Vol. 99, No.34 (USPS 650-640)
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED SINCE 1889 BY THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Thursday October 13, 1988
Gloria Schwarz, ralaw Lawrence, center, holds hands with her mother, Edith Cordell, as they watched fighters battle a blaze that destroyed Schwarz's home yesterday. Douglas County Sheriff's officer Robin Moore stands at left.
Volunteer firefighters from the Lecompte and Wakaraus townships about five miles west of Lawrence on County Highway 438. The cause battled a blaze which caused more than $40,000 damage to this house of the fire, which was reported about 4:30 p.m. is unknown, is unknown.
Fire guts home; no one injured
By Jay A. Cohen Kansan staff writer
Scott Carpenter/KANSAN
A fire gutted a home yesterday afternoon about five miles west of Lawrence on Douglas County Road 438
Members of the Lecompot Township Volunteer Fire Department, with assistance from Wakarusu Township and Douglas County, brought water from a water tower
about two miles away. But there was little they could do except contain the fire and keep the flames away from a nearby propane tank.
Norma Larson, Perry resident, was in her home way about 4:30 p.m. when she saw smoke coming out of the house. She said the girl was dressed in a jacket owned by the Douglas County Sheriff's
Department.
The fire was under control by 6:15 p.m.
Lecompte Fire Chief Bob Chief
describes the house as a total loss, with
diamonds scattered around. The cause of
the fire is not yet known.
Gloria Schwarz, who has lived in the house for the last five years, was grateful that her dog Heidi was unburth but went as
she spoke of the photographs and the memories that were carried away with the clouds of thick black smoke.
Schwartz was born and raised in the Lawrence area and left for New Jersey about 29 years ago. Five years ago, she returned
"I came back home, where it was quiet," she said before looking up at the
flames and shaking her head.
"We see these things all the time," he said. "But you never expect it to happen to you."
Tom Tole, who works with Schwarz at GAB Business Services in Topeka, an independent insurance adjustment firm, will be down the remaining edges of the roof.
RECRUITING MINORITIES
Improving the atmosphere
University works on developing better minority programs
By James Farquhar
Kansan staff writer
"KU doesn't give much in the way of incentives to minority students who are considering the school," said Randy Hirsch, a professor at Purdue University.
Programs aimed at recruiting black students to the University of Kansas are not as effective as those at other area colleges, a counselor at a Kansas City, Kan., high school said Tuesday.
She said financial help from KU often seemed scarce and many blacks believed the University atmosphere.
"Many times the main reason black students I talk with go to KU is because it's close to home, not because they like KU," she said. "In fact, a lot of minority students are afraid of KU."
She said KU didn't reach out to high school black students as much as some other area schools.
Marshell Jackson, assistant director of the University Placement Center who has worked with minority recruitment at KU for 17 years, said KU had more programs directed at minorities than most other area colleges.
"The problem is not a lack of minority programs at KU," Jackson said. "The problem is that there is a lack of continuity in the presentation of these programs. There's a need for coordination here."
Jackson said that the recruiting methods of programs such as INROADS and SORHMEB, which promotes students to college through an Upward Bound, a program which promotes higher education for minorities, were well-established and effective.
But such programs need to work together more to present a unified recruitment plan to minority students.
Rosia Dorsey, director of minority affairs, said that new initiatives to make KU students more comfortable with the school had helped retain minority students that might otherwise be discouraged and leave.
Programs such as peer counseling, which stems from the minority affairs office, have helped minor students achieve academic success.
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Tura Sala, a Seattle graduate student who heads the peer counseling program, said the program linked incoming minority students who felt lost at KU with students familiar with the campus.
In the program, small groups get together to study, socialize and talk about the issues that affect their day.
"We try to keep the groups small so that students can build strong friendships within the groups." she said.
A minority affairs task force appointed by Judith Ramaley, executive vice chancellor, has been dealing with minority recruitment and retention issues since its first meeting in April.
Dorsay said the office would launch a similar mentoring program at the end of this month using faculty members.
She added that although the groups would remain small, the program was open to all minority students who were enrolled in school.
The report is expected to include a plan to increase enrollment and retention of students and faculty, a press release detailing the report, and other materials.
"It's important to make sure minority students are in touch with faculty members as human beings. Dorset has a strong
Minority recruiting challenge
KU. Big Eight struggle against dwindling black enrollment
By James Farquhay Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas is struggling along with many other state universities to increase waning enrollment.
Some consider KU among the least attentive to minority concerns
Ardra Tipplet, St. Louis, Mo., junior and secretary of the Big Eight Council on Black Student Government, said KU did too much talking and not enough action, giving a attitude toward minority women in the Big Eight.
"Every school in the Big Eight pays more attention to their curriculum than any other," when I look at the professional pamphlets KU puts out, the pictures in the Kansas or anywhere else on campus for that matter. I never guess that KU student are "superheroes."
Total enrollment for the Lawrence campus fall 1988 was 24,148. KU's fall 1988 minority enrollment was 1.59 students. That total included increases from 1987 and 1988 to 1.99 students. The American Indian and 9.2 percent for American Asian
However black enrollment decreased for the second consecutive year. With 67% black attending KU this fall, black enrollment was down about 14 percent since 1986.
A KU task force first met April 7 to discuss minority recruitment and retention of both faculty and student
The task force met on Sept. 27 for the first time since the summer recens to hear reports from the subcommittees, according to a University relations press release. Judith Ramalley, executive vice chancellor, is
chairman of the task (force and will write the group's report.
The University of Missouri in Columbia is another Eight million challenged by the complexities of multimillion-dollar projects.
Ministry enrollment historically has been a problem for MU, said Tullivan Salliman, assistant registrar for the institution.
"Seven years ago, the Office of Civil Rights in Washington, D.C., said that MU had a minority enrollment problem," Sillain said. "We've added about 30 new scholarships earmarked for minority students."
Minority enrollment increases after the scholarship were initiated, although it has leveled off during the years of the project. The distribution statistics. For the fall 1988 semester, 1,365 minority students were enrolled out of total enrollment of 23,434 students.
The University of Iowa in Iowa City, however, has had more success.
An initiative called Opportunity at Iowa which started in 1987 yielded positive results within one year, said Philip Hubbard, vice president for student services and director of the program.
Iowa's black enrollment, which didn't have an increase of more than 2 percent in the last 10 years, rose almost 7 percent to 644 since last year when the program began. Total enrollment is 29,230
"We're working at every level to reach out to minorities. Hubbard said we 've initiated programs that are inclusive for all students' in elementary schools. We want to make sure we extend ourselves to black, Latino and Native American communities."
Western Civ format causes disagreement
By Grace Hobson Kensan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Last year, the Western Civilization department revised its method of teaching the course, which required students to engage in education. The department replaced what consisted of a once-a-week discussion with lectures on specific topics.
When it comes to last year's format change in the Western Civilization program, students and teachers are getting excited.
Faculty say the changes offer students a better educational experience while students complain
Another option was to enroll in a class of about 30, which met three times a week. Two of the class periods were used for lecture and on the third day, the class broke up into small discussion groups.
With a $120,000 grant received in 1985 from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the department hired six professors who were members of other departments and schools in the University.
The professors were from academic areas such as education, French and Italian, physics and mathematics.
"We hope it has improved the program," Woel
G. Cameron Hurst, a professor in the program, said that because many students enrolled in the course with no historical knowledge, the lectures were necessarily context-filled.
The purpose of the format change was to offer students more experience, said Mr. Reisberg, director of Western Civilization.
fai sai 'In one 50-minute lecture a week, the students weren't getting the background informa-
tion.'
But the change to a lecture format is the source of some students' grises.
James Glassapp, Lawrence junior, said he thought the lectures were a waste of time because they focused too much on background material instead of the texts themselves.
"They didn't test us over any of the material from the lectures, so they (the lectures) didn't really help us." Glassnap said, referring to the course she was teaching. "I'll go to the lectures and just read what do just need."
G. Cameron Hurst, a professor in the program, said that many students enrolled in the program were not familiar with the necessary context-filled. He achieved an acceptable balance of background and text in his courses.
Shanna Eller, Lawrence junior, said that she thought a lack of professors specifically trained in Western civilization was another weakness of the program.
"I will be the first to admit that we don't always
get the mixture right." Hurst said. "But we are
ready."
Hurst responded by saying he thought the diversity in faculty disciplines added to the program. Hurst, a professor of East Asian studies, said his work was based on similarities to the Eastern culture, citing their similarities.
Ted Vaggalis, assistant director of Western Civilization, said that all professors teaching the course had extensive Western tradition backgrounds that included teaching history and philosophy. He said the professors underwent a careful screening process before being hired.
Some students appreciate the new format. Kelly
had taught at Oklahoma State, where she taught,
sainte beneficieuse la kappa.
Like it or not, the program will continue as is until funds run out this year. After that, its fate is unknown.
"they give us a perspective about each philosopher we learn about," Hagen said. "The professors do their best to present interesting aspects about the philosophers."
Lots of lights, action but no cameras yet
Organizers prepare for last debate
The Associated Press
Debate organizers trucked in sets, lecterns and equipment from their school to Omaha, Neb. They said things were going smooth despite the weather.
LOS ANGELES — With only six days' notice, workers scramble the gymnasium and basketball arena into a television studio where the debate between George Bush and Michael Dukakis began. The day choices of millions of voters.
Fouhy said his job was made
As the Republican and Democratic nominees spent a quiet day preparing for their second and third rounds of voting, the producer for the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, Mr. Cohen, said he would inside UCLA's Pauev Pavilion.
easier because this university of 34,000 students was accustomed to handling big events.
"They have a whole special events staff that's used to doing these things," he said.
UCLA served as the athletes' housing center and site of the gymnastics competition for the 1984 Olympic Games, and last year entertained Britain's visiting Prince Andrew.
Organizers said 2,000 tickets would be distributed for the debate audience in keeping with the intimate, TV studio atmosphere that characterized the debate in Winnipeg. She told the vice presidential matchup.
The commission, established by both campaigns to handle the first presidential debate Sept. 25, 2013, asked the Women Voters as sponsor.
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