THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
LOCAL
Debate on atheism draws protest
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 147
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church plan to visit campus Friday and picket a public debate on atheism, according to the group's online schedule.
Conrad Hudson, vice president of the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA), said his group had been planning a week of events to promote discussion of secular ideas since attending a similar event, called Skepticon last year in Springfield, Mo.
The debate, titled "Does God Exist?" will lead off ReasonFest 2011, a series of public discussions on atheism and religion featuring talks by atheist speakers from around the country at Woodruff Auditorium Friday and Saturday.
Students have created a Facebook page to organize a counter protest and "flash mok kiss-in", which will involve public displays of affection. Daniel Held, a junior from Seattle, will collect donations for Planned Parenthood as he did in April 2010 when the Westboro church protested the Brown Bag Drag event during Queers & Allies' Pride Week. At that time, Held said he raised $350 for Planned Parenthood because it would be something the Westboro Church would disapprove of.
ReasonFest is sponsored by SOMA and will end Saturday evening with a fundraiser for
SEE SOMA ON PAGE 3A
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INDEX
WEATHER
intimacy
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Four students' experiences with domestic violence
Chloe sees rage in the eyes of Luke,
who doesn't like her proposal to study abroad. One hard shove and Chloe's head slams into the linoleum floor of her dorm room. He quickly straddles his girlfriend of five years, hands wrapped around her neck, blood rushing to her head turning her face reddish-purple.
News headlines flash thre mind: Girl strangled to death in dorm. Finally, he releases his grip and she can breathe.
He throws her into a wall, her head breaking through the sheetrock before she crumples to the floor, dazed, but still conscious.
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Megan waits at her front door armed with a softball bat. Something just crashed into the door and her dog continues to growl. Hours earlier, Tyler, the boyfriend she left a month ago, threatened her on the telephone. "I'm going to."
Ashley walks through the door of her apartment to find the place trashed and her boyfriend, Kyle, waiting in the debris. "Where the hell have you been, you fucking bitch," he screams, angry that she lied about having to work to spend time with friends.
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BY BOBBY BURCH
editor@kansan.com
shoot you. I'll take your body out to the country and burn it."
to end the relationship, but worries about his reaction.
Jana Mackey is surfing the Internet when she receives a message on Myspace. The man claims to be a doctor and wants to meet her, but she suspects it's really Fito Garche, her boyfriend, who has grown increasingly possessive and jealous. The grammar and hints of Spanish suggest that Garche, a Cuban immigrant, is testing her loyalty.
"He'd never hurt me," she thought, repeating it later to friends.
Police are coming, but she'll hold onto the bat until they arrive.
--home, and Riley County, home to Kansas State University, rank first and third among Kansas counties in the number of violated protective orders. Those orders are meant to stop abusers from stalking, threatening or beating partners and former partners.
--home, and Riley County, home to Kansas State University, rank first and third among Kansas counties in the number of violated protective orders. Those orders are meant to stop abusers from stalking, threatening or beating partners and former partners.
These women, all current or former KU students, were physically and emotionally abused by the men who claimed to love them, characterizing the most common form of domestic violence in Kansas and nationwide.
She knows now that she needs
They and most KU students are in the 18 to 24 age group that accounts for 28 percent of Kansas domestic violence in 2009 — more than any other group, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
KBI reports show that Douglas
While the numbers are striking, many more incidents go unreported for fear of violent retribution. Batterers manipulate partners to remain silent through threats, isolation and emotional abuse.
Yet the following year, the number of domestic abuse deaths climbed to 35 - a near 85 percent increase, ac-
The abuse can also turn lethal. In 2008 the number of domestic violence-related homicides in Kansas was 19 — one of which shocked the KU community and brought statewide attention to the issue.
Despite such efforts, the KBI says the number of reported incidents increased more than 20 percent since 2001.
Kansas'
Kansas officials have addressed concerns of domestic violence with legislation to combat its growing frequency. Then-Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson signed into law last year a bill that assists the criminal justice system in documenting domestic violence crimes and tracks repeat of-
cording to the KBI
The stories of Chloe, Ashley, Megan and Jana demonstrate the range of abusive behaviors intimate attackers use to establish power and control. The names of three of the women have been withheld for fear of the kind of violent retaliation that led to the death of the fourth.
18
aspirations.
and Luke Chloe met Luke their freshman year of high school and began dating him shortly after. The shy couple often fanaticized about their future together and discussed each other's
"A big part of our relationship was based on dreams — things that weren't real or ever going to happen," Chloe said.
She enjoyed his enthusiasm and spontaneity, but early into their relationship, Luke began to control her. He would criticize her clothes and makeup, saying that her style made him uncomfortable.
SEE ABUSE ON PAGE 6A
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