Tuesday, March 3, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 7
Schools answer content request
Regents questioned homosexual content of university courses
By Brandon Coplep bcplepp@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas and one other Board of Regents school reported courses related to homosexuality or bisexuality in response to an anonymous research request from the Kansas Legislature, according to a Regents' report.
The report, forwarded Friday to the Legislature by Regents staff, names two University of Kansas courses with content directly related to homosexuality or bisexuality. Wichita State University reported five courses.
Barb Conant, Regents press secretary, said that as far as the Regents were concerned, the universities
had complied with the request.
"Judging from the responses and the fact that they had to turn this around pretty fast, I'd say they looked as closely as they could," she said.
The Regents office forwarded the request to the universities from the Legislative Research Department in the Kansas Capitol. Legislative research refused to identify the legislator who made the request, citing exemptions for legislative research in the Kansas Open Records Act.
Fort Hays State University refused to provide any course names.
"We didn't feel this was an appropriate request to be making of an institution of higher education," said Rodolfo Arevalo, Fort Hays State Provost. "A lot of the content in any number of our courses may be controversial to somebody, but it also may be important to the students for whom we provide these courses."
Arevao said that no law obligated the universities to respond, although state agencies generally were compelled to respond to the
inquiries of legislators, who control the state's checkbook
Last week, KU Provost David Shulenburger said he thought the University, as a public institution, was obligated to comply. Shulenburger got the two course names by performing a key-word search of course titles and course descriptions in course catalogs and schedules.
Kansas State University also ran a key-word search of course titles and descriptions, but it found no courses directly pertaining to sexual orientation.
Sue Peterson, K-State assistant to the president, said the K-State faced a similar situation last summer regarding its policy prohibiting discrimination for sexual preference. She said the legislature had taken issue with
the policy because it went beyond the requirements of federal law.
"We told her we made a conscious decision not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and we're not going to change that." Peterson said. "And that was the end of it."
The University of Kansas has a similar policy, but no other Regents school includes gays in its anti-discrimination policies.
Emporia State University reported no courses totally devoted to this topic.
Pittsburgh State University said it offered no courses with titles that suggest the topic of homosexuality or bisexuality.
In the event of a legislative attack on course content, Conant said the Regents would come to the universities' defense.
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"Part of the Regents' mission is to advocate for the universities and for the faculty and staff that work there," she said. "If we believed this information was going to be misused, we would definitely argue for academic freedom."
Sexuality issues topic at Med Center
Lisa Stevens John
john@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
No courses deal specifically with homosexuality or bisexual issues at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said Dorothy Knoll, dean of student services.
"I would be greatly surprised if there were any specific classes devoted totally to that." Knoll said. "On the other hand, as we deal with all of the social groups in our society, I would also be surprised if at some point that topic was not a topic of discussion in the clinical practice."
Knoll said that issues of homosexuality and bisexuality might be discussed in the psychiatry department.
"This is an introductory-level session on sexual development." he
"I would think it wouldn't take a quantum leap to realize that in that field, in psychiatry, that there are many issues that they would have to deal with," Knoll said.
said. "It takes approximately two hours out of a semester-long course."
Calkins said medical students were taught to ask patients about their sexuality when taking patient histories.
"We ask patients if they are sexually active, if they have a single partner or if there are multiple partners and if their partners are male or female," Calkins said. "It is important to know of any health risks that might be associated with sexual activity."
Another area where homosexual and bisexual issues are discussed is in direct encounters with
"The emphasis is not placed on sexuality but on the disease."
David Calkins
Acting Associate Dean of Medical Education
patients, Calkins said.
"This includes when students learn about HIV/AIDS, which disproportionately affects gays and lesbians," he said. "However, the emphasis is not placed on sexuality but on the disease," Calkins said.
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The legislative request for information on the number and description of university courses with homosexual or bisexual content has elicited a reaction from homosexual and liberal oriented groups, and some have established web sites devoted to protesting the request as an attack on homosexuals.
A response also has come from educators who have denounced the request as an infringement on academic freedom.
By Graham K. Johnson gjohnson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Controversy surrounding the request for homosexual and bisexual content of courses at universities may be just a tempest in a teapot.
"They, of all people, should be for
But Judy Smith, area director for Concerned Women for America, said protests and strong reactions were not warranted.
Smith said she thought it was ironic that educators were reacting so negatively to the information request.
"I feel like they might be pushing the panic button a little soon," Smith said. "It's a little bit thin to be interpreting this as an attack on academic freedom when all people are doing is requesting information."
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freedom of speech and information because that benefits them," she said.
Michael Welton, executive director of the Christian Coalition's Kansas affiliate, said that an important issue in the request controversy was how public funds were spent.
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"It sounds like a legitimate question, if you are a legislator, to ask what is being taught with tax-payer dollars," Welton said.
Smith agreed. She said that although homosexuality was a legitimate topic of study, the concern among some legislators might be that excessive study could cross the line into advocacy of homosexuality as a lifestyle.
"If that were the line that was crossed, that would be a concern because the universities are being supported by tax dollars." Smith said.
Both Smith and Welton declined to say whether their groups would support an effort to restrict funding to universities whose courses bordered on advocacy of homosexuality or bisexuality.
"Not having seen the courses, I would have to reserve my opinion on that," Smith said. "I really don't know what is being taught."
"I think it is a tempest in a teapot until you understand the context." Smith said. "We have no idea why this was requested."
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