Volume 125 Issue 48
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
kansan.com
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FIRE STARTER
STILL FUMING
The string of arsons in Lawrence continues with 12 total cases reported
RACHEL SALYER
rsalyer@kansan.com
An apartment fire Sunday morning in the 1700 block of West 24th Street could be the latest in a suspected string of arsons occurring in the area.
According to the fire report, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical emergency workers found "burned material" outside one of the apartments. The report categorized the fire as arson, but fire chief Mark Bradford did not say if the fire is one of the suspected arsons.
The department did not release the location or number of the fires and has not released an update. In an open records request by The University Daily Kansan to obtain fire reports from Oct. 19 to Nov. 11, 12 fires in total occurred within the zone outlined by the fire department.
Last week the fire department asked the public for information about a number of intentionally set fires occurring at apartment complexes between West 23rd Street and West 25th Street and from Iowa Street to Naismith Drive.
Of the other 11 fires, nine occurred at multi-family dwellings, one occurred in an outside dumpster, and one occurred at a laundry facility.
The fires have not resulted in injury, and no more than $1,000 in damage has been reported in any of the 12 fires.
But for Lori Bartel, a resident at one of the apartments, it doesn't matter how harmless the intentions are.
"It's not funny," Bartel said. "It puts my whole family at risk."
A manager at a different property said she thought the complex and the fire department handled it well.
"These are older buildings," Bartel said. "Security cameras would help a lot, and they don't cost much."
Bartel is married with a child and said she believed her complex could do more.
"They've been here several times a week to talk to people and offer tips," she said. Although she does not believe the particular fire that occurred last month at the building she manages was arson, she said the complex was prepared for fire.
"We have a hardwired-in system, and our alarms are very,very loud." she said.
Chief Bradford would not offer details about any of the arsons or identify which fires the apartment was investigating.
But the lack of information is not necessarily related to the fire department's intent.
— Edited by Brian Sisk
"This is a very serious situation." Bradford said.
AREAS OF ARSON ACTIVITY
Seven of the fires reported in Lawrence are categorized as arson:
- 3:58 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24,
— apartment complex at 2429 Redbud Lane. Smoldering material was found on a stair landing.
- 1:49 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. — apartment complex at 1732 W. 24th St. Paper hanging from a door frame was lit on fire.
9.20 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29 – residential-use building at 1722 W. 24th St. The fire occurred in the hallway with burn combustible material.
1.35 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 – apartment complex at 1733 W. 24th St. A smoking pile of combustible material was found inside the complex underneath first floor mailboxes.
- 4.05 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 30, - laundry facility at 2346 Iowa St. A dryer was found with burning items inside.
- 3:13 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2, - apartment complex at 1504 W. 24th St. Combustible material was found at the top of a stairwell and the carpet beneath had minimal scorching.
* 3:46 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 11 – apartment complex at 1703 W. 24th St. The fire occurred on a third floor hallway and burnt material was located.
W 25th St
Graphic by Katie Kutsko
FASHION
Campus style gains attention
NIKKI WENTLING
nwentling@kansan.com
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Style on the Hill is growing.
Sabrina Liedtke, a senior from San Francisco and founder of Style on the Hill, a website devoted to showcasing fashion around Lawrence and on campus, said the site's Facebook page receives about 30 "likes" per day, and the total number of "likes" has grown from about 200 to more than 650 since the beginning of October. Liedtke said the site, which she created in August, underwent a redesign last month and expanded content to include photo shoots, music and architecture. The original three-person staff has grown to 14, and they are also considering posting videos and running pieces in a print publication.
"I think Lawrence is so cool, and I want to document it," Liedtke said. "It's grown to more of a culture thing, with fashion."
Abbey Johnson, a junior from Essex Junction, Vt., began following the site in September. She saw that one of her friends had "liked" it on Facebook, and she did the same. Now, Johnson looks at street view photos taken during game days to get style inspiration.
Alex Moore shows off her style by layering her clothes for Style on the Hill.
"I love to see what they snap people wearing on campus and on game day," Johnson said. "Normally I just wear my KU football jersey and jeans, but now I get ideas for things I may want to wear, because I don't want to wear the same things for games every week."
From looking at the site, Johnson was inspired to wear other things
"It pushes me to put more effort into what I'm going to wear," she said. "It's given me ideas for stuff I want to go look for."
besides her usual yoga pants or leggings and to shop at different stores.
Liedite made the site and began posting street view photos in order
to continue using skills she learned as an intern at style.com over the summer.
media coordinator, worked together earlier this semester to form goals for Style on the Hill.
"We talked about things we wanted to happen, and now we're working to realize the dream," Liedtke said.
John Reynolds, a senior from Lee's Summit, Mo., has been working with the site as creative director since September. Reynolds, Liedke and Emily Paulson, the site's social
Reynolds said that by photographing students on campus and around town, the site takes normal things and makes them interesting. He wants people to look at the site — which has a staff comprised of only students — and realize that they can pursue their goals as well.
"I never would've imagined doing this," Reynolds said. "It just happened. From starting this and seeing where it's gone, I hope other people see it and go out and do what they want to do, because it's possible."
Liedke said the staff focuses on showcasing the positive, and that the purpose of the site is not to be similar to "What Not to Wear." She wants people to be inspired to develop an interest in fashion and to be entertained by seeing people and things they can relate to, like images on Jaynawk Boulevard or Massachusetts Street.
She said she would like the staff and the site to continue growing, and the growth the site has already experienced was unexpected. She said she is always hiring people to contribute.
"I just love finding unique and artistic things, and I still take pictures every day." Liedtke said, "I had a clear idea of what I wanted, but I didn't think it would go this far and grow this big."
Edited by Luke Ranker
CAMPUS
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Students crowd around and answer trivia questions in teams for the Global Trivia event as part of the International Education Week. KU is hosting special events to promote international engagement throughout the week.
ISA events raise global awareness
NIKKI WENTLING
nwentling@kansan.com
Amanda Murphy joined the International Student Association to learn more about her heritage. Her mother immigrated to the United States from India, but Murphy did not know much about the culture of the country.
Murphy, a senior from Overland Park and president of the ISA, has gained Indian friends through the group who have taught her about their food, religion and traditions.
"Ive never gotten the chance to go study abroad, so I've never been to India," Murphy said. "But because I was raised here, I had a really strong interest in learning about that culture. I never really got to be immersed in it."
Along with learning about India, Murphy was introduced to more cultures by international students. The ISA is open to all students, and Murphy said there is a mix of those born in America and not.
"Here at KU, we have a lot of diversity," Murphy said. "People bring with them really rich cultures that they've been a part of. I've really acquired a sense of cultural pride."
To celebrate International Education Week, which runs from Nov. 12-16, the ISA will be co-hosting a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at the Ecumenical Campus Ministries building, 1204 Oread Ave., at 7 p.m. tonight. Murphy said the goals of the dinner are to show international students what Thanksgiving is and introduce all students to the traditional foods of other countries.
According to its website, International Education Week — the third week of November — began in 2000 and is an initiative by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to "encourage development of programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study in the United States."
International Programs and other campus organizations are hosting free public events throughout the week. Therese Danley, events coordinator for International Programs, said the week is used to promote opportunities for international education through the University. The goal of the events, which range from trivia nights to symposiums, is to promote social interaction between different cultures and to gain awareness of issues from around the globe.
"They'll be able to meet other people on campus who are really into global issues and who are interested in similar things as they are." Danley said. "They'll be able to really connect with various people and various topics that are relevant to the rest of the world."
Jenna Hunter, coordinator of the Global Awareness Program, said one important aspect of the week is to learn how to interact with people from other countries.
"Learning to interact with people from different parts of the world is a very important skill today in terms of the success you will have," she said.
One benefit of experiencing other cultures, Murphy said, is gaining a new perspective.
"I can see things from multiple points of view since I've been involved so closely with people who come from different countries and have different traditions," Murphy said. "I think a lot of decisions people make may be based on the culture they were raised in, so understanding where people come from has given me a more holistic view of my life and the lives of those around me."
Edited by Joanna Hlavacek
Newt Gingrich to speak at Dole Institute tonight
POLITICS
terview Gingrich at the event, titled "An Evening with Newt Gingrich," which will begin at 7:30 pm.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will speak at the Dole Institute of Politics tonight. In a press release, the University announced that the former Republican presidential contender will discuss the recent election as well as his latest book, "Victory at Yorktown."
Institute director Bill Lacy will in-
"It will be perfect timing to have Speaker Gingrich here to talk about the results of the election," Lacy said in the release.
The event is open to public and includes an opportunity for sale and signing of "Victory at Yorktown."
CLASSIFIEDS 8
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
Marshall Schmidt
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 4
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
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