiving a parking audit.
"Just putting up parking garages is not the solution," said Whitney Rawls, the EPA Point of Contact for the Lawrence project. "It's find-
go down there."
SEE OREAD PAGE 3
CAMPUS
Orientation coordinators welcome 16 new assistants
EMMA LEGAULT elegault@kansan.com
Walking in the hallways between classes, on the bus, even just sitting in the Union for 20 minutes, it seems like the faces in the sea of people are always changing at the University of Kansas.
For incoming freshmen that are excitedly waiting to join these crowds and become these faces, there's a little bit of nervousness about how to navigate their new future home.
This is where orientation assistants step in. There are 16 new "faces of KU" that will take over and conduct new student orientation this summer.
The names were announced earlier this month after a long and intensive application and interview process. These students will work alongside their orientation coordinators, the student Hawk Link Guides and Peer Advisors to welcome incoming students and their parents to the University, and assist them with any questions they have.
Natalie Scott, an orientation coordinator from Topeka, said the University looks for a wide variety of students for the position, and that it's all about building a cohesive team.
"It doesn't have to be the most involved student, or a student with a perfect GPA either," she said. "It's
"Patrick [Blanchard] was great and he felt like the first real friend I made on campus. I knew I wanted to be an OA to further my knowledge about KU," she said. "Over the past two years my interest has developed further into more of a desire to be part of this pivotal experience in new student's lives."
really about being involved in different parts of the University and having different experiences."
"Orientation is a time when a lot of information is coming the students' way, and having a calm, clear leader is invaluable," she said. "I hope that the students I come into contact with feel like they have made their first friend at KU after leaving our session."
Karr said she and Blanchard still communicate, and he was a resource for her to get advice about the application process.
Kailee Karr, a sophomore from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said her desire to become an orientation assistant stemmed from her personal orientation experience and the connection she had with her OA.
With the title also comes the responsibility, and the lives of the new OAs are about to get a little bit busier. Starting in March, they will meet once a week for more introductory sessions. The day after graduation, that training turns into 40 hours a week for two weeks, where they will learn about academic requirements
"The thing I'm most excited about for being an OA is the opportunity it provides to be around like-minded people who have a similar passion for creating a great environment for new students," Karr said. "I can't wait to brainstorm and work with fellow OAs and staff to come up with ideas that will generate an even better atmosphere for growth and diversity among new students."
"They're kind of a sponge for that two weeks, they can just soak up that knowledge. Then, when new students come in, depending on what they're working with, they'll be prepared," said Jessica Penca, a graduate assistant in the Office of the First Year Experience.
and different campus resources.
Leah Swartz, a junior from Santa Monica, Calif., said she believes spending time with her new coworkers will be rewarding.
"I've heard that this job is like a family," she said. "I'm really excited to build those new relationships and to kind of branch out of my own social network and meet new people and create this family."
Conner Hampton, a freshman from Holton, echoes Swartz's belief.
"I am most looking forward to getting to know an entire team—family—of amazing people, and
Index CLASSIFIEDS 8 CRYPTOQUOPS 5 SPORTS 12
CROSSWORD 5 OPINION 4 SUDBOK 12
All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
SEE OA PAGE 3
Don't forget
This is the last day to add a new class. Straighten up your schedule.
Today's Weathex
Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain.
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