ATTENTION: Today's classes are canceled. The University's inclement weather policy is in affect.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 30,2002
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 82 VOLUME 112
Faculty, staff join tuition dialogue
By Meredith Carr Kansan staff writer
Student Senate's committee on tuition increases received five more voices yesterday when the Faculty Executive Committee nominated faculty and staff to join the group.
The purpose of the Ad-Hoc Committee on University Funding is to meet with the administration and inform the students and faculty on the proposed tuition increases.
The committee was formed after Justin Mills, student body president, told the Board of Regents he was unhappy with the way the administration was handling the tuition increase dialogues.
Kathy Jansen, an office supply procurement officer chosen to represent the Classified Senate, said she wanted to find whether the tuition increase was a vision of just the administration or of the entire campus.
Dallas Rakestraw, student chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee, said the group would meet with administration on the proposed tuition increase. He also said they would meet with staff from the financial aid office to figure out alternative formulas for tuition.
"There are a whole lot of brilliant minds on this campus," she said. "Hopefully we can come up with a solution."
"We also want to look at how much money other schools get from their state, and figure how KU would fit in that percentage." Rakestraw said.
Matt Steppe, Student Senate legislative director, said the committee would do its best to represent students, faculty and staff.
"I hope that, from this committee, a much more inclusive vision of what the university will look like in the future will be formed," he said.
Both Rakestraw and Steppe said they hoped to have the first meeting next week, and students would be allowed to attend.
"We're trying to look at the whole picture and go from there." Rakestraw said.
Contact Carr at mcarr@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Smarsh.
Ad-Hoc Committee
Faculty and staff nominated to the committee:
Mohamed El-Hodiri, associate director and professor of economics
Kathryn Turtle, director of freshman
management science
RETURN OF WINTER
Kathy Jansen, Classified Senate representative
Two other faculty members, who had not responded to their nomination by last night
Student members of the committee:
Dallas Rakestraw, student chair and
Nunemaker senator
Jamel Bell, legislative director and graduate senator
Matt Steppe, student legislative awareness board senator
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Sleet and ice make an extra chore for Kevin Kearns, Chicago senior, who must scrape the layer of ice off his car windows before leaving campus. Last night's icy weather prompted city-wide closings anc cancellations today and is expected to continue through tomorrow.
Sleet storm ends mild winter days
By Melissa Shuman Kansan staff writer
The National Weather Service for Topeka has issued a winter storm warning in effect until tomorrow. Temperatures will remain in the low to mid 20s today and tomorrow. Sleet will continue today with snow picking up this afternoon. Forecasters from the National Weather Service are predicting ice accumulation up to six inches by Thursday.
Two days after an unusual January heat wave, a cold weather front has rolled into Kansas.
City officials are already preparing Lawrence for the ice storms by spreading salt and sand, said Tom Orzulak, city street department manager. He recommended driving on busier roads because they aren't as slick.
"The salt works better when the streets are more heavily traveled." Orzulak said.
WEATHER ALERT
Students walking to class should be careful on the sidewalks as well.
WEATHER ALERT Classes are canceled and the University's inclement weather policy is in affect. Read the inclement weather policy at http://www.ku.edu/~provost/inclement_weather_01.html.
Find out if the policy is extended through tomorrow by calling KU Info at 864-3506.
Brandee Smith, Bonner Springs senior, said she had a hard time walking up Mount Oread yesterday.
"When I was walking up to class it
was so slick I was already having problems," she said.
Smith, who commutes about 30 miles from Bonner Springs, said the University should delay or cancel class during inclement weather.
"I don't think they think about commuters," she said. "I'd rather be late to class or miss a class than get stuck in a ditch."
Doug Riat, director of the department of facilities operations, said his staff was on call to clear ice and snow on campus.
Riat said on-campus streets were pre-treated with liquid magnesium chloride to break the bond between
ice and the road. Crews worked until 10 p.m.yesterday to treat roads, and would start again at 4 a.m.today, he said.
"We'll probably have more in the morning if we're anticipating snow," Riat said.
though the department tries to prevent icy roads and sidewalks, heavy ice accumulation can be hard to manage, he said.
"The snow requires us to do a lot more work, but the ice is more dangerous because there's not that much we can do." Riat said.
To report icy spots on campus, call facilities operations at 864-4770.
Matt Laubhan, Russell sophomore and employee at the KU weather lab said that snow could accumulate up to eight inches by Thursday.
He said the change in weather was caused by a massive cold front from Canada.
"We're right on the edge of it," Laubhan said, "if we do get snow, it will be a lot."
Contact Shuman at
Contact Shuman at mshuman@kansan.com. This story was edited by Joanna Miller.
Tap water proves to be healthier for teeth and gums
Kansan staff writer
Bv Summer Lewis
demons.
"There have been several studies that have shown that home filters as well as bottled water have less than optimal levels of fluoride," said Angela Wilson, a periodontist at Wilson and Edwards Dental. 4830 Quail Crest Place.
Tap water is healthier for people's teeth and gums than bottled water because it contains fluoride, said local dentists.
Virtually all sources of city tap water in the United States contain some fluoride, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Wilson said the fluoride in tap water was critical for keeping teeth healthy.
Fluoride was first added to tap water in 1945. The American Dental Association Web site reported that fluoride has been responsible for a dramatic drop in cavities and tooth decay.
"Fluoride helps prevent cavities or
Myra Strother, chief of medical staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said tap water was under strict regulations to make it safe, but also said there was little difference between tap and bottled water.
tooth decay by basically strengthening the teeth so that the bacteria cannot penetrate as-easily and cause tooth decav." Wilson said.
"Farm runoff and pesticides are usually the concern but the strict criteria takes care of these," Strother said. "Some bottled water is basically tap water that comes from a well or somewhere else."
An increasing number of American consumers have turned to bottled water as their primary source of drinking water according to the EPA.
"I drink both bottled and tap water, but I prefer bottled water because it tastes better," Dengis said. "I wouldn't care if bottled water caused me to get more cavities."
Leigh Dengis, Lake Forest, Ill., freshman, falls within this trend.
The National Resources Defense Council conducted a study from 1995 to 1999 to find if bottled water was safer than tap water. The four-year review of the bottled-water industry and the safety standards that govern it included a comparison of national bottled water rules with national tap water rules. The study found that there was no assurance that bottled water was any cleaner or safer than water from the tap. In fact, an estimated 25 percent or more of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle, sometimes further treated and sometimes not, the report found.
BOTTLED WATER OR TAP:
Carefully check the bottle label or the cap. If it says "from a municipal source" or "from a community water system," it's derived from tap water.
Source: The National Resources Defense Council, www.nrdc.org.
Contact Lewis at slewis@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Anne Mergenmeier.
Students worry aid won't grow with tuition
By Sarah Hill Kansan staff writer
Jessica Cook worries that she may have to leave school if tuition increases.
In November, the Kansas Board of Regents asked KU and other state universities to form a five-year plan to deal with tuition increases.
Cook, Topeka freshman, is not the only student concerned about her future at the University of Kansas. Karen Keith, offcampus senator, said that in a Student Senate survey of 645 students, 52 reported that either they or someone they knew would have to leave KU because of the increase.
Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations, said that each of the three proposals included a 20-percent increase in need-based financial aid for students.
Cook receives scholarships and financial aid, but said she would need extra loans to make up the difference in cost.
"I'm going into a field where I won't make a lot of money when I get out of school," she said. "I don't want to pay off huge loans after I graduate."
Anne Duston, Overland Park freshman, said her parents paid for her tuition, but was not sure what they would do if tuition increased.
"I know money is tight for them right now." Duston said.
The Kansas University Endowment Association also provides some tuition assistance. The independent non-profit organization awarded $19.2 million in scholarships last fiscal year. The association is currently sponsoring KU First, its largest fund-raising campaign to date, which hopes to raise $500 million by Fall 2004. $73 million of that is earmarked for scholarships, said John Scarffe, director of communications for the association.
But Scarffe said that they would not increase the earmarked scholarship money to accommodate the tuition increases.
"Raising funds to assist students has always been a top priority, and will continue to be a top priority regardless of tuition increases," Scarffe said.
Alan Cerveny, director of the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, said that the University was not the only school facing tuition hikes.
"People need to realize that we aren't operating in a vacuum," he said. "These are the same budget problems that they're having in Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, where discussions are going on about their state schools."
Chris Johnson, associate director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, said he thought it was a good sign that the University and its proposals will give the money back to the students.
Johnson said that students with the greatest need would get enough help with the increased aid included in the proposals, but said there was a gray area of students who are barely covered now.
"It's hard to say what will happen to those who don't have Pell grants, but are not fully supported by home," Johnson said. A Pell grant is a need-based government grant that students do not repay.
Johnson said he wants to help those students with unmet needs.
Cook said she hoped she could find a way to complete her studies at KU after the increase.
"The price is a reason why KU is so attractive," she said. "It's a good education with so many opportunities, and it's less expensive than other schools."
Contact Hill at shill@kansan.com. This story was edited by Jenna Goepfert.
INSIDETODAY
WORLD NEWS ...7A
SCOREBOARD ...2B
WEATHER ...4B
CROSSWORD ...4B
COMING IN THE NEXT KANSAN
EQUALITY: A KU graduate asks the state to extend employee benefits to same-sex, domestic partners.
CHILLY WILLY: Coverage of Willie Nelson's performance tonight at the Lied Center.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
A
10
---
1