THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Tracking a spider's path
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 126
BY ROSHNI OOMMEN roommen@kansan.com
Saupe
When she was in the sixth grade, Rachel Newby was bitten by a brown recluse spider. The spider, which was in Newby's bed, bit her twice. Now Newby, a freshman from Washington, D.C., has an indentation on her right knee — an eraser-sized scar that's a reminder of the venomous spider
Brown recluse spiders, known for their distinctive shape and skin-deteriorating bite, are prevalent in Kansas, said Erin Saupe, a doctoral student in geology from St. Cloud, Minn. There might be
that bit her seven years ago.
some slightly reassuring news for future generations. By 2080, said Saupe, Kansas brown recluse spiders may not even exist anymore.
Saupe began the project about two years ago as a master's project. The findings of the research team's work were published on March 25. Saupe said she hoped the
Saupe and other KU researchers have developed an estimation of the climatic preferences of the brown recluse, using a system they call "ecological niche modeling." Through this modeling, Saupe has developed a way to determine the climates recluses prefer, where they are in the United States and what areas the recluses may inhabit in the future. Saupe said that the recluse is expected to move to other areas of the country in the future.
group's findings could make a difference in the medical field.
"The brown recluse is obviu-ously very important." Saupe said. "Itss bites can cause tissue death and limb loss"
But, she said, some doctors diagnose brown recluse bites in areas where the recluce doesn't normally habitat. Saupe said medical professionals in these areas often misdiagnose serious diseases like lymphoma and Lyme disease as brown recluse bites.
"With this data, we can confirm and attest where they are, based on the climatic data we've gathered," Saupe said.
Paul Selden, professor of geology, was part of the research team. He said the project would help inform the public where brown recluses are prevalent.
"We knew the project would be interesting," he said. "We were hoping it will spread the word to medics and the public that they should understand these things better."
— Edited by Caroline Bledowski
Patty Quinlan, nursing supervisor at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said the center sees about three brown recluse bites per year. She said the bites spike in the fall and winter, when spiders and other insects try to get indoors to take shelter from the cold weather.
"It's quite a nasty bite," she said.
Quinlan said the bites are treated with antibiotics. She said there's a risk of infection from the spider and the dead tissue caused by the spider's venom.
Graphic by Weston Pletcher/ edited by Caroline Bledowski
CAMPUS
Early easter egg hunt is part of study to promote positivity
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
The Easter Bunny came to campus early this year.
Students arriving on campus Tuesday morning found hundreds of easter eggs waiting for them on the lawns surrounding Strong Hall, Wesco Beach, Summerfield Hall, Frasier Hall and Watson Library.
Some of the eggs were hidden among bushes and along stairs while others sat in plain view, but they all contained a pair of chocolate treats and a printed message from students of "Positive Psychology"
what it is," she said.
Lindie Northup, a senior from Edmond, Okla., was one of those who delivered the eggs. She said she enjoyed watching people open them up.
"It's just funny because I know
A group of 12 students from the course scattered 500 eggs around campus at 7 a.m. as part of a project to study how people rated their happiness upon discovering the chocolate pieces inside and their happiness upon giving the second piece to a friend as the egg's message suggested. The message contained a link to an online survey where students could answer five
questions about their experience.
Students who submit a survey will be eligible to win a prize, which will most likely be a gift card, Northup said.
The Easter egg hunt is one of several projects in a course taught by Sarah Pressman, associate professor of psychology. The projects are designed to promote positivity around Lawrence and to study people's responses. Rachel Blomberg, a
junior from Chicago, said that, later in the semester, the entire "Positive Psychology" class will work together to replicate one of the studies. She said that if the Easter egg hunt is repeated by the entire class, it could include a lot more than 500 eggs.
Blomberg said Tuesday afternoon that more than 40 surveys had been completed. The students will continue collecting surveys until
Thursday and will use the results in their project research paper.
Northup said that she expected the results to confirm the research hypothesis.
"I think anyone receiving chocolate will be pleased," she said.
Edited by Amanda Sorell
LOCAL|6A
Commission vacancies filled
Hugh Carter, Mike Dever and Bob Schumm will join the five-member Lawrence City Commission.
CAMPUS | 3A
Bhangra gives campus beat
Drum performers played a mixed style of music at the Kansas Union Plaza celebrating International Awareness Week.
Classifieds...7A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...12A
Sudoku...4A
INDEX
WEATHER
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
ACTIVISM
BY JONATHAN SHORMAN
"I think in the 70s we created this critter called 'date rape," Sarah Jane Russell, executive director, said. "And we did it because we wanted to better capture exactly what we were saw happening. But along with that came a weirdness."
The compact social environment of the university also provides a challenge for GaDuGi as victims fear that coming forward will expose them to unwanted attention.
Safecenter challenges sexual assault stigmas
GaDuGi acts as the sole provider of sexual assault services in Douglas County. Its effect is felt in the hundreds of cases it takes on each year, providing everything from counseling and hospital visitation to advocacy and outreach. The center's status as sole service provider also means that it interacts with all kinds of victims. In the campus context, that often means college-age women. In addition to helping the women themselves, GaDuGi also works against what the center sees as harmful stereotypes.
jshorman@kansan.com
April may be Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but the workers at GaDuGi Safecenter are already all too aware of the trauma sexual assault can cause.
Russell said individuals with biases against sexual assault victims began to claim that women couldn't be raped by people they know.
"Men are sometimes forgotten about in the area of sexual assault, but it definitely does happen for men," Miller said. "Often men are embarrassed to come forward and seek help and counseling for these issues."
"And it really is because people were afraid they would find out they were going to that group," Russell said.
GaDuGi does provide services for men as well, and Russell said the center recently added its first male volunteer, who can assist in men's cases.
The same fear that keeps women from coming forward after a sexual assault can also keep men from coming forward, Susan Miller, GaDuGi therapist, said.
Later in April, GaDuGi, in conjunction with the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, will conduct outreach at the University as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
"People who have been assaulted feel like everyone in the whole world knows, even when that isn't true," Russell said.
KUJH
Russell said that for one semester the center held an on-campus support group for sexual assault victims. The only problem was that no one showed up. Each week workers arrived at the meeting location, but interest was minimal.
For more coverage of this story, check out KUJH's newscast today at 4 p.m.
Edited by Sarah Gregory
For 24/7 Support:
Call Headquarters Counseling Center at 785-841-2345 (Lawrence) or 1-888-899-2345 and ask for a GaDuGi SafeCenter Advocate to be paged.
The above map is split into four parts with each part as a different color. Look at the corresponding boxes be low to see how many sexual offenses occurred in that area between 2009 and 2010.
Sexual Offenses in Lawrence from 2009 to 2010
About 12 sexual offenses occured in Northwest Lawrence Forcible fondling and rape made up these 12 crimes.
About 33 offenses in Northeast Lawrence occured from 2009 to 2010. These sexual offenses included forcible sodomy, forcible fondling and rape.
There were around 36 sexual offenses in Southeast Lawrence. Pornography, obscene material, rape, forcible fondling and forcible sodomy made up these offenses.
Southwest Lawrence experienced about 12 sexual offenses between 2009 and 2010. These 12 were made up of rape, forcible sodomy and forcible fondling.
图
Crime statistics from 2006-2009 show that these sexual offenses occured most frequently between the months of August and September. In 2010, April was the month that these offenses occurred the most.
Graphic by Chris Neal/KANSAN Sources: http://maps-lkpd.lawrenceks.org/crimemap/, http://police.lawrenceks.org/ content/crime-statistics