THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 105
》 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
GameDay to broadcast from fieldhouse
ESPN's "College GameDay" is making its return to Lawrence for Saturday's game between Kansas and Kansas State.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. Saturday morning for fans who want to sit in the Allen Fieldhouse stands during the broadcast. This is the fourth year in a row that "College GameDay" has broadcast live from the fieldhouse.
SEECOLLEGE BASKETBALL ON PAGE3A
WHO SHOULD PAY FOR COLLEGE?
Max Rinkel
Artistic commentary on KU dollars, how they're spent
SEE COMMENTARY ON PAGE 7A
weather
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© 2008 The University Daily Kansan
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DOWNTOWN DIGS
index
Caleb Sommerville/KANSAN
Students experience distinct living
BY CALEB SOMMERVILLE
csommerville@kansan.com
Colin Reed has two unique neighbors — Chipotle Mexican Grill and Mad Greek Restaurant. In fact, there's a door in his apartment that leads directly to Mad Greek.
Danielle Littman, Chicago junior, and Nancy Wolen, Boulder, Colo., junior, look over Massachusetts Street from their loft on Wednesday. Littman and Wolens said they loved the location of their loft and that they especially lived living directly above Ingredient.
Danielle Littman, Chicago junior, and Nancy Wolens, Boulder, Colo., junior, can see the Granada from their apartment.
In addition to all the shopping and dining opportunities on Massachusetts Street, there are apartments for rent above some of the storefronts.
August Dettbarn, residential representative in the Douglas County Appraiser's Office, said there were about 112 rental units in the downtown area last year.
When it comes to living on Massachusetts Street, Reed, Overland Park senior, said it was all about the location. Bars, restaurants and campus are all within walking distance of Reed's apartment.
Littman and Wolens live in the newly renovated TenTenLofts, above Ingredient at 10th and Massachusetts streets.
Living above a restaurant also comes with certain conveniences.
Littman and Wolens eat at Ingredient all the time. They usually call in orders and walk downstairs to pick up their food.
Wolens said that one man who worked at Ingredient often called her his neighbor.
Reed and his roommates don't eat at Mad Greek as often they eat at Chipotle. It's quick, cheap and addictive, Reed said.
"Somehow I'm not fat yet," Reed said.
Reed, Littman and Wolens all said that living above stores did not require signing any additional contracts or permits.
Reed moved into the apartment in August 2007 with some friends and said he has loved it. He moved from a house on 10th and Tennessee streets, which he said was a lot bigger, but his lease ended and he liked the Massachusetts Street location better.
Littman and Wolens moved to their apartment in August 2007 without even seeing it. Wolens transferred from the University of Colorado and Littman found the apartment for both of them.
Littman and Wolens each pay $597.50 per month, as well as cable and electricity, for their loft. Living near so much activity downtown doesn't really bother Littman. "I kinda like the commotion" she said
While the activity outside was distracting at first, they've gotten used to it.
"I kinda like the commotion." Littman said.
They don't hear much from Ingredient, but hear the live music from the Jackpot Saloon next door.
Even though they live directly above Ingredient, there's hardly ever problems with the smell from below. They're thankful that Qdoba Mexican Grill, which closed last year and made room for Ingredient, isn't there any more.
Littman and Wolens said they could hear when the bars closed at about 1:30 a.m.
"I'm sure the smell from Qdoba would
have been a lot more pungent," Littman said.
Reed doesn't worry about the smells from Mad Greek, either.
Caleb Sommerville/KANSAN
He said he could hear music coming from downstairs through the door in his apartment that opens into Mad Greek's wine storage room.
"Every once in a while we'll hear, you know, it's a Greek restaurant, so we'll hear everybody downstairs yell 'Opa!'" Reed said.
Rent for the apartments above Massachusetts Street is comparable to other housing options.
Littman and Wolens pay $597.50 per person per month, as well as cable and enervy.
Reed pays about $325 per month, but he has two roommates and said he paid a lot for parking.
He parks in the free two-hour lot behind the building, but can't always move his car every two hours.
He's gotten about 50 $2 tickets so far this year.
The door to Reed's apartment opens
14
Since the apartments are in the middle of downtown, some unusual things happen occasionally.
"Every once in a while burns will show up in the hallway; that's probably the strangest thing that's happened." Reed said.
Littman and Wolens witnessed the end of the standoff between Edward Wise and
directly onto Massachusetts Street to the right of Mad Greek. They usually keep it locked, but Reed said he felt safe living there.
Lawrence police in January. Wise hijacked a car and hit several other vehicles on Massachusetts Street before finally getting tased directly outside their window.
— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Students'invention wins merit
Two KU students invented a chair that will make it easier for elderly people to shower. They now plan to invest $50,000 in their newly established company, which will mass produce and distribute these chairs to the nation. The invention won first place out of 80 submissions in the Mark L. Morris Junior New Venture Development Competition. The inventors earned $7,200 for their achievement.
SEE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ON PAGE 4A
ENTERTAINMENT
Artist splits styles between two bands
Musician adapts to Lawrence music scene
Brody Buster is best know in Lawrence for the blues. But tonight at Fatso's, Buster will play harmonica and sing for the Brody Buster Band and follow that by playing guitar for 1950 DA, a band with a sound Buster compares to Black Sabbath. The performance will combine two distinctive genres into back-to-back performances.
SEE ENTERTAINMENT ON PAGE 3A
From left guitarist Brody Buster, drummer Justin Parr, bassist Mark Hennessy and vocalist Mike Ratzlaff gather around Mike's piano Wednesday night after a good two hours of band practice. The band members came together more than nine months ago to form 1950 DA.
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