Friday, April 17, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 5
Seminar to focus on Initiative 2001
Provost and faculty meeting to discuss GTA semester limits
By Gerry Doyle
gdoyle@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The provost, along with University of Kansas department heads and deans, will take the initiative today to discuss the future of education at the University.
A half-day workshop will begin at 1:30 this afternoon in the Kansas Union, said assistant provost Sandra Gautt. The seminar is a biannual effort that gives the department heads a chance to communicate with the provost.
In the past, two or three department
chairmen or chairwomen have gone to the American Council on Education meeting, then relayed the meeting's events to the other departments, she said. This year, the seminar will concentrate on University programs.
"It will focus on areas that department chairs had an interest in," Gautt said. "It's really for them. One of the real purposes is to give them a chance to talk with the other department chairs, and the other is to dialogue about other campus issues."
The main issue discussed will be the Initiative 2001 committee findings, she said.
A. C. Genova, chairman of the philosophy department, said he expected the administration would talk mostly about that issue.
However, the issue many department chairmen and chairwomen want to see discussed is the graduate
teaching assistant 10-semester limit, Genova said.
"Ianticipate that Shulenburger will talk most about the reports on Initiative 2001," he said. "We would like to address the issue of limitations on GTAS, particularly in the humanities departments. It's not a bad idea as such, but to balance the limits, we need to offer fellowships. Then it would be fine — they could go full time. Without it, we're leaving departments in an extremely bad position."
The Initiative 201 discussion will be balanced with talk of the GTA limitation situation, said Richard Hardin, chairman of the English department.
It takes graduate teaching assistants in humanities more than five years on average to receive their degrees, Hardin said. He said the policy might prevent programs from obtaining
much-needed and experienced GTAs.
"The length of time they are here is related to the length of time they're supporting themselves with freshman and sophomore classes," he said. "They'll have to leave the program earlier than in the past."
Horowitz said the policy kept individual departments from making their own decisions.
Mark Horowitz, Springfield, Mass., graduate student and Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition organizer, said hopefully, the policy could be changed.
"It speaks for the administration becoming more central — that doesn't bode well," he said. "The departments should make their own decisions. We are not saying that we want to keep GTAs at KU forever. But if the administration makes a rule, they can change it."
The Kaw River flows under the Sixth Street bridge. According to American Rivers, a Washington D.C. river conservation group, the Kaw ranks 20th among rivers most endangered by pollution. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
Kaw ranks high among dirtiest rivers
With recent widely publicized battles regarding dredging on the river and disputes with Nebraska for water rights, the Kaw hardly needed attention drawn to its pollution. But American Rivers, a Washington D.C. river-conservation group, published a report on April 6 ranking the 20 rivers most endangered by pollution. The Kaw was no. 20.
The Kansas river may be dying from pollution, but it's certainly not dying for attention.
Scott Faber, spokesman for American Rivers, said the Kaw was included because it wasn't up to current pollution standards, which he said were under attack from government and industry.
"According to the EPA, most of the Kansas River is not meeting it's designated use standards, because of the presence of toxic pollution," Faber said.
By Graham K. Johnson gjohnson@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Don Huggins, senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey who has studied the river's pollution levels, said there were problems, particularly with the levels of fecal coliform bacteria.
Huggins said there were two regulatory designated use standards for rivers: contact and noncontact. The depth of the river determines the designated use standard.
"The coliform bacteria count is used as an indicator of the potential presence of pathogenic organisms." Huggins said. "That count is well above secondary contact standards."
Rivers which are deep enough for people to be completely submerged in are contact rivers. Coliform counts are not to exceed 200 organism per 100 milliliters in contact rivers. Secondary contact rivers are shallow rivers to be used for canoeing and other surface recreation. Their standard is 2,000 organism per 100 milliliters.
Charles Benjamin, legislative coordinator for the Kansas Natural Resources Council, said most of the problems with fecal coliform bacteria stemmed from Topeka's Oakland Water Treatment Plant. The plant is 70 years old and has been operating without a permit since 1995, because it cannot meet current standards, Benjamin said.
Andrea Repinsky, Olathe junior and member of Friends of the Kaw, a local river conservation group, said people should not have to worry about health risks while using the river.
As a result, Benjamin said, municipal areas with outdated water treatment systems, such as Topeka and
"You shouldn't have to be afraid to touch the river," Repinsky said. "That shouldn't be acceptable in Kansas."
Huggins said the dangers to humans from exposure to bacteria range from dysentery to more serious illnesses.
Johnson County, were trying to avoid and weaken the standards.
"The city commissions don't want to have to go to the voters and say 'we have to raise taxes to meet these standards.'" Benjamin said.
The Kansas River in the Lawrence area is considered a contact river, acceptable for all uses. Huggins said with the bacteria levels as they are, it may not be safe for people to immerse themselves in the river, either accidentally or on purpose.
Municipal and agribusiness groups worked together to pass H.B. 2368, a bill reviewing water quality standards, in last year's Legislature, Benjamin said. He said the main benefit for the farmers was a weaker standard for the herbicide atrazine and a suspension of the ammonia standards, which benefits city treatment plants.
Don Brown, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the state had already reached agreements with cities to implement disinfection processes and even the Oakland plant should be refitted by the year 2000.
Brown said the legislation was aimed at balancing costs vs. effectiveness and Kansans shouldn't worry about weaker water standards.
"It's a slow process but we're headed in the right direction," Brown said.
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