THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOL.116 ISSUE 9
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sophomore injured at night club fight
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
AND STEVE LYNN
editor@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITERS
Kansas basketball player Rodrick Stewart was injured in one of a series of fights that broke out at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. 6th St. early westerday morning.
Student athletes were involved in breaking up the fights, Tyler Torneden, Abe and Jake's manager, said.
Paramedics responded to a separate medical incident that occurred at the bar.
The bar, which often admits only people age 21 and over, allowed ages 18 and over Saturday night.
"There were multiple fights" about 1:30 a.m., a Lawrence police officer said. "We have one injured and being checked out at the hospital. We had an individual fall from the railing, apparently, and he's injured and at the hospital."
Kansas men's basketball assistant coach Kurtis Townsend went to Lawrence Memorial Hospital because of an involved athlete.
"I know obviously something happened with Rod," Townsend said in reference to sophomore guard Rodrick Stewart. "I wasn't there. I just got the call and came down here."
Townsend was joined at the hospital by Aaron Miles, former Kansas guard, and Moulage Niang, a former basketball player and current student assistant. It was previously reported that sophomore guard Russell Robinson was at the hospital, but he was not.
Torneden said another individual fell from heights near the entrance of the bar.
The individual "was removed from the bar; he was intoxicated," he said. "He came down and it looks as if he tried to sneak into the back door, lost his balance, rolled down, fell off and hit his head."
In the first of two statements released yesterday through media relations director Chris Theisen, Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self said he was "still in a fact-gathering stage."
In a later statement, Bill Self said Stewart was hit in the head with a blunt object when he was attempting to leave the bar.
"All reports we have received indicate Rodrick had no involvement in the altercation other than him being hit over the head while going up the stairs." Self said.
According to Self, Rodrick received four staples at the hospital and was feeling fine yesterday.
♥ The Kansan's Jonathan Kealing, Miranda Lennin, Eric Sorrentino and Matt Wilson contributed to this story. Tyler Ball of KUJH-TV News also contributed. Edited by Katie Lohrenz.
Season ticket sales up over last year
FOOTBALL
With a week until kick-off. 24,000 seats have been sold; overall attendance up, too
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
rschneider@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Football season ticket sales are up from this point last year, but still are about 1,000 behind the final total from last season
More than 24,000 football season tickets have been sold for this year, less than a week before kick-off of the 2005 season against Florida
Marchiony
Atlantic, said Jim Marchiony associate athletics director for external affairs.
"We want to sell as many tickets as possible," Marchiony said. "Our goal is to sell out
Marchiony said the increase in ticket sales was due to three reasons; excitement about this year's football team, taking special care to give beneficial seating to long-time season ticket holders and the select-a-seat process that was implemented for all season ticket holders in football, and will be applied to basketball as well, starting in October.
"We want to sell as many tickets as possible. Our goal is to sell out the stadium."
Jim Marchiony Associate athletics director
the stadium."
Since head coach Mark Mangino arrived in 2002, the Kansas Athletics Department has come closer to its goal of selling out Memorial Stadium, which has a capacity of 50,071.
FOOTBALL
ATTENDANCE
The average home attendance has increased by nearly 5,000 since the 2002 season.
In 2004, the average home attendance was 41,066, the highest since the 1996 season, which averaged 42,100.
In an effort to keep attendance growing, the corporation plastered its campaign for this season, "Where will you be on game day?" on billboards, posters and in television and radio commercials across the state.
Average game attendance at Memorial Stadium during the tenures of the past three KU coaches:
Capacity: 50,071
♦ Glen Mason: 1988-1996 - 37,516
Mark Mangino: 2002-2005 - 38, 633
- Terry Allen: 1997-2001 - 35, 326
The department also distributed numerous yard signs to business in the Lawrence and surrounding areas for customers to display at home.
Source: Kansas Athletics Department
Ronnie Escobar, Topeka resident, is one person who bought tickets for the first time this season.
"Last year and this year, we worked hard to market in Lawrence, Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita." Marchiony said.
One Lawrence resident decided not to keep his tickets after the department's decision to tie football season tickets to Williams Fund membership.
Escobar said he and his family decided to buy season tickets because he was no longer a football usher and he wanted to continue to be a part of the atmosphere at the games. He ushered for 35 years.
Jon Amyx, owner of Downtown Barber Shop, 824 Massachusetts St., said he's spoken to numerous customers who have dropped their season tickets.
"I know of 20 or so people who have just dropped their football and basketball tickets all together." Amyx said.
Based on the Williams Fund point totals, ticket holders were allowed to pick their seats at the stadium.
Williams Fund members receive points based on donations, season tickets for other sports and alumni association membership.
Amyx said those he spoke to were upset with their parking assignment in the Kansas Union, which prevented them from tailgating and the amount of money they would have to donate to keep their current seats.
- Edited by Ty Beaver
WEATHER
Southern states prepare for worst
BY ALLEN G. BREED THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Have God on your side, definitely have God on your side," Nancy Noble said as she sat with her puppy and three friends in six lanes of one-way traffic on gridlocked Interstate 10. "It's very frightening."
NEW ORLEANS — A monstrous Hurricane Katrina barreled toward New Orleans on Sunday with 160-mph wind and a threat of a 28-foot storm surge, forcing a mandatory evacuation of the below-sea-level city and prayers for those who remained to face a doomsday scenario.
Katrina intensified into a Category 5 giant over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of 175 mph before weakening slightly on a path to hit New Orleans around sunrise
Monday. That would make it the city's first direct hit in 40 years and the most powerful storm ever to slam the city.
Forecasters warned that Mississippi and Alabama were also in danger because Katrina was such a big storm — with hurricane-force winds extending up to 105 miles from the center. In addition to the winds, the storm packed the potential for a surge of 18 to 28 feet, 30-foot waves and as much as 15 inches of rain.
"The conditions have to be absolutely perfect to have a hurricane become this strong." National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield, noting that Katrina may yet be more powerful than the last Category
SEE HURRICANE ON PAGE 4A
SOURCE: FEMA
Dale Munday of Dauphin Island, Ala., walked along the beaches of the island with his son Logan and daughter Lauren, both 9, and their dog Roscal as the waters of the Gulf churn behind them yesterday. Hurricane Katrina's effects were already being felt along the Gulf Coast as residents braced for the storm's expected landfall today near New Orleans.
G. M. Andrews/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hurricane Katrina heads for Gulf
Students from New Orleans worry about family back home
BY FRANK TANKARD
fianckand.kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Students from New Orleans worried for friends and family yesterday as Hurricane Katrina rolled toward their hometown with wind speeds up to 175 mph that could bring a 28-foot storm surge, according to news reports. A storm surge is the rise in sea level that occurs during a large storm.
Arturo Febry, New Orleans junior, was concerned for the
The mayor of New Orleans evacuated the below-sea-level city yesterday in anticipation of the Category 5 hurricane hitting early this morning.
safety of his family. His mother and grandmother evacuated the city yesterday, he said. His father, a doctor, stayed behind to care for injured residents.
"It's hard because I can't be home with them." Febry said. "It's always scary when you hear about these hurricanes, especially because any hurricane 2 or above, if it hits the Mississippi, can flood the city."
DeMarco Smith, New Orleans sophomore, said his relatives boarded up their houses and drove to Houston, while some of his friends joined the thousands of people trying to get inside the Louisiana Superdome for shelter.
The 70,000-seat Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, is one of 10 emergency shelters the city has designated for residents who don't have the means to leave the city.
"They seemed pretty calm," Smith said. "It's just another hurricane, but this one's a little more damaging. They were just in a hurry to get there."
The National Weather Service upgraded Hurricane Katrina to Category 5 yesterday as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico, meaning its wind speeds exceeded 155 mph. Only three documented Category 5 hurricanes have touched land in the United States, the latest being
The National Hurricane Center called the hurricane "potentially catastrophic" and issued a hurricane warning at 1 p.m. yesterday for New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast, meaning the hurricane was expected reach land within 24 hours.
Nathaniel Brunsell, assistant professor of geography, said New Orleans was an especially vulnerable city because it sits an average of six feet below sea level.
Hurricane Andrew in 1992
"If we're talking 12 feet, 15 feet of water coming in, it could potentially flood the entire city," Brunsell said.
— Edited by Katie Lohrenz
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan
Rush awaits scholarship clearance Brandon Rush has finally enrolled, but is still waiting for NCAA clearance before he can begin attending classes. PAGE 12A
Barmann leads quarterbacks
Coach Mark Mangino has yet to decide on a starting quarterback with one week until the season kicks off. Junior Adam Barmann leads the pack of four quarterbacks competing the spot. PAGE 11A
Read all about it
Read all about it Several KU professors are encouraging students buy class texts from smaller bookstores instead of from the larger, traditional textbook distributors. One professor says he likes the small stores' atmosphere. PAGE 3A
Index
Comics... 9A
Classifieds... 10A
Crossword... 9A
Horosopes... 9A
Opinion... 6A
Sports... 12A
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