THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 86
Students brave blizzard for work, play
Though the University was closed, local liquor stores and bars saw plenty of student and faculty customers.
BY ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON
amcnaughtonkansan.com
After an epic winter storm passed through the Midwest and closed campus for two days, students were forced to find ways to fight the snow and dangerously cold temperatures.
"I stitched a sweater that had a hole in it and I organized my binder with all of my classes for this semester," Stewart said. "I don't really have
Claire Stewart, a junior from St. Louis, said she stayed in the house for three days catching up on the "meaningless things" that she's needed to do.
a whole more mirror world
in the secreter, and I caught up on all
of that
The winter storm hit the area Monday evening and snowfall continued throughout much of the day on Tuesday.
Matt Wolters, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka, said Lawrence received around 6 to 10 inches of snow as of about 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The University implemented its inclement weather policy on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first two-day closure since 2002, according to the University website.
For Stewart, Wednesday was the first day she actually had to step outside and face the snow. But after three days of hibernation, Stewart said she was ready to go to work as a bartender at Chili's Grill and Bar, 2319 Iowa St.
"Thank God I have to work tonight because we
AAA TIPS FOR DRIVING IN THE SNOW
Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying gas slowly is the best way to regain traction and avoid skids.
Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-packed or ice roads.
increase car following distance from three to four seconds to eight to 10 seconds.
Don't power up hills. Applying extra gas
Don't power up immediately by driving on snowy roads spins your tires. Try to build some inertia before reaching the hill.
Don't stop if you can avoid it.
Stay home. If you really don't have to go
— Tips courtesy of www.aaapublicaffairs.com
have no food left," Stewart said. "We were eating whatever we could in the house."
Other than having to dig out her car from the "4-foot wall" that enclosed it, Stewart said she was amazed at how clear the streets were and expected to be busy at work.
Brendan Dowdle, manager at Cork and Barrel 901 Mississippi St., said busy accurately describes his past few days at work.
With no academic obligations, students
SEE SNOW ON PAGE 2A
What do you think? BY ANGELIOUE MCNAUGHTON
LAWRENCE
TARYN BARKER
from Wichita
"Besides cleaning, I watched movies and got caught up on Teen Mom."
TARA CUNNINGHAM Junior from Derby "I pretty much cleaned all day."
NOAH GARCIA
second-year Law student from Overland Park "I played snow football."
Snow-packed roads prevent accidents
BY ADAM STRUNK
astrunk@kansan.com
Besides giving students a chance to lounge around, play outside or catch up on homework, the last two snow days have provided a much practical benefit.
Edited by Emily Soetaert
"Because everyone is staying home, we have not had a lot of accidents," KU Public Safety Capt. Schuyler Bailey said.
Schuyler said the snow days have kept students off campus and given KU facilities and operations some extra time to make campus safe.
"It gives the workers a chance to clear the streets and clear the sidewalks," he said.
Tow truck companies also reported fewer accidents in the Lawrence area than expected.
"Maybe people heeded the warning and stayed home," AAA fleet supervisor Royce Rochelle
said. Rochelle said that he was surprised the AAA towing service had received few calls from the Lawrence area. He explained that the University calling a snow day for the first time in three years likely attributed to the scarcity of calls.
"If you shut down KU, you shut down half the traffic. The students have a huge impact," Rochelle said.
RESEARCH
"It's inevitable. The weather was horrible yesterday (Tuesday). It's bitter cold today (Wednesday). But as it warms up this weekend I expect people to get out and we are going to see those numbers go up," he said.
While accidents have been relatively few so far, Rochelle warned that in the next week the amount of weather-related accidents could rise.
Geologists scout Antarctic glacier
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
KU grad student, Brandon Gillette (right), helps carry a fuel drum as the rest of the Byrd Glacier team organizes science and climbing gear.
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
The Lawrence snowstorm gives two pole-bound travelers a mere taste of what they'll be headed into in days to come. Assistant professor of geology Leigh Stearns and graduate student Brandon Gillette are going to Antarctica Wednesday.
units that they hope have been recording data on the glacier's behavior. A primary goal of this month's expedition is to retrieve those GPS units. All of this is part of a three-year study funded by a $412,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
The two researchers, together with some other scientists and a team of mountaineers, were the first in recent memory to attempt a landing on Byrd Glacier. East Antarctica has seen less research than the western part of the continent, where glaciologists have studied dynamic ice streams and glaciers that they believe are sensitive to climate change.
They are currently in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Gillette continues to update his blog, commenting on the weather here at home. The team is getting organized and preparing to fly to McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic Program's largest research base.
Stearns and Gillette study glaciers, tracking their positions and movement and providing data to researchers around the world. Over the next three weeks, they will be working on East Antarctica's Byrd Glacier, a huge river of ice that flows from the Transantarctic Mountains and into the Ross Sea. Stearns and Gillette spent a month on the Byrd Glacier in November, when they installed about 30 GPS
But the Byrd Glacier also poses serious obstacles to fieldwork. The glacier's surface is broken by chasms up to two stories deep, requiring researchers to hop from one point to another by helicopter. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet — one of two enormous ice masses that cover the continent — is higher and older than its counterpart to the west. Stearns' team must contend with -22 degree temperatures and biting winds.
Stearns has been to Antarctica eight times, and said she didn't consider the trip dangerous. She said that the Antarctic program put a lot of effort and care into the safety of the people who visit. The fieldwork does involve some risk. Members of the research team must make sure that they stay warm, well-fed, hydrated and they must respect the dangers of working near helicopters. They also have to exercise care on the surface of the heavily creviced glaciers.
"There's a reason why we're bringing two professional mountaineers with us on this trip," Stearns wrote.
In addition to recovering the GPS units that they deposited in
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 3A
Q&A: HOW DOES THE UNIVERSITY MAKE THE DECISION TO CANCEL CLASS? with Associate Director for News and Media Relations, Jill Jess
By Janene Gier
Q: Who makes the final decision to call a snow day? Is there a chain it must go through? What had to happen in terms of weather expectations, for the decision to be made?
happen, in terms of weather expectations, for the individuals. A: "As for the final decision, it goes through the Provost's Office and the people there who talk very closely with those who work with KU on Wheels and Facility Operations people. We used our judgment on how quickly we could clear parking lots and campus. The really cold temperatures played into the cancellation and ability for maintenance crews to clear the snow, as well."
Q: Why is it that the University seems to be the last one, if at all, to call a snow day?
A: "Yesterday (Tuesday) we called in the decision before Lawrence Public Schools did. Yesterday (Tuesday) was a situation where it was monitored and we knew what was happening and what was predicted for overnight. The University expects students to take their own precautions. They're not standing on a corner waiting for a school bus. They understand how to dress in weather like this. We take all of that into consideration before making the call to cancel classes and close campus."
Farewell'to writing on the wall
Artist Dan Perjovschi's exhibit at the Spencer Museum of Art closes this week.
JAYPLAY | INSIDE
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...6A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
INDEX
J
WEATHER
TODAY
266
心
FRIDAY 32 19
Sunny
19
Sunny
SATURDAY
42 26
Partly Cloudy
肃