THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2006
NEWS
3A
HOUSING
Mepan True/KANSAN
Sunflower house residents gather for dinner Tuesday evening. The group has four communal dinners each week and the residents sign up to help cook. About 30 people live in the Sunflower House and the ages of the residents range from 18-40 years old.
Local co-op back to full occupancy
BY MATT ELDER
Sunflower House residents were living in a half-empty house less than a year ago, but the house's population has again reached maximum occupancy.
The Sunflower House, 1406 Tennessee St., offers as many as 31 people a cooperative housing, or "co-op," option with shared responsibilities in what residents described as an "autonomous group." Residents evenly participate in cooking, cleaning and internal house decisions as a part of their housing contracts. By doing so, students pay cheaper housing rates — $180 to $200 for smaller rooms including utilities
than Lawrence residents who are sharing in the responsibilities of the home.
Near the end of the fall 2005 semester, fewer than half of the rooms were filled with occupants.
"That was an unusual drop rate," Chad Steele, Lawrence senior and Sunflower House resident, said. "No one's really sure why."
Keith Miller, applied behavioral sciences professor, founded the house in 1968. He said that the residents' efforts had previously been dedicated to investigating a new house for the co-op project and that might have explained the drop in residency.
Since ideas of a new house have
been dropped, the resident population has returned to normal. With the exception of the brief drop in residents experienced in 2005, Miller said the house had remained near or completely full throughout its years.
Nic Shepard, Lawrence resident was looking for available housing options when he returned from studying abroad. After recommendations from previous residents, he decided to call the Sunflower House home.
"I came back and was looking for a place with a flexible lease," Shepard said. "And I've staved since January."
Miller said his ultimate goal was to create a system that allowed students to share the bulk of housing
responsibilities. He planned to eventually remove himself from the project, which he did, leaving students exclusively to manage the home.
Miller said part of his goal was to set the house up in such a way that he could use the principles of applied behavioral analysis to observe the tendencies of a community environment.
"I think the angle we brought to its success was very helpful," he said.
Kansan staff writer Matt Elder can be contacted at melder@kansan. com.
Edited by Travis Robinett
Study ranks city in savings survey
FINANCES
BY JACK WEINSTEIN
Lawrence is one of 12 Kansas communities to be ranked in a national study about the best cities in which to save money.
The study, called the "Nest Egg Index," is an annual ranking of how people in U.S. cities save and invest their money. Each community was given a score based on a national average of 100. Lawrence had a score of 95.05.
Lawrence came in at 477 out of 500 cities ranked in a study released by A.G. Edwards, a national brokerage firm located in St. Louis. The firm ranked 500 cities out of 944 that it studied, accounting for 90 percent of the nation's population.
Commerce Bankpresident Mark Heider attributed Lawrence's ranking to the city's large and growing retirement-age community.
"Over the last four to five years, we've seen people, former alumni returning to live here," he said. "We see a lot of people moving out of California and Nevada to come here."
Heider cited Midwestern values, KU athletics and the proximity to larger metropolitan communities like Kansas City and Topeka as factors that encouraged people to settle in Lawrence. Lawrence's lack of a job market for young professionals, like Kansas City has with Sprint, was one of the reasons there were more older professionals and retirees in town, Heider said.
"We don't have a lot of young people moving to Lawrence except to come to school," he said.
Among the top 500 cities, Kansas and Missouri each had 12. McPherson, which had a score of 105.88, topped the list for Kansas at 125. Kansas City, Mo., (107.18), was the leader in the state of Missouri at 91.
The index is based on a number of factors including savings,
retirement plans, investments, net worth, household income, cost of living and local employment rate.
Lawrence ranked above the national average for cost of living and 401(k) and other retirement plans. The city's employment rate and savings were at the national average, but household income, net worth, investments and debt level were below the national average.
Sophie Beckmann, a financial planning specialist with A.G. Edwards' national office in St. Louis, said some of the factors that were below the national average could be attributed the number of college students in town.
Beckmann also recommended that students who wish to have a "nest egg" should start as early as possible. She recommended enrolling in a 401(k) plan after getting that first job, comparing the plan to getting "free money." Those types of retirement plans should be thought of as ways to pay yourself first, she said.
"If you start early, you have time on your side," Beckmann said. "And setting up a budget is key. You should know what you spend your money on."
The study also ranked states. Kansas came in at 22 with a score of 102.8 and Missouri was 24 with a score of 100.7. New Jersey (114.5), Connecticut (114.37), Minnesota (113.46), Maryland (112.28) and Massachusetts (111.77) composed the top-five.
The top five communities included Los Alamos, N.M. (134.31), Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn. (126.20), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. (125.93), Torrington, Conn. (120.85) and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn. (117.83).
Kansan staff writer Jack Weinstein can be contacted at jweinstein@kansan.com.
— Edited by Derek Korte
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
PIZZA AND POLITICS
TODAY from 12-1pm
in the Bruckmiller Room
of the Adams Alumni Center
One Jayhawk's Journey:
From Bob Dole to FEMA
Guest: Scott Morris, Director of
Florida Long Term Recovery and
KU graduate
Free Pizza! Informall
No Spirit!
Dole Institute of Politics
Student Advisory Board
www.doleinstitute.com
KU Hillel
High Holidays 2006
Rosh Hashanah
Friday, September 22
4PM FREE Dinner @ Burge Union
7:45PM Services @ LICC (9th & Highland)
Saturday, September 23
9AM Services @ LICC
YOUR AD HERE
If your student organization is register with the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, you may get FREE ADVERTISING here in the Kansan through Student Senate!
Attention Student Groups:
Email chrisblackstone@ku.edu for more information.
KU Blood Drive: SAVE A KU FALL 2006 BLOOD DRIVE All next week!
For appointments and information go to www.kubloodrive.com
Free KU t-shirt to everyone who comes to donate.
Sponsored by KU Blood Drive Student Committee.
American Red Cross
Agency, 917-822-4000
Evening Services @ 7pm. Followed by Dinner Sunday, 9/24: Services at 10am. "Shofar Party Blast Off" @ 1:30pm.
Happy New Year!
Join us for easy to follow, quick, insightful and inspirational high Holiday services! Stop by anytime!
All services and meals are Free and open to all!
Friday, 9/22. Services at 6:30pm followed by festive
gourmet "New Year's" Dinner
Saturday, 9/23: Services 10am. "Gala Honey Buffet" at 1:30pm.
785-832-TORA (8672)
www.Jewishku.com
For more Info:
Chabad Jewish Center
University Church
September 21,2006
We have created a community for everyone, including those not normally accepted at other churches - the secular, postmodern, agnostic, skeptical, open-minded, disenfranchised, individuals or families.
Come to 1921 Hillview tonight from 6:30 to 3pm for a free home-cooked meal! Come early, stay late, leave when you want to. Free wireless internet access available.
Free food for KU students and their families!
Free laundry available first come,first served.
www.doUC.org
Student Legislative Awareness Board
Are you interested in Politics?
Do you feel as though your views and interests are not represented in local government?
Do you want to get involved and make your voice heard?
Would you like the opportunity to make a positive change for the university, students,
faculty and staff?
Are you interested in Politics?
SLAB is your answer.
SLAB is now accepting applications for coordinator positions. Apply and help promote student and higher education interests at the state and federal levels!
Available Positions:
Available Positions.
Public Relations Coordinator
Special Events Coordinator
Deputy Legislative Director
Stop by the Student Senate office in the Kansas Union to pick up an application! Email slab@ku.edu for more information.
KU Filmworks
KU Filmworks promotes the production of student-produced videos and film. Founded sometime in the late nineties to a group of students who just wanted to make a movie, KU Filmworks is an outlet for the local student body to make the films that they just can't make in their theory and production classes.
We meet every Sunday at 8:00 PM at Onether Studios
(5th and Aragon, just east of Iowa).
Movie nights are another element to our meetings that include movie members to be in on the film's new films, or even embark on a show or show off.
Where: Old town Studios
When: This Sunday at 7pm
PMD FOR BY KU
funded by:
STUDENT
SENATE
Up 'Till Dawn
What is Up 'Til Dawn?
Why Participate in Up 'Till Dawn?
A student-run fund-raising program hosted by colleges nationwide, that raises funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude is dedicated to finding life-saving treatments and research for children suffering from all forms of cancer, while never charging any of its patients a single cent.
Up Til Dawn teams will participate in a variety of fund-raising activities and an all night final event that celebrates their success. It is a way for individuals to work together on campus for a worthy cause. Your help alone, can ultimately save a child in need!
How Do I Get Involved?
http://groups.ku.edu/~utildawn
Email: utildawn@ku.edu
How Do I Get Involved?
Register to be up 'Till Dawn Team @utdawknoledu
Register to be up 'Till Dawn All
Team Meeting
Raise Money for St. Jude, Starting with the Letter Writing Party on November 1st
Stay Up 'Till Dawn for the Final Event on February 9th
JAYWALK!
Have you ever felt unsafe walking alone at night on campus? Wish someone could walk with you? Jaywalk can help!
What is JayWalk?
JayWalk is a service available to all students who want a JayWalk volunteer to WALK them to their residence hall or car, or to wait with them for the Night Campus Express Bus or SafeRide.
Where is JayWalk?
The JayWalk station and volunteers are located inside Anschutz Library.
When is the service available?
JayWalk runs Sunday through Thursday from 9pm to 1am starting September 17th
Who walks with me?
One male and one female will escort you to a specific location.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER FOR JayWalk?
Call us at: 864-322 7
Volunteers are greatly needed and appreciated! While you are assisting KU students you can also study and do homework! Pick up forms in room 410 in the Kansas Union! If you have any questions regarding the service or about volunteering, please email Safety@ku.edu
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