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FRIDAY • MAY 22 • 2015
Haskell suspends football program to cut costs By Matt Tait Twitter: @mctait
In a move that stirred up emotions across campus, Haskell Indian Nations University on Thursday announced that it has suspended its football program for the 2015 season, citing a lack of funding as the main reason. The initial announcement came early Thursday after-
noon on the school’s Facebook about all that page for its athletics programs went into it. and included no explanation. “This isn’t a “Football suspended for the decision that 2015 season...” read the post, was arrived at which was eventually removed. easily,” Prue exA few hours later, in a news plained. “This release from the president’s ofhas been somefice, Haskell officials detailed thing that prethe reasons behind the deci- Chenault vious (Haskell) sion, and Stephen Prue, execupresidents tive assistant to the president, have looked at and we’ve come talked with the Journal-World to that point, like a lot of small
colleges, where the amount of money to put on a sport like football and be able to compete at a high level is more than we have available.” Prue, a 2002 Haskell graduate himself, said Haskell President Venida Chenault takes the safety of the school’s athletes seriously and emphasized that the cost of maintaining a football program goes well beyond uniforms and road trips.
Haskell Stadium, which both Free State and Lawrence High used for years — and even made an offer to turf the field a little more than six years ago — is nearly 100 years old and in drastic need of upgrades. “We have to be very realistic about the football program,” Prue said. “Our president has great concern about the Please see HASKELL, page 4A
Senate calls off tax debate
Saying goodbye for the summer
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As Legislature adjourns for long holiday vacation, area lawmakers frustrated By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
DEERFIELD SECOND-GRADERS Bryer Hierl, center, Addison Maier, right, Eyan Conforti, back, and others surround their classmate Ana Kokhanovsky, back facing, as Ana leaves class Thursday on the final day of school. Many students and teachers said farewell to one another until next school year.
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Regents report: Almost half of all Kansas college students taking ‘distance’ classes By Sara Shepherd Twitter: @saramarieshep
More than 45 percent of students enrolled at Kansas institutions of higher learning are taking at least one class from a distance, according to a new Board of Regents report. On Thursday, Regents
vice president of academic affairs Gary Alexander presented the board with this year’s annual report for the Regents Distance Education Plan. It showed that distance education is widespread at Kansas schools and growing. At least for Regents
schools, that’s not at the expense of quality, Alexander said. “It’s becoming a more strategic, more sophisticated process,” he said. “Our schools know what they’re doing, and they do it well ... there is commitment to quality, not just slapping programs up and trying to
Topeka — Republican leaders in the Kansas Senate called off a scheduled debate and vote on a $496 million tax package on Thursday, then adjourned for an extended Memorial Day weekend. Lawmakers will return Tuesday for what will be the 96th day of the 2015 session, leaving a number of Lawrencearea legislators frustrated at the lack of progress in solving the state’s looming budget crisis. “It just shows you how bad the work product is right now,” said Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, the ranking Democrat on the tax committee that put It just together the bill that was to be debated Thursday. shows you “After four-plus months of how bad being in session, the governor and the leadership still the work don’t have a plan for clos- product is ing the session down.” right now.” Sen. Marci Francisco, DLawrence, said she wished — Sen. Tom the debate had gone forHolland, ward. “I think it was very ap- D-Baldwin City propriate to schedule it today so that we’d have some information, and then when we go back to our communities people can weigh in again on the specifics,” she said.
benefit from that.” The Regents define distance education as courses in which faculty and students are “separated in place or time.” The report separates distance education (courses and programs that blend Please see DISTANCE, page 2A
Please see TAX, page 2A l Budget negotiators drop tuition
freeze, narrow revenue gap. Page 3A
Census numbers are strongest showing for Lawrence this decade
T
he U.S. Census Bureau has released its 2014 population estimates for cities across the country, and they show that Lawrence may be getting some of its growth mojo back. The latest numbers estimate Lawrence’s population stood at 92,763 people in 2014. That’s up by 1,587 people from 2013. That’s good for a growth rate
l Baldwin City: 4,585, up 0.5 percent of 1.7 percent. Lawrence’s growth rate l De Soto: 6,038, up 1.8 percent had slowed to less than a half percent l Eudora: 6,303, up 0.9 percent a year in 2010, but has been on the rise l Gardner: 20,667, up 0.6 percent since then. The 2014 numbers are the l Kansas City: 149,636, up 0.6 strongest showing for Lawrence this decade, and are near Lawrence’s historic percent l Leavenworth: 36,000, up 0.2 average of the last 20 years or so. Here’s a look at how the city’s pop- percent l Leawood: 34,395, up 4.2 percent ulation growth compares with some l Lecompton: 637, up 0.6 percent other Kansas communities:
INSIDE
Afternoon storm Business Classified Comics Deaths
High: 68
Low: 53
Today’s forecast, page 10A
2A 5C-9C 6BB 2A
Events listings Horoscope USA Today Opinion
10A, 2C Puzzles 10C Sports 1B-8B Television 9A
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10C 1C-4C 10A, 2C
l Lenexa: 51,042, up 1.3 percent l Olathe: 133,062, up 0.8 percent l Ottawa: 12,403, down 0.8 percent l Overland Park: 184,525, up 1.7
percent l Tonganoxie: 5,192, up 0.6 percent l Topeka: 127,215, down 0.2 percent l Wichita: 388,413, up 0.3 percent
Bill goes to governor The House has approved a bill that would give Kansas’ secretary of state the power to prosecute election fraud. Page 3A
— Chad Lawhorn
Vol.157/No.142 36 pages