KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, JANUARY 14. 2010 / NEWS
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WEATHER
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cost of snow removal in an average year, Riat said. He said Facilities Operations also had expected to save on utility expenses but because of the freezing temperatures, the department couldn't run the risk of pipes freezing.
"I think there is always a sense of frustration for those that have to navigate across campus in poor conditions," Riat said. "However, I'm grateful for the FO staff who gave up their time with families on Christmas or for some who have worked every day for more than two weeks straight."
Domenick Leto, a graduate student from Leawood, had to trek to campus frequently for his organic chemistry research. Because his Ford Mustang couldn't handle the harsh weather, he said he had to borrow his roommate's Jeep. He said having to go onto campus during the wind chill warnings was tough.
Riat said the department needs a break from the weather to give crews some time off, get equipment repaired, restock supplies and allow the snow to melt so that there's a place to pile snow from the next storm.
"I can't stand the cold" Leto said. "Walking up to campus when there's a negative 10 degree wind chill was awful. I rarely wanted to leave my house."
Edited by Michael Holtz
WATER MAIN BREAKS AND LEAKY ROOFS
Labor, material and utility expenses were just a few of the difficulties Facilities Operations dealt with on campus this winter.
On Jan. 8, a KU Emergency Alert announced water service to campus had been cut off because of a water main break.
Shutting off the water to campus was a serious concern but not for reasons as apparent as drinking water and restrooms, said Doug Riat, director of Facilities Operations.
"We require constant water to make steam in the power plant to heat approximately 60 buildings on the main campus," Riat said. "Without water we could not make steam, thus we couldn't continue to heat the campus."
Another problem the Facilities Operations staff ran into were leaks at the Dole Institute of Politics because of ice dams.The ice dams occurred when snow drifted onto the roof, melted and then froze as ice, trapping water and causing leaks.
The staff has yet to be able to fix the problem because it's too dangerous to put someone on the roof to remove the snow, Riat said.
NancyWolens
With students snowed in, and some out of town, many Lawrence companies, such as Henry's, saw a lack of business over the break.
BUSINESS (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
After her car got stuck in the snow, Dana Schmidt, a senior from Wichita, said she was less likely to venture out into the cold weather.
"I was afraid it would happen again," she said. "It was stuck, and I couldn't move it and didn't want to walk."
Clagett said Henry's closed early only one night during winter break because of slow business. But Josh Mochel, owner of Jo Schmo's, 724 Massachusetts St., said he closed the restaurant several times because of the weather.
cut your losses and close because it doesn't make any financial sense at that point," Mochel said.
"If the day costs x-amount of dollars, and you aren't even close to doing that, then sometimes you just
After looking at his own spending patterns, Mochel said he could see why customers didn't want to venture out in below-zero temperatures.
"It's difficult because the majority of people live on the west side of town or in apartment complexes where the streets aren't plowed, the sidewalks are terrible, and the free two-hour parking is covered in snow." Mochel said. "If the customers can't get here then it's very, very difficult to do business."
Although the weather hit some businesses harder than others, Scott Newell, co-owner of the Phoggy Dog, 2228 Iowa, said the multiple days of bad weather didn't affect
his business much.
"The first few days people wanted to stay in," Newell said. "But after that, people adapted and ventured out to the bars."
Whitney Juneau, a server at 23rd Street Brewery, 3512 Clinton Parkway, said the brewery wasn't affected as much by the weather but rather because students were out of town. Juneau said it had seen more business since the dorms opened on Saturday and during basketball games.
"Break is always a little bit slower. The weather didn't affect us as much." Juneau said. "People were still coming in and braving the cold."
Edited by Kate Larrabee
Report weather related incidents to Facilities Operations Work Management at (785)864-4770
WINTER WEATHER SAFETY TIPS
Although the total monthly snowfall for December did not set a record, it did come close.
The total monthly snowfall was the second highest recorded to date at 13.3 inches, said Shawn Byrne, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Topeka.
In the face of such severe winter weather, it's important for people to maintain a watchful eye on their local media outlets, Byrne said. He offered some safety tips and precautions the National Weather Service Weather Forecast office in Topeka has put together to help people when the weather takes a turn for the worst.
At home and work the central issue is the loss of heat, power and scarcity of supplies. Byrne said that people should always have extra food, water, medicine, first-aid supplies and an emergency heat source such as a space heater, fireplace or wood stove.
He also said people should fully check and winterize their cars before the winter season, keep gas tanks near full, avoid traveling alone and let someone know your schedule when leaving.
Rvme said it is also important to have a winter storm survival kit in the car in case people get stuck in a storm and have to stay in the car for a long period of time.
- Nancy Wolens
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to physically assist Jason Wren on the night of March 7,2009,or morning of March 8,2009"the suit states.The lawsuit maintains that the four officers of SAE were "responsible for enforcing the rules of the fraternity house including, but not limited to, not furnishing alcohol to minors, not permitting the consumption of alcohol by minors,and assisting those in the house to obtain reasonable and necessary medical treatment."
The lawsuit alleges SAE members failed to enforce the fraternity's rules about underage drinking, violated Kansas state law and disregarded University of Kansas regulations regarding fraternity parties. They say the defendants "deliberately chose not to enforce the underage drinking prohibitions they established because doing so would hurt them financially."
The Wrens maintain that SAE is
guilty of a breach of Jason Wren's housing contract and negligence, according to the suit.
Brandon Weghorst. SAE's national spokesman, said the national organization would not comment on the lawsuit.
Two police photos — documenting cans of beer and bottles of champagne, rum,vodka and whiskey inside the SAE house after Jason Wren's death — were included as evidence in the suit.
Police initially investigated the death, but no criminal charges have been filed.
The lawsuit points to the deaths of students at Louisiana State University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and California Polytechnic State University as evidence of the organization's "long, sordid history regarding alcohol-related deaths and problems in SAE chapter houses around the country."
The suit includes 19 examples of disciplinary action against SAE chapters across the country for drug or underage alcohol consumption in SAE houses.
Gorny said the continuing issues with drug and alcohol misuse across SAE houses pointed toward a national problem within the fraternity.
"How many instances do you need before you start saying 'enough is enough?'" he said. "The
lawsuit hopefully will expose some of these problems and encourage them to make changes so this never happens again."
No court date has been set in the case yet, though Gorny said he thought the case would go to trial near the end of 2010.
— Edited by Katie Blankenau
ASSOCIATED PRESS
body lies among the rubble of a damaged building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday. The powerful earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods.
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currently in Haiti and are experiencing first-hand the earthquake's aftermath. Beth Buhler, Adam's mother, said that Karen had a two-minute phone conversation with her mother Wednesday morning. Buhler said Adam and Karen were in a hotel — she thinks in Jacmel, a city about 25 miles south of Port-au-Prince — when the
earthquake hit and quickly grabbed their backpacks and ran into the street. While in the street, they met a man who was with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, and he took them to a UN compound where they spent the night.
"The airport in Port-au-Prince is closed, and there is an airport in Jacmel, but no one knows if there will be flights in and out of there," Buhler said. "So far their trip has been safe, and I hope it continues until their return."
Buhler said that Adam and Karen are safe but doesn't know when they will be able to leave the
-Edited by Jesse Rangel
country.
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