THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
NASCAR BRINGS FANS, FERVOR TO KANSAS CITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007
SOFTBALL DOMINATES
>> PAGE 1B
AIR FORCE ROTC
Run raises money for soldier fund
The Air Force ROTC raised $900 and had a 5K run for children of wounded or missing veterans.
The 22 students who participated in the 5K had the option of either wearing ribbons in honor of certain soldiers, or groups of soldiers that they wanted to honor. They also asked family and friends to donate to the fund along with donating themselves. After the run, which replaced one of their 6 a.m. weekly workouts, the students had a coakout at Broken Arrow Park.
The money will go toward the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which gives scholarships to children of active service members who were either permanently disabled, are prisoners of war or are missing in action.
FULL STORY ON 3A
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The AFROTC replaced their 6 a.m. workout with a 5k charity run Saturday.
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 33
ASSOCIATED PRESS
INSURGENTS KILLED, DETAINED
U. S. officials reported that more than 60 insurgents died in weekend battles FULL STORY ON PAGE 3A
weather
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FIREOPS 101
Classifieds...6B
Crossword...4A
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Opinion...5A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...4A
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© 2007The University Daily Kansan
index
A day in the life of a firefighter
Kansan reporter learns duties of dangerous job
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Kathy Elkins' words immediately pull my attention away from the new, navy blue firefighter helmet in front of me to the podium where she's standing.
"Wed like to welcome you to a day you'll remember forever," she said.
Soon after that announcement, 16 of us — journalists, city hall workers and even a radio DJ — scoop up our helmets, protective masks and firefighter jackets, and prepare to participate in the first Lawrence Fire Department FIREOPS 101. Elkins' bold promise makes me more ready than ever to experience firsthand the job of a firefighter.
"Remember forever?" I think. "We'll see."
CPR
Robert Hardy, the head firefighter for my group, leads city commissioners Boog Highberger and Mike Dever, City Personnel Manager Lori Carnahan and me down a back hallway to a room where a dummy lies sprawled on the floor. Firefighter John Darling tells Dever to begin chest compressions on the dummy. I grab a seal and oxygen tank, and start giving it air.
A few minutes later, the three of us place the dummy on the stretcher and carry, it through a narrow door and down a set of stairs to an ambulance.
As I think about how heavy the stretcher is and how tough it is to get down the stairs, Darling says, "Just be glad it's not 3 a.m. and icy outside."
I later realize firefighters often have to deal with calls at strange times like that when Darling shows us a poster of statistics. The Lawrence Fire Department responded to almost 9,000 medical incidents or fires last year. Just when I ask Darling about how many calls they get each day, we have to switch stations. Next up — the real fire.
FIGHTING THE FIRE
Id been looking forward to this opportunity all week. CPR on a dummy is OK, but putting out an actual fire? That's my kind of thing. I put on my full suit, helmet and face mask. A firefighter helps me strap an oxygen tank to my back. The suit and tank make me feel like someone attached a kitchen table to my body.
We step up to the building's door. Although this is just a training drill, my heart rate increases as the firefighters tell us to enter. I crouch down and start crawling on the wet tile floor with a hose in my hand as the rest of the group follows me.
I crawl for a minute before I see light
SEE FIREMAN ON PAGE 6A
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Mark Dent, Kansan Reporter, put on firefighter gear and plunged into a day of training simulation with the Douglas County Fire Department. Civilians participated in multiple scenarios including extinguishing a burning room and tearing apart a wrecked car.
CAMPUS
SUA hosts hunger banquet
Students have opportunity to eat free, learn about global poverty
84
BY JEFF DETERS
jdeters@kansan.com
Students can enjoy a free dinner tonight at the Kansas Union — and they can also learn about world poverty.
Student Union Activities and Oxfam America, a non-profit organization that works to educate people about global issues such as poverty and hunger, is sponsoring a Hunger Banquet at 6 p.m. in the Jayhawk Room in the Kansas University
The dinner is free, and attendees will draw an identity card at the door and be grouped according to upper, middle and lower-class divisions. Upper-class citizens can enjoy a three-course meal and sit at a table with chairs. Those in the middle class will be served rice and beans, while
lower-class citizens will sit on the floor and eat rice.
The classes will shift during the dinner: Those who begin in the upper class may move to the lower classes, and the lower and middle classes might move up in rank. This is to simulate how frequently people around the world change class status.
Brianna Saunders, Vancouver, British Columbia, junior and social committees member for SUA, is in her second year helping with the banquet.
"We take people through these social issues and show them how much one person's actions can affect many," she said.
Selena Self, Norman, Okla., senior and former Oxfam coordinator, said that about 150 attended the banquet last year, and she said that she hoped to have 250 attend this
"I think it's important to balance out our education and get involved in and go to events and learn outside the classroom," Mack said.
During a reception, students can also learn how to become involved with different student organizations that focus on social issues such as hunger and poverty.
Nathan Mack, Lawrence junior, plans on attending the dinner. He said he went to events like the hanger banquet often because he could gain an unique perspective.
year. She said students would be surprised to learn that a large number of people lived on less than $1 a day.
"We want people to leave with a sense of hope," Saunders said.
Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
》 FINANCIAL AID
Bill helps students with college costs
A new law will make it easier for some students to pay for college tuition and loans after graduation. President Bush signed the College Cost Reduction Act into law last Thursday.
The law will increase the amount of Pell Grant scholarships and increase the eligibility of students who can receive them. Interest rates on subsidized student loans will also be cut in half over the next five years, thanks to the bill. The law provides loan forgiveness after 10 years of service to students who work in high-need areas such as education, nursing and other public service jobs.
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FULLSTORY ON 3A
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