VOL.116 ISSUE 11
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2005
KANSAN
ing
EU
WEATHER
that my
n't have
of my
aouch of 1 hours
thinking
is come
tion to a
ra
N PAGE 8A
Eric Gav/The Associated Press
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Evelyn Turner cries alongside the body of her common-law husband, Xavier Bowie, after he died in New Orleans yesterday. Bowie and Turner had decided to ride out Hurricane Katrina when they could not find a way to leave the city. Bowie, who had lung cancer, died when he ran out of oxygen yesterday afternoon
Storm hits home for students
Jayhawks worry about Katrina's effect on family
BY FRANK TANKARD
ftankard@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Donald Burnham watched all the news reports of Hurricane Katrina tearing through his home city, and all the while his thoughts remained on his mother.
Like other KU students from areas the hurricane ravaged on Monday, Burnham is trying to keep in contact with family and friends as they recoup from the storm's damage and decide what to do next. Last year, 83 students from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, the three states most affected by Katrina, were enrolled at the University.
As of last night, more than 100 had been confirmed dead in Harrison County, Miss., while officials in New Orleans and
other areas said only they were pushing bodies aside to rescue survivors.
Burnham, New Orleans freshman, was unable to contact his mother, who did not evacuate. But at 5 a.m. Monday she sent him a picture of the backyard of their house via her cell phone. No words, just a picture.
The picture showed the yard completely filled with water and their shed "flying in mid-air," he said.
"That's when I really got worried," Burnham said. "I couldn't get in touch with her at all."
Late Monday night he received a text message from her saying she was safe, though Burnham doesn't know how she'll cope without electricity or clean water for possibly a month.
Pamela Botts, assistant director of Counselling and Psychological Services, recommended that students dealing with the crisis keep in touch with family.
"Mostly, it's important to stay focused on what you need to
For more on Hurricane Katrina and the damaged it's caused in the Gulf, see page 4A.
Jeffrey Briscoe, New Orleans sophomore, spoke with his parents on Monday. They fled to Jackson, Miss., with two of his three brothers, before the hurricane struck.
do here; it's important to stay in touch with you, "Botts said.
They are staying in a hotel in Jackson and don't know when they will be able to return home, he said. He had no idea when their lives would return to normal or when his younger brother would return to high school.
About 80 percent of New Orleans was under various amounts
Briscoe said an uncle and his older brother stayed in New Orleans through the hurricane. His brother text messageed his family and was "OK and cleaning up," he said. The family hadn't heard from his uncle but weren't overly concerned, he said.
of water as of last night. Martial law had also been declared in several Louisiana parishes, allowing the military to take over for local police forces.
Sara Edwards, a freshman from Mandeville, La., a city of 11,000 people across the bay from New Orleans, said she had been speaking regularly with her mother and sister, who fleed the city. She feared, however, for friends and family who stayed behind as she watched news reports.
"I was freaking out," she said. "I was so scared because I thought all the people I left behind were losing their houses and possibly getting hurt."
Edwards said she didn't receive word until yesterday that her father made it out of the city and to northern Mississippi.
Max Morris, a senior from Kenner, La., a suburb west of New Orleans, feared that his family's vacant house was badly damaged, but was grateful the
SEE HURRICANE ON PAGE 4A
ADMINISTRATION
University praised for academic success
BY ALY BARLAND
abarland@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The University of Kansas recently fell three spots this year in the U.S. News and World Report's magazine America's Best Colleges, but a new book based on a 2004 study of universities and colleges nationwide praises the University for its academics and success in undergraduate education.
The book, "Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter," is based on Project DEEP, or Documenting Effective Educational Practice. Twenty-five researchers worked with the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University to compile the report praising 20 educational institutes across the country. The
University and the University of Michigan were the only large public universities selected.
Michele Eodice, founder and director of the KU Writing Center, said the center assisted students in achieving success at the University
"We're not doing something to students. The educational process is something we do with students," he said.
A team of six researchers visited the University twice, once in 2002 and again in 2003, to interview more than 110 students, faculty and administrators.
Provost David Shulenburger said the University approached students and faculty as a team. He said this attitude contributed to the University's achievements.
RANKING CRITERIA
SEE SUCCESS ON PAGE 4A
ACollegial Environment
♣Strong leadership
♣Interaction with faculty
♣Ease in adjusting to the college environment
Criteria considered by the research team that visited the University of Kansas:
An Emphasis on Undergraduate Teaching
+Improved training of graduate teaching assistants
+Keeping enrollment small in undergraduate courses
Data-driven Decision Making ♦Use of data to make campus organizational changes, solve problems and make decisions
Tradition and Culture
Building school pride
Connecting students to the campus community
Creation of an environment of academic success
Data-driven Decision Making
Source: NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practices
COURTS
Giddens faces charges from bar fight
BY STEVE LYNN
slynn@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced that charges have been filed against J.R. Giddens and Jeremiah Creswell, yesterday.
Giddens, a former KU basketball player, was charged in a two-count complaint alleging disorderly conduct and misdemeanor battery against Creswell.
Creswell, a 24 year-old Olathe resident, was charged in a one count complaint alleging misdemeanor battery against Giddens.
Creswell allegedly struck Giddens with his fist inside the Moon Bar, 821 Iowa St, on May 19. Giddens allegedly struck Creswell with his fist outside the Moon Bar after closing. Giddens was then stabbed in the right calf. Giddens and Creswell have been summoned to appear in court on Sept. 21.
No charges involving the knife injury had been filed, Branson said.
"It appears that those injuries were received while Mr. Creswell attempted to defend himself after several people joined in the altercation," he said. "The fact of the matter is, you've got a melee involving a lot of people. It's hard to tell what anybody's doing in these types of situations. To find a credible witness that can say 'yes, I saw X hit Y,' that's where the difficulty comes in."
Branson said he could not comment on specific details of the fight, nor whether Giddens and Creswell were tested for alcohol or drugs, because the case has not gone to court. Branson did not rule out filing additional charges in the case.
WITNESSES
♦ C.J. Giles
♦ Jeff Hawkins
♦ Darnell Jackson
♦ Josi Lima
♦ Roderick Stewart
♦ Anthony Stubbs II
Source: Douglas County District Attorney's Office
In a statement issued by the Kansas media relations department, Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self said he had no further comment on the matter.
"We have put this situation behind us," he said. The district attorney statement speaks for itself."
Associate athletics director Jim Marchiony had a similar response.
"J.R. has moved on and we have moved on," Marchiony said. "That incident is in the past and we will not comment on it."
The investigation has reached a point where the police could not glean any new information by interviewing more people, Branson said. The district attorney's office reviewed more than 250 pages of reports and interviewed more than 50 witnesses, he added.
The summons would be sent to Giddens' new address in Albuquerque, N.M., where he has since transferred to the University of New Mexico. If someone fails to respond to a summons, a bench warrant is issued for his or her arrest, Branson said.
Typically in the first appearance at court in a misdemeanor case, charges are read to the defendant and then the defendant
SEE GIDDENS ON PAGE 4A
Strong message
A student staged a protest against the Iraq War and the presence of military recruiters on campus yesterday in front of Strong Hall. The protest supported the campaign by Lawrence Counter-Recruitment to end military recruiting on campus. The student refused to be identified, saying only that he was a KU student.
Nicoletta Niosi/KANSAN
Today's weather
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan
Who's who at KU
As part of the new daily 2A feature series, we will interview the famous faces of the University of Kansas. Our first subject: Nick Sterner PAGE 2A
Quarterbacks prepare for season opener Adam Barmann has been named the starting quarterback, but both Brian Luke and Kerry Meier are still in the mix for playing time. PAGE 1B
4.2
Sister joins soccer Although freshman soccer player Missy Geha followed her sister to the University of Kansas soccer team, she's making a name for herself by working hard on the defensive end and learning quickly. PAGE 1B
Index
Comics...4B
Classifieds...5B
Crossword...4B
Horosopes...4B
Opinion...5A
Sports...1B