KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 / NEWS
3A
LOCAL
Businesses lose profits as fans leave disappointed
BY ADAM STRUNK
astrunk@kansan.com
astrunk@kansan.com
Thirty Lawrence and KU police officers lined the street Sunday afternoon prepared to deal with crowds of more than 5,000 people. They stood huddled in small groups with nothing to do as snow fell and dejected KU fans walked by.
This was the scene along Massachusetts Street shortly following VCU's stunning 10-point upset of the top seeded KU men's basketball team in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
"I am pissed," Julie Heffernan, senior from La Grange, Ill., said while standing outside the Mass Street Pub. "This was my last year here and I wanted to, you know, go out with a bang."
No 'bang' was found late Sunday afternoon along Massachusetts
Street, site of the 3,000-person crowd that formed to celebrate KU's 2008 Final Four berth. Bars that had been packed full of excited fans since 11:30 a.m. sat deserted.
"They have never been louder in the bar," bartender Kacee Abel said while working in the empty Dynamite Saloon. "But right afterwards everyone just left."
The lack of crowds meant loss of business for Massachusetts Street stores.
Ryan Owens, general manager at Jock's Nitch Sporting Goods, said that had Kansas won the game, his shop would have been full of fans buying KU T-Shirts.
"We had shirts pre-ordered and ready to go," he said. "We pre-bought some in anticipation of selling them right now as we speak."
Owens said that the store
would donate pre-ordered Final Four shirts to people in countries overseas and in need of clothing. Owens also added that the basketball loss would have an effect on long-term sales.
"It's dramatic on T-Shirt Sales," he said. "The longer your season is, the more publicity your better sales are going to be."
While the mood in Lawrence was somber and the loss has been painful and difficult for many to take, Paige Noel, freshman from Portis, said she would forever be a lavawk, win or lose.
"I am never going to root for another team," she said. "I am not going to even watch any more of [college basketball] until exhibition time next year."
— Edited by Emily Soetaert
Ashleigh Lee/KANSAN
Tonia Salas, a senior from Alameda, Calif., and Mitchell Creed, a local Lawrence resident, watch the basketball game at The Burger Stand yesterday afternoon. The Burger Stand manager, Chris Hoffman, said that people lined up two hours prior to the game to get a good seat.
LOCAL
Sense of humor helps overcome pain of cancer
BY LAURA NIGHTENGALE
Inightengale@kansan.com
As a nurse practitioner at Watkins Memorial Health Center, Kathy Guth routinely performs breast exams on her patients, so when she found a lump in her breast, she knew
right away that something was wrong.
She went to see a doctor who suggested she might be feeling a fibroadenoma, a benign lump, and scheduled a removal of
the growth. Guth said she knew this lump was different than others she had felt before and the surgery confirmed her suspicion — breast cancer.
After receiving the diagnosis, Guth said she immediately made up her mind that she would beat the disease.
"The hardest part was knowing that you did have cancer, of course that's devastating in itself, but I felt good," Guth said. "I felt positive that it was going to be okay."
The surgery also revealed the cancer had metastasized to Guth's lymph nodes, which required chemotherapy treatments. Knowing that the cancer spread, Guth decided to get a mastectomy.
While undergoing chemotherapy treatments, Guth remained optimistic. She thinks her positivity helped the family cope with the disease's effects and speeded her recovery.
The treatments took a toll on Guth's body, causing nausea, fatigue and hair loss. While wearing a wig and prosthesis, Guth said sense of humor helped relieve the family's stress, especially her children's.
"They could see mom wasn't so sick," Guth said. "Keeping a little bit of humor with it I think really helped a lot."
Before becoming a nurse, Guth worked as a biology and psychology teacher. Her background in education helps her inform students and patients about the risk of cancer, especially the importance of self-exams.
"Know your body. Know what normal is for you because you're the expert of your body," Guth said. "If you see something that just doesn't look right or feel right, pursue it."
Guths work as a health educator at Watkins helps her fight the disease that she has seen claim the live of friends. Others can contribute b participating in Relay for Life April 15 to support the American Cance Society.
Cobra disappears from Bronx Zoo
ODD NEWS
NEW YORK — A poisonous cobra has vanished from an enclosure at the Bronx Zoo, and its Reptile House remained closed Sunday as a precaution while zoo workers searched for the reptile.
While the roughly 20-inchlong Egyptian cobra has been unaccounted for since Friday afternoon, zoo officials say they're confident it hasn't gone far and isn't in a public area.
RELAY FOR LIFE
Associated Press
GOAL: $40,000 and 100 teams
WHEN: April 15-16, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
WHERE: Memorial Stadium
REGISTRATION: $10
FUNDRAISING EVENTS MARCH 26: Gambino's Pizza, 3514 Clinton Pkwy, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., 15 percent of all purchases will be donated
To make donations or sign up to participate visit relayforlife.org/kuks
MARCH 30: Buffalo Wild Wings, 1012 Massachusetts St., 10 percent of all purchases will be donated
APRIL 2: Sonic on 6th Street, all tips and donations will be donated to Team Watkins
APRIL 9: 3 Spoons Yogurt, 732 Massachussets St., noon to 2 p.m., eat yogurt for relay donations
For more information contact relayforlifeofku@gmail.com
- Edited by Sean Tokarz
CAMPUS
SUA assures LGBT youth: 'It Gets Better'
BY SHAUNA BLACKMON
slbblankon kansan.com
It's no surprise that growing up is difficult. Kids are often bullied and ostracized, especially in middle school. Columnist and author Don Savage started the program It Gets Better in September 2010. The program aims to help young people, especially those in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community realize that, in most cases, the horrible feelings of youth don't last forever.
It all started with a YouTube video created by Savage and his partner Terry. The project now hosts over 10,000 videos with over 30 million views. Most of the videos are from everyday people who faced hardships growing up but there are also stories from President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Ellen DeGeneres, along with many other famous names and faces.
Student Union Activities picked up the idea and made its own site for University students and faculty in anticipation for Gay Awareness Month, or as some call it, Gaypriul. Jeers and Allies wanted to bring the program to the University and make it applicable to everyone.
"The national version is LGB specific, but for this, we want it to speak to all students," Megan Do, social issues assistant coordinator for SUA, said. While Q&A is participating in the event, it is with a watchful and cautious eye on Savage.
"Savage has made comments against fat people, bisexual men, horrible things about vaginas, and some pretty offensive stuff towards asexuals."
"A lot of what Dan Savage has to say is problematic." Rachel Gadd-Nelson, the director for educational outreach for Q&A said.
Gadd-Nelson says that while Q&A is glad the "It Gets Better"
program is bringing attention to the issues of LGBT youth, they are not convinced this is the right way to go about it.
"A lot of his videos pretty much say to get through high school, then move to a big city where you can be gay" Gadd-Nelson said. "In the Midwest we didn't want to do that especially since so many of our students are from a small town, we want to do something right now to make it better here."
If marketed right, the event can have a positive effect on the community.
"We have to focus on our whole community, our high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools," Gadd-Nelson said. "We have to stop being so insular, KU has an obligation not only to students, but the community. We really hope SUA tries to make a community connection."
While there are some complications and politics involved with the program and especially with Dan Savage, they do not negate the importance of helping youth accept themselves and each other.
"We're trying to make KU more accepting and understanding place." Do said. "We want to give young people who are struggling hope that their lives do get better."
INTERNATIONAL
Students' travel plans to Japan cut
Sam Hosfelt, a senior from Topeka, was set to leave for a study abroad program in Japan on Thursday. He says now he didn't realize just how excited he was to go until he was told last week that he won't be allowed.
Hosfelt is one of three students who intended to go to Japan this semester. University officials informed him that he won't be able to go because of the State Department advisory against travel to the country, which is still facing a tremendous clean-up effort and ongoing nuclear threat after a massive earthquake and tsunami earlier this month.
Spokeswoman Jill Jess said University policy prevents any study abroad in areas with a State Department advisory. The 10 University students who were in Japan when the earthquake hit were told to come home March 17.
Hosfelt has enrolled in University classes for the fall and has been told by the University that he will be refunded for most of his costs associated with enrolling in study abroad except for his passport and visa paperwork charges. He's not certain how the change of plans may affect his graduation date, though he says he'd like to enroll again next spring if he can.
"I'm extremely disappointed," he said. "But I'll go someday."
LEGAL
Lawsuit against fraternity settled
A lawsuit against the nationa and Kansas chapters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and multiple unnamed defendants was settled before going to a jury trial, court officials confirmed on Friday. The attorneys for Wren and SAE missed their Friday deadline to file the terms of the
settlement, but are expected to submit the agreement for approval of District Judge Malone sometime this week.
Jay Wren filed the lawsuit against the fraternity after his son, Jason, was found dead in the SAE house in March 2009. The suit was scheduled to go to trial in April of this year, but instead was settled last month.
Alex Garrison
Alex Garrison