KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010 / NEWS
LOCAL
3A
Hanukkah ends with menorah in the park
BY KELLY MORGAN
kmorgan@kansan.com
Last night, members of the Chabad Jewish Center and the Lawrence community braved the cold temperatures to gather together in South Park and light a giant nine-foot balloon menorah.
The event marked the fifth day of Hanukkah, an eight-day holiday dedicated to the miracle of a single jar of pure oil that kept a menorah lit for eight days amidst the Ancient Greeks' religious persecution of the Jewish community.
"The message of Hanukkah is that every person has the freedom to express their religion," said Tiechtel. "No one can take that away."
Last night's celebration wrapped up a week filled with events that included a menorah lighting at the Kansas Union, Naismith Hall and even at the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. The occasion included a crafts table and balloon man for kids, traditional Hanukkah foods like potato latkes and donuts and featured a special performance by members of the KU Marching Band.
"It was a great event," said Kim Davidson, a junior from Austin, Texas, and member of the University's marching band. "Everyone was participating and it was nice to see so many people active in their faith."
The event was so popular that some people came from outside of the city limits to participate.
"It's a good opportunity to meet other people in the Jewish community," said David Gerstmann, a Eudora resident. "My family and I have been coming for four or five years now and it's just a fun way to celebrate the holiday."
Some Lawrence residents attended yesterday's event for the opportunity to learn more about the Jewish faith.
"Rabbi Zalman came into my store the other day and was talking about the event," said Cindy Broackersturm who brought her two young daughters Daphne and Sophia to the event. "I feel like sometimes Hanukkah gets overshadowed by Christmas and it seemed like a neat opportunity to experience."
Students interested in getting involved in the Chabad Center can attend its watch party of the Kansas men's basketball game against Memphis this Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Edited by Tim Dwyer
A nine-foot menorah constructed of crimson and blue balloons lights up the darkness Sunday night celebrating the ending of Chabad Center's week-long Hanukkah celebration. The celebration included balloon making, speeches from city officials, and live music from the KU band. Food and hot cider was provided for meals as well as crafts for the children.
Chris Bronson/KANSAN
Increase in abandoned animals expected over break
LOCAL
BY ALLYSON SHAW ashaw@kansan.com
They're found in dumpsters, ditches and on the side of the road. Cold, hungry and barely alive, hundreds of animals flood the Lawrence Humane Society at the end of each semester, as students move on and leave their pets behind.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE ADOPTING A PET:
"Students come in here highly emotional," Kemberling said. "And then once they make the rounds, see all the animals, they've got those deer-in-headlight eyes. They often want to take home a pet without thinking if it's the right decision."
Grinstead said the people who most often return pets to the shelter are female freshman students who have adopted a dog.
"All of a sudden, they're on their own for the first time," Grinstead said. "They have this attitude like,' I
As winter break approaches, students prepare to move to different apartments or to move out of Lawrence. If the new apartment doesn't take pets, or if it demands a large pet deposit, students will often drop off their pets at the humane society or simply leave them to ford for themselves, said Midge Grinstead, executive director of the Lawrence Humane Society.
-Do you have the time to take care of a pet?
-Can you afford to pay $30-$50 on pet food a month, and to pay if the pet has an unexpected medical issue?
-Are you going to move often? Can you pay the pet deposit each time you move?
-How often are you at home?
-Is your home appropriate for your pet?
Kemberling said many people give up their animals because they are unprepared for the demands of a pet. Others, mostly longtime Lawrence residents, are just "cruel people," she said.
"While we see more abandoned pets coming in at the end of the spring semester, it affects us more when we see pets in dumpsters during the holidays, because it's supposed to mean something," Grinstead said.
Grinstead said the humane society can hold up to 1,200 animals, but when that happens, "it's ready to burst." Usually the humane society has 600 animals. Of course, this number increases by the hundreds as students leave for winter and summer breaks — one summer day in particular the shelter took in 287 animals.
Humane society employee Ramona Kemberling remembered a cat that was brought to the shelter in the winter a few years ago. The woman who brought the cat said shed been driving behind a man who threw the cat out of his moving truck into a ditch.
"There was no reason for it," Kemberling said. "It was a perfect, sweet animal."
have to get a dog."
Grinstead said she wants to be a part of the freshman orientation program so she can teach new students about the demands of a pet.
Eliza Gale, a senior from Leawood, said owning a pet is a lot of work. She adopted her cat, Winston, the summer before her sophomore year. She said pet ownership is not for people who aren't home a lot.
"When I have a long night of studying and I'm out of the house I just feel terrible." Gale said.
Winston sits by the faucet and waits for Gale to turn it on when he wants a drink of water. When Gale isn't at home, she worries that Winston isn't getting enough to drink.
"He absolutely will not drink out of a bowl." Gale said.
Gale said she feels that she has enough time to take care of Winston, but that a dog would be too much. At home in Leawood, Gale's parents have a Rottweiler puppy. Although Gale has considered adopting a dog for her home in Lawrence, she realized she does not have the time to care for one.
Like all animals, Winston has a few quirks that make him particularly needy.
"I think it would be unfair to the
SPRING BREAK JAMAICA
- JAMFEST
- Live Concerts
- VIP Parties
- Beautiful Beaches
- Cliff Jumping
- Spectacular Sunsets
Once you go,
you know.
animal," Gale said. "But I know a lot of people do it anyway because it's an impulse decision."
The humane society has measures in place to keep unworthy pet owners from adopting as much as possible, Grinstead said. There is a 24-hour waiting period for the person to think whether adopting is the right decision. Employees at the humane society also call the owner of the perspective pet owner's
WWW.STSTRAVEL.COM
"Once they lie, they've made it clear they're not going to be a responsible pet owner," Grinstead said.
building to see if pets are allowed.
Grinstead said students often lie, or they give a friend's phone number instead of the real building owner's number.
Gale said she and her roommates saw a dog walking around their neighborhood recently. They called and texted the owners for hours with no response.
Fifty to 60 percent of students who apply for adoption are turned down, Grinstead said. Even so, too many students who shouldn't own pets do.
Gale and Grinstead agree that it's extremely important to have the funds to support a pet before adopting. Grinstead said it would probably cost $30 to $50 a month just
"College students can be very irresponsible," Gale said. "Some people just don't care."
TUESDAY, DEC. 7 - 7:30 p.m.
Even so, some students, like Gale, take the responsibility of pet-owning seriously. Gale said she could
for pet food, and an owner must be prepared to pay for unexpected medical expenses if needed.
LIED CENTER OF KANSAS
ORDER TODAY lied.ku.edu 785-864-2787 family FRIENDSHIP
never see herself abandoning a pet.
never see her sniff a沾染着 a pet. "Once I've had a pet I bond with them and it would be really hard to let go of them," Gale said.
— Edited by Anna Nordling
Check out the video on this story at kansan.com.