Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Volek)

The number of scholarship hall directors will drop from 11 to six in the 2007-08 school year to give them more roles and student contact. The change will expand the responsibilities and quality of experience for directors, said Sarah Hayner, complex director for the scholarship halls.

All 11 scholarship halls are affected in the change, and each director will supervise two halls instead of one, according to Hayner. They will live in one of their halls and have an office in the other. Rieger Scholarship Hall's director will instead supervise their hall and the paid student desk position at Crawford Community Center.

Graduate students serve as directors and receive free room and board with a biweekly stipend. Pay will not increase with the change, said Hayner. KU will be saving about $7,000 during the next school year because of the change, according to Hayner.

Compared to the other graduate-level housing position, assistant complex directors, scholarship hall directors supervise a smaller number of students. The position is difficult to recruit for this reason and directors have felt their position is looked down upon, said Hayner.

“They get a lot of advising experience and personal contact, but miss out on supervising and judicial experience,” said Hayner. With a high turnover of directors, Hayner worked with Jennifer Wamelink, interim associate director for residence life, to create the change and make the position more desirable.

The change will allow directors to work with more students and become more marketable, said Ashley Kockler, Margaret Amini scholarship hall director. Kockler worries that she won't be as visible to residents as a result, but is looking forward to the experience.

Each hall will have a new student position of food board manager with the change. According to Kockler, residents have complained about directors' food and meal decisions in the halls. Managers will work with residents further on meal issues and receive free room and board.

The change will increase each director's supervision of paid student positions from one to four – with the exception of Rieger – according to Kockler. “I can focus more on academic, personal, and roommate-related issues,” she said.

Sara Holt, Rieger Scholarship Hall resident, does not like the drop in directors because she thinks it is important for residents to be more familiar with their director. Though students may express concern, said Hayner, directors will be available during their set office hours and possess a pager on rotation.

The number of cervical cancer cases in Kansas is encouraging one state representative to fight the problem. Her solution is applauded by some state leaders but would have a strong effect on schools around the state. KUJH-TV’s Jessica Sain-Baird tells us about the controversial bill.

Ninety-six cases of cervical cancer were reported in Kansas in 2004. A year earlier, there were 110.

It's these numbers from the Kansas Cancer Registry that have driven Rep. Delia Garcia (D-Wichita) to propose House Bill 2227, which requires a newly-approved HPV vaccination for all girls entering the sixth grade.

“I come from a family with five daughters and lots of female cousins,” she said. “I'm a huge advocate for health access and women's issues.”

Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer of women around the world, and almost every case can be blamed on the human papillomavirus (HPV). About 75% of women will contract HPV in their lifetime.

“It's already an epidemic,” said Dr. Howard Rodenberg, Kansas Department of Health and Education director. “Some [people] don't show symptoms, and for some it progresses to cervical cancer.”

Though the Kansas Cancer Registry listed cervical cancer as only the 14th most popular cancer for women in Kansas in 2004, Rodenberg believes the vaccination warrants for several other reasons. “We need to look at this not only in death rates,” he said. “A percentage of them die, but lots of them have operations they wouldn't necessarily have.”

The bill has had barely enough support in the House Health and Human Services Committee, but Garcia's main concern is educating legislators and others affected by her bill. Even though the bill may not see the House floor this session, Garcia said she doesn't want to rush the process.

Gardasil, the only available HPV vaccination on the market, protects women against particular strands of HPV that are to blame for almost all cases of cervical cancer. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is recommended for females aged nine to 26.

The vaccination requires three shots, which run at $360 for the complete set. With a vaccination requirement, however, all eligible girls should be able to receive free coverage from Vaccinations for Children, their insurance or possible federal funding, said Garcia.

Girls entering the sixth grade would be unable to enroll in school without getting the vaccination, according to Mark Desetti, Kansas National Education Assocation director of legislative and political advocacy. Religious and health concerns would be the only ways to opt out, he said.

There is some concern of requiring the vaccination in schools. According to the American College of Pediatricians Web site, demanding the HPV vaccination “trespasses on the right of parents to make medical decisions for their children as well as on the rights of the children to attend school.” However, Desetti said it is “common to use school enrollment to prevent devastating diseases.”

Texas is the only state that requires all girls entering the sixth grade to get the vaccination.

Garcia, who is also a college professor and sorority adviser, feels the situation hits too close to home to ignore. “I want to help not only my family but also the college students I work with,” she said.

For Rodenberg, support of the vaccination is equally crucial. “Am I worried that we have a tool to use against HPV and we aren't using it?” he questioned. “Yes.”

Your neighbor may be making a business out of their photography, paintings and handmade jewelry and you don't even know it.

The buying and selling of handiwork, notably at consignment, has become a growing trend in Lawrence.

“We're able to carry a lot more work by more artists,” Maria Martin, owner of Southwest and More, 727 Mass. St., said. “It allows us to try new styles.”

Business of buying and selling

Consignment work in stores is featured for free. The artist, sometimes with the aid of store owners, decides on the selling price. About 15% of Southwest and More's work is on consignment, mostly paintings, pottery and other fine art pieces by more than 40 artists, according to Martin. Her store's policy is to give 70% of the item's selling price to the artist.

The Third Planet, 846 Mass. St., sells consignment items to keep money in Lawrence and not have to put capital in some merchandise, manager Melissa Padgett said. They sell jewelry, artwork, t-shirts and stickers on consignment, she said, and added that locally-printed t-shirts become popular during election seasons.

About 10-15% of The Third Planet's products are on consignment and they give 60% of an item's selling price to the artist, according to Padgett. She compared the business to renting space for handiwork and said consignment has been profitable for the store.

Alina Scalora, Manhattan sophomore, sells hemp necklaces at The Third Planet when she has time. She said that she has sold a few so far, but expects business to increase in the summer.

Forgoing consignment

Some stores opt to buy handmade items outright rather than carry pieces on consignment. MissFortune's Creation Station, 726 Mass. St., buys and sells handmade glass pieces, jewelry and clothing items, according to their owner Jennifer Fortune.

About 15% of their products are handmade, which contribute to 20% of the store's overall profits, Fortune said. She acknowledged that consignment work is difficult because of the paperwork and keeping in contact with artists.

“People know we buy local, unique stuff,” Fortune said. She mentioned that summer is the most popular time for handmade items, probably because “more people are coming through town.”

Future of consignment

“Consignors, donors and sellers make money by selling under loved items at our shops, without the expense, work, and bother of a tag or garage sale,” according to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops Web site. They also added that customers shop at such stores because it "means more quality for less money."

Southwest and More employee and Lawrence freshman Bridget Lavaveshkul said that featuring items on consignment was beneficial to a business, because they never lose money if a featured item doesn't sell.

None of the stores are concerned about consignment and the business of handiwork losing steam. Customers in Lawrence “like to know they can see the people who make the work,” Padgett said. Martin believes one-of-a-kind products will always be in demand, especially at Southwest and More, which she describes as a specialty store.

In the end, consignment and buying handmade work outright is a benefit to both businesses and artists, Martin said. “It works both ways,” she said. “It helps if we're not sure how it will sell, and we have an opportunity to showcase an artist.”

A KU professor’s 2006 study gives new insight into children’s academic success and their family structure. KUJH-TV’s Jessica Sain-Baird has more on the story.

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.

But after several months of dating, the couple married in 2006. Though Enoch was a KU alumnus by this time, Jennison joined the ranks of a nontraditional group of KU students – those who come home from class to a spouse.

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.

“It’s kind of been difficult making friends,” she said. Jennison’s only roommate at KU has been her husband, and she thinks this may be problematic when it comes to meeting people.

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?

One of the questions that married college students often face is why they choose to get hitched before graduation. “When I was younger, I didn’t expect to be married for a long time,” said Shaver. “But things change. We had been planning for three years. We just decided to go ahead and do it.”

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.

The Applied English Center released a Married Student Handbook (PDF) this semester to advise students. It notes Jayhawker Towers Apartments and Stouffer Place Apartments as on-campus housing for married students.

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.