University Daily Kansan, February 15, 1985
CAMPUS AND AREA
Page 6
'Dr. Who' fan club thrives on long-running sci-fi show
By PEGGY HELSEL Staff Reporter
A plot is underway by a small faction of the campus community. It's not a plot to undermine the student government or to blow up the Kansas Union, but to convert people to a way of life — the Whovian way of life.
Now, the Whovian way differs little from anybody else's. In fact, Whovians are average students from average homes.
But on Wednesday and Thursday nights, at 10:30 p.m., Whovians congregate in front of their televisions for their night shows. The KCPT public broadcast station in Kansas City, Mo., airs "Dr. Who."
"Dr. Who," the English science-fiction serial, has amassed about 7 million viewers in the United States, the secretary of the KU chapter of the series, said Twenty-five of them have banded together to form the fan club.
LIBBY SHERWOOD, SECRETARY and co-founder of the club, said the purpose of forming it was to "have a place for Whovians to come out of the closet and exchange ideas and stuff."
The club meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Kansas Union. About 25 people attended the first meeting on Feb. 6.
Sherwood, a Topeka junior, said that she and club president Polly Stallings, hoose senior, started watching the show last year in Lewis Hall. They wanted to get a club together then, but didn't get it organized until this semester, Sherwood said.
Sherwood said "Dr. Who" had a cult following second only to the science fiction television show "Star Trek." Available to "Dr. Who" fans, who call themselves Whovians, are hundreds of items such as baton cymbals and Taharrs, all imblazoned with characters from the show.
Miller, who has watched the show since 1978, says he started watching "Dr. Who" purely by accident.
WHAT MAKES "Dr. Who" different from other series is its longevity, said Tim Miller, Overland Park senior and club member. After 22 years — it's the longest running sci-fi show in the world — and six different actors playing the lead, "Dr. Who" thrives.
different, and being a sci-fi buff, he started to watch. He hasn't stopped since.
Cathy Crist, public information spokesman for KCPT Channel 19, said "Dr. Who" fans were a special breed.
"I WAS FLIPPING channels and sort of stumbled across it." Miller said. He said the show looked
"The way people get wrapped up in that show, I just don't understand," Crist said. "They go to conventions they want them — they put their whole lives into it."
The show's hero, "Dr. Who",
cavorts through the universe visiting
various times and dimensions, all of
which are much liker like the
English countryside.
But the show is not without its charms. On "Dr. Who" the hero does his space-hapning in a contraption disguised as a police callbox — similar to our telephone booths.
The special effects are primitive. Instead of the million-dollar mega-show American audiences expect from their sci-fi, they could easily be mistaken for a film student's final project.
The callbox, named TARDIS, for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space, carries the doctor to and from his adventures. Along the way the doctor foils his nemesis, The Master, and legions of other villains.
By TAD CLARKE Staff Reporter
Center seeks new home for animals
TOPEKA - The University of Kansas Medical Center needs millions of dollars to upgrade the building that holds animals used for medical research, the director of the center said yesterday.
Kay Clawson, executive vice chancellor of the Med Center, told the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Regents that about $2 million to $3 million would be used to equip several floors of the building.
According to Bill Hudson, dean of research and resource administration at the Med Center, about $22 million would be needed to construct a new building for the animals, as well as to provide room for research.
Clawson said the Med Center used animals in many types of research, including cancer and biochemistry. Many vaccines have been developed for humans after first being tested on animals.
DOCTORS ALSO PRACTICE new surgical procedures on animals before performing the same operations on humans, he said.
"The number of lives saved with this is great," Clawson said.
this is greatly. Clawson told the Regents that the use of animals in medical
research was a sensitive issue and that international efforts to stop it had been growing.
Eighty people at the center are now using animals for research involving $3.7 million, he said.
He told the Regents that federal inspectors checked the Med Center for animal-care problems on Jan. 15 and 16 and again on Feb. 5.
"WE NEVER HAVE been cited for having sick animals," he said.
Animals at the center, Clawson said, were happy and well cared for.
But Clawson did say the Med Center was not up to standard in its physical plant and operation for animal care. The building has rusty drains and animal cages, water pipes that leak and problems with air circulation.
"We're not denying it," he said.
"We know of many things we have to do, but they involve construction and very big dollars."
Because of the poor provisions, he said, the Med Center is an easy target for groups trying to stop the use of animals for research.
Clawson said the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care would not permit another barrier because of the noir conditions.
CLAWSON SAID OTHER area university research centers were
accredited. KU's lack of accreditation causes the Med Center to lose students and money.
Clawson said he didn't know how much it would cost to bring standards up so the center could be accredited. Price estimates have differed by about $1 million, he said.
Regent Norman Brandeberry said the problem should not be solved in piecemeal fashion.
Clawson said he could prepare figures by next month on how much it would cost to renovate the current facilities or to build new ones.
Sandra McMullen, chairman of the Regents Academic Affairs Committee, said the problem needed to be solved quickly. She also said she hoped financing for it could be considered by the Kansas Legislature during this session.
In other business, the committee said the full Board of Regents would vote next month on whether to establish four new degrees for the University.
Chancellor Gene A. Budig said no additional faculty or money would be needed to start bachelor of arts degrees in art, dance and design or a major in Italian.
The sixth Anniversary of the Victorious ISLAMIC REVOLUTION in IRAN will be celebrated
Saturday, February 16, 1985 7:00-10:00 P.M.
Jayhawk Room, K.U. Union
Our speaker - Muhammad Al-Asi will talk about
THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION AFTER SIX YEARS
There will also be questions and answers, a movie and refreshments. M.S.O.
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