“He told me that there was a man with no legs who would go along and just lay brick after brick on the streets late at night,” Sollars said. “I think my Dad actually knew the guy.”

Now, Sollars runs his father’s brick company, Jayhawk Masonry. He frequently finds himself replacing uneven sidewalks overgrown by grass in the historic area. The tedious project requires a certain kind of brick be used; a kind of brick that is hard to find.

“These bricks for Old West Lawrence contain a lot of iron, which is what gives them that dark red color,” Sollars said. “But they are expensive and labor charges increase too.”

Sollars buys his bricks from the Lawrence Brick Company. The company still carves “Lawrence Kansas” onto the brick, which $1 a piece. The bricks are historically significant to Lawrence. The brick roads date back to the 1860’s when William Quantrill raided the area.

Today, Old West Lawrence is one of the few neighborhoods listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood is located west of downtown Lawrence between Tennessee and Indiana streets and Sixth and 13th streets

Homeowners and landlords strive to maintain a historical environment. Taking care of the brick sidewalks is one way they do this.

Cille King owns the property on the southeast corner of 12th and Ohio. She has spent the past two weeks repairing the brick sidewalk. King knows it might be cheaper to replace the walkway with asphalt but wants to use the bricks that are already there and have been there for years.

“I think it’s part of this neighborhood,” she said. “It adds to the character of the area.”

Not all property owners feel as King does. Many of the blocks along Ohio change from brick to asphalt as each house passes. The majority of the brick sections are dangerous due to poor maintenance. Jagged bricks, tree roots, and large holes stand as obstacles to walkers. King said that she understands why some people may not want to repair their brick sidewalks.

“It’s tedious because you have to even out the soil, lay down sand, measure the width, and then puzzle together all these old bricks,” she said. “I’m lucky that so many of my bricks are in good condition and I can reuse them.”

Organizations such as the Douglas County Historical Society and the Kansas State Heritage Group want homeowners to preserve the homes and nature in the area.

Linda Hyler serves on the Board of Directors for the Douglas County Historical Society. A resident of Lawrence for over 30 years, she values her involvement with the rich history.

“Old West Lawrence is the biggest part of the history here. It’s the one area where you can actually see and touch the past. The old homes, the brick streets, the tall trees: all of this is important in sharing the beauty. It’s Old West Lawrence that visitors remember.”

Last week, the School of Engineering concluded the high school girl’s camp Project Discovery. This week, high school sophomore, junior, and senior boys took their turn. 35 boys gathered Sunday at Eaton Hall, located north of Allen Fieldhouse, to kick off the week long camp, KU Survivor: Engineering Outback. This is the first year the camp lasts six days instead of previous years when the camp was only an overnight event.

Dawnelle Prince, the recruitment director for the camp, has been preparing since early May for the camp. She said that the longer camp is necessary for the boys to get a glimpse of college life.

“It’s important that they get to explore the campus and actually see it and experience it,” she said. “These students have been marketed to. They’re the experienced generation. It’s much easier to show the cool things engineers do in a week than in an overnight session.”

On Sunday, the boys gathered for an opening ceremony in which they met the five KU professors that taught throughout the week. The professors presented information over the five engineering subject areas in which the boys chose to study for the remainder of the week. The five areas were: aerospace, civil and architectural, chemical and petroleum, computer science and electrical and mechanical engineering.

The camp fee was $500, which included housing, meals, field trips, and lab supplies. The boys slept and dined at Oliver Hall where KU engineering students were their resident’s assistants. This was just one more way in which the boys got a taste of college life.

Campers then spent the next two days in the classroom where 7 hours each day were intensely devoted to a specific field. The aerospace students spent that time building rockets, which they shoot off this Friday. The chemical and petroleum students spent the week building chemically powered cars. They race their machines on Friday as well.

According to Prince, the key word was: interactive.

“We don’t want the boys just sitting in the classroom learning theory and various principles. They do that in their high school physics class. Interactive learning causes them to understand how real world engineers work,” she said.

After last year’s camp, over 50% of the high school senior campers attended KU the following fall semester. Price hopes that the campers continue to realize just how recognized KU’s engineering program is.

“A lot of people don’t realize that 95% of our engineering classes are taught by faculty and not teaching assistants,” Prince said. “I think this is definitely one of the reasons why the school is so successful.”

Prince said that the majority of professors receive grants from the school for their research and use students to assist them in their work. For this reason, the students are able to enrich their understanding of the subject.

On Wednesday, all 35 campers, the professors, and the RA’s visited the Harley Davidson manufacturing center in Kansas City. They watched the mechanics assemble parts and repair bikes. In the afternoon, they visited a software company in which the engineers showed the boys how they work with computer elements and architectures.

Thursday included more classroom time in which the boys made the finishing touches on their individual or team projects. On Friday, they present their work to the entire camp body. Awards will be given to the best projects by their professors.

“I got invited onto the lease the same day and I just rushed into it. I really didn’t think things through,” McGuire said.

When McGuire realized the ramifications of his decision he was forced to make a choice. He could either risk being discovered by the landlord or he could back out of the agreement, leaving his friends in a house that they could not afford. Either choice could have led to his and possibly his housemates’ eviction due to lack of payment.

In the event of an eviction due to lack of payment, a landlord must file a Forced Retainer at the county courthouse. The sheriff then serves the retainer to the tenant. If the tenant disputes the charge then the county court has eight days to set up a trial. If the tenant fails to appear for the trial the landlord is given an automatic default judgment. The Douglas county sheriff then informs the tenant of the ruling, giving him or her three days notice for the eviction. This entire process takes close to a month.

“We run about 45 Forced Retainers a month. That’s 1 ½ a day, people being forced out because of non-payment,” Robert Ebey, vice president of the Landlords of Lawrence Association, said.

A Lawrence landlord since 1976, Ebey has dealt with his share of evictions. While most of the evictions are routine every so often he encounters a difficult move out. A recent eviction left one of his properties with stacks of magazines, piles of trash, broken or unwanted appliances and a refrigerator full of food.

The former tenant had not turned off any of the utilities.

“The new tenants could not get their phone hooked because the previous tenant’s phone was still hooked up and we didn’t know what company she was with,” Ebey said. “We finally had to add a second line.”

Evictions are public record. Each month the Landlords of Lawrence Association releases a newsletter that details the previous month’s evictions.

McGuire and company won’t have to worry about appearing in that newsletter any time soon. After a consultation with Legal Services for Students it was discovered that the house did not fall in the single-family zone. McGuire was able to legally join the lease. He and his friends will be able to move in on August first.

“We definitely dodged a bullet,” he said.

The annual cross county and track camps kicked off in 100 degree weather on Sunday, raising safety concerns for participants.

The camps, held every summer, bring in primarily high school students from across Kansas and surrounding states. Adam Wetzel, Silver Lake sophomore, said that normally his mind would be on running, but this week he can’t ignore the surrounding elements.

“It’s been hot all week,” Wetzel said, sighing.

When campers arrived at the University of Kansas on Sunday it was 100°. The following days registered highs of 101°, 99°, 107° and 102° respectively. According to The Weather Channel, Wednesday’s 107° high was a record for Lawrence.

Organizers are not only concerned with cross country and track this year, but more than ever on increasing safety for the athletes, as the current temperatures could be deadly.

“We have trainers at every site prepared for anything that may come up,” Billy Steffens, Kansas Relays manager, said.

The extreme heat prompted organizers to educate the campers how to stay safe while working out in the heat.

“On Sunday, when everyone got here and before the camp even started Gatorade got up and talked about how to stay hydrated,” Steffens said.

Gatorade representatives felt it was necessary to educate the participants about the dangers of heat.

Kassidy Porter, Bolivar, Mo., high school senior said she learned what it takes to stay safe out on the track.

“I’ve been drinking lots of water, lots of Gatorade, and pouring water on myself,” Porter said.

Wetzel said that he tries to get out of the heat whenever he can.

“I drink a lot of Gatorade, stay hydrated and stay in the shade,” Wetzel said.

Patricia Denning, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center said that extreme heat can cause numerous problems for the human body. Dr. Denning said that major organs such as the kidneys, liver, and even the brain could shut down.

“People, with time, can go into various system body failures,” Dr. Denning said. “If you can not reverse the process it can be fatal.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1979 to 2002 there were 8,966 heat related deaths in the United States. During that time more people died from heat related issues than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined.

Source: Patricia Denning

Dr. Denning said that the best ways to stay safe are to stay inside, keep well hydrated and shorten workouts. According to Dr. Denning, keeping these things in mind could save your life.

Despite the hot temperatures camp organizers plan on many outside activities to keep kids active. To keep the athletes safe from the heat Gatorade is taking a leading role.

“At every site for this camp, and every other camp at KU this summer, Gatorade has a booth where they have water and Gatorade,” Steffens said.

With the Gatorade booths and medical staff at all camp sites, no heat related situations have occurred at this year’s camps. Porter said that she feels comfortable with the heat because of the watchful eye by medical personnel.

“If anyone even hints that they are thirsty or feel dizzy they help them out,” Porter said.
According to Steffens, while at the cross country and track camps, participants learn the fundamentals of running, breaking from the blocks, and how to jump hurdles. Throughout the years interest in the camp has fluctuated and peaked this year at 70 athletes. Overnight campers pay $395 and day campers pay $295.

"If someone has talent, that is the least of the city's problems," said Smith, Lawrence resident and employee at Aimee's. "But beggars who aren't talented don't help. You walk by and it sounds horrible."

Many residents who live in the apartments above the shops on Massachusetts Street don't mind the noise on weekends. But the noise doesn't stop after the weekends. The guitars, singing and turntables are disrupting their sleep during the week as well.

"We've always had problems with that type of thing downtown," said Kim Murphree, spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department.

The musicians who enjoy playing music after dark have a different point of view. Shawn Bedient, Lawrence resident, plays his guitar outside the Love Garden every night from about 9 p.m. until 2:30 a.m.

"When people do get upset they usually just say, 'Hey, man, people are trying to sleep,'" Bedient said. "The police usually just drive on by."

Bedient does, however, modify his act to appease the residents.

"I try to sing before midnight. I don't jam out too late," he said. "Usually it's the singing that bothers people. I can play my guitar real quiet and that doesn't bother anyone."

The music can also be linked to downtown Lawrence's satmosphere.

"If you had talented street musicians it would creaty an atrsy, chic atmosphere," said William Czardeaux, Lawrence resident. "But there are good musicians and there are bad musicians."

Czardeaux adds that panhandlers that play music don't add to the atmosphere.

"It's all about disfunctional people," he said. "You don't know where your money is going."

This fall, renters should be wary of their neighborhood. The bar scene on Massachusetts Street can be inviting, but you may be asking for numerous sleepless night. Smith adds that you can't be too cautious when choosing an apartment.

Kansas has seven dry mill ethanol plants producing 65 million bushels of sorghum and corn into ethanol fuel annually, according to ksgrains.com.

“The industry will double in the next couple of years,” said Steven McNinch, Western Plains Energy LLC plant manager.

Kansas corn production totaled 465.8 million bushels in 2005, ranking the state seventh among other corn producing states, according to the Kansas Corn Growers Association.

The grain market will grow as ethanol production expands. A larger market means a larger demand for corn and grains, boosting farming profits, according to Sue Schulte, Kansas Corn Growers Association communication director.

Growers near newer plants, like Western Plains in Oakley and East Kansas Agri Energy near Garnett, negotiated with corporate administration to invest in the plants before completion, Schulte said.

This trend will continue as new plants develop.

Arkalon Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Conestoga plans to build another plant near Liberal next year, according to Schulte.

“This is a benefit for growers to invest in a value-added venture,” Schulte said.

Initially plants requested $10,000 per investor, or group to buy into the plant.
As the industry grows, the cost to invest will rise, according to Schulte.

When ethanol is made, the starch from the grain is fermented into sugar and distilled into alcohol.

After the distillation process two other products remain: distillers grain and carbon dioxide, said McNinch.

The distillers grain is a concentrated livestock feed that is mixed with other grains or food and given to animals, according to Kyle Larson, Pretty Prairie corn farmer.

There are two types of ethanol fuel mixtures, E10 and E85. E10 is made from 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol. E85 is newer and is made from 85 percent ethanol, according to Larson.

The E10 mixture is found throughout most Kansas Towns. There are seven gas stations selling E10 ethanol gasoline in Lawrence, according to ksgrains.com.

Ethanol fits well in Kansas because the state holds substantial farming and livestock industries. The distillers grain that is left behind when ethanol is distilled is a good source of feed for Kansas livestock farmers, according to Larson.

But ethanol is only a quick fix for the nation's dependence on oil, Larson said. Because most vehicles are not designed to run on E85 ethanol, only a portion of gasoline consumption is taken away with the use of ethanol.

Alex Wiebel, Allen, Texas junior, thinks he may be putting his future on the line by not accepting an unpaid television internship this fall at KSNT in Topeka. Being an out of state student, the price to receive credit from the University of Kansas for an internship is just too expensive to justify.

For many students like Wiebel, internships are not worth the money anymore, however, after being alerted to the situation Lindy Eakin, vice provost for administration and finance said his office is willing to look at financial solutions for students.

“I think if the model is changing, then we have to look at a financial structure that makes sense,” Eakin
said.

Eakin said one possibility is for out-of-state students to pay in-state tuition for internships. This would save an out-of-state student almost $300 per credit hour of internship.

According to The New York Times, some universities across the country are trying to provide financial support for internships. Although Eakin said it is a good idea, he said it must be done through the individual schools.

“Professional schools are perhaps in a better position than say the college,” Eakin said. “It is the school’s responsibility to raise as much money as possible through fundraising and corporate sponsors to help students pay for internships.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, charging students per credit hour is nothing new for universities across the country. As in the case of Wiebel, the steep price to work for free is a strong deterrent from taking on an unpaid internship.

“I just don’t think it is fair for me to pay the same amount of money for an internship off campus as an English class at KU,” Wiebel said.

Source: New York Times

According to a recent New York Times article, half of all internships are unpaid. Patty Noland, career development coordinator for the School of Journalism, said paid internships are the way to go, but in journalism, getting one is easier said than done.

“The broadcast industry doesn’t pay their interns,” Noland said. “Not only do they not pay, but they require proof you are getting credit.”

Noland said that getting credit for internships is being fueled by two things: student reliability and legal liability. Labor laws are forcing many companies to either pay their interns or, in most cases, require them to receive academic credit. In order to receive credit students pay regular credit per hour rates, which Noland said is fair.

The School of Business offers credit for unpaid internships also, however, Jennifer Jordan, director of the business career center said it is unlikely for students to ever need to.

“Based on the internships reported to the school, 87.5 percent of our students receive compensation for interning,” Jordan said.

Source: University of Kansas Registrar

According the University of Kansas’s web site, an in-state undergraduate student pays $160.80 per credit hour for internships. For an out of state student, such as Wiebel, internship credit costs $442.55 per credit. For a normal two-hour television internship, which in the journalism school means 80 hours of work at an internship, Wiebel would have to pay $885.10 plus gas mileage to and from work. Students can only receive two hours of credit from the university, which makes any work over 80 hours only volunteer work.

Eakin said that paying for internships has not been a big issue.

“No one has made an issue of it,” Eakin said. “If you go back 20 years, most of the internships were paid and in the summer, so it wasn’t really an issue.”

Noland, Eakin, and Jordan all said that internships are too important to a student’s future for economic standing to discourage them from taking one.

“Internships are extremely important,” Jordan said. “They are the number one thing that employers look for when students graduate.”

Noland said that internships are a way for students to strengthen their resume, and more importantly, figure out if they really want a job like their internship.

“If they get there and figure out this isn’t what I want to do, that’s ok,” Noland said. “Now, let me go figure out what I really want to do.”

Jordan said that even though the price of an internship may seem high, students must remember that the university still has expenses when students take internships for credit.

“It requires a process,” Jordan said. “We have to hire someone to oversee the internships, grade the papers, and manage the paperwork.”

According to the New York Times, students hoping to do internships are on the rise. The 62 percent of students hoping to do an internship this summer, increased from 41 percent last summer.

As for Wiebel, he is holding out for a job in the broadcast business. He only hopes that his experience at KU’s television station is enough for someone to take a chance on him.

The first full day of camp began with breakfast from 8 a.m. to 8:30, followed by an indoor technical skills session that lasted the rest of the morning. In the afternoon attendees participated in a tactical skills session outdoors. After an hour break for dinner they were broken up into teams and scrimmaged on Super Target Field from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Attendees were divided into groups corresponding to their age and ability.

“Most of the groups now have been set where the girls will be challenged based on their ability relative to the rest of the group,” Mark Francis, University of Kansas soccer coach and camp director, said.

While the fundamentals of the game and skill building exercises are emphasized through training and scrimmages, those in attendance hoping to play soccer on the collegiate level, the prospect of recruitment weighs heavy.

“I talked to a lot of trainers and they said a lot of coaches come here,” said Stephanie Rogers, first-time attendee.

Rogers’ parents, Ed and Jerilyn watched on as she scrimmaged.

“I’m hoping that there will be a lot of good soccer players down here so that she can get some good competition,” Jerilyn said. “And hopefully get a good look from a coach,” Ed added.

Coaches on-hand for the camp include Mark Francis, head coach for the University of Kansas; Tim Collins, head coach for Washburn University; Kat Conner, head coach for Texas State University and Mike Cook, head coach for the University of Central Oklahoma.

Coach Francis was quick to say that some of the women here are definitely playing at a collegiate level and that the increase in attendance over previous camps was largely because of increased interest from high school players.

“A lot of our recruits that we’ve signed we’ve gotten from camp,” Francis said.

Team captain Michelle Rasmussen is an example of the camp’s recruiting power. From a small club team in South Dakota, University of Kansas recruiters noticed Rasmussen during her attendance to one of the summer camps.

“Camp’s a great atmosphere for us recruiting mainly because we get to see them in many different atmospheres—camps, games, and we get to see them several times in one day,” said Kelly Miller, assistant soccer coach for the University of Kansas.

For the hopeful athletes and parents the presence of schools from both Division I and Division II provide more options for recruitment.

“If you’re not right for Division I you might be right for Division II and there’s junior colleges. It’s easier to find what you’re looking for,” said Hannah Groom, goalkeeper.

This marked Groom’s third University of Kansas Soccer Camp. During the camp she hoped to improve her general foot skills and perfect her diving technique.

“I’ve been to other camps. It’s just not as fun. The coaches just don’t seem to care as much. And I don’t get sunburned lips here,” she said.

Thursday morning meant a little more work for the recent Lawrence High School graduate, who had to make deliveries of his home-grown honey to several retailers later that day, but that was just fine with him.

“Anthony started out doing bees as a hobby because he saw a video at school…we put him off for a while, but he was really insistent so we got him a couple beehives,” said Tony Schwager, Anthony’s father.

“He's 19 now and he has some developmental disabilities that prevent him from having a lot of different career choices. He's kind of latched onto this and he's doing real well,” he added.

To some, honey is nothing but a natural sweetener. But more and more, people are discovering its beneficial and medicinal alter-egos—and demand is going through the roof.

The most popular use, many say, is for the alleviation of allergies. Since honey is created from the pollens of flowers, some believe regular consumption of local honey conditions the body for the flowering season against allergens, like an all-natural vaccine.

Charla Welch, 25, of Lawrence, uses a tablespoon with tea a day, and the results, she says have really paid off.

“I bought the generic version of Claritin D, but that was still around $30 a month,” she said. “I tried a regular antihistimine, one without Sudafed, and it finally works…a month supply for around $10.”

“With a bottle of honey that lasts almost 2 months, it's still less than half compared to what I spent on Sudafed,” she said. (Anthony’s costs $3).

Tony says while selling his honey bears at the Lawrence Farmer’s Market, many people have mentioned using honey for medicinal purposes.

“People are a lot more educated about honey than you think,” he said. “There are a lot of claims that are not proven because the folks with the money and the means to prove them are usually the drug companies, and they don't want to prove that something else can work.”

While the honey bears are still their best sellers, the Schwagers many other products are getting the most attention as the bee market continues to swarm. Beeswax lip balm, spicy-honey beef jerky, and multi-flavored honey straws to name a few.

Tony said Anthony’s products are now being sold in over 60 stores including Walgreens, Checkers, Miller-Mart and Zarco, and 40 other stores have signed on including the University Book Shop, KU Bookstores, and Hyvee.

With all that business, Tony says, they can hardly keep up.

“The amount of hives we have hovers around 60,” he said. “Sometimes you find a hive that died. Or you might combine two hives, or split two hives, or you might catch a swarm. The goal is to get a lot more. To keep expanding what we're doing.”

Still, while Anthony’s products are buzzing in some of Lawrence’s largest retail stores, he prefers the smaller local Farmer’s Market.

“His favorite thing seems to be dealing with the customers at market,” Tony said. “He really likes to go to market, dealing with the other vendors, and dealing with the customers. He's really important to the market.”

“He's about famous in Lawrence, we go to a restaurant and people go, ‘Oh hey you're the honey guy!’ or ‘Hey, you’re Anthony!’” added his father, smiling at him.

While they say the business is still new, the Schwager family, which includes Anthony, his father Tony and mother Teri, brothers Adam and Brandon and sister Mariah, produces approximately 3,000 pounds of honey a year. With about 60 hives, each containing about 50,000 European/Italian bees, Anthony expects to harvest 100 pounds from each of them “on a good year.”

Honey is harvested once a year, Tony says, usually starting after the fourth of July and finishing up before Labor Day.

“The bears I make now are really light in color,” Tony said. “Honey tends to get a little darker when it sits, especially when it sits in plastic. We like to have nice light fresh honey.”

“Anthony's disability is just not going to allow him to do some stuff, so he's got a deal here all set up where he can do something he really enjoys, make a good living, have some dignity and be important,” said Tony.

Last year, Anthony was one of the National Foundation of Teaching’s Entrepreneurs of the Year, which won both him and his parents a trip to New York.

“Also,” his father added, “he always has the best honey at the fair.”

Students attend the Freshman Summer Institute (FSI) to get a head start in their college careers but also learn important social skills and friendships throughout.

“Since it is such a small group of people, we have gotten a lot closer in a month than a lot of people do in a year,” Sarah Gelvin, FSI participant, said. “You spend so much time together that you really get to know people and you can’t be fake around each other and put on a front because you are here so much with all of them that [the front] all kind of goes away and you get to know the real person.”

FSI, which costs $2,100 for in-state students and $3,500 for out-of-state, is a one month pre-college experience where incoming freshman take five credit hours of an Orientation Seminar and a chosen class while living in the residence halls.

Though students go to class every day, much of the learning happens outside of the classroom setting.

“The biggest social adjustment comes in the residence halls; living with each other, being around people on the floor, figuring out what that means and the different personalities,” Diann Burright, FSI coordinator, said.

Participants live with at least one more person on the 6th and 7th floors of Lewis Hall. They are required to do community service, such as cleaning a park, and attend weekly meetings.

But most of the student’s time is spent doing homework, making late-night runs to a fast food restaurant or hanging out with each other.

Because participants spend so much time together, strong friendships develop during FSI.

“I’ve met quite a good group of people,” Carlo Ramirez, a FSI participant said. “Some people are just seasons in my life which will just come and go but I think I met a couple of people here that I see myself hanging out with especially during the school year.”

Ramirez said he decided to leave California to attend KU because he wanted to get a full college experience in a town where the college would be a main part of it.

He said that his first few weeks in Kansas were hard because coming from California to Kansas was a big culture shock in terms of the difference in diversity.

Interacting with people involved and through other with FSI has changed Ramirez’s perspective.

“I come from a pretty strong Mexican background and most of my friends are Mexican and coming here was so hard because it is pretty much all white,” Ramirez said. “But you just learn to see the good in everyone, I guess, you don’t see race so much as a big factor, you see people for who they are.”

FSI not only helps students meet new people but it also lets students get familiar with the campus, bus routes, and dining halls.

Burright, who is also a freshman advisor, said that most incoming freshman worry about whether they will have any friends or if they will look silly more than what college classes will be like.

“We’ve been here for three weeks and we already feel miles ahead of the freshman we see walking around during orientation.” Alex Pugh, a member of the FSI, said.

Though, Burright said that most students really enjoy the program, only 80 freshmen out of the 3,885 expected for fall semester attended either one of the two sessions.

Burright sees the institute as mainly an opportunity for students to get rid of the anxieties that going to college could cause.

“FSI is a great way to share an experience with people who are in the same boat,” Burright said. “Everybody here is an incoming freshman student; everybody here doesn’t know how everything works; everybody here, hopefully, wants to do well in college so [FSI] would be a good way to kind of get a jump start on some of that.”

Student Monitor, in its recent biannual market research report, said that 73 percent of college students said IPods, a portable music player, were more “in” than beer. This popularity increased from 59 percent in 2004 to 73 percent in 2005.

This same research also showed that 87 percent of all students own a laptop and 79 percent of all students own a cellular phone.
The popularity of these portable devices is no longer just for entertainment but can now be used for academics as well. Universities like Michigan, Stanford, Drexel, and Duke have started putting lectures, campus updates, and news on campus podcasts.

Podcasts are downloadable programs that are content specific to the listener’s interests. Students that either miss class or want to review class material can update their IPod on the university server and download the information they need straight to their IPod.

Tyler Davis, an employee of The Tech Shop in the University of Kansas Bookstore, said that students are much more dependent on technology today. From their IPods and cell phones to their laptops, students want to be as portable as possible.

“Whatever I can make portable, I do. I need that stuff with me to communicate with my peers and other people. Running back to the dorms to plug in my cell phone because it has gone dead and I have nowhere to charge it is really annoying. I need my phone with me. It is how I talk with people,” said Davis.

The need for more portability in charging is sending the cell phone and portable technology industry into an inventive whirlwind in order to satisfy the needs of the consumer.

“We carry car chargers and outlet dependent chargers for IPods and cell phones. We have portable speaker systems for the IPod and car stereo hook-ups to play your IPod in your car, but in terms of portable charging, the best we thing we offer are car chargers,” said Davis.

Two companies have taken major steps in developing completely portable chargers, no outlet needed.

Energizer released a charger that will give a standard cell phone 50 minutes of talk time or three hours of stand-by time. The charger costs $17.99 on average plus the cost for batteries. The chargers require four AAA batteries in order to operate. The cost for a four pack of AAA batteries is around $7-$10 at Wal-Mart. The Energizer device, while convenient for cell phone users, is limited to cell phones.

Another company, More Energy in Lod, Israel, has developed a portable charger that is the first of its kind. The charger is completely dependent of batteries, outlets, etc and it chargers more than just cell phones.

The device is a fuel cell recharging pack that will charge IPods, handheld PlayStations, cell phones, and other small devices. These chargers are expected to hit the US market sometime in 2007 according to More Energy.

The charger works off of a chemical reaction that creates electricity. The charger takes only a squeeze to create the reaction. Prices for this charger are expected to be between $20 and $25. The device chargers an IPod for 60-80 hours of music and provides three 10-hour runs for a standard cell phone according to More Energy. Each portable charger is predicted to last two months before the chemical reactors die out.

“If they are inexpensive, I would definitely buy one. They seem so much more convenient than a house charger or a car charger. Just to have it as an option will be a relief because students carry so many things now and I know I rely on mine,” said Miranda Soper, a senior at KU.

John Houghton, another KU senior, said, “I would definitely throw one in my backpack for emergencies. I live in Kansas City and commute to Lawrence during school, so I need my cell phone charged at all times. Plus, I use my IPod all the time and I hate it when it dies in the middle of the day. These fuel cell chargers sound cool.”

Smiles spread across their faces as one student said, “None of us watch TV. We don’t have time for that.”

Despite their circumstances, these students were determined to reach medical school. And that meant studying instead of watching TV.

These fifteen students were chosen to participate in the KU Medical Center's Health Careers Pathways Program, which gives minority and rural students a head start in the journey to medical school.

Without the program, most of the students would not make it to medical school.

“It has given me the opportunity to explore the medical world in more depth and to be at KU Med Center more frequently, whereas where I’m from I wouldn’t have had that type of opportunity,” said Victoria Faulkner, a junior at KU from Junction City who attended level two of the program this summer. “Without this program, medical school would probably be just a little dream I had.”

The students meet doctors who become their mentors throughout their education.

Yvonne Kamau, a sophomore at Johnson County Community College, has attended both level one and level two of the program. Last year, she met an obstetrician/gynecologist who invited her to visit his clinic and to see childbirth.

“We became kind of cool, you know,” Kamau said. “Being able to talk to a doctor like that and have that kind of network, that’s amazing. I know that if I didn’t attend this program I wouldn’t have those kind of people around me to help me and encourage me in what I want to do in life.”

Closing the gap

In 2004, the American Medical Association reported that black doctors account for just 2.3 percent and Hispanics for 3.2 percent. In 2001, 65.4 percent of medical school graduates where white.

Not only does the Pathways Program give minority students a chance at changing these statistics, but it helps to stop differences in minority health care by increasing the number of minorities that make it to medical school.

Of the Pathways Program’s graduates, 85 percent get into medical school. Each year, that accounts for 42 minority students joining the medical field that would otherwise not have had the chance to do so.

“We’re really trying to prepare students to become great health care practitioners in the future,” said Ashley Devilbiss, associate director of the program.

The Health Careers Pathways Program has been funded for 13 years by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, and the KU Medical Center. It is free for students, including housing, reimbursement for travel and $40 a day for food.

The program recently lost its funding, but the Senate appropriations committee is currently looking at a bill that will renew the grant.

Preparing for the future

The program is open to residents of rural area and minority students with a 3.0 grade point average. Program directors try to choose Kansas residents but a few are from out of state. They can accept 50 students for the eight-week program. This year, there were over 160 applications.

For many students, their living conditions at home make studying difficult. While living in the dormitories and attending the Pathways Program, students can escape their hectic home life, meet study partners and focus on their dreams.

“My advisor at school wanted me to come here because my science grades weren’t very good,” said Carissa Hie, a junior at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. “The things at home are the things that affect my grades.”

Within the program, there are three divisions. Level one of the Health Sciences Enrichment Institute caters to high school graduates, while level two caters to sophomores or juniors in college. In these two levels the students take introductory versions of classes like organic chemistry, physics and biology, as well as study skills classes, in an effort to prepare the students to take the same classes at their respective colleges.

“Those are pretty tough classes and it’s nice to be able to be exposed to that material before I take it at school because I’ll have an advantage over the other students,” said Lindsay Allan, a sophomore at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

The Pre-Admissions Program is the third level. It helps seniors in college apply to medical school and study for the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT. Throughout each level, students conduct mock-interviews and practice writing essays for the medical school application in an effort to simplify the application process.
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Residents of The Reserve off of 31st and Iowa are frustrated with maintenance issues and are hoping that the upcoming year will bring changes. The Reserve took over the management of this apartment complex in summer 2005 when Jefferson Commons,...

Stacey Couch Residents of The Reserve off of 31st and Iowa are frustrated with maintenance issues and are hoping that the upcoming year will bring changes.

The Reserve took over the management of this apartment complex in summer 2005 when Jefferson Commons, a student living community, sold the property. Since the switch, management has been fighting maintenance issues and upset tenants.
“When we moved into our apartment at The Reserve, our microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, washing machine and stove were all broken. We didn’t move in until August 16,2005 so they had two weeks to take care of this stuff and didn’t. Once we got in there, we put in maintenance requests for all of those items and everything except the microwave and stove where taken care of within 24 hours. We ended up having to threaten to turn them into the city to get our stove and microwave replaced and that didn’t take place until three months after we moved in,” said Gretchen Wieland, a resident at The Reserve.

The Reserve staff has began making changes to provide more efficient maintenance in the upcoming year.

“In order to provide quicker service, our maintenance team has gotten HVAC certified so that we will not need to rely on an outside vendor to fix heating and air conditioning units,” said The Reserves Director of Community Operations, Kelli Sheuerman.

Current residents said they just want to be considered when a maintenance request has been put in.

“I understand it isn’t a big deal in the grand scale of things, but I can’t eat at my apartment without a microwave or stove. That is important to me. It should have never taken three months for that to be fixed. However, other than the maintenance issues we had at the beginning, living here has been great. I really like it. I just want them to be more considerate of the living conditions that the residents are dealing with. Not having a microwave is a big deal to me,” said Wieland.

Currently, the complex considers any water issue an emergency as well as heating and air conditioning issues during certain temperatures.

“We have been working on changing our reputation that we had with the former management in all aspects, including maintenance. Feedback has indicated that our residents really appreciate the efforts we have put in. Unfortunately, appliances, air conditioners and such are not guaranteed and we will always battle these issues although we hope to complete these repair/replacements quickly and communicate with residents when something has to be ordered,”said Sheuerman.

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Caption Charts and graphs are great tools for presenting data within your story. They provide you with an opportunity to use some creativity in the design process to spruce up the visual appeal of your story. David Letterman has...

Barton Vandever

Caption

Charts and graphs are great tools for presenting data within your story. They provide you with an opportunity to use some creativity in the design process to spruce up the visual appeal of your story. David Letterman has a recurring bit about charts and graphs that provides a good jumping off point for this section.

Using Excel can be quite tricky, so you can check out help documentation (PDFs) available through Academic Computing Services for additional help.

If you still find yourself lost, keep in mind there are free Microsoft Excel classes offered through Academic Computing Services.

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New Bally Total Fitness’ Martial Arts Cardio Dance class combines Capoeira, a 500-year-old Afro-Brazilian martial art created by slaves, with aerobics exercises. But people who practice the art believe the new class falls short.

Alaide Vilchis-Ibarra New Bally Total Fitness’ Martial Arts Cardio Dance class combines Capoeira, a 500-year-old Afro-Brazilian martial art created by slaves, with aerobics exercises. But people who practice the art believe the new class falls short.

“Capoeira is not just an exercise; it is not a martial; it’s not a dance; it’s not music; it is everything,” Tucano, KU Capoeira club instructor, said. “Pulling little bits and pieces away form it loses everything because they are all inter-connected. They make Capoeira a whole.”

Because capoeira had to be disguised as a dance, it includes traditional capoeira music which requires the participation of everyone present and uses flowing movements which require strength, flexibility and balance.

Bally’s class was developed by Mestre Boneco, a Capoeira master, and consists of basic Capoeira movements, such as round kicks, paired up with up-beat Brazilian music and typical aerobics exercises. Though Boneco Capoeira is only offered in selected cities at the moment, there are two Capoeira groups in Kansas City.

According to the Boneco’s website, the class was created specifically for American audiences and seeks to spread Brazilian culture.

Some, however, think that changing capoeira it is not the way to make it grow.

“You have to give capoeira time to grow and spread throughout the community naturally instead altering it and trying to speed up that transition.” Maracuja, a member of Grupo Axe Capoeira, said. “There is always a quick fix; there is always a quick answer but in this case they are making it grow too fast.”

However, Bally Total Fitness sees the class as a great opportunity.

“The addition of Boneco Capoeira to our exercise roster is the latest in our continuous effort to provide our members with exciting and innovative ways to stay active and healthy.” Norris Tomlison, Director of Group Exercise at Bally Total Fitness, said in an interview to Business Wire.

To Capoeristas- people who practice capoeira- like Maracuja, think that Boneco Capoeira is mainly driven by the economic reasons, he said.

Some compare what is happening with Capoeira to Tai-Bo, which combined Tai Kwon Do movements with dance and boxing, and see a similar future for Capoeira.

“This will probably be popular for a while and then pass just like any other Hollywood fad exercises,” Tucano said.

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