Recently in Kristen Liszewski Category

 College students as human guinea pigs

Danielle Hartley, Rose Hill junior, says she's willing to be injected with trial drugs in order to pay her rent on time.
Teresa Wilson, Lawrence junior, hopes to use her healthy body as a medical experiment so she can pay off her debt.
Last year, Katelyn Andrews, Olathe junior, took shots in her abdomen and spent three days at the hospital taking sonograms of her heart, just to be paid $2,300.
"The main reason that I participated," she said, "was to get some extra money. My mom works at a few hospitals and said that it was a safe thing to do."

No one can be sure exactly how many college students at KU, or any university, are now participating in paid medical studies in order to pay their bills. Given the current state of our economy, students such as these know they are not alone. More and more students are challenged financially and are finding the solution to their problems through these paid experiments.
Paid clinical trials attract college students because they offer a large sum of money for a minimum amount of actual work. In fact, when asked about their willingness to participate in a medical trial for money, 7 out of 10 students said they would especially participate now more than ever.

Teresa Wilson's financial status forced her to look for this alternate solution of income since her one job wasn't helping enough. "Between credit card debt and lawyer fees I really could use some extra money," she said. Teresa heard about Quintiles, a local clinical trial facility in Olathe, Kan., on a radio advertisement last year and decided to apply. Danielle Hartley heard the same ad as Teresa, knowing it was the answer to her financial problems, too. "I really hope to get in the trial that pays the most money. At this point I just don't care about the risks," she said.
 
Katelyn Andrews knew about the risks but found the benefits worth it. She profited a total of $3,000 between the two trials she participated in. The first trial was research on a stroke medicine, which she had no side effects from. "With the second study at one point when they had me do a 5 minute standing test, my heart started to race and I felt extremely light-headed," she said. "But other than that there were zero side effects."
 
Besides minor side-effects like Katelyn's, the overall consensus may be that clinical studies are in fact safe, but the companies conducting these clinical trials make sure to publicize the risks and possible side effects to their patients. Some of the general risks listed are unpleasant, serious or life-threatening side effects to treatment.

Patients typically do not find out about the risks or side effects until they fill out an application and are approved to participate by the clinic. Upon Danielle Hartley's approval to participate she received a letter of notice from Quintiles. "It was a full front and back piece of paper describing all the possible risks and side effects I might have. The only one that really stood out to me was possible death," she said.
 
The risk of death is apparently not scary enough to make Danielle and most college kids running, though. According to Viki Zelenak, Wichita senior and president of the KU International Medical Ethics Club, this fearlessness could potentially be caused by pre-mature development. "At this age (college students), health habits and behaviors are still being formed. The area of the pre-frontal cortex is not quite fully developed yet, so we're still deciding what's good and bad for us," Viki said. She also stated that the effects of clinical trials are not always immediate, so it may still be possible that these effects will show up in the later years.
Dr. Matt Reynolds, a KU ethics and psychology professor, agrees with Viki and thinks it's important for students to be fully informed about what they're getting into.
For Katelyn Andrews, this premature development may have influenced her choice in participating, but the overall decision seemed to benefit her rather than harm. Danielle and Teresa have acknowledged the possible risks of the medical trials as well, but think their monetary offerings outweigh the cons in their current tight financial situations.

"The trials are double-blind studies," Teresa said. "I just hope I get the placebo."

By: Kristen Liszewski

Climbing up the narrow spiral staircase, Elizabeth speeds ahead without losing a single breath. She tediously climbs the 120-foot Campanile tower, not quite reaching the top before unlocking a small door. Stepping into the room, space is cramped and she immediately slides onto a wooden bench facing an enormous organ-like structure.

As her fists bounce atop odd-looking pegs, the sound of bells echoes throughout the room. The ambiance immediately changes from the sense of confinement to one of liberation. "Hearing the bells gives me a feeling of nostalgia," Elizabeth says.

Elizabeth Berghout has been the University Carillonneur at the University of Kansas since 2000. The instrument she performs on almost every week is called the carillon, which rings the bells with every tap of a peg. The carillon sits high up in the KU World War II Memorial Tower on campus; a climb that has become second-nature in Elizabeth's profession. Not only does Elizabeth ascend the tower each day to play the carillon, but as an associate professor of both the carillon and organ, she teaches classes to KU students in the memorial tower as well.

Growing up, Elizabeth never dreamed of becoming a carillonneur or even practicing music professionally. However, since she was three-years-old, she could play the piano, learning from her parents, as both of them were musically talented in piano and voice.

Music became a lifestyle. Some of her childhood memories paint a picture of piano music continuously filling the air of her childhood home. Her mother was a music education teacher and also taught private lessons in their home. "Someone was always playing music. I grew up around the sound of a piano," Elizabeth recalls.

Elizabeth was raised in the city of Orem, Utah, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. Nearby to Orem is Brigham Young University, where Elizabeth's mother had a close friend who was the university carillonneur. "When I was about 8-years-old my mom took me to see her friend play the bells. I remember I got to play 'Mary had a little Lamb', which was my first time playing the carillon," Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth went on to enroll at Brigham Young University, initially wanting to major in math or education. She soon realized though that her life-long experience with music and continual education in music seemed a more logical degree to pursue. In 1994 Elizabeth graduated Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance and pedagogy.

Brigham Young University is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is America's largest religious university with 98 percent of the student body who are Latter-day Saint members. Naturally this is no coincidence to Elizabeth's attendance. "Religion is an extremely important part of my life," Elizabeth said.

After graduating Elizabeth's desire for music education did not stop at BYU. Along with husband Dan, Elizabeth moved to Lawrence in order to obtain further degrees at the University of Kansas. In 1997 Elizabeth received the Master of Music degree in church music from the University of Kansas and then in 2000 graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance also from KU.

In 2000 Elizabeth was invited to replace then carillonneur Albert Gerken, who had been university carillonneur since 1963. Although having no intentions to stay in Lawrence on her first arrival, Elizabeth decided to stay and become university carillonneur. "I remember the first time I heard Bert play. It was so fascinating. I just loved the sound of the bells and in a way I felt like they spoke to my heart," Elizabeth said.

And in a way the English bells sitting atop the memorial tower did speak to Elizabeth's heart, because soon after achieving her degrees at KU she began teaching classes for the carillon as well.

"I really like taking Elizabeth's class. It's fun playing the carillon, and you don't even have to major in music in order to take the class," Lauren Cunningham said. Lauren is a student of Elizabeth's who is in her second semester of learning how to play the carillon but is majoring in art education.

Although Elizabeth is kept busy with teaching at KU, being a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America and keeping a dual career as a concert organist, she still makes time for her most proud accomplishment in life; her family.

Elizabeth is mother to two daughters, Frances and Lauren, and although living fairly far from where Elizabeth grew up, she tries to give them a similar childhood as hers. "Growing up, a majority of vacations were spent camping in the Utah mountains. Now that we live in the middle of the US, our vacations are road trips. My kids have been in about half of the states in the country - we like to drive," Elizabeth said.

Music has and always will be one word that comes to mind when thinking of Elizabeth Berghout. Her success and accomplishments in the past have led her to the Campanile Tower at KU, and with her commitment and love of the carillon and university, her music of the bells will continue to resonate in Lawrence.

"I am happy I play a part in KU. The bells have such a big presence of campus".

Hedgehogs and chickens can now call Lawrence home
            Animal regulations in the city of Lawrence have made quite a commotion in the past couple weeks. Between the local organization C.L.U.C.K and "Little Luke," Lawrence's famous hedgehog, the town will face some changes over what is considered a "domesticated" animal in Lawrence city limits.

    C.L.U.C.K,or the Coalition of Lawrence Urban Chicken Keepers, is working with the Lawrence city commission on clarifying the ordinances regarding the keeping of chickens and fowl within city limits. In the summer of 2008, the Lawrence Humane Society, acting on the concerns of state health officials, noted that there was a gap in the city ordinance that didn't clearly state regulations on fowl in city limits. Citizens were technically not allowed to own fowl, yet animal control didn't have the jurisdiction to ticket people owning the animals. This brought on the formation of C.L.U.C.K who then contacted the city commission.

            "The commission voted to move forward in changing the ordinance to allow birds, and acknowledged that the county zoning codes would also have to be amended, which would bring in the county planning commission," Bob Gent, director of C.L.U.C.K, said.
            The city planning commission and C.L.U.C.K. held a meeting March 2^nd amending the existing city code, but currently the city commission legal staff is still in the process of drafting the ordinance. "We needed to make everything that dealt with fowl, chickens and birds consistent within the ordinance. We just needed to tidy things up," Cynthia Boecker, assistant city manager, said.

            Midge Grinstead, executive director of the Lawrence Humane Society, also attended the meeting, voicing her own concerns and those of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. "Especially with the bird pandemic happening so recently, I don't know why people aren't making this a bigger deal. I really think chickens don't belong in the city," she said. She also said that any fowl would not be allowed at the humane society. Apparently confusion still surrounded the fowl dilemma though. "Sure enough, a rooster gets dropped off by animal control last week at the shelter," she said.
            No one was at fault for the instance of the rooster at the humane society, it was just proof that some topics still needed to be addressed concerning the keeping of fowl in city limits. Some other topics covered in the meeting discussed numbers of birds allowed, minimum accommodations required, how the city is to deal with loose birds, and whether roosters would be allowed (and they won't be).

            Besides dealing with chickens, Lawrence's city commissioners and Mayor Mike Dever have been focusing their animal regulations amendments on hedgehogs.
            Judson King, 11-year-old Lawrence resident has been in the appealing process with the city commissioners for almost three years, in an attempt to "legalize" his pet hedgehog "Little Luke" under city law. His hard work paid off when commissioners added ordinance # 8214 to chapter 3 of the code of the city of Lawrence, which would allow "domesticated hedgehogs" as an exception to animals prohibited within city limits.

            Diane Trybom, deputy city clerk of Lawrence, said she doesn't see many odd requests legalizing animals like Judson King's. "You do get a lot people coming in to ask about what the animal regulation ordinance does allow, though. A guy came in here earlier this week asking if he could keep bees," she said.
            Since King's victory over the hedgehog debate, the new domesticated animal is becoming a bit popularized in Lawrence. Shane Mangold, store manager at Petworld, said now that the ordinance was amended they would begin selling hedgehogs within the next couple of weeks. "We use to sell spider-monkeys some years back, but that's obviously changed since the city drafted the newer ordinance," Shane said.

            When the city did adopt a new animal regulations ordinance in 2003 it left out domesticated hedgehogs and flying squirrels under exceptions to prohibited animals within city limits. Midge Grinstead of Lawrence Humane Society said this wasn't on purpose, they were just two pets overlooked during the process. But if someone as persistent as Judson King wanted to "legalize" his or her flying squirrel, there most likely would be no problem amending the ordinance. Today though, the most recent members removed from Lawrence's prohibited list are the chicken and the hedgehog.

Florists may not be the first thing people think of in terms of struggling businesses in this economy. But just as any other luxury consumer item out there, flowers aren't usually on the top of everybody's list. Local Lawrence florists have been feeling the effects of the economy, but in an unexpected way.

Perhaps it's because of the recent merge between Owens Flower Shop and University Floral, but Owens has actually seen a large increase in sales in 2009 compared to 2008. In January and February of 2008, $97,784 was recorded as YTD. For January and February of 2009 though, Owen's reached $123,523 YTD revenue.