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Volume 124 Issue 106
kansan.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
CAMPUS
Fraternity chapter reinstated, returns
KELSEY CIPOLLA kcipolla@kansan.com
A decade ago, Alpha Tau Omega was an ailing fraternity, but a group of students have nursed it back to health.
The fraternity lost its charter in 2002 after struggling to recruit and retain members because of a hazing scandal. After several attempts at re-establishing ATO's presence on campus, 18 students banded together and worked to rebuild the fraternity in 2010.
On Feb 18, their efforts paid off when they were officially given a charter.
"I don't think we appreciated that we were re-founding a fraternity at KU that had been around for 100 years and had this great history and done all these great things," said Zack McQuiston, a junior from Shawnee and one of the 18 founding members of the new chapter.
With no experience running an organization or being a part of a fraternity, McQuiston said
members were unsure about how to proceed for the first six months. Consultants from ATO's national office made several visits a year to help members establish the fraternity and work toward becoming a fully recognized chapter.
As people became aware that ATO was once again on campus, McQuiston started receiving emails from alumni voicing their support.
Interfraternity Council (IFC) president Stephen Nichols, a junior from Leawood, said ATO set an example of how to rebuild after controversy.
"ATO has a long history or campus, and it was horrible when it disappeared for them," Nichols said. "I think it got to a point where they needed to re-evaluate and reassess, and that's exactly what Zack and these other guys did. They definitely went about it in a way that we want all of our fraternities to."
Nichols said that ATO worked to make sure they were also contributing to the community and not just forming a fraternity.
McQuiston, who served as president for several years, was excited to hear the news that the charter was finally being approved after waiting for more than six months.
"It was a relief, for sure," McQuiston said. "I think there was kind of a sense among the group, especially among the original 18 guys, that we were ready."
Jake Klenda, a junior from Wichita, and president of the fraternity said that to obtain a charter, ATO had to have 45 members to prove there was interest and volunteer in Lawrence.
"Being a full chapter instead of a colony means a lot," Klenda said. "Hopefully we can just continue to move in the right direction."
Klenda said he hopes the fraternity focuses on maintaining their grades and fundraising.
Edited by Jeff Karr
Alpha Tau Omega had its charter revoked 10 years ago after hazing issues. Now the fraternity has reformed and received a new charter.
1994 The fraternity's house undergoes renovations costing $1 million. The chapter has trouble making payments after members leave and recruitment slows.
1997 30 members are forced from the house after a hazing incident.
2002 The chapter loses its charter.
2006 ATO tries to launch a new colony but plans are put off after recruiting problems.
2010 ATO tries to launch a colony again and succeeds.
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Fall 2011 The charter is sent in to the national office.
Source: 2002 Kansan article, Zack McQuistion
Feb. 18, 2012 The charter is accepted and ATO becomes an official chapter.
LAWRENCE
New HAWK signals confuse both drivers and pedestrians
The corner of 12th and Tennessee streets has two newly installed crosswalks. The new lights, or HAWK signals have created confu- sion for pedestrians and drivers stopped at the intersection.
RACHEL SALYER
rsalyer@kansan.com
HAWK signals may sound like a term fit for the city of Lawrence, but the new pedestrian-activated crosswalks are causing some confusion for students and drivers.
Two High-Intensity Activated Crosswalks, or HAWK signals have been installed at 12th and Tennessee and 12th and Kentucky streets as part of the Oread Neighborhood Lighting Project. The signals were turned on for the first time Jan.13.
The lights extend over the road like traditional traffic signals, but only turn on when activated by a pedestrian. David Woosley, City of Lawrence traffic engineer, said the light begins blinking yellow in order to catch the driver's attention.
Next, the light changes to solid yellow, which acts like a traditional yield signal on any traffic light. Then, a solid-double red light appears and signals the drivers to stop. Then after seven seconds, the red light begins flashing, signaling that drivers still must stop, but can then proceed if the crosswalk
is clear. After that, the light will turn green for traffic to continue as usual before shutting off altogether. The entire process takes less than 30 seconds.
The two lights mark the seventh and eighth HAWK signal in Lawrence, but Woosley said the signals still create confusion.
"Anything that's new is confusing for all of us," Woosley said. "There is a certain learning curve before people understand how they operate."
The lights are designed to save energy and interrupt traffic for the least amount of time necessary for someone to safely cross the street, but Ryan Gaines, a nearby resident and former University student, wonders why it doesn't operate like standard traffic lights.
"I don't know why it can't just be on all the time," Gaines said. "If one person doesn't know what to do, it just holds up traffic."
Woosley said the city looks at installing the lights after requests have been made and an investigation is performed.
"Sometimes it's because there is a school nearby, and there isn't a
safe place to cross," Woosley said. "Other times it's pedestrian requests, but we look at the number of vehicles on the road to see if it's feasible."
Kentucky and Tennessee streets have between 7,000 and 10,000 cars a day, a number not surprising to Abby Benson, a nearby resident and former University student.
"We were excited when we saw they were putting them in at first because there are so many cars, and they just fly by," Benson said. "But I guess I don't understand why they couldn't put up a sign saying what each signal means."
Though puzzling at first, Gaines said he would rather the signals be confusing than unsafe.
"I do like having them there just because it does slow down traffic, and I see so many people using them walking to campus," Gaines said. "It's definitely better than having someone get run over or something."
Edited by Max Lush
EDUCATION
Changes to MCAT will affect incoming students
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
Freshmen pursuing pre-medical education at the University of Kansas will face a significantly different MCAT on their road to medical school this fall. Although recently announced changes to the MCAT will not affect current pre-medical or medical students, they do reflect a shift in the medical community to emphasize a more holistic approach to treating patients.
"Doctors need to be effectively trained in working with real people and the complex factors they face," said Dr. Jeff Koetje, the Kaplan national director for pre-health programs. "Historically, doctors have been criticized with dealing with patients as organ systems or diseases."
Changes to the MCAT will include more upper-level biology and chemistry to the biosciences, elimination of the writing portion and a new section covering behavior and social sciences, Koetje said. The added section intends to convey the complexity of factors affecting patients' health, including language, culture, economics, value systems and ethics.
While Koetje cited that 73 percent of surveyed medical school admission officers approve of the change, only 50 percent believe that undergraduate programs will have enough time to make the necessary curriculum changes.
Paul Crosby, pre-medical advisor for the University, is excited for the coming changes but is concerned about the changes to pre-medical
All sections will be longer, lengthening the test from five-and-a-half to seven hours.
course work.
"Having custom courses sounds great," Crosby said. "However, it's very expensive, and this would place a great burden on small colleges. Overly specialized courses would not prepare students as well for further learning and other career possibilities."
Heidi Chumley, senior associate dean for medical education at KU Medical Center, sees the changes as long awaited. While medical school admissions will have to recalcibrate the weight MCAT scores have on admission standards, Chumley sees other aspects of admission, such as grades, the in-person interview and written answers, as continuing
The MCAT has been part of the medical school admission process for 73 years, and this is the fifth revision of the test. The last changes were made in 1991.
"I hope the changes in the MCAT is an opportunity for all institutions to look at more holistic measures for admissions," Chumley said.
Last year, 173 KU students applied for medical school. Koetje encourages pre-medical students to keep up to date with changes, which are slated to go into effect in 2015.
"I would encourage students at the University of Kansas to stay tuned and follow along," Koetje said.
Koetje said students can find additional information at kaplann-cat.com, or by following @kaplan on twitter and "liking" Kaplan on facebook.
Edited by Taylor Lewis
to be relevant.
The Kaplan Test Prep surveyed admissions officers at 69 universities with Association of American Medical Colleges accreditation about how the new MCAT format will affect test and medical school preparation. Some of the highlighted results to questions of the survey are given below.
Based on what you know, do you support the recommended changes to the MCAT set for 2015?
- Completely yes: 18%
- Generally yes: 52%
- Generally no: 3%
- Completely no: 0%
- Not sure: 27%
Do you think the changes to the test will better prepare students for medical school?
— Completely yes: 11%
— Generally yes: 62%
- Generally no: 9%
- Completely no: 0%
- Not sure: 17%
Should pre-med programs revise their curricula in order to sufficiently prepare students for the new MCAT?
— Yes. 67%
— No. 5%
— Not sure. 29%
— Refused to answer. 8%
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
Don't forget
CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 12
OPINION 5 SUDOKU 4
Which would you say is the most important admissions factor?
— MCAT score: 43%
— Undergraduate GPA: 28%
— Relevant experience: 19%
— Interview: 9%
— Letters of recommendation: 2%
— Personal statement: 0%
Today is National Pancake Day.
Indulge in a few pancake stacks.
(On stacks, on stacks, on stacks.)
contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Source: Kaplan Test Prep's 2011 Survey of Medical School Admissions Officers
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Overcast skies, 70% chance of showers. South winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
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