NEWS / MONDAY,APRIL 26,2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
LAWRENCE
Fewer people than expected attend Larryville Luau
BY KIRSTEN KWON
kkwon@kansan.com
the popular breakfast restaurants were crowded, and the bars were nearly empty.
Nearly 9,000 people confirmed on Facebook that they would attend the first Larryville Luau Saturday. The party on Massachusetts St. was set to start at 9 a.m., but at that time downtown Lawrence looked typical of any weekend morning —
Organizers estimated that only about 1,500 people showed up throughout the day.
The idea for the luau came from a group of KU students who said they thought Lawrence
was lacking a celebratory day of continuous partying. The event was meant to match Manhattan's Fake Paddy's Day Celebration.
around 1 p.m." Akers said.
When Alex Akers, manager of The Barrel House, heard about the event she said she was instantly intrigued. She e-mailed the creators and asked if they needed any help and the bar became the laui's headquarters. The eight bars that participated opened several hours earlier than normal and had more staff working to accommodate the expected masses. But by 10 a.m., they had seen little business.
ALEXIS ALEXANDER
Senior from Chicago
"I hope it will get busier, probably after the spring football game
"I was expecting it to be a lot bigger than it was but it was still a good time."
More guests stopped in The Barrel House throughout the day, but it was only about half full in the afternoon. In the late afternoon a larger crowd formed at Brothers where free leis were given away and an assortment of inflatable pool décor filled the bar. A few hundred people attended the free
Andrew Langford, a graduate from Overland Park, shoots a ping pong ball while playing water pong, since beer pong is illegal in bars, as his teammate Josh Boile, a graduate from Lawrence, watches. Both of them heard about "Larryville Luau" on Facebook
reggae concert at
The Granada at
10 p.m.
ALEXIS Alexander, a senior from Chicago, even designed T-shirts for the event and had them made for her and her friends to wear that day. Though she was expecting to see more
Spencer Walsh/KANSAN
of a party, she said she enjoyed the day.
"We stayed on Mass. Street for about three hours." Alexander said. "I was expecting it to be a lot bigger than it was but it was still a good time."
Lawrence resident Shane Powers said he was a little disappointed in the luau because he had high expectations but he said the overcast weather was also not ideal.
"There should have been more than enough to throw a good party." Powers said of the number of people expected to attend. "I'm sure the weather had a lot to do with it. It's tough to get into a hau
when it's raining."
Bryan Spencer, a junior from Overland Park, worked to find sponsors for the event.
"There wasn't anything more that
I could have done in four weeks. Just pulling it off was enough for this year," Spencer said. "Now I have 364 days to get ready for next year and it'll be bigger and better
next year."
Spencer said he and the creators are determined to make this an annual event.
es are interested in participating, Spencer said the Larryville Laau would happen again.
As long as people and business-
— Edited by Ashley Montgomery
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NATIONAL
New chapter for boys only school
PHILADELPHIA — The private boarding school for underprivileged students now led by Autumn Adkins, who describes herself simply as "a black girl from Richmond, Virginia," would have excluded her in years past.
The one-time white boys-only institution in Philadelphia did not admit its first black student until 1968 — and that was only after numerous legal challenges, months of protests, a visit from Martin Luther King Jr. and a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Girls weren't allowed until 1984.
Girard College — a misnomer, as it serves first-through 12th-graders — has come a long way since being established by the richest man you never heard of. And as its newest president, the 37-year-old Adkins is determined to take it further, raising the school's profile by giving its students "a true
21st-century education."
Stephen Girard, a Frenchborn sea captain, amassed a fortune through shipping, trading and banking after coming to Philadelphia in 1776. Girard left about $6 million (approximately $146 million in today's money) to the city of Philadelphia, mostly to build and endow a tuition-free school for poor, fatherless white boys. The school's overseers were not looking to make history after the most recent president retired. But they were bowled over by Adkins' enthusiasm, work ethic, rigorous standards and an impressive resume that includes degrees from the University of Virginia and Columbia University's Teachers College.
Today, most of Girard's 620 students are black and half are female; all come from low-income families headed by a single parent or guardian. Students are selected based on an assessment test, family interview and, if older than first grade, an academic transcript.
Associated Press
STUDENT SENATE
Candidate loses seat after winning election
KUnited candidate Kelly Cosby was removed from her Junior/ Senior College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seat during an Elections Commission hearing Friday.
Student Body President-Elect Michael Wade Smith said Cosby didn't have enough credit hours completed to run for a junior/senior position. Senators in CLAS are separated into two categories, freshman/sophomore and junior/senior, by their credit hours. Students running for a junior/
senior position must have 60 hours completed at the time they are running for a seat.
Candidates must also obtain a stamp from the dean's office that verifies they are eligible to run.
"We made an honest mistake," Smith said. "We got that dean stamp — didn't think it was an issue."
Smith did not contest the decision.
"It could've been an error on our part or her part," Smith said. "It was certainly nothing malicious"
The commission also fined KUnited $25, which Smith paid after the hearing.
Envision candidate Sameer
Sharma, a senior from Overland Park, received the next highest amount of votes and will take Cosby's seat.
ENVISION CANDIDATES AWAIT DECISION
The appeal hearing for Envision candidates Ross Ringer and Devon Cantwell against the commission's ruling to remove Ringer and Cantwell from the ballot was also held on Friday. A University Governance judicial board did not make a decision and will release a written decision within 30 days.
— Annie Vangsnes
ACADEMICS
The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival has recognized Paul Stephen Lim, KU professor of English and longtime playwright, with a national award in his name.
The Paul Stephen Lim Asian- American Playwriting Award will be presented annually at the festival in Washington D.C. It honors an outstanding play on any subject
Award named after KU English professor
written by an Asian-American student. The award includes a $2,500 cash prize for a full-length play or $1,000 for a one-act, a fellowship to attend the KCACTF Summer Playwriting Intensive or similar program, membership in the Dramatists Guild, and the possibility of contracting with Dramatic Publishing to publish, license and market the winning play.
Edgar Mendoza of Carnegie Mellon University won the inaugural award for his play "Blue Note Run." Lim presented the award April 17 at the Kennedy Center.
Lim said he was humbled to learn that the award will bear his name.
"The KCACTF names its playwriting awards after people like Mark Twain, Lorraine Hansberry, Rosa Parks, Jean Kennedy Smith, David Mark Cohen and Paula Vogel," Lim said in a news release. "I feel a bit shy in their company, but I am also thrilled to be able to encourage and nurture emerging Asian-American playwrights with this award."
— Kevin Hardy
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