Multimedia Reporting (Adler-Noland)

Unlike many recent graduates, Andrew Pirotte, 2006 KU graduate, is prepared for retirement.

“I’ll be poorer than a church mouse for the next few years,” Pirotte said, “but it will pay off later.”

Young adults learn from the baby boomer generation as social security becomes obsolete, inflation is on the rise, and money growth is dependant on time.

Pirotte said that when his father attended medical school the cost was only 9,000 dollars. When Pirotte goes next year, it will cost him 90,000 dollars.

“I use a financial advisor,” Pirotte said. “A person whose job it is to think about money is in charge of my finances.”

Evelyn Senecal, senior advisor for Ameriprise Financial said that, generally speaking, if you save 15 percent of what you make now, you can retire comfortably by the time you are 55 or 60 years-old. Problems arise when graduates save what is left over after paying bills and student loans. Often, that ends up being very little, if nothing at all.

“You have to pay yourself first,” Senecal said. “Then what you have left will determine what car you drive, or where you live.

Young adults coming out of college have the greatest advantage in investing simply because of their age.

“It’s a time thing really. The longer you have to put your money put aside. The longer it has to grow.” Art Hall, a KU economics professor said.

If a young investor puts his or her money into a regular money market fund or a CD at the bank, the money will gain interest and compound on itself, but you have to pay taxes on it. With inflation, your money may not be worth as much when you retire. A Roth IRA has a stronger potential for growth, Hall said.

Pirotte has a Roth IRA. He doesn’t have a whole lot of money now, but what he does have is time.

Senecal said that a Roth IRA is different from just a regular savings account. The company through which the IRA is purchased and government taxation benefits determines growth. The growth rate of your investment is dependent upon the investments of the company.

Suppose you put in a hundred dollars and make ten percent on it that year. The next year you have 110 dollars and gain 10 percent on that, Pirotte said.

Seneca said that in most cases a Roth IRA is more beneficial than a regular IRA because the government does not tax it. The investor pays general fees when they put money into the account, but the interest is not taxed, and you can withdraw the money tax-free after you turn 59 and a half years-old.

Roth IRA’s don’t come without limits, Seneca said. An investor is only allowed to contribute 4,000 dollars a year. The good news is that the younger the investor, the higher the potential for growth before retirement.

“Unfulfilled potential has the same end result as no potential at all, Pirotte said.

He added that he will not put all of his money into his retirement savings, because he has plenty of living to do before then.

“Money is about functionality. It’s is a means, not an end,” Pirotte said.

An investor shouldn’t ask how much money they will have; they should ask whether they have enough to accomplish goals.

“I ask myself whether I have enough money not to work when I am old.” Pirotte said. “But also, do I have enough money to put my kids through college or drink wine with my wife in Paris?”

Matt Dickey, a KU business student, said that young people should invest their money in short term risks because they have more time to recoup from higher-risk investing.

“They [young adults in their 20’s} should take the risk of short term investments, because they have more time to make up for it if they lose money,” Dickey said.

Hall suggested that students look into investing in index funds.

“Index funds generally always are a safe short-term investment.”

As opposed to mutual funds, index funds are based groups of companies instead of one. You buy a share of the index, which makes you a share holder for the entire group of businesses in the index. This type of investment is a safe bet, Hall said, because you are not dependant upon the success of a single business. Almost always, an index fund returns a profit.

Seneca said that it is important for young adults to see a financial planner before they throw their money around.

“Every person is different. What works for one person, may not work for another. It depends on your personal goals.”

Young adults have the most options when it comes to investing. Depending on the individual’s situation, some choices may be wiser than others.

“Some young people may just want to shoot the moon and take those financial risks to make money fast. Some want to be safe and move their money steadily upward,” Senecal said.

Probably the most common investment for young people is a mutual fund because you can start with as little as 50 dollars and work your way up, Senecal said. They are not always the smartest, but they are the most popular.

Senecal added that most students are just fine with company sponsored retirement plans such as 401Ks if the company is willing to put in some of their own money for each dollar the employee contributes. Depending on the company, graduates need to study which option suits them best.

Since the time he could walk, Scott “Scooter” Ward knew that basketball was going to be his life. His father was a basketball coach in Kingman, Kan., and he engulfed Ward’s life in athletics.

Everything in Ward’s childhood was physical. He ran, swam but most of all he played basketball. Basketball was everything to him, and he was good.

His life was set. Scott Ward knew what he wanted, and he was on the road to making basketball his profession. At the end of high school, recruiters were watching him. He had a knee injury, but in hindsight, that was the smallest hurdle he would have to overcome.

After high school, Ward went to Hutchinson Community College while his knee healed. What happen next turned his life upside down.

At a college party at the end of his freshman year, Ward broke his neck. Diving onto a slip-and-slide, for which he admits college students are too old, he landed on his chest and dislocated the bones in his neck. The accident immediately paralyzed him from the waist down.

“It was just a freak accident,” Ward said. “It wasn’t anything I could prevent.”

Ward’s hopes of being a basketball player vanished in an instant, but nothing could take away his love of sports. Despite a lot of advice, Scott’s goals for his future didn’t change drastically.

“I said wait a second. I love sports. I want to stay doing that,” Ward said, “and that is exactly what I did.”

Ward transferred to the University of Kansas and received a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, a master’s degree in Sports Administration and a doctorate in Sports Psychology and Counseling Psychology.

Ward chose to go into a field where people around him built their lives on physical ability, sports and a sports mentality. He surrounded himself with active people, because that is what he knew.

Ward’s disability is not reason he stands out in his field. It is not that he had to overcome a painful and mentally challenging rehabilitation. Beyond his dream of basketball, Ward had a natural inclination toward success. With his expertise and people skills, Ward may have traveled the world doing a variety of jobs. But what Ward wants most is to influence people around him to fulfill their potentials.

Caroline Carlissimo, a close friend from graduate school, said Ward has the most outstanding attitude about life than anyone she knows.

“He puts off a terrific vibe,” she said. “People just want to be around him.”

Carlissimo remembers meeting Ward in Robinson Hall and connecting instantly.

“It’s not because he is in a wheelchair,” she said. “He just rubs off on people.”

Carlissimo said Ward’s confinement to a wheelchair was never an issue, because he never made it an issue. The fact that he chose a sports-related field astounded Carlissimo.

“I think that says a lot about his personality. Scooter carries an optimistic attitude into everything that he does,” she said, “and people notice it.”

Carlissimo said that the grad students in Ward’s field were all on the same page.
“We were there to motivate each other, not compete,” she said.

Ward said, “Some of my best friends come from my grad school. It is good to have old friends and college chums.”

They worked hard and played hard building lasting friendships, Carlissimo said. The only thing about Ward’s disability that she noticed was how it opened her eyes to issues most people would never think about, like going to the library and trying to reach a book on the top shelf.

“One time I got Scooter down an escalator in his chair,” Carlissimo said. “Other than that, we never really gave it much thought.”

Twelve years later, Ward is still at the University of Kansas as an instructor and an academic advisor for the basketball and volleyball teams. A three-time KU grad, Ward attends the men’s basketball games regularly. He has taught a wide variety of courses such as the coaching of basketball, and he even coached at Roy William’s basketball camp.

Linsey Morningstar plays KU volleyball. She transferred to the University of Kansas to play her senior year with Ward’s help.

“I just love to tell people about all the effort Scooter put into helping me,” Morningstar said. “If it wasn’t for Scooter, I wouldn’t be eligible to play at all.”

Morningstar said she always feels comfortable popping her head into Ward’s office for a question or counseling. Ward sets up tutors for her and the other volleyball players and keeps them accountable.

“Scooter wants us to be as happy as we possibly can,” Morningstar said, “and he works so hard to make that happen.”

Patsy Brandt works with Ward on a daily basis. She is the academic advisor for the football team. She said she can’t imagine working in the athletic department without Ward, because the atmosphere is different when he is gone.

“Scooter taught me never to give up on a problem,” Brandt said. “There is always a solution.” She added jokingly, “Plus I think he is really hot; all the girls like him.”

Unfortunately, "Scooter" Ward is taken.

Ward’s wife of two years, Robin, said that she was immediately attracted to him because he puts people at ease.

“He calms my fears and makes me feel like everything will be okay,” she said.

Robin Ward said that a lot of people know and recognize him on campus, but the people who don’t are really missing out.

“Everyone should know Scooter, because just knowing him makes your life better,” she said. “I mean that.”

Scott Ward’s eyes become soft when the conversation turns to Robin, and a faint smile that he cannot hide is painted on his face.

“She really compliments me,” Scott Ward said.

Both Scott and Robin Ward agree that interest-wise they are completely different. Robin owns her own graphic design business, and is very artsy. Scott said that although they do very different things, they meet on a mental level of deep appreciation for each other.

“I love being married to Scooter,” Robin Ward said. “It’s really easy and fun to be with him, and he’s kind of cute.”

Robin said that it took several years before they decided to get married, but her marriage to Scott was one of the best things she could have done.

“For a while I thought that I might travel a bit,” Scott Ward said. “Now that I am married, I think that Lawrence is right where I need to be.”

A brown recluse spider crawled through the sheets of Dejon Neugebauer’s bed and attacked. The spider bit her on the inside of her leg, and she felt it fall to the floor. Neugebauer, Lawrence senior, was only 10 years old. The venom quickly took effect and a rash began to form all over her leg. Neugebauer’s mother freaked out and took her to the hospital. To this day, Neugebauer hates spiders. She is not afraid, but she lost all sympathy for them.

"I am nice to bugs," she said. "But not to spiders anymore."

Now, if Neugebauer finds a spider it will be sentenced to death by squishing.

However, a recent study said that brown recluse spiders might deserve a fair trial before getting the stomp.

Neugebauer kept the spider as proof that it had bitten her, but Rick Vetters, staff research associate at the University of California Riverside, said brown recluse spiders rarely bite humans and are often falsely accused.

Vetters’ research said various skin conditions are regularly misdiagnosed as recluse bites. He said that doctors blame recluses for skin conditions like fungal infections, chemical burns and even herpes.

"Recluse spiders are common in Kansas," Vetters said, "but that doesn’t mean that is what it was."

Vetters said it is impossible to tell the real number of legitimate recluse bites. He said the actual bites are under reported because few people have noticeable reactions and over reported because of false diagnoses.

Deborah Smith, professor of entomology at the University of Kansas, said that brown recluse spiders are in most Lawrence homes. These and black widows are the only spiders in the region that are potentially harmful to humans. Black widows are a rare find, she said, but many people have horror stories about brown recluse bites. Victims suffer from swelling and dead tissue by the poisonous venom.

But the good name of brown recluse spiders may be the real victim.

A Lenexa resident, Diane Barger, used to be skeptical of recluses because of their voracious reputation, but changed her mind after getting to know them up close.

Living in the “Spider House”

Barger said that she has captured over 7,000 recluse spiders in her home over the past six years. The family still lives alongside the accused biters, but not one recluse bite has yet to be confirmed in their home. Barger is a polymer chemist living with a whole family of scientists who worked together collecting the spiders and data on them. They even have a dissecting microscope to analyze the little critters.

Barger said that when she first realized she had brown recluse spiders, she was so terrified that she couldn’t even kill them. She was afraid to go near them, but after a while her children convinced her to relax.

“We had them all along,” she said. “Just because I know I’ve got them now doesn’t mean they’re going to start biting all of a sudden.”

Arachnophobia

When Barger started to find brown recluses in her home, she sought the advice of Bruce Cutler, a courtesy associate professor of ecology and environmental studies at the University of Kansas. Cutler has studied spiders for more than 50 years. He said Lawrence should not fear spiders because, in general, they are completely harmless.

"I don’t know why people are afraid of spiders." Cutler said. "The number of authenticated spider bites is very low."

He said he thought that people are generally uneasy about small things that move quickly. Culter said daddy-long-legs are harmless, but commonly feared because they have long legs and are fast.

Natalie Orrison, Overland Park senior, is deathly afraid of anything that crawls. Cutler’s advocating for recluses did not put her at ease. She said she condemns them to death by drowning.

Preparing to take a shower two weeks ago, Orrison pulled back the curtain, reached for the water knobs and screamed. Her worst fear sat on the waterspout: a giant brown spider.

"I know it’s not a rational fear," she said. "They just give me the heebie-jeebies." She quickly grabbed the showerhead and sprayed it to death.

Smith said that as the warmer months approach, Kansans can expect to find more and more of these creepy-crawlies in their own homes. Kansas is a high-traffic state for brown recluse spiders, and avoiding them is nearly impossible.

Once a brown recluse spider makes your home its own, Smith said, it is very hard to get rid of it.

Get Out!!!

Spray chemicals are useless to kill them, Smith said. Unless you spray the spider directly, it is very rare that the spider will be affected by or even exposed to the poison. What spraying really does is kill other bugs that the spiders feast on, she said.
Barger said over-using chemicals in your home is a health risk far worse than any risk a brown recluse could pose.

The only effective way to get rid of them is to physically remove them. Smith said to look for nests or egg sacs. If they hatch eggs, it may cause an infestation.

Anne Peterson, Lawrence senior, said that she dumped her boyfriend a few years ago because he failed to get rid of a spider. She told him to dispose of one in her bathroom. He claimed that he finished the job, making up an elaborate story, Peterson said. She found the spider three days later trapped under the plunger.

"If he can’t get rid of a spider," Peterson said, "what else can’t he do?"

Recluses: The helpful scavenger

Cutler said that Lawrence residents might have good reasons not to kill their spiders. Spiders are a primary predator of other unwanted bugs. Cutler said if you don’t like creepy-crawlies, you may consider keeping a spider friend or two around.

"They eat an awful lot of insects that may be potentially harmful," he said.

In Japan and China, they are looking to use spiders as a bio-control agent, he said. Spiders are neat creatures that never target humans and help keep a balanced ecosystem.

“Don’t kill it!” Cutler said.

If Lawrence residents find themselves on a spider sentencing committee, Lawrence spider experts plead for life without parole instead of death. Smith said to put unwanted spiders in a mason jar and bring it to an entomologist or the KU Ecology and Environmental Studies department.

Students on the Internet organized an online campaign to boycott gas -- at least for one day.

Students on sites like Facebook.com and Myspace.com are urging other students not to buy gas this tuesday in an attempt to shock gasoline companies. The campaign said if enough participate, gas prices will fall drastically overnight.

“I saw the thousands of people in the Facebook group,” said Ashley Bennett, Garnett sophomore. “I think this might actually work.”

The campaign is circulating much like a chain letter. The message says the Internet community has the potential keep 2.2 billion dollars from the oil companies. The campaign says a similar effort in April 1997 caused gas prices to drop 30 cents.

A counter-campaign, though, says the plan won’t work.

Students like Jake Meyer, Parkville, Mo. senior, said in the long run, the boycott will drive up the price of gas. He said unless people plan not to drive at all Tuesday, the gas companies will recoup the lost money Wednesday.

“It may cause a divot that day,” he said, “but demand will be that much higher on the sixteenth.”

Joe Sicilian, chair of the KU economics department, said it is very unlikely to be effective in reducing overall demand.

“If they really want to make an impact, they should ask for a reduction in consumption,” Sicilian said, “not a rescheduling of their purchase.”

Despite doubts, students seem to be optimistic about the plan. On Facebook alone, more than 50 groups support the campaign. One group has more than 6,500 members. Several protest groups have emerged in response, but the majority of those groups have less than 1,000 members.

Bennett still plans to abstain from purchasing gas on Tuesday. She said she sees this as a political statement.

“Gas is at three dollars right now,” she said. “I’m willing to try anything to spice it up and scare people a bit.”

Bennett said she is unable to abstain from driving that day because she has to go to work, but she will make sure she is full the day before.

One online group against the boycott says the plan is nonsensical and that a little rationality would go a long way. The group says that overall, the campaign will put more money into oil company pockets by increasing demand.

Mary Adair, interim director and associate curator at the Natural History Museum, travels between Kansas City, Mo. and Lawrence every weekday. She says she is nervous about the rising price of gas, because during the summer she will not have the financial help of her carpool. Although she cannot avoid driving, she will stay away from the gas station Tuesday.

“It’s a statement,” Adair said, “but it is non-statement too, because I won’t use less gas. I have no option.”

Sicilian said individual retailers will notice the most, but the major suppliers may not at all. Oil companies sell the gas to the retailers who then sell it to the consumer. If a participant stocks up the day before or the day after, it won’t affect overall profit.

Rachel Gray, Blue Rapids junior, said that the campaign is useless.
“Gas prices go up every spring because more people need gas,” she said. “I am pretty sure enough people will need gas on that day that it will fail.”

With the scheduled gas out date drawing nearer, some students don’t know what to do. Greg Welnitz, Neosho Rapids junior, says he is confused by all the uproar.

“I have no idea whether to buy gas Tuesday or not,” he said throwing his hands in the air. “They both seem to have pretty good arguments.”

According to the Energy Information Administration, the increase in prices over the last few weeks is right on track for the spring season. In general, consumers can expect prices to increase in the spring as more people travel.