Volume 125 Issue 46
Monday, November 12, 2012
kansan.com
'TAKING BACK MONDAYS ATTRACTS PUNK LOVERS
CRIME
EXTINGUISHING ARSON
Police seek information regarding a string of arson cases near apartments
RACHEL SALYER rsalver@kansan.com
Lawrence public safety officials are asking the public for information about a string of arsons being investigated at local apartment complexes.
The fires were intentionally set between Oct. 19 and Nov. 4 between West 23rd Street and West 25th Street and from Iowa to Naismith Drive, according to a City of Lawrence press release.
Eve Tolefree, a fire department division chief, would not specify exact locations or dates for the arsons, citing the needs of an ongoing investigation. The
University Daily Kansan filed an open records request for more information about the suspected arsons and the investigation.
The most recent fire reported in the area was at 3:45 a.m. Sunday morning on the 1700 block of West 24th Street. Calls to the fire department for additional details were not imme diately returned.
Complexes near the area have issued notices to residents.
The notice said the fires were started using paper found in hallways or dumpsters.
"I don't know who is doing it or for what reason, but it is a really scary situation," said Ramesh Dugar, a graduate student from
India.
"They are trying to do their best for what is within their limits," Dugar said. "All I can do is just keep spreading the word and making sure follow the tips to keep things stronger and tighter."
Tips include checking smoke alarms and knowing safe exit and fire extinguisher locations. Residents should remove and properly dispose of any notices
left on their doors and properly dispose of trash in the dumpster after taking it outside. No combustible materials should be stored on patios, balconies, hallways and exit-ways.
Residents should contact property management or the fire department at 830-7000 for assistance checking smoke alarms.
Anyone with information about the fires should contact Lawrence Police at 830-7430, the TIPS Hotline at 843-TIPS or the fire department at 830-7065. All callers can remain anonymous.
Edited by Brittney Haynes
AREAS OF ARSON ACTIVITY
A list of apartment complexes in the area where arsons have been reported, but fires have not necessarily occurred at the complexes listed.
The Oaks
2357 Ridge Court
Hampton Court Apartments
2350 Ridge Court
Parkway Terrace
2340 Murphy Drive
Crescent Heights Apartments 1815 west 24th St.
Colony Woods Apartments 1301 west 24th St.
Eddingham Place Apartments 1501 Eddingham Drive
W 25th St
Graphic by Katie Kutsko
CHARITY
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Participants of the KU Dance Marathon take a break to listen to children's stories about how their diseases has affected their lives. KU Dance Marathon is a fundraising event where 100 percent of the proceeds go toward local children and families through KU pediatrics.
Students dance all night for kids
HANNAH BARLING hbarling@kansan.com
Amid all the food, games, music and lights, 550 participants filled the Kansas Union Ballroom Saturday to do their part to help children coping with disease. Students stayed on their feet for 12 straight hours in honor of hospitalized kids.
The University is the second school in the country to host two Dance Marathons in a year; the first marathon was in February. Saturday's Dance Marathon raised $61,032.88, and $60,040.70 was raised during February's event, equaling $121,073.58 this year. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to sick children and
The University hosted its fifth Dance Marathon last Saturday, a program sponsored by the Children's Miracle Network that raises money for hospitalized children and their families.
their families.
Twenty of these families attended Saturday's event. Students are able to show solidarity with the Miracle Children by wearing hospital bracelets throughout the marathon that are taken off by the kids at the end of the night.
country with food and music. Genuine Imitation, an a cappella group from the school of music, kicked off the marathon with a performance accompanied by the African Drum Ensemble. Simultaneous games of flip cup stretched from the ballroom
Carly Adams,
a senior from Sedgwick,
participated in the marathon for the second time this year.
She said
that getting to know the kids and hearing their stories is inspiring.
"At the end of the day, we can take off our hospital bracelets, but they can't."
"At the end of the day, we can take off our hospital bracelets, but they can't," Adams said.
CARLY ADAMS Dance marathon participant
entrance to
"Around the World" was the theme for this year's marathon. Each hour represented a different
entrance to the stage.
The Miracle Children and student dancers also played a human version of foosball.
Participants and the Miracle Children learned a morale dance to do together at the end of the marathon. Different sections of the dance were designated to a specific country.
"The morale dance tied together the theme of the marathon in a way that we could share with the Miracle Children," Jones said.
marathon was a lot of fun for the kids, as well as a valuable experience for students.
Emily Jones, a sophomore from Lindsborg, said the dance
Mike Marcus, a sophomore from Shawnee, danced in the marathon this year for a more personal reason. He grew up with one of the Miracle Children and wanted to support him in the best wav possible.
Students could also participate in Dance Dance Revolution, Zumba and yoga with the kids.
"There're no current cure for his disease, so he's constantly fighting," Marcus said. "Being part of a cause and helping him find a cure means a lot to me."
— Edited by Joanna Hlavacek
ACADEMICS
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
When Sarah Roberts, a graduate student from Carlsbad, New Mexico, began her online master's program in special education last year at the University, she was skeptical about how much she could get out of a class that never meets face to face. But now, in her third semester, Roberts is pleasantly surprised at how much she has gained from her online class experience.
Roberts specific program, transition services, aims to assist disabled students to adjust from secondary education to their working life. With only a few programs currently in existence, Roberts' online classmates live throughout the United States.
"One of the benefits is that you learn about transition services all over the country," Roberts said. "Everyone is a teacher."
Graphic by Trey Conrad
Julie Loats, director of the Center for Online and Distance Learning, said Roberts and her classmates are part of the University's shift to offer more classes and entire programs online.
Loats said more than 2,100 KU students are currently enrolled in more than 100 online classes taught by more than 90 faculty members. While many of these include general education classes, there are some masters' programs — like Roberts'— that are offered almost entirely online.
"Many online degree programs are typically targeted at adult populations," Loats said.
Some students use online classes to meet their disability needs or to work around schedule conflicts. And while Roberts has the flexibility to take classes face to face, she appreciates that her fellow students, many of whom work full time and have families, have access to a top-rated program. The online forum engages
all students to participate and generate thoughtful responses to the material, she said.
James Basham, a professor of special education, has taught online classes since 1999.
"For faculty, they take a good deal of up-front time to design and manage." Basham said. "Depending on how online courses are designed, they can provide flexibility so we can more easily manage our teaching, research and service schedules."
Andres Ramos, a senior from Lawrence, could not fit "Anatomy and Physiology" into his schedule last spring, so he decided to enroll in the online version instead.
"It was good for my schedule," Ramos said. "If I didn't have the online option, I couldn't have gotten a biomedical concentration."
While Ramos appreciated the flexibility his online class afforded, he did not find the course to be as challenging as he expected the face-to-face class would be.
"With the online course, you only learn in depth enough to pass the online homework, which are all multiple choice," Ramos said. "I would have gotten a better sense of how each section of the class related to each other in an actual class."
As for the future of online classes at the University, Loats expects they will be used more and more, and more classes will be utilizing both online and face-to-face interaction for learning. In the summer 2013 semester, classes will be classified as "hybrid" to reflect this combination.
Roberts is graduating next spring and she feels her online degree program will provide her valuable skills for the workforce.
"it's really built up my teaching tool kit because everyone is sharing their experiences," Roberts said.
CLASSIFIEDS 9 CRYPTOQUOPS 4 SPORTS 14
CROSSWORD 4 OPINION 5 SUDOKU 4
- Edited by Nikki Wentling
Today's Weather
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
This is International Education Week. Check out an event and expand your horizons.
Clear Winds from the SW 5 to 20 mph shifting to the NW in the afternoon.
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