THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
The Wave's reflection
Revisit men's basketball's highs and lows this season. THE WAVE | INSIDE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Approaching their cap
Counseling and Psychological Services are extra busy this time of year. CAMPUS | 8A
From foster child to college grad
KU students from foster care must find their own support
BY BRANDON SAYERS bsayers@kansan.com
One day when she was 12 years old, Christie Jones realized her drug-addicted mother probably wasn't coming home.
Christie lived alone with her 14-year-old brother. Each day, she said, was full of doubt.
Where will I eat dinner?
How will I take care of myself?
Will my mother ever come home?
"I think we were glad for her to be gone but we were so petrified." Christie said.
As much as they feared supporting themselves, the kids' even greater fear was what their mother might do if she ever did return.
About three weeks later, Christie was at home with a friend when her mother walked through the front door in a drug-fueled state. She said something "heinous and horrible" to her daughter and struck her in the face so hard that it made her bleed. That's when Christie decided she was no longer going to tolerate her mother's abuse and neglect. She called her grandmother and asked for her help.
"It was at that moment that I knew I was going to have to determine my own fate," Christie said. "I said, "This is the last time this is going to happen."
But it wasn't true. Christie was eventually forced to move back in with her mother.
Two years later her mother left again, but this time she didn't come back for six weeks. Shortly after her mother returned, Christie was taken into state custody.
When her mother failed to show up for the custody hearing, the state was named Christie's official guardian. She said she felt relieved knowing she would never have to live with her mother again.
"When that day came, I felt like I finally had freedom from that oppression. From that point on I looked toward the future," she said.
Christie attended 17 different schools before finally arriving at the University. But with a little help and a lot of perseverance, Christie graduated in May 2009 with degrees in sociology and women's studies. She now works with the Federal Social Security Administration.
"Even now, I'm focused on where I'm going, not where I've been." Christie said. "No matter how bad you think you have it, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and keep going."
SEE FOSTER CARE ON PAGE 4A
CAMPUS
Photo Illustration by Howard Ting/KANSAN
Tournament run ends on final day of debate
BY NANCY WOLENS nwolens@kansan.com
Their disposition is somber but the two-person team handled the loss with composure.
In the middle of a debate, the KU squad relies on pure adrenaline. That all changes the moment the judges announce their decision — it is impossible not to notice their energy level dissipate into outright exhaustion.
Dylan Quigley, a senior from Wichita, and Sean Kennedy, a junior from Leawood, were defeated by Michigan State in round one of the octofinals at the National Debate Tournament Tuesday morning. They were the last KU debaters remaining in the NDT this year.
After they pack their tubs, the
"Nobody has any idea how much work and effort goes into what these crazy people do," coach Scott Harris said. "This year was one of the most successful years we've ever had in terms of depth of success and qualifying three teams."
consensus is to fortify their malnourished appetites and seek sanctuary in something they haven't been acquainted with since they arrived: a bed.
Skyler Reid/Special to The University Daily Kansan
Harris, who has been debate coach at the University for 16 years, has been a part of the debate community since 1972. Despite the loss, the KU debate team achieved its goal: making it to Tuesday's final. After about an hour of cooloff time the team was back to its
Dylan Quigley lists as judge's explain their reasoning in voting against the University of Kansas in the teams' octofinal round of debate against Michigan State University. The final day of the tournament, held at the Oakland City Center Marriott Hotel, had 16 teams competing in the octofinals.
SEE DEBATE ON PAGE 3A
TRAVEL
Seven students traveled to Atlanta during spring break to volunteer with the homeless. Front from left: Emily Owens, a sophomore from Shawnee; Austin Trees, a freshman from Leawood; Libby Johnson, a junior from Lawrence; Carly Curtis, a sophomore from Tulsa, Okla.; Andrew Leigh, a senior from St. Louis; Laurisa Beckmann, a friend from Louisburg and Jessica Brooks, a sophomore from Pleasant.
Contributed photo
Service trips help students give back
To view a photo gallery of the National Debate Tournament, visit kansan.com/photos/galleries.
BY JENNY TERRELL jterrell.kansan.com
While other students spent spring break working on their tans, Jamie Branch, a freshman from Topeka, spent her break helping others.
part in Alternative Breaks, a student-run program that organizes volunteer trips focusing on community outreach around the country. This spring students participated at 10 locations across the country. Students at each site focused on a specific
Branch and 67 other KU students took
SEE TRAVEL ON PAGE 3A
index
Classifieds...3P
Crossword 6A
Opinion. 7A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...6A
Horoscopes. 6A
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