CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Friday, February 3, 1995
3A
Lisa Perry / KANSAN
Diana Prentice-Carlin, communication professor, discusses her views of the Republican's "Contract for America," as fellow pan elds Burdett-Loomis and Allan Cigler, political science professors, and Forrest Swall, social welfare professor, wait their turns.
Democrats criticize 'Contract'
By Virginia Marghelm Kansan staff writer
Voter misperceptions about the Republican "Contract with America" created a Republican majority in Congress, said Diana Prentice-Carlin, assistant professor of communication studies, at a forum last night.
"It was not revolutionary," Prentice-Carlin said of the contract at the forum, which was at the Walnut Room in the Kansas Union. "It wasn't new. There is a perception that it will solve a lot of problems, but it also will create a lot of problems."
The forum, sponsored by KU Democrats, addressed the Contract with America and the agenda of the new Congress.
The Contract with America was part of the Republican party's platform during the 1994 campaign. The contract addresses issues such as balancing the budget and cutting middle-class taxes.
Burdett Loomis, professor of political science, said he was not opposed to the Contract with America, but it did not address ground-breaking issues.
"The 10 most important issues that are addressed in it are not too controversial," Loomis said.
Allan Cigler, professor of political science, said the contract was an attempt to make voters feel good.
"It's just not well-thought out at all." Cigler said. "It may make people feel good in the short-run, but it causes pain in the long-run."
Cigler used the balanced budget proposal as an example. While citizens would like the budget deficit to be eliminated, they would not like the effects of the cuts that would be necessary to do so.
The contract disregards young people, Cigler said.
"The Social Security section seems to me to be a blatant appeal to senior citizens," he said. "It's giving away things at the top end."
Forrest Swall, assistant professor of social welfare and former Democratic state representative, said information about welfare in the contract was erroneous.
"They are operating on a series of assumptions that simply are not true," Swall said.
He said the contract assumed the welfare system was self-perpetuating and that Black people comprised the majority of welfare recipients. Actually, the majority of recipients are white and do not receive benefits for more than two years, he said.
Ken Fleming, Chicago, junior, said he went to the forum to hear a Democratic view on the Contract with America. Fleming, who is a Republican, said he thought it was interesting to hear the panelists' criticisms of the balanced budget proposal.
Fleming said he was amused that Democrats had held a forum to lecture themselves about why they lost.
KU's discrimination policy debated
Difering readings of the Bible causes moral, ethical clash
By Sarah Morrison Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas' discrimination policy came under fire last night because of its inclusion of protection on the basis of sexual orientation.
At a Student Union Activities-sponsored forum on amending the city's human relations code to include sexual orientation, Lawrence businessman Jim Muller said that not only should the city reject the proposal but that the University should remove protection on the basis of sexual orientation.
Maurice Bryan, director of affirmative action, said Muller would not get his wish.
"As long as I'm at KU, that is not going to happen," he said.
Muller and Pete Mirakian, first-year taw student, presented arguments against the proposed amendment. Bryan and Eric
Moore, LesBiGay Services of Kansas president, spoke in support of it.
The opposition's argument was based on religious beliefs and biblical interpretation.
Mirakian said he was participating in the debate because he was a follower of Christ.
"The first point I want to make is that the Bible declares homosexuality is a sin," Mirakian said. Mirakian quoted from the Book of Leviticus and
"The issue to me in this debate is, 'Do we, as the City of Lawrence, want to approve of what the Bible calls a sin?'" he said.
other biblical passages that he said showed that God condemns homosexuality.
Mirakian said amending the city code, which would apply to housing and public accommodations, would be condoning behavior that God says is immoral.
Bryan said the separation of church and state should prevent religious beliefs from dictating public policy.
"The challenge or our society, the real challenge, is that we have to fashion our public laws out of our own created ethics and morality," he said.
Moore said the debate about the amendment shouldn't be theological but that the issue was equality and fairness.
which the Bible supports.
"Regardless of what our opponents' interpretations of the Bible may be, it is my understanding that the Bible does not in any way advocate discrimination against anybody," he said.
Council approves '96 parking budget
Fees, fines remain the same as garage debate continues
By Matt Hood Kansan staff writer
Plans for parking garages are idling, but further discussion has been given the green light.
University Council approved yesterday the parking department's revised 1996 budget. The budget holds all parking permit fees and fines at their current levels, rejecting any increase to finance proposed parking garages.
"We are simply holding the line," said T. P. Srinivasan, presiding officer of University Council.
Plans for two parking garages were put on hold last week by University administrators after the Senate Executive Committee objected to the increase in fees and fines.
"It doesn't make any sense to push this right now," said Richard Mann, University director of administration.
Mann said that the administration had hoped to seek legislative approval this year for the
bonds that would have financed the garages. He said he realized, however, that the garages hadn't received enough consideration.
Mann said legislative approval would be sought next year, and the garages could receive appropriate debate in the meantime. Debate will include studying the parking consultant's recommendations and analysis of a separate two-year traffic flow study to be completed in the next two weeks.
One concern is what Mann described as "severe safety issues," such as crumbling concrete at Jayhawker Towers' parking garages.
If fee increases had been approved, they would have financed a new garage for the Towers.
"We're back to square one," Kearns said. "it's in bad shame, though."
Don Kearns, parking director, said engineers would be consulted about repairs or demolition of the garages. He said no timetable was in place for repairs of the garage.
By endorsing the parking department's 1996 budget, the Council approved a 2.7 percent increase in funds for general operations, including funds for supplies, utilities and maintenance of the current lots. An approximate 3 percent increase also was approved for salaries for full-time and student employees.
Kearns said the increases would be paid out of the department's reserve funds.
Correspondence is an option for the motivated
By Brian Vandervliet Kansan staff writer
When Mark Mallouk, Prairie Village senior, started working at comedy clubs about a year ago, he didn't have time for the traditional lecture class.
Mallouk decided to meet some of his graduation requirements by taking correspondence courses. He is not alone — 2,236 students are enrolled in the independent study by correspondence program at the University of Kansas.
"It's clearly better than being stuck in an auditorium with some guy reading out of a textbook," Mallouk said.
"You can do it at the beach, or you can do it at home," Hick said. "You can just about pick your spot."
Students can study subjects ranging from human psychology to calculus, and course requirements are created by instructors at the University. Hick said that 124 courses were available.
Although the courses don't require time in the classroom, they still require time. Sometimes he spends up to 10 hours a week working on correspondence assignments for one class, he said.
Students enrolled in correspondence courses do not have to be admitted to the University. While the courses fill graduation row
Two weeks ago, Mallouk enrolled in the Western Civilization I and II correspondence courses. He has taken seven correspondence courses. He said the courses, which cost $77 per credit hour, were not easy.
The convenience of correspondence is what attracts students to the program. Hick said.
Sandy Hick manager of student services for individual study
"I'll do my homework between shows," said Mallouk, who often performs in the Kansas City area.
A series of essays, a midterm and a final are typical requirements. Course guides that detail required readings and essays are mailed to students, who can mail in assignments. Exams are taken at the Continuing Education office or at another approved site.
Sandy Hick, manager of student services for individual study, said that students could enroll in a correspondence course at any time and work at their own pace. Although students determine when they take their exams, a course must be completed within nine months. A three-month extension is possible for an additional fee.
ments, the grades received in correspondence courses appear on students' transcripts but do not affect their overall grade-point averages.
Although most students enrolled in the courses live in Lawrence and also attend traditional classes, Hick said students from all over the world were enrolled in the program.
One such student is Susan Kanamoto, senior, who moved to Nairobi, Kenya, when her husband accepted a job there. Previously, Kanamoto was enrolled at KU'sLawrence campus. She now is enrolled in courses in health and health, which
she needs for her bachelor's degree. Kanamoto takes her exams at the U.S. Embassy.
"There was no possibility of going to school here, so this was the only way for me to get my degree," she said.
Although it may seem that students could receive a KU degree without leaving their beanbags, that is not the case. Schools within the University have limits on how many correspondence courses each student can take.
Hick said that sometimes students enrolled as a last resort because they couldn't get into a course needed for graduation. The best students for the correspondence curriculum are motivated enough to keep up with the course assignments.
"The students get out of the course whatever they set as their goal," she said. "It requires some additional effort."
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