Q1.
NOTICE
Photo Illustration | Jerry Wano
Signed, read, delivered. Corresponding with a far-away friend shouldn't be insist because of advancing technology instead of a quick email, send someone a handwritten letter. It will show your appreciation for keeping in touch.
A letter is not reliant upon the Internet. It is not deleted with the click of the mouse. It is not 140 characters.
For some college students, handwritten letter-writing is a type of communication that only has historic value, reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln or Jane Austen.
But for others, specifically those college kids who still go to summer camp, letter-writing is a type of communication cherished long after the stench of bug spray and sunscreen is left behind.
Lindie Northup, Edmond, Okla., senior, likes to write letters for the exact reason others don't — people don't communicate like that anymore. This makes letter-writing unique, and as a result, the words become more meaningful and sentimental, she says. As a camp counselor at Shepherd's Fold Ranch near Tulsa, Okla., this past summer, she wrote three to four letters a week to her closest friends, boyfriend and family.
Taylor Mann, a junior from Hutchinson, wrote about 50 letters throughout the summer at Kanaku Kamp near Branson, Mo. She says she received just as many. Writing back and forth with her friends helps develop and sustain long-distance friendships, she says. "On a phone you can contact someone whenever you want, but with letters it's a surprise."
Writing letters is a tradition that has always been associated with summer camps (think, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"). "Letter-writing is a lost art," says Ann Sheets, immediate past national president of the American Camp
Association (ACA). She says camps try to get the kids to become less dependent on technology in order to embrace that art. Most camps reserve designated times each day for the children and the counselors to rest and take the time to write letters.
At camp, letters replace all other forms of long-distance communication. For college counselors, regulations concerning email and cell phones vary from camp to camp. For example, Mann says she only had access to
LETTER-WRITING IS A LOST ART
ANN SHEETS
PAST NATIONAL PRESIDENT, ACA
her phone on off days, whereas Adam Levine, Leawood junior, says he always had access to his phone as a counselor at Camp Sabra in Rocky Mount, Mo.
Without his phone, Levine would have nau no contact with the world outside of camp he only wrote one letter. Regardless, he still appreciated the detachment from other forms of technology, like the computer and TV.
Gina Speer, Olathe junior, also is not a fan of the hand-written letter. As a counselor at Camp Foster YMCA of the Okobij's in Spirit Lake, Iowa,
MOLLY MARTIN
Outside of camp, has the efficiency of email replaced the need of hand-written letters? Margaret Shepherd, author of The Art of the Personal Letter: A Guide to Connecting Through the Written Word, says that in some cases the answer is yes. Email is an easier medium used to notify people about less interesting things in their lives, she says. For example, Shepherd says email is wonderful for planning arrangements. In short, email serves the purpose of immediacy: instant notification and communication.
But a lot of the important things that happen in people's lives are not instant. Some things take a little longer to unfold, Shepherd says. How a college student learns to handle laundry or how you feel toward your new roommate—these are situations that can be hard to understand upon first impression. "A letter let's you explore an area you might just rush by," Shepherd says. It delves into something that takes place over a period of time, she says. At any given instant during that time, you don't realize how interesting something really is.
Letters also differ from emails by expressing more personality. When reading letters, you see another person's unique handwriting, not a typical Ariel or Times New Roman font. Although Anna Archer, McPherson junior, couldn't actually hear her friend's voice, "the way she
CAMP... LETTER
WRITING WISDOM
"Or don't you like to write letters? If do because it's such a swell way to keep from working and yet feel you've done something." -Ernest Hemingway
"A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend." -Emily Dickinson
"I consider it a good rule for letter-writing to leave unmentioned what the recipient already knows, and instead tell him something new."
*Sigmund Freud*
"There must be millions of people all over the world who never get any love letters... I could be their leader." -Charlie Brown
"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity."
-Walt Whitman
"I hold that the parentheses are by far the most important parts of a non-business letter."
-D.H. Lawrence
wrote [the letter] sounded so much like her. You can always draw sweet pictures to illustrate your stories," she says.
Setting time aside for letter-writing is a great strategy for college students. Shepherd recommends trying to write a couple letters once every two weeks, or even once a month. The first of each month could be an easy reminder to set that time aside.
People know when you've taken extra trouble to do something, Shepherd says. That's what a letter is. It's a little extra trouble that lasts forever. Jp
Staniunas said the fund is publicized through Student Senate and always gives tickets to the McNair Scholars Program. The program is a federal organization designed
tion, which he said is because he rarely sees advertisements for events.
"Depending on the show, I would definitely take advantage of a free ticket," Cobb said.
The fund is now named after Jack B. Wright, a longtime University professor of theater.
The University's McNair chapter gets an average of 15 to 20 tickets each year. Faculty members take the schools to the show, and
don't usually get a chance to go to the theater.
John Staniumas, chair of the University's department of theatre and film, said the uniqueness of the theater experience cannot be duplicated by movies or TV, and that is
ment and the educational growth that comes from the theater is extremely beneficial and students truly appreciate the experience.
All proceeds from "Pastiche" and the post-show reception will go directly to the fund.
- Edited by Alex Tretbar
City to host annual energy conservation fair
Lawrence residents peruse booths at last year's Energy Conservation Fair. This year the event will include a presentation by Westar Energy and a performance by "Eco Elvis."
LOCAL
BY ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON amcnaughton@kansan.com
"Most people just aren't aware how much they can conserve," Benson said. "We're hoping that through this fair, people who aren't aware of conservation will become aware and people who are aware will learn other ways that they can reduce further."
The Energy Conservation Fair is hosted by the City of Lawrence Waste Reduction and Recycling Division and will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the City of Lawrence Community Building, located at 115 W. 11th St. The fair will feature 40 exhibits and will also feature presentations, workshops and performances all related to energy conservation and education.
Benson, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., will miss Saturday's home game to volunteer at the 10th annual Lawrence Energy Conservation Fair. Benson is the coordinator for the Resource Conservation committee and is an officer in Environs, the student organization that promotes environmental awareness.
When Nick Benson discusses energy and power on Saturday, he won't be referring to the football team.
Tickets will be required for the Sustainable Homes Tour, but admittance to the fair is free to the public. To show the benefits of public transportation, the Lawrence Transit System will also
be offering free rides on the T all day Saturday on all fixed routes.
Kathy Richardson, the waste reduction and recycling operations supervisor, said in the past this event has grown to attract more than 600 attendees who enjoy learning from a variety of presenters including builders, architects, insulation experts, heating and cooling contractors, government agencies, non-profit and alternative fuel vehicle representatives.
The University's Center for Sustainability will present at the fair again this year speaking about conservation around campus.
Jeffrey Severin, director for the center, said they would be trying to illustrate how the University is addressing energy in a variety of ways. Severin said that at the fair they would be looking at some of the research that is going on around campus through the Energy Council, through the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis and a variety of research centers on campus that focus on issues that either address renewable energy or energy consumption and climate change.
"Environmental issues always seem like such large challenges and somewhat overwhelming." Severin said. "Energy conservation is something that we can all easily do in our daily lives. Fairs like this really help put that into perspective."
Severin said in the past these fairs have always provided a lot of great information to anyone interested.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Horn said Nickie Lee, who works in the State Energy Office and will speak about Efficiency Kansas, can educate students who rent on how to save money and
Eileen Horn, the sustainability coordinator for the city, said the fair provided a forum for people to come and learn about energy conservation, new energy technologies and ways to become more energy efficient.
Noon — Eco Elvis, an environmentally friendly Elvis impersonator, will perform modified Elvis songs with an environmental message. 1:30 p.m. — Nickie Lee from the State Energy Office will speak about Efficiency Kansas. 2:30
OW
10 a.m. — Lawrence Energy Conservation Fair opens with exhibits.
11 a.m. — Dominique Davison of Davison Architecture + Urban Design LLC talks about residential housing and the associated environmental effects.
SEE ENERGY ON PAGE 3A
2:30 p.m. — Larry Kinder with LilyPad EV will speak about plug-in electric vehicles and their benefits to the environment and businesses.
4 p.m. — Exhibits close.
N
side
Source: Kathy Richardson
films
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player film and Wave.
funds may help bring new drug
TODAY'S WEATHER
INDEX
Recovery act grants bring funding to the University for research on a drug that could prevent cancer from nicotine.
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87 LOW 62 Scattered T-Storm
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