Thursday, February 11, 1999 The University Daily Kansan Section A · Page 5 Senate to consider fee increase By Nadia Mustafa Kansan staff writer Student fees will increase two dollars next fall if a Student Senate committee bill crosses several hurdles. next week, Senate will consider a bill that would increase the Educational Opportunity Fee from $6 to $8 for students enrolled in more than six credit hours per semester. The Senate Finance Committee passed the fee increase last night, but the bill must be passed by the full Senate, approved by Chancellor Robert Hemenway and enacted by the Kansas Board of Regents before the increase can go into effect. The Regents established the $6 fee in 1989 to finance special programs that provide financial aid to students. Student organizations and academic departments can apply for a portion of the funds for academic scholarships or fellowships during the fall semester. Aravind Muthukrishnan, Nune-maker senator, said that the fee was good, but that he opposed the bill. "I'm not a big fan of fees in general." he said. Nicole Skalla, Senate transportation coordinator and the bill's sponsor, said that there was less than $300,000 in the Educational Opportunity fund. She said that almost $600,000 is requested each year, but that half of the requests are denied because there is not enough money. The fee increase would generate an estimated additional $40,000. "The $6 has not kept up with inflation because it hasn't been changed for 10 years," Skalla said. "Even after the fee increase, that's still not going to cover the amount of people asking for money." The fees also provide funds for need-based grants, including awards to students with special expenses, such as child care or groups of under-represented students. In addition, the fee helps fund salaries or grants for students participating in public or community service programs and for students employed by campus student services programs such as tutoring. Skalla said that she was not sure if Senate was allowed to implement a fee increase at the University because the Regents passed a common fee for all Regents universities. But, she said that she would present the bill to Senate and try to get the chancellor's approval. "If the students are willing to tax themselves an extra $2, I don't STUDENT SENATE In other business, Senate committees passed the following legislation last night: A resolution that would support A resolution that would support the establishment of student representatives for minority groups at Bin 12 universities A bill that would provide $4,897 to fund the Engineering Student Council's Expo '99 on Feb. 26. ■ A bill that would give $0,000 to the KU Lecture Series to pay the talent fee for a speaker of "international recognition" in April. A bill that would provise $4,600 to the Asian American Student Union to fund the Asian American Festival in March. A bill that would give $475 to the International Student Association to help finance International Student Awareness Week. think the Board of Regents will be unhappy. "Skalla said, She said that if Senate passed the bill and the chancellor approved it, the Regents must review it by March 1. In order for the fee increase to take effect next fall, the Regents must vote on it in April, she said. Burn unit offers 'sense of home' Rv T. J. Johnson By T.J. Johnson Kansan staff writer Burnett Burn Center, the only burn unit dedicated exclusively to burn victims in the Kansas City Lawrence area, is now open and serving patients at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Anne Cramer, director of the burn center and associate professor of plastic surgery at the Med Center, said that the burn unit was an upgrade from the old unit, which had been unchanged since its opening in 1973. "It will offer the same care patients originally had, but in a much better environment." Cramer said. shared bathroom. According to Cramer, the original burn unit had a hospital-ward environment, with patients separated by curtains and a single The new unit, which officially opened Jan. 21, provides private rooms with bathrooms for patients and offers accommodations for their families. Cramer said. The center features the Huribut Recovery Pavilion, named for a former burn center patient who donated money for its construction. The pavilion has facilities for families to cook dinner or relax with patients. It offers a sense of home for burn victims. Cramer said. "It is a brand new, beautiful space with lots of light," she said. "It should help make the stay here more enjoyable." According to Bob Hallinan, media relations coordinator for the Med Center, the $1.5 million facility has more than 15,000 square feet of space, making it three times the size of the old burn unit. Cramer said that the new unit was the only burn center in Kansas City and that the one in Wichita was the next closest. The unit was named for Gene and Barbara Burnett, who donated money to start the original unit in 1973 and originated the idea of opening a comprehensive burn center while visiting the Med Center. The Burnets were unavailable for comment. The burn center also includes a rehabilitation unit for patients, a gym and a children's playroom. Cramer praised the unit's focus on family. "I think it will be one of the nicest mid-sized burn centers in the country," she said. People who want to travel by airplane for New Year's Eve 1999 cleared the first hurdle last Thursday — the first day to make flight reservations. By Jennifer Roush Airline travel could become a problem in the new year if airline computer systems aren't able to understand the year 2000 correctly. Possible year 2000 problems not hindering air travel plans But telephones and Web sites for travel accommodations have been busy, and reservations have gone without a hitch, local travel agents and airline officials said. Kansan staff writer Beverly Toltner, owner of Lawrence Travel Center, 1601 W. 23rd St., said the software used by the travel industry had been fixed. She also said that her agency was booking many package tours for the New Year. Totten also said that most of the companies offering special tours for New Year 2000 were charging higher rates. Harriet Matthews, owner of River City Travel, 3300 W. 15th St., said that fear of the millennium bug had not deterred travelers. "It's a little early for reservations for just air travel," she said. "Most people only book 3 or 4 weeks in advance. But nobody's really avoiding travel." Mark Allen, Lawrence travel agent, said that he had not booked any flights for the New Year, but his employer's computers would allow those bookings to be made. "Our systems are Y2K compliant," said Allen, a travel consultant for Allen said he would avoid traveling on January 1 because of the potential for technological problems. Council Travel, 622 W.12th St.. "The bug could cause power shutdowns because the computer wouldn't understand how to deal with the last two digits of the new year." Allen said. "If a plan is in the sky when the year changes over, it could just shut down." John Dillard, assistant director of Academic Computing Services, said that such fears were unfounded. "I think the airlines are a good example," he said. "If they'd done nothing, there would be chaos. But they didn't sit on their thumbs. No airline is going to take the risk of putting up an airplane that's going to fall out of the sky." He said major organizations and corporations, such as airlines, were better at addressing the millennium problem because they generally had more time and money. Many KU students also aren't afraid of the possibility of millennium chaos or computer shutdowns. "I figure they should be able to figure it all out," said Crispian Paul, Wichita sophomore, who is planning to travel to Mexico City for the holiday. José Carlos, Saa Ramos, Spain graduate student, said he didn't know what his holiday plans would be. "If I do travel, it'll be to Spain to visit my family," Carlos said. "I don't think anything catastrophic is going to happen. 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