By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Fort Hays State University’s Tiger CLAWS — Campus Leaders Advocating Wellness for Students — wants to remind the community of the dangers of distracted driving. To help drive that home, the group recently brought the “Save A Life Tour” to FHSU’s Memorial Union.

The Safe A Life Tour travels the country with a simulation machine mimicking texting and driving.

“I see too many of our students and too many people in general … being a danger on the road while they are texting and driving,” said CLAWS adviser Bob Duffy, noting the recent conviction of southern Kansas women whose distracted driving caused a fatal crash near Pratt. (related story)

Anthony Lawrence, SAL road manager,  said the simulator, which looks like a racing video game, will allow an operator to drive with text messages rolling in every 30 seconds.

Graham Swartzell, FHSU junior, took the test and offered this advice about texting while driving: “Just don’t.”

Swartzell described his experience in the simulator.

“At first, it was not hard to keep things going fairly straight on the road,” Swartzell said. “Then the moment I had to starting looking at the (texts), things immediately fell apart.  I lost control and ended up clipping a car.”

Lawrence said Swartzell’s reaction is not uncommon, and he hopes the simulator’s lessons stick with people for a lifetime.

“Every single state we go to, we see texting and driving … so it is just a really important message to get across so (people) can make that forward progress towards change,” he said.

Lawrence advises putting a picture of a loved one on your phone’s lock screen as a reminder nothing on a cellphone is as important as your life or the lives of others.

The simulator also offered a test that demonstrated the dangers of driving while intoxicated.

 

 

 

FHSU University Relations

The 2014-15 season of art has begun at Fort Hays State University’s Department of Art and Design. Exhibitions during the fall, spring and summer will be in the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art in Rarick Hall, room 102.

During the fall and spring, the gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Don’t Look Away,” a sabbatical exhibition by Gordon Sherman, professor of art and design, was on display earlier this month.

“My imagery reveals my concern for human relationship to the environment and potential harmful vestiges of culture’s growth and decay,” said Sherman in his sabbatical statement.

Three more exhibitions are in the fall 2014 lineup.

“The Contemporary Figure” by Ben Duke and Robert McCann of Michigan State University, East Lansing, will be in the gallery from Sept. 19 to Oct. 10. Duke will have an opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, and McCann will have his reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3.

The Kansas Artist Craftsman Association Conference and Exhibition will be from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8. Works will include paintings and prints on clay, crochet on ceramics and forged iron combined with ceramics. A closing reception is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.

As part of the Winter Gallery Walk, the Annual Faculty Exhibition will be in the gallery from Nov. 14 to Dec 5. The closing reception is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5.

The spring 2015 lineup includes five exhibitions.

Katrina Florell, Hays graduate student, will showcase her ceramics thesis exhibition from Jan. 3 to Jan. 23. Her work explores the question “How do we become who we are?” The closing reception is from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23.

The International Interior Design Association student chapter will begin its exhibition with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6. The exhibition runs until Feb. 20.

The Graphic Design Professional Development Exhibition opens with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. It will run until March 13.

The annual Student Honors Exhibition will be from April 3 to 17. The opening reception is from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 3.

As part of the Spring Gallery Walk, Tricia Wiese, Hays graduate student, will show her thesis exhibition from April 24 to May 17. The opening reception is from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 24.

The summer 2015 lineup includes two exhibitions.

Debi Cox, Wichita graduate student, will open the Summer Gallery Walk with a ceramics thesis exhibition. An opening reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 12. The exhibition will run until July 3.

Josh Novak, Omaha, Neb., graduate student, will show his ceramics thesis exhibition from July 10 to July 24. His area of focus is wheel-thrown ceramics.

For more information, contact the Department of Art and Design at (785) 628-4247.

There was a limited power outage early Wednesday morning, which Midwest Energy believes to be related to a transformer failure.

Midwest spokesman Mike Morley said the outage, which began at 6:18 a.m., affected three customers in the 100 block of East 23rd for 48 minutes.

“Forty-eight minutes … that’s very quick for a transformer repair,” Morley noted.

Midwest maintains a log of active outages across its service area. Visit the Midwest website and click “Outage Viewer.”

FHSU University Relations

Fort Hays State University’s Delta Omega chapter of Delta Zeta sorority will hold a Jell-O tug-of-war from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday in the Lewis Field Stadium parking lot.

Each team will have four members. The registration fee is $20 per team. Teams can be all male, female or co-ed. Turtle Tug is open to everyone.

All the money raised will be donated to the FHSU Herndon Speech-language-hearing Clinic. One of Delta Zeta’s national philanthropies is speech and hearing.

For more information, contact Abbie Eisenhut, Topeka sophomore, at [email protected].

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., in a news release Tuesday announced the members of his 2014 Kansas Service Academy Selection Board. The 20-member board will review applications and interview candidates who are applying for admission to U.S. Service Academies. These include the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Those selected will enter the academies in June 2015.

“Our country is fortunate to have so many intelligent, hard-working and patriotic young men and women interested in serving our country through the Armed Forces,” Moran said. “I know the Selection Board will have a difficult time narrowing the field of qualified candidates, but I value their insight and thank them for their help in making difficult decisions.”

Moran accepts applications for nominations to the United States Service Academies each year. This year, more than 60 high school students have applied to be considered for very few nominations. Candidates are then required to interview with Moran’s Service Academy Selection Board. Following interviews, the Board will make recommendations to Moran for his decision. If nominated, applicants must then meet the individual admission requirements of each academy. The academies will make the final decision on who will receive an appointment of admission in early 2015.

Members of the 2014 Kansas Service Academy Selection Board include:

• Ron Lucas of Goodland – Vietnam War Veteran and served in the U.S. Army

• Jayne Pearce of Wallace – Marketing and Tourism Director for the Wallace County Visitors Bureau, served in the U.S. Air Force and mother of U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate

• Maceo Braxton, III of Salina – 8th Grade Boys Team Leader at The City and son of U.S. Military Academy graduate

• Karen DeGraaf of Mulvane – U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate

• Anne Emerson of Fort Scott – Southeast Kansas, Inc. Board Member

• Nicholas Falcetto of Fort Leavenworth – U.S. Army Major and U.S. Military Academy Graduate

• Ernest Garcia of Overland Park – Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel and former U.S. Selective Service System Chief of Staff

• Steve Harmon of Emporia – E-Town Solutions Owner/President, Emporia City Commissioner and Kansas National Guard Member

• Steve Hawley, Ph.D., of Lawrence – University of Kansas Director of Engineering Physics Program and former NASA Astronaut

• Robin Jackson, Ph.D., of Hutchinson – Central Christian College Professor of Science and Mathematics

• Ryan Kriegshauser of Topeka – Director of Policy and Special Counsel Kansas Office of the Securities Commissioner and a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserves

• Katrina Lewison of Manhattan – U.S. Military Academy Graduate and Purple Heart Recipient

• Wendell Maddox of Kansas City – United Way of Wyandotte County President and CEO and served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps

• Jill McCarthy of Overland Park – Kansas City Area Development Council Vice President of Business Development and mother of U.S. Military Academy Graduate

• Lynne Murray, Ph.D., of Baldwin City – President of Baker University and wife of U.S. Air Force Member

• Janet Nichols of Manhattan – Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Military Community Liaison

• Paula Ripple of Dodge City – Retired Dodge City High School English instructor and mother of U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate

• Matt Treaster of Newton – U.S. Naval Academy Graduate and an Assistant United States Attorney

• Samuel Turner of Leawood – Retired Shawnee Mission Medical Center CEO, Vietnam War Veteran and served in the U.S. Army

• Ron Whitney of Emporia – American Legion Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars Member and served in U.S. Army

The Hays Police Department conducted 21 traffic stops and received 14 animal calls on Tuesday, Sept. 16, according to the HPD activity log.

Water use violation, 2800 block Augusta, 2:54 a.m.
Animal at large, 700 block East Sixth, 7:37 a.m.
Motor vehicle accident, 22nd and Canterbury, 7:39 a.m.
Abandoned vehicle, 500 block East 14th, 7:43 a.m.
Animal injured, 1500 block U.S. 183 Alternate, 12:27 p.m.
Theft, 100 block West Ninth, 12:42 p.m.
Welfare check, 1900 block Ash, 12:45 p.m.
Found/lost property, 100 block West Seventh, 12:59 p.m.
Credit card violations, 2006 block Marshall, Sept. 8
Found/lost property, 100 block West 12th, 2:20 p.m.
Found/lost property, 100 block West 12th, 2:22 p.m.
Harassment, 500 block West 16th, Sept. 15
Animal at large, 1500 block U.S. 183 Alternate, 3:13 p.m.
Civil dispute, 500 block West 16th, 3 p.m.
Theft, 2700 block Epworth, 5:13 p.m.
Motor vehicle accident/personal injury, 100 block West 13th, midnight
Civil Dispute, 1300 block East 33rd, 5:24 p.m.
Animal call, 1700 block Marjorie, 6:01 p.m.
Unwanted person, 500 block West 27th, 6:22 p.m.
Animal call, 2500 block Donald, 7:04 p.m.
Shoplifting, 4300 block Vine, 8:08 p.m.
Shoplifting, 4300 block Vine, 10:01 p.m.