2A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3. 2006
GET READY FOR THE BEAKEND
BY MATT ERICKSON
editor@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
For cheap entertainment this weekend, look no further than campus, especially if you've got a competitive streak or you're a born performer. Student Union Activities has a full plate of events scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Those with stars in their eyes have a few opportunities to display their talents — musical, comedic or otherwise — this weekend.
Auditions for Apollo Night, the annual SUA talent show, will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The actual talent show will take place Sat., Feb. 11, at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Both events are free.
Winners of the Apollo Night competition next weekend will receive prizes, including a grand prize of a $300 gift certificate. Performers at the main event are required to audition.
"It's just like on TV with the reality shows," said Susan Hoffman, assistant director of Union programs. "We want to see what talent you have before you get on stage."
More talent will be on display at 7 p.m. today at the Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union when SUA puts on its monthly open mic competition for First Fridays. Hoffman said that the performers often varied from guitar players and vocalists to comedians.
If you're more athletic than artistic, consider entering the table tennis tournament Saturday afternoon at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center. The top two finishers in the men's and women's brackets will receive a trip to the Regions Tournament at Kansas State University on Feb. 25, as well as a plaque. Sign-ups begin at 12:15 p.m. and will continue until 12:45 p.m. The competition begins at 1 p.m.
As always, there will be free Cosmic Bowling at the JayBowl from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. tonight and Saturday, but Hoffman said to be sure to come early as it tends to be crowded.
Prizes of up to $200 are available, but the winners are chosen by audience response, so performers are advised to bring some support. Milton's Coffee is providing free coffee, muffins and scones for the event.
— Edited by James Foley
"I'll do the stupid thing and then you shy people follow."
Frank Zappa
Fact of the day
Epiphanny Prince of Murry Bergtraum High School in New York City scored 113 in a high school basketball game Wednesday. Prince broke the women's high school scoring record of 105, set by Cheryl Miller. Bonus: Lisa Leslie once scored 101 points in a half during a high school game, but the other team refused to play the second half. For a full story on Prince's record-breaking game, see page 7B.
Source: ESPN.com
KANSAN.COM
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Awards boost school's image
SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
BY FRED A. DAVIS III
davis@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The University of Kansas has a No.2 national ranking right now—and it doesn't belong to the basketball team. The prestige belongs to the School of Journalism.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program announced this week that the school ranked second out of 101 schools in this year's competition.
The school is ranked after three of the six writing categories in the contest have been judged.
The ranking is because of strong places of three journalism students. Steve Vockrodt, a 2005 graduate, placed first in the in-depth reporting category, and Louis Mora, Merriam senior, placed ninth in the same category.
"The in-depth reporting category is probably the Holy Grail, or gold standard of the Hearst Awards," said Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism.
Marissa Stevenson, another 2005 graduate, placed 11 out of
111 in the profile category for the Hearst Awards in December. The Hearst Awards, commonly referred to as the college Pulitzers, are a major asset to the journalism school.
"They're very important because they do two things," said Rick Musser, professor in journalism. "They bring prestige to the school — there's no award more prestigious — and they bring money to the students and the school."
Vockrodt, who graduated last May, wrote his story, "The Searl List," about the sex offender registry list and its impact — from a sex offender's point-of-view.
"The biggest challenge was getting people to talk," Vockrodt said. "They've already been made outcasts in their community, so gaining their trust was very important."
The University Daily Kansan published the story in 2005.
Vockrodt, who began his search for sources by knocking on the doors of sex offenders in the Lawrence area, eventually decided to send letters to about 50 registered sex offenders in Lawrence. The letters contained a three-question
survey and asked that offenders who wished to give more information contact Vockrodt. He received eight letters, yet only three decided to participate in his story.
Mora said that finding and gathering historical information for his story was the most challenging, requiring countless hours spent at the Spencer Research Library.
Mora took home the ninth-place prize for his article, "The Greek Divide." The story pointed out the racial imbalance of the University's fraternities and sororities. Mora, who covered student housing and greek life for the Kansan, came up with the story idea after noticing an inordinate ratio of whites to blacks during greek recruitment. His story was published last semester.
Despite changes to fraternity and sorority polices 40 years ago that allowed black students to become greek members, whites still account for 99 percent of greek membership, Mora found.
Ted Frederickson, professor of journalism, who taught all three of the students who placed in the awards and helped them with their
stories, said he received substantial praise from the students for the help he provided.
Besides the latest Hearst Awards announcement, Stevenson placed 11 out of 111 in the profile category for the Hearst Awards in December. Stevenson profiled Andy Marso, a 2004 graduate and Kansean reporter, who was stricken with meningitis before his graduation.
In addition to the honor that comes with winning a Hearst Award, there is the financial perk. Vockrodt, who will receive $2,000 for claiming first place, is considering purchasing a road bike and investing the rest. As for Mora, he's unsure of what he'll do with his $500 prize, although he said he might use the money for bills or use the money for spring break.
"I didn't really edit their stories, I coached them," Frederickson said. "Coach Self can coach a kid up and tell him what to do, but it's up to the player to execute it on the court; same thing with the stories."
Edited by John Jordan
NATION
Bush asks for increased budget
BY ANDREW TAYLOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration said Thursday it would ask Congress for $120 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $18 billion more for hurricane relief this year.
The White House acknowledges the upcoming requests would cause total spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001, to soar well past the $400 billion mark, while spending for hurricane relief would top $100 billion.
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush disembark Air Force One upon their arrival to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuaquerque, N.M., on Thursday.
Pat Vazquez-Cunningham/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Arrived at Kittredge, Air Force Base in New
Details of the requests are not final, but the 2007 budget proposal that President Bush is to submit next week will reflect the totals for planning purposes. The president also will ask Congress to devote another $2.3 billion to prepare for a bird flu epidemic, congressional aides said.
About $70 billion of the new war money will be requested for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, bringing total spending on the two campaigns to $120 billion for the current budget year. The other $50 billion in new war money will be set aside in the 2007 budget for the first few months of the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. More money will likely be needed in 2007.
The bulk of the funding will go toward military operations, officials said, but the money will also replace damaged, destroyed or worn out equipment. Another
part of the request would provide aid to train Iraqi security forces and otherwise combat the insurgency in Iraq.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that $320 billion has been spent on Iraq and Afghanistan since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including $50 billion that Congress sent Bush in December.
Administration officials said the new figures were estimates and the totals could change
slightly before they are officially presented to Congress.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said the requests reflect the president's desire to "commit the resources that are necessary to fight and win the war on terrorism."
The requested money would cover troop salaries and benefits, repairing and replacing equipment, supporting U.S. embassies in the two countries and taking on the insurgency. It would cover the costs of continuing to train Iraqi and Afghan security forces and to protect U.S. troops.
Joel Kaplan, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the $50 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan for 2007 is a placeholder. He suggested the combined costs of the two campaigns could be different.
"We're still in the process of working out the details," Kaplan said.
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The University of Kansas Department of Theatre and Film University Theatre KU Theatre for Young People presents
Short Tree and the Bird that Could Not Sing
1:00 p.m. • January 30 - 31 & February 1 - 3,2006
10:00 a.m. • Saturday. February 4, 2006
2:30 p.m. • Sunday. February 5, 2006
9:45 a.m. • February 6 - 8,2006
by Dennis Foon
KU
UNIVERSITY
THEATRE
The University of Kansas
William Inge
Memorial Theatre
Munphu Hall
General admission tickets will be on sale in the University Theatre Ticket Office one hour prior to each performance; seating is limited. Tickets are $10 public, $5 all students, and $9 senior citizens and KU Faculty and staff.
This production is partially funded by the RU Student Senate Activity Fee, funding is also provided by the Karaos Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a national agency.
Paid for by KU
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