Friday inside
New Year festivities Celebrations for the Chinese New Year at KU will start today. Students will celebrate the Year of the Monkey today at the ECM with traditional food and songs. PAGE 3A
A lifelong mission
Lea Burgess- Carland has been fighting
Legend takes over
Kansas Athletics Director Lew Perkins named
domestic violence her entire life. Now, as volunteer program director for Women's Transitional Services, she's inspiring others. PAGE 5A
Basketball analysis
Lynette Woodard interim head coach after Marian Washington announced she was taking a medical leave of absence. PAGE 10A
After a rough loss against the
Jayhawks need to work on their flaws before they compete with the Cyclones this weekend. PAGE 10A
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Briefs 2A
Opinion 4A
Sports 10A
Horoscopes 8A
Comic 8A
KANSAN
January 30.2004 IN ITS 100TH YEAR AS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Vol.114 Issue No.82
Washington takes hiatus
Women's basketball coach leaves for medical reasons
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Holding back tears, Marian Washington announced yesterday that she will take a medical leave of absence effective immediately as coach of the Kansas women's basketball team.
Washington, in her 31st year as the Kansas coach, has never missed a game in her tenure, but asked Kansas athletics director Lew Perkins for some time to tend to "personal" medical issues.
"Obviously, I've been dealing with some health issues for quite some time." Washington said at a press conference. "You tend to dismiss yourself because of your commitments to your players, to your program, to your university and I tried to do that. I'm hopeful that everything will be OK, and I'm going to do everything I can now to take care of myself."
Washington was accompanied into the John Hadl Auditorium hand-in-hand by Perkins, followed by her assistant coaches. A handful of other Kansas varsity coaches were in attendance to give support.
Washington first asked Perkins for a leave of two to three weeks, and was told to take as much time as she needed. She then addressed her players yesterday morning along with Perkins. The news came to the team just two days before tomorrow night's home game against Oklahoma State.
"We obviously have a game, and have to get ready for that," Perkins said. "We have some very strong young women who understand. The students were obviously upset about hearing not only the fact that coach is taking a leave of absence, but that she has some medical issues."
"I would hope to always serve this university, and certainly Lynette Woodard in any way I can, but I will be having to take some time away from here. Whatever I can do, whenever I can do it, I will."
Marian Washington Kansas women's basketball coach
While there is no solid time frame for Washington's return to the sideline, Perkins appointed fifth-year assistant coach and former Kansas standout Lynette Woodard as the interim head coach.
See the editorial on page 4A that goes with this story.
"I think that she will be supported tremendously." Washington said. "I would hope to always serve this university, and certainly Lynette Woodard in any way I can, but I will be having to take some time away from here. Whatever I can do, whenever I can do it, I will." Tomorrow will mark the first absence from the sidelines in a coaching career that includes 559 victories, seven conference titles and six conference tournament championships.
"She was a pioneer in women's basketball long before it was fashionable, and what she's accomplished here goes without saying," Perkins said. "But there are more important things, and that's her as a person."
Marian Washington is the third major
SEE HIATUS ON PAGE 6A
Amanda Kim Stairrett/Kansan
Marian Washington broke down as she announced she was taking a medical leave of absence at a press conference yesterday. The University of Kansas women's basketball coach would not specifically say what the cause of her leave was. KU Director of Athletics, Lew Perkins, named assistant coach Lynette Woodard intern coach.
Family important to Watts
Jeff Brandsted/Kansa
Ex-politician former athlete critical of U.S. government
J. C. Watts Jr., former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, spoke yesterday evening at the Lied Center. He stressed the importance of family and education.
By Rupal Gor
rgor@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The last time he came to the University of Kansas, J.C. Watts Jr. was running for his life on the football field at Memorial Stadium. Last night, he spoke of another kind of competition.
An audience of 1,200 listened as Watts spoke about the importance of family, education, tax reduction, Social Security and competition within businesses and the government. He criticized the government and said the United States was having more problems with taxes than ever.
"You have to find new ways of dealing with these problems." Watts said.
Watts went from the poor side of the tracks in Oklahoma to an Oklahoma Sooners football star and then served as a Republican congressman for eight years. During that time, he was chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth highest position in the House of Representatives. He left Congress in 2002 to spend time with his family.
Parents should be able to put their kids in public schools to learn to be successful, according to Watts. Poor people should not be forced to put their kids in bad schools because the opportunity of education is important.
"After eight years in Congress, I said, I'm not doing it anymore. I'm staying home." Watts said.
He talked about family during his speech at the Lied Center, presented by the J.A. Vickers Sr. and Robert F. Vickers Sr. Memorial Lecture series.
Stressing the importance of money, Watts mentioned picking up pennies at fast food drive-thrus because they had value.
"My father told me, 'If you don't
"My father told me, 'If you don't understand the value of a penny, you won't understand the value of a dollar,"
J.C. Watts Jr.
former Republican Congressman
He said there was a need for more taxpayers, not higher taxes. A way to establish that would be to create an environment for people to expand businesses to get into the marketplace.
understand the value of a penny, you won't understand the value of a dollar," Watts said.
As a businessman, he knows the importance of helping others and of competition in the workplace.
"I have to get up every day knowing that if I don't take care of my customers, somebody else will," he said. Watts is chairman of J.C. Watts Companies, which help develop businesses in small towns.
William L. Fuerst, dean of the school of business, said people could learn
about pressing issues in Washington through Watts.
"Congressman Watts is establishing himself as a leading legislator at the U.S. level, and he's very knowledgeable," Fuer said.
Watts' knowledge brought him far, not just through his own education but through family. His father spent just two days in seventh grade, but was intelligent and worked hard for his family. Having a father figure in his life was important and he wanted to go to more of his children's parent-teacher conferences, basketball games and dance recitals.
Laura Martincich, Shawnee junior, said respected his values.
"I liked how he didn't focus solely on political matters but on how his family was important to him," she said.
Nick Wright, Olathe junior, said Watts had a good political influence on him. He did not pay attention to politics before, but hearing Watts opened his eyes.
"It gave me an awakening and showed me politics has a lot to do with what's going on in the world," Wright said.
— Edited by Amanda Kim Stairret.
Students unaware of free bus
By Andy Marso
amarso@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Platforms in action
Jayhawk Express bus driver Bob Skulskie had been on the job only a few days, but he already had an idea to get more riders.
Every Friday The University Daily Kansan will review one of the platform issues of past Student Senate
coalitions to update readers on how the programs have progressed. This is the first article in the series. Next week, we will look at last year's KUnited coalition's "Have a Say Before You Pay," the coalition's initiative to help offset tuition increases.
"They should put 'free bus' on the front, then I bet they'd have full ridership." Skulskie said.
The Jayhawk Express is the free on-campus bus service that Student Senate began last fall.
As temperatures fall and snow begins to fly, more students are being drawn to the Jayhawk Express, but some still avoid it because they don't know that the bus is free and don't know where it goes. Skulskle said half of the riders still try to show him a pass.
Tim Akright, transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said it was too early to judge the effectiveness of the Jayhawk Express. The bus had seen an increase in users similar to other programs like Saferide, but it would take a whole year to evaluate, he said.
The Jayhawk Express averaged 114 riders per day in September, its first month of operation. That figure rose to 142 in October and has held steady at about 150 riders per day since.
Akright said he thought a string of
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