WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
15
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to wait it out.
"It took a little longer to get filled up," Stewart said. "We ended up fine, but there was a lot of nail-biting."
Stewart said the numerous new complexes last year had a large impact on Lawrence apartments. She has also observed changes in the ways other complexes advertise.
"Deals that people are offering are more shocking than a few years ago, with free DVD players and $90 deposits," Stewart said.
However, complaints from landlords that Lawrence's apartment market is already over-saturated haven't swayed developers from pushing for new complexes.
Sheila Stogsdill, assistant director of planning on the Lawrence Planning Commission, said at least three plans for new apartments are before the committee this month. Plans include adding on to the existing Legends Apartments and adding 18 apartment units on East 24th Street.
Stogsdill disagreed with claims that Lawrence was becoming overbuilt.
She said that while there had been problems in the apartment market in Lawrence, these issues had always solved themselves in the past.
"It is not a unique situation, every several years building gets ahead of the
demand," Stogsdill said.
It also helps that enrollment at the University of Kansas is ever increasing. According to The Oread, the number of students enrolled this past spring set a new record of 25,348 students.
It is hard to know if Lawrence is really past the tenant shortage recorded in 2003.
As of now, no one has conducted a newer survey of the apartment situation.
But, according to several apartment complex employees, the initial survey conducted in 2003 may not have been accurate or reliable.
Danielle Green, an employee at Legends Apartments, 4104 W.24th Place, said many apartment employees lie to or do not respond to marketing surveys.
"A lot of people don't give out their occupancy when people are doing marketing surveys, so you don't really know if they are telling the truth or not," Green said.
Tim Keller of Keller & Associates said he and his staff have no way of verifying the information they receive from the landlords.
He also added that the individual managers have different interests and may have different reasons to lie or not lie to marketing surveys based on whether they want the market to expand or contract.
Edited by Jay Senter
Journalism adviser reinstated at K-State
The Associated Press
TOPEKA - A federal judge yesterday temporarily reinstated the former adviser of Kansas State University's student newspaper.
U. S. District Judge Julie Robinson also ordered Kansas State to allow Ron Johnson to temporarily resume his duties as director of student publications.The university reassigned Johnson in May from both jobs to an unspecified teaching position.
Robinson also temporarily blocked the university from hiring a new adviser.
The judge ruled at the request of Johnson and Katie Lane, The Kansas State Collegian's former editor-in-chief. Lane and Johnson filed a lawsuit yesterday against Todd Simon, director of the university's journalism school, and Stephen E. White, dean of arts and sciences.
Robinson said her order remained in effect until July 16. She scheduled a hearing for July 14 to determine whether the temporary order will remain in effect at least until Lane's and
Johnson's lawsuit is heard.
Corbin Crable, the paper's summer editor, said he looked forward to regaining Johnson's help in editing stories and mentoring reporters. For the past month, that's been done with the help of professors and an interim faculty adviser.
"He has that balance of real-world experience and teaching," Crable said of Johnson. "He only wants to see us grow as journalists."
Johnson drew criticism after the paper failed to cover a conference on black student government held on campus in February, which was attended by about 1,000 participants. The group said Johnson had not done enough to foster cultural awareness among newspaper staffers.
In May, Simon recommended Johnson not be reappointed as Collegian adviser, saying his performance as adviser was unsatisfactory. He said his decision had nothing to do with the controversy.
Johnson, however, said he had received positive evaluations.
Neither Simon nor White immediately returned calls seeking comment.