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KANSAN
The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
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Ellor's note: This is the last part of a three-part service examine the state of athletics at the University.
Part Three examines the art of eligibility and how players are kept eligible for the football field or basketball court by taking certain courses. Part Three also explores grade changing.
The series examines football and basketball—the two major sports involving the majority of youth.
Some sources thought that by speaking out, they would be subject to harassment or even lose their jobs. For this reason, the names of some of the sources have been withheld.
By REBECCA CHANEY and CINDY CAMPBELL Staff Reporters
Some of the brightest students at the
University of Arizona are athletes. Yet they may
never graduate.
A UU football player recently came to KU with an ACT score of 34 out of a possible 36. People who knew him on the field said he was a great ball player. People who knew him in the field.
Athletes, students even up on grade changes
But when he came to KU, he was placed in Math 021 instead of Calculus 115 or 121, and placed in other remedial classes when he was academically qualified for sophomore classes.
By REBECCA CHANEY and CINDY CAMPBELL Staff Reporters
Despite allegations to the contrary, the vast majority of KU student-athletes—in fact, the majority of football and basketball players—do less than 20% of the percentage of grade changes than other students.
(That football player) was a perfect example of an athlete who definitely had the ability, but he was never given a reason to go to class," said a source in the athletic department. "He was told he wouldn't need the harder classes he should have been taken."
Many players, coaches and administrators have told the Kansan that some athletes at KU were majoring in eligibility—at the expense of their college degrees.
students. The employee, who feared losing his job if identified, also said that a few athletes were awarded grade changes that did not go along with the procedures, though it occurred infrequently.
However, during several months of research into the academic pursuits of KU athletes, a few players names were repeatedly linked as having an unusual number of grade changes to their benefit.
The employee said that anyone knowing about such changes was under pressure to "conveniently overlook" them, and noted that most other employees were reluctant to question their believing incorrectly they would be examined by others who could do more to check them out.
ALTHOUGH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to ignore the numbers of football and basketball players who play at the University.
Whether these players actually did receive such grade changes will probably never be known. The 1974 Buckley Amendment, passed by Congress to protect rights of privacy, has
severely limited access to student's grades and educational records without their approval
Elizabeth Banks, associate professor of classics and former faculty adviser for women athletes, said it would be extremely difficult for her to prove whether such grade changes occur.
"You would have to, over a period of semesters, isolate football and basketball players and find an exceptional number of changes to the athlete's benefit." Banks said. The Buckley Amendment prevents this, and they (University and athletic officials) know this."
Another source said he witnessed a grade change that was not fully authorized, but which was made to keep an athlete from becoming a star. The athlete also knew of other questionable grade changes.
A University employee who worked with transcripts, grade changes and student records in general, said certain athletes did receive more frequent grade changes than other individual
But he said the risks involved with these kinds See GRADES page 6
skills, the real 'scandal' of athletics lies in the dozens of KU athletes who come prepared for an education they never receive, Kansan sources said.
"that goes to the quality of advising, to make a reasoned judgment as to the capability of the athlete," said Deanell Tacha, associate vice chancellor of academic affairs and head of a committee that is checking the quality of academic programs for KU athletes.
"Our goal has to be academic challenge."
But sometimes advisers, in an attempt to keep athletes eligible, have steered athletes into classes that were anything but a challenge, sources say.
Because the questionable practices involved in keeping an athlete eligible are in most cases perfectly legal, exploitation of athletes seems almost unavoidable.
Regardless of academic background, many
basketball and football players at KU appear to be indiscriminately enrolled in introductory level classes that require minimal work outside the team, and that pose little threat to eligibility.
FRANK SEURER, freshman quarterback, said he had lots of reading for classes this semester but never written homework. He said he would take a video like even lighter loads during the football season.
But according to KU athletes contacted by the Kansan, the problems could not always be traced to poor advising, because some athletes said they were self-advised.
"I've picked most of my own classes," Art Housley, senior basketball player, said. "It wasn't a matter of me taking a class because I'm not a big fan of it, so I'm on my schedule and it's a little easier. I take it."
Liberal Arts and Sciences, said he advised many of KU's basketball players and some football players. He also said many athletes' academic problems could be traced to scheduling.
an athlete gets two classes at the time he needs," Lewis explained. "With the other two, he's going around trying to find anything he can pass that will fit into his schedule. I'm not saying that athletes should be allowed to enroll first, though if I were God I would probably let them."
KU athletes told the Kanan they considered their eligibility when choosing classes, and thus enrolled in various classes that did not require a degree or full graduation requirements.
Jerry Lewis, associate dean of the College of
Along with life-science and appreciation classes and assorted undergraduate sociology and psychology classes, many KU athletes enroll in Math 003, English 650, sources said.
Both classes fulfill three hours of credit for
eligibility purposes and may be taken an
unofficial way. The student is
usually "ford" for English 101 or Math 101.
While taking such classes and remaining eligible, athletes don't make "normal progress" toward a degree, because all courses under the program are to the number of hours required for graduation.
The NCAA only requires that an athlete be in good academic standing as determined by the faculty of his school and that he be enrolled in at least 12 hours a semester.
Although the NCAA also requires the athlete to maintain "satisfactory progress toward a degree," interpretation of the requirement is left entirely to the university.
Lewis said he knew that KU's flexible academic system was open to abuse. He said it would be easy for athletes and other students to spend semester after semester taking what many professors considered "easy" or "worstless". classes.
IF SOME OF THE ATHLETES whom he advised took such classes, however, Lewis said it was not necessarily because he or other advisers had pressured them to do so.
"I see lots of recruits for all the teams," Lewis said. "I tell them you cannot be on this campus and be an athlete and not be a student. I also tell them that the word 'jock' is a disaffectionate term. It means you don't come to class, that you can't wear you don't have the respect of the student boy."
Lewis recalled a situation involving KU senior basketball player Tony Guy.
"Tony needed some leeway," Lewis said. "We were working on a schedule for him with about five guys around. One of them suggested questions. Tony got angry and said 'I'm not a lock.'
Guy said he refused to take the class.
See ATHLETICS page 5
Gernstones, also known as "Rocks for
land use" required to fulfill a natural science
lab requirement.
SCOTT HOOKER/Kansan staff
Members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity sing in front of the Chi Omega sorority last night to publicize tomorrow's SAE Southern Plantation Ball. The fraternity members rode horses around the community passing out invitations to sororities for the dance.
Oliver resident attacked twice by same man
By LISA MASSOTH Staff Reporter
By LISA MASSOTH
Staff Reporter
On March 27, a man followed an Oliver Hall resident from a hall party to her room, closed the door behind him and attacked the resident.
"I turned around and saw him. I asked him what he was doing there. He said, "What do you think? He started getting friendly, so I tried to stall him. I offered to pour him a drink. As I was doing this, he turned up the stereo. When it turned off, he went back into the room. I pretended I'd fainted. He got scared and left."
This was not the resident's first encounter with her assailant. In January, while she was at the Pladium. 901 Miss. St., we went outside to her room and saw a man in a dark suit men approached and pushed her into the car.
"I was getting in my closet when I heard the name revealed, who did not want her name revealed, and who did."
The man who later attacked her in her room got in the back seat with her and hit her in the face. One of the men took the car keys from her and they started to go to Clinton Lake, she said. One of the attackers recognized her, so they took home. She said she didn't know any of the men.
THE VICTIM GAVE police a description of her assailant, which they used to draw a composite of the man. The composites have been placed in living groups and different locations on campus.
The suspect is a white male, about 20 to 25 years old. He weighs 140 pounds, with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
Police said the man could be a KU student because of his familiarity with the area.
"I was scared for a while, but then when nothing happened for a while, I thought he wasn't serious. I hadn't heard from him since before spring break."
Until recently, the woman did not want the amount of personal distress she has felt.
"He would say things like he had seen me talking to someone and he would want to know what he was saying."
About two weeks after the attack, she started getting phone calls from the man who hit her.
During the first conversation, he said, "I don't like to leave a job unfinished. You better be comfortable."
THE RESIDENT said she had tried not to be afraid during the attack in her room.
She said she got calls regularly.
After he left, she said she called the police and yelled at some friends she heard in the hall.
"I could keep calm because I'd thought about it since the first attack," she said.
The police took her to Watkins Memorial Hospital, where she spent the night.
"I was pretty upset," she said. "They gave me something to help me sleep."
KU Police Captain John Mullens said that police had had some clues, but nothing substanti-
"People will call and say they know who it is, and then he's already checked, or he has been checked."
Her only injury was a black eye.
"When you're dealing with an unknown, you start from scratch," he said. "It not quite like that."
"I'm walking to class, I try to stay by a
always on my mind." The said. "It's something that's
always on my mind."
MULLENS SAID THAT the first attack was probably just totally by chance. The phone calls and the attack in her room could have been the cause of infatuation, or something similar, he said.
The victim said she had no idea why the assailant chose her.
"He's obviously mentally deranged," she said. "If you saw him on the street, you'd think he was mentally deranged."
Her friends have been very supportive and protective, she said.
"I went to a bar last week, and I went to the bathroom without telling anyone," she said. "One friend came back to the bathroom and we've been looking all over for you."
Other residents at Oliver have expressed concern for their safety since the attack.
When I found out about it, I was scared," a
when York State freshman said. "Now I locose my
daughter."
The victim is hoping that the two men who helped in the abduction at the Pladium will come to terms.
"There's always hope," she said, with her fingers crossed.
Severance tax bill fails; Carlin condemns action
By GENE GEORGE Staff Reporter
TOPEKA-Senate Republicans killed efforts to revive the mineral severance tax yesterday and instead chose to dip into the state's money through a elementary and secondary education next year.
schule quarringer over the mineral tax and school finance bill delayed action on the catch-all omnibus appropriations bill, which included the $7.5 million fee increase at Board of Regents institutions.
The Senate eventually passed the omnibus bill, with its recommendation to allow the Regents to veto it.
LATE YESTERDAY, the bill was handed to the House Ways and Means Committee, which Wednesday opposed the 22 percent fee increase on a feature had asked for only a 15 percent increase.
The conference committee that was to work out House-Senate differences on the bill, scheduled for last night, had to be postponed because of the House version of the bill could be printed.
the Senate started yesterday by debating the 50 sections of the omnibus bill, but took time out to defeat Minority Leader Jack Steinerge's attempt to pass the governor's proposed tax on the production of oil, natural gas and coal. The final vote was 24-14.
To replace the severance tax, but still offer some property tax relief next year, the Senate approved $18 million from the reserve and other areas of the general fund for the school finance
The governor, who warned earlier in the session that the lack of a severance tax would force the highest property tax increase in the state, said he would elect Senate for reviving the policy of deficit spending.
"No one has been benefited, certainly not the
kids and taxpayers by (Senate) action today." Carlin said.
HE SAID THAT by dipping into the state reserve fund, his efforts to balance the budget had been ruined, and that the future property tax would be too high. "We've been talking about look rather small."
The governor had estimated that failure to implement a severance tax would cause property taxes to increase by about $58 million next year.
Carlin said he refused to give up on the tax this session, but he would not comment on what others said.
The governor said the "groundswell of support" he received during his recent two-week lobbying swing across Kansas, had not been a failure.
State Sen. Jane Eldredge, R-Lawrence, who broke with the Republican fold on the issue, said she voted against the appropriation because the tax relief was not going to the right people.
"" The money doesn't do any good at all.
Eldredge said yesterday. "The areas that need relief are livestock, farm machinery and merchant equipment. Complaints from residential property taxpayers."
BEFORE THE SENATE took up the severance tax and the school finance debate, Senate President Ross Doyen conducted a closed party caucus where he appealed to his Republican colleagues to back him on his opposition to the severance tax.
Doyen, R-Concordia, has been under pressure on the severance tax issue since the governor made a stop at Doyen's hometown during his tour.
Doyen told fellow Republicans at the caucus that he felt personally challenged on the issue. Eldredge said she expected to be challenged on her vote.
"I know I'm going to get some heat." Eldredge, who was called on the carpet by Senate leaders for opposing budget cuts to the Regents, said.
Kansan staff applications due at 5 p.m.
Applications for 1981 summer and fall Kansas news and business staff positions are available in the Student Senate office, 106 B Kansas Union, in the office of student organizations and activities, 220 Strong Hall and in 105 Flint Hall.
It will be partly sunny today with a high of 84, according to the KU Weather Service. Winds will be out of the south at 10 to 15 mph.
Weather
It will be continued clear tonight with a low in the mid 50s.
Completed applications are due in Assistant Denne Beilongbeng's mail to:
adrianbeilongbeng@microsoft.com
Tomorrow will be continued sunny with a high near 89.