THE UNIVERSITY OF HAIRY KANSAS
RSDAY, MARCH 15, 2007
NEWS
SAFETY
5A
Precautions are needed
Spring break requires added student security precautions
BY ERICK R. SCHMIDT
Students will flee from campus in the next few days, as spring break 2007 begins. For those leaving Lawrence, a few precautions could make the week safer both home and away.
Susan Gronbeck-Tedesco, director of study abroad, said students traveling to foreign countries could best protect themselves by researching the places they would be visiting.
"Find out where you should go in case of emergencies," Gronbeck-Tedesco said. "Learn a few phrases in the language."
Gronbeck Tedesco said the most common trouble students had while traveling was theft. She suggested leaving valuables at home, being aware of surroundings, and trying not to reveal themselves as vulnerable.
"Keep a low profile and blend in," she said. "And look purposeful, even if you're lost. The people who get picked on are the ones who look like victims."
Capt. Schuyler Bailey of the KU Public Safety Office said criminal
activity on campus and in student housing tended to drop during breaks.
"I'm a believer, and can say with some certainty that it is tied to population." Bailey said. "The fewer people are around, the less we see."
Still, he suggested several tips that he said students had likely heard before, but might need to be reminded of.
He said it was important to be mindful of everything from the most obvious precautions — such as locking all the doors in one's home — to minor details such as leaving lights on to give the impression of a full house.
He said he most liked the idea of putting house lights on timers.
Timers, which can be bought at most retail stores for about $15, will either turn lights off and on randomly or according to a schedule that the owner sets.
Bailey said another minor, yet important detail for students was locking the car after every load they took while preparing to leave. He said thefts from cars that were being loaded had been a problem in the past, and were easy targets for obvious reasons.
Last year was an exception to the drop in crime during breaks.
During spring break, a series of burglaries in campus buildings totaled more than $14,000 worth of stolen and damaged equipment. The thefts, which took place within a single day, consisted of computers and projection equipment.
Bailey said his office doesn't do anything differently during break. He said officers still patrol campus and, if anything, pay closer attention to activity on campus.
He said it was important for students who stay on campus to remember that buildings aren't empty, and that the students need to take safety precautions.
"We still tell people, if you see anything out of place or anyone suspicious, call the police." Bailey said.
The KU Public Safety Office can be contacted at 864-5900, or 911 for emergencies.
Kansan staff writer Erick R. Schmidt can be contacted at eschmiddt@kansan.com.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Lobbyist Kent Eckles chats with a dean's office staff member Lindsey Hoover at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences booth at the state Capitol.
"It definitely made me want to go to KU more," Fisher said. "It looked very professional."
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
a junior at Perry Lecompton High School. Fisher said he was working as a page in the Statehouse just for the day, and he said seeing how the University represented itself helped influence his choice for schools after high school.
Recruiting future students was part of the goal yesterday, said Katie
Moyer, editorial assistant for the KU Alumni Association.
"When we see high school kids we say, 'So are you going to go to KU?' she said.
Mover and Rachel Nyp, staff writer for the KU Alumni Association, were stationed at the alumni association's booth and passed out University stickers, magnets and other trinkets.
University coasters and calendars within an hour because so many legislators wanted them.
"A lot of them were sending their secretaries down to get KU things," Nyp said.
Kansan staff writer Tyler Harbert can be contacted at tharbert@ kansan.com.
They said they ran out of
DOCUMENTARY (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
death, emotional confusion and other issues soldiers face in Iraq.
Jeremy Byers, Mourning Byers husband, attended the preview and said he liked that the documentary told the stories of common soldiers, not the military elite. Byers, a doctoral student in military history at the University, said he spent one year serving in Iraq moving convos around Baghdad.
- Edited by Mark Vierthaler
Byers said he identified with the
way the documentary's authors, real soldiers, told stories about wounded soldiers on the battlefield and coming home. He said he had written about 180 pages in a journal while in Iraq, detailing his experiences, and also maintained a blog.
The theme of the discussion following the preview was that many Americans were personally out of touch with the Iraq War. Yellin said he hoped the documentaries would help address that problem.
Mourning-Byers said she thought many people did not understand the combat experience soldiers faced.
Kansan staff writer Nathan Gill can be contacted at ngill@kansan. com.
PBS is set to air the 11 documentaries from 8 to 10 p.m. each night from April 15 to 20.
Edited by Ashley Thompson
Kansas divests money from Sudan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Schmidt, R-Independence.
The measure is designed to pressure Sudan into ending violence in its Darfur region. The Sudanese government has been blamed for atrocities in an ethnic conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million. The 40-0 vote sent the bill to the House.
TOPEKA — Senators approved a bill requiring the pension fund for retired teachers and state workers to end its investments in companies providing revenue to Sudan's government.
"It is important that state retirement dollars not support the terrible atrocities in that part of Africa," said Senate Majority Leader Derek
STATEHOUSE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System estimates that it has about $38 million of its $12 billion-plus in assets invested in companies with some ties to Sudan.
Under the bill, KPERS couldn't invest in a company if it had "oil-related activities" in Sudan, provided revenue to its government, sold military equipment there or had a role in the genocide. The bill would make an exception for some dollars in "passively managed" funds in which money is mingled.
Numerous states have begun divesting their public pension funds from Sudan. Other states, including Missouri, have divested their funds from Cuba, Iran, North Korea and
At Schmdt's urging, senators amended the bill to require KPERS officials to compile a report by the start of the 2008 session showing how much money is invested in those four nations and what the effect would be of divesting.
Syria, which the U.S. Department of State has identified as terror-sponsoring nations. Several executive orders already restrict U.S. companies from trading or investing in Iran.
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