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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010
City commission passes downtown ordinance. DOWNTOWN LAWRENCE | 6A
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 100
CRIME
KU alerts students of armed robbery
The KU Public Safety Office alerted students to avoid the neighborhood around the Amber Student Recreation Fitness Center Tuesday evening after a report of an armed robbery.
According to Lawrence Police Sgt. Damon Thomas, two suspects confronted the victim, a 31-year-old KU student, in an alley off the 1800 block of Arkansas Street. One of the suspects produced a gun and demanded the victim's valuables.
After the victim handed over various items, one of the suspects punched the victim and then both suspects ran off.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
After the incident was reported, KU Public Safety Sgt. Bob Williams said KU Public Safety officers reported to the Burge Union and the recreation center to alert students of the situation, in accordance with University policy. The KU Public Safety Office sent an emergency text to students shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday and warned students of an armed robbery that occurred around 7:45 p.m. in an alley off campus near the recreation center.
According to recreation center employees, the officers also kept people out of the recreation center to ensure that the suspects couldn't seek refuge there. The employees also said that the person who called 911 to report the robbery then called the recreation center to inform them of the situation.
Check Kansan.com for updates.
Police are looking for two white male suspects, according to alerts. ku.edu. The first suspect was wearing a puffy jacket and was described as 5-foot-9 and weighing 150 to 190 pounds. He was carrying a revolver. The second was wearing a baseball cap and a dark jacket or jookie.
Lawrence police are handling the investigation and were still seeking the suspects as of Tuesday night. Anyone with more information should contact Lawrence police.
Edited by Kirsten Hudson
BY ERIN BROWN
ebrown@kansan.com
CAMPUS
Bus riders increasingly left behind
The cold winter weather has caused increased ridership on the KU bus system, resulting in overcrowded buses and hundreds of students left behind.
More than 400 people were left standing at bus stops last week, Derek Meier, transportation coordinator for KU parking and transit.
LESSONS WE LEARN
Photo Illustration by Spencer Walsh/KANSAN
The program AlcoholEdu is one of the educational policies implemented by the University last spring to curb alcohol abuse. Despite these efforts, LMH saw an increase in alcohol-related admissions, which comprised mostly of KIU students.
LMH sees rise in alcohol abuse visits
Students are big part of alcohol-related hospital admissions
SEE BUSES ON PAGE 3A
BY ERIN BROWN
ebrown@kansan.com
Laura Tripp didn't know much about alcohol before she came to the University in the fall of 2008.
"Ive never really been a drinker," Tripp, a junior from Overland Park, said.
But a few months into Tripps sophomore year she saw the dangers of excessive drinking
firsthand. While at a house party she realized her friend had had too much to drink. Tripp had seen him drunk before, but this time it was different.
"He was being really belligerent and started throwing up everywhere," Tripp said. "His personality was completely different. He was really angry."
Tripp said she wasn't sure if her friend was in trouble but was scared nonetheless. Tripp drove him to Lawrence Memorial Hospital where he was treated. She said her friend's blood alcohol level was about 0.23, nearly four times the legal limit.
Tripp isn't alone in her experience with dangerous
alcohol consumption. According to hospital data, LMH has seen
an increase during the past three years in emergency room visits because of alcohol related incidents, especially among college-age people.
to LMH among college students. In 2008, the hospital saw a total of
Since 2007, there has been a 27 percent increase in alcohol-related visits to LMH among college students.
In 2009,
LMH saw a total of 1,734 emergency room cases as a result of alcohol, and 401 of those cases were for people ages 18 to 24. Since 2007, there has been a 27 percent increase in alcohol-related visits
354 college-age people.
John Drees, LMH community and education specialist, said the substantial increase in emergency room visits indicated an abuse problem at the
University and in the Lawrence community.
Multiple factors contribute to alcohol abuse, Drees said, including advertising,culturalacceptance,and economic conditions. According
to the Kansas Department of revenue, Douglas County is fourth in Kansas alcohol sales behind Shawnee, Sedgwick and Johnson counties. In Douglas County, more than $200,000 is spent on alcohol daily, adding up to more than $1 million per week, Drees said.
"When you start to look at it that way, that's a real economic issue," he said.
According to the American College Health Association's survey conducted at the University in spring 2009, 51 percent of students reported using alcohol within the past nine days. At the time of the survey, 31 percent reported they
SEE ALCOHOL ON PAGE 3A
POLITICS
Students lobby against additional budget cuts
BY ANNIE VANGSNES
anniev@kansan.com
About 30 students from Kansas regent universities met with state legislators Tuesday to ask for formal support to end budget cuts to higher education.
The students formed groups of two or three to speak with about 70 legislators as part of Higher Education Day, an annual effort to support higher education.
The students were given a list of talking points and were encouraged to share their perspectives and personal stories to show legislators the damages caused by the cuts.
Elise Higgins, a senior from Topeka and Student Senate community affairs director, lobbied with three other KU students. Higgins said they did not propose any solutions to the budget crisis because it was a complicated situation.
Michael Wade Smith, a Goodland junior and president of the Student Legislative Awareness Board, said students talked about what cuts to higher education had done so far, the increasing financial burden placed on students to compensate
"The main point we wanted to hammer home was no more cuts to higher education," Higgins said.
Student Legislative Awareness Board takes students to lobby in Topeka every week. If you'd like to get involved, email Michael Wade Smith at slab@ku.edu.
for the cuts, the economic benefit of higher education and the "no more cuts" message. Smith said, overall, he felt good about how the day went.
"There were a couple of bumps - some people that don't necessarily support our viewpoint the
Daniel Johnson/KANSAN
Read more online at kansan.com/news
SEE RALLY ON PAGE 3A
Elise Higgins, a senior from Topeka and Student Senate community affairs director talks wnm Kansas State Senator Tom Holland on Tuesday afternoon about preventing future budget cuts from Kansas Higher Education. The meeting was part of Higher Education Day at the Capitol.
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