Multimedia Reporting (Fred-Musser)

When Mary received the results of her annual pap smear last year, she cried. She had contracted Human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Mary, a 2006 KU graduate who asked that her real name not be used for this story, is not alone. HPV is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease on KU’s campus, and according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) close to 50 percent of men and women will contract the virus at some point in their lives. By age 40, CDC estimates that 80 percent of women will have contracted the disease.

There are over one hundred different viral types of HPV, some of which have embarrassing and potentially dangerous effects.

They can cause genital warts, or, when left unchecked, can lead to cervical cancer. Others have no symptoms, no consequences, and go away on their own.

“I was diagnosed with a high-risk strand of HPV,” Mary said. “I had to ask my doctor to explain it to me. I didn’t know it meant I had an STD.”

Mary was diagnosed with a strand known to cause cervical cancer just six months before the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil, a vaccine that is almost 100 percent effective against two strands of HPV that cause 90 percent of all cases of genital warts and two other strands that cause 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer.

The vaccine has been available at Watkins Health Center since August, and Student Health Services actually took part in the research that led to the approval of Gardasil.

Bill Smith, student health educator for Student Health Services, said that he gives presentations to dorms and fraternities and sororities on sexual health in general.

“When I go out to give sexual health presentations, I do mention the vaccine, and that we have it available at the Health Center,” Smith said.

“Everyone who comes into the gynecology clinic gets a pamphlet on HPV,” said Kathy Guth, nurse practioner in gynecology at Watkins.

But Mary said that she thought HPV awareness at KU was minimal, at best.

“In my four years at KU, I heard five minutes about HPV, period, in one health class,” Mary said. “My professor said close to 80 percent of people at KU probably have it, and then just moved on.”

Megan Dodge, Overland Park senior, also said that she thought Student Health Services was not doing enough to educate the campus about HPV.

“Maybe for incoming freshman, they should be required to go to some sort of health class administered by Watkins and peer health educators,” said Dodge, who is an officer with the campus organization Students for Reproductive Rights. “A university health center has the responsibility to protect its students.”

Patty Quinlan, supervisor of Nursing at Watkins, said that because HPV is an STD, the stigma hindered Student Health Services’ ability to raise awareness.

“With meningitis, we had a student come out who was very helpful in offering a human voice for the infection,” Quinlan said. “Student Health Services would never ask someone to do that for HPV.”

Dodge also said that she thought students might be hesitant to get the vaccine for personal reasons.

“A lot of girls aren’t going to want their parents to know,” Dodge said. “If you come from a conservative background, your parents or your minister might say it will make you promiscuous, and that’s totally false.”

In fact, HPV can be passed from person to person without even engaging in sexual intercourse. Because HPV is a virus that lives in the skin or mucous membranes in genital areas, some of which aren’t covered by condoms, practicing safe sex does not completely protect against HPV.

Perhaps even more startling, no test currently is approved to detect HPV in men, and no vaccine is available for them either.

Guth said 120 women have received the vaccine since August. From CDC estimates and Fall 2006 enrollment information of full-time undergraduate students, it can be concluded that as many as 13,000 men and women on KU’s campus have or will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives.

The vaccine, which is a series of three shots, costs $148 a shot, for a total of $444 for the vaccination.

Smith said that the high expense of the shot affected some students’ decisions.

“It’s new and it’s expensive,” Smith said. “I think that could be an impediment for some students for getting it, if they don’t have insurance, or if they’re paying for their medical bills out of pocket.”

The health insurance plans available to students through Student Health Services do not cover any part of the Gardasil vaccine.

At least one major insurance company can help cover the cost.

“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is prepared to pay for claims for the vaccine when we start receiving them,” said Mary Beth Chambers, manager of corporate communications for BCBS.

Because the vaccine was approved for girls ages 11-26, Chambers expected requests for the vaccine to increase as awareness increases.

“We anticipate that it will become a recommended vaccine for school-aged children, and will most likely be required for middle school entrance,” Chambers said.

Until then, she said the full cost of vaccinations will be covered.

“I’m amazed at the number of women who come in and just say ‘I want it’ before they know if their insurance will cover it,” Guth said.

Annual Pap smears are the best method for early detection of HPV.

Chambers recommends that students talk with their health care providers about insurance coverage if they are interested in the HPV vaccine.

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Harley-Davidson riders are no longer young and dangerous. These days, the average Harley rider is more likely to be a middle-class dad than a Hell’s Angel.

Hoping to take advantage of this trend, Topeka Harley-Davidson owner Mike Patterson will soon open a new Harley Davidson dealership in North Lawrence.

As baby boomers have grown up, Harley-Davidson’s business has rapidly grown with them. In fifteen years, the company’s net income has grown from $38 million to nearly $1 billion dollars.

Patterson's new store, which will be a subsidiary of his Topeka dealership, joins a growing community of motorcycle-friendly businesses on and around N. Second St.

But how long can the Harley-Davidson Co. continue the kind of growth and success it has had over the past fifteen years? And what will they do after baby boomers are no longer a market?

At least one analyst says that Harley will have to change strategy within the next several years.

“The market Harley’s been used to is temporary,” said Donald J. Brown, an independent analyst based in Irvine, Ca. “The baby boomer market is no longer growing, in fact, it is in decline.”

This could be troubling news for a company whose average customer’s age is 46.7 (compared to 34.7 in 1987).

Harley riders have been growing increasingly wealthier, too. In 1987, the median household income of a Harley rider was roughly $38,000. Today, that number has ballooned to close to $83,000.

Patterson has seen the demographics of his customers change for the past several years too. He said, though, that his average Topeka store customer was a little younger than the national Harley median age.

“Ten years ago, I knew the names of every single one of my customers,” said Patterson.

Today, he said, that’s just not possible.

All of this success has allowed Patterson to funnel over $1 million into the purchase and renovation of properties on 608 N. Second St.

His new store, to be called Riverfront Harley-Davidson, will be a full-service dealership, selling bikes, parts, service, and accessories.

Patterson said that the company’s success directly contributed to his decision to open a store in Lawrence.

“Before, there weren’t enough bikes to justify it, really,” Patterson said. “Now with upped production, we actually have some extra bikes, and we can justify the investment.”

Harley has increased production routinely over the past fifteen years. However, that changed last year. In the company’s annual income report (pdf) issued to stockholders, CEO James Ziemer said that Harley actually reduced production by 10,000 units in 2005.

“We took this precautionary step in the second quarter to maintain demand in excess of supply…we know that this action was absolutely the right thing to do,” Ziemer said.

Brown said that Harley would have to do more than just cut production in order to maintain growth.

“If I were running Harley-Davidson, I’d be talking to the design team about designing a bike aimed a younger market,” Brown said.

Harley-Davidson is most famous for its large, touring bikes, most of which do not appeal to younger riders who prioritize power over comfort.

KU senior and motorcycle owner Micah Thomas said he could not see himself buying a Harley any time soon.

“Harley makes some bikes that college kids ride, but I think the Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha sport bikes are more geared toward young people,” said Thomas, who owns a 1981 Honda CM 400. “They look awesome and perform better than Harleys.”

Lawrence resident Joe Tindall, 50, owns a Harley-Davidson. He has a 21-year-old son who he says isn't that interested in his bike.

“Remember those ads, ‘this is not your father’s oldsmobile’?” Tindall said. “I think the biggest issue for Harley is going to be attracting the younger generation.”

Patterson said that Harley has already started marketing existing bikes towards the younger generation.

Also, a new class called Rider’s Edge is now offered in Topeka and at roughly 200 of the country’s 667 Harley dealerships. The class is aimed at teaching people of all ages how to ride, and to create brand loyalty.

Patterson said that Harley started the program in large part to attract a younger audience.

“The marketing is very youth-oriented,” Patterson said.

Patterson is not worried about Harley’s success. He said that Harley has something that will never fade.

“They’ve always been cool, and that’s what has maintained them,” Patterson said. “There’s a mystique there that’s hard to understand.”

Patterson said that because of the changing perception of the Harley rider, he had not met any resistance from North Lawrence businesses and residents.

North Lawrence Improvement Association president Ted Boyle said he hoped the addition of the Harley dealership would encourage other businesses to develop along N. Second St.

“The only thing we would’ve rather had besides a Harley dealership is a grocery store,” said Boyle, who restores antique Harley-Davidsons in his garage.

Even competing businesses have expressed hope that Patterson’s business will bring in more money and people to North Lawrence.

Rick Combs, owner of Combs custom cycle, will be competing with Harley-Davidson for parts and accessories sales.

“Even though we’ll be competing, his store will hopefully mean more bikes for us to repair,” Combs said.

Patterson estimates that roughly 10% of his Topeka store's business came from Lawrence last year. He plans to open the 9,000 sq. ft. store with the help of 12 employees in time for holiday season shopping.

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New research not only links Anorexia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) but KU researchers also say their findings may affect the treatments offered for both disorders as well.

The similarities between OC-spectrum disorders (OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder) and Anorexia are of growing interest to the scientific community. By connecting Anorexia to OCD, scientists can use everything they have already learned about OCD to help better understand Anorexia.

Anorexia is considered more difficult to treat than OCD, and research by University of Kansas Medical Center neuro-psychologist Cary Savage, Ph.D., may help expand treatment options.

“Current treatments are pretty good, but Anorexia remains highly treatment resistant,” said Savage. “The OCD treatment literature may give us important clues that ultimately lead to better treatments for Anorexia.”

Lisa Hale, Ph.D., who works at the Kansas City Center for Anxiety Treatment, said that Anorexia patients at her clinic often need an eating disorder specialist on their case working alongside a therapist because Anorexia is so difficult to treat.

“We’re trying to get them to have a more realistic perception of themselves over time,” said Hale. “They can’t just hear ‘you’re not fat’…it’s a process over time.”

Hale said that the OCD and Anorexia research has allowed her center to fine tune cognitive therapy and incorporate methods used to treat OCD into the treatment of Anorexic patients.

Savage said that establishing a link between the two diseases could eventually explain why some patients become anorexic.

“Understanding how OCD and Anorexia are related helps us better understand the potential causes of Anorexia,” Savage said. “Linking cognitive functioning in Anorexia with OCD does not necessarily pinpoint its cause, but it give us important clues that we can follow up on.”

The link between these two diseases was established using a simple paper and pencil test, called the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT). The test requires a patient to copy an image of geometric shapes of various size and detail. The patient is not told that she will be asked to recreate this image from memory. The original image is then removed, and the patient is asked to recreate it as best as she can.

“There’s a difficult way and an easy way to complete the drawing,” Savage said. “Patients with OCD and Anorexia tend to focus on the details instead of drawing the larger geometric shapes present.”

The patient is handed different colored pens as she completes the drawing so the researcher can determine the order in which she completed the drawing and stored the information in her brain.

Savage originally administered the test to patients with OCD in 1999. Then in 2006 he administered the test to patients with Anorexia and found that they performed identically to the OCD patients. Both OCD and Anorexia patients had significantly poorer performance than healthy patients when asked to recall the image from memory.

Savage said that patients with both diseases put information into their brain in a complicated way, and therefore have trouble retrieving that information after it has been stored.

Savage said the Anorexic patients’ tendency to copy the RCFT in detail might partially explain some of the perceptual distortions that occur in Anorexia. If a patient focuses on the details of the test over the whole (by copying small lines and complex shapes instead of large, simple ones), they may be more likely to fixate on the details of their own appearance.

“Anorexia sufferers might focus on a single body part, such as the hips,” Savage said. “Since the hips in women are invariably wider than the waist, they might perceive themselves as fat even though the overall body is thin to the point of wasting.”

Lawrence senior Laura Fletcher suffered from anorexia from 1998-2004. Fletcher, who struggled most with the disease after she began modeling in 2003, said that the link between OCD and Anorexia made sense to her.

“When I was an anorexic, as much as I could see my ribs and sternum I still fixated on my skin”, said Laura Fletcher, Lawrence senior. “I figured any extra skin was fat and as emaciated as I looked, it didn't even occur to me that I was wasting away.”

Fletcher said she wished that more people acknowledged the problem of Anorexia.

“Anorexia is well known, but it seems people remain turned away from it in their every day lives,” said Fletcher. “Anorexics have a disease, and we haven’t found a cure.”

Though his research cannot cure Anorexia, Savage said that he hopes it will increase knowledge about the disease and lead to new and better treatment options.

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