8A the university daily kansan
news
monday, april 12, 2004
DUNLAP: Candidate has held many jobs
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On Dunlap's first day he was moving a Ford F-150 pickup truck off the service ramp when disaster struck. Instead of backing straight off of the ramp, Dunlap turned the wheel. Two wheels went off the ramp, and the truck fell and got stuck.
The mechanics had a good laugh and Dunlap learned a hard lesson.
"My future's not in car portering," he said.
Dunlap was better suited for his job as Charles Jones' personal assistant. Jones was a man in his 70s who was a patient of Dunlap's father and 1 family friend. Jones was in poor health and had no surviving family, so he paid Dunlap — who was 15 years old at the time — to help him out.
The two bridged the generation gap, and their relationship became more of a friendship than a job. Dunlap taught Jones how to use a computer, and Jones taught Dunlap to drive.
On Sundays, Dunlap and Jones would cruise around Leawood. Dunlap drove and Jones explained the town's history.
Dunlap maintained his friendship with Jones after he left for college. Jones passed away this summer at the age of 76.
"I found out there's a ton of people at KU that are closet Tolkien fans and it's cool to get them all together."
Jeff Dunlap KUnited vice presidential candidate
The last few years Dunlap has concentrated less on work and more on Senate. Ashlee Reid, CLAS senator, met Dunlap during the KUnited campaign last year and the two quickly became friends.
"He knew when to have fun and when to work really hard," Reid said.
Dunlap also knew how to take a joke. When he fell asleep early at Reid's birthday party this year he awoke with Delta Force slogans written all over his face.
"He walked around with pen on his face for an hour and a half before one of his fraternity brothers told him," Reid said. "Jeff thought it was hilarious and well-deserved."
Reid said that over the year and a-half they've known each other, Dunlap's personality has continued to surprise her.
"All of a sudden, after I've known him for seven months, I find out he's this closet Lord of the Rings fanatic," Reid said. "He's read it a bunch of times and he's even memorized parts."
Reid decided to give Dunlap a unique gift for Christmas. She registered The Fellowship of the Ring as an official KU organization and gave Dunlap a certificate naming him president.
Dunlap took the gift and ran with it.
He has hosted meetings and invited professors to speak about the books and their author J.R.R. Tolkien.
"I found out there's a ton of people at KU that are closest Tolkien, fans and it's cool to get them all together." Dunlap said.
Justin Roberts, Overland Park junior, has been a friend of Dunlap's since high school, and now the two are members of Delta Upsilon.
He's joined Dunlap in many social events, but said Dunlap hasn't tried to convince him to come to a Fellowship of the Ring meeting.
"He's not a Lord of the Rings evangelist or anything," Roberts said.
— Edited by Stephanie Lovett
They've overcome bumps in the road in the past.
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Each expected the other one would drive, but McKenzie's car was in the shop and Ross had loaned her car to her sister.
Their first date got off to a difficult start.
When Ross could to ask when McKenzie was picking her up, the two went into scramble mode.
They ended up borrowing McKenzie's brother's car, which was a stick shift. He couldn't drive it, so she had the added pressure of trying to drive his brother's car on their first date.
He made it up to her on Valentine's Day. They'd had a fight the week before and she made other plans for the weekend, which she told him he'd have to work around.
MCKENZIE: Candidate balances personal life
Rather than being bitter about it, McKenzie came through. He cooked her dinner, watched Casablanca with her and even went to a dance party with her and her friends.
"He doesn't dance at all, so it was a good compromise," Ross said.
McKenzie is a music fanatic, with more than 500 CDs that span many genres and generations. But he has an easy time compromising on music with both Ross and his roommate, Christie Moses, Topeka sophomore.
McKenzie is a music fanatic, with more than 500 CDs that span many genres and generations. But
he has an easy time compromising on music with both Ross and his roommate, Christie Moses, Topeka sophomore.
Ross prefers modern music especially indie rock,but has gladly let McKenzie introduce her to some older music.
Moses said she usually made things easy by just picking something she liked out of McKenzie's vast collection. But there's one band they can't just agree on.
McKenzie also had to compromise when Moses brought her dog, Sassy, a greyhound mix, when they moved in this year.
"I hate Phish and he loves Phish." Moses said.
"There's definitely friction with the pet." McKenzie said. "It's really
an ugly, annoying dog."
McKenzie and Sassy didn't get off to a very good start. While they were still moving in, Moses was gone and Sassy got loose.
Moses said she knew better than to chase a dog that's part greyhound. But McKenzie didn't learn until after that day.
He chased Sassy for about a mile and a half, weaving in and out of traffic.
"It was like the dog was taunting me the entire way," McKenzie said. "She'd stop and wait for me to come within five feet and then she'd take off again."
By the time McKenzie caught the dog he was so worn out that he decided to stop at a friend's house nearby to get a ride home.
"For a lot of people it would have been like a warm-up for their regular workout, but running is not an everyday part of my life." McKenzie said.
Since then McKenzie and Sassy have learned to live together, and Moses insists that his tough talk about the dog is just a front.
"I've caught them snugglings or napping together on the couch and he'll be like, 'She jumped up here, I didn't put her up here,'" Moses said.
Edited by Stephanie Lovett
DEBATE: Focus may get blurred
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will be good for students to have input and be able to ask questions?"
Munch was positive and spoke more than the other three candidates last week but said he wasn't sure how today's debate would be.
"I guess it really depends on what students want to hear about," Munch said. "Hopefully it will be a nice mix of things. When we visit student organizations we usually talk about the issues, but if students have questions about personal experience and leadership issues, I think those are valid."
Students who can't be at Wescoe at noon can still hear from the candidates tomorrow night, but not in debate form. The scholarship halls are hosting their annual Know Your Mate event at 8 tonight at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
The event pits the coalitions against each other in a Newlywed game-style contest to see which candidates know their partners better. This is the first year that the scholarship halls have attempted to make the contest a University-wide event.
- Edited by Ashley Arnold
PRIDE: Week runs through Saturday's 'Rally on Massachusetts Street'
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Joe Kort, psychotherapist and author of 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do To Make Their Lives Better will speak Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Room in the Kansas Union. Manning said Kort's workshop will focus on how gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals tend to harbor feelings guilt and resentment toward themselves, referred to as internalized homophobia.
Manning said he considered this the week's most important event.
Friday's activities will include
the 11th Annual Brown Bag Drag Show, the GLBT Dance, followed by the second Annual Queer Awards. The Queer Awards feature eight awards to recognize the efforts of activism, scholarship, and leadership in the queer community in Lawrence. The main award is the Robinson Award, named after Christine Robinson, who won last year's Queer of the Year Award. Manning said the award commemorates the "renaissance" individual who represents the queer community in a wide array of areas in Lawrence.
The winner also receives a $250
stipend. Both the dance and the awards show start at 7 p.m. at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries.
Saturday will be the final day of Pride Week, beginning with the Pride March and Rally on Massachusetts Street. Manning said those interested in the march should start lining up at South Park downtown at 12:30 p.m. The march will end at Watson Park, just north of the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center, near 6th and Kentucky.
Manning said the march was a special event for Pride Week, especially because it is the first march for people who have recently come out about their sexuality. Manning said seeing their excitement was the best part of the week.
The final event of Pride Week is the Queer Comedy Night, two hours of stand-up comedy, plays and skits written by KU students.
"It's going to make a great night for everyone," Manning said. "You don't have to be queer to enjoy it."
For a complete list of Pride Week activities, visit the Queers and Allies Web site at www.ku.edu/cgiwrap/qanda/ prideweek.php.
— Edited by Cindy Yeo