THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.101.NO.110
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING:864-4358
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1992
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS:864-4810
Haskell students query possible move to JRP
By Svala Jonsdottir Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Haskell Indian Junior College students have mixed feelings about their possible move to a KU residence hall next fall.
John Yazzie, Page, Ariz., sophomore, said he did not think housing Haskell students at the University of Kansas was a good idea.
Yazzie also was concerned with how the students would be transported between the two campuses.
"The problem with having buses is that students have different class schedules and I do not see how that could work," he said. "A lot of students here do not have cars, because they come from backgrounds where their parents do not have any income at all."
Priscila Youngbird, Whiteshield,
N.D. freshman, said she was worried
about being overwhelmed on a larger
campus.
"I come from a town where we have 300 people, and everybody knows everybody else, just like here at the airport," he said. "Going up there, I would feel lost."
But the fact that Haskell intends to lease Joseph R. Pearson Hall, instead of assigning its students to several residence halls, will make the move easier.
Youngbird said.
"If we are all in one hall, instead of being scattered all over the place, I will feel more comfortable," she said.
Other Haskell students see the move as a positive change.
Brian Goodteacher, Aurora, Colo,
sophomore, said he would love to live
in Texas.
"It would be convenient for me,
because I have friends at KU and hang
out here."
He said he wanted to transfer to the University to continue his education.
"I am going to apply for a grant through my tribe," he said. "They have always turned me down because my parents never lived on the reservation, but maybe now that I am a sophomore they will change their minds."
Rhonda Shell, Tulsa, Okla, sophomore, said she would not mind living in
"They have not told us anything about who is going, but they said they were going to close the hall." Shell said. "I am not worried about going there."
She said she did not fear that she would be unwelcome on the KU cam.
Winona and Oseeloa-Koekkul Halls
The Haskell camp will be closed
from 10am to 4pm.
Air conditioning units and a new fire alarm system will be installed and new windows put in at Winona Hall, said Barbara Cunningham, director of Haskell women's residential hall program.
"All unlitulated space will be converted into sleeping quarters, and a part of the living room will become a computer center," Computer said. "The entrance also will be made handicapped accessible."
Haskell currently does not have enough space to house all the students who want to live on campus, she said. Of the 777 students who attend the junior college, about 600 live on campus.
"We had to turn students away in the fall because we did not have housing," Cunningham said. "The students that do not get on-campus housing are not financially able to live off-campus."
Jim Tucker, director of Haskell men's residential housing program, asked Osceola and Keokuk Halls, which were recently reopened interior and exterior renovations.
"Right now, there are some things that may not be quite up to standard." Tucker said. "We went through a safety and health inspection a while ago, and some code deficiencies were pointed out."
A new fire alarm system, air conditioning, fire-proof doors and windows will be installed, he said, and some rooms will be made accessible for the disabled.
Marvin Buzzard, acting president of Haskell, said that he understood the concerns of students about moving to JRP but that there was not much
JRP lease to Haskell remains unpopular among residents
Kansan staff report
Joseph R. Pearson Hall residents continue to fight to keep their hall open to KU students.
Ken Martin, Eden Prairie, Minn., freshman, said that by last night, about 400 students had signed a petition to hall the opening in its current form.
Martin said the petition was not aimed against Haskell students.
"We would like to see this resolved in such a way that they could be housed here, but KU students also," he said. "We would like to see the tradition of JRP preserved."
Brad Stulhsatz, Derby senior, said the residents were upset that the University had not consulted the students before deciding to lease JRP to Haskell.
and the Association of University Residence Halls pass resolutions endorsing the petition, which they will present to the student housing department later this month.
Martin said the students were going to try to have Student Senate
"Everyone I know is very disappointed and angry at the situation," said Stuhstahl, who works as a desk assistant and security monitor in JIRK.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, said that he knew students would be disappointed about being unable to continue living in the hall but that an objective decision had to be taken.
"We are sensitive to student needs, but this was not the type of decision that could be put up for popular referendum," Ambler said. "We have a history of involvement with students and to be an administrative decision.
Ken Stoner, director of student housing, said it was not certain whether the building would become a KU residence hall again after the lease contract with Haskell had expired. It might be converted into an office building, he said.
"That is always a possibility." Stoner said "The (office) space is quite cramped here at the University. But that is a bridge we will cross next year."
choice.
"We want to renovate those buildings, and at the same time we want to continue housing our students," Buzzard said.
One of the reasons Haskell wanted to
lease an entire hall was to make its students feel more comfortable on a new campus. Buzzard said.
"I would think that with the diversity at KU and the many minority students on campus, racism should not be a
problem," he said. "After staying there and getting to know the campus, maybe more Haskell students will choose to go to them, which would be beneficial for them and hopefully the University as well."
Christine McFarland/KANSAN
Welfare recipients at record numbers
Governor Joan Finney speaks to KU students in her office about concerns they have regarding losing professors, getting needed classes and the rebuilding of Hoch Auditorium. Yesterday's unannounced visit with Finney and other Kansas legislators allowed students 30 minutes of discussion with Finney in her office. Students left for the trip from Memorial Stadium, which was prompted by ads and flyers.
Time-out to talk
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A record 13.4 million people are receiving money from the government's welfare program to help families pay for food, clothing and shelter. That is almost 2 million more than when the recession began in mid-1990.
Government figures obtained by the Associated Press show participation in the program has increased steadily, from 11.6 million in July 1990 to 13.4 million in December 1991, the most recent month available.
The rising tide of poverty and the accompanying public costs are focusing government attention on what do to about Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Republicans and Democrats agree that it does not help people become self-sufficient.
In California, for example, the AFDC rolls are growing by about 12 percent a year. That is more than the state unemployment rate of 8.1 percent in February and four times its rate of population growth.
Gov. Pete Wilson, a Republican, is proposing that the state cut welfare payments by 10 percent. He also wants to nudge people off the rolls, cutting benefits by 15 percent after 6 months and allowing women to work. Women having babies while receiving AFDC would not get a boost in their benefits.
"We're trying to encourage abled- bodied individuals to help support
their family," said Kassy Perry, a representative for the California Health and Welfare Agency.
If Wilson's plan had been adopted by the beginning of this month, the state would have saved $89 million by June 30, Perry said in a telephone interview from Sacramento.
Nationally, the cost to the federal government has risen as the recession has worn on: $13.5 billion in 1991, $15.1 billion estimated for 1992 and $15.5 billion estimated for 1993.
"We're hopeful that the trend of consecutive increases will end soon," said David Boomer, a representative for the administration for Children and Families, the federal agency that oversees the program.
That depends on the state of the economy.
In Maryland and Arizona, studies by the American Public Welfare Association found that a majority of the new applicants for aid had held jobs, many within recent months. The association represents state welfare agencies, which provide about half of its money.
Twenty-five states responding to a questionnaire by the association said the sour economy was the main reason for the increased caseload.
JV basketball team thrives under Turgeon
Boomer acknowledged that the recession was having a significant effect on the number of people seeking welfare, especially in the Northeast, but he said there were other contributing factors.
By Chris Jenson Kansan sportswriter
It is greater being absorbed in something greater than yourself.
That was the motto of the Kansas junior varsity basketball team throughout the season as it posted its best record in the nine-year history of the program.
The team closed the season at 22-1.
"It has been a process of getting the right kids in the program," he said. "We wanted kids that wanted to put in the time and that wanted to win."
"Our closeness was what kept us together," said junior varsity coach Mark Turgeon. "We talked about just being one — a whole."
The success the team has achieved this year has been nine years in the making. Turgeon has led the program for the past four years during its period of success.
This season's schedule matched the junior varsity Jayhawks against some of the top junior and community college teams in the state and region. Many anticipated the Jayhawks to be an easy opponent. They were wrong.
But building a winning tradition was not easv.
In Turgeon's first season as coach the team went 6-13. He improved that to 11-9 a
year later before finishing 14-6 last year
"It took some time changing the attitude," Turgeon said. "This year the team felt they were going to win every game."
Turgeon was on the Kansas varsity team from 1984 to 1987.
"A lot of our success centers around coach Turgeon," he said. "You play for the enjoyment, but if you're not going to work hard, you're not going to play."
Jason Robertson, Topeka senior, who has played on the junior varsity for two seasons, said Turgeon was the reason for the team's cohesiveness.
The players do not receive scholarships. They have no post-season tournament to work for and they receive little attention. The players need to play and practice within themselves.
"It is a friendly competition in practice," Robertson said. "But once we started winning, it was easy to keep playing and practicing."
Robertson said additional motivation came from playing against strong junior college teams that featured future Division I players.
"You always hear about a guy you're playing against being recruited by Oklahoma or Oklahoma State," he said. "Some of those guys we'll see on television next year. And, to be able to say that we beat them, that is nice."
"Their effort was always there, and they always did what I asked of them."
Mark Turgeon JV basketball coach
Both Robertson and Zeck said it was nice to get the support from the varsity and to hang out with the players after practices, but he said that was not the reason they played. They said they played for the love of the game.
"The varsity came to quite a few games," Zack said. "I think a lot of them were surprised."
"If it wasn't for the junior varsity program I probably would have been at Robinson every night playing," Robertson said.
Zeck said that although being tied to the identity of the varsity team was nice, the team was not a nice team.
"We want to have a separate identity from the varsity," Zeck said. "We are the Kansas JV team, not just varsity wannabe's."
Anew NCAA rule that will go into effect in August will reduce the Kansas coaching staff by one. The possibility exists that Turgeon could be the one to go. But even if were the case, Turgeon said the junior varsity program would exist as long as Coach Roy Williams was at Kansas.
Williams was North Carolina's junior varsity and varsity assistant coach while he was there.
But Robertson and Zeek said the program would not be the same without Turgon.
But no matter what the future holds for the junior varsity team, it would be tough to match the success of this season.
"I don't see any of the other coaches wanting to put in the time that Targeen put into the program," Robertson said. "I don't see them wanting to put in a full day with the varsity and then conducting their own junior varsity practice that night."
" Their effort was always there, and they always did what I asked of them. Working with them this season has been a pleasure," Turgeon said.
Sophomore forward Blake Wiechbrodt goes up for two points against Wentworth Military Academy.