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FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - Soldiers need to be strong to endure the hardships they face during their deployment in crisis regions. They need to be able to carry around a load of backpacks, arms, and ammunition during their walks to the next mission. In addition to that, they have to demonstrate mental and social strength as well.

"The army wants the soldiers to be the very best that they can be," said Maj. Eric T. Johnson of the army base at Fort Leavenworth.

Last October, the army created the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program (CSF) that enhances soldiers to improve their resilience in five dimensions of fitness: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and family. The CSF program assesses the soldiers' ability to face extraordinary challenges and detect upcoming problems during and after their deployment.

According to Maj. Johnson, the rising numbers of suicides and soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder were a catalyst that led the army to change their direction and find a way to help soldiers before it is too late.

"The CSF program is one that encourages soldiers to identify within themselves a point of where they've come to and they said 'You know I can't go any farther with this'," he said.

It helps soldiers to see if they need help and seek it. It is taught, among others, at sergeant majors academies, NCO (non-commissioned officer) advance and basic courses, CGSC (Command and General Staff College) and basic training levels. The program involves an online assessment, various courses on resilience and how to improve your fitness, and the opportunity to teach classes to other soldiers. It will help them to develop mental resilience and strengthens their overall fitness.

Although the program was created last October, it hasn't yet been fully implemented at the army base in Fort Leavenworth. Lt. Col. Stacy Bathrick is currently working together with Prof. Bob Basow and some of his students from the University of Kansas on a campaign that will promote the program to soldiers and their families.           

The military is particularly keen on reducing the stigma that follows seeking help with all kinds of problems.

"There are certain social stigmatizations that are inherent in our society that need to be overcome. And one of this is a stigma to seek mental health," said Maj. Johnson. "You're looked upon as weak."

The social stigma that comes with honesty about mental problems is still prevalent in the military and our society as a whole.

"The military is trying to dispel this stigma but I think the soldiers still think it's there," said Maj. Karin Tackaberry. "I would rather someone who potentially has problems get help ... than somebody be untreated and be with us, be deployed."

Soldiers start to recognize that physical fitness is not the only aspect they should focus on. Being mentally healthy is particularly important during deployment and after returning home.

The military already has several programs that help them to adjust to their former life at home after deployment, for example the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA). Before they can return to their families, they have to undergo tests and classes that remind them that their behavior at home is different than during their missions.

Michael Waisner, former sergeant in an infantry unit, still remembers his PDHA. He had to fill out forms, sit through classes, and evaluate his experiences during his deployment in Iraq and South America.

"They may seem boring and people might not take them seriously but I think if you take them seriously I think it will help you, remind you that hey, things are different, you know, going back home," said Sgt. Waisner.

Recognizing the problem is the first step to receiving the help you need. The military tries to give their soldiers the opportunity to deal with their experiences and try to live a normal life after going through unusual circumstances.

"I think it's impossible to completely fix these things, or to be perfect, but I think the military is definitely trying to make sure everyone is healthy," said Waisner.

The CSF program was not only created for soldiers, but also for their families. Spouses, children, or other family members are highly encouraged to take part in the classes and learn how to cope with the living situation after their loved one comes back home.

"Soldiers are fixated on going home," said Major Johnson. But "we just weren't sure about that mental baggage that they were carrying around, and that mental rucksack, and we didn't give them the time to empty that rucksack."

The CSF program is still in its development stage. But Maj. Johnson and other members of the military hope it will thrive and become a household name that reminds soldiers that they need to be aware they are not machines, but human beings.

"Everybody is individualistic and everybody brings something new," he said. "We can't fix it all but we can do a lot to help reducing."

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - Multi-monitor displays show icons moving around a brightly-colored geographical map.  Units receive orders to engage various targets around the map. Can video games help train our tacticians of the future? The United States Army thinks so. 

The Army develops the Command Post of the Future (CPOF) as part of a comprehensive effort to incorporate advanced knowledge management techniques and simulations into soldiers' routines. The main focus of CPOF lies in simulating the movement of men and materiel within a combat environment. This training translates directly to the battlefield as active forces also use CPOF.

Major Todd Moe's background as an infantry officer and his degree in Public Management lends itself to his role as a Knowledge Management and Battle Command Officer. "My field requires me to be a technologist and a war fighter," Moe says. "If you do simulation, you do training for cheap."

CPOF assists the Army in training officers how to handle live battleground situations with accurate data. Multiple GPS devices report unit locations and present this real-time information on CPOF via satellite. This gives tactical officers the ability to coordinate troop movements and artillery fire. Collaboration with other Army units and personnel is done simultaneously over the network.

Tacticians draw out battlespaces, or areas of control, on CPOF's geographical mapping system to delineate boundaries. Moe says, "In real time, if this was taking place in Iraq or Afghanistan, you would have units moving in and around this battlespace." Using CPOF, a division commander can more easily control a battlespace. Enemy targets are identified as they are spotted and then added to the battlespace map. A three-dimensional mapping overlay assists tacticians with determining potential impediments, water hazards and artillery guidance.

Defense companies who have contracts with the Army create CPOF technology. Non-combat oriented programs like Blackboard and an Army-sponsored blogging utility are also promoted by the Army as necessary information gathering tools.

Major Moe sees knowledge management as the sharing of information, especially mission-critical information. He believes Army personnel need to contribute and read relevant information pertaining to their jobs and mission. "I hate gatekeepers because in our organisation, if the enemy is out there, you need to share that information."

One of the struggles with maintaining knowledge management databases revolves around motivating soldiers to read and refer to the information that has been made available.  Moe contends that soldiers must be active participants in data sharing. The Army is encouraging this by incorporating information gathering into preparatory stages prior to missions. "You need buy in to make it happen," Moe says.

BOSS; An opportunity for single soldiers



FT. LEAVENWORTH, KS -Josh Evans first joined the army 10 months ago, when he moved to Fort Leavenworth. As a soldier he works at the hospital through the health center as an x-ray tech. His days are long and his nights can often be lonely or boring, since he is away from his family and friends. Evans needed something to do beyond his duties as a soldier and an x-ray tech. 



He joined a volunteer organization - Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers (BOSS).



"It's an opportunity. It gives me something to do," said Evans, Vice President of BOSS at Fort Leavenworth.



BOSS, established in 1989, is a volunteer organization that assists young single soldiers in planning for recreational and leisure activities. Each army post has a BOSS organization. Soldiers who spend their days in the barracks, working in the hospital, or going to class need an outlet that can occupy their nights and days when they are not working. When soldiers join BOSS they have the opportunity to work with children in schools, volunteer in their community, socialize and go on trips. 



"It basically gives them a life," said Jessica Alexander, President of BOSS at Fort Leavenworth.



Soldiers have their nights and weekends free. Therefore, they are often looking for ways to occupy their time. By joining BOSS, soldiers can find many ways to get involved in a number of activities and meet people.


This year, at Fort Leavenworth, BOSS has created an Angel Tree. Each soldier makes an angel for a family in need. Anyone can chose an angel and buy something for that particular family. It gives the families something to look forward to for the holiday season.



"It's really nice to help others out," said Evans.



In addition, BOSS often works with children in the community. They play with the kids after school and assist them with their school work.



Soldiers who participate in BOSS also have the opportunity to travel. Every year BOSS soldiers participate in a marathon in Mexico. For some, it can be a competitive event or just an excuse to get away. Evans reported it was one of the best things he's done with BOSS.

"I like that kind of thing," said Evans.



BOSS also participates in community service such as roadside clean-up. Evans said they spend the day helping the community look nicer. Afterward they usually get pizza or do something fun together.

In addition, BOSS can be a great resource to help soldiers with their grievances when they miss their family and friends who are back at home. It helps them know who they can turn to.



Major Roy Beeson talks about BOSS.Photo by Max Utsler

Soldiers have the option to participate in BOSS as much or as little as they want. Some chose not to participate at all.



"We are so busy - people see it as a distraction," said Pete Godfrin, a master's degree candidate at Fort Leavenworth.



Soldiers work 65-70 hours per week. They have minimal 11 hours of work each day. Some view BOSS as 'extra military time.' Sometimes they want to do their own thing at night such as going out to the bars.

 

"I don't think they see the benefits it offers. Or they just aren't interested," said Evans.



BOSS can take up a lot of a soldier's time outside of their daily responsibilities.

 

"Sometimes your whole weekend is spent volunteering for BOSS. When we have a lot going on at once, it can be a lot," said Evans.



BOSS is targeted toward young soldiers, ages 19 to around 23. There is no equivalent organization for older soldiers who are single. They could join BOSS if they wanted. However, Roy Beeson, a master's degree candidate at Fort Leavenworth, said it would be like a graduate student joining a program targeted for freshmen in college.



Beeson said it might be nice to have a BOSS for older single soldiers, "but then again, we just want to go home and barbeque."



While some may chose to plan their own social events, others enjoy participating in the activities BOSS offers. Group leaders say these activities will continue to grow as new members join the program each year.


FT. LEAVENWORTH, Kan. _ For Major Mark Cheatham, the hardest part of being a soldier is saying goodbye to his wife, Stacy Cheatham, and their two kids. Whenever he gets ready for his next deployment, Ms. Cheatham worries that her husband might never see her and the kids again.

"I want to talk to her, but she would cry all night," said Cheatham, 35. "I know she is scared that I will never come back."

So he writes.

He writes her letters about what he has prepared for them so they can move on in their lives without him, where he wants to be buried and what he wants her to do after his death. He seals the letters and asks Ms. Cheatham to open it only if she hears bad news. He has been deployed twice; two letters have been written.

Luckily, none of them has been opened. Each time he came home, he tore them up, sighing with relief.

Military life has placed countless strains on marriages of soldiers like Cheatham. Distance, loneliness and the fear of danger are most common troubles for separated couples. In addition, recent studies have found that enduring conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and frequent deployments have caused even more serious problems for military families, such as heightened divorce rate and various forms of mental stresses among family members.

According to the findings, roughly 20 percent of active-duty members in the military considered separation a primary stressor in their family lives. So far, the Cheathams have managed to weather all of those strains. But it hasn't been easy, the young officer admitted. Being separated from one another is, perhaps, the biggest challenge in their 10-year marriage.

 "I missed them terribly, especially, at Christmas or Thanksgiving," Cheatham said. "I'd sit there imagining the kids opening their gifts and me and my wife looking at them."

Major Eric Johnson, also at Leavenworth said that during his year-long deployment to Iraq he cried more than he had ever done before.

Leaving his fiancé thousands of miles away in Richmond, Va., Johnson went to battle in Iraq. The couple talked on the camera phone every week.

"When I saw her I cried, she cried. I missed her and she feared that I wouldn't come back," Johnson said. "Dealing with those feelings is really hard."

Apart from the loneliness they felt, the dangers soldiers face in their combat scare them the most. Cheatham recalled the day when his unit in Iraq was under attack. The officer survived, but the worries he had for his wife and the kids filled his mind.

 "I thought about my wife. I thought about my kids such as what if I was injured or what if I was killed, what would happen to my family," he said.

Cheatham called home. However, he had to refrain from telling them what he had been through. It's the military confidentiality.

"I could only talk to them to let them know that I was alive. That was it," he said.

Lack of sharing feelings and family responsibilities for a long period of time often pushes young couples apart. Psychologists say that for military families, frequent separation could result in the worst: breaking them up. 

The break-up rate in military marriages increased in direct proportion to the time young officers deploy, according to official figures. Divorce among active-duty soldiers in 2008 was 3.5 percent, up from 3.3 percent a year earlier. Among Marines, the rate was 3.7 percent, up from 3.3 percent

Some 13,000 couples with at least one military partner broke up last year, psychologists say. Many others are struggling to deal with mental distress.

Fulfilling parental responsibilities is another problem for frequently deployed officers.  A study recently published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics shows that one-third of military children who have a parent deployed in a war zone are at "high risk" for psychological problems. The rate is well above the national level. Across the country only one out of 10 children might face similar strains.

For Cheatham, the parental instinct is telling him that his 12-year-old son needs him as the boy is growing into the teenage years. The father is, nevertheless, expecting another deployment next year after he finishes his training at the garrison.

"I think he needs me now more than he did before," Cheatham said. "He'd have lots of questions to ask his dad, but I am not going to be there to answer him."

This time, Cheatham has a different preparation. He plans to talk to his soon-to-be-13-year-old son about the deployment and that the fierce battle might take him away forever. He says he has the confidence that the boy is strong enough to take it.

"I am gonna be realistic. I know he will play the man's role in the family while I am away," said Cheatham. "If something happened to me I want him to take care of his mother and sister."

The plan, as usual, will still include a letter to his beloved family that he will put in the same place. Yet the officer holds a strong hope that he will still have another chance to tear it up himself.

            Jennifer Clark goes about her business on a warm, summer day in Kansas.  The skies are blue from horizon to horizon, not a cloud in sight.  The conditions are perfect for a relaxing summer afternoon.  A few hours later clouds arrive and the skies open up.  The thunder shakes her house on its foundation.  The lightning illuminates every inch of the residence.  The torrential rain limits visibility to only inches outside the window.

            Some fear these typical thunderstorms that characterize the plain states.  Clark, however, enjoys these types of storms.  She observes them roll in across the horizon, creeping ever closer.  The constant rumbling of thunder doesn't faze Clark; she carries on with her business.

            "I like to go outside or stand at the window and watch storms," Clark, Kansas City, Kan., junior, said. "The lightning in some can be crazy. It's also nice to just sit inside and listen to them and go about my activities."Thunderstorms are a common occurrence in Kansas and around the world.  Jon Van de Grift, Earth scientist, said it is estimated that 40,000 thunderstorms take place every day across the world and the U. S. sees 100,000 thunderstorms per year. "Thunderstorms are usually small, organized parcels of warm and moist air that produce lightning and thunder," Van de Grift said.  Characteristics of any thunderstorm may include torrential rain, lightning, hail, and tornadoes.
        In the U. S., thunderstorms occur most often along the East Coast with Florida having more than 90 days of thunderstorms per year.  The Plain states have the second most number of days with thunderstorms at 50-70 days and the Rocky Mountain region  follow the Plains with 30-50 days of thunderstorms per year, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.

            However, the size of thunderstorms is not equal in two different regions of the U. S.  Dr. Donna Tucker researches this topic of varying thunderstorm sizes across different geographical regions.  Tucker, Atmospheric Science associate professor, said the Rocky Mountain region has many thunderstorms, but they are smaller than the thunderstorms found in Kansas.

            "Thunderstorms may generate new storms or grow from their outflow," Tucker said.  "In the mountains the outflow is interrupted by terrain variations so it is harder for thunderstorms to grow large.  On the Plains without the terrain variations to interrupt the outflow, thunderstorm complexes can grow large enough to cover an entire state." 

            A thunderstorm's outflow is responsible for maintaining its strength.  "When precipitation starts falling some of it evaporates and cools the air around it," Tucker said.  "The cooler air is more dense than the air around it and sinks.  When this cooler air reaches the ground, it spreads out in outflow."

            The outflow is a crucial part of the size of a thunderstorm.  A disruption in the outflow will not allow the storm to grow large, but remain a small thunderstorm.  This is the cause of small thunderstorms in Colorado.  The outflow is constantly disrupted by terrain variations such as mountains and ridges.  Since the outflow of the storm is limited, the storm remains small.

            The opposite is true for a region like Kansas.  Kansas consists of no terrain variations, but flat land across the state.  Since the state is flat the storm's outflow is not disrupted, but constantly fuels the thunderstorm.  Since there is a constant outflow, the storms are able to grow to large a size; sizes that may encompass the entire state.

            Richard McNulty, Atmospheric Science professor, said he agrees with Tucker's observations about thunderstorms and the effects geographical regions have on their size.

            "Based on my observation of the atmosphere, Dr. Tucker is on target with her research," McNulty said. "Moisture is needed to feed and grow these thunderstorm clusters. As she states, over the mountains, higher moisture levels are typically confined to the lower elevations, interrupted by the higher mountains. This limit on available moisture impacts the size of thunderstorms."

            McNulty said there is a constant stream of moisture from Kansas to Texas that is not interrupted.  The moisture is then used to "feed the mesoscale beast" or the thunderstorms increase in size.

            All of Tucker's research is computer-based.  She observes the data on the size of thunderstorms through radar and writes down the results.  The University of Kansas has supplied some grant money to finance her research, but the majority of it comes from the National Science Foundation.  The foundation gives grants that range from $100,000-300,000. Tucker said it's a hard process. 

            "Since this is a lot of money, many people want it so the process is very competitive," Tucker said. 

            Tucker's interest in precipitation started this research. Tucker said precipitation is so variable.  One part of Lawrence may get a lot of rain, but another portion will get none.  She is interested in the reasons behind thunderstorm formation and their growth.

            "When I started looking for the roots of the large thunderstorm complexes that form on the High Plains, I saw that their origin really was in the mountains," Tucker said.  "Then comes the question of why the mountain thunderstorms form.  My research has applications dealing with why thunderstorms form, where they do and why they will form in some locations on one day and other locations on another day."

LEAVENWORTH, KS - In 1984, the United States Army had finally had it with the expensive practice of making the same mistake over and over again. Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada, had taken place one year earlier, and the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General John Wickham, was determined to find out how well the military was adapting to conditions in combat.

     The convoy left the base in Ramadi late at night, driving under the cover of night.  They were headed towards a base near Baghdad, about 50 miles to the east.  It was not a long drive, but the route took them through the Sunni Triangle, a dangerous region of Iraq known for a high number of insurgent attacks.  Michael Waisner rode along as a heavy machine-gunner, protecting the supply trucks from attack.  As they neared their destination the mission seemed to be going smoothly, and the trucks began turning down a side road leading into the base. 

           Then, just as Waisner's truck turned the corner, a roadside bomb exploded behind him.  The blast ripped through two of the trucks, and sent all the soldiers scrambling through the darkness trying to locate the bombers in a cluster of nearby houses.

            Roadside bombs, also called IED's, are a common weapon used by Iraqi insurgents.  One of Waisner's main duties during his deployment in 2005 was convoy protection, which forced him to travel often on dangerous roads.  Constant vigilance and the imminent threat of being attacked caused him to endure a high amount of stress.

            The stress encountered by soldiers in combat can cause a mental disorder known as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.  Although Waisner does not have PTSD, he says he can understand how someone with it feels.  Driving at home proved to be difficult after driving in Iraq because he was accustomed to his combat mentality.

            "What you're looking for when you're driving is a lot different.  Especially when I was there, there were a lot of IED's , a lot of roadside bombs.  So you see a piece of trash in the road when you get back and your automatic instinct is to do one thing, which in the civilian world isn't what you do."

            He also described having a heightened sense of awareness after returning from Iraq.

            "I feel like I'm more aware of what's going on around me" he said.  "You notice if you see the same car twice in one night, or you notice if somebody across the room is staring at you.  You just notice things that, at least I don't feel like, I would have noticed before" he said.

            PTSD is a psychological disorder that can cause soldiers to have "flashbacks" of stressful or traumatic combat experiences after they have happened.  In recent years the military has focused more on the effective detection and treatment of PTSD.  Still, many soldiers fail to report symptoms for fear that it might harm their careers, making the effort more complicated.

            David Holmes, a psychology professor at KU, said that PTSD involves a number of anxiety-related symptoms and is caused by a conditioned response to a traumatic or stressful event.  Conditioning occurs when a person forms an association with a stimulus, which triggers an involuntary response.  For a soldier with PTSD, something such as a loud noise can trigger a memory of being in combat, causing them to react as if they were actually in combat.  Other related symptoms can include depression and general anxiety.  All are treatable through counseling and medication, but many soldiers choose not to report their symptoms. 

            A recent study by the RAND Corporation, a non-profit research institution, estimates that nearly 300,000 soldiers have reported symptoms of PTSD and major depression.  That number accounts for about 20% of the total number deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Of those, only half have received treatment. 

            Failure to recognize and treat combat-related mental disorders has brought the military much criticism in the past.  Historically, seeking treatment for PTSD may have restricted what a person was allowed to do in the military. 

            "It used to be that it was not looked upon well if you reported you had some type of mental need" said Karin Tackaberry, an JAG officer at Fort Leavenworth.

            In response, all branches of the military implemented a comprehensive post-deployment heath assessment in 2001. The assessment looks for signs of PTSD and other mental disorders stemming from service, but symptoms can vary in degree and be difficult to detect.  As a result many cases go undiagnosed.

            Tackaberry said that overall, the military's effort in handling PTSD is improved from the past.

            "The army, I think, is really focusing on trying to raise the awareness of all this" she said.  "There's a lot of educational things the army is trying to do." 

            Waisner agrees that the military has been more responsive to concerns about the mental health of soldiers.  He said the military has put a lot of emphasis on keeping in touch with soldiers after deployment, occasionally calling to see how they are doing.  Still, he said, it is ultimately up to the individual to recognize their symptoms and seek help.  Despite the recent efforts to overcome it, he said there is still a stigma associated with mental disorders in the military.

             "There's still a pride issue with it, and also there's some people that their entire ambitions and goals lie with their military career, and they don't want to jeopardize that" he said.  While the military has made an active attempt to help soldiers with PTSD, it may take years before soldiers feel comfortable in seeking treatment. 

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kim Hubbel is a fan of The Raven Book Store. Not only because she likes its book collection, but she is officially a fan of the store on Facebook, the most popular social networking website. On its website there, she can check upcoming events or new offers. If she prefers, she can also visit its regular website or the store's blog.

"The web definitely influences me, especially if I'm in the market for something but I don't know specifically what it is," Hubbel said. "It's very helpful to be able to look and get some additional information before I make the purchase."

 

The Raven Book Store is only one of many stores in Lawrence that makes use of advertisement online, especially on social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs. This advertisement is particularly helpful for smaller stores whose budget is limited. Apart from time and a person with computer skills, this type of advertisement is free.

Hubbel and The Raven Book Store are new to using social networking websites for business, but the web has been a new marketplace for over a decade. Since its beginning in the early 90s, the internet has taken over people's public and private lives. As soon as business owners and advertising companies realized that people spend a considerable amount of time every week online, they started to invest part of their budget in online advertisement. Online ad revenue rose by 40 percent from 2004 to 2006 alone.

 

While online advertisement such as ad banners or flash ads has been used for quite a while, a new strategy to target customers involves a service that doesn't even require spending money.

Social networking websites were created for people who want to connect to old friends or make new ones. Businesses discovered that they could use them to connect to customers. They can follow updates from their favorite stores on Facebook, Twitter, or a blog. This is especially alluring for younger customers that make up the majority of social website users.

 

"We had to be out for the younger market," said Heidi Raak, owner of The Raven Book Store and creator of its websites.

 

Now deemed old-fashioned, the website is still a popular tool for stores and restaurants to keep their customers informed. It is easy for them to check out what the store contains. And considering the number of people who have access to the Internet, the effort is worth it. In 2007, about 83 percent of American adults had access to the Internet. Another 67 percent used the Internet in the past 30 days.

 

Besides the traditional personal website, new online tools have been introduced this century. Facebook is not only a website to connect to people one knows, it is also a fanbase for famous people or brands. Despite being a fan of Barack Obama, one can also be a fan of The Raven Book Store and be notified if there is a new update on the homepage.

 

This is a way to connect to customers while they are surfing the sites to chat with friends. They don't even have to visit another website to find out about the store. In Lawrence, The Raven Book Store, Brits, J&S Coffee and ingredient have already encountered this new endeavor.

 

Sage Software and AMI-Partners found that about 64 percent of small businesses in North America use social media sites to simply answer questions from customers.

 

"We just thought that would be the next thing, so we got on there as soon as we could," said Sally Helm, coordinator for Brits' website and their other online activities. "It's free and fun and it's easier to update a Facebook page and stuff than to put up an email newsletter."

 

Being free is the keyword. Stores in Lawrence are already struggling with bringing customers in and store after store are leaving the town. Therefore, it is difficult for businesses to give up part of their turnover for advertisement. Keeping in touch with customers on social websites is cheap and more direct than print ads because customers see updates as often as they see updates from their friends.

 

Therefore, they are more likely to have a look at them than in a newspaper or on the edges of websites. The problem, however, is that this type of advertisement is not useful to bring in new customers but rather to be connected to regular customers.

 

"I think it's good for re-engaging current customers," said Denise Linville, assistant professor of journalism who will teach a social media class next semester. "It's timely. It has to be going to the right people in the right form at the right time."

 

Christina Arnold found The Raven Bookstore while she was looking for current events in Lawrence. She found an update about a poetry reading that is hosted by the store and decided to visit them.

 

"I fanned The Raven both to support a local retailer through free advertising/word of mouth on FB, and in hopes of seeing postings of future events (readings, signings, etc.), which might be of interest to me - it's far more convenient to be sent notices than to remember to regularly check websites for updates," Arnold wrote in an email.

 

Advertisement through social media can be a useful way to bind customers to a business. According to Linville, "it depends on the targeting strategy."

 

Businesses need to consider that most Internet users are between the age of 25 and 45. Their product must be useful to this audience, otherwise the effort will be in vain.

 

As far as the effectiveness of social network advertisement goes, it helps if the business is already up and running and tries to keep its regular customers informed about new offers or activities. In order to get new customer, you cannot omit the traditional print ad in the newspaper.

Hubbel saw the website address in the Lawrence Journal-World.

 

"Generally I'm looking for something specific when I get online, for the newspaper or for the marketplace," Hubbel said. But "an email newsletter might be nice just because I don't frequent the website."

LAWRENCE_Jessica Wenberg did not plan to get married this soon.

Money problems have forced Wenberg and her fiancé to move in together and marry quicker than they expected.

"It's a little rush, but in this difficult time, we just feel like we need to support each other more," said Wenberg, 28, an elementary teacher. "And why not now?"

Wenberg and hundreds other couples' decisions have helped boost the wedding industry in Lawrence, providing a shield against the financial recession which deeply hurts businesses around the world.

Companies in the field say despite the wide spread economic problem they have enjoyed a thriving time due to a sharp increase in wedding service orders this year.

Savvi Tuxedo Shop in downtown Lawrence had been swamped with orders since spring, prompting it to recruit more employees, said Marissa Garrison, the company's tuxedo consultant.

"It is really crazy," said Garrison. "We did not expect to have weddings in the fall, but people keep coming in."

Garrison recalled the busiest day in June when she and three other staffs handled 26 weddings at one weekend.

"I was running back and forth to make sure that everyone had a chance to try their tuxedos on," she said, adding that on an average, her customer would need 15 tuxedos for a wedding.

The number of Savvi's tuxedo orders has risen to about 300 hundred this year from more than 200 last year, according to the company figures. Since early summer Garrison and other company staffs have had to work an extra day every week to meet the increasing demand for their products.

Catering, music services and flower shops in the city also reported a surge in the amount of customers this year.

Cary Engle of Englewood Florist in downtown Lawrence said since the beginning of 2009, his sale has been doubled.

"It's mostly because we have received more wedding orders than we did last year," Engle said.

For Disk Jockey Gary Myers, 2009 was a good year for his business. He quit his job last October to start his own D.J service, which, in his words, was his "lifetime passion". In the beginning the first thing Myers would do every morning was checking his email to see if he received any order. But nothing came through.

"I had put myself under the gun," said Myers, 27, the father of two children. "Things would have been really bad, if it hadn't worked out."

Suddenly orders for wedding music started flooding in the fourth month, filling up his weekend schedules.

"I was like, there you go. You've got booked," he said.

In the summer when the traditional wedding season came, Myers began to learn how to say no to a number of engagements because his schedule was too tight. Soon after that he decided to expand it and put more money into music and equipment. Myers now works with two other DJs and would provide the service in several cities in Kansas and other neighboring states.

In certain time like these wedding professionals say people tend to get more traditional by having their ceremonies at churches.

Plymouth, Mustardseed and St. John Catholic churches all reported surges in the wedding ceremonies they have had this year, according to church officials. Danforth Chapel management says the number of weddings they have hosted has not decreased over the past three years but stayed at an average of more than 100 weddings annually.

"People are getting back to the tradition of having marriages organized at churches rather than registering with the government," said Kyle Scheideman, a Christian wedding minister.

Scheideman says he did more counseling and ceremonies for couples this year than he had ever done before.

That comeback has given businesses in the industry a brighter outlook.

Garrison's company has planned to expand the business to selling more bridal gowns.

"We didn't think the economy would support it, but we've got two-cabinets full of orders," she said. "Sometimes, things were even more than we could handle." 

While some shops flourish, others in Lawrence continue to struggle.

Along Massachusetts Streets, the city's business hub, shops and offices are still shutting down, leaving empty space and making traces of the economic crisis more visible. Meanwhile, surviving companies were struggling to make ends meat.

On a hot August afternoon Morgan Madison was running back and forth to show her customers a new collection of her fashion products. It was the beginning of the coming-back-to-school season. Madison wouldn't have been that busy it if she hadn't had to lay off two of her four employees.

Like everywhere else around the world, Lawrence has been hit hard by the financial downturn. The city's unemployment rate reached 6.4 percent in July, the highest in the last 10 years. Although it is still relatively low in comparison to the national rate, the recession has taken its toll on people's incomes and the businesses that supported the college town of 91,000 people.

"We've had to cut back quite a bit," she said.

No sign of recovery has been reported overall and experts say the economic picture of Lawrence as well as the country as a whole remains gloomy.

Even in the thriving wedding industry the affect of the recession can be felt. It  forced business owners to find ways to draw customers in.

Savvi has offered sale of $20 or $30 for each tuxedo whose price ranges vary from $250 to $2,000. Engle Florist now charges 30 percent less than they did. And Liberty, the catering service provider, has also lowered their prices.

"Our prices for the service went down," said Nesta Wilson of Liberty. "But people give decent tips too." 

Change is coming. Crisp fall winds portend a chilly winter and a hopeful holiday shopping season. Breezes whip across this bustling, midwestern college town, dominated by the presence of the University of Kansas. Blustery weather reminds Lawrence's business owners that seasons aren't the only things changing in this city of 88,000 people.

The town's business dynamics are evolving. Store owners situated along Lawrence's main shopping district, Massachusetts St., find themselves struggling in these tumultuous economic times. With the University of Kansas located minutes away, Massachusetts St. thrives with constant foot traffic. For many local businesses, that foot traffic comes at a price.




Substantial increases in rent are causing many small businesses to move away from Massachusetts St. Larger retail and food chains are moving in to vacant, high-rent locations along the thoroughfare. As this trend continues, business owners are finding that challenges are not only fiscal but geographic as well. Floodplains surrounding Lawrence are guiding the direction businesses take as they escape the downtown rental costs.

Street-level local business owners consistently complain about rising rent costs, and second-story business owners are beginning to feel the burden as well. 

Susie Roman is the proprietor of Kinections, a second-story massage therapy business on Massachusetts St. Roman says, "The cost of rent and property taxes are what is driving small businesses away. My lease is up for renewal next year, and I am afraid rent will be raised again and will affect my business."

Roman has been searching for new locations to move her business and pointed out that the available locations she had examined along Massachusetts St. cost well over $1000 per month. However, of the locations she had looked at outside of the main Lawrence business corridor, costs fell well-below $1000 per month for similar or greater square footage. Many local businesses are relocating to these more affordable areas and having an effect on commerce in downtown Lawrence.

Recent housing developments are pushing the town limits outward. The expansion of Lawrence has been limited by the river to the north. While there is some housing in North Lawrence, that area is underdeveloped because it lies within a 100-year flood plain. This does not mean that it floods once every 100 years. Rather, it has a one in 100 chance of flooding yearly. In 1951, North Lawrence suffered a devastating flood that halted the northward expansion of the city. While a few small businesses have moved that direction since, most of the area is not commercialized.

Floodplains can provide a host of problems and issues to economic and geographic growth. Daniel Gwartney, Certified Floodplain Manager, has worked with FEMA Region VII as a geographic/environmental scientist. FEMA Region VII includes Douglas County.  His employer, AMEC Earth and Environmental, is an environmental engineering firm that contracts with FEMA to provide modeling and analytical floodplain data. Gwartney says that additional factors involving extensive floodplains may come into play when dealing with expansion.  "For example, section 404 of the Clean Water Act will not allow dredging or filling of existing, federally recognized wetland habitats, for the construction of residential or commercial property."

Lawrence's growth is trending westward along 6th St. and southeast along Iowa and 31st St. due to additional 100-year floodplains that surround the city. Holly Garber, Owner of American Dream Realty and Holly's Homes L.L.C. says, "Floodplains do affect what home buyers purchase, because when you buy a home in the 100-year floodplain it raises your insurance significantly. As a result, most builders are hesitant to build a subdivision in a flood plain because they are hard to sell."

Housing developments to the west and southeast of Lawrence are attracting both small and large businesses to outlying commercial plots. Tracy York, McGrew real estate agent and Lawrence native, says, "Many businesses are trying to populate the western district. They're building the big expensive houses further west, and those businesses are trying to meet that market."

Land scarcity, due to these floodplains, is a growing problem and will cause some businesses to locate in floodplain developments near new housing. Gwartney says, "Though FEMA does handle residential and non-residential properties differently, the overall goal is to reduce flood risk to people rather than structures."