WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007 | NEWS | WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAN
CAMPUS
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A construction worker balances himself on the roof of Bailey Hall Tuesday morning. Construction on the roof is one of the maintenance projects this summer.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
ENTERTAINMENT
Fans bid Barker farewell
Group gathers at Crossing to view host's final show
By Ben Smith
bsmith@kansan.com
As a large hound named Willie Nelson slurped up eggs from a paper plate on the floor Friday morning, his owners and other patrons parted down while watching a historical television event on a large projector screen.
The final broadcast of the CBS game show "The Price Is Right" with Bob Barker as host aired at 10 a.m. to a rowdy group of guys who rented out The Crossing, 618 W. 12th St.
Willie didn't really seem to care about the show with its shouting contestants and commercial breaks featuring products from The Scooter Store. But patrons couldn't help but notice the irony of having the large dog present for Barker's final sign off thanking viewers for allowing him into their homes for 30 years and "remember to control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody."
Willie isn't fixed. As Barker, the host since 1972, said his last line, people patted the dog's head and smiled.
Brandon Siekman, Leawood senior, was the organizer of "The Price Is Right Kegs and Eggs" party Friday morning. He and a dozen friends arose early to prepare biscuits, gravy and eggs as they drank beer and cheered each showcase.
Siekman said his idea for the little party started out as a minor joke but slowly gained momentum.
"In the beginning it was just a stupid idea," Siekman said. "But then it evolved into something more."
As Siekman and a hand full of his friends sat on the front deck of The Crossing, he said he was planning to "shed a tear" at the show's end.
"I'd always grown up watching the man," Siekman said. "I took afternoon kindergarten classes and in the mornings I watched The Price Is Right. And when I was home sick from school, all the way through high school, I'd watch two shows, SportsCenter and The Price Is Right."
Matt High, a graduate from Topeka, said the show and its host were both institutions that appealed to college students.
"Ive seen a hell of a lot of college kids on the show in the last few years," High said. "And for a man 80 years old, Barker still appeals to college students."
New funding plan proposed
Games that party-goers played included "Drinko," a game inspired by the familiar Price Is Right game of Plinko, and a game in which participants guess the six showcase games that would be featured on Barker's final show.
- Edited by Joe Caponio
University expects to receive $25 million from April bill
By Maggie VanBuskirk mvanbuskirk@kansan.com
After a deferred maintenance bill was passed by the Kansas House in April, the University submitted a proposal of how it will spend the additional funding for campus repairs to the Board of Regents. The board will review the proposal in its June meeting.
The deferred maintenance bill provides a five-year funding plan that will begin in the 2008 fiscal year. Throughout the duration of the plan, $90 million will be distributed for campus repairs at the University and
five other state universities.
According to Jim Modig, director of design and construction management, the University expects to receive $25 million during the five years of the plan. The first year, it will receive $9.9 million.
"The five-year plan is prioritized," Modig said. "With the initial five years of funding we plan to make improvements on the tunnels and eleven buildings."
The University proposed to use funding for tunnel repairs and mechanical improvements in Wescoe Hall and Haworth Hall during the first year of the plan. That includes
new air handling units in Wescoe and new exhaust hoods in Haworth's labs. Modig said the tunnels, which are a century old and provide heat to campus buildings, will either be replaced or repaired.
Funding from the deferred maintenance bill comes from the Statewide Maintenance and Disaster Relief Fund. It could be available to the University in August to hire consultants for the design and construction of repairs. By Spring 2008, Modig said he hoped the University would have bids for all the year's projects.
Edited by Joe Caponio
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