STILL WARMER
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
Vol. 86 No.74
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
Wednesday, January 28, 1976
Computers used as learning tool at Med Center
See page 10
Staff Photo by GEORGE MILLENER
Packed house
A standing-room-only crowd listens as Muriel Paul, a member of a committee that investigated charges of city misstatement, reads an alternate report at the Lawrence
City Commission calling for action to improve alleged city mkms management and for a grand jury investigation of alleged corruption in the police department.
New report rips city government
By MARY ANN DAUGHERTY and BRUCE SPENCE
Staff Writers
An alternate report on city mismanagement slammed the contents of the first report as too vague and unspecific and called for detailed action based on specific findings uncovered during the investigation.
The 20-page report was filed last night at the regular Lawrence city commission meeting and has received a special committee established to investigate mismanagement at city hall. The report cited specific instances of mismanagement within city hall as well as management within city government.
Though providing detailed instances of problem areas, the report declined to give names or other material that might have supervisors. It did, however, make references to top managerial persons, the statement in order to make its supervisors feel fulfilled.
THE IMMEDIATE reaction of the commission was to delay comment on the first week, and when it will also consider the second half of the original report. The first part of the initial report was considered in a two and a half week period, and next day to iron out wrinkles in its proximate.
The three members who signed the alternate report—Muriel Paul, and two city employees, Dennis Smith and Alvin Samuels—gave their last night after
refusing to sign the original report of city commissioners Marnie Argeringster and Donald Binns and the Rev. Homer "Butch" Henderson. That followed disagreements with the findings and recommendations of the first report.
THE ALTERNATE REPORT, read by Paul, stated that vapenness in the first report deprived the public of information to which it was entitled. It also stated that the findings were so significant in view of the findings and avoided some important testimony given to the committee.
"We are also concerned," Paul said, "that some members of the committee felt that too much disclosure would have an effect on their sense of community. We believe that the truth is more important than any personal empathy we can only benefit the community of Lawyers."
The alternate report agreed with the original report that all charges of mismanagement made by the United Public Employees 'Association, which had asked Mr. Berginger to investigate city hall mismanagement, had been more or less substantiated. But it also took issue with the contention made last week by Argersinger that those who didn't sign the first report wanted to present a report and deal in character assassination.
The report stated, "We regret her attempt to question our integrity, especially in the context of a global crisis."
submitted nothing which would justify her claim."
The alternate report was written, Paul said, after Samuels had presented a statement asking that the first report not be at last week's city commission meeting until the special committee could reconvene and reach a consensus.
"The two commission members on the committee rejected this appeal for unity," Mr. Baldassari said in the first report believed that their wishes would prevail. We do not believe that the committee had reason to do so.
The alternate report, a product of more than 40 hours of meetings among the signers and including testimony from about 130 signers, includes a one-hour “one of a major breakdown in communications all along the line from top management right down to the newest line.”
THE BREAKDOWN, the report said, produced total confusion in procedures and an absence of guidelines in most work areas as well as in personnel relations.
The serious problems listed in the report were crisis in employee morale (the most severe problem), polarization of employee management relations, inefficient practices and failure.
The report listed the following as problem areas:
STREET DEPARTMENT
Major complaints in the street department included managerial harassment of staff and an increase in police presence.
Opinions differ on pre-enrollment
While University of Kansas administrators are discussing the pros and cons of a computerized enrollment system, students wrestling with the old enrollment system.
Some schools at the University are, however, trying to change the present system by offering pre-enrollment or by limiting admissions.
Even though most deans and administrators have said there is a need for University-wide pre-enrollment, there has never been such a system.
The Schools of Journalism, Architecture and Urban Design and Fine Arts have instituted either pre-enrollment or limited requirements to guarantee their students required classes.
Del Shanker, executive vice chancellor,
said yesterday, "We haven't been able to come up with the mechanical systems to deal with such a large pre-enrollment. Our present computer system, personnel and space haven't made it possible."
Del Brinkman, dean of the School of Journalism, said that the school had pre-enrollment so the number of students in it would be known before final enrollment.
draws very few students, that class might be dropped, he said.
Brinkman said pre-enrollment guarantee a student his desired classes. It doesn't, however, guarantee a student the desired time or semester, he said.
SHANKEL SAID, HOWEVER, that the University would have computers for enrollment this spring and these possibly would be used next year.
The School of Journalism, which has an enrolment of about 70%, has offered a two-week pre-enrollment period for five years for its majors and potential journalism majors.
Advising in the School of Journalism takes place during pre-enrollment. Brinkman said each student meets with his adviser and writes a proposal, how he is progressing toward his degree.
"Even during pre-enrollment we have to operate on a first-one, first-service basis,"
HE SAID THAT IF, during pre-enrollment, too many students enrolled in a course, extra sections of that course could be offered. On the other hand, if a class
The planning of curriculums and the balancing of class sizes would be simplified by pre-enrolment, he said, but the school would have the resources to institute such a system.
IN THE SCHOOLS. of Architecture and Urban Design and Fine Arts, the need for pre-enrollment is eliminated by limited admissions.
THE STUDENT THEN fills out a pre-enrollment card for his journalism classes and cards are "pulled" for those classes. The student has only to go to the journalism table at enrollment in Allen Field House and pick up his cards.
Although pre-enrollment is a burden on faculty and staff members and secretaries, it spreads the work-load out and eliminates problems that result from class changes.
He said pre-enrollment at the school would be perfect if students didn't abuse it. Students often sign up for classes, he said, and then decide not to take them.
Pichler who be considered pre-enrollment very desirable, but in a school with a total enrolment over 1,200, the clerical work would be too cumbersome.
more classes are taught by assistant instructors and class sizes are expanded.
Brinkman said the procedure went relatively smoothly, and each year some of
Pichler said a qualified student had never been turned away from the school, even though its enrollment had increased 37 per cent in the last two years.
Charles Kahn, dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Design, said enrollment in the school is limited so that no student is suceeded out of a required no
James Moeser, dean of the School of Fine Arts, said the enrollment in design, painting and sculpture and some occupational therapy classes was limited and enrollment in applied music courses was controlled. Only students approved by the chairman of
JOSEPH PICHLER, dean of the School of Business, said that although the Business School student student had graduated late because he'd been shut out of a class in the early '80s, he was now well-educated.
Limited enrollment rather than pre-enrollment is used, he said, because of too many people to enroll.
To accommodate the more than 800 undergraduates in business, Pichler said.
The street department superintendent, Arnold Wiley, was especially criticized for "insulting and demanaging behavior" and "harming customers, merit pay, promotions and overtime."
Filing deadline
See ENROLLMENT page 2
The report said that all six committee members agreed that the superintendent didn't have leadership ability and that he needed to improve his leadership skills.
The filing deadline for the Feb. 18 and 19 election of student body president and vice president is 5 p.m. today Student Senate seat filing deadline is 5 p.m. Filed in the Commission and filling forms may be obtained in the Senate office in the Kansas Union.
"Sanitation was by far the most chaotic of all city departments," the report said.
SANITATION DEPARTMENT
See REPORT RIPS page 11
Inquiry sought to check police
By JOHN FULLER
Staff Writer
A grand jury investigation of alleged criminal activity in the Lawrence Police Department was called for last night in the alternate report on city mismanagement presented at the Lawrence City Commission meeting.
Police officers testified to the committee that they worked in an "atmosphere of fear" in the department, which supervisors or policies. Adding to their fears, the report said, were allegations of secret keys kept on officers and the electronic surveillance of officers in the police station.
Favoritism was a common allegation, the report said. It said that officers who were too aggressive in enforcing the law were at times verbally reprimanded and supervisors secretly followed "too aggressive" officers during work hours.
THE COMMITTEE QUALIFIED its criticism of the department by saying in the report that it was strongly impressed with (many of the officers') desire to provide law enforcement services of a high professional caliber."
The alternate report was filed by three members of the six-man special committee established to investigate mismanagement at city hall.
The report said the investigative committee had received testimony from 25 patrolmen, about half of Lawrence's force. It said that more than half of the 25 patrolmen made serious allegations concerning criminal activity both in and out of the city. The report also stated the alleged activities was either obstructed or covered up by supervising personnel.
EIGHT POLICE SUPERVISORS interviewed by the committee weren't questioned about the allegations of criminal activity, the report stated.
The report said: "Alleged criminal activity included theft, destruction and misappropriation of evidence, narcotics property and protection of liquor violations.
"Allegations were made concerning the existence of organized crime in Lawrence. It was also alleged that this information was sent to the police, and that no apparent action was taken."
Other allegations in the report alluded to ticket fixing, sexual misconduct and harassment of officers concerning arrests of prominent citizens.
The report stated that the supervisors were generally supportive of the department's operations. Most of them felt the problems were budgetary rather than managerial, it said. Most acknowledged, however, the need for 'additional and improved training programs, clarification of the merit system, an updating and en-
WHEN CITY MANAGER Buford Watson was informed by the committee of the allegations concerning drugs, theft of found property and evidence and traffic ticket irregularities, he said he knew about the case. He said no law irregularities, the report said.
A FEW OFFICERS SAID they would testify about other criminal acts concerning the department only if they were before an appropriate legal body, the report stated.
The investigative committee doesn't possess the expertise to evaluate the allegations of criminal activity, the report said. The committee gathered its testimony and sent it to the court in counsel and there was no secretarial record of the testimony, the report said.
"We were disturbed that the city manager claimed to know who testified before the investigating committee, particularly at the police department, and that he discounted them as disgruntled employees," the report stated.
Lawrence Police Chief Richard Stanwix said last night he would wait until he had studied the report before he commented on it.
The police chief, the report stated, was aware of a number of the charges presented by the city manager and that some of the charges had been handled properly by the police department and that the depart- ment had not heard of the other allegations were inconclusive.
See POLICE page 11
★ ★ ★
-The supervision of an employee by a family member shouldn't be permitted.
Committee recommendations
Major recommendations suggested in the second report:
--The present street department superintendent should be placed in a position that requires mechanical rather than mechanical ability with leadership ability should be hired.
—The sanitation department superintendent should be dismissed from the department. A sanitation superintendent with leadership ability should be hired.
-Sanitation management training programs should be established for four
—Lawrence firemen should display
SPECIAL PRIVILEGES FOR LOCATION CEE landfill employees should be
- Allegations concerning assault by the supervisor and fabricated overtime should be investigated by the appropriate legal body.
- Two-way radios should be installed in route vehicles.
—The Lawrence City Commission should appoint a committee to investigate allegations made by a former city employee who was allegedly discharged illegally.
minimum competency by submitting to quarterly tests.
—The Lawrence City Commission should hire a professional city management consultant to work with the city manager until problem areas have been corrected. The consultant should make public reports of his progress.
—The Lawrence City Commission should request from the city treasurer a breakdown of the half-cent sales tax for police and fire departments.
-Pay should be given in all cases where employees can prove that definite probation pay increases were promised by management.
- The appropriate legal body should in-
terprise alleged loopholes in purchasing power.
THE PERSONNEL DIRECTOR should be able to develop and enforce personnel policy.
--the safety director should be delegated direct safety enforcement authority.
—The director of human resources should take measures to enforce the spirit and intent of affirmative action guidelines and make public reports on his progress.
—Promotional boards should be established in each department.
—Any injury sustained in connection with
employee's job should be compensated at full pay. The employee should not be required to use vacation or sick time when the injury results in work time lost.
—A safety committee in each department should meet weekly.
—the merit system should be abolished.
—Harassment and insults by supervisors should be considered strong grounds for disciplinary action.
-Supervisors should experience proportionately higher penalties for tardiness, drinking during hours of employment or assault than the employees they supervise.
- All overtight should be rotated on a fair and equal basis.
- Top management should institute more effective uproads of follow up to lower RMIs and improve overall performance.
—A PROBATION PERIOD should be established for all newly hired supervisors. In no case should this period be extended until the period for other department employees.
—No employees should be required to operate unsafe vehicles.
—A grievance procedure should be established to include at least one peer with voting privileges. An appeals procedure is a city manager should be established.
Still few minority faculty
Bv BILL SNIFFEN
Staff Writer
Efforts to increase the low numbers of minority faculty and administrators are failing, according to Eva Ennis, assistant to the dean of women, because they are half
"Educational institutions are producing minority professionals in all fields," she said recently, "and I think the impetus lies in diversity to seek out and retain these people."
But the University isn't doing its job, she said, with the result that minority students at KU must do without 'role models' with which to identify.
BONNIE RIFFY PATTEN, director of the Office of Affirmative Action, said, "It's not necessarily true that only a black counselor can counsel black students. But it may be true that black students aren't as well equipped if there are no black counselors."
The affirmative office has prepared information on the numbers and
Included in that count are this year's 173 white, 13 black, one oriental and one Chinese administrator. There is no administrator an Indian, according to the report.
"All it indicates is that we're moving in the right direction," she said.
BUT PATTON SAID the increase didn't mean much because, in the case of minority faculty and administrators, "the numbers were so low to begin with."
races of KU administrators and faculty. The breakdown on administrators and faculty (including professors, associate and faculty) is 12, 48, 49 and teachers and counting both nine- and 12-month appointees) is: 1,566 white, 42 black, 49 white, according to the affirmative action record.
When compared with 1974-1975, these numbers represent an increase in all racial categories except Chicano faculty, which decreased by two persons. In other racial categories, whites increased by 198, blacks by 10, orientals by 11 and Indians by two.
She said an increase in recruiting efforts was needed.
These efforts, according to June Michal, assistant to the vice chancellor for academic affairs, consist of job advertisements for new positions and the transportation of applicants to KU.
"But that's about all," she said. "Normally, we spend what we need to spend."
Patton said that when jobs become available, the affirmative action office supplied the department or school with a list of publications or schools to contact in which minority students were the majority. Contacts to these institutions and publications were then made by the individual student or school within the University, she said.
“In most cases,” Patton said, “the department itself is more knowledgeable about the job.”
Keith Nitcher, vice celebrant for business affairs, said advertising expenses were
See RECRUITMENT page 5