Friday, February 12, 1999
2. 3. 4.
The University Daily Kansan
512.035 24
Section A · Page 3
Fall break plan closer to reality
By Kristi Reimer
By Kristi Reimer
Kansan staff writer
Despite concerns about finals-week scheduling conflicts, the University Council voted yesterday to add a mid-October break to the academic calendar as soon as Fall 2000.
The proposal still must be approved by Chancellor Robert Hemenway, Provost David Shulenburger and the Board of Regents.
The council passed a Calendar Committee proposal that, in addition to fall break, would add a two-week intersession after Jan. 1 and shorten finals week from six days to five.
The plan also balances semester length and, in some years, allows fall and spring semesters to begin and end on the same day of the week.
"The committee has done a remarkable job of meeting various requests, but some problems remain," said James Carothers, professor of English.
The most immediate complication faculty members discussed was that the shorter finals week would likely cause students to have three finals scheduled on the same day or more than one exam at the same time.
"Do we as faculty just say, 'Too bad?' asked Robert Adams, associate professor of mathematics.
Other council members expressed support for the plan despite the potential problems.
Bob Hohn, University Senate Executive Committee president and professor of psychology, said that the Calendar Committee and SenEx were pushing the proposal through quickly but that there was still time to figure out the details.
"If we're going to do something, we need to do it now." Hohn said.
Fall semester
The Board of Regents deadline for the next cycle of academic calendars is March 1, but the changes won't go into effect immediately.
CALENDAR PROPOSAL
Start: The Thursday between Aug. 18-24
- Start: The Thursday between Aug. 18-24
- Fall break: The Thursday and Friday between Oct. 13-14 and Oct. 20-21
- Start finals: The Monday between Dec. 12-19
- Finals: The Friday between Dec. 6-09
End finals: The Friday between Dec. 16-22
Spring semester
■ Start: In years when Martin Luther King day falls on Jan. 20 or 21, classes will start the Thursday before the holiday, Jan. 16 or 17. In all other years, classes will start on the Friday after the holiday, between Jan. 19-23.
■ Spring break: Monday through Friday in March
■ Start finals: The Monday between May 12-17
■ End finals: The Friday between May 16-22
■ Commencement: The Sunday between May 18-24
The Regents' next academic cycle is
2001 to 2004.
After University Council passed the proposal for the calendar that would begin in Fall 2001, members passed a separate motion to request that the changes be incorporated in Fall 2000.
"It is to our advantage to implement this as soon as possible," said Peter Gegenhainer, professor of biochemistry. "We will have enough time to deal with scheduling."
Carol Holstead, Calendar Committee member and associate professor of journalism, said she thought the chancellor and the provost supported the proposal. If they approve it, the Board of Regents will have final say on its approval.
Dragon to dance in lunar new year at KU
By Dan Curry
Kanson staff writer
The red dragon will romp and writhe at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Kansas Union Ballroom as Asian student groups launch festivities celebrating the lunar calendar's new year.
The holiday, which is Tuesday, is the basis for the Chinese New Year celebration and the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration, or Tet.
Joe Tran, Vietnamese Student Association president and Overland Park senior, said that Tet was an important holiday in Vietnam — more important than New Year's Day in the United States.
"It's just a time to be with your family and friends," Tran said. "Over in Vietnam, since they really don't have a big Christian or Catholic background, there is no real Christmas. It's kind of like Christmas and New Year's combined."
The celebration and a 6 p.m. dinner tonight at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries are free for all students. Tran said.
The highlight of the Tet show will be the traditional dragon dance, said John Nguyen, Wichita senior, who danced inside the head of the dragon in the show last year.
"The whole point to the dance is scare away the bad luck," Nguyen said. "It can ward off evil. He's considered a really powerfully mythical creature."
During the dance, the dragon cavorts while the dragon tamer, a person wearing a mask and wielding a fan, strives to subdue it, Nguyen said.
Once the dragon tamer brings the dragon under control, the dance ends, and good luck is secured for the year.
Nguyen said working the dragon was exhilarating.
"You're moving to the beat of the drums, and you're going around the crowd," he said. "The best part is when they start throwing money at you."
Nguyen said that the money the dancers collected was part of the tradition of li xi, or lucky money.
Tran said that in Vietnam, children received lucky money from their parents as gifts for the new year.
While the Vietnamese will be celebrating the year of the Cat tomorrow, the Taiwanese Student Association will ring in the year of the Rabbit Festival tonight at the FOM.
Hsiung said that she had lived in the United States for six years and that every Chinese New Year she read in the Taiwanese newspapers about the swollen marketplaces. She said that it made her want to return home.
Hsiung said that the Chinese New Year was a chance for family to reunite.
"No matter where you are,you try to get together with family for the new year." she said.
"The circle means perfect, and you can see each other." she said.
The Taiwanese traditional new year's gifts for children were red envelopes full of money.
eat at a round table.
"The red color is like a lucky number for the Chinese." Hsiung said.
Hsiung said that her family would
She said that single people who still were considered children by another adult could receive an envelope from that person.
"When you are married, you are then mature, and you give away red envelopes," Hstung said.
ter still receives envelopes from her grandparents.
Student organizations want provost to revise bulletin board policy
By Nadia Mustafa
Kansan staff writer
Student organizations and the administration are trying to reach an agreement in a dispute about campus bulletin boards.
Student organizations, including Student Union Activities, are frustrated with a University policy put into effect in September. The policy did not allowed the posting of information on classroom bulletin boards and other campus structures including walls, exterior doors, utility poles, bus stops and newspaper distribution boxes.
Groups that violate the policy receive warning letters and are subject to a $10 fine per poster.
Seth Hoffman, University Senate Executive Committee bulletin board subcommittee member and Lenexa junior, said the University policy was aimed at curbing the promotion of products such as alcohol and credit cards. But, he said, the policy had adverse effects on student organizations.
"Student organizations should be able to post in classrooms," Hoffman said. "They should be given priority and not be treated like outside advertisers."
Hoffman said that he spoke with Provost David Shulenburger last week about revising the policy and implementing other options to help communication between student organizations and students.
He said the subcommittee wanted to have a final proposal ready by next week.
Recommendations may include adding more indoor bulletin boards, installing outdoor kiosks around campus and renovating the KU Information Center booth located on Jayhawk Boulevard in front of Stauffer-
Flint Hall.
The subcommittee also may suggest improving the Web calendar and integrating it into the KU Facts Web site and the new Digital Jawhawk site.
SUA, which has received warnings about postings from the provost's office, also formed a bulletin board posting subcommittee to examine how the policy could be more student-friendly.
"They weren't very optimistic about it," said Jeff LaCroix, SUA vice president for University Relations and Olathe senior. "I'm hoping that SenEx can rustle a few more leaves then we've been able to."
The subcommittee sent a list of recommendations to the provost's office in December.
LaCroix said SUA wanted to find an alternative means of distributing information on campus. He said there was not much space available anywhere except in the Kansas Union.
"There are student organizations that provide programs that are directly complementary to what the University's mission is," LaCroix said. "So it's kind of silly that they won't let them post information."
SUA's recommendations included that the University allow student organizations to post one filer per event on all campus bulletin boards not designated to academic departments, including those in classrooms.
Jeannenette Johnson, assistant to the provost, said that the provost's office had sent warnings to about 40 student organizations but only had fined some private businesses that were repeat offenders.
She said that the University was open to suggestions from student organizations about implementing other options.
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