Multimedia Reporting (Bradford-Noland)

It’s time to stock up on wigs, candy and beer. This year, college students are spending more on Halloween than any other age group.

Because of this increase in college spending, businesses are not depending on children to increase their Halloween sales. Instead, they are gearing their sales towards college students by giving them another excuse to party.

“When I passed the acceptable trick-or-treating age, Halloween didn’t excite me that much,” Alyse Smith, Topeka sophomore, said. “But when I came to KU, I got excited when I learned about all of the costume parties. I love taking pictures, going out, drinking with my girlfriends and finding an excuse to eat lots of candy.”

According to the National Retail Federation and BIGresearch, the total expected Halloween spending this season will increase by 50 percent. Last year’s spending totaled $3.29 billion and is expected to increase to $4.96 billion this year. This number keeps Halloween behind other gift-orientated holidays. With Christmas’ expected spending totaling $439.5 billion, Halloween remains sixth in line behind Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day.

This is just money spent on the holiday as a whole. If you calculate how much is put into party spending, Halloween stands third behind New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday.

The survey showed that about 85.3 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds plan on celebrating this ghoulish holiday. This figure has increased 26 percent from last year’s 66.8 percent who planned on celebrating. Since Halloween lands on a Tuesday this year, business owners speculate whether or not that will bring in more or less business.

“It’s nice that Halloween lands in the middle of the week this year,” Kyle Billings, Fun and Games owner, said. “This will keep businesses from being overwhelmed by those last-minute shoppers who buys their costume the day before.”

Not many students will celebrate Halloween on Tuesday, but many students will celebrate it more than once Friday, Saturday or Sunday. But why has a holiday that consists of ghouls and goblins become so popular?

“Consumers see Halloween as a seasonal celebration to bridge the gap between the end of summer and the winter holidays,” Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the NRF, said in an online press release.

Halloween has become a week-long celebration for some students. Visiting haunted houses has increasingly become popular. Admission tickets cost anywhere from $15 to $20.

Mostly, costumes and alcohol are the main ingredients for a student celebration of Halloween.

“This year, I’m going to be a mermaid,” Smith said. “It is actually the most I’ve ever spent on Halloween.”

Smith has already spent $40 on her mermaid costume, $15 on the extra material she is using to add character to the costume, $20 on the red wig, $25 on the accessories (shoes, boa and glitter), $5 on decorating her dorm room and $10 on candy. She also expects to pay another $20 on beer. In total, Smith will have spent $135 by the time Halloween is over.

Smith’s spending is above the expected average consumption. Among ages 18 to 24, the average consumer will spend about $59.06. This is a 16 percent increase from the $50.75 spent last year.

Costumes are the most marketed item for this season. At Party America, the average costume costs $40.

“This is our top season,” Larry Schloffer, Party America manager, said. “Costumes are generally more expensive than your average decoration. We sell a lot more costumes than anything else.”

According to Schloffer, over 50 to 60 percent of Halloween sales derive from costume sales alone.

For other stores, like Fun and Games, Halloween sales make up half of their year’s business.
Costumes alone make up for 85 percent of sales.

“Whether you admit it or not, everyone loves to have the opportunity to dress up,” Billings said. “Halloween just gives you that opportunity.”

Although many students may opt for buying their costume pre-packaged, many other students try to create their own costume from scratch.

“I always try to make my costume for free. Three years ago I made a suit of armor out of some 30 Bud Light boxes I saved,” Randy Laggart, Wichita senior, said. “So in a way, that costume cost me a lot in terms of money and liver damage.”

“Last year I spent $60 on an authentic ninja uniform,” Christopher DeBacker, Topeka graduate student, said. “But this year I’m going to be a cop, grow a moustache and wear my own clothes. All of my money will be going into beer this Halloween.”

Liquor stores are getting into the Halloween spirit with brews such as pumpkin beer. Approximately $8 for a six-pack, liquor stores even see an increase in sales during Halloween.

“There is a huge increase in traffic around Halloween,” Ian Johnston, Cork and Barrel manger, said. “Drinking has always been associated with the holidays.”

So, college students are taking over Halloween. It’s no longer trick or treat, but party and party.

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Students passing through the fourth floor of the Kansas Union at the University of Kansas have had to fight the crowded lines that form at The Pulse café. After moving from the third floor Market, sales have gone up 12% and the figures just keep rising.

Students, faculty and visitors who knew the Pulse when it was on the third floor of the Union, have seen a noticeable increase in popularity.

“We get so much more business up here,” said Jessica Weavner, a barista at the Pulse for two years now. “It’s just so convenient, and, I mean, more people come in the front entrance than down to the Market.”

The move has made it very clear that location plays a big part in the success of a coffee shop. It wasn’t always apparent to Dining Services, which operates and runs the Pulse, that a move to the fourth floor would do the business good.

Alecia Stultz, assistant director of dining services, said the idea was born out of a market research team’s suggestion that there was a dead space on the fourth floor that could attract business. The idea never turned into a plan, instead, it sat on the shelf. On Oct. 5 the idea resurfaced when dining services decided to expand the salad bar in the Market.

The Pulse opened in its new location on Aug. 13 during Union Fest and business boomed.

“People are just drawn to that smell,” said Stultz. “I know I am!”

In its new location, The Pulse has steadily increased their business. On a typical day an average of 375 customers will purchase something, bringing its sales to an average of anywhere between 11 and 13 hundred dollars.

This compares to other businesses quite well. The Pulse’s main competitor, Milton’s (on the first floor of the Kansas Union), serves anywhere between 200 and 400 customers a day. At an average of $2.50 a cup, that comes just short of the business The Pulse has seen lately.

A representative from Milton’s said that business is doing very well.

“We’re having the best semester we’ve had in years,” said Stefanie Tracy, Dodge City senior and Manager of Milton’s.

It seems that The Pulse’s move from the third to the fourth floor actually benefited both companies. They aren’t competing for customers nearly as much as they did when they were closer together. Milton’s location improved and they didn’t even move.

Nona Golledge, director of KU Food Services, said The Pulse does 35 percent to 40 percent of its business in smoothies.

“They aren’t big on specialty coffees like we are,” Tracy said. “We’re very similar but we offer something that The Pulse doesn’t and vice versa. It has specified what kind of businesses we are and our customers reflect that.”

Local business owners understand the situation. Eric Schmidt, owner of Dunn Bros. Café on 23rd street, took advantage of both views of the coffee shop business.
Schmidt opened his business tucked away off a busy road that not many people detour off of. He, like Milton’s, draws them in with quality products and uses convenience just like The Pulse.

“Our coffee is ground and roasted fresh every day,” Schmidt said. “We provide quality beans from around the world, including Free Trade organizations. That’s the quality we provide.”

Schmidt also agrees with KU Food Service’s idea that there has to be a high level of convenience such as The Pulse provides. They provide free wireless Internet, drive through service, local art and performers, and a fireplace, which Schmidt says, comes in handy in the winter.

“I realize we’re not technically in the best location of a busy street that people don’t stop off of much, but people immediately saw the drive through and high quality products we provide.” Schmidt now sees more than 400 customers a day.

Another coffee shop that demonstrates the importance of location is La Prima Taza, downtown on Massachusetts Street. Its location next to the Liberty Hall Theatre, Free State Brewery and higher end shops brings in 300-350 customers without much fluctuation at all, the owner said.

Owner, David Millstein said that La Prima Taza’s location is the key to its success. La Prima Taza’s manager Sarah Richardson said she can definitely see how a good location is the most important thing for a coffee shop to have. She said it brings immediate success and lots of customers.

The Pulse is taking advantage of its newfound growing success. It’s offering other convenient things such as snacks, sandwiches, and “dinner and a movie” combos where it offers a buy one get one free snack and drink when the Union shows movies.

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In the United States, 200 to 300 hookah bars have opened since 2000, according to Smokeshop Magazine. Forty-five percent of colleges and universities are near one. In Lawrence, Aladdin’s Cafe used to be the closest thing to a hookah bar, but a new place called the Hookah House just opened on Wednesday, September 6 above Vermont Street Barbeque.

“The Hookah House is something that Lawrence needed,” Twenty-year-old Hookah House co-owner Hazem Chahine said, “A lot off people haven’t even experienced a hookah bar before.”

This new Lawrence bar is different than the others that you might see on Massachusetts Street because it accommodates to those that are a little bit more mellow. Instead of blasting the usual Kelly Clarkson song and having everyone bounce around from their Red Bull and vodka high, the Hookah House plays traditional Lebanese music and only sells small appetizers and flavored tobacco to smoke out of one of their hookahs.

The hookah is a Middle-Eastern water pipe used for smoking flavored tobacco, which has been used traditionally in that culture for the past 3,500 years. In the United States, though, smoking tobacco from a hookah has just recently become popular in the last decade. Because hookah smoking has become a new trend, many people around Lawrence go to support the new place and have made it a profitable business thus far.

Since the shop has been open, which has only been about two weeks, it has already received a lot of publicity from the news. Because of this, customers waited for up to 30 minutes to smoke out of the hookah in the first weekend. The shop also had hookahs for sale, ranging from $90-150, and they sold all 30 of them in that same week. “Because hookah smoking has become somewhat trendy, our customers are very diverse,” Hazem said, “It’s like a melting pot of people from different backgrounds.”

The Hookah House is directed more towards teens and young adults. Lots of students have begun smoking out of hookahs because it’s a healthier way to smoke tobacco. It’s not addictive and the smoke doesn’t hit your lungs as harshly. “I had never smoked out of a hookah before until last year,” Chase Weidemann, a senior at the University of Kansas, said, “Now, I come to the Hookah House about once a week; it’s something for me to do to relax and get together with my friends during the week.”

The Chahine family began working on the Hookah House a year ago. They subleased the loft above Vermont Street Barbeque and spent about $7,000 to fix it up. They put air- conditioning and lighting in and also redid the ceiling and added plumbing and cable. Their family from Lebanon sent over different cultural items to be put in the store as well. “Where I come from, smoking out of a hookah is a tradition and something you do to welcome someone into you’re home,” other co-owner Bassem Chahine said, “I’m glad we could bring that tradition to the Lawrence public.”

The family had to get approval from the local government to allow people to smoke inside their bar. Because the primary source of income from the shop is through tobacco, they were allowed to open up the place. Aladdin’s Cafe, a mediterranean food restaurant that allows people to smoke out of their hookahs outside, could never let their customers smoke inside because their main source of income from the restaurant is food.

Because the Hookah House is so different, the workers at Aladdin’s Cafe have noticed a difference in business since the Hookah House has opened. “More people have wanted to try the new place because it accommodates to specifically hookah smokers,” Mazm Eskangrani, son of the owner of Aladdin’s Cafe, said.

The profit that Aladdin’s Cafe makes off of the hookah smoking compared to the Hookah House is a lot less because they have to pay a fee to the local government for people to smoke out on their porch. Another reason that they make less of a profit is because their restaurant isn’t based around the hookah; they mainly make their money from the food that they serve.

The Hookah House makes most of its money by getting their tobacco in bulk. For a whole package of tobacco, it only costs them about $8. To smoke out of the hookah at the Hookah House, it costs $10, which is only about a tenth of a whole package, or you can buy your own tobacco, and they sell the whole package to customers for only 50 cents more ($8.50). They also make money from their Turkish Coffee and home-made hummus, which they sell to the Farmer’s Market too. In one week, the Hookah House makes a profit of about $4500.

“A lot of people have never really experienced a hookah before,” Bassem said, “So a lot of people come in to see what the trend is all about, which has really been great for business.”

Saturdays and Fridays, after about 5:00 pm, are the busiest times for both the Hookah House and Aladdin’s Cafe. The hookah smoking trend that just made its way to the United States in the past 10 years has really kept businesses like these thriving. “This year has been the busiest year for our hookahs,” Eskangrani said, “I think it’s because people want to know what hookah smoking is all about.”

The Hookah House hopes to get approval for a “Bring Your Own Beer” type policy so that people can bring alcohol to drink while they’re smoking out of the hookah. They also hope to have belly dancers come in on Friday nights so that customers can really experience something from the Lebanese culture. “Back home, everybody has a place to smoke a hookah,” Hazem said, “We just wanted to give the people of Lawrence that opportunity as well.”

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Warm topical beaches, foreign settings; travel companies continue to draw customers towards vacation “hot spots” of the year.

February through June and October and November represent several of the busiest months for travel in Lawrence. Most often, customers take advantage of travel in the holiday seasons, spring break and summer months.

With increasing travel prices, travel companies expect to see slower business; however, this is not always the case. Increasingly more customers began taking advantage of travel options despite the slight rise in travel price.

After taking a tumble after the 9/11 incident, the travel industry continues to see higher passenger counts, therefore higher prices each year.

“It used to be that planes would be half full, but planes to anywhere everyday are now booked up,” Stephanie Coleman, STA Travel branch manager, said.

Beverly Falley, owner of the Lawrence Travel Center, said that airlines do not pay travel agencies commissions on tickets, so a ticketing fee must be charged. Airfares fluctuate constantly with a recently slight increase in moderate priced hotels across the country. Therefore, there is a minor difference in previous years’ prices.

“There are many factors that we can manipulate to decrease price, but we can work with any budget and find a truly memorable trip,” Falley said.

Vacationing “hot spots” are determined by traveler’s interest and price. This year, “hot spots” include Europe, Cancun and Acapulco; Cancun’s popularity has risen from last year due to its recent lack of damaging tropical weather.

“Sometimes in our office, we try to create a buzz for a particular destination just to get people to some different places but ultimately, travelers know where they want to go before they come in,” Coleman said.

Airfares vary, depending on the season. Airfares to Europe average between $1,100 and $1,600 depending on flight destination. While hostels and budget hotels can run from $30 to $60 per night, travelers are also recommended to purchase rail tickets and additional expenses.

Coleman said European tours are an affordable and adventurous option. Tours include accommodations, transportation, and some meals.

For spring break plans, all-inclusive packages to Cancun or Acapulco run between $1,200 and $1,600, including flights from Kansas City, a seven night accommodation, meals and drinks, as well as transfers from the airport to the hotel and vice versa.

Falley said prices mainly depend on the destination and length of the trip; prices may adjust depending on the type of property.

While the Lawrence Travel Center works with many families and students as well as honeymooners, other travel agencies, such as STA Travel on the University’s campus and All Star Travel Crew, a Chicago based student travel company, were designed strictly for student travel.

“Our office has been here in the union for about three years and since we’re still a developing branch, each year our passenger counts are higher than the pervious year. By the end of this year we will probably have booked 250 to 300 trips,” Coleman said.

Specific spring break companies such as All Star Travel Crew also offer affordable trips for students. Travel destinations are based off of trends from previous years.

Ali Ruszczyk, Shawnee Mission sophomore and campus representative for All Star Travel Crew said spring break companies differ from travel agencies because they solely book with the most all-inclusive hotels and the air fare is charted to avoid flying commercial. However, spring break companies also witness travel price increases.

“It seems about every two or three years there is about a $50 to $90 price increase because travel destinations know people plan to travel to their destination,” Ruszczyk said.

The increase in travel expenses does not affect customer’s desire to travel; rather, it has created a larger buzz.

“The travel industry is just like any other form of retail. When demand goes up, the price goes up. If they really want to travel, they’ll still buy,” Coleman said.

For students, like Lawrence junior Kailey Mesler, affording travel expenses comes with a price.

“Paying for school expenses as well as travel expenses creates a burden in college life,” Mesler said. “I know traveling with my friends is something I have always desired, so taking advantage of travel deals is one of my top priorities.”

Recommendations from people who have previously traveled to a desired destination create a greater interest.

Ruszczyk’s four years of experience as a campus representative has allowed her to gain knowledge in numerous travel destinations.

Ruszczyk said students who experience vacation “hot spots” usually return for the following year, increasing business with their positive recommendations. First hand experiences usually add to a customer’s interest.
Booking strictly through travel agencies or spring break companies does not guarantee the cheapest bargain of the two.

“It is not necessarily better to buy ‘Spring Break’ trips trough a ‘Spring Break’ company. Often we can get better prices using other agency sources,” Falley said.

All forms of travel experiences price fluctuation; there is not one better way for a customer to plan a vacation.

Most importantly, with the rise in price and customer interest, interested customers are advised to create travel arrangements as early as possible.

“After 9/11 people got used to there being so many different ‘last minute deals’ with airlines and packages, but cheap last minute deals really do not exist anymore,” Coleman said.

With planes selling out and tickets based on availability, the earlier one books, the greater the chance of the cheapest ticket being available.

Shopping around for differing travel deals is strongly recommended by all travel agencies.

Mesler said after visiting with several companies, she plans to place her deposit in mid-October to ensure her travel spot.

Numerous travel companies offer special deals and packages for customers and students, but all forms of travel witness price fluctuations year to year. Planning trips early guarantees the best deal and most reliable travel to vacation “hot spots.”

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When the microburst swept into Lawrence in March, those hardest hit were locally owned businesses. The business that suffered the most damage was Pendleton’s Country Market East of Lawrence on the Kansas 10 highway. Though the damage was severe, owner John Pendleton still manages to look on the bright side. “This kind of damage gives us an opportunity to make changes we wouldn’t have made,” Pendleton said. Six months after the storm, John and his wife Karen are still cleaning up and rebuilding the 80-acre farm. But with only half of the $150,000 damage covered by insurance, the family has a long way to go. “The clean up is costing more than we have,” Karen Pendleton said. “No one ever comes out ahead when insurance is involved.” John Pendleton recalls the morning of the storm as if it was just another day. “I was putting away tractor equipment, just in case it rained,” he said. “Then, next thing I know, I see this wall of dirt coming across the field.” Pendleton then went into the market and dove under a desk, seeking shelter. After the storm had passed, Pendleton was met with acres of rubble where much of his farm used to stand. Damage included two demolished 60-foot silos, a green house destroyed by debris, a grain bin and a 30-by-50 farm shop which were both blown away and a 50-by-130 roof carried away by the storm. Facing an astounding amount of clean up, the community quickly came to the aid of Pendleton’s Country Market. Around 300 friends, neighbors and community service groups showed up the day after the storm to aid in the cleaning. “We had neighbor ladies cooking casseroles and kids dragging nail magnets around,” Pendleton said. The market was able to open on schedule on April 1. Some volunteers kept coming out to the farm until every piece was picked up. “The clean-up took at least a month,” said Matt Kirby, a friend who helped with the clean-up. “But it was a gift to go over and help. They’re good people.” Kirby recalls driving miles away from the farm two weeks after the storm and still picking up sheet metal. “The right thing for us to do is to go over and help these people, and I’m glad we did,” Kirby said. In addition, Kirby’s musical group, The Alfred Packer Memorial Band, will be performing at the Barnstorm Benefit, a fundraiser on Oct. 15 at the Pendleton’s farm to raise money for repairs. “They’re really good people and have done a lot for the community,” said Maria Anthony, benefit organizer. “A lot of people came out to help clean up, so hopefully they’ll come out again and have some fun while helping out.” The Pendletons have taken their own steps in making up for the damage, as well. People can rent out a portion of the farm for parties, including a large party deck. Prices range anywhere from $100 to $1,000 and can include a bonfire, tent set-ups and hayrides. The Butterfly Bio-Villa is another new venture the Pendletons are hoping customers will come and see. Measuring 20 feet by 100 feet, the Bio-Villa cost $5,000 to put together and is open to the public. Those who pay $2 to get in can observe and learn more about butterflies in an enclosed environment. “We needed an attraction to replace what was blown away,” Pendleton said. On the wall inside of Pendleton’s Country Market, a sign encourages customers to visit Davenport’s Winery, just a few miles away. Much like Pendleton’s, the winery saw a lot of damage and halted the business for a brief period. “It put us behind in all our work,” said owner Greg Shipe. “We got behind in the crops.” Unlike Pendleton’s, though, Davenport’s damage amounted to $12,000 and was completely covered by insurance. With the benefit, Pendleton hopes his business can fully recover, but said that he doesn’t know what lies ahead. “With this type of damage, we can look at the operation very critically and see if this business has a future,” he said. “Fortunately, I think it does.”

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For three years, Mindy Mies, 34-year-old Lawrence resident who is visually impaired, has lived in a duplex that’s so small she doesn’t have room for a seeing-eye dog. In their two-bedroom duplex, Mies watches her three-year-old twin sons without the aide of anyone else. She has to fully trust in herself and her husband.

“When we moved, I gave up my dog. I gave up my freedom,” Mies said.

After Habitat approved the Mies family in February through an application and interview process, it will still wait four more months for construction to start on their house. Comfort Neighborhood, the new Lawrence Habitat project, is coming to life with volunteers working on the building of two sponsored homes so far. But with the rising cost of materials and supplies to build a house, sponsors are becoming harder and harder to find.

Since purchasing the four-acre site in 2004, developers have spent $520,500 to complete the payment, planning, sewers, streets, and preparation for the 16-house neighborhood. The original plan was to start the first house in spring 2006, but the preparation took longer than expected. By August, the neighborhood was ready for development.

Aug. 19 marked the first nail-driving ceremony for the Comfort Neighborhood, and volunteers started the construction of the second house on Sept. 16. Habitat needs to complete seven houses by June 30, 2007 with the remaining nine by summer 2008. Habitat for Humanity is facing a challenge trying to get enough sponsors to build that many houses on a short timeline.

“After Hurricane Katrina, the cost of building materials has increased so much that it now takes $60,000 to build a home,” said Ginger Ratzlaff, chair of fund development for Lawrence Habitat.

In 2004, the cost to build a Habitat house was $40,000. The cost increased to $50,000 in July 2005 and to $60,000 this year. This increase is affecting families who are living in less than accommodating conditions. It causes families to wait for organizations to sponsor the cost and building of a home. It will take a total of $385,000 for Habitat to build the projected seven houses, with $540,000 left for Habitat to complete the neighborhood.

The difference between the Comfort Neighborhood builds and most Habitat for Humanity builds, is these houses are not being “blitz-built,” which means from the first nail-driving to the finishing touches, volunteers build the house within about seven days. These houses will take 12-14 weeks to complete each, Ratzlaff said.

Mark Brooks, construction manager for Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, said that he does his job because of the amazing people that he encounters every day. Brooks is in charge of design and construction for the Comfort Neighborhood builds. Each house has the same design, with three bedrooms, one large bathroom, kitchen, dining area and living room. The homes are about 1100 sq. ft. Each home does not come with a garage, but Brooks designs different sheds for each house’s storage space. All sheds are 10 feet by 12 feet, which is the largest size of a building that does not need a building permit, Brooks said.

Brooks said volunteers work on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays starting at 9 a.m. On Tuesday, about 15 people volunteer to help build, 6-10 on Thursdays, and 30-35 on Saturdays. Outside of volunteers, Brooks said he hires professionals like electricians, cable and phone wirers, plumbers, and cement layers to make sure everything is perfect. Brooks said that the families have a big hand in helping as well. Each family member has to donate 225 total hours to Habitat for Humanity. The families must complete 50 hours before its house starts construction, 150 hours on its own house, and 25 hours after.

“This shows that Habitat is a continual process. We are all helping out each other,” Brooks said.

Mies will do most of her hours in the Habitat office because of her visual impairment. Mary Gordon of the Lawrence Noon Lions Club, an organization that provides care for the visually impaired, has been Mies’ mentor ever since Mies first started classes with Gordon after her eyes were removed as a toddler. The Lawrence Lions Club is working on sponsorship for the Mies’ new home. With all 58 clubs in the Northeast Kansas district, they are working to raise $13,500. Lions International will match its efforts at $11,500 and Habitat will double their efforts as well, Gordon said.

“Mindy is like a daughter to me. We want to help her in any way we can,” Gordon said.

Mies hopes that construction will start in January. “We are just so crowded. The older the boys get, the bigger they get. We really need room to stretch out. If we get this new house, I’ll be able to have a dog again. I want ownership and a sense of community,” Mies said.

Other families are still waiting for sponsors. The Priest family, whose house is said to start in November, is still unsure what organization will be able to provide sponsorship. Ratzlaff said that the University of Kansas student chapter and House that Greeks Built, the Greek community’s Habitat chapter, might sponsor the Priest home.

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The University of Kansas will not renew its subscription to Turnitin, which will expire Oct. 3. Turnitin is an online service that helps professors catch students they suspect of plagiarism.

The Provost Office decided not to renew the annual license due to the cost of the service and copyright concerns.

“We were motivated primarily by being stunned by the sharp increase in price for what is essentially the same service,” said Lynn Bretz, director of communications.

Bretz said that when the University first subscribed to Turnitin four years ago, the price was $6,000. The next year, the price increased 67 percent to $10,000. Last year, the price increased 40 percent to $14,000. And this year, Turnitin upped the price 57 percent to $22,000. With the new price increase, the Provost Office decided not to renew the service.

The $22,000 price tag is still 39 percent less than the $36,000 a year the University of Arizona is paying for the service, Bretz said.

John Barrie, CEO of iParadigms, Turnitin’s parent company, did not return repeated phone calls.

Another concern the University has about Turnitin is intellectual property issues. Faculty and students scan documents onto Turnitin’s database and the company then makes a profit using those examples.

“If we’re scanning documents and providing them with examples for their service, why are they charging us? If anything, the price should go down,” Bretz said.

According to an August 2004 memo from then-Provost David Shulenburger, the University subscribed to Turnitin after a survey found that 22 percent of a random sample of 1,250 students admitted to plagiarism. The same survey found that 50 percent agreed that it was easy to get away with academic misconduct at the University.

Stefani Rahardja, De Soto freshman, said that Turnitin is a deterrent to plagiarism.

“Plagiarism is what a lot of students do to get things done,” Rahardja said. “So I do think Turnitin.com is useful. They should keep using it.”

Jessica Mulvaney, Leavenworth sophomore, does not think that Turnitin is a useful tool.

“I don’t see the point in it,” Mulvaney said. “Even if you didn’t plagiarize, if you change one word, a Web site can have the same sentence.”

Mulvaney said she would not be tempted to plagiarize even if the University cancels Turnitin.

“There are still ways to get caught, even without Turnitin,” she said.

Latchit Patel, Leavenworth junior, said he would be tempted to plagiarize if there was no way to get caught.

Frank Cai, graduate assistant of Humanities and Western Civilization, thinks the University’s decision to cancel Turnitin was prudent.

“The University should spend a reasonable amount of money on reasonable things,” Cai said. “It is good for the University to not spend a substantial amount for only a few plagiarists. … I believe that the majority of students are good; only a handful plagiarizes.”

Cai did say that it could be dangerous if the University did not find a replacement to Turnitin.

“It could be a signal that the administration is loosening tight control,” he said. “If you can’t find an exact replacement, something is better than nothing.”

Cai suggested that the University should plan an anti-plagiarism day to inform students of the bad effects of plagiarism.

But students should not see the expiration of Turnitin as an opportunity for a plagiarism free-for-all.

“The faculty will have the necessary tools,” Bretz said. “I think there was some misinformation in the early press releases.”

The University is currently looking for alternatives to Turnitin. The Provost Office is also trying to persuade Turnitin to renew the service at last year’s rate or to offer a multiple-year fixed rate.

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Premium denim is the way to buy jeans these days, and many people are. Or are they?

According to Carrie Mandigo, employee of Ginger and Maryanne, premium denim is the trend now. For the past three years, designer jeans have been “flying out of the door”

At Epic Apparel, a new trend boutique off Massachusetts street, store manager Kate Turner said that premium denim fits better, and that each pair of jeans is handmade.

Turner said, “we felt Lawrence could use a brand and trend boutique, we believe the population of Lawrence can carry our type of boutique.”

Premium denim at Epic Apparel costs between 120 dollars and 255 dollars. According to Turner they sell about 15 to 20 pairs a month.

However at American Eagle a few blocks down, employees Tiffany Mitchell and Megan Cooper said that they sell about 15 to 20 pairs of jeans a day.

Mitchell and Cooper, both wearing American Eagle jeans, said that people buy at American Eagle because they have a good variety at a low price. A pair of jeans at American Eagle can cost between 39.95 and 49 dollars.

At Old Navy jeans can cost anywhere from 24.50 to 32,50. Aaron Lucero, store manager, said, “Although it varies, a couple hundred fly out every month. I guess it is because they are very cheap.”

Gap employee Spencer Holderen said that it is a policy at The Gap to have 25 percent of their yearly revenue come from denim.

Holdern said, “Gap jeans have become a part of American culture. It is a common experience.”

According to an article written in The New York Times in 2005 by Guy Trebay, the premium denim market is a 14.2 billion dollar market.

Trebay said, “blue jeans have suddenly shed their proud proletarian roots and turned into what retailers call a status buy.”

According to Marshall Cohen, a source in the 2005 article and the chief industry analyst at the NPD Group in Port Washington which tracks clothing sales, “for four years running luxury denim has been the fastest growing category at the bottom part of the apparel business.”

Premium denim is becoming a must have. But, is the raise in designer jeans causing a decline in other stores’ revenue?

According to the Gap inc. financial report it seems that it has not.

Gap Inc, is the over arching body that includes The Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic.

Net Sales at Old Navy have increased in both the first and second quarter since 2003. In the first quarter of 2003 Old Navy’s Net Sales were 1,375 million dollars. In the first quarter of 2006 Old Navy’s Net Sales were 1, 503 million dollars. Over the past three years Old Navy has seen a 272 million dollar increase.

However, Net Sales at The Gap has not seen an increase in the first or second quarter between 2003 and 2006. In the first quarter of 2003 The Gap’s Net Sales were 1, 238 million. In the first quarter of 2006 for The Gap, Net Sales were 1, 121. That is a 117 million dollar decrease over the past 3 years.

Gap Inc. has seen an increase in store openings over the past three years.

In 2003, Gap Inc. opened seven stores in the first quarter and 10 stores in the second quarter. In 2006, Gap Inc. opened 38 stores in the first quarter and 37 in the second quarter.

According to the statistics given in the Gap Inc. financial report, neither The Gap nor Old Navy are suffering greatly on account of premium denim. Instead, both stores have soon growth since the beginning of the designer denim craze.

While Premium Denim may be the new craze according to many people in the fashion industry, it cannot be denied that they still do not out sell cheaper jeans.

People will still buy from places like Old Navy, The Gap, and American Eagle before spending over 100 dollars on a single pair of jeans.

Robert Burke, fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman and a source in the 2005 New York Times article, said that premium denim has become the fashion staple.

Well, if it is the fashion staple not everyone is wearing them.

Dana Amitin, Dallas sophomore, does not own a single pair of designer jeans. Amitin said that she does not think the jeans fit any better than regular jeans.

Amitin said, “ I am not going to pay that much money just so I can say that I own a pair of sevens. It just does not make any sense.”

Gap Inc. is not backing down to the threat of premium denim. There are customers that are continuing to buy from places like The Gap and Old Navy. Amitin does not plan on changing her habits anytime soon.

Posted by Susan Schwarz at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Eudora is growing. And fast. As a bedroom community 10 miles from the heart of Lawrence and just under 23 miles away from Lenexa, its location has helped it grow by 20 percent over the last five years. Eudora grew from 4,307 people in 2000 to 6,541 people in 2005.

Almost all of the growth in Eudora is residential, and while it provides the community with new families and new energy, it has also put strains on the city’s infrastructure. Furthermore, commercial development has been disproportionately stunted because of the lack of available land with infrastructures such as sewage and electricity, Caren Rowland, owner of the Coldwell Banker real estate office said.

Tom Pyle, mayor of Eudora, agrees that the city needs more commercial development. “You can’t do it on rooftops alone,” Pyle said.

The City Commission will meet tonight to discuss a Tax Increment Financing development area for the east side of Eudora. If the plans go through, the city would have to annex new land east of town. The commission must first hear the results from an independent report to see if Eudora qualifies for the TIF program.

According to Cheryl Beatty, city administrator of Eudora, TIF is an incentive program offered by the state to remedy bad economic situations. It allows a city to pay for needed additions to infrastructure without increasing its taxes because the taxes from the new businesses created by the new available land will pay for the improvements, rather than local residents being forced to foot the bill. The Kansas Speedway area is a large-scale example of a program similar to TIF.

The city is in the preliminary stages of this development project and no definite plans have been made for development at the possible TIF site. “It’s a flexible deal,” Mayor Pyle said.

Carol Rowland said, “It’s kind of like the question, ‘if we build it will they come?’ I think it’s a Catch-22. Right now, we don’t have the commercial space, so nobody can come. We just don’t have the land developed to do that. There’s not a lot of infrastructure right now. Eudora needs more infrastructure. We need more sewer lines and electrical lines.”

Ken Adkinson, member of the Eudora Planning Commission, said that the commission believes organized growth is good for Eudora and that it has not turned away any reasonable request to expand the industrial or commercial base in Eudora.

Adkinson said that like any small town in America, residents are split on whether or not the growth should happen.

The Eudora Planning Commission represents the landowners in the 3-mile area that surrounds the city as well as the citizens of Eudora. The commission discusses how to create new economic growth without losing the small town atmosphere. Sometimes the commission ends up placing landowners’ rights and the city’s needs at the opposite ends of a pole, Adkinson said.

One of the biggest problems with growth in any city is a question of balance: how much residential versus commercial and industrial. “During my first three years on the planning commission a report was given to us indicating that residential growth would pay its own way,” Adkinson said. “We are currently being told that not enough industrial/commercial in the mix will cause economic disaster.” Eudora needs commercial and industrial development because those entities create the real tax revenue.

One thing is for sure: Eudora’s residential base is still growing. Caren Rowland said that over the last year, 115 single-family homes were sold in Eudora at an average price of $170,933. The year before, 133 single-family homes were sold at an average price of $152,860. This compares with an average home price of $123,881 in Tonganoxie and $187,465 in Lawrence. Both numbers are from 2005.

While the actual number of units sold has gone down, the average price has gone up, indicating an increase in land values and a rise in residential demand in the community. Rowland said that the drop in actual real estate sales correlates to increasing gas prices. “Because we’re a bedroom community, people who want to move out of the city to a small town have stopped a little bit because gas has gotten so high.”

The growth is also crunching Eudora’s schools. A new high school was built three years ago, and Eudora jumped up several rankings in school size, according to Brooke Schram, office manager of State Farm Insurance and Eudora mother.

According to the School District 491 Web site, Eudora High School currently enrolls 357 students. The middle school has 214 students. The elementary schools show the true effects of the growth: Eudora West Elementary currently has 271 students and Nottingham Elementary ties the high school with 357 students, showing that something will have to be done soon to expand the school facilities even further.

John Durkin, co-owner of Durkin’s Hardware, exemplifies the new commercial growth in Eudora. He started his business from the ground up two years ago to the south of Kansas Highway 10. “We were the first ones on this side of the highway to build anything.”

Durkin’s Hardware has 5,000 square feet of showroom space, and he added a new service center last month. This year, he is expecting at least a 25 percent increase in business from last year.

Aaron Boden, owner of Gambino’s Pizza, tells a similar history. Boden has owned the franchise for six years. “Over the past five years, business is up 30 percent,” Boden said. “Maybe even higher.”

Boden said he believed the cheap price of land helped Eudora grow. He now said that land prices have gone up significantly, and that has affected the availability of new commercial development. “The developers have got to make a profit,” he said.

Eudora’s older part of town is to the north, with older businesses mostly along Main Street. Main Street sleepily ends a few blocks south from downtown. A few blocks east along West 10th St., Church St. energetically becomes the dominant commercial corridor.

Most of the new businesses in town are located to the south near Kansas Highway 10 on Church Street. Not much development has occurred south of the highway. A few businesses, a new subdivision, and the new high school are the only developments to the south.

Brooke Schram has enjoyed seeing Eudora grow. “Just in the last seven years I’ve seen major growth. They’ve probably put in four new subdivisions since we moved here. It has grown phenomenally. But it still has that small-town feel, which is what we like.”

Schram was raised in Lenexa, Kan., while her husband grew up on a dairy farm. “This was a happy little medium, and it’s a great bedroom community. It’s right off the highway; you can be in Olathe in 20 minutes. It’s great. I was really adamant at first, saying, ‘If in one year we don’t like it, can we move back?’ Now, I can’t imagine moving back.”

John Durkin, who grew up in Eudora and returned recently, paints a different picture. “It was a small town then; now it’s not really,” Durkin said. “You have the old part of town with the people who lived here forever, and you have all the younger people who live out in the newer housing. There’s basically two parts of town.”

Posted by William McCullough at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)