The student voice since 1904 Kansas faces Wichita State 5K honors late athletic director Jayhawks hope to redeem their weekend losses against Texas Tech. SPORTS | 1B Race proceeds go toward the Dr. Bob Frederick Scholarship fund. CHARITY | 2A TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010 WWW.KANSAN.COM VOluME 121 issue 144 disabled BY CARNEZ WILLIAMS [email protected] Matt Shoreman steers his electric-powered wheelchair through the front doors of his dorm and past the corner of 15th Street and Engel Road as he races down the hill toward his 8 a.m. philosophy class in Wescoe 3140. It starts in 10 minutes. As he crosses the intersection at 15th and Naismith, Matt, a sophomore from Hays, pushes full speed toward the paved stretch between Budig and Marvin Halls — only five minutes away from Wescoe. lifeHow four Matt motors up Wescoe’s wheelchair ramp, only to be foiled by a set of heavy glass doors he can’t open. This entrance has no handicap-accessible buttons or automatic door openers, so he patiently waits outside, knowing he will be late unless someone students sees him and opens the door. Although Matt has learned to cope with frustration, these moments remind him of conquered the price he pays to be a Jayhawk. Matt became a partial quadriplegic after an accident on a playground damaged his campus, spine when he was 6 months old. Like Matt, students with physical disabilities at the University face challenges in navigating hills and old buildings and getting to class on time. The three students who have self-identified with KU Disability Resources as despite having mobility problems don’t reflect the total number of students who encounter these barriers on campus. steep hills, For Carmen Thomas, who was born without arms, getting to class means having to rely on a bus service that often makes her late to class. For Shannon Curry, who crumbling is legally blind, that means getting lost on campus or being unable to find buildings, offices and classrooms. For Brian Smith, who has cerebral palsy, it means attending buildings rigorous physical therapy twice a week just to cope with the physical strain of walking to and from class. Overcoming these problems seems as simple as providing more automatic door openers, wheelchair entrances and a more efficient para transit service, but it’s com - plicated by the state’s shrinking budget and the high cost of retrofitting buildings protected by historic preservation, backlogged renovations and construction and the steep topography of the campus. Photo by Howard Ting/KANSAN Matt Shoreman, a sophomore from Hays, zooms to his 8 a.m. class at a peak speed of 8 miles per hour. SEE ABLEHAWKS on paGE 4A Shoreman’s electric wheelchair was built especially tough to handle the bumps and hills of Lawrence. ENVIRONMENT HEALTH Pollen count reaches record high, severe allergies intrude on daily life BY ERIN BROWN [email protected] It’s mid-afternoon and Jessie Damman’s head is throbbing as she struggles to see through her itchy, watery eyes. Her blurred vision, sneezing and headache make concentrating on school dif- ficult. “The last couple weeks I’ve been miserable,” said Damman, a junior from Topeka. Damman usually manages her spring allergies with over-the- Tanner Grubbs/KANSAN counter medications. But this Anna Archer, a sophomore from McPherson, center, directs an activity for grade school students during a tour of the Baker Wetlands in Law- spring, her symptoms have been rence. Archer is a member of Environs, a student-led environmental advocacy group at KU. much worse. Photo illustration by Jerry Wang/KANSAN “Usually Benadryl works, but This season’s pollen count is 100 times more than its level last year, a record 8,000 particles per it hasn’t recently,” Damman said. cubic meter. As the season progresses and temperatures rise, allergens will continue to emerge. “I’ve been taking 12-hour Claritin and it works for maybe four weather, pollen counts have hit no one can predict the severity of Students lead nature tours a near historic high of 8,000 — allergens in a given season, and hours.” Damman said she’s allergic to about 100 times higher than has the drastic increase of pollen this Archer paused and pointed to a students have volunteered with pollen and blooming trees. ever been recorded, Frick said. spring is relatively unknown. Wetlands walks turtle sunbathing in the Baker Wetland Learners, a program at Allergies are common in Increased pollen particles cause Debbie Bolden, a nurse at Wetlands. Setting aside two hours Lawrence elementary schools springtime when flowers bloom worse symptoms for those already Watkins Memorial Health Center, give kids new of the day, Archer and other KU that introduces kids to the wet- and fill the air with pollen. This struggling with allergies. Others said one reason for the increase students will lead more groups lands south of Lawrence. The spring, however, pollen counts have experienced symptoms for could be the sudden change from just like this one on a nature walk program approached environ- are at record levels and causing the first time this spring. a really cold winter to tempera- ways to learn through the nature area today. mental groups on campus such as more severe symptoms, said Dr. “It’s higher right now than it has tures in the 70s and 80s. “Our goal is to show them how Environs, asking for their assis- Warren Frick of Asthma, Allergy been in a long time,” Frick said. “Everything is flourishing,” BY BRENNA LONG to interact with nature,” Archer, tance in leading the tours. & Rheumatology Associates in “Some patients feel like they’ve Bolden said. “The trees and plants [email protected] a sophomore from McPherson, Students have led five teaching Lawrence. never had allergies before, and are all blooming at once and pro- said. “We want to get them excit- sessions and plan to do four more Typical pollen counts for this bam! they just have it this year.” ducing pollen.” Followed by a line of bub- ed about it.” time of year are between 80 and This is the worst allergy season bling second graders, Anna This is the first semester KU 100 particles per cubic meter. Frick has seen during his 20 years SEE WETLANDS on paGE 3A Since the emergence of warm of practice in Lawrence. He said SEE ALLERGIES on paGE 3A index weather Classifieds. 8A Opinion. 7A Editorial: Loss of faculty TODAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Crossword. 6A Sports. 1B Horoscopes. 6A Sudoku. 6A members will be felt 67 42 75 58 78 50 As staff leave for new jobs, students should wish them luck. OPINION | 7A Partly cloudy Partly cloudy/wind Isolated t-storms/wind All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan — weather.com 2A / NEWS / TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM QUOTE OF THE DAY — Tuesday, April 27, 2010 “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” Kansas softball vs. Texas Tech Kansas tennis vs. Baylor — Agnes Sligh Turnbull Do you have secret desires Featured to be the KU mascot? photo Tryouts for Big Jay and Baby Jay are next Friday and galleries FACT OF THE DAY Saturday. There are some kansan.com specific height require- The oldest age recorded for a dog is ments, though. Big Jay has 29 years and 5 months. to be between 6-foot and See photos from the weekend matchup against Texas Tech. See photos from Sunday’s matchup against No. 2 Baylor. The 6-foot-3 and Baby Jay has to — purpleslinky.com The Jayhawks fell to the Red Raiders 4-2 and 4-1 Sunday Jayhawks were overwhelmed by the Bears and lost 7-0. be between 4-foot-11 and afternoon. 5-foot-1. wednesday THURSDAY FRIDAY April 28 April 29 April 30 n Student Union Activities will host its Tunes n Pianist Daniel Cunha will perform from n The University Career Center will hold its at Noon music performance series at noon in 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Swarthout Recital Hall in “Just in Time” Career Fair from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. front of the Kansas Union. Murphy Hall as part of the KU School of Music’s on the fifth floor of the Kansas Union. Employ- Student Recital Series. ers with open internships and full-time jobs will be present. n Elif Andac, assistant professor of sociology, will present the lecture, “Understanding the n The KU School of Music will present the Bass What’s going on today? Dynamics of Assimilation and Diversity in Studio Recital from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Room n The KU Bookstore will hold a sidewalk sale outside of the Kansas Union from 10 a.m. to Nation-Building: A Case from Southeastern n 118 of Murphy Hall. Science on Tap will host a discussion titled, “What the 4 p.m. The sale will be held in the fourth floor Turkey,” at noon in 706 Fraser. Old Bones Say: Fossils, feathers, and flight.” KU pale- lobby in the case of inclement weather. ontologist David Burnham will discuss what scientists have learned about birds and flight, based on the fossil record. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the Free State Brew- ing Company and the discussion begins at 7:30. SaturdAY SUNDAY MONDAY May 1 May 2 May 3 n The KU Graduate Student Awards Ceremony will take place in the Kansas Room at the Kansas Union from 3:30 n Delta Epsilon Iota will host a round robin n The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences n Composer Tim Patterson will perform from to 5 p.m.