Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Volek)

University Relations estimates that 30 to 35-thousand people will be in attendance during commencement weekend on May 19 and 20. KUJH-TV's Camden Deringer explains how KU landscapers are preparing for the ceremonies on campus.

Annie Kiekel and six other landscapers unload the 1,200 white and red begonias from a University truck. Kneeling in the tilled soil in front of the Chi Omega fountain, Kiekel digs a hole.

“These begonias will look good for a long time,” said Kiekel, plant tech for Facilities Operations. “We won’t have to pull them until late fall if they last that long. Sometimes people fall on them or even steal them.”

Placing the white flower into the hole, she forms the top soil around it. Removing her faded orange visor, she wipes her arm against her forehead and grabs another begonia.

“Everything we do is based on commencement and homecoming,” Kiekel said. “We get to beautify the campus and make it perfect.”

About 10,000 flowers will be planted across campus for commencement ceremonies on May 19-20. Flowers like petunias, begonias and marigolds will grace the flowerbeds in front of buildings at KU.

The 33 landscapers began preparations for commencement in March, but they and their supervisors decided last fall about what types of flowers were going to be planted.

“(This event) is important to the crew because it is the time of year when the campus landscape is at the best,” said Mike Lang, Facilities Operations manager. “We have thousands of people coming on that day or on that weekend. We pretty much strive to be as perfect as we can.”

Pruning hedges, mowing and spraying the dandelions are other areas of focus before commencement approaches, Lang said.

“It’s stressful in a way,” Lang said. “Everything is growing so fast it’s hard to keep up."

Budget

KU is spending $1.33 million this year on landscaping. The budget has increased from $1.01 million in 2005 and $1.1 million in 2006.

Steven Green said in an e-mail that the gradual increase is a result of adding more positions and employee benefits such as Social Security, worker’s comp and health insurance.

This is a chart that shows the number of employees and the budget for landscaping from 2003 to 2007. Information provided by Steven Green.

“The differences are due to numbers of staff and changes in salaries and fringe benefit costs,” said Green, associate director of Facilities Operations.

The biggest expenditure under the budget is payroll, Lang said. Facilities Operations spends around $1.2 million a year for its employees. The second biggest expense, Lang said, is supplies.

“The supply budget is around $90,000,” Lang said. “It includes a lot of day-to-day stuff like upkeep and parts to help keep us running.”

Also under the budget are commencement costs. Green said commencement costs Facilities Operations between $50,000 and $60,000 in time and materials.

The budget is still being worked on for next year. Green said he hopes the budget continues to increase like it has been the past several years.

“We don’t know the new budget for next year yet, but I hope it will increase,” Green said. “We’re still waiting on the Kansas legislature and what the Board of Regents does with tuition.”

The Job

The landscapers are responsible for all 1,100 acres on campus. Separated into five crews, they mow, prune trees and bushes or plant flowers five days a week.

“Without landscaping most of the students wouldn’t come here,” said Allen Mitchell, plant crew supervisor. “Not being biased, but the first thing you see when you drive on this campus is landscaping. Landscaping helps sell everything.”

Mitchell said their job differs greatly from season to season. The fall and winter months consist of leaf removal, planting mums and snow removal. The spring and summer consist of planting, watering while mowing the campus every week.

Kiekel said one of the downsides to her job is picking up the trash that students toss on campus everyday.

“The least enjoyment is picking up all the newspapers and fliers,” Kiekel said. “They’re just everywhere. The fliers fall out and when it rains, it’s a mess.”

Lang said the work is never ending and can be difficult to handle.

“It’s fairly hard to keep up with everything, but even at that we’re not even getting to the place we want to be,” Lang said. “It might look good driving down the street, but it isn’t where the staff and I would like it to be.”

Three hours later, Kiekel kneels in the flower bed of the Chi Omega fountain. Placing the final red begonia into its hole, she pats the soil around it.

“When people look at KU they judge it by its landscaping,” Kiekel said. “This is the face of KU.”

Many students continue to use the controversial Web site Wikipedia.org in their research papers despite teachers' warnings against it. KUJH's Luke Morris reports why the students keep using it.

Interviewees:
Tami Albin, research librarian
Matt Hudson, Humboldt sophomore

Freshmen Blake Baraban, Topeka, and Nick Templin, Wichita, said they used information from Wikipedia in their research papers, but haven’t cited it because they fear teachers will dock their grades.

"I could put as many credible sites as I can find in my paper," Templin said. "But Wikipedia leaves a bad taste in teachers' mouths, and they'll count me off."

While many teachers do not allow students to use Wikipedia on research papers, more and more students are helping establish a better ethos for it. Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to or edit, has received a bad name for controversial mistakes in its material, but many editors such as Dan Hoyt, Spearville senior, hope to make the site more credible.

“It’s a really big help in finding information,” Hoyt said. “If we could fix it to make teachers see it as credible, it would make researching for papers a hundred times easier.”

This is a list of the ten most visited Web sites in the world. Check it out and see if your favorite Web site made the list.

Hoyt, who started editing Wikipedia in February, said he spends at least an hour on the site daily. When he’s not researching something, he’s checking entries for factual and grammatical errors. A fan of Samurai culture, Hoyt said he mostly edited entries related to Samurais. In late April he began adding new entries to Wikipedia, including one on the term “War Czar.”

Hoyt isn’t KU’s only recent addition to the Wikipedia community of editors. Erik Bates, Dumas Tex., graduate student, edited a few entries in March. Bates, however doesn’t consider himself an involved “Wikipedian,” but more as “grammar police.”

“I don’t make a habit of looking for errors,” Bates said. “I just fix them as I see them.”

According to Wikipedia, “tens of thousands of regular editors” revise entries daily. It’s impossible to tell how many of those editors hail from KU, but new users like Hoyt and Bates are adding to that number.

How to edit Wikipedia

Editing Wikipedia requires only a computer and an Internet connection. Editors do not have to sign up for an account. Each entry in Wikipedia has an “edit this page” link. From there users can delete, add, or juxtapose text and images.

While Wikipedia sees its open-editing model as a strength, it has caused problems for the site as well. Vandals have left their marks on many entries, replacing fact with ludicrous statements. Most vandalism is fixed “within minutes or hours,” according to Wikipedia.

Baraban said that when he changed the Web site’s entry on the dollar bill to say that he invented the dollar bill, the change was edited quickly.

“It was up for a good 20 minutes before it got changed back,” Baraban said.

The most famous vandalism incident incorrectly linked John Seigenthaler, former assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, to the assassinations of Robert and his brother, former President John F. Kennedy. According to a USA Today article, the inaccuracy stayed on the page for four months in 2005. This and similar instances spark controversy concerning the site’s credibility.

Other credibility issues include author bias and out-of-date information.

Teachers’ reactions

The credibility questions have caused many teachers to outlaw Wikipedia use in their classes. They wonder what else has slipped past editors. Middlebury College in Vermont made headlines in February when the school’s history department banned Wikipedia as a cited source.

KU political science graduate teaching assistant Jim Stoutenborough said that he would dock students’ grades for using the Web site as a source.

“When you look at some entries, there are actually warnings that the content might be biased, or even incorrect,” Stoutenborough said. “And most users of Wikipedia blindly assume that everything they read is correct.”

Despite editors’ efforts, Stoutenborough said he doesn’t believe Wikipedia will ever be credible enough to cite in a paper. Though he doesn’t allow citation of Wikipedia, Stoutenborough said he doesn’t mind students using the Web site’s links to other sources.

Political science professor Paul Johnson allows his students to use the site as long as they can confirm the accuracy of the material.

“Sometimes it’s the only place to find something a person said,” Johnson said. “So if they can find the related link that the editor got the information from, I’m okay with it.”
He said although the site will never be totally correct, he understands that Wikipedia contains more accurate information than inaccurate.

Tami Albin, research librarian, estimated that 90 percent of students have used Wikipedia to retrieve information. She agrees that Wikipedia isn’t credible enough to use in a research paper, but says that it’s still useful for research.

“You can use this information as a jumping off point for finding better more in-depth research material for your topic,” Albin said.

Although Matt Hudson, Humboldt sophomore, doesn’t use Wikipedia in his research papers, he understands why many students give into temptation to use the Web site.

“It’s so much easier than actually going through thousands of books or Web sites,” Hudson said. “Wikipedia has all the information one place. They’ve already done all the work for you.”

Where else to look

Albin said that the problems with citing Wikipedia in papers go beyond credibility. She said encyclopedia information wasn’t deep enough for a college-level research paper.

This chart shows how the number of editors on Wikipedia has grown annually since 2001.

“College research goes beyond the encyclopedia,” Albin said. “Students should be using higher-quality material.”

Albin said the best sources to use in research are scholarly articles written by experts in a particular field. She said that KU libraries offer access to thousands of scholarly articles in print and online.

“We have a ton of databases online to help students find what they need,” Albin said.

Stoutenborough, who has written for encyclopedias including The Encyclopedia of American Government and Civics, agrees with Albin, saying that he recommends that his students use scholarly articles instead of encyclopedias.

“One can hardly go wrong with scholarly journals, which are found easily on campus,” Stoutenborough said. “While encyclopedias just give you a basic idea of what you’re looking at, scholarly journals dig deeper into subjects beyond a basic understanding.”

Despite teachers’ warnings, Baraban and Templin said they would likely use Wikipedia on future research papers. But they still won’t cite it for the sake of their grades.

Lindsay Jennison never expected to be married at 21.

The Winfield sophomore was working and preparing to attend KU when she first met her husband, Enoch. “Neither of us were looking for a relationship,” she said.

Marriage as a trend

A total of 1,077 KU graduate and undergraduate students reported themselves as married in 2006, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (PDF).

The number is up from years past – 823 students in 2005 and 799 students in 2004. However, these numbers are part of a long-term decline. In 1996, 2,046 students reported themselves as married.

Married students are regarded as nontraditional by KU. Commuters, veterans and parents of dependent children are also considered nontraditional. Nontraditional Student Services is a resource for students who make up this demographic.

“The nontraditional student population as a whole is growing,” said Joyce Stevens, graduate assistant for Nontraditional Student Services.

Living a nuptial college life

About 4,000 nontraditional students attend KU, according to Nontraditional Student Services. Its Web site states that “it is important for [them] to get to know [their] peers.” Jennison believes this can be a challenge.

Data courtesy of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning

She said that it has also been hard for her and Enoch to keep up with current friends. “If you’re by yourself, you’re motivated to call friends,” she said. Most of the time she just does things with her husband.

But Jennison’s schoolwork hasn’t suffered from a married life – in fact, she has noticed the opposite. “I’m way more studious and don’t go out as much,” she said. She describes herself as having been slightly careless in high school and thinks a married life has caused her to focus more on her studies. “I haven’t done this before,” she said.

Enoch has compared his wife's college life with his own, which he spent unmarried. “Her experience is definitely different,” he said. “Together we can face her issues,” but he admitted, “sometimes I can get in the way of her duties.”

Outside reactions

When it comes to telling other people that she’s married, Robyn Shaver, Cheney senior, is used to getting strange reactions.

“A lot of people are surprised,” she said. “They just see you as older; maybe they respect you more, but there’s just a lot more confusion. They think that you’re young and you’re supposed to live it up.”

Jennison doesn’t think that KU students and faculty treat her any differently for being married. She said most reactions are positive, including from home. “My family was supportive, and so was his,” she said.

Engaged? Why wait?

Some students decide to put off a wedding until after graduation. Bethany Brown, Cheney graduate student, plans to get married a week after her graduation this May. The decision is mostly due to good timing, though she admitted waiting until after graduation will be beneficial.

“We probably would have waited [until after I graduated] regardless,” she said. She faces another time commitment issue instead – planning her wedding.

Planning for the occasion has been overwhelming at times throughout the past school year, she said. “I’m more and more ready to end school and start a new chapter in my life,” she said.

Shaver, who married mere months ago while still in school, doesn’t think planning her wedding was a distraction. “We had an extremely unconventional wedding,” she said. “It was a civil ceremony with a judge.”

Resources on campus

Married students may make up a small demographic at KU, but they are also provided resources on campus.

Click above for a map.

Jayhawker Towers is open to a wide range of students, but Stouffer Place is specialized family housing for full-time KU students. Residents must either be married or have children.

Spouses and domestic partners of KU students are also eligible for health services at Watkins Memorial Health Center.

No regrets

Though Jennison doesn’t plan on graduating until 2009 at the earliest, her outlook on married college life is positive. She described herself as independent and said she can’t imagine herself becoming dependent on her husband.

“This is the best way for me to go through college,” she said.

Between going to class and working a part time job to pay the bills, off-campus students don’t have as much time to study as those who live on campus. However, some students have found that living off-campus actually aids their study efforts.

In the fall of 2006, the University of Kansas had 26,773 students enrolled at its Lawrence campus according to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. On-campus housing only accommodated 4,922 of those students. This leaves the other 21,851 students, 81.6 percent of the student body, living off-campus.

Source: Office of Institutional Research and Planning

Adam Keehbauch, Kinsley senior, juggles a full load of classes and a pizza delivery job with his daily study time. “I just make sure that I have a good balance between work and study, to where I can pay my bills but also be able to get the grades that I need in my classes,” Keehbauch said.

Keehbauch started his career at the University in McCollum Hall before moving to an off-campus apartment and then into a house. He said that living off-campus has helped him to study more often. “There were a lot more distractions on campus,” Keehbauch said. He said noise was a big issue when living in the dorms, as well as the large number of people. “It seems like every other day, somebody else is doing something and they’ll invite you along,” he said.

Clark Kebodeaux also says he gets more studying done since he moved off-campus. He lived in Stephenson Scholarship Hall before moving into an apartment. Kebodeaux, Olathe junior, said living with four people made it a lot easier to study than living with 50 people. “It was very difficult to study at Stephenson,” Kebodeaux said. “Here, it’s a little easier to get away if you have to.”

Source: Office of Institutional Research and Planning

It’s not always easy to get work done when living off-campus. Christina O’Riley, Hopkins, Miss., junior, said moving off-campus after her freshman year increased the number of distractions she faced when studying. “We had our own apartment, so it was kinda like our party space,” O’Riley said. “It seems like I studied more when I lived on campus.” She also said the classes she had taken since moving off-campus affected the time she put into studying. “If I was taking the same courses as I was taking freshman year, I would have studied more.”

Keehbauch also admitted that when he first moved off campus, he occasionally had a difficult time convincing himself to go to class. “Sometimes it can be a little more difficult to get to class,” he said. “You gotta wait around for the busses or you gotta walk to class.” He said that sometimes it seemed easier to stay home and go back to sleep instead of go to his classes. “I’ve kinda developed a discipline to go to classes now,” Keehbauch said. “I’m getting to that point where I need to be going to classes.”

The University has many programs to help students who need help studying. The Academic Achievement and Access Center, or AAAC, offers seminars to students to help them improve everything from note taking and other study skills to time management to ensure time is allotted for studying. Dawn Tato, program assistant for the AAAC, had some tips specifically for students who were moving off-campus for the first time.

The Freshman Sophomore Advising Center has a page of links to information regarding study skills and seminars given at the University to improve those skills. The Center is also available to students for advising appointments and could offer advice to students who have trouble studying off-campus.

Some Fair Locations In Kansas

The carnival and fair season is getting underway. There are over 3,200 fairs in the United States and over 100 in Kansas alone. The fair season usually runs from April to October. That means there are many exhibitors and carnies on the road. KUJH-TV's Peyton Baldwin tells us a little bit about living the life of a carny.

Children walk by with sticky fingers covered in pink cotton candy. The smell of corndogs and popcorn floats through the air. The sun warms your skin and muffled screams are heard in the distance. Overhead, people are waving from their seats on the Ferris wheel. This is the atmosphere of many fairs. One of the 3,200 fairs that are held in the United States, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions Web site.

A Little History
The International Association of Fairs and Expositions Web site said the site of the first fair is unknown, but throughout history, a form of trade took place, which many consider as the beginning of fairs. Biblical references are among the first that mention these trading events. The first North American fair is said to have been in the 1700s.

Over time, these fairs included entertainment and began to be more like the current impression of a fair. The first cattle show was introduced in 1810. Now fairs include industrial exhibits, livestock competitions, horticulture, agriculture and other activities.

The Kansas Fairs and Festivals Association lists 129 fairs that take place in Kansas. They start at the end of April and go through the beginning of October.

Wendy Schaffer, the commercial exhibitors’ executive, for the Kansas State Fair, said the fair has approximately 1,100 spaces on the grounds for exhibitors. They currently have 607 vendors hired for this year. They expect to have 700.

It’s All in the Family
History is a major part of many exhibitors and carnies’ lives. No one seems to decide on a whim to get into the business of being on the road. David Webster, of Webster Enterprises, is the 3rd generation in his family to travel and sell for a living.

Webster’s grandmother had a medicine wagon/show that contained herbal medicine. He said many people see a medicine wagon as more of a magic or witchcraft show but his grandma had real medicine and gave it to people. His grandpa was an expert violinist and together they had their own show.

His father began as a magician and running the medicine wagon at shows but eventually began attending state fairs. Webster called them “pitchmen” or people that get a crowd of people and show them how to use kitchen utensils, brooms or cleaners.

“Now we sell modern day medicine,” Webster said. They sell everything from salsa makers to curling irons.

All together, Webster’s family has been in the business for 80 years.

Phyllis Westmoreland also has a rich history of selling. She owns Westmoreland Concessions. When she was young, she worked at a restaurant and the owner and she began going to some fairs. Phyllis eventually went on the road alone in 1968.

Westmoreland said at one time she had 27 different trailers but she has cut back to 10 now that she is older. She sells cotton candy, caramel apples and popcorn in some of the trailers and corndogs and cold drinks in the others.

At the age of 8, Rex Lewellen began working for a carny picking up baseballs that customers threw at cans. “I got paid 50 cents an hour,” Lewellen said. He also worked at a go-cart track in his teens. At 15, he went on the road with Bob Ottaway and helped him run his carnival rides.

“I worked with Bob when he only had two rides. It took him 30 years to get his business as good as it is now,” Lewellen said.

Lewellen is in his 8th season of owning his own show, Lewellen Amusements. He said anyone who has less than 10 seasons of owning a show is considered a new show because of the time it takes to get a route set up.

Sabrina Nemmers also inherited her show from her family. Her father owned Toby’s Carnival Co. He started his show in 1963. They now have 20-25 rides.

The Business of the Business
One big misconception of the traveling business is that it is easy to get into.

“I don’t know how many times someone’s told me they were going to go home and start up a business like mine,” Webster said. “Everyone thinks you get big money fast, and that is just not the case.”

Six to seven months of the year, Webster is on the road. His company does a string of state fairs during the spring and summer, the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December and then several livestock shows between January and March. This means he is traveling many miles every few weeks. Those miles start to add up and cost quite a bit.

Concessions trailers are also not a cheap investment Westmoreland said. Some of her trailers cost as much as $150,000. Then a truck and driver is needed for each trailer. An average of 5-7 trailers are at each show they travel to.

Lewellen has 10-20 vehicles that go to each show. He estimates the cost of fuel to be 60 cents a mile. They travel within a 300-mile radius of Wichita, Kan.

“There always seems to be some kind of repairs that need done. A truck needs fixed or a ride needs a part changed. Safety is our first priority,” Lewellen said. He is the only level three inspectors in Kansas, which is the highest level. He frequently receives calls to inspect carnival rides in the area.

Employees are another expense. Webster has a core group of 20 sales people that work on commission but then he also hires local people. The core group travels in RVs to each destination or share motel rooms.

“It’s hard to find a fair price for a hotel room because they up the price when the fair is in town. Some people will rent out their basements to us, though,” Webster said.

Westmoreland and Lewellen say that finding good help can be one of the biggest headaches.

“We try to carry as many regular employees as we can but we do hire local people. You do have to watch them, it is hard to know who you can trust,” Westmoreland said.

Lewellen said that many of the employees he hires are people that cannot find a job anywhere else.

“Some of the best help we have had were hitchhikers. We dust them off, teach them a little bit of responsibility and some go on to do other things. We just try to be a positive influence,” Lewellen said.

The products, services and weather also contribute to the expenses.

“My dad always said ‘Nothing stays the same, you keep going forward until you fall backward,’” Webster said. He said finding new products and signage are very important aspects of the business. “Your booth has to stand out and catch people’s attention.”

So far this year, the weather has not helped Lewellen.

“Beware of those four-letter words, wind, snow and rain. We are at the mercy of mother earth,” he said.

This year has been extremely difficult he said. In fact, he has never seen it this bad. His company must fulfill their contract to be at a location but if it rains and people do not come, then he loses money. He is hoping this weekend will be better.

Pros and Cons
There are other difficult aspects of the job.

Nemmers said all the paperwork is what she hates. “There seems to be more and more of it.”

The hours are the worst part for Westmoreland. She said she gets up at 7 a.m. every morning and goes to bed around 2 a.m.

Webster said that hours and the amount of miles you put on yourself are some of the worst things. “You work 9-9 everyday and then drive 800 miles to the next show,” he said. The other thing he does not like is the time he is away from home. All of his kids are grown now, but they could not always be on the road with him while growing up.

The best parts of the job are probably what keep many of these people doing the job, though.

“I love meeting and talking to new people,” Nemmers said. She also enjoys having the freedom to be her own boss.

Lewellen also said meeting new people is one of the best parts. He also loves the idea of being in a new town every week. He has been to several shows already this year and is already booked every weekend until October.

He recalls seeing people that came to the fair when they were little that now have their own kids. He said they usually come by to have him meet their kids. His dog is famous too.

“Rex likes to walk down the midway from time to time,” Lewellen said. People will come by just to see her he said.

Westmoreland said she has a “road family.” Many of her friends are on the road and she enjoys getting to see them.

Finding new products, having the freedom to answer to himself, the camaraderie of the sales crew and having an extended family with the other exhibitors are Webster’s favorite things.

He said that because he grew up in the business he could not imagine doing anything else. His job has become more of a lifestyle than a job.

“It’s the hardest job you will ever love,” Webster said.

Bill Ball, owner of Crazy 8 Concessions, talks about the kind of person you have to be in order be a carny.

When the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) announced plans to make significant changes to the LSAT, students worried that these changes would drastically alter their scores. After careful planning and research, the LSAC hopes that students will see these changes as beneficial rather than harmful.

Time for a change

The decision to change the reading comprehension section of the LSAT comes after eight years of research by the LSAC. During the mid-1990s, LSAC researchers attended law school classes and noted that students needed the ability to work with multiple texts. In 1998, the LSAC Test Development staff began work with ACT to discuss possible formats for a new test.

Field tests of the new comparative reading questions were administered between 2002 and 2003. The field tests were given as part of a regular LSAT administration, but were ungraded ‘sample sections’. Test-takers were aware of the ‘sample section’ but didn’t know which of the five sections was ungraded.

Major revisions to the LSAT are infrequent, says Wendy Margolis, director of communications for the LSAC. When research shows there is a necessary skill for law school that could be measured better by a test revision then the LSAC will inquire about changing the test, she said.

Being able to understand arguments from multiple texts by applying skills such as comparison, contrast, generalization and synthesis are among the fundamental tasks required in law school, Margolis said.

“The introduction of comparative reading into the reading comprehension section will broaden the LSAT’s assessment of the kinds of reading skills used in law school,” Margolis said.

New vs. Old

The old LSAT asked questions in three different subject areas – reading comprehension, logical reasoning and analytical reasoning – and asked test-takers to submit a writing sample, which wasn’t graded.

The new LSAT features changes to the reading comprehension and writing sections of the test. Only about five percent of the test will be affected by these changes, says Dr. Stephen Harris, director of curriculum development for Educational Testing Consultants, Inc.

Sample questions from the new LSAT

The reading comprehension portion of the test makes up one-quarter of the test – approximately 25 questions, and out of those about six will be changed.

“The changes to the questions themselves are virtually insignificant to test-takers,” Harris said. “Instead of being asked about one passage in the reading section, you’re going to be asked to compare two.”

The total amount of reading on the test will not be significantly shorter or longer, and there are only two different types of questions that have not appeared on previous exams, Harris said. These two types of questions involve analogous reasoning and asking test-takers to describe how the author of one passage would respond to another author’s passage, said Harris, a former writer of LSAT questions.

The LSAC website says that the writing prompt will no longer be randomly assigned as either a decision-based or an argument-based prompt. Instead, all students will be given a decision-based prompt for the writing sample. This portion of the test will remain unscored.

Preparing for the new test

Changes to the curriculum regarding test-preparation will be relatively minor and the change to the reading comprehension section may actually help test-takers, says Dr. Harris. The new design sets a clear division between where one author’s passage and point of view ends and another’s begins. The old test put two conflicting views in one passage, which made distinguishing the two different views difficult.

How much are you going to spend?

“Our curriculum has not undergone any substantive changes,” Harris said when asked about how Educational Testing Consultants, Inc. handled curriculum for the new test.

“We will take our students and guide them through the new stuff, but they will still be using the same skills we taught in previous years.”

Getting accepted

Some test-takers are facing the choice of whether to submit their scores from the old test or to take the new test and submit those scores.

Students should not worry about the difference between the two tests when determining whether to send in scores, says Jacqlene Nance, director of admissions at the University of Kansas School of Law.

Students worried about the new test being scored differently than the old test have nothing to worry about, Nance says. The LSAC uses a score band, which accounts for a certain margin of error for test-takers. The score band also throws out questions if test-takers nationwide have low scores on the same questions.

Schools are also moving away from averaging the scores of people who have taken multiple tests. Many schools will report the highest score for admittance records, but will look at every submitted score by applicants, said Nance.

“There’s nothing different about how the new test is going to be scored. It doesn’t matter if you take the test in June or if you took it five years ago; we’re going to look at all of your scores,” Nance said.

Law schools don’t use the LSAT as the only basis of admission for students. Schools require essays and letters of recommendation in addition to LSAT scores.

The reason that the LSAC can continue to use the same score band is because the test still uses the same test-taking skills that were used on the old test, Nance said. If the test had been completely changed, then the scale for the scores would be different.

What’s the bottom line?

The changes to the LSAT are necessary, according to Wendy Margolis. Without changes to the test, law schools cannot accurately judge the skills needed for admission. While the changes may seem drastic, says Dr. Harris, there really is no difference in the tests.

“Anybody that was prepared to take the test before the changes will be prepared to take the new test,” Harris said.

Sources:
Dr. Stephen Harris, Educational Testing Consultants, Inc., (803) 319-4000
Wendy Margolis, LSAC, wmargolis@lsac.org
Dr. Jacqlene Nance, KU School of Law, jnance@ku.edu
Russell Shaffer, Kaplan Test Prep, (212) 453-7538
Marianne Hovgaard, Kaplan Test Prep, (785)842-5442
Megan Lewis, student, meglew@ku.edu
Tara O’Brien, student, (913) 568-6978
www.lsac.org

Michael Bretches is ready to graduate. He is one of many students who will walk down the hill on May 20. But Bretches is in the minority of students who will graduate from KU after only four years.

In the spring of 2005, administrators formed the Graduate in Four Task Force to evaluate how KU could improve graduation rates. Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said the Task Force implemented a number of changes in the fall of 2005 to encourage a four-year graduation plan.

"There have been changes in practice, such as presenting a strong and clear message that graduating in four years is an expected, possible and good thing," Roney said.

But is it a good thing for all students? Bretches said that graduating in four years wasn't easy.

He never took less than 15 hours a semester. Once he enrolled in 19 hours, a choice he admitted was a mistake.

"You wouldn't imagine how much difference that extra test a month makes," Bretches said. "It changed how I was involved in different activities. I didn't debate as competitively because I couldn't fit it in."

Bretches said working 20 hours a week added to the difficulty of his semesters. During the week he was at class or work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

While Bretches said he was happy with his experience at KU, he wished he had more time to take some extra courses. He said it was difficult for students to discover subjects of interest as quickly enough to graduate in four years.

"If you want to graduate in four, you better know what you're doing," Bretches said. "Intro classes generally don't teach you enough about the subject to let you know if you really like it."

Exploring interests
Tom Krieshok, psychology professor, said that while he understood the importance of graduating in a timely manner, he thought a four-year plan was not a sure fit for all students.

"Some students can pick a major and have the personality style that allows them to explore and check out things as they're getting their degree. People who are really focused like that can graduate in four years," Krieshok said.

However, Krieshok said most students don't develop deep interests until later in life. Students may find it hard to select a major if they feel like the clock is ticking.

"I'm antagonistic to the part that says everybody can get this figured out in four years. If we're saying to people that you're only healthy or competent if you do it in four years, I think there's a problem with that," Krieshok said.

Roney said that while the Task Force wanted students to explore areas of interest, a stronger message was needed to motivate students.

"What we were realizing is that instead of our primary message being 'Live life fully in four years and graduate,' it was, 'Hey, take as long as you want,'" Roney said. "There's no reason why the vast majority of students can't graduate in four."

Most degree programs were designed to be completed in four years. Roney said if students make "being a full-time college student" their top priority, four years should allow plenty of time for exploration.

While it is important for students to focus on their studies, Krieshok said students should engage themselves in extracurricular activities to broaden their experiences and skills. He said graduating in four years was possible, but probably harder for students who got involved outside their schoolwork.

"The issue isn't really so much four or five years, the issue is what you're doing in school," Krieshok said. "If you're just being a bookworm it doesn't matter to me if it takes you four years or five years. I think you're in trouble."

Steps to success
How does a student balance coursework with the rest of their life? Diann Burright, associate director of the Freshmen Sophomore Advising Center, said a four-year plan could help students focus their interests, allowing them to achieve more during their time at KU.

The advising center supports the four-year policy by encouraging students to enroll in at least 15 hours each semester. Students are also required to declare a major by the time they've completed 60 hours.

Students should be aware of requirements for their major and degree program. Burright said students could stay on track while taking classes outside their major, or studying abroad as long as they planned ahead.

"Overall, college is a small portion of anyone's life. But, it also needs to be part of an ordered plan," Burright said. "We try to keep you on track to obtain that four-year degree in four years so you can move on to the next step."

Burright said the Task Force's message put pressure on students in a positive way.

"I don't feel like it's a big club that's being swung at students," Burright said. "It's an encouragement of being responsive and to come to college and take ownership of what happens to you."

What's the rush?
Nevertheless, some students feel that the "graduate in four" message is restrictive.

Mya Lawrence will be a fifth-year senior next fall. She works as a residence assistant in Ellsworth Hall and as a peer advisor. She said the focus on graduating in four years sometimes pushed students to do more than they were ready for.

"Taking responsibility for your own education can be daunting if you don't know what you're doing," Lawrence said. "Taking 17 or 18 hours is not for everyone. I've seen students get a reality check when they get their first C."

Lawrence said she could have graduated in four years, even after changing her major and studying abroad for a semester, but chose not to.

"I'm paying for my own education, so I'm going to take as long as I want," Lawrence said.

She said she was looking forward to an extra year.

"I recently discovered what I want to do. Now I know what the next step is and I need another year to make those things happen," Lawrence said. "I've met and helped a lot of people in my time here and now I have one more year to focus on myself."

But sometimes even four years is one too many. Tara Bergman is in her second year at KU, but with more than 60 hours she qualifies to be a junior. Bergman entered KU in the fall of 2005 with 20 credit hours from high school courses. She will graduate one semester earlier than her classmates in December 2008. Then in May 2009, she'll graduate again, this time with a master's in accounting.

Bergman was in the first group to receive the "graduate in four" message. She said making a four-year plan helped her discover that she could get a head start on graduate school.

Although her schedule didn't allow much room for exploration, she will study abroad this summer in Italy. Bergman said she would be glad to graduate early because it would save money and allow her to start her career.

"People say you have your whole life to work, so enjoy college, but I'm working right now anyway, so I'd rather do what I want to do," Bergman said.

Looking to the future
The Task Force's efforts are showing early results. A report in the spring of 2006 showed the average course load for full-time freshmen in their first semester had increased three percent since the spring of 2005.

Roney said more effects would be clear after freshmen from 2005 began to graduate.
While a four-year plan will never suit all students, she said an increased graduation rate would improve the reputation of the University and the quality of education.

"Graduation rates are a measure of success. As an administrator and an educator it's about doing the best job to encourage, support and enable students to be successful while they're here," Roney said. "It's going to be exhausting in a good way."

Before he walks down the hill, Bretches had some parting advice for KU students.

"It's important that you take your time and enjoy your college experience. If that means you need to take a little bit slower of a pace, then do," he said. "When you're 30, nobody's going to care."

What about me?”

This is a question many girls ask themselves in response to their secondary sex education.

An article published by University of Kansas researcher Charlene Muehlenhard and former KU researcher Zoë Peterson found that “sex education in the public school system seldom acknowledged girls’ sexual desire. Instead, sex education presented discourses of sexuality as violence, victimization, and immorality.”

It’s hard to believe with sex being everywhere in our daily lives that only 19 states and the District of Columbia require state mandated sex education . Of those 19 states, seven have to stress abstinence.

Even if girls are fortunate enough to be in a state where sex education is taught, the likelihood of their desires being addressed is rare if not unheard of.

According to the article by KU researchers, girls often reported wanting to have sex but saying no because of the negatives feelings they felt toward sex. Could this be because sex was taught to them as “immorality”?

“There have been several times when I wanted to have sex but didn’t because of the outside pressures of how a ‘lady’ should act. Having sex exhibits a lack of self-control, which is definitely an ‘unacceptable’ perception of women,” Alicia Pratt-Baker, Sacramento, Calif. junior, said.

We constantly see the portrayal of sexualized women in the media yet how are women supposed to be sexual and be a lady? In several popular songs the male artists boast “I want a lady in the street but a freak in the bed,” such as in Usher’s song “Yeah.”

Is it possible to have sex with a “lady” or is she supposed to be a “freak”? Society has made sex into something dirty, which is why many women have reported feeling bad after they have sex because they are supposed to have control and not give into their desires.

If the public schools address these issues before girls get out of high school they might be better prepared for these sexual situations when they arise. Experience may not necessarily be the best situation for learning in this case.

Some KU women think their high school health classes ill-prepared them for the real world.

“Most of my sex education came from my own interests and other people,” RaeAnn Anderson, Circleville sophomore, said.

In Amy Oldehoeft’s sex education class in rural northeastern Kansas she doesn’t get too into specifics. She said she talks about sex in the context of it’s best to wait until you’re married or in a committed relationship. She does talk about the consequences such as diseases and pregnancy. Oldehoeft’s students also take home a doll that is supposed to simulate a real baby so the students can get some sort of grasp on what it might be like.

HPV, which causes a majority of cervical cancer cases, has been an important topic for her classes this year.

Oldehoeft had one concerned parent speak with her after Oldehoeft discussed Gardasil, the vaccination for HPV.

“The parent’s daughter wanted the vaccination, but she didn’t want people to think she was a promiscuous girl. The next day I made a point to let everyone know that having the vaccination in no way means you’re promiscuous. It is unfortunate women are afraid to get vaccinations that can potential save their life because some people look down on women who want to protect themselves,” Oldehoeft said.

In the Lawrence Public School system things are run a little differently. Eighth grade is the last year the students can take sex education for a semester course, unless the students opt to take a Family and Consumer Science class in high school.

Lynda Allen, director for math and sciences of the Lawrence Public schools said in Lawrence eighth graders are taught one basic message about sex: you shouldn’t be doing it.

“If we taught eighth graders about desires and why we feel a certain way, a lot of parents would be in an uproar. Basically the parents run the show. We have some parents who want the school to do everything and others who don’t want the schools to say anything at all. It’s our job to find the middle ground,” Allen said.

A study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation looked into what is being
taught and what the parents want taught in sex education classes.

“What comes across in this study is that parents look to schools to prepare their children for real life. Their concerns are practical, not political,” Tina Hoff, director of public health information and communications for the Kaiser Family Foundation, said.

Another study by the Guttmacher Institute found that in the last 12 years there has been a decline in formal instruction for birth control among both men and women and their has been more instruction in abstinence only.

“We are getting sent messages from society all over the place. Women are supposed to be on birth control if they’re having sex. Well, I ask, why isn’t their birth control for men? There’s science, and why hasn’t anything been done? I’m tired of being expected to say no,” Anderson said.

The fraternity was left in shambles – like the aftermath of a group of boys unwilling to leave their clubhouse. Holes were punched in walls, a toilet was destroyed, and $700 worth of plaques and paintings were stolen according to police reports. Sigma Nu lost its national charter in September 2005 after an investigation into hazing reports. Members were given 30 days to vacate.

The second-story porch overlooking Emery Road was crowded with weathered couches- the black wooden letters above read ΣN. Now the balcony is covered in ivy; the sign reads AΓΔ- changes made when Alpha Gamma Delta leased the house from Sigma Nu. The sorority signed a one-year lease, according to Debbie Pitts, chapter advisor for Alpha Gamma Delta.

“We didn’t think they would come back as soon as they have,” said Pitts, “We were hoping to have the house for at least two years. But we wish the best to Sigma Nu.”

Pitts’ assumptions are understandable, considering most fraternities must wait up to four years before they can begin recolonization.

“Usually they wait long enough to get rid of the seed that caused the original problem,” said Don Raidt, a Sigma Nu alumnus who is leading the recolonization efforts.

It is especially understandable to assume that a Sigma Nu would be particularly cautious about revoking a house that closed because of hazing. In a recent edition of Sigma Nu Inc.’s magazine, The Delta, the fraternity said it would lead greek efforts to “militate against hazing.” The publication also announced Sigma Nu as the “premier sponsor of the National Hazing Prevention Week and the National Hazing Symposium.” But Sigma Nu will be returning to KU next semester – less than two years after its charter was revoked.

Even though students will be living in the Sigma Nu house, the Sigma Nu national headquarters will not immediately recognize the house as an official chapter. At first the house will only been known as a Sigma Nu “colony.”

“The alumni have officially begun recolonizaion,” said Brad Beacham, executive director of Sigma Nu, “They are working to meet basic operational standards so that they may become an official entity. I am confident in the alumni. It is one of the fraternity’s most outstanding chapters.”

The colony will work for University recognition once it regain its charter, said Ian Lang, Interfraternity Council president.

The recolonization is largely thanks to the assistance of Don Raidt. Raidt has been a professor for 42 years, mostly teaching at the University of California, Irvine. On October 28, shortly after Sigma Nu lost its charter, Raidt came to Lawrence to meet with other alumni about rebuilding the chapter.

“We all were shocked,” Raidt said, “It seemed impossible that this should happen.”

Raidt was chosen by other alums to lead the recolonization. He left California and began teaching at KU so that he could focus on the endeavor. But Raidt isn’t the only one dedicated to reestablishing Sigma Nu’s presence on campus. He assembled a 12-man transition team and has the assistance and support of many alumni.

KU Vice Provost of Research and Sigma Nu alum Jim Roberts said, “I really think Don Raidt is doing a great job on recolonizing Sigma Nu, but I think we’re going to have to look at different models for fraternities and sororities as we look to the future in terms of how they interact with the University.”

This is one of Raidt’s main concerns. He hopes to build a much stronger relationship with the University than in past years. And he intends to do this by bringing the University to Sigma Nu.

According to Raidt, they are working on a new audio/visual program that will allow Sigma Nu to have the most technologically equipped house on campus. Along with benefiting members and connecting with alums, this will help facilitate a KU class. The fraternity plans to allow a class to meet in one of the rooms of the house. Although nothing has been determined, Raidt says the class will be small and scheduled around fraternity activities.

Alumni intend to stay active even after students move back into the house. They will be monitoring the reestablishment and tutoring members. But returning Sigma Nus aren’t concerned with their involvement or supervision.

“They know that part of their experience was partying, and they want us to have that experience too,” said John LeRoy, a former pledge who was invited back.

The returning members of the 2005 pledge class had their GPAs and involvement histories considered before being invited back, Raidt said. However, about seven of the original group intend to return. Many lost interest or joined other fraternities, LeRoy said.

The pledges have been meeting monthly with alumni and recruiting high school seniors to live in the house. Raidt estimates that about 50 men will move into the house in May.

Active members who lived in the house when the fraternity closed have not been invited back. Many of them are apprehensive about the chapter’s future but still support the recolonization.

“I’m glad Sigma Nu will be back on campus,” said Rob Rossiter, Sigma Nu junior, “I’m just upset it’s not going to be anywhere near what the old Sigma Nu was like.”

Most Sigma Nu juniors knew little about the process.

“We haven’t been involved at all,” said Miller Davis, Sigma Nu junior, “But everyone understands why we’re not.”

Raidt understands. He’s made sure that members of the fraternity and corporation board that were involved in the 2005 incident have no direct influence on the recolonization.

“This way, we will avoid the virus that caused the problem in the first place,” Raidt said.

The men will move into the Sigma Nu colony around Aug. 7.

Beth Ruhl remembers when she asked Cole Brown to be her date for the senior prom. He was different from most dates.

“Cole Brown had a heart of gold, but was a social outcast because he was born with severe mental retardation,” Ruhl said.

“When I asked his mom for her approval she said, ‘Why would you want to take him?’ I was shocked.”

“This was her son we were talking about. Why wouldn’t I want to take him? He treats me like a queen, isn’t afraid to dance and would just be an all-around great date,” Ruhl said.

This was not Ruhl’s first or last experience helping others. She was the philanthropy chair of her sorority at Kansas State University, volunteered with various Special Olympic events, traveled to Belize for two months during a summer volunteer program and spent two years in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Ruhl currently works at Heart of America United Way in Kansas City as a campaign manager. She‘s an example of the growing number of young-adult and student volunteers. Agencies, universities and organizations note that numbers of young people volunteering has been growing for the past six-years - especially since 9/11.

Ruhl thinks it’s important for students to volunteer. “Everyone has something to offer this world and when you find your special something it creates positive change for everyone else,” she said. We need to spread the volunteer bug down from generation to generation.”

The Numbers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 61.2 million Americans or 26.7 percent of the population volunteered through or with an organization in 2006.

Kansas was ranked fifth among all states for volunteerism in 2006 by the bureau. More than 38 percent of Kansas’s residents volunteered.

The Corporation for National and Community Service , the nation’s largest grant maker supporting service and volunteering, is working with other federal agencies, universities and nonprofit organizations to increase volunteerism among college students. The corporation also published a report, College Students Helping America, in October of 2006.

The report said that college students who choose to volunteer increased about 20 percent between 2000 and 2005. The report defined college students as individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 that are enrolled at a post-secondary institution. This increase is nearly double that of adults, whose numbers only increased 9 percent from 2000 to 2005. The number of college student volunteers reached almost 3.3 million in 2005.

The report said 31.5 percent of Kansas college students volunteered in 2005, ranking the state 24th in the nation.

What They’re Doing

The report showed tutoring and mentoring as the most common volunteer activities among college students. About 27 percent of college students who volunteered tutored, and 24 percent mentored in 2005.

Maggie Bixler, Americorps member, said volunteering was good for students no matter what kind of work they did. “Volunteering gives you experience in the field you wouldn’t otherwise have when you graduate,” Bixler said. “ I’ve read studies and articles that say volunteering helps increase your lifespan, makes you healthier and makes you happier.”

KU student Lauren Uhlmansiek volunteered with other KU students in an Alternative Spring Break program organized by the Ecumenical Christian Ministries.

The group of 10 students traveled to New Orleans during the 2007 spring break. Uhlmansiek was assigned to work on a house that belonged to an area resident, Patricia.

Patricia’s house was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She used all of the insurance money she had collected to buy a house that was completely gutted. Uhlmansiek and the other students helped rebuild Patricia’s house and worked on projects such as dry walling, mudding and cleaning.

“Patricia is the funniest, most positive and upbeat lady I’ve ever met," Uhlmansiek said. "She is a living example of what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”

Uhlmansiek plans to return to New Orleans and volunteer for two weeks this August.

How to Get Involved

Several local and national organizations provide volunteer opportunities to college students. For example:

The Center for Community Outreach(CCO) at the University of Kansas works to increase meaningful student involvement within the community. It offers service opportunities, community contacts and student organization activities. It has 1,989 registered volunteers for the 2006-2007 school year and has logged 6,162 volunteer hours since August 2005.

The center works with 15 core organizations. Elaine Jardon, co-director of the center, said the CCO has had to create more programs for the greater need over the past few years, but she didn’t have exact numbers. Programs like Alternative Breaks have grown and moved out from under the center’s umbrella, and they now operate on their own.

KU Alternative Breaks offers weekend, spring and winter volunteer trips to university students. Katie Jahnke, co-director of KU Alternative Breaks, said the program has grown since her freshman year.

“You see so much in the world that needs changed everyday,” Jahnke said. “We can really do something and have the energy to do it. That is why alternative breaks is such a good program.”

KU Weekend Breaks was created five years ago to fulfill an increased demand for service learning. Weekend Breaks offers a volunteer trip once a month.

“We try to balance between social and physical activities and cover a variety of issues,” said Elizabeth Cattell, co-director of Weekend Breaks.

The United Way of America is also working to create more programs for college student volunteers. Sheila Consaul, former director of media relations at the United Way of America, said the United Way has about 1.1 million volunteers each year.

The United Way started a new Alternative Spring Break in Spring 2006 to help with hurricane relief for areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Consaul said. The first year the program had about 100 participants and lasted a week. The program ran again in Spring 2007 and expanded to a four-week program and included more than 300 participants.

The United Way also works with programs such as the 10,000 Hour Show and Youth Venture. Consaul said there was a great need for student volunteer programs.

“College volunteers are different from other volunteers,” Consaul said. “College students have different needs and interests. They have more time and more energy, but not a disposable income.”

The Impact

The Corporation for National and Community Service and its partners have set a goal to increase the number of college volunteers to five million by 2010.

As an employee of the United Way, Ruhl hopes to motivate other students to volunteer.

Her inspiration is remembering some of the people she’s helped, like Cole.

When Ruhl asked if Cole could go the prom, his mother’s eyes swelled with tears, and she told Ruhl, “Unless another girl learns from your example, he may never have another experience like this in his life.”

Ruhl said they had a great time at prom.

“Cole was not only the best date," Ruhl said. "But he also taught me that what may seem like the smallest act of kindness could have the biggest impact on others."

“Some girls…sometimes...they’re a rarity.”

That was what Matt Schott, Olathe engineering sophomore, had to say about the frequency in which he spots women in the School of Engineering. That’s just while going to classes. There isn’t a single woman in any of his engineering classes this semester, not even in a lecture class of 50.

Florence Boldridge, the director of Diversity Programs for the School of Engineering, said that women are the most under-represented group in the department.

The School of Engineering implements several programs to help boost the enrollment level of women in engineering. One such program, Project Discovery, allows high school girls to attend a week-long engineering summer camp at the University. Participants engage in classes and labs, in the field of their choosing, taught by KU engineering professors. A maximum of 40 girls can participate in each week.

“Project Discovery is but one of the recruitment tools that we use in accomplishing our goal of bringing women and minorities into our School of Engineering,” Boldridge said.

The School of Engineering runs Engineer Your Career. This half-day program introduces junior high and high school girls to career possibilities in engineering. Participants have the opportunity to speak to KU professors about different programs at the University.

The School of Engineering and the Society of Women Engineers also host the SWE Weekend of Engineering. The program is designed to introduce girls to KU life and the School of Engineering. Activities include: demonstrations by University professors, an engineering group project, attending a either a KU football or basketball game, and a pizza party.

Christina Conrad, Stilwell junior in chemical engineering, thinks that programs like Project Discovery can help girls find that engineering is just right for them.

“You never really hear about any women role models in engineering,” Conrad said.

She thinks the main reason girls don’t go into engineering is that they don’t have much of an opportunity to explore the potential there. Historically it has been a male dominated profession.

She also thinks times are changing for women engineers. The number of women engineers is increasing.

“I look at my dad’s year books and at mine and I can see it’s changing,” Conrad said.

This gradual change could make women a much more common sighting in the passages of Eaton and Learned Halls.

You do not want to have to call Don McNulty. Sure, he’s a nice enough guy; friendly and compassionate. But he is the president of a company that punches in only when others are punching out.

Bio Cleaning Services of America, Inc. offers the kind of services that no one wants to think about, but someone must provide. Their mission is to clean up after trauma and death sites including murders, suicides and unattended deaths, or “de-comps.” Their motto: “No one should be victimized twice.”

Technicians from Bio Cleaning Services of America use a modest truck to travel to clean up sites and transport their equipment.
Photo: Dylan Sands

Mr. McNulty and his wife, Laura, started the business 14 years ago. Today, they are
virtually the only service of their kind that serves areas of Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. McNulty maintains that his is a business just like any other.

“We’ve been cleaning up our own dead since Cain and Able,” McNulty said. “Until the advent of companies like this, it’s been done by friends and family. Most families are looking for someone disconnected to do the cleanup.”

McNulty was a mechanical draftsman and worked in plant management before being tapped to perform hospital housekeeping at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. That’s where he first learned he had a passion for helping people. He also learned he had a strong stomach.

“They were really good about teaching every member of the staff about medicine; from the janitor on up,” McNulty said of the hospital. “If someone was trying to find me, they’d say ‘Oh, McNulty is downstairs watching a lung removal.’”

Now, McNulty has his own business with offices in St. Louis, Omaha, Neb., Des Moines, Iowa and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He said his background in engineering helped him prepare for his current job, which he feels is much more complex than most people anticipate.

“In order to do a cleanup, you have to know about deconstruction and how things fit together,” he said. “What we do is constructive demolition.”

Dirty Work

McNulty and his cleaning technicians typically handle three types of cleanup sites: murder scenes, suicide scenes and unattended death scenes in which a person’s decomposing body has gone undiscovered for days. In the case of such a “de-comp,” as McNulty calls them, sometimes sections of flooring, walls or other parts of the house have to be removed.

“You wouldn’t believe the smell that can create,” McNulty said. “It is very difficult to get rid of.”

Cleaning technicians must wear masks to protect them from potentially contaminated blood and other fluids.
Photo: Dylan Sands

His service also handles the occasional cleanup of a meth-lab and other “unsanitary dwellings.” Most of their business, however, comes from suicides. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, there are nearly 400 suicides each year in the state of Kansas alone. There are 14 suicides for every 100,000 residents in McNulty’s area. Nearly 70 percent of suicides involve self-inflicted gunshot wounds which can create extremely gory scenes.

Many of these types of suicides are carried out in automobiles. McNulty estimated that his technicians clean between 80 and 110 automobiles involved in suicides per year. Unattended deaths make up the second most frequent type of cleanup, with murder in third.

Figures from Kansas Department of Health and Environment

McNulty and his technicians recently cleaned the Ward Parkway Shopping Center in Kansas City, Mo. following an incident in which a gunman killed two people before killing himself. A job of that size can be especially taxing. By Kansas law, McNulty’s service must assume that any blood is contaminated and must be sanitized. In the case of the mall shooting, wounded shoppers ran through many areas of the mall while bleeding all the way. McNulty and his crew took three days to completely clean and sanitize the mall.

All cleanups are different, but the average cost for the customer is $2,000. In most cases, house insurance covers the bill. McNulty has even worked pro-bono and at discount rates in the past to accommodate grieving families unable to pay.

Now, his business can rest easier, and more importantly, so can anyone unfortunate enough to have to call on such a service. The Kansas House of Representatives recently passed a bill that will help survivors pay for cleanups through the Crime Victims Compensation Board. The board will pay up to $1,000 for an individual cleanup.

CSI it isn't

McNulty screens all potential technicians to weed out those that are trying to satisfy a morbid curiosity.

“They might say, ‘Well, I want to go to work for you,’ and when I ask them what makes them think they can be a bio-tech, they say ‘Well, I watch CSI,’” he said.

Others are often disappointed to see the lack of high-tech equipment in a bio-cleaning truck. Most of the cleaning products are typical disinfectants. The company uses environmentally friendly cleaners and degreasers. They even use such mundane cleaners as thyme, the “spice your mother has in her cabinet,” says McNulty.

Bio Cleaning Services of America has recently "gone green" and uses only environmentally friendly cleaning products.
Photo: Dylan Sands

‘Just so much matter’

Even though there are some who think it might be exciting to see such gore, the real shock comes from another place. For the technicians, the hardest part is dealing with the grief and interacting with bereaved families.

‘We have good days and bad days,” said Lindsey Trevino, Medical Examiner. “Each case leaves a mark, and unfortunately it does not get easier.”

Technicians often see portraits of the deceased on the walls of a cleanup site. Putting a face to the violence can be scarier than the gore.

“It’s just so much matter,” McNulty said. “That isn’t the person laying all over the floors and all over the walls. All we have are fragments.”

At times, encountering these scenes can lead to serious emotional trauma. Critical Incident Stress Syndrome, or CISS, can sink in and cause a kind of shock similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“As professionals, we are better adept at seeing such things,” Trevino said. “But death will always have an impact, and it’s very difficult to see such disregard for human life.”

The stress from seeing so much grief and violence can cause flashbacks, sleeping disorders and depression.

“When somebody sees a gross, gory scene, the typical response is to go overboard and see recurring images,” Psychologist Anne Owen said.

Technicians at Bio Cleaning Services usually undergo “debriefings” in which they recreate the events and talk out their feelings as a group. If such stress lasts more than one month, it can turn into full blown Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Plastic buckets are used to collect body parts and fluids at clean-up sites. The bodily waste is then taken to a hospital for disposal.
Photo: Dylan Sands

“Getting people to share memories can help put a narrative around the images and make them less traumatizing,” Owen said.

McNulty said grieving family members look to his team for their own closure.
“I’m lachrymose: given to tears,” he said. “If you’re crying, I’m crying. When you’re that kind of person, to be in that room where the grief is so thick, you could cut it with a knife; that becomes the most difficult thing to handle.”

With murder and suicide rates in their current numbers, Bio Cleaning Services of America will no doubt be able to offer their service of “Care, Concern and Peace of Mind” for years to come.

“When I was a kid, I got sick at a blood scene and I told myself from that day forward that I couldn’t be a veterinarian or a doctor because I get sick at the sight of blood,” McNulty said. “Well that’s not true—to say the very least.”