8A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15,2007
WESCOE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
cally since construction crews have tried working weekend hours to minimize the racket.
The proposed north Wescoe renovation was decided upon Wednesday afternoon, and is in early stages of planning. University Design and Construction Management said they felt this was a good step toward fixing Wescoe's issues.
"It makes more sense in terms of disruption to do the whole thing at once," Don Steeples, Vice Provost said.
Notice has been an issue dur.
Mechanical equipment in Wescow such as heating and air conditioning units are more than 30 years old. The equipment is deteriorated, and service parts are outdated, making it nearly impossible to fix the damage.
ing the south area renovation for many of Rossomondo's colleagues in Wescoe offices. Steeples said he feels working on the south and north at the same time will not only end the noise sooner, but resolve issues in Wescoe that plague many halls on campus.
have also suffered from the foundation issues. The floor slopes 3 inches higher than it should in some areas. The sprinklers have also disengaged from the roof, causing code violations.
Sprinkler systems and flooring
Kansan staff writer Katy Blair can be contacted at kblair@kansan. com.
The renovations are now estimated at almost $4.8 million and are expected to be finished in summer 2008.
Edited by Will McCullough
BUS (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
the service
"It's exceeding all of our expectations with the ridership they've been having," Kaiser said.
Detriehsa said most people were purchasing the 10-ride pass. No data is available yet on the number of riders, he said, but some of the buses he has seen have been almost full.
Kami Tracy, Pierre S.D., senior at Edwards Campus, rode the bus to Lawrence every Tuesday and
Thursday for a class in the afternoon. She said the bus was usually close to full capacity.
"It's just nice to sit back, relax and have somebody else do the driving for you." Trace said.
A full route schedule is available at the Johnson County Transit Web site, www.theio.com.
The K-10 Connector service also began charging riders this week, after allowing people to ride for free since the service began in mid January.
Kansan staff writer Matt Erickson can be contacted at merickson@ kansan.com.
A one-way ticket costs $2.50,
and a 10 ride pass is $15.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler
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842-9845
》 PROFILE
War stress haunts student
Iraq veteran tells traumatic tales
BY JOE HUNT
Dustin Crook goes to class, plays the occasional video game and has an energetic dog named Mr. E. A pile of crumpled beer cans covers the balcony of his apartment. But there's more to Crook than meets the eye.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Dustin Crook, Olope sophomore, sits with his half Border Collie, half Dalmatian, crook. Mirox drove a Hurumee as part of a convoy in Iraq for over a year.
From February 2004 to March 2005, the Olpe sophomore was driving Humvees in Iraq. His Humvee was part of a convoy, and his job was to protect tractor trailers that carried supplies to other parts of the country.
Crook joined the Army a month after his 17th birthday. He didn't grow up playing with G.I. Joes, and other than his grandfather, no one in his family had ever been in the military.
"I never really planned on going into the Army," Crook said. "But I always wanted to go to college, and the Army was my way in."
Crooksfather, Todd, said he wasn't surprised when his son showed interest in joining the Army.
"If there was any kind of challenge that piqued his curiosity, he would just go do it," his father said.
From the moment he flew into Kuwit and drove across the border into Iraq, Crook knew that he was in for an experience unlike anything he had done before.
"There were all these people lined up, begging for food, living in mud shacks." Crook said. "That was my first reaction in Iraq: Whoa, this is the real deal."
Iraq was full of intense moments for Crook. He could tell you about the time he got out of his Humvee and saw dents from bullets in the side of his door.
"It's our standard procedure not to allow that, so one of the trucks cut this Suburban off." Crook said.
"Thank God we had bullet-proof siding on those Humvees, or I'd have been toast," he said.
Or, he could tell you about time when the convoy was attacked in the pitch black of night, when driving with no lights, except for two little white lights on the front of each truck and two little red ones on the back.
But the most painful experience came at a time when there was no combat and no real threat to his well-being.
Crook was driving in the back of a convoy when a Suburban full of Iraqis started weaving in and out of the trucks, trying to quickly pass the convoy on its way down the road.
"I just got my eyes on them two little red dots and I can see everything in my peripheral vision, RPGs going up and the flash of all the guns, and I'm just focused on the two little dots," he said.
The Suburban ran off the road and flipped about 15 times, killing eight of the people inside. As a crowd gathered, Crook had to pull out the dead bodies.
"That's when you sit back and think, 'This is wrong, these people didn't deserve to die.'" Crook said. "You feel scared when you're the reason that all these people are dead around you. That situation was scarier than getting shot at."
The Suburban incident was so distressing to Crook that it haunted him for months, even after he returned home. Eventually he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"I started noticing signs of road rage, short temper, I was getting in more tights," Crook said. "I started to realize that because of what I had been through. I was different from all my friends, they can't relate to that. Here I want to talk about these issues with the war, and no one really cares."
Apathy towards the war is something that still bothers Cork greatly. He loves to talk about his own experiences in Iraq, but no one ever asks.
Well, some do, but it's always the same kind of question.
"It's kind of sick, you come home and people are like, 'Did you kill anybody?' Crook said. "What kind of question is that?"
Life has began to settle down
for him. He's been dating his girl-
friend. Mandy, for over a year now.
He enjoys going to bars with his friends
and having a good time, like many college students do. And he has his dog, a half Border Collie half Dalmatian mix.
Crook expects to graduate with a degree in economics in May 2009. His commitment to the Army runs out in February 2010 and he still doesn't know if he will re-enlist. He said that the $15,000 signing bonus for re-enlisting was alluring, but the prospect of having to go to Iraq again would make it difficult, if not impossible, to begin raising a family during the six-year commitment.
"I saw things no one will ever get a chance to see, so I'm glad I got to do something like that." Crook said.
Whether he returns or not, his experiences in Iraq have been valuable, and they make him different than most students on campus.
Kansan staff writer Joe Hunt can be contacted at jhunt@kansan. com.
Edited by Jyl Unruh
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