THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
3A
CAMPUS SAFETY
Crime rates continue to decline
BY ERICK R. SCHMIDT
For the third consecutive year, the number of criminal offenses reported by the KU Public Safety Office has decreased, according to figures released this week.
Reported crimes dropped from 754 in 2005 to 722 in 2006, a 4 percent decrease. The number of crimes reported has gone down every year since 2003, when 849 crimes were reported. In 2005, crime numbers increased from 797
in 2002 to 849.
Chief Ralph Oliver of the Public Safety Office attributed the decrease to several factors. Among them were the number of educational programs, new security cameras around campus and support from the University's administration.
"It takes more than the efforts of the men and women of the KU Public Safety Office to make a safer campus," Oliver said in a press release. "This continued decline
could only be achieved through the cooperation of the University community as a whole."
During the past 10 years, reported crime has been cut nearly in half. In 1997, 1,438 crimes were reported. The biggest percentage drop for a felony crime came from auto burglaries; only one was reported in 2006 as opposed to four in 1997.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway released a statement earlier in the week.
"A safe and secure environment on campus is vital for this University to fulfill its mission," Hemenway said. "While everyone must use common sense and take proper precautions to avoid becoming victims of crime, no matter where they are."
Kansan staff writer Erick R. Schmidt can be contacted at eschmidt@kansan.com.
— Edited by Will McCullough
IRAQ WAR
Crew returns home after two weeks in captivity
BY TARIQ PANJA ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England With champagne bottles popping, a Royal Navy crew flew home Thursday after nearly two weeks in Iranian captivity to hugs from tearful relatives and relief in a Britain outraged the crew was used by Tehran for propaganda.
While much of the country rallied behind the crew's return, others criticized them for offering apologies where none was required — namely for appearing in videos in which they admitted and offered regrets for entering Iranian waters. Defense officials sought quash the criticism.
Prime Minister Tony Blair was somber. He said that while the country celebrated the safe return — and praised the diplomacy that secured their release — the joy was diminished by the killing of four British soldiers in Iraq on Thursday.
"Just as we rejoice at the return of our 15 service personnel, so today we are also grieving and mourning for the loss of our soldiers in Basra, who were killed as the result of a terrorist act," Blair said.
Iran's release of the eight sailors and seven marines raised hopes
among some that Tehran might be open to compromise on other matters, particularly Western demands for a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program.
But Iran already was warning it would retaliate if the West pushed too hard, and U.S. officials intensified their criticism of Tehran after restraining their comments during the 13-day standoff over the British naval crew.
Gordon
John droe,
spokesman for the National
Security Council.
said Washington
morning, traveling in business class on a British Airways jetliner with staff from the British Embassy in Tehran. Flight attendants passed around champagne as a Royal Navy officer reminded the former prisoners they were on duty.
"Just as we rejoice at the return of our 15 service personnel, so today we are also grieving and mourning for the loss of our soldiers in Basra."
saw no sign of Iranian willingness to work with other nations on scaling back its nuclear program, which the U.S. and its allies suspect is aimed at producing atomic weapons.
"What would show that they're more in line with the international community is to comply with the U.N. Security Council resolution" calling for a freeze in the Iranian nuclear program, he said.
The freed crew left Iran in the
TONY BLAIR Prime Minister
Filing off the plane at London's
Heathrow Airport after a 6 1/2 hour flight, the team members carried blue and orange duffel bags and shopping bags, some apparently holding candy and souvenir gifts from Iranians.
the tarmac, smiling and standing at attention — dressed in crisp blue naval and brown camouflage marine uniforms rather than the ill-fitting civilian clothes that Iranian officials provided for their release.
They spent a few minutes on
Then two Sea King helicopters ferried the crew 210 miles to the Royal Marine base at Chivenor for a reunion with families. As they hugged relatives, TV cameras caught Leading Seaman Faye Turney - the
only woman among the captives — wiping tears from the corner of her eye.
A lunch with families followed at the base cafeteria. They were described by the military as "in good spirits".
The crew was expected to remain at the base at least until Friday for debriefing about their seizure by Iran, which charged the naval队 intruded into its waters in two inflatable boats. Britain insisted the crew was searching for smuggling on Iraq's side of the Shatt al-Arab, a disputed waterway dividing Iraq and Iran.
Britain's Sky News reported that an officer in the captured crew, Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air, had said in an interview three weeks ago that the team gathered intelligence on Iran during its patrols.
The Defense Ministry denied the team had any special intelligence role. It said they routinely spoke to commanders of vessels using the Persian Gulf and Shatt Al-Arab to determine who is using shipping routes.
Countries ranging from Syria to Colombia pressed Iran for the release of the crew, whose capture began at the start of the two-week Iranian new year celebrations.
》CANINE SCIENCE
BY RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
ASOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON From the towering Great Dane to the feisty little Chihuahua, all dogs are brothers under the skin. Now, researchers have uncovered a reason why the animals wearing that skin vary so much in size.
Dogs have the largest variation in body size of any land animal, so researchers led by Elaine A. Ostrander of the National Human
Genome Research Institute decided to look into the reasons why.
They found a section of genes that controls small size in dogs and reported their
Keith E. Murphy, principal investigator at the Canine Genetics Laboratory of Texas A&M University, said, "What you've got here is the first piece of that puzzle."
"We know this is only part of the story, but it's a necessary part of the story."
"That's very important and you're looking at almost a sort of cascade effect, if you will, and we would hope that these findings, maybe you can extend to diseases ... maybe even cancer" said Murphy, who was not part
said.
ELAINE A. OSTRANDER Research leader
results in Fridays' issue of the journal "Science."
Learning how growth is controlled can improve the understanding of cancer and other diseases caused by growth gone awry, Ostrander said in a telephone interview.
And the research adds to the basic study of variations, perhaps improving knowledge of the differences between people, she added.
K. Gordon Lark of the University of Utah, a co-author of the report, pointed out that dogs have 200 to 300 diseases in common with people, including high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and cancer.
"They also share our environment, so if there is an environmental influence that can trigger disease," dogs will be going through the same process, he said in a telephone interview.
"So, if we can solve this in dogs,
that's a fantastic jump ahead." Lark
of the research team
Lark's Portuguese water dog, Georgie, had died and he was seeking a new one. Hearing he was a agenticist, the breeder urged
him to work on dog genes.
So he began the Georgie project, studying the genes of the Portuguese water dog, a breed that comes in a wide range of sizes from 25 pounds to 75 pounds.
Ostrander and colleagues then extended that to a range of large and small breeds and the researchers located a section of DNA that varied between large and small breeds in most cases.
Known as a regulatory sequence, the difference is on dog chromosome 15 next to a previously known gene named IGF1, for insulin-like growth factor 1. The hormone controlled by the IGF1 gene helps mammals — including people — grow from birth to adolescence.
In small dog breeds a mutation in the sequence next to the gene kept them from growing larger, the researchers said.
"We know this is only part of the story, but it's a necessary part of the story," said Ostrander.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
Alderson Auditorium, Kansas Union, 4th floor
Fridav, April 6th @ 7:00pm
then EASTER AT LIBERTY HALL
www.RenaissanceLawrence.com a re-birth of social, cultural and spiritual engagement
pay for any meals.
KU Hillel will be serving Kosher-for-Passover dinners each night during Passover from 6-7pm at Hillel. Contact Program Director Matt Lehrman at (785)749-5397 or mlehrman@kuhillel.org to RSVP or
Visit kuhillel.org for prices and more information! Save money by prepaying or by purchasing meal packages!
Sunday, April 8th @ 11:00am
Liberty Hall, 644 Mass Street
Passover at KU Hillel
The rooms are as follows:
There will be no lunch served on Saturday or Sunday.
Passover Dinner
The rooms are as follows Friday, April 6 - Governors Room (5th Floor) Monday, April 9 - Alcove C (3rd Floor)
55th Annual
April 6th,2007
International
Awareness
Saturday (3/31)
FLAVORS OF THE
WORLD
First Presbyterian
2416 Clinton Pkwy
(6:00 pm - 10:00 pm)
ADVANCE: $3
DOOR: $5
March 31st April 27th 2007 Week
Tuesday (4/3)
'THE CREATION'
'EVOLUTION DEBATE IN'
'THE MUSLIM WORLD'
by professor Tamer Edis.
Alderson Auditorium
KS Union
(7:00 pm)
Friday (4/6)
Wednesday (4/4)
LANGUAGE FAIR
FASHION SHOW & SUA
COFFEE AND CULTURE
Fourth floor KSU Division
(7:00 pm)
Saturdays (4/7)
WORLD CUP
Email Blurnock ends to
sign up
Hire 2nd and 3rd
troops on field
Shink Field
(10:00 am - 6:00 pm)
PAID FOR BY KU
INSIDE INDIA
Learn about the culture of India through dancing, free henna, and testimonies A FREE Indian Dinner will follow Guest Speaker: Mahasweta Banerjee, Dept of Social Welfare
Thursday, April 12th at 6:00 pm Relays Room, Burge Union Sponsored by AIESEC
Phi Alpha Delta
Pre-Law Fraternity
Application Deadline!
The Deadline to join F.A.D. Pre-Law Fraternity is approaching!
Members of P.A.D. get exclusive insight into the law school process as well as a chance to meet other pre-law students at KU.
Applications for the Spring 2007 Deadline to join P.A.D. must be turned in no later than April 6th. Find the application on the P.A.D. website at advising ku.edu/phialphadela/member.shtml Turn in applications to the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center (128 Strong Hall), attn: Pre-law Advisor. Any student thinking about law school is encouraged to apply!
KU Four-Square Club
Wescoe Beach
11:30-2:30
Join the KU Four-Square Club
Guest Speaker:
KS Secretary of State
Ron Thornburgh
Meeting Tuesday, April 10 at 7 pm Kansas Room, Kansas Union
for a quick game
KU COLLEGE REPUBLICANS
SEE YOU ON THE BEACH!
WANT TO BE INVOLVED?
Center for Community Outreach
Come to an informational meeting April 9 at 7:30 Alcove E of the Kansas Union! Find out about how you can coordinate one of 15 volunteer programs or apply for a position in the office! Questions? Contact cco@ku.edu