Fall Issue August 18, 2011

ON THE

The students’ voice since 1901 • Vol. 111 No. 1 • Thursday, August 18, 2011 • Check us out online

Interim Pres.

Flentje has deep roots at Emporia State Interim president Flentje has deep roots on campus When he took over as interim president in July, H. Edward Flentje already had a history with Emporia State.

A 1964 education-mathematics and physical science graduate and member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity at the time, Flentje said he was highly influenced by the atmosphere and faculty at the university.

“I care about Emporia State,” Flentje said. “The university faculty and staff here made a difference in my life.”

Flentje was also a member of the 2010 class of Distinguished Alumni and has been a professor at Wichita State University’s Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs since 1979. He also served as interim city manager for the City of Wichita in 2008 and served in the cabinets of two Kansas governors, Robert Bennett and Mike Hayden, and worked for U.S. Senator Jim Pearson.

Currently, Flentje is on a leave of absence from WSU, but he will continue to teach a Wednesday night class while he serves as ESU’s interim president. Flentje will not be a presidential candidate but will return to WSU once his commitment to ESU is fulfilled in January.

Flentje said that he would like for faculty, staff and students to know that he is “one of them.”

“Most of my experience over the last 30-some years has been as a faculty member, and hopefully I understand a little bit about that role and the importance of it,” Flentje said. “I came here 51 years ago, a small town kid… and this was a good environment for me, a very hospitable environment.”

Flentje’s full resume can be found on the Kansas Board of Regents’ website at kansasregents.com.

The Bulletin office has temporarily relocated to the basement of Memorial Union.

Phone: 341-5202 Campus Box 4068

Clothier takes over as interim president of Foundation L uke B ohannon bohannon@esubulletin.com Tim Clothier of Topeka will serve as interim president of the ESU Foundation. Judith Heasley, who became president and CEO of the Foundation in 2007, stepped down last spring.

“We’re fortunate to have Tim in this capacity,” said Ken Hush, Foundation chair, in a press release. “He has a sincere passion for ESU and the local Emporia community. His past leadership roles with the ESU Foundation and Alumni Association provide him with a comprehensive knowledge of where ESU has been and where it’s going.”

Clothier plans to continue to further the work of the ESU Foundation

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esubulletin.com

Ch-Ch-Changes With Lane gone, presidential search begins K enzie T empleton editor@esubulletin.com The search for a new Emporia State president is under way after Michael Lane unexpectedly announced his resignation in May. Lane, who was selected by the Kansas Board of Regents as Emporia State’s 15th President, began his presidency Nov. 1, 2006.

His last day as president was June 30, making his tenure a bit more than four and one-half years.

The Kansas Board of Regents named H. Edward Flentje, a professor at Wichita State University’s Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, as interim president. An ESU presidential search committee, headed by former regent Deryl Wynn, is expected to complete its work by the end of the year.

Lane announced his resignation via a mass email to campus.

“When I interviewed with another campus over fall break last year, it was because I was nominated, and I was curious about the opportunity on a campus that was private,” Lane wrote in the BuzzIn annoucement. “The act of visiting the other campus, however, has caused many to question my commitment to ESU.” Lane was named a finalist in the presidential search at Millikin University at Decatur, Ill. last fall, but ultimately withdrew his name from the running.

Vanessa Lamoreaux, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Board of Regents, declined comment Thursday when asked by The Bulletin on whether Lane was asked to resign. ESU Provost Tes Mehring said the administration had no indication of Lane’s decision to step down prior to the BuzzIn announcement.

Mehring said Lane’s presidential candidacy at another campus may have been a suggestion that Lane was planning to move on from ESU, but her personal belief is that Lane was not necessarily looking for employment elsewhere.

“I think that happened to be an opportunity that came along that he was heavily recruited

H. Edward Flentje, a 1964 ESU grad, took the helm as interim president in July. Flentje was appointed by the Kansas Board of Regents after former president Michael Lane announced his resignation last May. Kenzie Templeton/The Bulletin

for,” Mehring said. She added that Lane may have been attracted to the culture of a private school over a public institution.

When asked for an interview with The Bulletin, Lane responded the following in an email on Aug. 9: “I am not available for this week or most of next week due to off campus commitments. I am happy to discuss the future. My press release gave all the information on my resignation.”

The Bulletin was unable to obtain an interview with Lane before press time on Wednesday.

Last week Lane moved out of the presidential residence at 1522 Highland, where he lived free of charge under his contract with ESU. Currently, Lane is on assignment with the Kansas Board of Regents but will begin his duties as a professor of accounting and information systems in January 2012. His wife, Dr. Peggy Lane, is chair of the department.

“Personally, I believe Dr. Lane is brilliant, and I hope that his successor would be brilliant as well,” Mehring said. “I’ve been here 30 years so I know a lot about our institution, and I would frequently be very impressed with his breadth and depth of knowledge… whoever follows his footsteps are going to have to know their stuff.” *** The Presidential Search Committee is

comprised of 19 members representing groups within ESU and the Emporia community, including past president of ASG, Jonathan Rivers, and current ASG president Ashley Vogts. The committee will identify three to five finalists who will be then be recommended to the Kansas Board of Regents for final selection.

“The students are the life blood of the campus,” Rivers said. “For that reason I believe having their perspective, thoughts, questions and concerns front and center is incredibly important.”

Deryl Wynn, chair of the committee, said the national search is currently focused on finding candidates who fit the criteria set forth and that the committee is not looking for those who simply want to build their resumes.

“My goal is to get the right person,” Wynn said. “We want serious candidates… this is a unique place – anyone could be successful here.

Wynn – a former regent and a Kansas City, Kan., attorney – also said that the committee is looking for a president who can make a long-term commitment to ESU and will value its diverse student population.

Mehring said the new president needs to have academic credentials as well as an understanding of what ESU is all about and should respect faculty and staff.

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Regents approve 6.8 percent tuition increase for ESU C harlie H eptas heptas@esubulletin.com The Kansas Board of Regents has approved a tuition increase for all regents schools for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. This increase means approximately $1.4 million in additional revenue for the ESU alone, according to the proposal submitted by the regents.

But students’ pockets are thinning as the increase in tuition is not always offset by an increase in financial aid, said Elaine Henrie, director of the department of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

“When constructing a financial aid budget, we take into consideration an estimated average tuition cost. This does not necessarily increase funding, as the amounts we can offer for most federal funds are either limited by the amount of funding we have or by the amount of the award we are permitted to offer by federal regulation,” Henrie said.

The increase is in response to the lack of additional funding from the state with a necessary increase in the general use budget for ESU and

Infograpic by Ellen Weiss

will cover mostly faculty benefits, including health insurance.

According to a statement by KBOR chairman Ed McKechnie, state funding for universities has been reduced to less than 25 percent, causing tuition to be a much larger

part of the budget for universities. He said that despite the increase in financial burden to students and families, KBOR still plans to offer some of the most accessible schooling in the region.

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Police Reports

Reports given to The Bulletin from ESU Police and Safety Department August 10 Officer stopped two suspicious subjects in Lot 3. They appeared to be attempting to stick a key into a parking meter.

Officer shut off the light to the garage at ESU Apt.-1201 Triplett Dr. The stop sign at the exit from ESU Apt. onto East is missing.

Officer checked TX 170YXV in Sector 7. Parking lights were left on.

August 11 Singular/Trusler zone 7 Fire. Horn circuit trouble. Mechanical problem. Contacted Residential Life to reach maintenance.

Maintenance reset alarm.

Officer stopped KS 371BBF at 100 E 15th. Verbal warning for a stop sign violation at 15th and Wooster Dr. Officer provided jump-start assistance for IA 815YBW in Sector 2.

Officer stopped KS VNG896 at 12th and State. Verbal warning for defective headlight at 12th and Merchant.

Christopher Krause reported his bicycle was possibly stolen.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a burglary call at 911 Sylvan.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a fight at 802 GrahamDesperado’s.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with searching for a suspicious person in the vicinity of northwest Emporia.

August 12 Amy Feldcamp reported a vicious dog. Location not recorded by dispatch. Officer was unable to find the dog.

Officer advised and contacted five skateboarders on Highland hill of skateboard policy.

August 13 Officer stopped KS 186ALZ in Sector 7. Verbal warning for a one-way violation in 200 E 16th. Citation issued for no proof of insurance.

Officer stopped 591AUC in 1500 Morse Dr. Verbal warning for a stop sign violation.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a noise complaint in 100 E 13th.

August 14 Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a 911 hang up call at 1501 W 20th Park Place.

Memorial Student Union zone 80 Fire. Hood detector 1st floor kitchen. Unknown error.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a domestic problem call in 1200 Cottonwood.

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a car stop at 12th and Cottonwood.

August 15 Officer contacted skateboarder in Sector 6 and advised of campus policy.

Memorial Student Union zone 80 Fire Hood Detector in 1st floor kitchen. Mechanical error. Recurring problem.

August 16 Marquis Scott reported a non-injury accident involving KS 04714 and KS TBJ795 in the loading dock of Beach Music Hall.

Jordan Young reported a non-injury accident involving KS 591BWJ in Lot 3.

Officer took possession of property belonging to an ESU student from Emporia Police Dept.

The card gate at the north end of Sector 4 will not read the access cards.

Southeast Morse Hall zone 24 Fire/Smoke Detector 1st floor. Mechanical error.

War hero turned mobster sentenced to 35 years CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Volpendesto began his adult life celebrated as a war hero. Now 87, he is almost certain to die behind bars, derided as a mobster.

At his sentencing Wednesday, the silver-haired, slightly built Volpendesto pushed himself up from his wheelchair to denounce witnesses who fingered him at his recent trial for bombing a video poker company, calling them lying “scum bags” and “crumb balls.”

An unsympathetic federal judge promptly sentenced him to 35 years in prison.

“He’s never once, not once, ever owned up to any of the things he’s done,” said Judge Ronald Guzman, glaring down from his bench. Guzman concluded by telling Volpendesto he would likely die serving his term.

The sentence was preceded by competing portraits of the Chicago-born Volpendesto.

Prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu described him as a grizzled soldier of Chicago’s Outfit mob who could be heard laughing on wiretaps about once watching another mobster stuff body parts through a meat grinder.

As a strip club owner in 1990, Volpendesto sought to silence a worker he believed was talking to the FBI, Bhachu said. He allegedly handed a bat to his underlings, who beat the employee nearly unconscious, the prosecutor said.

For his part, defense attorney Beau Brindley sought to turn back the clock to World War II, telling the judge how Volpendesto had helped save fellow Navy men trapped in a crippled destroyer. Brindley placed a box of medals on a lectern as he spoke, including a Bronze Star he said Volpendesto received.

“This serves as concrete proof that we are looking on ... a literal hero,” he said.

Volpendesto faced a mandatory minimum prison term of 35 years, but his attorney still pleaded for Guzman to “let this man go home and die with his family.”

Volpendesto was the oldest of five mob members recently convicted for the bombing and other mob activity.

Most of the others have yet to be sentenced, including gang boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno.

In a lengthy presentencing filing, Brindley described Volpendesto’s upbringing in the 1920s — the heyday of Chicago’s best known gangster, Al Capone. According to Brindley, Volpendesto’s father instilled values of honor and loyalty in his son.

news

The Bulletin | August 18, 2011

Kansas Regents chair resigns mid-meeting C harlie H eptas heptas@esubulletin.com Former Kansas Board of Regents chair Gary Sherrer resigned suddenly last May citing differences with other board members.

“I found out he was leaving about 10 or 15 minutes before the announcement, and I was shocked,” said board member Dan Lykins, a Topeka attorney, in a press release. “Our board, I thought, got along.”

Sherrer released statement stating that he felt some board members had “a more laissez-faire approach to governance” and that that was detrimental to Kansas’ higher education. He was supportive of a more aggressive approach to the higher education system and that it was causing “philosophical differences” between

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himself and other board members. Sherrer said that there was too much “mutual disrespect and distrust” between himself and other unnamed regents.

Sherrer closed his statement saying that there were great things happening in Kansas higher education and that he would miss working with the leadership there.

Sherrer had served on the Board since his appointment in 2007 by Governor Kathleen Sebelius and had previously been Kansas’ longest serving Lieutenant Governor.

An ESU alumnus, Sherrer told reporters that a factor in his resignation was KBOR’s refusal to put him on the search committee for the next president of Emporia State. He said that ESU had changed his life and it would have been important to him to head the search

during his time as interim president by reaching out to the community and setting long term goals as well.

“I don’t plan on just keeping the seat warm,” said Clothier of his new appointment.

Clothier, owner of Cold Stone Creamery in Topeka, has worked at the Payless Shoe Source Corporate offices for 27 years. Prior to his current appointment, Clothier was the head of the Alumni Foundation from 2003 to 2005 as well as other organizations.

According to an ESU press release, Clothier graduated from ESU in 1978, and his wife Lynn is also an ESU graduate. They have three children, the youngest of whom will be a student athlete in the Emporia State football program during the fall semester.

Flentje announced Monday that Heasley will begin work on special projects at the Kansas Board of Regents

committee.

“We chose not to put (Sherrer) on the committee because of his close relationship with ESU,” said Tim Emert, now vice chair of KBOR, “It’s very divisive (at ESU).”

In a KBOR news release on the day of his resignation former vice-chair Ed McKechnie thanked Sherrer for his accomplishments on the board and said that Sherrer left “the system in better shape than he found it. He’s been a friend and we wish him well.”

McKechnie has been appointed to replace Sherrer as Chair. McKechnie hopes to “focus on the vital issues of funding, access, and quality (of Kansas higher education) if the system is to meet the demands of the local, regional, and global market, and the overall needs of Kansans.”

beginning August 22.

“I am looking forward to working with Regents staff and assisting with critical projects that support improvements in the Kansas higher education system,” Heasley said in a press release.

Prior to ESU, Heasley had held positions at Arizona State University Texas Tech University Fort Lewis College and Weber State University.

According to ESU’s website, the ESU Foundation was established in 1952 as a non-profit organization that exists to support the university. The foundation helps to raise, manage, invest and distribute private resources in order to further the universities goals in areas such as public service, research and scholarships.

The fundraising staff within the organization works with many organizations that support ESU with gifts or donations.

Offers pour in for NM man who thwarted abduction ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — People across the country are offering to help the family of the New Mexico man who rescued a 6-year-old girl who was snatched off the street and thrown into a van.

Police and reporters have received calls from people requesting an address to send gift cards, money and even donations for a college savings fund for the two children of Antonio Diaz Chacon, who jumped in his truck and chased the van Monday. He rescued the girl after the van crashed and her abductor ran away.

Diaz Chacon, 24, had no idea his quick reaction would result in such an outpouring of appreciation and an online flood of high-fives for his heroic actions.

“We’re just overwhelmed with all of this. We’re trying to take it all in,” his wife, Martha, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. She has been sharing his story, relaying from Spanish to English details of that eventful afternoon that turned the mechanic and father of two into a hero.

Diaz Chacon was not even supposed to be home Monday afternoon.

He left work early to spend time with

his family. Nor was he supposed to be at his mother-in-law’s home about a block away, where the couple had gone to do laundry after their washing machine had broken.

He was in the right place at the right time to see what could have been a parent’s worst nightmare.

“He just says, ‘You know what, it was something I had to do,’” Martha Diaz said of her husband’s gut reaction. “We didn’t expect this outcome.”

The phone was constantly ringing at the family’s home Wednesday, but Martha Diaz didn’t mind answering the calls from well-wishers and those asking how they could help.

“This was never our intention, but I didn’t know there were still so many good people out there,” she said.

The funny thing is thousands of people feel the same way about her husband.

Shelly Hornback, of Buckeye, Ariz., said in a telephone interview she was happy to learn the little girl was saved and she felt she had to do something to recognize Diaz Chacon’s efforts.

“It was like he restored our faith in humanity that people are good, and

clearly to act so quickly for the common good made such a big difference.

A lot of people would just not be so brave,” she said.

“Here, he jumped in like Superman and saved that girl and made us all remember that there are good people out there who care.”

Susan Draine, a grandmother from Kent, Wash., said Diaz Chacon’s actions are having a ripple effect by making people stand up and take notice. She suggested starting a college fund for his children as a way to repay his bravery.

Ann Boyrazian, of Morton Grove, Ill., said she felt good after reading about Diaz Chacon. She wanted to make a donation and recruit others to help purchase a new washing machine for his family.

“I read the story and saw his picture and it spoke about his character and his morals,” she said. “I just felt good. Good for him.”

The women’s sentiments were echoed across social networking sites, where people referred to him as everything from a hero to a stud. There’s even a Facebook page aimed at getting the couple a new washing machine.

The Bulletin | August 18, 2011

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Dean Brown resigns to be closer to family in Mississippi K enzie T empleton editor@esubulletin.com The opportunity to be closer to family was the driving force behind dean of liberal arts and sciences, Steven Brown’s, decision to step down earlier this month. Brown was recruited by a colleague at Mississippi State University to take over as dean and associate vice president at MSU’s Meridian campus.

Brown is excited to be near his two daughters and various other family members, but he said the decision to leave ESU was a hard one.

“I am firmly convinced that I will never have a position that I have loved as much as this one,” Brown said. “There is no other place like this… this is an incredible jewel.”

According to MSU’s website, the Meridian campus was created in 1972 and currently serves approximately 800 students with courses at the junior, senior, and graduate level.

Among his accomplishments as dean since 2007 is the reconfiguration of the bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree. He has also worked with colleagues on campus to create an assessment model for general education and to develop new methods of academic advising within the LAS college.

Brown said ESU has given him the

chance to work with a broader range of academic disciplines and that he is continually amazed by the accomplishments of students and faculty within the college.

In the Midwest there is a greater appreciation of higher education than in any other part of the country, Brown said, which is one of the things about ESU that makes it difficult to leave.

“Even though this is not my home, I’ve never felt as at home anywhere as I’ve felt here,” Brown said.

Brown is originally from Arkansas and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Arkansas State University. He then completed a doctorate in music education at the University of North Texas.

Kathy Ermler, dean of ESU’s Graduate School, will chair the search committee charged with finding LAS dean candidates.

As of now, the committee has not been formed, but Marie Miller, professor of music and interim chair of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism, was appointed last week by Provost Tes Mehring to take over as interim dean.

“Once the candidates are narrowed, we will set up various interview groups and one of those would be with students – students always have input,” Ermler said.

Brown will remain at ESU until Sept. 30

Steve Brown has been dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ESU since 2007 he will remain on campus to help ease the transition to interim dean Marie Miller until Sept. 30th.

Kenzie Templeton/The Bulletin.

to help ease the transition to interim dean Miller. He will assume his position at Meridian campus on Oct. 3.

Joplin goes back to school 3 months after twister JOPLIN, MO. (AP) — Seniors and juniors are taking classes in a converted big-box store. Freshmen and sophomores are in a building across town. The new middle school is in an industrial park.

Across Joplin, the schools are still a jumble, with books, computer monitors and unassembled furniture littering unfamiliar hallways. But as classes resumed Wednesday, students and teachers welcomed the start of another year as a return to something normal — or what passes for normal in a city crippled last spring by the nation’s single deadliest tornado in six decades.

“You can’t pretend like nothing happened,” said high school English teacher Brenda White. “But everything is so new here. Every single thing that is this school is new and different.”

The twister killed 160 people, injured hundreds more and destroyed thousands of buildings, including Joplin’s only public high school. Now after months of cleaning up debris, attending funerals and trying to rebuild shattered lives, it was time to get back to pop quizzes and homework assignments.

“It’s going to take a while to build everything back, but books are a good start,” White said while stocking her classrooms with copies of “The Great Gatsby,” ‘’The Kite Runner” and other literary standards, past and present.

CAREER TRAINING. MONEY FOR COLLEGE.

AND AN ENTIRE TEAM TO HELP YOU SUCCEED. Serving part-time in the Air National Guard, you’ll have an entire team of likeminded individuals who want to help you get ahead. You can choose from nearly 200 career specialties, and develop the high-tech skills you need to compete in today’s world. You also train close to home, all while receiving a steady paycheck, benefits and tuition assistance. Talk to a recruiter today, and see how the Kansas Air National Guard can help you succeed.

Brown advises students to “get busy and study” and to not take for the granted the opportunities they have at ESU.

NE Kansas sisters work to help environment CONCORDIA, Kan. (AP) — A graduate student at the University of Kansas has been documenting the environmental work done by a religious order in northeast Kansas.

Rachel Myslivy is a research assistant at the University of Kansas’ Center for Research on Learning and a graduate student in the religious studies department. She began interviewing the members of the Sisters of St. Joseph at the Nazareth Convent and Academy in Concordia for an oral history project.

During those interviews, she told the Lawrence Journal-World (http:// bit.ly/oWARqw), she found the sisters are passionate environmentalists.

Their conversations continued to circle back to environmental concerns — recycling, composting and eating low on the food chain.

Myslivy realized the sisters’ environmental activism was something larger than the oral history project.

She secured a grant from Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, which provided enough money for her to visit Concordia and document the sisters’ environmental work.

“It’s like a little time capsule,” she said.

A Great Bend native, Myslivy had a connection with the sisters through her great-aunt, Sister Susan Kongs, a member of the convent. She has interviewed more than a dozen sisters.

Most of the women are between 50 and 80 years old.

The sisters have established an organic garden where community members are welcome to plant food. They have a compost pile, are staunch recy-

clers, hired a company to do an energy audit of their buildings and replaced all their light bulbs with the energyefficient compact fluorescent ones.

“People have very outdated images of sisters. People picture black habits, fairly stern-looking old women,” Myslivy said. “I’ve told (peace and justice activists) that they have very likely stood next to several sisters on a picket line and had no idea. They look like any other, self-respecting Midwestern modern woman.”

The sisters are also about to launch a program that will encourage open conversations on sustainability in nearby rural communities. Caring for the earth is a natural extension of their call to serve, the sisters have told Myslivy.

“Many grew up on farms and had early experiences with nature and being out in nature. And several of them talked of having very profound experiences with God when they were young and nature was a place they could access feelings of connectedness with God,” Myslivy said.

They also see environmental efforts as an offshoot of social justice causes, such as human trafficking and immigration.

Myslivy’s grant covers just the stories of the sisters in Concordia. But she’s searching for funding to help her expand the project to include convents in Kansas that have similar concerns and programs. As fewer sisters enter the convent and those who are there grow older, their stories might not be around for the next generation.

“Because of the evolution of the sisters, it is hard to say if these sisters would be accessible in 10 to 15 years,” she said.

Police: School bomb plot aimed for mass casualties TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Police were already keeping an eye on 17-year-old expelled student Jared Cano when they were tipped off that he was allegedly planning to bomb his old high school when classes resumed. In his apartment, they found shrapnel, plastic tubing, timing and fuse devices that he was amassing in a plot he intended to be worse than the Columbine mass killings, police said Wednesday.

Before Tuesday’s discovery, Cano has been arrested several times, most recently accused of breaking into a house and stealing a handgun, Tampa police said. He had a court-ordered curfew and was on a police watch list. Officers checked up on him from time to time.

“We’ve been very, very familiar with him,” police Maj. John Newman said.

Besides the bomb-making materials, officers said they also found a journal with schematic drawings of rooms inside Freedom High School and statements about Cano’s intent to kill specific administrators and any students who happened to be nearby next week. His juvenile arrests included burglary, carrying a concealed weapon, altering serial numbers on a firearm and drug possession.

None had stuck. They had been either dismissed or no action had been taken, beyond putting his name on the police watch list.

The school scheme was mapped out minute-by-minute and he wanted to cause more casualties than the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, which killed 13 before the two shooters killed themselves, said Police Chief Jane Castor.

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The Bulletin | August 18, 2011

Hasta La Vista, Mr. President STAFF EDITORIAL Former Emporia State President Michael Lane stepped down last spring after four and a half years of service. But the question is – does anyone really care?

The Bulletin staff believes that a large portion of students never really knew who Lane was. Once they encountered his iconic moustache at freshman orientation, many would never see the former president again, aside from his infrequent appearances at campus events.

This lack of interaction left a gap not only between the administration and students, but also between the administration and the faculty and staff at ESU, and perhaps the Kansas Board of Regents.

Lane interviewed for a presidential position at another university last fall, and in a BuzzIn announcement last May he said, “The act of visiting the other campus, however, has caused many to question my commitment to ESU.” Perhaps if Lane had made his intentions more clear, there would have been less “questioning” over the move.

The Bulletin is disappointed that so little knowledge of Lane and what he did or didn’t do for the university was available during his term as president and that so few of the students he was serving got to know him on even a professional level.

But considering Lane once declared that he was in an “adversarial relationship” with The Bulletin, this student publication isn’t exactly sad to see him go.

The Bulletin believes the next president must be willing to work with the various student groups on campus to further the education and experience of students in a positive environment. A president should respect students and work to uphold their rights, not declare war on a particular group he finds to be a thorn in his side.

H. Edward Flentje (Flyn-gee), an ESU alum with deep roots on campus, was appointed as interim president shortly after Lane made his resignation public. In his speech during the General Assembly Monday afternoon, Flentje said he intends to keep ESU on the cutting edge of education, making it as attractive a school as possible for incoming students.

So far, The Bulletin believes he has a desire to be active on campus and to connect with students in a way that hasn’t been done in a long time.

Although Flentje is not in the running to extend his interim status, we hope that his positive attitude and familiarity with the university will be the change ESU needs while the search for the next president continues.

Interim President Encourages Students Last weekend, my wife, Marla, and I greeted parents and relatives of our newest students during a family reception after move-in for freshmen at our residence halls. Talking to these family members and hearing their hopes and dreams for their students took me back 51 years when I visited Emporia State University with my mother.

During that visit, Dr. Winston Cram, head of the physical science department at that time, reassured me that if I ever ran into difficulties on campus, I should come to him for help. That simple act of reassurance was the single most important ingredient in my decision to come to Emporia.

The four years I spent at Emporia State University earning my bachelor’s degree changed my life. I became involved in campus life and student government and developed what became a career and life-long engagement in the political process.

Then-ESU President John King knew of my interests and pointed me on a path shortly after I graduated from ESU with my bachelor’s degree. As I walked in front of Plumb Hall, President King shouted out through his open window: “Ed, I just got a letter from Sen. (James) Pearson. He’s got an opening in Washington, D.C., that would allow you to work on a master’s degree.”

Now 51 years after I arrived at ESU as a new freshman, I find the same spirit and advantages awaiting you. At ESU, you will find the kind of opportunities that simply would not be available at a bigger institution.

You will find leadership opportunities. You will find activities that interest you. You will make life-long friends.

Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor should be no more than 350 words and can address any issues, concerns, ideas o r event you choose. Letters may be edited for content and length. Email letters to editor@esubulletin.com. Include your name and student email so we can verify authorship.

Online Commenting F lentje I call the impact that both Dr. Cram and President King had on me “the power of simple acts.” I have shared these stories with ESU faculty and staff and have encouraged them to reach out to you, our students, to build those connections that will have lasting effects.

Your own simple acts can also make a difference. As you become involved, you will find ways to reach out to others. I saw an example this weekend as I watched older students volunteer as Hornet Helpers to help our new students move into the residence halls.

Reach out, get connected, and I believe ESU will touch your life as deeply as it has touched mine. No matter where I have gone, I have always remained a part of the Hornet nation.

Go Hornets!

H. Edward Flentje Interim President

ASG President Welcomes Students Back to School Welcome Hornets!

On behalf of the Associated Student Government, please allow me to welcome you to the 2011-2012 academic school year! Whether this is your first time on the ESU campus or you are here for another amazing year, we are all very excited to see you! Like each new academic year, this year brings many new exciting opportunities for each of you. You have the chance to make new friends, take an elective outside your major, study abroad, create connections, and experience a year of pure college life. My message to you is simple – do not pass up any opportunities that present themselves, you never know when you are going to get a chance to experience it again.

I highly encourage each of you to get involved with one of the 140 recognized student organizations. Whether you are interested in getting involved in an organization based on your major, your interests, or an honors program, there is something out there for each of you. Truly, the possibilities are endless.

Be true to your passions and who you are. As you follow your own path this year, remember that each road you take will lead you to many more amazing opportunities and experiences, which will last a lifetime. So, take advantage of those opportunities and don’t blink because your time spent here, while remarkable, goes very fast.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate

Cartoon by Ellen Weiss

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The Bulletin

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EDITORIAL STAFF

V ogts to contact myself or any other member of Associated Student Government. You can reach us at the Center for Student Involvement office located on the Memorial Union Mainstreet, by phone at 341-5481, or e-mail me at asgpres@emporia.edu.

Our priority is to make your experience here at Emporia State the best that it can be. Once again, welcome to another exciting year; it’s a great day to be a Hornet!

In Hornet Spirit, Ashley Vogts

Seen&Heard

“An intelligent person is never afraid or ashamed to find errors in his understanding of things. ” -Bryant H. McGill “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

-Henry Ford

KenzieTempleton Editor-in-Chief Charlie Heptas Managing Editor Katelin Gibson Convergence Editor Chris Franklin Photo Editor Ellen Weiss Opinion Editor Marcus Hix Sports Editor Kimber Mitchell Graphic Designer Abdul Maassarani Graphic Designer

BUSINESS Vincent Hamilton Advertising Manager Sisi Huang Business Manager Latanya Maassarani Office Manager

Adviser

Max McCoy Assistant Professor of Journalism

Entertainment Students enjoy festivities

The Bulletin | August 18, 2011

Page 5

Movie Review

Pictures taken at the Block Party and Party on the Lawn

L uke B ohannon

Bohannon@esubulletin.com

“30 Minutes or Less”

Megan Gartner/The Bulletin

not gut-busting comedy

Jon Coffey/The Bulletin.

Megan Gartner/The Bulletin.

Jon Coffey/The Bulletin.

Aries Begin the upcoming school year with order. Get organizers. Then organize the organizers.

Taurus Get ready to kick your feet up and relax this upcoming week!…

Psyche. It’s going to suck.

Gemini It’s going to be tough to figure out where “home” really is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be happy where you are. There are plenty of jolly homeless people.

Leo Laughter, in addition to being the best medicine, is also a great way to show people how open and friendly you are. Add a hint of Fran Dresher to really impress them.

Virgo Your birthday is right around the corner! Isn’t it funny how cash is sounding like a better and better gift each year?

libra If you decide to skip some of the first few classes of the new school year. Don’t. Don’t be a dummy.

Cancer

Scorpio

Make sure you get all your dishes done before the school year starts.

There is mold in your future.

You are what you eat, so go cannibalize some smarty pants nerd. Just kidding, eat some fish and stuff.

Too True

Megan Gartner/The Bulletin.

Sagittarius The way you speak and write shows people how intelligent you are.

Make sure you talk real good and wright purdy.

capricorn It may appear as though an avalanche of responsibilities are headed your way, but, in the long run, they’re just a couple snowflakes. Catch them on your tongue one at a time.

aquarius The new life you started over the summer will have difficulties meshing with your school life. But that’s ok, you’ll get used to the whole Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde thing.

pisces

After a summer of blockbuster action and superhero movies, I wasn’t really expecting much out of ‘30 Minutes or Less.’ But I was pleasantly surprised by this unassuming little comedy hiding out in the end of the summer movie season.

The film tells the story of Nick (Jesse Eisenberg), a pizza delivery boy who is kidnapped by two fledgling criminals in gorilla masks (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) who are looking to get rich quick. They strap a bomb to his chest and tell him that if he doesn’t rob a bank and bring back $100,000 dollars within 12 hours, the bomb will detonate. So Nick enlists the help of his best friend Chet (Aziz Ansari) and they set out to rob a bank. Shenanigans ensue.

The premise of this movie didn’t leave a lot of wiggle room as far as how the plot was going to play out, but it worked out nicely. While ‘30 Minutes…’ wasn’t an A-list comedy, it had excellent pacing and gave each aspect of the plot exactly the time it needed.

Nothing dragged on for too long and nothing was skipped over.

The jokes were actually good and bad at the same time. The writers of this movie seemed to think that the more curse words were thrown into a sentence, the funnier it would be. While in some cases this worked out and created some truly memorable lines, it also seemed forced. Intelligent writing and original comedy was dropped in favor of cursing, and the result was somewhat mediocre.

The cast was chosen well, although the performances were nothing new for any of these actors. Oddly enough, my least favorite performance was from Eisenberg.

Eisenberg as a slacker pizza guy sounded and looked almost exactly like Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg from ‘The Social Network,’ only with slightly more cussing. Two of my favorite performances were actually from peripheral characters. Fred Ward plays a hard-ass ex-Marine who’s won the lottery and does it with style. Michael Pena plays Chango, a Mexican hit man who utters my favorite line from this film – “I got shot with a pen, bro!”

Overall, ‘30 Minutes or Less’ wasn’t terrible, and certainly warrants a viewing, but don’t spend your last bit of cash on seeing it in theaters. It’ll have the same effect on the small screen.

Pick up a book.

By Ellen Weiss

news

Page 6

The Bulletin |August 18, 2011

Flentje makes first speech at General Assembly L uke B ohannon bohannon@esubulletin.com Financial stability and enrollment were among the topics addressed by interim President H. Edward Flentje at the fall General Assembly Monday afternoon in Albert Taylor Hall.

Flentje said that ESU’s claim on tax dollars is slipping. State universities’ share of tax dollars has dropped from 12.7 percent in 2002 to 9.5 percent in the current fiscal year, a loss of $10 million at ESU alone. He also described how the perception of higher education is changing in our times.

“For most of the post-WWII period, public higher education has been viewed as a public good…this view is undergoing a fundamental change,” Flentje said.

“Students are being seen as consumers… we in higher education are being regarded more and more as a private good.”

Flentje said ESU’s on-campus enrollment has been on a downward trend in the last few years while other Kansas schools, for the most part, are on an upward trend. Flentje believes that stronger community ties as well as the renovations currently underway on the Memorial Union will help to reverse the dropping enrollment figures.

“We will be aided measurably in this competition with completion of the renovation of Memorial Union,” said Flentje. “The result will be a firstclass facility that should be attractive to students and university constituents for many years to come.”

Flentje also spoke on “the power of simple acts.” He told a story about an experience he had during one of his earliest visits to the university when he met with professor Winston Cram. Flentje said Cram helped to reassure him in his decision to attend ESU by offering to help him if he were to ever have a problem on campus. Flentje said he felt that the power of simple acts such as the one he experienced could help make ESU an even greater school.

Deryl Wynn, chair of the ESU Presidential Search Committee gave an update on the progress for the search for the next president. Wynn explained how the committee does not actually choose the president directly, but rather chooses three final candidates from among the applicants and submits those candidates to the Kansas Board of Regents.

While no definite time frame has been set, Wynn said that the committee hopes to have the three finalists selected

Deryl Wynn, gave an update on the progress for the search for the next president during the General Assembly Monday afternoon in Albert Taylor Hall. Jon Coffey/The Bulletin.

by the end of 2011 so that the Regents can vote on the matter in early 2012.

“It’s a terrific campus and I’m always impressed by the quality of the faculty and the diversity of the programs of some great renown that are here,” Wynn said when asked about the process of finding potential

candidates and what may attract applicants to ESU. According to KBOR’s website, the committee will present to the Regents an unranked list of the three to five candidates who are the most qualified for Board selection as the next president of ESU.

Slain wife’s lover testifies in Kan. murder case

Starling joyful to be a Royal

LYNDON, Kan. (AP) — A Texas woman testified Wednesday that a man on trial in Kansas accused of killing his estranged wife and three other relatives had encouraged the two women to have a sexual relationship but also was abusive toward his wife.

Prosecutors called Sunny Reese of Weatherford, Texas, as a witness against James Kraig Kahler, who is charged in the shooting deaths of his wife, their two teenage daughters and his wife’s grandmother. He could face the death penalty if convicted of the slayings, which occurred the weekend after Thanksgiving 2009 in the grandmother’s home just outside Burlingame, a town of about 930 residents about 20 miles south of Topeka.

Defense attorneys contend that Kahler snapped mentally because his wife was having an affair with Reese and was pursuing a divorce. Kahler, 48, was a utilities director in Weatherford, Texas, before becoming water department director in Columbia, Mo., in 2008, though he lived outside Topeka at the time of the killings.

But Reese testified that Kahler, who often went by his middle name, was told by his wife, Karen, about their relationship and consented to the affair before it began. Shortly after it began, Reese said, he sent the two women flowers.

“He agreed to everything,” Reese testified. “He was very pleased.”

Most of the questions about Reese’s relationship with Karen Kahler came from Thomas Haney, a To-

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bubba Starling is just like everybody else who follows the Kansas City Royals — eager to see how good he can be.

“I just think I can be pretty good,” said the threesport star who grew up in the Kansas City area and became perhaps the most celebrated prep athlete in Kansas history.

“I can’t wait to see what I can do with the great instructors over in Arizona and just playing one sport all year around,” he said in his first news conference Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.

About 42 hours earlier, just moments before major league baseball’s deadline for signing draft picks, Starling agreed to give up a football scholarship to Nebraska and accept the Royals’ $7.5 million signing bonus, spread out over three years.

“Of course I’m going to work my tail off,” he said.

Since he was 8 years old and the fathers of other 8-year-olds feared their boys might get hurt competing against him, Starling has looked like he belonged in a higher league.

He built a tremendous reputation in high school hitting tape measure home runs, drawing rave notices in basketball and leading Gardner-Edgerton to the state football playoffs while rushing for more than 2,000 yards his senior season. Nebraska promised he could also play college baseball if he would consent to strapping on the pads and grooming himself to be their quarterback.

peka attorney representing Kraig Kahler. Haney noted that Reese had, in January 2009, sent Karen Kahler an email about “how to divorce a narcissist,” and had Reese read a text message she sent to Kahler around that time, telling him, “She doesn’t love you, Kraig, not like you think she does.”

As for Kahler consenting to the lesbian affair, Haney said, “To keep his marriage alive, he was willing to consent to a sexual relationship between her and you.”

But Reese testified that Kahler wanted to bring her into his sexual relations with his wife, proposing it in a text message as the lesbian relationship started. Haney noted that no copy of such a text message exists and asked her if she had anything other than her testimony to support that claim. Reese replied, “No sir. It’s my word.”

The victims of the shootings were: Karen Kahler, 44; her grandmother, Dorothy Wight, 89, and the Kahlers’ daughters, Emily, 18, and Lauren, 16.

The Kahlers also had a son, Sean, now 12, who was at the home but fled without being physically injured.

He testified Monday, the trial’s first day, that he saw his father shoot his mother.

Reese described Kahler as abusive toward his wife and said the women grew close — and then had a sexual relationship — because Karen Kahler confided her problems. But she acknowledged on the stand that she didn’t witness any abusive behavior and only heard accounts through Karen Kahler.

Report: 2 K-State football players and family took gifts from Miami booster MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A jailed University of Miami booster who claims to have provided cars, cash, prostitutes and other impermissible benefits to 72 athletes told Yahoo! Sports two current Kansas State players were among the recipients.

Nevin Shapiro, a 42-year-old Miami resident who was sentenced in June to 20 years in federal prison for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme, said he took Wichita residents Bryce and Arthur Brown, their parents and a spiritual adviser to lunch in March 2008. Shapiro also told the website he paid for hotel rooms for them during the weekend visit.

That adviser, Brian Butler, told The Wichita Eagle

(http://bit.ly/pzPGtC) that he and the Browns didn’t know Shapiro was a Miami booster. Instead, they thought Shapiro was just a fan who helped players from out of state.

“In our case, he did invite us to lunch and we did go to lunch, and he did reserve some rooms for us, for myself and Mr. Brown senior,” Butler told the newspaper.

“Those things, I can say that he did.”

At the time, Arthur Brown was already enrolled at Miami, where he played linebacker for two years before transferring to Kansas State. His younger brother, Bryce, was a sophomore at Wichita East and considered one of the top high school running backs in the nation. He

Researchers to study Kansas mammoth bones HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Researchers say that by examining mammoth bones that were recently found in west-central Kansas, they hope to determine how the animal died and learn more about the earliest humans in the region.

The bones were discovered during construction on a Scott County farm.

Researchers say they could date back to the earliest New World civilization, The Hutchinson News reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/pssADL ).

It’s the latest of several discoveries that have included the fossils of giant mammoths, the extinct, prehistoric cousin to the elephant that once roamed the region.

Researchers at the University of Kansas say there is evidence that the mammoth may have been killed by the region’s earliest inhabitants. The conjecture

is preliminary, but University of Kansas Professor Rolfe Mandel said the find will lead to further study of the bones to see how and when the mammoth died.

“If you remember back to your high school days, the Clovis people followed the mammoth (into North America),” Mandel said of the hunter-gatherers who lived here roughly 12,000 to 13,000 years ago. He said he and his colleagues are trying to find the earliest evidence of humans.

Archaeologists only have exposed Clovis-era remains at one other Kansas site, near Kanorado in Sherman County.

Mandel is the director of the University of Kansas’ Odyssey Archaeological Research Fund, an endowed program trying to find the earliest evidence of humans on the Great Plains. He and a small group of archaeologists and students visited the Scott County site last

week.

After the bones were found on their farm during construction, Mike and Debbie Scheuerman alerted the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said Jack Ray, a research archaeologist with Missouri State University who is also working with the Odyssey program.

The group helped unearth six rib bones, a lower leg bone and a scapula, or shoulder blade, Ray said. The bones will undergo carbon dating at the university before they are sent to a museum in Denver.

About 50 yards away, the crew also found artifacts of flakes where these early Americans may have sharpened knives or made spear points, Ray said.

Continued research may shed light on whether the bones and the artifacts are connected and whether humans killed the animal, Ray said.

committed to Miami, but ended up at Tennessee, where he played one season before also transferring to Kansas State.

Both brothers had to sit out last season because of NCAA transfer rules.

“He wasn’t giving us money and trying to pay us or bring Bryce or Arthur there,” Butler said. “Arthur was already at the school. We didn’t get to see the yacht and the mansion. People are trying to make it seem like I’m some agent. He brought that up. I don’t know where he got that from.”

Messages left with the Kansas State sports information office Wednesday were not immediately returned.

news

The Bulletin | August 18, 2011

Page 7

MU renovations on schedule, students happy with upgrades L uke B ohannon bohannon@esubulletin.com Despite a few setbacks over the summer, renovations to the Memorial Union are still on schedule for the fall semester, and so far students are pleased with the progress.

“I really like it,” said Brittany Orr, senior elementary education major. “It’s more open and it’s more inviting and brighter… I think it was worth (the hassle).

The renovation makes (the Union) more modern.”

Dave Hendricks, director of the Memorial Union, said the renovations had one major deadline for fall, which was the completion of the new dining hall. Now officially dubbed ‘The Hornets Nest,’ the dining hall had to be completed and ready to open by August 13.

“I would say that on the west side of the building, which we opened Saturday, the lobby is about 80-percent completed and

the dining hall is about 90-percent,” Hendricks said.

Although he has not yet eaten there, freshman business major David Hahn said he is looking forward to taking advantage of the new dining hall.

“I’m a big time eater, so it’s great,” Hahn said.

During a tour of the areas of the Union that are still under construction, Hendricks explained some of the plans for the undeveloped space. He described a plan for a stage area that could be used for future ASG debates as well as designs for a lounge area within the Union. Hendricks also explained plans for a display in the west lobby area that would feature sculptures of the various forms of Corky throughout ESU’s history.

The restructuring of the Union has also led to a more efficient system for receiving food

TUITION... from page 1

Students at ESU pay around 17 percent less than students attending regional universities in neighboring states, according to a study done by KBOR. Although all regents schools were affected by the tuition increase, ESU received the second highest raise in price (see graph).

Tuition increases are decided on by a committee of faculty and staff, student government and administration, which is then presented to the university president. From there, the president submits it to the regents after discussing it at a campus-wide forum. This offers an opportunity for as much student involvement as possible, said Ashley Vogts, ASG president, in a press release from ESU. The tuition increase only increases the general budget of all the state schools by 1.3 percent, which is lower than the rate of inflation according to a KBOR’s website.

Business school still most affordable in country

deliveries. Hendricks said that with the previous system, deliveries were difficult to get to the kitchen, but with the new layout deliveries can now be brought directly to the kitchen area, increasing efficiency.

There are even plans for the temporary tunnel which stretches through what used to be the ‘Main Street’ area of the union.

Hendricks said that the walls of the tunnel may be portioned off and allowed to be decorated by various RSO’s. Groups would be able to advertise not only themselves, but also future events.

One new challenge facing the renovation is the installation of new water and electricity through areas which are currently occupied. As the crews cannot work in occupied areas during business hours, they must work either before or after hours.

The entire project is set to be completed by April 2012.

Dave Hendricks, directior or the Memorial Union explains future plans for the undeveloped space in the Union. Jon Coffey/The Bulletin.

Despite the recent increase in tuition, Emporia State’s school of business has been recognized by U.S. Report and World News as the least expensive business school for in-state students in the country at $5,404 per year. This is slightly over half of the average cost of the other top ten business colleges represented.

James Williams, vice president of academic affairs, said the low expense is only a facet of the business college.

Williams said the other benefits include small class sizes, prestigious global accreditation and quality staff.

ESU also received the least expensive business school for out-of-state students. The out of state tuition is $5,000 less than the average of the other nine schools in the top ten, making it the most affordable school of business in the nation.

According to ESU’s website, the average undergraduate business class size is 26 students and the graduate class size is 19, with 30 faculty teaching.

CHANGES... from page 1

“I think all institutions want a president who can literally walk on water,” Mehring said.

Wynn said the goal is for the regents to announce the new president by January and that ESU is being presented to candidates as a “worthwhile, Midwestern university with a long history of success in several disciplines.”

“When perspective candidates begin to step onto the campus in the fall, I would highly encourage students to ask questions, make comments, voice their concerns and do whatever they can to stay informed and knowledgeable about how the process is moving forward,” Rivers said. “These candidates need to know just exactly what Emporia State University students care about.”

Turkey PM compares Syrian leader to Gadhafi

Services for Kan. soldiers killed in copter crash

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey’s prime minister compared Syria’s president to Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, as Damascus defied international calls to end the crackdown on a 5-month-old uprising.

President Bashar Assad has unleashed tanks, ground troops and snipers in an attempt to retake control in rebellious areas. The military assault has escalated dramatically since the start of the holy month of Ramadan in August, killing hundreds and detaining thousands.

“We made our calls (to Gadhafi) but unfortunately we got no result,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. “The same thing is happening with Syria at the moment.”

The conflict in Libya, which began a month before Syria’s unrest, has descended into a civil war as Gadhafi defies calls to end the bloodshed.

On Wednesday, Erdogan said he personally spoke to Assad and sent his foreign minister to Damascus, but “despite all of this, they are continuing to strike civilians.”

Turkey, a neighbor and former close ally of Syria, has been increasingly frustrated with Damascus’ crackdown. But Turkey, Syria’s most

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Friends and family of a Navy SEAL killed when his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan honored him as a devoted father and patriot Wednesday in the first of at least three funerals scheduled this week in Kansas for victims of the attack.

At a service in the Kansas City suburb of Leawood, Matt Mason, 37, was honored as a loving father of two young sons and another on the way when his Chinook helicopter was hit Aug. 6 by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan. The attack killed all 30 Americans and eight Afghans on board.

Mason, who grew up in Holt, Mo., had served in Iraq and suffered a severe arm injury there during fighting in Fallujah in 2004. The injury didn’t keep Mason off the battlefield, and he later seemed intent on serving in Afghanistan.

“He was serving our country; he was out living his life as he wanted to do it,” said John Ball, Mason’s high school football coach. “And what more honorable way to do it than what he was doing. He lived life, and that was Matt.”

Mason was to be buried near Kearney, Mo. On Friday, funeral services for Army helicopter pilot Bryan Nichols will be in Hays, Kan., where Nichols grew up and graduated high school. Also killed in the attack was Army Spc. Alex Bennett of Overland Park.

Army Spc. Spencer Duncan will be honored Thursday at services in his hometown of Olathe. Locals lined up Tuesday to pay their respects along a route taken by the hearse carrying Duncan’s body to a funeral home.

Hundreds of U.S. flags were planted in the early morning and people young and hold came out to honor Duncan along the route. One person held a sign that read, “SPENCER, WE LOVE YOU.”

important trade partner, has not joined the U.S. and Europe in imposing sanctions.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also spoke to Assad, expressing “alarm at the latest reports of continued widespread violations of human rights and excessive use of force by Syrian security forces against civilians” and demanding the immediate end of all military operations and mass arrests, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the U.N. With tension rising, the U.N. said it has temporarily withdrawn about two dozen “nonessential” international staff from Syria because of security concerns. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq also said some family members of U.N. staff have been relocated to other countries.

The government insists its crackdown is aimed at rooting out terrorists fomenting unrest in the country.

In comments carried on the state-run news agency, Assad appeared to lash out at the international reproach, saying his country will not give up its “dignity and sovereignty.”

Human rights groups and witnesses accuse Syrian troops of firing on largely unarmed protesters and say more than 1,800 civilians have been

killed since mid-March.

In Latakia, a Mediterranean port city that has been subjected to a fourday military assault, security centers were overflowing with detainees Wednesday, forcing authorities to hold hundreds of other prisoners in the city’s main football stadium and a movie theater, said Rami Abdul-Raham, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“Detentions centers are packed,” he said.

A woman in Latakia died of her wounds Wednesday, two days after she was injured, according to the observatory and The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group. The LCC said a man was killed in the city late Tuesday.

In the northwestern Idlib province, a bullet killed a man as he stood on his balcony, according to observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of people on the ground.

Troops were carrying out raids in the area at the time.

The regime’s recent military operations have also targeted the central city of Homs, where security forces shot dead one person and wounded three during raids Wednesday, according to the observatory.

California mayor not resigning after homeless death, residents outraged FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — The mayor of a California city where residents are outraged over the death of a mentally ill homeless man following a police confrontation said Wednesday he won’t step down.

Mayor F. Richard Jones considered resigning after a heated city council meeting Tuesday night in which residents urged him to leave over the death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas, Fullerton city spokeswoman Sylvia Palmer said.

Police were trying to arrest Thomas last month during a probe of car breakins at a transit hub.

Palmer said the mayor told reporters that “we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Jones met with Thomas’ father on Wednesday, she said.

Ron Thomas, Kelly’s father, said it was a very good, and friendly, two-hour meeting. Thomas — who has filed a legal claim against the city alleging civil rights violations, conspiracy and negligence — said he wanted the mayor to quit over what he felt was a lack of leadership and said Jones told him he was ready to resign.

“He doesn’t know quite how to do it because he doesn’t want to go out like this,” Thomas told The Associated Press. “He’s 78, and he can’t take any more of this.”

August 18, 2011

Page 8

Harris resigns, track kicks off year with new faces B randon S chneeberger schneeberger@esubulletin.com Another member of Emporia State’s athletic department moved on during the off-season this summer. Former track and field head coach David Harris left for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

HARRIS Harris spent 19 years at Emporia State before deciding to call it quits.

“I appreciate what this university and community has done for my wife, Kathy, and

me over these 19 years,” Harris said in a press release. “I personally have invested myself for almost two decades in running a respected program in the MIAA and NCAA Division II, and I feel good about what we have done.”

The legacy left by Harris will prove to be big shoes to fill. During almost two decades at ESU, Harris managed to be an 11-time MIAA coach of the year as well as a 2001 National coach of the year for Women’s Outdoor Track and Field. Harris also led the Women to an MIAA championship that year.

Former All-MIAA distance performer and assistant coach Eric Wellman will take over Harris’ duties as the cross country coach.

Wellman will also serve as the assistant track and field coach.

“It caught me off guard,” Wellman said of Harris’ leaving. “I think we were all pretty

surprised. I know that he kind of was looking for maybe one more challenge in his career.

(We) definitely (weren’t) expecting it at the time that it occurred… but things opened up for him, and it was a great situation for him.”

Wellman ran for Emporia State from 2003-2008 where, among other accolades, he holds the fourth best time in ESU history in the mile run with a time of 4:08.85.

In addition, Steven Blocker will run the track and field teams. Blocker has served as an assistant coach with the Hornets since 2009 and ran for the University of Northern Iowa in college, as he was a member of three Missouri Valley Conference championship teams.

Blocker also served as an assistant coach at Santa Barbara City College in California before coming to ESU. Senior cross country runner Asher Del-

Hornet football team warms up for a new season All photos taken at Wednesday afternoon practice.

Jon Coffey/The Bulletin

mott noted Harris’ impact on the team.

“He was kind of like a father figure to the track team, just making sure that you’re always doing the right thing, whether it’s in sports or school,” Delmott said.

Despite the new faces for the track and field teams, Delmott sees the program heading in the right direction with Wellman and Blocker.

“It’s been a pretty smooth transition just because (Wellman) has been an athlete here,” Delmott said. “As a graduate assistant, and now as a coach he knows how Coach Harris did it, and so it’s just been a smooth transition.”

ESU begins their cross country season with a home event at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 2. They also have a second home meet at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 30.

Q&A with Athletic Director Kent Weiser M arcus H ix hix@esubulletin.com Why is student involvement important to collegiate athletics?

I feel that student involvement provides avenues for students to develop social relationships and is a big part of the college experience. It not WEISER only develops personal relationships but also school spirit, pride and a sense a pride for the community. It also provides students the opportunity to meet the studentathletes that represent your university.

Briefly describe what good sportsmanship is and what it means to the university?

I believe that good sportsmanship is respecting all student-athletes, whether they are representing ESU or another university. I would urge students to be positive about ESU without degrading other student athletes. In my experience at ESU, I have been complimented by many other universities about our fans’ great sportsmanship.

What are some of your expectations going into the 2011-2012 athletic year?

ESU traditionally has set high standards for themselves. I feel that it is very difficult to gauge win/loss records. We have four new coaches heading into this year: track and field, women’s basketball, men’s basketball and softball. All of these new coaches have big shoes to fill, as these programs have often been very successful. We will have our fair share of success while playing hard and representing ESU to the best of our capabilities.

What would you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of your current position?

I get great enjoyment out of working with college students, coaches and the department as a whole. I get to see bright, young and enthusiastic futures being forged by current students. The excitement each school year brings is infectious.

Having an impact on such a transitional stage of young adults’ lives and seeing those same individuals become successful citizens is very rewarding.

2011 Football Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time Sept. 1 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12

Hays, Kan. Fort Hays State Pittsburg, Kan. Pittsburg State Emporia Central Missouri Emporia Langstone Oklahoma Emporia Washburn Emporia Missouri Southern Emporia Missouri Western Jefferson City, Mo. Lincoln Nebraska Emporia Truman Bolivar, Mo. Southwest Baptist Maryville, Mo. Northwest Missouri

7:00pm

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