Recently by Alex Dufek

Beautiful scenery, vibrant downtown atmosphere and the nearness to the hustle and bustle of Kansas City are all perks the city of Lawrence can offer visitors but no factor draws as many people to the city as the University of Kansas.
  
Nancy Longhurst, the general manager of the historic Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence said the city's uniqueness diminished the possibility of a recession severely affecting the hotel industry in Lawrence.

"We're in a little bubble here in Lawrence. I think the University is a major factor for all of the hotels' success. The University is our biggest employer and they bring people into this town everyday," Longhurst said.

Many cities don't have the luxury of housing a major public university in their backyard. According to Smith Travel Research, a leader in benchmarking and researching for the lodging industry, The U.S. hotel industry posted declines in all three key performance measurements in October. However, many hotels in Lawrence stated they were unaffected by the trend.

STR reported that the primary factors used to determine the industries success - the average daily rate, revenue per available room and occupancy -- all dropped from their October 2007 levels in 2008. One of the most telling statistics was the 0.5 percent decrease in the average daily rate. The decline in the ADR was the first in over five years. Occupancy rates also took a big hit and fell from 66.5 percent in October 2007 to 62.1 percent in October 2008.


So far the 'bubble' provided by the University has protected Lawrence from the needles that have punctured the industry on a national level. Hotel managers said Kansas football games, business conferences, alumni loyalty and campus visits by potential KU students made October a successful month.

"Usually the place and the city of Lawrence in October is a really busy month," said Dave Owens, manager of the Holiday Inn Holidome.

Erica Potts, the manager of the Marriott Springhill Suites, said the Springhill has done very well in October. According to Potts, the hotel sold 2,748 rooms in October 2007, but sold 2,831 rooms in October 2008.

An increase in business could be very strongly correlated to the success of Kansas Athletics. Kansas hosted two football games in October and one game on November 1. The October 25 game against Texas Tech was one of five sellouts for Kansas this season in just seven games. The University also set an attendance record this season averaging 50,907 fans per game. This average is 836 people more than Memorial Stadium's 50,071-person capacity level.

The impact large crowds like these can have on a city is tremendous.

"Football can cause city-wide sell outs where you bring in additional 20,000 or 30,000 people to Lawrence. It causes all the hotels to fill up," Owens said.

Judy Billings, Director of the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau, agreed with Owens and said home football game weekends generated some of the greatest revenue for the city.

"We typically have said that football weekends are million dollar weekends for Lawrence," Billings said. "Football is a big impact on our community."

Billings said that it wasn't only Jayhawk fans that brought revenue to the city, but also the opposing team's fans, players and coaches. Television crews and special events also bring in a lot of people. Both the Kansas-Colorado game on October 11 and the Kansas-Texas Tech games were covered by an ESPN channel and were played in association with special events. The Jayhawks game against Colorado was play on K-Club day and the Texas Tech game was Homecoming.


"Whether it is team reunions like the K-club or class reunions or homecoming or parents' weekend. Those kinds of things drive people to stay more than one night. Events scheduled along with football games really help," Billings said.

Sometimes when events, athletics and national coverage mix together the city's hotels aren't able to accommodate all of the visitors.

"We have a finite number of hotel rooms and that's 1,100 -- stretching it. So we don't have the ability to hold a lot of people here," Billings said.

The success of football has even crossed into another activity that helps fill up hotel rooms - campus tours. Jenny Hout, Visitor Coordinator in the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, said because of the recent football success many students have paired a tour on Friday with a football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. This usually results in a weekend stay for the visitors.

"It's kind of a normal thing through the basketball games, but now we see it happening for football too," Hout said.

According to Hout 10,000 people have toured the campus so far this semester through Jayhawk tour days and senior days, a slightly larger number than last year. It shouldn't be a surprise hotels did well in October. Hout said October, along with March, is the biggest month of the year for tours. Coincidentally, March is the climax of the college basketball season and also a big sports month in Lawrence.

When prospective students aren't visiting Lawrence, the city is able to rely on a loyal and dedicated base of Kansas graduates to keep hotels booked up. Athletics, reunions and retreats all call KU alumni back to the hill.

"They love Lawrence. They love the University. There is a big draw to the Lawrence community itself. It's very interesting. They want to come back to Lawrence. They might have meetings here because they went to school here. That's a big drawing card for all of us," Longhurst said.

Mike Davis, the Senior Vice President with the KU Alumni Association, said it's his job to get Alumni back to their old stomping grounds.

"Through our chapter, certainly through our athletics program, we're working consistently to get alumnus to come back to Lawrence," He said. "We've put in a lot of effort and resources to get alums to come back to campus."

Part of Davis' job is to help coordinate football tailgates and KU reunions. He said the tailgates have gone from generating 200 to 250 people per tailgate when they started four years ago to attracting well over 350 people per tailgate this year.

Even if special events aren't coordinated Davis said the Alumni come back from wherever they reside to cheer their school to victory.

"We have a really strong contingent of alums who come nationally for every home game as well. They have season tickets," Davis said.

Brad Korell, a graduate of the Law School at the University and a member of the KU Alumni Association Board, is an attorney in Austin, Texas but holds season tickets for KU football.

"It's the best way I know to spend a Saturday," Korell said.
Korell, grew up in St. Joseph, Mo., and received an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, but has always been a Jayhawk fan. He's been living in Austin but returning to Lawrence for Saturday football games for 11 years now and said he tries to stay at a variety of hotels when visiting Lawrence.

While some alumni have just recently jumped on the KU football bandwagon, others like Korell, have been coming to games for years.

"You know it's funny we've had our tickets even through the bad years. This isn't something that has just started since we started winning. I've been coming back for games ever since I left and now it's paying off," Korell said.

Korell said even if all alumni haven't been dedicated to the football team, they are dedicated to other Kansas alumni and the University.

"The Alumni Association and just KU Alumni in general do a fantastic job of keeping people connected," Korell said. "Anytime you're wearing a KU shirt or sweatshirt and you run into somebody at the airport or the grocery store there is always a rock chalk and I don't think you see that with other schools."

With all of the action hitting Lawrence the city's hotels don't fear for their future. One must only look down a block from the Kansas Student Union and take a gander at the massive Oread Inn structure being established to realize that.

Davis who works in the Adams Alumni Center, located directly between the two buildings, realizes there is no need to fear as long as Kansas Athletics stay around.

"Try to get a hotel room and a game weekend. It's hard to do. They're sold out."

"Just like game time. Let's go. Pump it up!"

Jarvis Stirn shouts words of encouragement to his teammates across the basketball court during a scrimmage. As a physical and verbal leader Stirn likes to get the players around him excited.

"I always try to be positive and be verbal with my team so they know what's going on," Stirn said. "I think it comes pretty much natural to me now."

Being a leader is a responsibility Stirn enjoys putting upon himself. It's a responsibility he can manage as well. Stirn juggles a handful of duties in his everyday life. He is a 34-year-old father, husband, athlete and engineer. It's hard to imagine how he fits his busy schedule into a 24-hour time frame.

On a typical Wednesday Jarvis wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and arrives for work at Husqvarna Construction Products in Olathe by 6:30 a.m. He works until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. then stops home for an hour or so before driving to the Garfield Community Center in Topeka for basketball practice. He shoots hoops from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. He gets home around 9:45 p.m. and catches a few hours of sleep before waking up at 4:30 a.m. the next day for work. This would be a busy day for most individuals, but it's more extraordinary for Stirn.

Fourteen years ago Stirn experienced something that would change his life forever. Stirn was working at the XI Battery Company and had just finished his shift at 11 p.m. He met up with his friends Mike and Gary to party at a bar. Around 2 a.m. or 2:30 a.m. Gary got involved in an altercation so the three headed out. 

Stirn said they had two cars there and didn't really think much about who would drive as they had all been drinking. Stirn got in a car with Mike and the two followed Gary. After driving for a while Gary stopped and asked Stirn to switch cars so they could talk about what took place at the bar.

Although intoxicated Gary managed himself fine behind the wheel according to Stirn. After talking about the fight for a bit, Stirn dozed off in the passenger seat. A little further down the road Gary would fall asleep as well. The car went down into the ditch and hit an embankment. Stirn was sent flying out of the car and broke his back. When he came to about a week later he was paralyzed from the waist down. Gary broke some bones but had no injuries that didn't heal.

Even though Stirn lost the use of his legs, being inactive isn't an option in his mind.

"I want to be a participant," Stirn said. "I could look at all the negatives and focus on that and not get anything done in my life, but that's not what I want to do."

Athletics are nothing new to Stirn. In high school he excelled in football, basketball and track at Tescott High School. Although he went on to play some junior college football at Highland Community College after high school, he never favored any sport more than another.

"I was always kind of a sports kind of guy and I really love doing them," Stirn said.

Being in a chair definitely hasn't prevented him from doing what he loves. His list of sporting endeavors is longer than ever. Since the accident, Stirn has participated in soccer, tennis, basketball, softball and downhill skiing. Just recently he had the opportunity to try handcycling. (Check out this Handcycling YouTube Video)

"It's not the same as driving in a car," Stirn said. "It's amazing if you haven't done it in quite a while and you get back into. You're kind of like, 'wow this is something I really missed out on and I didn't realize it'."

                                                      

As the team representative for the Kansas Wheelhawks, a Division-II National Wheelchair Basketball team based out of Topeka, Stirn preaches the importance of athletics for disabled individuals. The Wheelhawks are a part of a wheelchair athletics organization called Kansas Accessible Sports. KAS tries to make it easier for handicapped individuals to get involved with sports, but because it draws players from all over Kansas, it's sometimes difficult to find willing individuals.

"It can be harder in a wheelchair to travel and those that are used to doing it will continue doing it, but those that aren't sure about it and are kind of nervous, they'll kind of hold back on doing it," Stirn said. "We just try to talk them into it and say practices are paid for so you don't have to worry about that. All you have to do is make it to your practice and we'll take care of everything there."

The team recently placed an emphasis on involving youth in basketball. The Wheelhawks are looking to create a youth league and have already planned a youth tournament in Topeka for this upcoming January. Stirn said being active in sports benefited younger individuals in many ways.

Logan McCroy, a young Wheelhawk shoots hoops on a lowered hoop during practice.

Photo Credit: Alex Dufek

"They give scholarships to wheelchair basketball players. They can go to college and play for a while and when they get done there, they can come back and play for us," Stirn said "Once they go off somewhere else, you know maybe they will go to a different place, but hopefully we have benefited them in their lives so they can go off and be active in sports."

Stirn is a big factor in getting younger players involved. Josh Ruoff, a 14-year-old Wheelhawk, said Jarvis had an impact on his life.

"They went and scrimmaged in Lawrence and I went to go watch them. I talked to Jarvis and he got me involved," Ruoff said. "He's helped me a lot. He's helped me mentally, he's helped me physically and he's helped me become a better person."

Both Stirn and his wife agreed that Craig Hospital in Denver, the location of Stirn's rehabilitation, did a great job encouraging him to be an active member of society after he recovered. Sarah said some rehabilitation facilities don't emphasize athletics enough.

"Their (other centers') idea is just to get you on with life and that's a great thing and you want to do that, but there's also lots beyond that," Sarah Stirn said. "You can do sports and stay active and do those things. A lot of places don't put very much emphasis on that."

Joe Gomez, director of Therapeutic Recreation at Craig Hospital, said basketball helps people in numerous ways off the court. Balance and handling learned on the court might cross over to everyday life by helping an individual deal with getting a chair over a poorly accessible area. The confidence that comes from competing at a high level usually makes people who use wheelchairs more likely to approach members of the opposite sex. 

Gomez said playing a sport and staying active would tremendously improve the health and lifestyle of a handicapped individual.

"It's been proven that the more active you are, the better lifestyle your going to lead," Gomez said. "Say I'm injured and I don't do a thing. I just sit in my chair and move around a little bit. I'm going to develop the skin sores. I'm going to develop the weight problems. I'm going to develop the medical conditions that are going to catch up to me, but the more active I am I can put those things off."

Gomez said he felt it was important to get kids involved because it boosted their self-esteem. If kids aren't active in athletics, depression is more likely to set in.

 "A lot of young kids out there are very sports oriented. If you aren't out there doing it, you feel left out, quite frankly," Gomez said. "They go out there and watch. They sit down and keep the score. They're the team managers. They're the team cheerleaders and everyone else goes out there and they're doing it."

Stirn wouldn't have it that way for any kid in a chair. He encourages everyone to take advantage of the opportunities that life does offer. Stirn would much rather focus on the positive aspects of a situation than the negative ones. It's this outlook that helps him succeed both on the court and in life.

Jarvis and Sarah discuss what life is like in a chair.


Jarvis and Sarah say why Jarvis is a leader. 

Ric Brown has always considered himself an environmentally aware individual. Simply ask him a question regarding any of the country's multiple environmental policies and he won't hesitate to rattle off governmental programs, studies and films concerning the issue.

Brown, a Coffeyville, Kansas, senior originally chose to major in environmental studies at the University. However, after some convincing by others, Brown was able to overcome his biggest fear, calculus, and switch his major to environmental engineering.

"I talked to a friend of my dad and he convinced me to go into environmental engineering," Brown said. "He said the calculus wasn't as bad as people say. And it wasn't. I got a tutor and got through it alright."

Brown chose the right time to get over his calculus phobia and crossover to the field of environmental engineering. National and local environmental efforts, such as Lawrence Mayor Michael Dever's new emission reduction goal, could help boost the green job market in Lawrence by increasing the number of new jobs for both current workers and students going into a wide variety of related fields.

In February 2007, the mayor established a Climate Protection Task Force to deal with the environmental threats facing the city. The task force consists of different members of the community, ranging from engineers and architects to members of larger local companies such as Hallmark and Westar Energy.

In the September 23 meeting, the task force agreed on a new emission reduction goal for the year 2050. The task force plans to lower emissions 80 percent from what they were in 2000 by the year 2050.
Karl Brooks, Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies at the University, has had plenty of experience dealing with the connection between the environment and the economy.

Brooks, a Boise Idaho native, has seen both sides of the issue. Before arriving at the University, he served the Idaho Senate for three terms as well as worked for the Idaho Conservation League, Idaho's largest citizens' environmental group.
At first glance, Brooks said he thought the city would have a difficult time reaching the goals proposed by the mayor.

"I'd say that it's one of those stretch goals, where we set ourselves a task that's probably a little bit ambitious, but we do it because we want to get the momentum going towards making substantial change," Brooks said.

However, Brooks said he did believe the plan would have a positive affect on the city's environmental mindset and awareness level.

 "It doesn't all have to be hammered about by the President or the United Nations in some big global treaty. Yeah, that's helpful, but you and I will never sit in a room and negotiate with Vladimir Putin over a climate change treaty. But we turn the lights on, we drive cars and we choose where we get our energy from. So I'd say it's important even for a little city like Lawrence to show people it matters at home what they do."

Local environmental efforts are very important to one Lawrencian and his business. Asa Collier owns and operates Blue Sky Wind, Solar and Home, a company that sells and installs environmentally friendly building material. Roughly 18 months after he first opened shop, Collier says his business is already witnessing a boost from a more green-minded mentality that is picking up across the country. While a slump in construction has hit the country and Lawrence, Blue Sky remains a member of the successful minority. 

In Lawrence, construction has been on a decline for several years according to the City of Lawrence, Building Inspection Division. The division's statistics show that from 2003 to 2007 the total number of construction permits granted has continued to decline every year. While 2,786 grants were allotted in 2003, only 2,398 were given out in 2007.

An interesting trend is emerging with local business projects. New commercial business projects are on the decline, but remodels and additions are on the rise. In 2005, there were 33 new commercial business permits granted, but by 2007 the amount had shrunk to 13. On the flip side, the amount of additions and remodeling projects has risen in Lawrence from 126 in 2004 to 171 in 2007.

"New construction has come to a stand still and people want to know, 'what can I do in my existing home?' But the other question is, 'what can I do in my existing home that's not going to hurt the environment?" Collier said. "Guys that are into building efficient homes, guys that are interested in clean building practices, their businesses are doing well now."

Collier said more and more people are looking to remodel homes and businesses in an environmental manner because of the current trends developing in society.

"We had this explosion of people getting hip to whole foods. That crosses all social boundaries. I think now we're seeing a shift to the other things that we use in our life.

Conservation of the automobiles that we drive and the homes we live in. The energy crisis is absolutely the next crisis that we have," Collier said.

While Lawrence's answer to the potential energy crisis is just beginning to rev up, some other cities across the Unites States have had lofty goals in place for some time now. San Francisco is one city that has been on the forefront in raising the bar for better emission standards. In 2004, the Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors in the city agreed to establish a framework that would result in having zero-waste released by public transportation vehicles by the year 2020.

Raquel Pinderhughes, a professor of urban studies and planning at San Francisco State University, can attest that an increase in environmental interest has boosted "green-collar" jobs, which in turn, have helped boost the job market in Berkley, California and its surrounding bay area. Pinderhughes conducted research from 2006-2007 on the green job market and its impact.

For the study, Pinderhughes talked with 20 green business owners from the Berkley area and found that 86 percent of the businesses had experience substantial growth. She also found that all of the bay area's job sectors involving green collar workers were expected to grow during the upcoming decade.

Pinderhughes said there's no doubt that a major effort to reduce emissions here in Lawrence would lead to new jobs through the creation of various services and needs.
"If you move towards a reduction in green house gas emissions, an 80 percent goal by 2050, you will increase the amount of services and products that are needed by the city to reach that goal," Pinderhughes said.

Her study showed many reasons exist as to why jobs increase within the green economy. She found that people working within the green industry have an increased feeling of accomplishment for helping the community that they live in.

"They understood that it was meaningful work that contributed to their community," Pinderhughes said.

While Pinderhughes' study shows that green initiatives have already helped increase employment in the San Francisco bay area, another report recently completed shows the potential employment growth Kansas could potentially see if the United States government were to invest in a green economic recovery plan.

In September, the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst released a national report outlining a green economic investment plan that would help boost the country's economy by creating two million new jobs over the next two years. The plan would require $100 billion in government spending to be set into motion.

In the report, PERI breaks down the plan on a national level, as well as on an individual level for each state. It says that Kansas would receive $881 million of the $100 billion invested into the plan. The amount of money each state would receive is based off its population and gross domestic product. The report estimates that Kansas would see 19,412 new jobs created over two years. The increased growth in work would bring Kansas' unemployment levels down dramatically. It says the state unemployment level would fall from the 4.4 percent level it reached in June to 3.2 percent.

Brooks said he believed a plan, similar to the one proposed by PERI, would really benefit the country if the United States politicians took on the challenge.

"This is where we are going to see what our politicians are made of. I mean if they really have the guts to rise to a challenge, because we're in a pretty challenging time. I'm a historian and I agree when both McCain and Obama say this is the most serious economic crisis we face since our grandparents were our age," Brooks said.

Brooks thought the upcoming changes would have a large impact on the future of students at the University as well and believed that majority of the student body is aware of an upcoming shift and want to see themselves on the right side of history.

"I think there is the potential here to link together environment, economy, energy in the 21st century, let's say the year 2010 going forward, the way that we linked electrical engineering, computing, and decision making back in the 70's and 80's to create the IT boom that just changed everyone's life," Brooks said.

Recent figures show current students, like Brown, have noticed a shift towards green jobs and are preparing for a change in the engineering job market.

An occupations outlook report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that environmental engineering is on the rise. The reports shows that environmental engineering is one of the leading growth disciplines for engineers today and that there is a 25 percent growth projection for it in the upcoming decade - well above the other engineering disciplines.

"They (students) are very interested in pursuing careers that pursue the kinds of issues that environmental engineers would work with," Jill Hummels, Public Director for the KU school of Engineering, said. "One of the things to look at is that a lot of green engineering deals with infrastructure and when you are talking about infrastructure, quite often it's recession proof."

When students and citizens look at the currently unpredictable climate of the country's economy. Recession proof is word that many individuals like to hear.  

The hum of the motor sounds as Rachel Winkler squeezes the clutch of her red-and-white Honda scooter. She checks behind her to make sure the coast is clear and backs out of the crowded bicycle rack in front of Budig Auditorium.  Looking left then right, Winkler turns onto Jayhawk Boulevard and rides off.

Winkler's method of transportation would have been rare 10 years ago, but now she and her scooter are part of a rising trend. With the help of a dramatic increase in gas prices, scooter sales rose 66 percent nationally in the first half of the year according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. However, as the number of scooters on the road increases, so do the safety concerns.

"Cars are really impatient. My scooter goes a little more than 40 miles per hour so when I am driving on 23rd (Street) or Clinton (Parkway) people will cut me off really close," Winkler said.

According to Donna Hultine, the director of parking and transit at the University, the number of parking permits sold for scooters has dramatically increased over the past seven years.

Hultine said the number of scooter permits purchased increased from 15 in the 2002 fiscal year to 158 permits, an all-time high, so far in the 2009 fiscal year.
 
Mike Degraw, owner of Subsonic Scooters in Lawrence, said his sales are up 38 percent.

"I basically sat here all summer with no scooters to sell. As soon as they got in, they would be gone in three or four days," Degraw said.

Degraw said gas prices were definitely the major factor in his recent success. He said his scooters 49cc and under get 80 to 120 miles per gallon and sell for $1195 to $2099. While the 125cc to 250cc scooter he sells only get 60 to 75 mpg and sell anywhere from $2099 to $4500.

Kerri Hess, who opened the NEET Motorcyce Institute in Lawrence last year urged scooter and motorcycle drivers, especially new ones, to be aware of the dangers they face on the road.

"You need to look out for everything. You have to watch traffic much more consistently and you can't be as distracted," Hess said. "From the very beginning of riding a scooter you just need to practice good safety habits so you are keeping yourself safe and even the other vehicles around you."

While scooters 49cc and under don't require any type of license in the state of Kansas, any scooter over 50cc is classified as motorcycle and requires a license. The NEET Institute is one place where drivers can take safety courses to obtain their motorcycle license.
 
Although state law doesn't require helmets for any individual over the age of 18, Hess said it would be foolish not to wear a helmet or other protective gear for that matter.
 
"Anytime you fall over you can still get a scrape, but it's a little better to have some protection between you and the pavement," Hess said. "People really should be wearing helmets."

Although Winkler doesn't usually wear a helmet or protective gear, she said she's thought about changing her habits.

"I don't always feel safe and I should probably wear a helmet," Winkler said.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration found over the past decade that motorcycles have accounted for about 11 percent of the total road fatalities in the United States. According to the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office, 64 people died after fatal motorcycle crashes in the state of Kansas in 2006. These fatalities account for 14 percent of the year's total.
 
It's true that safety equipment does go a long way to help if an accident does occur. Of the 64 fatalities Kansas recorded in 2006, at least 43 individuals were not wearing helmets. If all the riders had been wearing helmets, at least 16 more could have survived, according to the NHTSA.

A decrease in helmet usage is another developing trend. According to the NHTSA's National Occupant Protection Use Survey, helmet use decreased from 71 percent in 2000 to 51 percent in 2006.

Despite these statistics supporting the importance of safety, Hess said that only a three scooter drivers have taken the safety course offered by the institute in the past year.

Now, only time will tell whether drivers like Winkler listen to themselves and use more caution on the roads.