V
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOL.116 ISSUE 4
MONDAY. AUGUST 22, 2005
SAFETY
Free food has its price
BY YELENA PAVLIK
correspondent@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
A company that refused to disclose its credentials required University of Kansas students to share personal information in exchange for free food last week.
One student was shocked when she was asked to give out her private information.
"I was outraged, I was really mad. I said 'how can you expect me to give you my social security number.' Then the guy looked at me like I was stupid," said Stephanie Bonsen, Minneapolis, Minn., freshman. "So I just tore up my form and walked away. It was totally unbusiness-like. The people handing the papers out were wearing street clothes."
Students who responded to a flier mistaken the company for a local CiCi's Pizza restaurant giving away a free buffet meal and drink. Last week, the company handed out the fliers throughout campus.
"When I first got the flier it said 'CiCi's Pizza' really big, so I thought it was a legit deal. The paper said do a three-minute student activity" and I thought it was just a survey, I did not know it had to do with a credit card," said Courtney Steele, Leavenworth freshman.
The company refused to comment or provide any details regarding identities, contact information, or even a copy of the credit card application.
"We are not affiliated with the company. We are not offering them any kind of discount," he said. "They are on their own."
CiCli's Pizza, 2020 W. 23rd St., has nothing to do with the flier, said Frank Clem, general manager.
During the three-minute activity, students were required to provide their social security number, mother's maiden name, phone number and address.
Several students thought they were filling out a credit card application for Visa because the Visa logo appeared on the form. A Visa representative, however, said Visa followed strict credit card application procedures.
"We don't offer Visa cards directly to customers. Do not give out any of your personal info until you know that it is a real company, usually associated with a bank," said Julie, Visa representative No. P74. Visa does not disclose last names of its representatives.
"I gave them my real social just because it was a force of habit when filling out forms," he said. "I didn't think
Michael Maddison, Chicago senior, willingly filled out the detailed application.
SEE PRICE ON PAGE 3A
Rank drops again
ADMINISTRATION
U.S.News drops University to 45th in public university rankings, a new low
BY FRANK TANKARD
flankard@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The University of Kansas dropped to its lowest rank yet in this year's U.S. News and World Report magazine's annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings.
The magazine ranked the University as tied for 45th among public colleges, down from tied for 42nd a year ago. The University also dropped on the overall list, which includes private universities, from tied for 90th to tied for 97th.
Kristin Potter, Ottawa junior, said she paid attention to rankings when picking a college after two years at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park. But she said rankings of individual schools were
more important to her than rankings for an entire university.
Steven Carter, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, said his gut feeling aided him more than numbers when he picked the University of Kansas over two other colleges.
"There's a lot of different variables that play into that, so I don't think it makes a huge difference," she said of ranking universities as a whole.
"Mostly, I just looked at where I felt comfortable," he said.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway downplayed the fall in the rankings, saying that the number doesn't necessarily reflect strides the University has made in the past year.
"We didn't continue to rise in the rankings as we hope that we will, but
SEE RANKINGS ON PAGE 3A
AUTOMOTIVE
KU engineers test race car
Nick Roberts, Olathe senior, races KU's Formula-SAE car around a temporary track yesterday at Arrowhead Stadium. The team was testing their car before the Sports Car Club of America Solo National Championship Sept. 13-16, and looking for ideas for next year in Topeka.
BY FRANK TANKARD
fankard@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Justin O'Neal/KANSAN
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There's just something about auto racing. Something that turns regular people — mechanical engineers, for instance — into fanatics.
Some people love the thrill of accelerating to 60 miles per hour on a short straightway, slamming on the breaks, then going up on two wheels in the middle of a 90 degree turn.
That's why more than 100 racing fanatics from the Kansas City area pulled into the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot on a muggy, overcast yesterday afternoon to enter an open-entry race.
Of all the people who showed up for the race, put on by Crown Autocross Club and Kansas City Region Sports Car Club of America, four University of Kansas engineering students clearly stood out.
They were the only people who brought a Formula SAEemodel car, the type of car used in college competitions sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The car stood out among souped-up street cars ranging from a late-'80s Corvette to a brand-
new Cadillac.
They were also the only group driving a car completely designed and built from scratch. By students, no less.
The four students were part of the KU Formula SAE Team, a group of about 20 engineering students who design and build a race car every year. They enter the car in the major Formula-SAE competition in Detroit. In Mav.
Lawrence Raitinger, Parker junior, had fond memories of last year's SAE competition, in which the team finished 12th out of more than 130 colleges worldwide. It was the KU team's highest finish since the team was founded in 1995.
"We didn't do anything but work on the car, but it was still a good time," he said.
The club's seniors do the actual design work while everyone else helps building, maintaining and racing the car. Nick Roberts, Olathe
senior, said some seniors spent 50 to 60 hours a week working on the car when things really heated up.
After the SAE competition, the team races the car in area competitions in preparation for the Sports Car Club of America Solo National Championships, which will take place Sept. 13-16 in Topeka.
Yesterday, four members of the KU team drove to Kansas City to race the
SEE RACE CAR ON PAGE 3A
GREEK LIFE
Recruitment process ends as new members receive bid cards
Carrie Galle, Leawood freshman, and All Mills, Overland Park freshman, embrace after opening their bid cards Saturday at the Kansas Union. Galle and Mills both received bids from Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
Rvlan Howe/KANSAN
BY LOUIS MORA
lmora@kansan.com
KANSAN STaff WRITER
Jordan Harper grew nervous as she awaited word of which sorority she would be invited to join.
When the Chicago freshman learned she was a new member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, smiles and shrieks of joy could be heard as she, and a wave of new sorority women, ran out of the Kansas Union filled with excitement.
"I was so nervous that I wasn't going to get asked back. I'm pretty excited," Harper said, as she posed for a group picture with the other new members of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The weeklong, fall formal recruitment process for the 13 sororities of the Panhellenic Association concluded Saturday evening in the Kansas Union, as more than 700 women learned which sorority they would join.
Each woman was given a bid card that told which sorority she was invited membership in.
"I'm so excited," said Krista Meyers. Stillwell freshmen and new member of Alpha Gamma Delta. "It's so nice to have sisters. It makes the campus a lot smaller."
Outside the Union a party-like atmosphere awaited the women as active sorority members greeted the new members. The welcoming parties met the women with balloons and signs that bore each sorority's colors. New members were greeted with open arms when they met their new sorority sisters.
Harper said the reception she received from members made her feel welcomed.
"They have hugged me and told me how happy they are that I'm here," she said.
Throughout the recruitment process, potential new members visited each of the Panhellenic sorority chapters, talked with members from each sorority and then narrowed down a list of chapters each day to include those chapters they were most interested in joining.
For Meyers, deciding on which chapter to join after visiting with many different women from many different chapters was difficult.
She said it was wonderful meeting all the members but difficult to pick that one chapter she wanted to call home.
"It's really hard to narrow it down to the one house you think you will fit in because they are all so great in so many different ways," Meyers said.
Throughout the recruitment process, both active and potential new members were asked to abstain from any social situation that involved bars, alcohol or men.
Harper said joining a sorority at the end of the week made up for the strictness of the rule.
"For a whole four years of something so great, one week isn't that much to sacrifice," Harper said.
Bid day excitement also carried over to active members, who eagerly expected the news of who would join
Today's weather
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© 2005The University Daily Kansan
Book it
SEE BID DAY ON PAGE 3A
'Hawks beat Bulldogs
Kansas soccer started its season with a 2-1 exhibition victory against Drake. Senior forward Caroline Smith started the scoring in the ninth minute with a follow-up to senior forward Jessica Smith's miss. PAGE 10A
Kansan.com
Starting this semester, students have a new way to get their textbooks. A student-run Web site encourages borrowing books instead of buying. PAGE 2A
Go online to Kansan.com to check out photo galleries from the volleyball and soccer exhibition matches, as well as more pictures from the race in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot. PAGE 9A
Index
OPINION 5A
CROSSWORD 6A
SPORTS 10A
CLASSIFIEDS 7A
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