University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, March 25, 1992
CAMPUS / AREA
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Job market still gloomy for graduating seniors
By Janet Rorholm Kansan staff writer
Jodi Claycomb, who received her teaching certificate in May 1991, is frustrated. She has not found a full-time teaching job yet, and she is ready to quit looking.
"I don't feel it is what you know at all, but who you know." Clavcmb said.
Claycom is substitute teaching for three school districts in the Kansas City area; Shawnee Mission, BlueValley, and Omaha. All three worked three days a week subbing.
"From what I understand, anyone taking on that many school districts in the past couldn't handle it," Claycomb said. "But I have to work all three districts to keep myself eating."
She has been forced to add another part-time job to pay rent.
Claycomb is just one of many recent graduates from KU professional schools who have had a hard time finding a job.
Businesses have felt the effects of the recession, and the result has been a decrease in job opportunities for professional school graduates, according to job placement offices and the KU administration.
"The job situation has been tight for a while — it just hasn't received the publicity like it has recently," said Julie Cunningham, director of career services in the School of Engineering.
The oil, computer, aerospace and automotive industries have felt the recession, which affects engineering
students, Cunningham said.
"When all four of those cut back at one time, it just kills us," she said.
Because the school has seen a decrease in companies coming for interviews, students need to take more initiative to find a job, she said.
Still, Cunningham said engineering students had not been as affected by the recession as other students because there was a constant need for engineers.
Jeff Aley, December 1991 computer engineering graduate, considers himself lucky. He had a job offer before Thanksgiving at Intel, in Folsom, Calif., one of the largest computer chip makers in the world. The company hires about 500 recent college graduates a year, said Nick Rica, a company
When Intel hired Aley, the company said it was because of his previous experience in his field, Aley said. He had worked four summers in the industry in computer design and computer programming.
recruiter.
"I spent four and a half years training for this job," he said.
Greg Bryant, who also graduated in December 1991 and got a job at Intel.
He said part of the key to finding a job was to start early and to look in as many places as possible.
"People tend to get a little too fainty when they are looking for a job," he said. "It is always good to have onions."
This means schools are not doing a lot of hiring, Hartley said.
In Kansas, students majoring in education should be prepared for a tough job market, said Ann Hartley, assistant director of the University Placement Center.
"It's a funny year," Hartley said. "People don't know what the Legislature is going to do with the money, so the schools have to wait."
Those that are hiring can look around for the best possible person to fill a position because they could receive as many as 2,000 applicants for 200 openings, she said.
Hartley did say that students majoring in math and science areas and special education were in demand right now.
She said the best advice she could give was to be more open to moving from eastern Kansas and the Kansas City area after graduation.
Clare Cain, who graduated from Kansas in May of 1987 with a degree in public relations, is now looking for a new job.
When she called a business to see if they received her resume, she found out that more than 300 people had applied for that one position.
"It is much more difficult now," she said. "You need to differentiate yourself from everyone else."
Justin Knupp/KANSAN
Lobbying for legislation
despite a cold rain, Mark Creamer, with HEMP sign, and Sean Thomson, far right, stand outside City Hall and greet people as they enter the building for the commission meeting. Creamer and Thomson, who want to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, stand outside City Hall each Tuesday night, greeting city officials to express their message.
Write-in elections possible
By Jay Williams Kansan staff writer
The two coalitions in this year's Student Senate elections could not field candidates for School of Pharmacy Senate seats.
But the campaign managers from the Unless and Vision coalitions said they would support write-in candidates to fill the school's two seats if they supported the coalition's election issues.
Kathryn Price, Vision campaign manager, said the lack of pharmacy candidates on the coalition occurred because of a mixup in communication.
"In a lot of the smaller schools, we contacted people before spring break began," Price said. "Then we returned from break, and phoned some of the people we had talked to, and they did not return until the deadline passed."
Several pharmacy students did not return from spring break until the Thursday after classes began, a day after the deadline for Senate candidates to file. About 30 students, including the ones the Vision coalition had contacted, were at an American Pharmaceutical Association Convention in San Diego.
Price said that the write-in candidates' names would be on campaign fliers and other advertisements but that the coalition would not finance the candidates.
Milton Wendland, Unless campaign manager, said Unless also would try to fill the vacancies by supporting write-in candidates who have the same goals as the coalition.
"It is important not just to pull people from the school we didn't know." Wendland said. "We wanted to keep the people we were running with. We didn't know people in the pharmacy school."
Wendland said Unless would try to fill the vacancies soon, but did not have people confirmed to run.
Pharmacy students said that academic demands limited their involvement in activities such as Senate.
Michelle Golubski, Overland Park senior, said, "I'd be more involved if I didn't have to study so much."
Golubski said most students were involved in activities related to pharmacy that would look good on their resumes.
"We are in our own building." Zellers said. "I don't feel as involved with the rest of the campus."
Joan Zellers, Kansas City, Kan., senior, said having all of the pharmacy classes in Malott Hall prohibited involvement.
Zellers said she commuted from Kansas City and was in Malott from 3:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day for class.
Jean Spall, pharmacy senator, said that the key to being involved was planning ahead.
"You can never plan how long a Senate meeting will last," she said. "But if you have something due Thursday, you cannot wait until Wednesday night."
Spall said representation in a small school like pharmacy, with about 299 students, was important.
"People know us, and we can represent the class more than a liberal arts and sciences senator," she said.
International panel discusses women's movement
The deadline for write-in candidates to file with the Elections Commission is April 6. The candidate's name will not appear on the ballot. Students wanting to vote for a write-in must write the candidate's name on the ballot.
Kansan staff writer
By Gayle Osterberg
In 1968, a female member of the Socialist German Association of Students in Frankfurt, Germany, threw a tomato in the face of a male association member because he would not let a female student talk.
In 1992, female students from around the world are continuing to advocate that women should have the opportunity to speak and to lead.
Meera Srinivasan, Bombay, India, graduate student, far right, talks about women's movements in a variety of countries during a panel discussion.
"Patriarchy is a global issue," said Meera Srinivasan, a graduate student from Bombay, India. "Open the newspapers and you read about the men making deals and the men making war. You don't read about the women making peace. You hear about heroes, not about heroines."
Srinivasan was one of four panelists who spoke last night at the Pine Room in the Kansas Union in a discussion about the internationalization of the women's movement.
The discussion, attended by about 30 people, was sponsored by the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center and the Office of International Student Services in honor of International Women's Day on March 8.
Srinivasan said that women around the world should recognize that they are all part of the same struggle.
Panelists discussed women's movements in Germany, China and Latin America.
"Women's involvement in the larger global system is just beginning."
Meera Srinivasan Bombay, India; graduate student
"Women's involvement in the larger global system is just beginning," she said.
"There are strategies we can learn from each other. Each of us has strengths."
Srinivasan said the concerns of women in other countries should be familiar to women in the United States.
Pia Thiahlmann, a graduate student from Oldenburg, Germany, told the audience about an incident in Germany that occurred just before a change in a law made abortion less restricted.
The commentator of the program decided to go on strike because he opposed running the story. The station broadcast 45 minutes of an empty desk and chair.
A television program similar to "60 Minutes" had scheduled a story about a new form of abortion that was less painful, Thielmann said.
"They were sort of saying that abortion should be painful," Thielmann said.
Other issues prevalent in the international movements were equal educational opportunity and women's suffrage.
"Often some women view movements like feminism as yet another way of separating women from a full participation in the historic process," Reckley said.
Alice Reckley, an assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, discussed the role of women in Latin America.
She said women in Latin America were involved in relieving social problems and participating in political movements.
Monte Byrn, a Lawrence resident, attended the discussion.
"One of the most exciting things was to hear comments that heroine's stories are withheld and how we don't listen to women in the world," Byrn said. "What is needed now is change. The emphasis on peace and bringing people together, things that women have always done, are what is needed."
Kansan staff report
Ten students chosen for minority mentor program
Ten students have been chosen to participate in the Dean's Scholars Program, a program that links undergraduate minority students with professors in an effort to boost minority enrollment in graduate school.
The students, their families and professors involved in the program were given a reception last night at the house of James Muyskens, dean of liberal arts and sciences.
"This program makes it possible for students to have close working relationships with faculty." "Muyksens said. 'It will help increase the pool of able students who want to go on to graduate school.'"
Teresa McGibbray, Wichita sophomore, said that she was looking forward to working with her mentor professor.
"It is an honor to be chosen," McGilbray said. "I think the program will be very beneficial."
Elaine Sharp, professor of political science and one of live program mentors, said that the program would prov. te direct student-professor contact.
"I th' nk the chance to work closely with these students is excellent." Sharp said. "It's the chance to help them."
Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, associate dean of liberal arts and sciences, said that later in the semester, other interested minority students would be given the chance to apply for the program. After this semester, students can apply to the program every semester.
The program will include about 50 students and in the future will offer scholarship money for participants, McCluskey-Fawcett said.