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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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VOLUME 121 ISSUE 67
STATE
Gov. Parkinson cuts $2 million from Regents' budget
BY JESSE RANGEL
jrangel@kansan.com
Almost every state agency will be affected by Governor Mark Parkinson's newest round of budget cuts, which were announced in a news conference Monday and will cut $2 million from the Board of Regents' budget.
Citing declining tax revenues, Parkinson cut a total of $285.9 million from state agencies and opted to keep the money in the state general fund. The Board of Regents' budget, which was $747 million, will be cut back to what it was in 2006.
Kathy Damron, director of state relations for the University, said University officials feared an even
larger cut than what was announced.
She said she was pleased the governor found a way to balance the budget without another deep cut to higher education.
"I think that's in line with the statements he has made up to this point about his priorities for Kansas and wanting to see our universities be able to continue to serve students and meet the needs of future workforce areas where we have particular shortages," Damron said.
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said in a news release that it was a relief to know Parkinson was able to avoid future deep cuts to education. But she said the University endured those cuts earlier this year when it had to gliminate course sections and lay
off 200 employees. Gray-Little said the budget reductions had affected efforts to earn a National Cancer Institute designation.
"We've had to scale back efforts to recruit top faculty and researchers who are vital to this and other important research programs." Gray-Little said.
The Board of Regents will make the final decision about what cuts to individual academic institutions will be. The Regents have their next general meeting Dec. 16 and 17.
Regent Gary Sherrer said in a news release that the cuts had already reached a point where the quality of education would be affected.
SEE BUDGET ON PAGE 3A
BOARD OF REGENTS' BUDGET
Fiscal Year 2006: $747 million
FY 2007: $785 million
FY 2008: $829 million
FY 2009, first draft: $853
million
FY 2009, after amendments: $817 million
FY 2010: $790 million
FY 2010, after amendments: $768 million
FY 2010, after first allotment: $753 million
FY 2010, after second Allotment: $747 million
Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson answers a question during the press conference on state budget cuts Monday afternoon in Topeka. Parkinson c扣$285.9 million from state agencies
Jenny Terrell/KANSAN
TROUBLES
Frugal students stay in town on ground for Thanksgiving
High-priced holiday flights make going home harder
BY RAY SEGEBRECHT
rsegebrechtk@kansan.com
For the second straight year, Ryan Fazio, Sedona, Ariz. sophomore, is spending Thanksgiving hundreds of miles from
her family. But she said the nervousness she felt exactly one year ago tomorrow, when all her roommates left Lawrence, wouldn't return. Those friends who would normally fly home, Fazio said, have decided to be more frugal and stay in town.
"it's a money thing." Fazio said. "They decided its better to just stay here and not travel home."
Seany said those who had waited to see if ticket prices might drop would be worse off than those who planned ahead this holiday season.
Americans nationwide have been finding airfare prices too expensive this fall. Elizabeth Merida, communications manager for the Air Transport Association, said, Rick Seaney, CEO of Farecompare.com, said tight times combined with higher airline ticket prices around Thanksgiving have made traveling home for the holiday especially difficult.
"The average ticket price for midweek Thanksgiving are probably running in the high $300s right now instead of the high $200s a week ago," Seaney said.
Last year, when oil prices reached $145 a barrel in July, the airline industry falsely predicted a continued increase to $200 and kept ticket prices high, he said.
By the time the holidays arrived, oil had gone back down to $75 per barrel, Seaney said. The procrastinators ended up holding cheaper tickets.
He said this year, the exact opposite has happened — the recession hit its lowest point at the end of May, and since October, ticket prices have only increased.
"If you haven't purchased your ticket yet, the price tends to increase by $25 to $40 dollars a day," Seaney said. "Procrastinators aren't going to win this year. They won last year but not this year."
Merida said the U.S. airplane industry lost $3.1 billion between July and September, and airlines worldwide likely lost about $11 billion. She said that U.S. airlines this fall lowered ticket prices by an average of 13 percent in an effort to boost passenger numbers, but that ticket prices would still remain high for Thanksgiving.
SEE THANKSGIVING ON PAGE 3A
HEALTH
Study says dark chocolate helps stress
BY ANNA ARCHIBALD aarchibald@kansan.com
"Americans consume 100 lbs of chocolate every second," reads a sign sitting on the chocolate display at Penny Annie's Sweet Shoppe, 845 Massachusetts St.
Despite that seemingly stomach-churning number, indulging in some types of chocolate can actually be good for you — in moderation. On November 11, the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research published a study that said eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced the levels
This is some of the first conclusive evidence to suggest that one of America's most popular candies may actually reduce stress. It also said the treat partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.
of stress hormones in people who were reportedly highly stressed.
"I tend to binge eat when I get really stressed," Schauer said. "I eat a lot of Easy Mac and chocolate. The Snickers' dark chocolate is really good."
With finals week approaching,
Austin Schauer, Topeka freshman,
plans on testing the study himself.
"The higher the percent of cocoa in the chocolate, the better it is for you," Istas said, explaining that many types of dark chocolate have different percentages of cocoa. "I've probably been eating a lot more dark chocolate myself and will definitely give it a shot at lowering my stress levels. It seems like it's more of a natural instinct to eat when it gets colder, anyway, and chocolate is a go-to."
Annie's, said the bittersweet treat had been the new hot item in the chocolate display over the past couple of years because it had been mentioned in so many medical journals.
Monica Istas, owner of Penny
Based on the study's findings, if students eat the equivalent of seven foil-wrapped chocolate balls, approximately 1.4 ounces of candy, for two weeks, their stress levels could be slightly lower by finals week.
Brandon Steinkuhler, St. Louis junior, is an employee at Penny Annie's. He said his favorite candies were the chocolate covered peanuts and the truffles.
"I get to eat all of the chocolate I want while I'm working," he said. "My friends like it, too, when I get to take chocolate back home."
SEECHOCOLATE ON PAGE 3A
index
A small quantity of dark chocolate treats are weighed at Penny Annie's Monday afternoon. According to a recent study, consuming 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate once a day for two weeks can reduce stress: hormone levels.
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sandford faces ethics charges
South Carolina's governor is being accused of misusing campaign funds. POLITICS | 3A
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