COLD
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
The University of Kansas
Tuesday
January 31, 1978
Vol. 88, No. 82
Lawrence, Kansas
High wire
Even the birds seem to dislike the cold, damp weather that has settled over Lawrence
lately. These birds seemed content to sit on a high wire overlooking the railroad tracks in North Lawrence. The line in the picture is almost 100 feet off the ground.
Special degree to be evaluated
By JAN SMITH
Staff Writer
A College Assembly task force has been formed to evaluate the bachelor of general studies degree offered at the University of Kansas, Andrew Debicki, professor of Spanish and Portuguese and coordinator of the task force, said yesterday.
"The College Committee of Policy and Educational Goals decided that we needed to take a look at who was taking the B.G.S. program and what it was being used for." Debrick said. "We want to know who the teacher is, and if it is serving properly."
Debiicki said the evaluation should be completed this spring. Members of the task force are: John Wright, professor of human biology; Richard McNair, associate biochemistry; Shirley Harkey, associate professor of sociology; Robert Findlay, professor of speech and drama; and Stephen McGregor
DEBICKI SAID the aid for evaluating the B.G.S. degree came about when faculty members questioned the degree's merits in a course of three weeks and force in two to three weeks would begin to collect transcripts and summary sheets from one class such as the junior or senior class, to determine whether there was any pattern in the course work B.G.S. students
"We hope we can find a little more about
the B.G.S," Debicki said. "Some people think that the B.G.S is the best thing that ever happened to the College degree. Others think it has avoided degree requirements by being too lenient. We want to find out and make necessary changes if they're needed."
Since the degree has been offered at KU since 1973, more than 1,200 students have received the B.G.S. Distribution certificate in humanities and courses in each area of humanities, natural sciences and mathematics and social sciences. At least two departments must be represented in each area. The student must complete four hours and a total of 124 hours to graduate.
A STUDENT becomes eligible for the degree when he has earned at least 60 credit hours and has at least a 1.8 overall grade point average. He must take at least 30 courses in his major and be enrolled in B.G.S. candidate and be enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
"The B.G.S. degree certainly affords more flexibility for the student in terms of what classes he can take," Eleanor Turk, assistant dean and placement director for the College, said yesterday. "Students have access in the top number of hours they can take."
A student deciding to complete a regular major must complete all of the depart- ment requirements.
majors under the B.A. degree, Turk said. The student must take both the required and optional courses for the major and should have taken them by approval approved by the department's major adviser.
Students not wishing to complete the regular requirements for a major are considered a non-major. Three advisers will be appointed to those students, Turk said.
"Since the non-majors are in a more unstructured program, they need greater help with advising," she said. "We just don't want to throw them to the wolves."
TURK SAID students may decide to take a B.G.S. degree because some degrees have requirements for which students have no interest and see no purpose.
Bob Fisher, who graduated last May with a B.G.S. degree in personnel administration, said that he followed the program because he did not want to take a
"In my case, I couldn't convince myself that the 15 or 16 hours of a foreign language was worth the extra work for the status of a foreigner. I must merely be a value judgment," he said.
easer, who works for his father's electric company in Kansas City, Mo., that said in the B.G.S. program he was able to take classes that he was interested in and he took, rather than forcing himself "through those endless hours required for the B.A."
BEOG frauds difficult to detect
By ROBERT BEER
Staff Writer
It is possible for a University of Kansas student to get a Basic Educational Opportunity Grant of up to $700 a semester and leave school without the University's knowing, Jeff Weinberg, associate director of student financial aid, said yesterday.
"There is no conceivable way that anyone
would know of it until the end of the
second century."
However, if the student dropped all his classes and applied for a refund of the tuition, the University would know and the student would be required to repay the grant, he said.
Even then, he said, the University would know only that the student had failed all his tests.
The University does not require professors to record attendance, therefore, the university has no way of knowing which students attend classes, he said.
"WITH ANY program there are going to be abuses, but to my knowledge it hasn't happened here," Weinberg said.
The University defines a full-time student as one who takes at least 12 credit hours a semester. A three-quarter student must complete all courses and a half-time student, at least six hours.
Weinberg said it was the responsibility of students who received BECOS to report reducing their enrollments below the required course requirement or dropping out of school.
Whistle falters on
The steam whistle that signals the end of each class period at the University of Kansas malfunctioned again last night when it sounded at 8:19.
The whistle is still on the blink and still going off at unusual times.
I groweliste also functioned yesterday morning, not sounding until 10:20. Sunday night it sounded three times between 7 and 7:15.
Facilities Operations workers stay in the hotel Sunday night and operated it by hand yesterday. They will continue until the whistle is fixed.
The BEOG program was initiated at the University and nationwide in 1973. Since then, the number of students who apply and pass the test has increased exponentially, Weinberg said.
Richard Perkins, associate director of property maintenance, said yesterday that a gear in the timing device was broken and would be replaced when the office could get a
HE SAID that the student then would be required to pay back the difference in loan payments.
"If a full-time student came back the next year after enrollment and said he had dropped three credit hours, we would refrain from full-time to part-time," Wong said.
A steam whistle has been signaling the end of classes at KU since 1912. The whistle has been replaced a number of times since then. The one now in service was installed in 1954.
During the academic year of 1973-1974, 184 students received $144,100 in BEGO money, but during the current year more than 2,600 students received more than $2 million, Weinberg said.
Kenneth Kamber, who graduated in 1974 with a non-master B.G.S. degree, said he wished he had taken the proper courses for a regular major. However, he said that employers only want to know if a degree is required and if the applicant had the ability to learn.
The BEGO program provides up to $1,400 per academic year to students who can show financial need. The money is not a loan, and therefore need not be repaid.
RECENTLY, college students have received negative press coverage for violations of grants and for defaulting on guaranteed student loans, Weinberg said, but the majority of the violations had occurred at trade and technical schools.
members attributed the increase to more student awareness of the program and to increased parental involvement.
"YOU WANT as broad an education as you can get, and chances are your boss isn't going to have a degree unless he's young and aggressive," Karnberg said.
The University of Kansas agreed to the BEOG program with an understanding that the federal government could audit at any time. Weinberg said.
"The B.G.S. degree is certainly no easier than any other degree because the same skills are determined by the professional schools," she said. "In planning a career in a competitive area, the student would not select a degree that would hurt his chances."
Turk said she thought the B.G.S. degree was not an easy way into medical or law schools.
Max Griffin, director of admissions in the KU School of Law, said that the B.G.S. degree was treated as any major when training a law school applicant's record.
"To my knowledge the federal government has not audited any institution of higher learning," he said. "We would have to audit any time, as we have in the past."
Representatives favor prison bill
By DIRCK STEIMEL
Staff Writer
A proposed minimum-security prison honor camp at Clinton Reservoir west of Lawrence is being supported by Lawrence's three representatives.
State Rep. Lloyd Buzzi, Mike Glover and John Vogel said they supported the bill, which was introduced in the Kansas House last week. The bill would appropriate money for construction of three honor camps, including the one proposed for Clinton.
The Clinton honor camp, along with similar proposed camps at Turtle Creek near Manhattan and El Dorado Reservoir, would be a minimum-security institution.
Immates at the Clinton honor camp would do construction and maintenance work in the state park areas at Perry Reservoir in Texas. The state now operates one honor camp at Toronto Reservoir in Woodson County in southeast Kansas to raise the ice on the reservoir's horn corps to four.
The honor camp bill, introduced by the House special committee on corrections, would provide $16 million to build the three detention centers. The Senate recommended to the 1977 legislature that
only the honor camp at the Clinton site be constructed. Bennett recommended about $1.8 million be appropriated for the proposed Clinton facility.
BUZZI, R-LAWRENC, said yesterday the Clinton honor camp had merits because it would bring money and jobs to the project but the project also had a serious drawback.
"I feel the state should appropriate more money to the county and sheriff's department to provide the extra security needed with the honor camp at Clinton," Buzzi said.
Vogel, R-Lawrence, said he had no misgivings about the Clinton honor camp.
The state's prisons have an abundance of prisoners who are eligible and want to get into an honor camp, Vogel said. This bill would help relieve that problem, he said.
Vogel said he had visited the honor camp at Toronto and thought the Clinton camp was needed and would benefit the Clinton and Lawrence communities.
MOST OF THE prisoners eligible for honor camps have a light sentence or have served a number of years in prison and have good records, Vogel said.
D. Lawrence, said he favored the See PRISON BILL page eight
Flu sneaks through administrators' door
By BRIAN SETTLE
Staff Writer
Students planning to visit the chancellor's complex in Strong Hall today probably would be better off to postpone their visit until later in the week.
It seems the "minor flu epidemic" that Watkins Hospital officials have been referring to recently has spread from the KU students to the administrators.
Martin Wollman, director of Health Services, said several hundred University students had been treated at Watkins Hospital for influenza during the past three weeks.
Likewise, James Scaly, administrative assistant to the chancellor, said yesterday that a small epidemic had left the chancellor's complex with less than a full staff.
SCALLY SAID Shirley Domer, assistant to the chancellor; Jane Johnson, the chancellor's secretary; Max Lucas, director of facilities planning; and Lucas' secretary all were absent from work yesterday because of the flu.
"So far, we've been lucky it hasn't created any big problems." Scally said. "There are other ways to do it."
go out immediately. We've all been trying to pick up the slack for each other."
"This usually happens once a year between Christmas and spring," Scaly said. "The same thing is happening in Topeca and Wichita right now and I guess it finally worked."
While knocking on wood, Scaly, who missed a mid day last week batting the flu.
MEANWHILE, down the hall in the
measured room, sneezes and waffles were evident.
When Sandy Patcheen, secretary for Del Shankel, executive vice chancellor, handed some paperwork to Jeanne Johnson, assistant to Shankel, Johnson said, "For someone who sniffs while she works, you do a pretty good job, Sandy."
Johnson said she had been ill Friday night but after an abundance of sleep and heating pads during the weekend she felt fine yesterday.
WOLLMANN said the advice for administrators' recovery was the same as for students-plenty of sleep, aspirin, and plenty of liquids.
"I spent Friday night lying in bed telling myself, 'I can't get sick, I can't get sick,' the
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
News Capsules
From the Associated Press, United Press International
Senate passes crime law
WASHINGTON - A bill to consolidate and overhaul the federal criminal code was passed by the Senate last night.
The bill, which will provide greater uniformity and certainty in punishment for federal crimes, was the culmination of nearly 12 years of effort. The project began in the Lyndon Johnson administration, when the National Commission on Reform of Criminal Law was established. See story page two.
Mideast talks to resume
JERUSALEM-Spokesmen in Jerusalem and Caro announced yesterday that Egyptian-Israeli military negotiations on the future of the occupied Sinai Peninsula will resume tonight.
Israel said Defense Minister Ezer Weizman and his negotiating team would leave for Cairo early today. Weizman and Mohamed Abdel Ghannam Gammass recessed their military talks Jan. 13 in deadlock over the future of the 20 Jewish settlements established by Israel on the northern and southern edges of the Sinai Peninsula.
State rejects Screw bill
TOPEKA - The state of Kansas has informed Screw magazine publisher AI Goldstein it has no intention of paying $173.25 bill Goldstein submitted to Gov. Robert F. Bennett on Jan. 17 for an unauthorized advertisement in the newspaper.
who has been tried twice in Kansas for distributing allegedly obscene publications, copied an ad the state Department of Economic Development placed in Business Week magazine, and ran it Screw.
Bombing was requested that *Kimberly* refrain from running any more such攻端, threatening legal retaliation if he
Carter to request satellite caution
WASHINGTON—President Jimmy Carter yesterday promised to ask the Soviets to stop launching atomic weapons in the country and send earth in Canada last week. He asked all nations to establish more rigid precautions concerning use of weapons.
Larter said the United States would forego the use of satellite satellites altogether, and said a safety system should be devised to keep nuclear-powered satellites from falling to earth or into the atmosphere. See *page* 39.
Rhodesian accord stalls
MALTA-The United States and Britain failed yesterday in their attempt to persuade black guerrilla leaders to discontinue their bloody 5-year war against Rhodesia's white government.
U. N. Ambassador Andrew Young and British Foreign Secretary David Owen said that the talks, aimed at persuading the guerrilla leaders to accept a plan for a peaceful settlement leading to black majority rule, yielded no major agreements. Talks will continue today. See story page two.
Locally ...
A University of Kansas professor warns students not to buy life insurance policies from hard-pitch salesmen.
Leeland Pritchard, professor of economics, said the average student does not need life insurance when he
The companies typically offer life insurance to graduating high school graduates over rates because of their low age. See story page 175.