Wednesday
January 29, 2003
Vol. 113. Issue No.85
Today's weather
32°
Tonight: 17°
KANSAN Jayhawks aim to hold ground against Cornhuskers tonight p.1B
Tell us your news
Contact Kristi Henderson, Jenna Goeffert or Justin Henning at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
Kelley Weiss/Kansan
Whistle to return
Wayne Pearse, building engineer, welded the broken pieces of the steam whistle after it blew apart last week. The whistle will be displayed in the Kansas Union for people to see, touch and hear by pushing a button.
Donation to maintain tradition
By Kelley Weiss
kweiss@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
For students and Lawrence residents who miss the familiar sound of the steam whistle, it will be only a touch away.
University of Kansas officials are raising funds for a replacement whistle and are planning to memorialize the damaged whistle.
Facilities and Operations donated the broken whistle to the Kansas Union, where it will be displayed in the lobby of the new west side entrance. David Mucci, director of KU Memorial Unions, said the whistle would be placed on top of a pole for people to look at and touch. Visitors will be able to push a button to play the sound of the whistle. Mucci said.
"What I think is wonderful is you have this ugly, odd and spectacular object on display for people to see the physical embodiment of the sound that has been in their lives on Mount Oread." Mucci said.
Mucci said the public display of the whistle was important because the steam whistle had been part of the University's history since 1912. The installation of the whistle in the Union is not definite, but Mucci said he wanted it on display by May graduation.
An anonymous donor wanted to keep the whistle tradition alive, said John Scarffe, director of communications for the Kansas University Endowment Association. The donor contacted the Endowment Association to offer money to replace the steam whistle that broke last week after he read about it in local media coverage.
George Cone, assistant director for mechanical systems, said despite the difficulties he had encountered trying
"For someone to donate on a tradition is something that I understand."
George Cone
George Cone Assistant director for mechanical systems
to replace the whistle, he was happy that it would be replaced and that a donor was willing to help with the cost to bring the whistle back.
"I'm an old navy guy, and the word 'tradition' is very important to me," Cone said. "For someone to donate on a tradition is something that I understand."
Scarffe said after the Endowment Association received a cost estimate, the association would relay that figure to the donor to see whether it fit his price range.
Cone said he contacted a man in Cincinnati about building a replacement whistle. The cost of the whistle or date it would be installed is still unsure. Cone visited the Web site steamboats.com and listened to different tones of steam whistles to use for the new whistle.
— Edited by Christy Dendurent
Bill proposes more student involvement
By Cate Batchelder
cbatchelder@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
University of Kansas students may soon be able to sponsor legislative bills going through Student Senate.
As the system stands now, students are not allowed to write or sponsor legislation. The new bill, up for consideration at tonight's Student Senate meeting, would allow more student input in writing bills without actually drafting them.
Scott McKenzie, College of Libera Arts and Sciences senator and the bill? writer, amended a former proposal that would have allowed KU students to write legislation.
"I just felt that Student Senate needed to open itself up more to the students, and this was one way to do so by allowing students to get involved in the process of legislation," McKenzie said.
Student Body President Jonathan Ng is against the bill, he said, because allowing students in on writing legislation devalues the committee system. Any student can join Senate committees such as the finance committee and can then be involved in the bill-writing process.
"We were elected for a reason: to voice concerns on behalf of the student body and to basically care about issues that they otherwise wouldn't have time to care about," Ng said.
Rachel Monger, Plattsburg, Mo., firstyear law student, agreed, saying the responsibility of writing bills lies with those who were elected.
"I think it's a wonderful idea, but doesn't it undermine the jobs of the senators?" Monger said. "I thought the point of electing senators was to do that job."
Amanda Flott, student rights committee member, also has problems with the proposed bill.
top of a bill, which gives them speaking privileges," Flott said.
The bill would not disrupt the status quo, she said, because students are already allowed to speak about bills in meetings. For this to happen, the senator who drafted the bill must be present to introduce those students. Introductions aside, the new bill could pass that step.
Flott did agree with McKenzie, that increasing student involvement in government should be addressed, but she didn't think this bill was the way to do it.
In other news, discussion is up for a bill for a petition requesting increased student parking in lots by Summerfield, Haworth and Malot halls, and the Multicultural Resource Center. The lots would open to students at 5 p.m. They are now open at 7:30 p.m. Should the bill pass, the petition will go to the Parking Commission for the final vote.
"Nothing is a quick fix to solve the problems that has separated the student body from the Student Senate, but hopefully this can be one step,"McKenzie said.
Also in discussion is a bill to amend the rules and regulations about classroom speeches. During the 2002-2003 Student Senate elections, campaign speeches in the classroom were interpreted by the elections commissioner to be an interference in the classroom. The new proposal advocates that speeches in the classroom be allowed at the discretion of the instructor.
During the open forums of the Student Senate meeting, Marilu Goodyear, vice provost for information services, will discuss the KU hacker situation. Also in the forums, three student senators will give updates on the current search for the new University ombudsman, vice provost for student success and the dean for admissions and scholarships.
"The only thing that piece of legislation does is put students' names on the "—Edited by Leah Shaffer
Professor instructs from China
By Maggie Newcomer editor@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
A University of Kansas professor's week-long research trip turned into two months away, leaving her students with substitutes and an e-mail address as the only means to contact her.
Yi Jin, assistant professor of economics, traveled to Hong Kong Nov.24 for a project supported by University new faculty research
funding. She intended to be back in class Dec. 3. She is still in Hong Kong and can't return until the U.S. Immigration Authority completes a security check and grants her a visa.
Joe Potts, director of International Student and Scholar Services, said security checks usually lasted a minimum of three months.
KU," said Joe Sicilian, chairman of the economics department. "Russian and Chinese nationals are having trouble getting back into the country. There's a professor at Yale who's been gone for 10 months."
Jin, a Chinese citizen, had a work visa for her job as a full-time assistant professor. She applied for another visa as soon as she arrived in Hong Kong, Sicilian said. Jin has been a tenure-track assistant professor at the University for two years and was a graduate teaching
"This is definitely the first time this has happened in the economics department, and as far as I know, the first time it's happened at
assistant at the University of Iowa before teaching at KU.
Cicilian has taken over lecturing Jin's macroeconomics class this semester.
"Yi has planned the course and is in charge of grading." Sicilian said. "I'm just there to lecture and help students communicate with her."
Jin receives the assignments and exams through mail, and students can communicate with her through
SEE PROFESSOR ON PAGE 6A
By Eddie Yang
eyang@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Survey requests violate University policy
Within the past week, at least two professors have been contacted by representatives from a hiring agency, asking to have surveys about summer employment filled out in class.
According to a press release put out by the Office of the Provost, the "surveyor" was representing a hiring agency and was violating University policy on solicitation.
University policy states that all sales or solicitations must be approved by the University Events Committee or the University administration.
"It seems it was something for commercial gain, which is inappropriate," said Danny Kaiser, director of the Student Organization of Leadership and Development Center. Groups must be registered with
the center to distribute surveys on campus.
Don Steeples, vice provost, said he was contacted over the phone by a surveyor.
"There was someone who called me up to ask if they could do a survey in my earthquakes and natural disasters class," said Steeples. "I asked what part of the University he was affiliated with and he grew very quiet."
The caller said he was not part of
a formal organization, Steeples said.
"This is a big place and we don't have someone going around observing those types of matters," Kaiser said.
Mind our dust
"Once I found it wasn't University affiliated, I didn't press the issue." said Steeples.
The University policy concerning solicitation on campus is not strictly enforced.
Edited by Erin Chapman
Scott Reynolds/Kansas
Construction continues on the Learned Hall addition. The building is expected to be finished by Fall 2003.