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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PD BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 6601-3585
Kansan
Wednesday
June 17,1998
Section:
A
Vol. 108 • No. 153
Warm tomorrow with partly sunny skies.
Check out this hot site of the day. It contains community news and organization information for residents of Lawrence.
Online today
HillTopics today
http://www.larryville.com
Hilltop Center is dealing with a growing list of parents who want their children in the program and a limited number of available spaces.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Brownback holds hearing on lyrics, labels
By Michael Martin
Kansan staff writer
A congressional hearing led yesterday by Sen. Sam Brownback sounds like censorship to the music-industry campaign, Rock the Vote.
But the senator's office — citing his voting record — disagrees.
Brownback, a KU alumnus, led the hearing on Capitol Hill titled "Labels and Lyrics: Do Parental Advisory Labels Inform Consumers and Parents?" About 12 witnesses, ranging from a music-industry representative to the chairwoman of the Parents' Music Resource Center, were scheduled to testify on the effect of explicit lyrics and parental-advisory CD labels.
"The position of Rock the Vote is that this is a censorship issue," said Travis Falstead, program coordinator for the nonpartisan industry campaign to increase voter awareness. "It could lead to concert ratings and make it illegal to sell parental-advisory-stickered CDs to minors."
Falstead visited Lawrence last week to inform local radio stations about the hearing. He said Congress increasingly discusses music-related issues with little publicity and without public feedback.
"It's ridiculous," Falstad said. "You don't hear about it unless you watch C-SPAN."
Cherie Harder, domestic policy director for Brownback, said that Brownback was opposed to music censorship and had no such legislation pending or proposed. Brownback has stated no position on parental-advisory labeling and yesterday's hearing was informational, she said.
"Sen. Brownback stands for protecting free speech," Harder said. "But freedom of expression is not immunity from criticism. People lose that distinction."
In a speech before the City Club of Cleveland on March 23, Brownback blasted gangraps and artists such as Marilyn Manson, which he labeled "shock rock," claiming that songs such as Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" and Nine Inch Nalls "Big Man With A Gun," glorified violence and glamorized rape.
"When MTV named Marilyn Manson 'best new artist of the year' last year, they held Manson up as an example to be aspired to and emulated." Brownback said. "The fact that certain forms of speech should be allowed does not mean they should be honored, or given respectability. The proper response to offensive speech is criticism — not censorship, and not anyta."
In the past two congressional sessions, Brownback has voted against the TV ratings system and the Communications Decency Act, a proposal to regulate the Internet.
On November 7, 1997, Brownback held a hearing on music lyrics and youth behavior which drew criticism for bias. The Recording Industry Association of America reported in a press release that Hilary Rosen, its president and CEO, was the only music-industry representative allowed to face five opposing panelists.
Harder said the RIAA's assertion was untrue. More than one music-industry representative was invited in November, she said.
Industry figures such as Rosen, Marilyn Manson, Madonna and the editor of Billboard magazine were invited to yesterday's hearing. All declined to testify.
Scheduled witnesses included the dean of the Annenberg School of Communications, an entertainment magazine editor and the
president of the National Association of Recording Merchants.
Falstead, who stressed that his personal opinions did not reflect those of Rock the Vote, questioned Brownback's justification for the hearing.
"I don't want my tax money to be used for flying people all over the country for educational purposes," he said. "They're either having the hearing to waste time or to apply to legislation in the future."
Falstead said that nearly a dozen bills involving music-industry regulation were pending in Congress.
Roger "the Dodger" Formanek, a DJ for 105.9 The Lazer, the station had begun airing public service announcements that focused on awareness, not partisanship.
Sen. Sam Brownback's e-mail address is sam_brownback@brownback.senate.gov.
His web site, which includes legislative information, is located at www.senate.gov/~brownback. Rock the Vote's web site is located at www.rockthevote.org.
It's all downhill from here
Children with the KU Sports Skills Fitness School walk down the hill behind Wescoe as part of their exercise routine. The camp runs throughout June and July. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
CORRECTION
Because of a reporter's error, The University Daily Kansan misidentified Nicole Skalla, Salina sophomore, as chairwoman of the campus fee review subcommittee. Skalla is the transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels.
In the same story a quote also was wrongly attributed to Aaron Quisenberry, transportation board adviser. Skalla said that the majority of users of Saferide were from local bars during weekends. She said that during the week Saferide mostly served students going home from campus.
University attracts minorities with visits
By Duano Waglor
Kansan staff writer
Statistics at the Office of Admissions based on 1998 summer orientation figures show that Native-American freshman admissions increased from 56 to 80, Asian-American freshmen from 265 to 316 and African-American freshmen from 285 to 350. Hispanic-American admissions dropped from 214 to 213.
Kathleen McCluskey -Fawcett,
associate provost, said that the
overall increase was not an accident.
Admissions for minority freshman at the University of Kansas are projected to increase 17 percent this fall from fall of 1997.
"We've done a lot of special efforts to make that happen," she said.
"Getting students on campus sometime during their junior or senior year during high school makes a huge difference." McCluskey-Fawcett said.
Most of those efforts center on campus visits.
Adding a pioneer overnight program to KU Multicultural Senior Days last year was a success, said Robert N. Page Jr., coordinator of multicultural recruitment for the Office of Admissions. Of the 25 students who participated in last
"These students are not minority students in many of their own neighborhoods and many of their own high schools and communities."he said.
Patty Iga, Plano, Texas, junior, said that the Multicultural Days she attended helped her get acquainted with resources such as the Office of Minority Affairs.
Another event held during fall and spring semesters is Multicultural Junior Days, a two-day program for high school juniors that began last year. Page estimated that between 500 and 600 students participated in multicultural campus visits last year.
Alan Cerveny, director of admissions, said he thought that minority students benefited from the campus visits by experiencing first-hand the differences between the University and home.
"The reason that I liked it was that it was geared toward minorities," she said.
year's overnight program, more than half chose to come to the University, he said.
Cerveny expressed optimism that the trend of increased minority admissions would continue. He said that the May symposium on the recruitment and retention of minority students was another step in the
New freshmen
The percentage of incoming minority freshmen is expected to increase overall by 17 percent in 1998 compared to last fall.
M. D. Bradshaw/KANSAN
right direction. The symposium drew 75 to 80 professionals from across the Midwest to the University.
"I think that we have laid a real strong foundation for continuing success down the road," he said.
Assistant vice chancellor named
Ballard's promotion is 'a logical transition'
By Duane Wagler
Kansan staff writer
Barbara Ballard will become assistant vice chancellor for student affairs on July 1.
"I'm looking forward to my new responsibilities," she said. "I love challenges."
The move was a logical transition from Ballard's 18-year career as director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center and more recently as associate dean of student life, said David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Ambler said Ballard's new position was a promotion and so a formal search was not done. Ballard's appointment was announced on June 11.
"This position needs someone who is already familiar with KU and its academic programs," he said. "Barbara came to the top very quickly as an ideal person for this kind of responsibility."
Ballard: appointed as assistant vice chancellor.
Ambler said that Ballard would be involved next year in placing branches of the math and writing
One of Ballard's primary responsibilities will be to continue the University's student-retention efforts.
"With the opening of Templein this past year as our first renovated residence hall, we made a commitment to provide additional academic services and programs right in the residence halls." Ambler said.
Ballard also will coordinate a campus task force to combat alcohol abuse. The purpose of the task force is to unite programs on campus addressing alcohol problems—whether at Watkins
clinics in Templin Hall. She also will help install a reading and study skills program in the hall's Student Development Center.
In addition to her position at the University, Ballard serves in the Legislature as representative of the 44th district. She will take an unpaid leave of absence during the legislative session from January through mid-April.
Ballard also will be involved in improving the University's leadership development programs. Ambler said that she would assist with fund raising issues.
Memorial Health Center or at the residence halls.
Encouraging organizations to help solve the problem of alcohol abuse would increase student awareness. Ballard said.
Ballard has earned many awards and honors from the University. These include the Distinguished Service Award from the Committee on Multicultural Affairs and the Citation for Leadership and Achievement in Student Services. She was inducted into KU's Women Hall of Fame.
Ballard earned a bachelor's degree from Webster College in St. Louis, and a master's degree and doctorate in counseling from Kansas State University.