---
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL. 115 ISSUE 149
nell net
9:30
9:40
MONDAY, MAY 9, 2005
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Fee upsets graduate students
BY NATE KARLIN
nkarlin@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
A group of Urban Planning graduate students is upset about a $16-per-person fee that the School of Architecture and Urban Design charges for its graduation luncheon. Participating graduates must pay $16 for each person who attends the luncheon, which includes a traditional hooding ceremony for masters students.
Twelve students in the graduate program sent a letter complaining about the cost and the four-person ticket limit to John Gaunt, dean of architecture.
Gaunt, who has worked at the school for 11 years, said he had never received a complaint about the luncheon. The traditional ceremonial luncheon dates back at least 25 years, he said.
Michael Tedesco, one of the leaders for the complaint and Spokane, Wash., master's student, said the fee was unnecessary. The ceremony for his undergraduate class of 120 students at the University of Idaho was free, and there was also no limit to the number of family members and friends who could attend the ceremony.
"I just dropped 30,000 bucks and I don't get to graduate for free," he said. He later wrote in an e-mail: "I've got three brothers, two parents, a wife and a daughter; not to mention, extended family members. Who do I leave behind?"
The ceremonial luncheon, which precedes the University of Kansas' commencement ceremony and walking down the hill, is completely optional. Gaunt said.
Gaunt was unaware of the students who anonymously sent him the letter, and he said it
SEE FEE ON PAGE 3A
BASEBALL
Freshman second baseman Ryne Price tries to grab the ball and tag out Texas senior infielder Seth Johnson during Kansas' loss yesterday. Despite the loss, the lynchwahys won their second series in a row by winning two of three games against the No. 3 Longhorns during the weekend.
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
'Hawks back in the hunt
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Kansas coach Ritch Price has said since the beginning of the Big 12 Conference season that the Kansas baseball team was "one special weekend" away from getting into the thick of the race. Finally, he said, the team found that weekend against conference powerhouse Texas.
ning the third-ranked team in the nation on national television and thrilling a school-record 4,633 baseball fans that packed Hoglund Ballpark during the three days. The series victory vaulted Kansas out of the basement and into the middle of the pack as the conference season winds down.
The Jayhawks won two of three games against the Longhorns, stun
Kansas (33-22, 8-12 Big 12) was buoyed by solid starting pitching and timely hitting all weekend. Sophomore pitcher Sean Land set the tone on Friday night in the
Jayhawks' 5-2 victory. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs, only one of which was earned, and held Texas (39-11, 14-9 Big 12) to five hits while collecting four strikeouts. He gave way to junior pitcher Kodiak Quick.
Kansas took control of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the score tied, 1-1, junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer led off with his fifth home run of the season. The blast extended his hitting streak to 21 games, tying him with
MORE INSIDE
Junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer set a new Kansas hitting-streak record on Saturday, then re-set his own record. See story on page 12A.
Ryan Baty for the longest in school history. The Jayhawks added to their lead thanks to a defensive miscue by
PROFILE
Athlete uses poetry to get the word out
Rvlan Howe/KANSAN
Travis Watkins, Derby senior and former defensive tackle for the Jayhawks, recites one of his poems at the Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union Saturday night. Watkins won national first place in poetry at the 2005 College Language Association in Athens, Ga. CD's of his poetry will be available this summer at Hasting's, 23rd and Iowa streets.
BY ESTUARDO GARCIA
egarcia@kansan.com
KANSAN STUD WRIVER
In his "The Pack," 2003 Kansas football defense T-shirt, Travis Watkins confirms the proper camera angle for his associate Gordon Brown of Avalon Video, who is making a DVD for the poet.
"OK, zoom in a little bit," he asks Brown.
Brown zooms in closer, centering Watkins in the view finder.
Watkins looks into the monitor and smiles approvingly.
He's now ready for his poetry performance at the Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union Saturday night.
"I don't know what a traditional poet looks like," he said. "I just know who I am."
At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds Watkins,
former Jayhawk defensive tackle, does
not look like a poet.
And he is the 2005 College Language Association national winner for his poem titled "Brothers."
Watkins began writing poetry in high school. He loves the freedom that poetry gives him to manipulate words and word sounds, he said. He also likes to use poetry to get his message out, which includes speaking out against the war in Iraq and commenting on social change.
"And children are murdered/ over pronons and verbs/ and towers are toppled/ cuz mad-men ad-verbs/ to text that are holy/ then terror occurs/ but if you want to see truly/ the power of words, then,.../Nigger! Spick! Kyke! Fagel! Does, that strike a nerve."
"My word"
Inspiring poet
It was after Watkins saw a performance by Dan Banks, another poet, that he was inspired to focus on developing his own poetic style and voice.
His own blend of poetry that speaks about political and social issues are also about personal issues.
He wants to make his work available to everybody and help other up-
and-coming poets to be heard.
His poetry has also been profitable — he has sold hundreds of CDs, making thousands of dollars in CDs sales and performances in the past year.
Saturday night was also a special night for Krista Watkins, Travis' mother.
It was the first time she had seen her son perform his poetry.
"A lot of his poems have meaning and it hits a nerve," she said.
Balancing act
His success is not a surprise to Krista. She remembers Watkins often staying up past his bedtime writing.
What surprised Krista was that her son was graduating with honors, receiving a degree in history and African-American studies and moving to Houston to become a third-grade teacher in the fall.
"I thought he would do something in sports or do something in the field of art," she said.
FUNDRAISER
Relay raises money to battle cancer
BY JOSHUA BICKEL
jbickel@kansan.com
KANSAST WORK WRITER
SEE POETRY ON PAGE 4A
Megan Nelson is a survivor.
Megan Nelson is a survivor. This year's Relay for Life was different for her from past years she had participated. The Garden City sophomore walked to raise awareness for the disease she fought and beat less than a year ago.
Cancer, she said, is a disease that affects everybody in some way. Nelson was diagnosed with
Nelson and her father, who is also a cancer survivor, walked with about 15 other cancer survivors on the track at Memorial Stadium on Friday for the third annual University of Kansas Relay for Life.
melanoma in July 2004.
The event, which lasted from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday, was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
About 70 teams, each with about 10 members, raised about $70,000, said Erin Adriance,
chairwoman of KU Relay for Life. Another $9,000 was donated during the event, said Adriance. Stilwell senior.
In the previous two years, about $55,000 was raised and about 60 teams signed up, Adriance said.
"This was definitely our biggest year in terms of both people and money." she said.
The money raised will help fund cancer research at the University and scholarships for students who have cancer,
Adriance said.
The American Cancer Society gives the University of Kansas Medical Center money for cancer research raised through events like Relay for Life.
So far, the Med Center has received more than $2 million from the American Cancer Society, which helps fund clinical research and provides education for cancer patients, said
SEE RELAY ON PAGE 4A
Rachel Seymour/KANSAN
Students camped out 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday morning on Campanile hill for Relay for Life. When students took a break from walking the track at Memorial Stadium, they went to their tents on the hill to rest until their next scheduled walk.
Today's weather
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan
Takin' it easv
A new bar and grill in town prides itself on being biker friendly meaning the biker crowd in the parking lot is not an uncommon sight. Slow Ride Roadhouse Bar & Grill, 1350 N. 3rd St., opened April 23. PAGE 3A
Ultimate Championship
The men's ultimate Frisbee club team claimed it championship title yesterday. The Fighting Blunts, defeated the Pinkies 11-6. PAGE 12A
Softball team improves
The Kansas Jayhawks not only defeated, but swept the Iowa State Cyclones during the weekend. The team moved to No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference standings. PAGE 12A
1
Capture the flag
Rapscallions beat back Beta Black 39-26 Saturday evening for the intramural flag football championship. The team is already looking forward to next year for another opportunity to make the news. PAGE 7A
X
1
---