THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2006
NEWS 5A
HOMECOMING
University, city to sponsor concert
BY MARK VIERTHALER
The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and the University of Kansas have teamed up for a concert to extend homecoming activities for students and alumni.
The Lawrence City Commission approved a proposal for the concert to take place on the evening of Friday, Oct. 6. The Michael Beers Band has been scheduled to open the event. Organizers are still working with other artists to book two other acts.
"Get Downtown" will be the first time the University and the chamber have worked together to create a homecoming event. The chamber had proposed live music for the Friday preceding the game, the same night the University had scheduled a similar event at Potter Lake.
Jennifer Alderdice, director of student programs at the Alumni Association, said the chamber approached the homecoming committee to combine the two events.
The University of Kansas Alumni Association will help pay for the entertainment.
Rick Marquez, director of Downtown Lawrence, Inc., said the concert would take place on Eighth Street between Massachusetts and New Hampshire Streets. The commission also approved a temporary liquor license for sale of alcoholic beverages outdoors. Security will be present to deter violent behavior during the event, Marquez said.
Alderdice said the homecoming committee was attempting to get students and alumni to spend more time in Lawrence for homecoming, rather than arriving just for the game and leaving afterward.
"It may become a tradition," Alderdice said. "Even if the city doesn't participate again, we would like to continue it."
The chamber surveyed businesses along the affected area before submitting the proposal to see if any vendors objected to the event. Susan Henderson, director of marketing for the chamber, said all of the businesses were in full support of the event.
"It's a positive thing for downtown," she said. "Any time you get a big group of people in one place, it's going to have a positive effect."
The event is open to all community members. Henderson said.
Kansan staff writer Mark Vierthaler can be contacted at mvierthaler@kansan.com.
Edited by Derek Korte
AIRPLANE CRASH
Understaffed towers cause dangers
BY JEFFREY MCMURRAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The deadly Comair crash last weekend threw a spotlight on a practice aviation experts say goes on around the country: Small regional airports are sometimes manned by a single air traffic controller, even though federal rules require two.
The Federal Aviation Administration has directed Blue Grass Airport and others like it to staff their towers with at least two controllers. But only one was working Sunday when the pilot of Comair Flight 5191 mistakenly tried to take off from a runway that was too short, killing 49 of 50 people on board.
In a policy outlined in a directive last November, the FAA said two controllers must be on duty for all shifts at any airport that handles both control tower observations and radar operations.
But Ken Spirito, director of a regional airport in Peoria, Ill.,
said it was common for some late-night and early morning shifts to be staffed with only one controller. Someone may call in sick or take a vacation, and the FAA usually decides to keep the airport open, he said.
"The mandate that is issued by FAA is only as good as the staffing levels at that particular tower." Spirito said.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said that at the time of the accident, there were only two other towers — in Duluth, Minn., and Fargo, N.D. — that were not following the policy to staff with two controllers.
"We have clarified the guidance for them." Brown said.
She said staffing was adjusted at four other towers earlier this month, before the Comair crash. "This is an issue we've been looking at," she said.
Scott Zoeckler, who worked as a controller at Blue Grass for 25 years before retiring in 2004, said the overnight and early morning shifts were usually manned by only one person.
On Sunday, the controller on duty at the Lexington airport had turned his back to perform some "administrative duties" when the plane veered onto the wrong runway, investigators said. The controller, a 17-year veteran at the airport, has not been identified.
The first officer, James Polehinke, remained hospitalized Wednesday in critical condition.
Jed Doty, a Louisville flight instructor who also flew briefly for Comair last year, said it was the pilot's duty to get on the right runway.
"It's your responsibility to immediately speak up because, especially in busy airports, you can get in some pretty bad situations pretty quickly." Doty said.
On Wednesday, six tour buses took the victims' families to the crash site for the first time. The airport also established a memorial in a parking lot, featuring a banner reading "Remembering 5191" with pens for people to write messages.
》 GLOBALIZATION
Seven receive study abroad scholarships
Program promotes unusual Asian destinations
BY COURTNEY HAGEN
Bollig is one of seven University of Kansas students receiving a Freeman-ASIA scholarship to study abroad in Asia, a continent growing economically but lagging behind in study abroad interest.
Peter Bollig is packing his bags and heading for Hong Kong for the Fall 2006 semester as a recipient of a Freeman-ASIA scholarship. He said his goal was to become fluent in Chinese by practicing his skills hands-on.
Renee Frias, program coordinator for the Office of Study Abroad, said 74.8 percent of KU students who studied abroad studied in Europe last year while only 8.4 percent studied in Asia.
The Freeman Foundation began the Freeman-ASIA award program in 2000 to address discrepancies like this. Bollig said the lack of attention toward Asia was one reason he decided to apply for the scholarship.
"Despite the major economic and political powers in Asia, I feel
many Americans dismiss this large part of our world," Bollig said. "It
is definitely important to understand the world we live in, especially the aspects which we least comprehend"
More than 2,500 American students nationwide, including 31 KU students, have received assistance from the Freeman- ASIA program since it began.
program awarded $3,000 scholarships for a summer study abroad
The seven recipients of the
details
During the 2005-2006 school year,1,331 KU students studied abroad and 500 students from other institutions studied in KU study abroad programs.
> KU students study in 60 different countries during the year.
Source: Renee Frias, program coordinator, Office of Study Abroad
Freeman-ASIA scholarships this year are Bollig, Mariah Richardson, Lawrence senior, Julian Portillo, Lawrence senior, Shan Lau, Overland Park sophomore, Michael Sothan, Leawood senior, Rick Edward Winfrey, Sticha senior, and R.D. Andrew Stark, Yates Center junior.
office.
Frias said the Freeman-ASIA
session, $5,000 for a single semester session and $7,000 for year-long session. Students apply for the scholarship through the Office of Study Abroad.
Frias said a requirement to be considered for the program was that applicants work with an adviser through the
Office of Study Abroad statistics
If granted the scholarship, the program requires that students propose a service project, in which the students would use their experiences to promote study abroad in Asia once they return to the University.
Breakdown of KU students' study abroad destinations by continent:
74.8 percent in Europe
9.1 percent in Central and South America
8.4 percent in Asia
3.6 percent in Australia and the surrounding islands
3 percent in the Middle East and Africa
1 percent in North America and the Caribbean
1 percent in the Pacific Islands
"Overall, for many majors, study in Asia is important," Frias said. "Asia is a growing economic sector, there is a lot of potential for imports and exports. It is important that Americans know about the possibilities."
Source: Renee Frias, Program Coordinator, Office of Study Abroad
Students interested in applying for the Freeman-ASIA scholarship program can contact the Office of Study Abroad at 864-3742 or visit 108 Lippincott Hall.
Kansan staff writer Courtney Hagen can be contacted at chagen@ kansan.com.
-Edited by Travis Robinett
Delta Gamma Would Like to Welcome Their Amazing 2006 New Members
Lindsey Aufricht
Kalee Bachrodt
Marcy Brammer
Ali Bronska
Katie Bundy
Heather Coday
Megan Daniel-Rupp
Lizzy Dodd
Jenna Dornseif
Caitlin Drew
Casey Filbert
Ashleigh Freidman
Lisa Gornik
Annie Halloran
Betsy Heffinger
Molly Herd
Kaleigh Hudson
Lana Johnson
Katelin Karlin
Katie Kastner
Angela Keefner
Hannah Lee
Erin Lustig
Shelby Mahard
Erika Miller
Katherine Moore
Ashley Morse
Ashley Moser
Rachel Mzhickteno
Casey Norburg,
Gracie Pack
Anna Pham
Meghan Puhr
Metissa Pusateri
Nicole Rabinowitz
Rachel Santarelli
Darcy Stanger
Timorie Stewart
Katherine Stinson
Laura Strick
Lauren Swagerty
Meg Thorpe
Mandy Tickles
Anna Walter
Kristi Wood
---
1