University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, January 15. 1992
3B
JustinKnupp/KANSAN
Ervin Huslig, lock systems specialist for facilities operations, makes security keys ,
University faces woes with keys
By Jay Williams
Kansan staff writer
If you need a key for a room at the University of Kansas, you may have to wait.
Ervin Huslig, lock systems specialist at KU, said it would take three to four months to replace a campus computer and the tax policies for distributing the keys.
"The problem is there is no money to hire more people." he said.
The lockshop at the University employs three people. The three must make all the keys for campus buildings.
To compound the problem, Huslig said there were too many keys around campus.
"There is a lot of re-keying because the old system of handing out keys," the old teacher said.
Huslig said the system required each department at the University to order keys. The locksmith shop delivers the keysto the departments, which give them to individuals in the
department.
The University does not have a campus-wide policy regarding key distribution and return. Each department sets its own guidelines on who receives keys and what happens if a key is lost. Keys can be lost when students leave the University without returning keys.
Most departments require a nominal deposit for each key.
Pam Miller, division secretary in the department of biology, said her department gave keys to faculty, staff and graduate students.
"The students fill out a request and get the division chairman's signature," she said.
Each biology graduate student must pay a $5 deposit for each key received. If the key is lost, the student forfeits the deposit. Faculty and other staff members pay a $5 penalty for each key lost.
Jack Rose, business manager for the department of chemistry, said his department required a $10 deposit for each key a graduate stud
dent received. Graduate students only receive keys for areas they need access to.
"A graduate student gets the key to his or her research lab and the undergraduate lab they teach at," if they teach," he said.
The chemistry department registers every key by serial number and keeps a record of who has what key, Rose said.
He said the department had not established guidelines regarding lost keys.
"The first thing we do is to make every effort to locate the key," he said. "Aside from that, we have no firm policy."
Charles Masinton, associate chairperson of the department of English, said he did not believe the department had a written policy concerning keys, but the department's distribution and monitoring of keys was strict.
Masinston said the department required both students and faculty to return keys when they left the University.
"There have been no complaints of burglary or property destruction that I know of," he said.
Huslig said lost keys presented no real danger for burglary.
"Personally, I would say only a tenth of the burglaries are done by people with lost keys," he said. "It is almost impossible to tell where they should go. Most burglaries are with people who know that they have the right key and know what is in the office."
Huslig said that the University was in the process of installing a new key system that would make copying keys more difficult.
Medeco, the company creating the new key system, only gives the key blanks, from which copies are made, to reputable locksmith shops, he said.
Complete changeover will not be for many years because of budget problems and a heavy workload, Huslig said.
Campus crime falls while state rate increases
KBI reports 7 percent decrease for KU
By Michelle Betts
Kansan staff writer
Crime at the University of Kansas decreased 7 percent in the first nine months of 1991, but the crime rate in the state of Kansas increased 5.6 percent during that period, according to a crime statistics report released by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Lt. John Mullens, KU police representative, said individual awareness of how to prevent crimes and efforts by KU police to curb campus crime helped lower the University's crime rate.
"It's really a community effort," Mullens said.
He said people had been keeping a better eye on their personal property. The police department also has been teaching students ways to protect themselves, such as keeping doors locked and bicycles secure.
Mullens said a reduction in the number of auto burglaries on campus occurred because of police stakeouts in residence hall parking lots where cars were left overnight.
The crime statistics report is based on Part I crimes which include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft.
MaryEllen Henderson, coordinator for KU on Wheels, said fewer KU on Wheels bus passes were stolen last semester.
Twenty-five passes, which are attached to KU identification cards, were reported stolen last semester, shesaid.
Henderson said more than 200 passes on KUIDs were reported stolen during the 1990-91 school year.
Mullens said an increase in the prices of the passes may have helped decrease the amount of false reports of stolen bus passes.
Last year, the price of replacing a bus pass was $7.50. The price was increased last semester to $35 if replaced during the first half of the semester and $22.50 if replaced during the second half of the semester. Passes originally cost $45 for students and $55 for non-students.
The University saw the largest crime decrease of the three Board of Regents universities that reported lower crimerates. Emporia State University reported a 3.8 percent decrease, and Fort Hays State University reported a 4.6 percent decrease. Wichita State University's crime rate increased 0.3 percent, and Kansas State University's rate increased 13.5 percent. The University of Kansas Medical Center's crime rate increased 12.4 percent.
Awareness of how to prevent crimes and efforts by KU police to curb crime helped lower the University's crime rate.
Despite the decrease in crime at the University, the crime rate in Lawrence increased 6.9 percent during the first nine months of 1991.
Lt. Mark Brothers, Lawrence police representative, said he attributed the crime increase in the city to the addition of 26 officers to the Lawrence police force. He said the additional officers gave police more time to document crimes that victims may not have reported in the past.
Brothers said that more thorough reporting of incidents may give the illusion of an increase in crime.
The city's location could also be a factor in the increase in crime.
*Lawrence is a target zone between the metropolitan areas of Topeka and Rimrock.*
James Malson, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said many factors contributed to the statewide crime increase, such as the economy, early releases from state penitentiaries, reduction in penalty time during sentencing and increased gang activity.
Malson did not think crime would decrease in Kansas in the future.
"All of these factors play a part, but not necessarily an equal part," he said.
"Crime is rapidly increasing," he said. "Gangs are going to be a problem."
Rock Chalk Revue students donate 2,000 service hours
Kansanstaff writer
By Katherine Manweiler
Instead of practicing their lines or dance steps, many KU students involved in Rock Chalk Revue are spending their time moving furniture and reading to children.
This is the second year that Rock Chalk Revue, a student-run variety show at the University of Kansas that raises money for the United Way of Douglas County, has incorporated a community service program into its donation.
Lisa Kristigen, community service co-coordinator for Rock Chalk, said more than 2,000 volunteer hours had been completed since this year's program began Oct.1.
Thirty-one living groups, including fraternities, sororities, scholarship halls and residence halls, are participating in the program. Each hall has community service representatives who plan projects for their organization. Krigsten said she estimated that 50 percent of each group was involved in the volunteer effort.
The community service program encourages diversities in rock Chalp, Krigsten said.
"A lot of people can't sing, and they can't do anything they do have an hour to do something for the hour."
He said that this year students could volunteer at agencies that were not connected to the United Way and still receive credit toward the Most Charitable Award.
Tyler Garrretson, co-coordinator for Rock Chalk, said Rock Chalk participants donated more than 800 volunteer hours to United Way agencies last year.
The Most Charitable Award will be presented to the group that has done the most community service and sold the most tickets to the show.
"We are trying to develop a broad-based program that helps the whole Lawrence community."
Living groups also can compete for other community service awards. Groups who donate 400,600 or 800 hours of service will receive bronze,silver and gold awards respectively.
Gloria Cheng, a community service representative for the scholarship halls, said scholarship hall residents had contributed more than 200 hours to volunteer projects such as a reading program for children at Hilltop Child Development Center. The Rock Chalk community service program encourages scholarship
hall residents to volunteer more time, Cheng said.
"Working with a campus-wide organization with so many people working together, the net result can be very motivating toward reaching out to the community more," she said.
Lanaea Heine, coordinator of the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, said that the Rock Chalk community service program was an incredible resource for Douglas County volunteer agencies.
"Because agencies, quite often, work on a small budget, volunteers can help them do things that they would have had to pay for otherwise," she said. "The students involved probably don't even realize the tremendous impact of what they're doing."
Sheri Cannon. executive director of the Ballard Community Center, estimated that Rock Chalk volunteers had donated 200 hours to projects such as moving furniture, painting the building and helping with child care at the center, a United Way agency.
"Having Rock Chalk volunteers help us to maintain our facilities and allows us to use our financial resources to help people in need do things like paint the building." Cannon said.
Rock Chalk Revue gave $32,000 to United Way of Douglas County last year. Todd Miller, executive director of Rock Chalk, said that the charity was at least significant as the money.
"How do you compare $32,000 to thousands of hours of community service?" he said. "It's equally as important as the financial donation."
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