THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Testing in progress
The science of suaveness
The University runs a clinical trial for a new cancer drug. SCIENCE | 8A
A new biological study on what makes people flirt. JAYPLAY | INSIDE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 96
HORSE PLAY
Valerie Skubal/KANSAN
Chris Klee, a junior from Olathe, leans in to steal the ball from Peter Lewis, a senior from Lawrence, during their bike polo match at Veterans Park Feb. 7.
Lawrence's super smash bikers
Local bike polo league updates sport by switching its game to wheels
BY ELLIOT METZ
ametz@kansas.edu
WHAT: The unique sport of bike polo, which is exactly what it sounds like. Two teams of three players each ride bikes on a hard court, hitting a ball with mallets to score more
goals than the other team in eight minutes. Contact is allowed between hike and hike.
towed between bike and bike, mallet and mallet and body and body. However, none of these can cross. For example, a player cannot whack another player with a mallet.
WHY THEY PLAY: According to Malakai Edison, a 2008 KU graduate, "it's created by people who love playing, plus trash-talking is allowed and supported." Edison is also one of three regional representatives for the South Central Region of the North American Hard Court Bike Polo League.
WHEN AND WHERE:The local bike polo league, called Scary Larry Kansas Bike Polo, plays at Veterans Park on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 10 p.m.
STUDENT SENATE
WHO: Though the league was created by bicycling enthusiasts, anyone is welcome. "I think it's mostly about getting together with a bunch of friends. We don't discriminate based on whether you're good or bad," said Chris Klee, a junior from Kansas City, Kan., and a player in the local league. They also don't discriminate based on bikes. "A few of us ride six-speed bikes, but the most strategic choice is whatever bike you're most comfortable on," Klee said.
INJURY FACTOR: Although the rules don't permit mallet-on-body action, it happens. "I've taken a mallet to the head," Klee said. "I'm mainly known as the person who crashes and takes other people out." It's not just bodies that are taking abuse. "In my last game, I broke the front fork of my bike and the front wheel came completely off." Edison said. But he said he didn't think injuries should scare off prospective players. "There are people who don't play with much contact, then there are people like me that everyone comes after because I'm so aggressive," Edison said. "But if someone new wanted to try it out, they would have a small to zero chance of getting injured."
Edited by Kate Larrabee
Freeze on student fees hurts groups
Watch a KUJH-TV video of the Scary Larry Kansas Bike Polo team practicing at kansan.com
BY BRENNA LONG blong@kansan.com
The Board of Regents' decision to put a hold on increasing student fees has forced Student Senate to make difficult budget choices.
The fixed budget requires Senate to make cuts in certain areas to fulfill needs in others, said Matthew Shaw, Senate communications director. The renewable energy and sustainability fee was one of the areas Student Senate decreased. The fee went from $1.25 to 25 cents in the past year.
"At fee reviews, there is a limited amount of money to be disbursed, and everyone wants more than actually exists." Shaw said.
Only student fees finance the Student Environmental Advisory Board. The $1 decrease took the group's annual funds from $59,500 in the 2008-09 school year to $11,400 in the 2009-10 school year. The 2008-09 budget allowed the group to finance large projects such as the ReRev machines that produce electricity at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center, which cost $15,900, and a year's worth of wind energy credits to offset fossil fuel used to power for Anschutz Library; costing $28,000.
Members of Senate didn't favor the wind credit investment that was made by the Student Environmental Advisory Board, Shaw said. The funds are primarily used for capital investment — services for the next 10 to 20 years. The wind energy credits did not fit that category, but at that time it was seen as a good starting point and worthwhile investment.
The Student Environmental Advisory Board is developing a new point system to judge proposals and allocate its funds accordingly. The amounts requested and numbers of proposals will increase if the funding increases, said Jason
SEE FUNDING ON PAGE 3A
PROFILE
Army general, KU alumnus helps to reinforce Afghan army
BY JENNY TERRELL jterrell@kansan.com
"The goal is that we make the Afghan army and police force so good that we work ourselves out of a job, and we can come home," Patton said.
General Gary Patton wants to work harder so he won't have to keep his job. Every day his job involves building, equipping and training the Afghan army and police force.
After completing his undergraduate degree in engineering at West Point, P.
Patton
Patton may be building an army in Afghanistan, but 20 years ago.
in Afghanistan
he was here at the University
working towards a graduate
degree in journalism.
West Point, Patton came to the
University as a captain in the U.S. Army and graduated with a master's degree in journalism in 1990. When he was at the University, he was the associate campus editor for the University Daily Kansan and also spent some time as a sports reporter.
"That was my dream job. If I couldn't have been an army officer, I wanted to be a sports reporter," Patton said.
SEE PATTON ON PAGE 3A
Gary Patton is a general on his third tour in Afghanistan. Patton graduated from the University in 1990 with a master's degree in journalism.
index
Classifieds...3B Opinion...7A
Crossword...6A Sports...1B
Horoscopes...6A Sudoku...6A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
Death of brown pelicans baffle researchers
Scientists identify various environmental problems the birds are facing and attempt to offer treatment. NATIONAL | 5A
weather
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
4128
Flurries
41 19
Few snow showers
weather.com