With friends like these ...

Avoid the winter cycling blues. Join John and Becky McClure's spin class. Pedal inside, although some times it feels as if it is outside, to great music. There are 40 or so other cyclists getting their cadence and heart rates up while biding the time til they can once again cycle outdoors.

January 17, 2011 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

We have been “disrespected”

And, the point of this "essay" is what?

January 8, 2011 at 9:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU names Sheahon Zenger new athletic director

Anyone with a coaching background moves a lot. Six years at ISU is not exactly job hopping. Commenters here are either unrealistic or nuts. We were either going to get an associate ad from a BCS school or an ad from a university like Tulsa or ISU. What exactly, on paper anyway, made Cunningham a better choice in critics' minds? The Notre Dame connection? People didn't like Perkins because he was an easterner whose style ruffled midwestern feathers. Well, we got a midwesterner with good ole midwestern values to replace him and now we aren't happy with that either. Give Zenger a chance.

January 2, 2011 at 8:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Heard on the Hill: KU Chancellor speaks (a little) about A.D. search; women's basketball team spreads joy, swag at LMH; Sam Brownback looks kind of funny carrying 3,000 postcards

Andy,

The press coverage is damaging to the search and the university when it is premature and not based on solid evidence. In the Cunningham case, the LJWorld, as were most of us, was blinded by the assumption that he would of course want to come to a BCS school. On the other hand, how is it that this search committee got away with leak after leak after leak from very early on in the process? The Chancellor should be concerned about this and should replace the members. The Regents managed to hire the Chancellor without a single leak. There were no leaks in the provost search. Even though both searches were run by a search firm, both were guided by large, representative committees. Lots of opportunity for slips. If a candidate him or herself leaks information, it's fair game, but would seem to be of suspect credibility. There's no right or wrong here but the recent debacle, played out in the news, is no doubt hurting the university in many ways. The alternative, which most faculty would prefer, is a completely open process in which finalists are aware their name will be make public and are asked to interview on campus. When a candidate wants to check out the campus and town before moving a family here, it seems impossible to have a completely secret search. He or she will be spied somewhere and rumors will fly. At that point, make the search public. Seems one local newspaper owner has railed against that option on many an occasion.

December 20, 2010 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Kansas will find another good choice for athletic director

So Tom, did you really think that your column about how KU would survive being spurned by Cunningham would turn into a uninformed, rather vile attack on Chancellor Gray Little? Why don't you start a rumor that a woman is being considered for the position. Make these jerks really nervous.

December 17, 2010 at 6:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Kansas will find another good choice for athletic director

He has attended women's games and sat where he used to sit--at the north end of the court. I think Kubacker is referring to the story about him sitting next to BGL at the Sprint Center game.

December 17, 2010 at 6:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Heard on the Hill: Grading journalists in a post-Bubba world; Mizzou, not KU, makes 'Druggiest College' list; reader says Self should Skype with troops

Andy,

Here's my take: journalists are culpable. Especially those at the LJWorld. Here's why. Saturday after Saturday your boss rips the university search processes for high level officials for not being secret enough. Good candidates are lost, not enough business people are involved, on and on and on. The university is going to hell in a hand basket. He never thinks about the role his own paper plays in maintaining the problems or could play in helping to solve them.

Where do the leaks come from for this search? His own newspaper! There have obviously been leaks all along, despite the business types (who supposedly would do a better job) dominating the search process. Who spreads the leaks? The newspaper. The consequences for this search seem great. Let's just hope that the rest of the good candidates don't have big egos. If they do, they won't want to be second choice, the search will be reopened and KU will have lost a great deal. Then your boss will be the first to blast KU for not being able to attract the high quality candidates he claims to want.

In your defense, you are slammed in these very comment pages for being "scooped" by other outlets. You can't win. Let's just hope the news media haven't ruined KU's chances to replace the man you loved to hate and to make some of the changes your boss keeps ranting about are needed on the hill.

December 17, 2010 at 9:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Heard on the Hill: Study says students lie on teacher evaluations; KU website ranks high for access for visually impaired; man offers hugs for free on campus

Hey Andy,

I like this column. Keep it up.

December 15, 2010 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Election message

Pinecreek and seeker_of_truth are right. I've heard of sore losers but sore winners? What sane business man insults his constituents over and over again and survives. In fact, Tom Sloan did win showing that when reasonable Republicans are on the ballot, Lawrence voters are smart enough to make informed decisions. I buy the paper because it is good for a community to have a newspaper. That is apparently a very liberal/bad idea--to have some sort of community values that are bigger than my own self-interest. Dolph has finally pushed me to the brink of changing my mind. It's one thing for the editor to espouse contrary ideas but quite another to insult people. So, Dolph maybe you finally convinced me: self-interest over all. My first decision in this new world: not renew my subscription. Sorry sales people. You will have to work harder.

November 4, 2010 at 9:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Kansas receives $500,000 from FDA to bolster anti-smoking efforts

So, it's okay for Kansas to advertise that it accepts money from the Feds but then bash them for spending or for setting regulations. Please. Republicans and the LJ World in particular are such hypocrites.

October 27, 2010 at 8:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )