The fourth local art gallery to close its doors in the last three years will close Saturday. 10A
Senate pushes a new bill to reallocate control of the Multicultural Education Fund to help reduce problems. 3A
student senate
women's basketball
The team celebrates Senior Night tonight but it will be hard to keep the spotlight off Sooner center
1B Courtney Paris.
The meet will switch its focus from Olympic athletes and the Gold Zone format to collegiate teams and athletes.
1B
weather
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© 2007 The University Daily Kansan
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Classifieds...7A
Crossword...7B
Horoscopes...7B
Opinion...9A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...7B
Jon Goering/KANSAN
HEALTH
Algae to blame for foul taste, smell of tap water
BY DANAE DESHAZER
When Ashley Moore moved to Lawrence three years ago, she noticed a problem with the tap water.
"It's almost salty, but it really smells like fish," Moore, Paola sophomore, said. "Every time I drink it straight from the tap, it hurts my stomach."
Last summer, researchers for the Kansas Biological Survey sampled water in five Kansas reservoirs, including Clinton Lake, and found higher levels of a compound called geosim, which could cause drinking water to taste and smell bad.
“It’s got a musky or earthy taste and kind of smells like the lake,” said
Andy Dzialowski, research associate for the Kansas Biological Survey. "It's totally harmless. It can't hurt you, but people don't really appreciate it."
When blue-green algae forms in the water, and then dies, it creates geosmin.
In December 2006, Lawrence experienced an increase of taste and odor problems in its water.
The water treatment division in the Lawrence area operates under
Paul Leichti, assistant director of Kansas Biological Survey, said that this was when residents and plant workers started complaining about an odor in the water.
two treatment facilities, the Kaw River Water Treatment Plant and the Clinton Reservoir Water Treatment Plant. The Kaw plant, which uses water from the Kansas River, was temporarily shut down in December for basic maintenance issues. At that time, Lawrence received all its water from Clinton Lake.
nose can detect a geosmin smell and taste at as little as 10 parts per trillion.
Lawrence hasn't seen this high of geosmin level since 1995. Dziadowski said that the blue-green algae typically blooms during the summer, but the increase this past winter was due to a different environment condition, influenced by temperature and climate change. Leichi said low rainfall, land usage, and farm fertilizers in the area also influenced it.
Scientists from Kansas Biological Survey went to Clinton to examine the water, and found goosmin levels of 30 parts per trillion. A human
Dizalowski predicts that the high levels have decreased since December, but does not know for sure. He said no matter where the water comes from, there is bound to be a whole suite of
problems. Residents will battle those problems in their own way.
Kylee Wright, Topek jumai, said at Miller scholarship hall, they used water filters on the faucets because of the poor water quality.
"Our drinking fountains are really gross. You can taste the minerals, and it's cloudy." Wright said.
She sometimes drinks out of the fountain because she said, "it doesn't kill me."
Kansan staff writer Danae DeShacer can be contacted at ddshazer@ kansan.com.
>> HIP-HOP WEEK
Students make their mark on Wescoe
1
- Edited by Ryan Schneider
Koga Moffor, Overland Park sophomore, draws the Cameron flag on graffiti walls set up by SUA on Wescole Beach Tuesday afternoon in celebration of Hip-Hop Week. There are a number of different hip hop related activities being put on by SUA this week.
SUA gets students involved in Hip-Hop Week by encouraging graffiti art
BY BETHANY BUNCH
Hip-hop music, freestyle rapping and the fumes of spray paint brought out the artistic side of students yesterday afternoon on Wescoe beach.
Three double-sided nine foot tall canvases and 15 cans of spray paint were available to both talented and beginner artists. The graffiti wall was part of Student Union Activities Hip-Hop Week.
Sachin Teh, Madison, N.J.,
senior stopped by to see what was
going on and to spray his initials
on a canvas. He said he had a lot
of experience with graffiti art, but
didn't consider himself a graffiti artist anymore.
Stephanie Altoro, Prairie Village sophomore, is the cultural arts coordinator for SUA. She said her committee started working on Hip-Hop Week last summer.
"We know graffiti has negative connotations but want to show that it's an art form and part of hip-hop culture."
This is the first year for the celebration at the University.
"I spray painted my elementary school," Teli said. "I got in a lot of trouble. It was beautiful thought."
"We wanted to bring Hip-Hop Week to KU because hip-hop is a genre that isn't spoken for here." Altoro said.
State University.
Altoro said the events are based off a similar Hop-Hop Week at Ohio
Destiny Boutchee, Los Angeles junior, painted flags and names of her friends on a crowded canvas. She said she had experience with graffiti from high school.
Boutchee said she thought graffiti represented hip-hop because it is often seen in cities.
Altoro and other SUA volunteers joked as they set up the canvases that they were going to burn them that night.
"I used to be a graffiti artist," Boutchee said. "But not anymore."
"It's an urban way to express yourself," she said. "Negative or positive."
"They are just a pain to build," Altoro said.
The canvases will be used instead as decoration at a hip-hop dance battle Saturday. The event will bring dance troops to compete at 9 p.m. at the Ballroom in the Kansas Union.
Kansan staff writer Bethany Bunch can be contacted at bbunch@kansan.com.
Edited by Stacey Couch
Student pharmacists raise issues at state capitol
HEALTH FAIR
BY JOSEPH HUNT
The Academy of Student Pharmacists put on its annual Pharmacy Health Fair in the State Capitol Building on Tuesday. Every year the fair is put on in the Union in the fall and the State Capitol in the spring.
Amber Wanklyn, president of the KU Academy of Student Pharmacists, said that the students hoped to raise awareness of KU pharmacy issues to state legislators.
In Kansas immunizations can only be given by licensed pharmacists that have graduated college, and even though students can be certified to give immunizations, they cannot actually do so, Sasha Sosa said.
4.
"Right now there's a bill going to the state senate that would allow students to give immunizations," Wanklyn said. "We're hoping that goes through."
Sosa, Emporia junior, said that it was frustrating to not be able to give
immunizations.
"If we're taught how to do it right we should be able to it." Sosa said.
At the fair the student pharmacists tested for blood pressure, cholesterol, bone density, blood glucose and body fat free of charge. They also informed people of health concerns such as depression.
Kirsten Peterson, Olathe graduate student, said that it was busier this year than previous years, because of a large group of AARP members.
"There was a lot of AARP people
The bill that would allow students to give immunization shots was pushed back on the agenda Tuesday, but the students thought that they made an impression at the capitol.
25
Edited by James Pinick
getting their blood pressure tested to see if their medication worked." Peterson said.
Kansan staff writer Joseph Hunt can be contacted at jhunt@kansan.com.
CAMPUS
Employees look for recognition Unclassified staff visit legislature
BY NATHAN GILL
On Feb. 13, eleven unclassified staff members at the University of Kansas took the day off. But instead of a relaxing vacation day, they drove to Topeka to meet with Kansas legislators.
The University's unclassified staff — little known though they number about 2,000 — have been using vacation days for their yearly legislative visit for the past five years. This year, they traveled to Topeka to raise awareness about who unclassified staff are and voice concerns about deferred maintenance.
"We're not faculty, we don't get tenure, but we have professional degrees." O'Connor said.
Jason O'Connor, Unclassified Senate president, said many people did not know who unclassified staff were or what they did.
Unclassified staff serve the University in research, administrative, academic and student services positions. They work in the provost's office, have positions in student housing, are career and academic advisors and are technical and research specialists. According to Unclassified Senate information, 61 percent of the University's unclassified staff have at least a master's degree.
Paul Farran, a support specialist in academic technology services, was one of the eleven who visited with legislators. He said one of the main objectives of the visit was to help legislators understand the difference between the University's classified and unclassified staff.
The University's classified staff called university support staff since 2005 include clerical workers, administrative assistants, maintenance workers and technicians.
O'Connor said the University's deferred maintenance was a top priority for unclassified staff. He said that unclassified staff work all over campus and realize that many buildings need repairs. He also said it was sometimes embarrassing to give campus tours to prospective students and faculty.
"We do lose staff to other locations because of those issues," OConnor said. He later said, "This is our campus, we care about it. We don't want it to fall apart."
Danny Kaiser, assistant director of parking and transit and unclassified staff member, attended the legislative
SEE UNCLASSIFIED ON PAGE 4A