Tuesday, January 18.2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 3
Jaybowl may become cybercafe
Debbie Asner, Overland Park freshman, bowls Sunday afternoon at the Jaybowl in the Kansas Union. The Jaybowl could be torn down and replaced with a cybercafe. Photo by Brad Dreier/KANSAN
By Erinn R. Barcomb
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Modems and lattes may replace bowling pins and rental shoes on the first floor in the Kansas Union.
Discussions of the Jaybowl's fate are under way, said student body president Korb Maxwell.
The Jaybowl could be turned into a cybercafe where students could drink coffee and look on the Internet, among other things.
Maxwell, who intends to eventually bring the issue before Student Senate, said proposals would not be presented to Memorial Corp., which owns the Kansas and Burge unions, until at least February. Ultimately, Memorial Corp. will have the final say.
Unions Director David Mucci said talks of changing the Jaybowl had been under way for about a year, but had become more serious in the last month.
"We've had some discussions and did a marketing study with bookstores and Coke this fall in terms of sales," he said. "Both said you need to pay more attention to student services on a 24-hour basis for study and entertainment."
Aside from a computer lab and coffee shop, possibilities for the 8,000 square feet include a convenience store, copying center, video arcade and billiards. Mucci said.
Mucci said reasons for looking at changes included renovations already planned for the Union and the potential increase in usage if the area were revamped.
If the area had a computer
lab, estimated usage would increase to 170,000 students per year as opposed to the 35,000 who use the Jaybowl, Mucci said.
David Ambler, vice-chancellor for student affairs, said when he came to the University 23 years ago, then-manager of the Union Frank Burge was looking at the viability of the daybowl, which was first established in 1953 and moved to its current location in 1960.
Ambler said he was in favor of looking at all of the options students could have.
Ambler said past ideas have included making the Jaybowl a sports bar, a bookstore or a place for student organizations to meet.
But not everyone is thrilled about the idea of removing one of Lawrence's two bowling centers.
"I'm not at all against computer labs or coffee shops," said Greg Hurst, a Jaybowl employee. "But I am against not having a bowling center. They took away our alcoholic beverages because they wanted to offer bowling as an alcohol-free alternative for students, and now, they want to take that away."
Hurst, who started working at the Jaybowl in 1997, said he was concerned about the fate of the 500 students who take classes there each year and the nationally-ranked men's and women's bowling teams.
"It is a revenue-producing center," he said. "If we have a functioning bowling center, why force the team to go elsewhere?"
Lawrence's other center, Royal Crest Lanes, is located at Ninth and Iowa streets.
Manager of Royal Crest Lanes, Mary Sexton, said she
did not expect a great increase in student business if the Jaybowl was closed.
The bowling team members use the Jaybowl about five days a week for practice, plus team meetings and team practices, said Christy Distler, women's team member.
The Jaybowl also is a social gathering place for the team.
"In between classes we will just walk over to the Union, get lunch, go down to the
Jaybowl and eat," Distler said.
Men's team member Tom Partridge, who said he spent about 50 hours a week at the Jaybowl, said losing it would affect the teams' dynamics.
"I wouldn't have a place where they'd be every day," he said. "That's where my social life is, and it's where my friends are."
Mike Fine, the bowling teams' coach and assistant manager of the Kansas and
Burge unions, said because the Jaybowl was a smoke-and-alcohol-free bowling center, it served a specific population.
"I feel the spirit and the draw cannot be continued with just video games and billiards." Fine said. "It's the students' bowling center. The priority is structured to operate with the budget of students.
"It's the bowling that makes the Jaybowl."
By Clay McCuiston writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
KU student earns British scholarship
Jay Sexton, Salina senior, has been awarded the Marshall Scholarship, a national award allowing him to spend two years studying at a British university of his choice.
Sexton was announced as one of 40 Marshall Scholars in the United States on Dec. 10. The scholarship is granted by the British government and has been in place since 1963.
A University of Kansas student first won the award in 1965 and Sexton is the first KU student to accept the scholarship in 11 years.
Sexton interviewed Nov. 18 in Chicago.
"It's an exceedingly prestigious scholarship, probably thought as being up there with the Rhodes," said Barbara Schowen, director of the University Honors Program.
Schowen said the selection process for the Marshall Scholarship was rigorous, starting with a University board that endorsed a small number of KU students in the competition. The British consulate in Chicago then selected 21 students to be interviewed out of 150 applications submitted from the Midwest region. Of those 21, the Chicago consulate selected four to send on to the national level and receive the actual scholarship.
He will spend his two years at Magdalen College, part of Oxford University, pursuing a master's level degree researching England's role in the Civil War.
"The learning system at Oxford is a lot different than here in America," he said. "You're pretty much allowed freedom to do your own thing."
Sexton said the support of Ted
"You're pretty much allowed freedom to do your own thing."
Jay Sexton
Salina senior
Wilson and Bill Tuttle, both KU history professors, was critical. He also thanked Schowen and Mary Klayder, both in the Honors Program, for his success in the competition.
"Mary Klayder encouraged me to apply," said Sexton, who has also studied ballet and danced at the Lied Center during his time at the University. "I wouldn't have applied if it wasn't for her."
William Tsutsui, associate professor of history, spent 1985 through 1987 at Oxford as part of
the Marshall Scholars' program.
"It was a magnificent experience for me," he s a i d . "England's a wonderful environ-ment for academic freedom."
Sexton: Will study at Magdalen College in Enaland
Tsutsui said he had
planned to study law when he returned to the United States, but his study of Japanese history at Oxford changed his plans.
"When I came back I couldn't deal with law school anymore," he said. "England has a great-tradition in terms of the study of history."
Student body president vetoes new computer for OAKS
Sexton will be honored at a Board of Regents meeting Thursday in Topeka.
Kansan staff writer
By Erinn R. Barcomb
Kanson staff writer
For now, one student organization won't get the new computer it says it needs.
The organization asked for $1,203 from the unallocated account for a new computer, and Senate voted to grant the funding.
In a decision rare for Student Senate, student body president Korb Maxwell vetoed a bill funding OAKS, the nontraditional student organization, about a month ago. It was the first time he had vetoed a funding bill in his term as president.
But Maxwell thought Senate made a mistake and vetoed the decision Dec. 14.
"This is not a personal attack on OAKS," Maxwell said. "The problem I had was spending $1,200 on a computer
used in a communal setting."
that would be accessed by about 11 people. I saw no reason why it couldn't be used in a communal setting.
OAKS co-director Glenda Immer said the organization's three-year-old Macintosh computer and dot matrix printer did not have the capabilities to handle the group's mailing list or create newsletters. The group has no Internet access from its cubicle in the S t u d e n t Organizations and
Leadership Development Center office in the Kansas Union. That makes e-mailing listservs during office hours impossible.
Maxwell: Says veto was not a personal attack on OAKS
Some of the group's members have been forced to send the group's e-mail from home. Immer said.
The group has a mailing list of about 2,500 names and prints about four newsletters a year.
Immer said having a computer and laser printer capable of producing a newsletter would save the organization money. The largest portion of its budget goes to printing services, she said.
Maxwell said he wanted OAKS to use the computers in the "bullpen" area of the office, which includes three Macintosh computers with Internet access.
immer said using the computers in a communal area like the bulpen was inconvenient for the organization's needs.
"There are so many privacy issues with nontraditional students because of
Maxwell's answer was to keep lists of addresses on disks with a password, but Immer said she was concerned about disks getting misplaced or destroyed.
Maxwell said he thought making a copy of the disk would alleviate problems.
Immer said another concern was that working in the bullpen during office hours would mean OAKS phone calls couldn't be answered in the group's cubicle.
Maxwell said he didn't think the cubicle, located adjacent to the bullpen, was far enough away to be a problem.
Although Senate often allocates large amounts of money to groups for special events, Maxwell said he did not agree with allotting such large capital expenditures for individual groups. He said that unlike large events and equipment that could be vital to the life of a group, computers were not essential to OAKS' purpose.
The last computer given to an individual group was in 1998 to the KU Veteran Association, he said.
"It was a bad precedent to set, Maxwell said. "I want to stop that now." His solution will be to ask Senate at it Feb. 2 meeting to provide the bullpen with two new, fully loaded IBM computers with laser printers.
Immer said OAKS would try again to get a new computer at the Feb. 2 meeting
University ranks ninth in new National Merit Scholars
Maxwell also said he was in favor of a all-or-nothing proposal, in which al groups wanting computers would submi a single request. Senate would the grant computers to all the groups o none of them.
Bv Doua Pacey
By Doug Fatey
writer@kansan.com
Kansan reporter
Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, three KU freshmen basketball players, have helped the University of Kansas to a top 10 ranking in the polls this season, but 101 other freshmen have helped give the University another top 10 ranking.
The National Merit Scholarship Corp. ranked the University No. 9 among all public universities in attracting Merit Scholars after 101 National Merit Scholars enrolled last fall.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway said
he was pleased with the ranking. "The University of Kansas recruits a very high number of qualified students," he said. "And these are just part of it."
Academic reputation, impressive faculty and an exciting collegiate atmosphere are the reasons for the University's ranking, said Alan Cerveny, director of admissions.
"I think it's a tribute to the quality of our programs and of the prestige of the University of Kansas," Cerveny said. "These students have the opportunity to go to a large number of schools. I think so many are choosing KU for our academic reputation. When coming for visits, they are
impressed with the faculty that they speak with, and they seem to like the exciting collegiate atmosphere."
There are more than 300 National Merit Scholars at the University.
Cerveny said he was pleased with Kansas' ranking but he was not sure if the number would be able to rise.
"We would like to have it go up, but there are limitations as far as population of this state," he said. "Texas is No.1, and the majority of their scholars are from Texas and they're staying home. We're getting most of ours from Kansas. If we had the same population in Kansas and kept the same percentage that we have right now, we'd probably be top in the
nation."
Four other Big 12 Conference schools also placed in the top 10. The University of Texas topped the list with 224 new National Merit Scholars. Texas A&M ranked third with 181 scholars, the University of Oklahoma ranked fifth with 136, and Iowa State ranked seventh with 116.
"I think that there's been a little more focus on merit scholars in the Big 12." Cerveny said. "Texas gets a lot because of its population. Iowa State has traditionally been involved with the National Merit Scholars as has the University of Oklahoma. Only in recent years has Kansas been a player in this."
Freshmen National Merit Scholars
With 103 new merit scholars who enrolled last fall, the University of Kansas ranks ninth among all public universities. Four other Big 12 Conference schools also placed in the top 10.
Maggie Curry/KANSAN
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