collegian kansas
Check out Sports on page 6 for coverage of the Wildcats’ contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
state
thursday, february 18, 2010
www.kstatecollegian.com
Vol. 115 | No. 103
‘Going Green’
Police Reports
Stranger offers girl ride in Jeep Hannah Blick | Collegian
Chelsy Lueth | Collegian
Kent Dennis, resident of Jardine Apartments, follows his son Kaden, toward his residence in the newly remodeled Building D on Wednesday afternoon. Adding facilities to the first floor of Building 5 at Jardine is one of the projects K-State is working on to be more sustainable.
Additions to Jardine to be more eco-friendly Pauline Kennedy | Collegian All around campus, K-State students can find recycling bins, helping them make the campus more environmentally friendly. Now, K-State is doing its part by seeking LEED certification in new construction projects around campus, including a new construction in the Jardine Apartment Complex. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a system that ensures buildings are constructed with specific green standards in mind. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED standards can be anything from using recycled materials to build, installing more energy efficient systems or improving the quality of air inside a building. Each step taken gives a building a set amount of points, leading to different levels of LEED certification. Building 5 at Jardine is one of the LEED projects K-State is working on. When completed, the lower floor will have a restaurant, a sports bar, a conve-
nience store and a coffee shop. Skyler Harper, assistant director for the Department of Housing and Dining Services, said all of the facilities will be run by Housing and Dining Services. He said it is the first LEED project the department has done, and Housing and Dining will be tracking it to see how difficult and expensive it will be. “We want to be more environmentally responsible; it seemed like a good project to try and do,” Harper said. Richard Bell, junior in computer engineering said he is looking forward to the new constructions. “It’s exciting to me; I’ll be living in Jardine next year and I think it’s a great idea,” Bell said. Bell also pointed out although he does not know if prospective students or the community in general will care that K-State followed the LEED concept, he is definitely a supporter. “It’s a good thing to try,” Bell said.
The building structure is finished with apartments on the second floor. Planners left the ground floor unfinished because they knew they would want to put some shops on the lower level. Mark Taussig, associate director of facilities planning, said there are levels of LEED certification: certified, silver, gold and platinum. He said many consultants believe they will have enough points to attain a gold standard. The construction will not be complete until May, but already K-State has taken steps to ensure it is on the path to certification. Energy efficiency is one of the standards the university is striving for. K-State will be installing energy-efficient heating and ventilation systems, lighting and kitchen equipment. Builders plan to use some of the flooring that was left over from the older Jardine apartments, recycled brick and other recycled materials. Construction is focusing on lowering water consumption, with updated irrigation systems
and equipment that requires lower levels of water. Taussig said K-State will be receiving points for waste handling as well. He said 90 percent of the waste is being recycled in some way or another. The builders will also be using materials with low amounts of volatile organic compounds, or organic chemical compounds that can be toxic and harmful, to improve air quality. Taussig said he believes all the steps the university is taking will definitely make a difference for the residents. “It pays off in quality of the environment within the space,” Taussig said. When it comes to boosting K-State’s reputation as being an environmentally conscious school, Ben Champion, director of sustainability, said the project can only help. “K-State hasn’t always been a leader in these areas, but we’re definitely paying a lot more attention in energy issues,” Champion said. “We’re working to that end, and our commitment is strong and firm.”
Unruh, Oliver for diversity, sustainability Danny Davis | Collegian
Courtesy Photo
Danny Unruh (right) and Annie Oliver (left), both juniors, are running for student body president and vice president.
Danny Unruh and Annie Oliver have announced their campaign for student body president and vice president. Both senators have served in Student Senate for three years. Unruh, junior in food science and industry and political science, said he is running for president to provide his service to the university since it has provided services for him. Oliver, junior in life sciences, said that as vice president, she wants K-State to maintain the practices that brought her to where she is today. The pair’s campaign is built on three beliefs, Unruh said. “First, we believe in financial accountability,” he said. “Everything that happens financially in Anderson Hall must be transparent.” He said that an Unruh/Oliver administration would be responsible with student privilege fees. These fees are incorporated into the tuition students pay and the senate al-
locates the funds for campus groups, activities and services. “Danny and I want the students to know where their money is going and why it is going where it is going,” Oliver said. Another goal of the campaign is to create an enhanced classroom learning experience, Unruh said. “We will focus on how KState students like to learn,” Unruh said. “The goal is to create an easy-to-understand message about what K-State students want to see in their classrooms, from multimedia use to in-class demonstrations.” The final component of the two’s platform focuses on sustainability with three factors to focus on. Bringing K-State back into the top half of Big 12 universities is the first goal. Unruh said he believes the pair can do this by fixing minor issues that require minimal cost. The campaign’s goal of sustainability involves responsible decision making by Unruh and Oliver’s administration on be-
half of students’ interests. Unruh said that the family atmosphere at K-State is something he and Oliver wish to maintain. Unruh and Oliver also hope to increase global diversity at K-State. “Annie and I want a K-State degree to signify experience in diversity and the global world we live in,” Unruh said. “Therefore, we will support diversity programming and the Office of Study Abroad.” Unruh and Oliver’s campaign motto for the election is “Believing in You.” Unruh said that if their administration does its job to give students the chance for success, K-State can be the best undergraduate experience in the Big 12. “We liked this motto because, as students of K-State, we have been given the chance to engage in so much and to accomplish anything that we set our minds to,” Oliver said. “K-State has believed in us and we believe in K-State too.” To view the campaign’s site, go to dannyandannie.org.
An unknown male offered a vehicle ride to a grade-school girl in Manhattan earlier this week, according to a news release from the Riley County Police Department. The incident occurred at 8:08 a.m. on Tuesday near Parker Drive and Casement Road, said RCPD Lt. Herbert Crosby Jr. The girl was walking to school and was approached by a stranger in a dirty, white Jeep Laredo, according to the release. The Jeep was a more recent model. The suspect is described as a white man in his late 50s to early 60s who is clean shaven and short and has grayish-blond hair and glasses. The stranger asked the student if she wanted a ride because it was cold outside, and the student said “No,” and kept walking. The suspect continued to follow the student in his vehicle for a short distance and then drove north on Casement Road, according to the release. The suspect never got out of his vehicle. Any information on the incident or the vehicle should be directed to the RCPD at 785-537-2112 or the Riley County Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.
woman’s vehicle damaged from kicking
A Manhattan woman reported $1,000 worth of damage to her vehicle earlier this week, according to a report from the RCPD. The incident occurred sometime between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Tuesday at 2215 College Ave., Crosby said. Sarah Weaver, 19, 2215 College Heights, Building F, Apt. 321, reported damage to her 2003 Ford Taurus. According to the report, the suspect kicked the driver’s side front and rear doors, causing dents in the vehicle’s exterior. No arrests in the case have been made.
From the beginning of the semester, K-State has been involved in a national competition called “RecycleMania.” K-State is competing in the Per Capita Classic with 305 other universities from across the nation. Here are the results of week four in a 10 week tally.
Week 4 weights: Cardboard Mixed paper Newspaper Mag/Phonebook Plastic Aluminum Food waste composted
6,590 pounds 5,330 pounds 3,440 pounds 1,940 pounds 415 pounds 167 pounds 1,060 pounds
Total weight of solid waste for the week 103,102 pounds Total weight recycled 17,882 pounds Percentage recycled 17.3% (a 2% increase from last week) Per Capita Classic rankings thus far: 1. Virginia Military Institute 2. Colorado College 3. Rider University 4. California State University - San Marcos 5. Westfield State College ... 237. University of Kansas 238. Kansas State University
Weight totals provided by Joe Myers, physical plant supervisor, Division of Facilities. Ranking information found at: RecycleManiacs.org.