Finding friendship in fellow athletes, women choose lacrosse as an alternative to greek life. 2B
The Jayhawks take to the field Saturday for their second game of the season, facing off against Louisiana-Monroe. 8B
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8,2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM VOL.117 ISSUE 17
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
PAGE 1A
FACEBOOK
WEB SITE MAKEOVER INVADES STUDENTS'RIGHT TO PRIVACY
It's been called Stalkerbook, people have claimed it's part of a government conspiracy and some even go so far as to call it the first step toward Big Brother — the idea of constant surveillance.
BY MARK VIERTHALER
No matter what you call it, Facebook is now in hot water with almost 1/16th of its online community. The networking site recently unveiled the "News Feed" feature.
The feature created a drop down
menu on a users main profile, detailing their past actions including whose wall they've written on, relationship status changes and what parties they are planning on attending.
Ben Park, a student at Northwestern University, created the "Students against Facebook News Feed (Official Petition to Facebook)" to actively protest the update, which he said was "too-creepy" and "too stalker-esque."
The group has had an immediate following. The group had 620,714 members as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday,
with approximately 1,500 users joining every two minutes. More than 500 University of Kansas users have joined the group.
The issue has polarized users of the online social networking service, which has become the online equivalent of a student commons room since its February 2004 debut. A quick search of "Against Facebook News feed" on the Web site reveals more than 500 groups either protesting or promoting the feature.
Privacy is the biggest concern
raised both in the largest group and across campus.
Andrew Algren, Lawrence junior, said he joined the protest group because the "News Feed" had gone one step too far.
"It ites like we're constantly being monitored," Algren said. "I could see people getting stalked on their Facebook profiles. It makes it easy to see everything the person is doing right up front."
Saner Adra, Wichita senior, said it was creepy that anybody could click
on their profile and see what they'd been up to. "It just seems privacy is going in the wrong direction," Adra said. "There's no point to the feature other than stalking."
Others think the feature is simply unnecessary. Phil Adam, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore, said it was frustrating because people didn't have to work to find the information anymore.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to the group in an open post.
"And we agree, stalking isn't cool."
Zuckerberg said in the post. "But being able to know what's going on in your friend's lives is."
Zuckerberg said administration was looking at the problems, but he was confident the update was for the best. Calls to the Facebook office were not returned by press time.
Kansan staff writer Mark Vierthaler can be contacted at mvierthaler@ kansan.com.
Edited by Elyse Weidner
》 ADMINISTRATION
5-year tuition hikes outpace inflation rate in Kansas
BY DAVID LINHARDT
To continue at the University of Kansas, Suzette Runyon had to take out a $2,000 loan from the Kansas University Endowment Association this semester. She had exhausted all her options for federal aid and had borrowed another $2,000 from the association last year.
Runyon, Lyndon senior, also took a job as a desk attendant at Corbin Hall this semester for the extra pay. She said her sister chose to drop out because she couldn't afford tuition and room and board.
Tuition increases that KU students experienced over the last four years have vastly outpaced the rate of inflation in Kansas.
To help students afford tuition, the University has proposed a four-year fixed-rate tuition plan next year. Eakin said an increase of 5 to 7 percent was factored into the tuition bill freshmen would receive next year.
The increases, which the Board of Regents votes on each year, are part of a five-year tuition enhancement plan University administrators and Student Senate collaborated on several years ago.
Inflation figures for the state have hovered between 1.7 percent to about 4.2 percent since 2001, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue.
SEE TUITION ON PAGE 6A
Classifieds. . . . . 6B
Crossword. . . . 7B
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Opinion. . . 5A
Sports. . . 1B
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All contents, unless stated otherwise
©2006The University Daily Kansan
LIVING
Rvan McGeenev/KANSAN
Pet owners deal with surprises, rewards
Amanda Bearly, Kansas City, Mo., senior is one of many KU students who sacrifice cheaper rent for the comfort of living with a pet. In order to facilitate life with her 10-week-old beagle, Baxter, Bearly paid a $200 safety deposit and a nonrefundable $200 pet fee in addition to her share of $730 monthly rent on a two-bedroom apartment, which she shares with a roommate.
BY MATT ELDER
Amanda Bearly enjoys her time with her 10-week-old beagle, Baxter.
After some minor repairs inside
The Overland Park senior, received Baxter for her 21st birthday. While she enjoys the perks of a welcoming and wagging tail, she also realizes the potential problems that lay ahead.
"He's a little monster." Bearly said. "He's in the biting stage and started chewing my house's baseboards."
Although he admits to getting Tobi while living in a house that didn't allow pets, he managed to keep the dog secret from his landlord for several months.
Many University of Kansas students are finding out that the hardships associated with owning a dog often outweigh the moments of happiness they spend with their furry friends.
Midge Grinstead, executive director at the Lawrence Humane Society, said that college students often bought pets for the wrong reasons.
"They think they're just cute and adorable," she said. "But god, it's like having a baby."
Grinstead expects an average of 50 dogs to be handed over to the shelter from frustrated student-pet owners each semester. Most claim to have been unaware of the responsibilities of their investment.
Damage to houses and the task of cleaning are often the greatest challenges for students with pets. D.J. Webb, Olathe senior, has struggled to keep his basset hound, Tobi, under his roof since he first moved off-campus.
"Living at home with three dogs, I wanted one of my own when I got my place." Webb said.
SEE PETS ON PAGE 6A
SAFETY
Group ranks Kansas fifth on list
Recent fire-related fatalities land state high on national scale
BY ERIN CASTANEDA
The national non-profit organization, dedicated to reducing the number of fire fatalities in student housing, examined the number of fires that occurred in universities across the country between Jan. 2000 and July 2006 and released an evaluation on its findings.
The Center for Campus Fire Safety ranked the state of Kansas fifth in the nation for the number of campus fire fatalities at all state universities.
The center identified 89 fire-relat
ed deaths nationwide that occurred in student housing off campuses, five of which were in Kansas.
During the academic year 2005-06, the center identified one fatality in an off-campus fire at the University of Kansas.
Since the year 2000, about 80 percent of fire fatalities occurred in off-campus housing. The center reported the common factors in a number of the fires included lack of automatic fire sprinklers, missing or disabled smoke alarms and alcohol consumption.
As one way to increase awareness and decrease the number of
deaths. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Jack Alexander, state fire marshal, declared September as Campus Fire Safety Month. The State Fire Marshal Fire Prevention Division will encourage cities and towns across the county to provide fire-safety educational programs to students throughout the month.
Off-campus housing is also a main concern for Karl McNorton, Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal. He said he wanted to make people aware of safety measures such as checking the smoke detector; and having an escape plan to get out of a building.
SEE FIRE ON PAGE 6A
fire safety tips
The Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal published a college checklist to increase knowledge about fire safety and prevention. The tips are for the University Student Housing administrators and students.
Make sure the dormitory room has smoke alarms.
Learn to properly use and maintain heating and cooking appliances.
the smoke alarms and fire alarm system have been tested by staff.
Regularly inspect rooms and buildings for fire hazards. Ask your local fire department for assistance.
» Inspect exit doors and windows and make sure they are working properly.
> Fire drills should be conducted monthly for each building to assure you know what to do in case of a fire.
状
> Do not overload electrical outlets and make sure extension cords are used properly.
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Source: www.accesskansas.org/firemarshal/