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Wednesday, April 5, 1978
University Daily Kansan
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Comment
Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Kanan editorial staff. Stored columns represent the views of only the writers
Don't cut employees
If you are a student working for the University of Kansas and intend to keep working for it after July 1, your pay might be cut—either by about seven percent or completely.
college. The salaries of students employed at Kansas Board of Regents' institutions are being argued about during this last week of the Kansas Legislature's regular session. And if proposals passed by the Kansas Senate remain unamended, there will be less money available to pay student employees.
When the federal government raised its minimum wage from $2.30 an hour to $2.65 for this year and $2.90 for next year, the Regents decided to raise student employees' salaries to that level. The action took effect Jan. 1. At that point, the Regents had not asked for the extra 35 cents an hour from the Legislature. The request was included in the supplemental budget request for the rest of fiscal year 1978, which ends June 31.
lately yeah, but here someone asks for money he already has spent, he is in trouble if he doesn't get it. The Senate Ways and Means Committee came close to disapproving the supplemental wage request, but it squeaked through the committee and the full Senate.
THE REGENTS, though, also had asked for money to keep student salaries at $2.65 an hour through fiscal year 1979. The Senate said no.
State Sen. Wint Winter, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, led a movement to keep salaries down. The movement was successful, and the Regents' request was cut by more than half. Eventually, the Senate approved an increase of seven percent, but it was an increase over the original wage rate of $2.30 used last year.
If the request is not changed by the House, there will be enough money this fail to pay all student employees $2.46 an hour—meaning that they will take a cut in salary.
But several senators say the choice is left up to the individual university to cut pay or to reduce the number of employees.
IF STUDENT EMPLOYEES are paid $2.46 an hour next year, they will be receiving the minimum amount required of
state universities, 85 percent of the federal rates. The only good thing one could say about that idea is that it is better than $2.30. It is probably also better than cutting the number of student employees just to be able to pay a higher rate, especially when the higher rate itself will be less than the minimum wage after next January.
Senate President Ross Doyen said Monday that he thought the cut was justified.
Doyen said the Senate thought the Regents might have acted on their own initiative when they should not have in raising the salaries last January.
Obviously, students who are facing a wage cut don't think it is fair, and neither do the universities. KU officials are trying to persuade the House to put the money back in.
DEL SHAKENEL, executive vice chancellor, said Monday he hoped the efforts of those officials would be successful. If they are not, administrators "have some very difficult policy choices to make." They will have to decide whether to reduce salaries or the number of employees.
Similar decisions will have to be made at the other Regents' schools. KU's own specific budget requests may offset the money loss somewhat, but the cutback will be felt.
There seems to be no logic behind the decision of the committee and the Senate to cut the salary money. It almost looks like a tantrum thrown in reaction to the Regents' raising the salaries.
The efforts of the universities to maintain the present salary level are commendable. They may fail. In that event, it would be much better to cut student salaries by a few cents an hour than to cut students from the University payroll. Many students depend on the money they get from the University just as though it were financial aid, and they should not be left out in the cold.
But the decision, and the dilemma, will lie with University administrators if the Kansas House does not restore the appropriations. Logically, it has no reason not to. And if the representatives are thinking of votes, they have many reasons to restore the money—as many reasons as there are student employees at Regents' institutions.
The noble cause of energy conservation has called Kansanese citizens, citizens and parents are being requested to follow the lead of some industries and businesses that may longer for Kansanese children.
Longer school hours ridiculous
The House Education Committee last week heard the plan of one Richard Morrison, superintendent of the Winfield school district in south-central Kansas. He proposed that laws say how many days a year schools had to be in session be amended.
State law now requires classes six hours a day, 180 days a year. This works out to a magic number of 1,080 hours every year, presumably the minimum number required to be taught or two or three grade knowledge into youngsters' heads.
TO SAVE energy, Morrison said, the law should be amended to require only the use of electricity. That probably means a combination of hours and days that would total 1,000 hours. Morrison would want school hours a day, for 153 days a year.
He said with that schedule, his district could have saved one-fifth of its air-conditioning money in early September and late May. He also said he would stratospheric levels—the Winfield field, according to Morrison, will need to spend $95,000 more on energy next year than it did last year—so that he must be something to think about.
Morrison went on to say that with the longer school day, teachers could provide more basic studies, special services, and art classes. Parents who work longer than the school day runs would not need to provide day care before and after school.
John Mitchell
Editorial writer
The proposal was not compelling. The education committee made no plan for a study of Morrison's proposal, and it if not that the only person Morrison impressed was State Rep. Santford Duncan, R-Wichita. Duncan is reportedly considering introducing a bill in state law to require schools to law school law学 way Morrison wants.
**PERHAPS** — just perhaps—more thought should be given to Morrison's plan. It would give much more time and attention because the way he has proposed it, whatever the "equivalent" of the current requirements are would be instructive each school district for itself.
Industry now seems to be going to the 10-hour day, four days a week, to save some energy costs and give its employees a three-day weekend. School districts with factories that worked on such a basis could give their children the same day off. Schools each child's day off with the parent's day off and eliminating any need for day care on that particular day.
For the most part, though, the argument tends toward more summer vacation. Morrison's plan of 155-day years would add an extra month to the extra month to the vacation. Parents who stay at home, still mostly mothers, would be able to thrill to their children's needs. Children should spite their faults-round-the-clock for that extra month.
longer days that cut down on morning and evening day-care costs. They would save enough for 25 extra full days of care.
WORKING PARENTS would be especially grateful for the
Local school districts would be able to legislate more hours in the school day to provide more of the basics, Morrison said. It is difficult, with the same number of total school hours required to provide more of anything—except perhaps more summer moonlighting to supplement their salaries.
Teachers who are paid on a monthly basis would have the benefits of more classes to prepare for, which at least would alleviate the boredom of an evening with nothing to do. And those who are paid on a monthly basis would face fewer
times the nuisance of having to go to the bank and deposit a paycheck.
BUT WHY stop with a 159-day year? There are still more cuts that can be made in the holy name of energy, for which no sacrifice is too great. An eight-nine- or 10-hour school day should really give teachers and children work individually and inculcate the myriad lessons of the formative years. The rapport between parents and children could wait until the long, long summer vacation, when the children could use energy the way they were born and could go about the business of forgetting everything they were confronted with in the marathon classroom sessions.
Taken to its extreme, it would require only 45 days of round-the-clock classes to reach the magic number of hours. Kansas schools would be in session for less time than its legislature, probably doing as much good. Energy could be saved by the teachers after their brief sessions, could close down, opening their doors only for important events like basketball games.
There may be some who will wonder how children would come out of that kind of schooling. They would probably be bright and inquisitive, if sometimes weary, young citizens who live near the Kansas Legislature—where they probably would approve ideas like Morrison's.
BACK TO BASICS
Pot, abortion stories required more detail
To the editor:
I'd like to comment on your articles in the March 30 issue of the Kansan on parapat pot and offer some information and offer some other information.
First, it is a misleading title on your paraquat pot article. I don't see how you can tell
evidence that it wasn't being sold.
people in such big letters on a front page article that paraguat pot is not being sold in the market. The effect of article itself offered no
There have been reports of a couple or three people getting sick from bad pot in Lawrence, but we are not sure if it was the pot or the way the Kansan reporter could present an accurate picture of
Free parking favors benefit KUAC
Money talks. One need look no further than the Kansas University Athletic Corporation of the veracity of that statement.
Money talks for KUAC largely because the University of Kansas athletic ventures are moderately successful. Success at the university is surely no one would dispute that. But when money from outside the University community outshouts the students, it also outshows the University's students, priorities are absurdly misplaced.
In 1974, through certain coniving procedures, KUAC obtained even more parking spaces for its athletic contribu tions. In the case of the resurfacing of 180 parking spaces at a cost of $27,000. In exchange, the director of security and parking agree to give KUAC free use of the game field and 495 spaces for each football game for a period of four years.
Ever since a ruler by former Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe, contributors to the Williams Educational Fund have purchased parking privileges at football and basketball games.
THE WISDOM of entering a contract was challenged at pt. 12, and Traffic Board not consulted about it, but the board had not even planned on resourcing those 180 spaces yet.
Today, three months away from the contract's expiration date, one can see that objections to the contract should have been made even more strenuously. Money has continued to talk and be heard. And as a result, KUAC's financial
The challenges were answered by University promises that the money would be made to the university system. KUAC had insisted that free parking, along with free pre-game lunches and preferential seating privileges, should be made available afford to give its contributors.
gain at the expense of KU's loss has been magnified.
KUAC now gives away 906 parking spaces at home football games. This compares to the 241 spaces available to commoners willing to pay $2 a space to park near the stadium.
CONDITIONS ARE a little more equitable for parking at basketball games. A total of 906 parking spaces are sold for $1 each. Athletic contributors park free in the 748 other spaces.
And Clyde Walker, director of athletics, recently told SenEx
that the present parking facilities were not enough. Increased demand for spaces has made it difficult to accommodate private users who qualify for the free parking privileges, Walker said.
Every merry-go-round rides end sometimes. After four years of leeching off the University, KUAC ought to be kicked off the merry-go-round ride. I look at the figures proves that KUAC's time should have been up long ago.
Last year, Parking and Traffic personnel collected $15,500 for parking fees at athletic events. According to Russell Mills, University director for support services*
How can the University justify this missed revenue? Mills said, "The University doesn't lose that money. They see it in another form, in athletic scholarships."
another $20,000 would have been collected had the athletic contributors paid for their parking spaces.
THE PRIVILEGED free parkers are people who contribute $100 or more to the Williams Educational Fund. The fund has about 2,500 members. All of the fund's members are devoted to the park but logically the members must be more than casually interested in the sports.
Walker says he thinks that the
An individual who makes a contribution of $100 or more to an athletic scholarship fund is most likely financially comfortable. It is hard to imagine that such a contributor would be strapped to the back in order to bear it. It is difficult to conceive that a parking fee would keep such a fan from watching his team play.
ARE FREE parking privileges an attraction to contribute to the fund? Maybe. The fund's membership has more than doubled since 1974. It seems as if the word has spread
elimination of parking privileges would jeopardize scholarship contributions, a year to year totaled a hefty $70,000.
the drug scene in Lawrence (and I haven't seen one yet, from any media report elsewhere in the country) because they seem to be people involved to interview. You need to talk to students, police, street folk, high school folk, parent folk, teachers, employers, related helping agencies, etc., to even get a picture of them. "The picture (this is not focused on the paraguai reporter).
that with a contribution of only $100, a sports fan can drive to far above the golden valley.
All this is at the student's expense. According to a report from the National Park Board, every person who buys a parking permit pays what amounts to an annual $3 subsidy for a park, up for the $20,000 lost revenue.
Although KUAC pays the Parking and Traffic personnel time-and-a-half to man the parking lots before the games, the cost of regular maintenance is $10,000 per year. The parking fund in the parking office budget. Two of the lot, X and N, now used by the KUAC, are scheduled for improvements of more than $300,000 in the next three years. The students, sure to absorb this change, will increase will be charged for those improvements.
EVEN STUDENTS who don't buy parking permits are affected by the KUAC privileged parking arrangement. The overflow of athletic contributors now park for free on tennis courts near Memorial Stadium.
Although the courts are not ideal for tennis right now, what would happen if the University wanted its courts back?
Tom Wilkerson, director of recreational services, said the weight of automobiles on even a cement court would significantly affect the lifespan of newly resurfaced tennis court.
DOUG MESSER, assistant athletic director, said KUAC had never been told of any tennis courts being damaged by the bomb. Ms. Messer also said if the courts were resurfaced, KUAC probably would not use them for parking. The chances are, however, that KUAC would have to provide alternate space.
If KUAC still thinks that some party besides the Williams Fund members should pick up the parking check, it is the KUAC's place to do so. Messer had no comment on this suggestion. Money, it bears repeating, talks for the KUAC
As with the question of "can it hurt you?" there are many dealers, buyers, smokers and experts who will give you conflicting "facts." The most accurate and important is that we know that there are still contradictions, propaganda and valid questions about paranatural pot. If you are unsure of the pot you have, send it to the labs available and find out. Then know that you must decide for yourself what information you should receive or something unarguably definite comes out, which is likely to be never if it follows the trends of other drug information and issues.
About your abortion article—the Human Sexuality Network is mainly composed of women. The reporter used the pronoun "she" to represent the sisters of the Network. If a woman got connected with the Network, she would most likely talk to a woman. I think it is important for your readers to know this fact because a big difference to the person who needs the information.
You also neglected to mention an additional resource for the student population, which is Headquarters. We will also have a separate team at the Network, (by-they, they do a good job) 24 hours a day with
the extra service offered of trained volunteers to help people sort out their questions and make other referrals as well. The team's experience in doing this are glad to do it. Also the person seeking help and information does not need to worry about judgments from the Information Center, the Network and Headquarters.
I may be being a bit rabid about this, but in my business it's not only necessary it's also important to keep facts and information at an alert and accurate as possible. I've been involved in three or four of your articles, either directly or indirectly, that were printed. I suggest you let the "experts interviewed reel out all, before you print it. The alternative to that would be for the reporters not to mix individual's quotes and information or to be willing to be more than through sticking to a set number of queries to get on board on the reporters' sketchy knowledge, rumers heard and preconceived notions of the subject matter. I am not saying that this is how you do all your articles, but upon them interest like drugs and sexuality, it seems like it at times.
From the calls that Headquarters gets from KU students, it is apparent that, like everybody else, there is little accurate knowledge about the facts involved with drugs and sexuality. We feel it is important to understand how it can make a big difference between being sorry and feeling good. Our investment with these issues is that people feel good.
Holly Greene Assistant director, Headquarters Inc.
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