Tomorrow's weather
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 66601-3585
ansan
Cold again tomorrow with snow and rain.
Tuesday
March 3, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 108 No. 112
Online today
Get yourself fully prepared for the men's and women's Big 12 Tournaments.
Vol. 108·No.112
http://www.gobig12.com
Sports today
Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce were named unanimously to the first team All-Big 12 Conference.
SEE PAGE 10A
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University will feel loss of popular administrator
By Gerry Doyle gdoyle@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
A member of the University of Kansas administration will be going long.
Martha Ruel, assistant vice ccnceller of student affairs and wife of former KU football offensive coordinator Pat Ruel, will be following her husband to his new job at Michigan State University. Ruel, who was head of the University Scholarship Center before being appointed as assistant vice ccnceller was invaluable in helping students, said a associate provost Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett.
Former Kansas senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker speaks at Free State High School. Kassebaum Baker spoke last night as part of the Hall Center for the Humanities lecture series. Photo by Geoff Kinner/KANSAN
Ruel: Will leave the University for Michigan.
Whether students had problems with finances,
the transition to college or even
roommate difficulties. Ruel always
would listen, she said.
She not only helped attract students to the University but also made sure their time on the Hill was enjoyable McCluskey-Fawcett said.
"She's terrific." McCluskey-Fawcett said. "She's been a terrific student advocate, always willing to work one-on-one with them. She worked with prospective students. Then once they got here, she was like 'Mother Marti.' Marti helped keep a lot of students here."
Ruel said that she was not sure exactly when she would move to Lansing, Mich., but that she probably would wait until her contract with the University finished in June. She said she enjoyed working with the students and administrators at the University, and she hoped to get a similar job after she moved.
She said her work at the University had been enjoyable because of her responsibilities, which center around building new programs to help students. She said that she was sorry to go but that she was looking forward to new opportunities.
"it's been challenging." she said.
"I try to maintain student contact because it's hard to work without the student perspective. It'll be hard to leave friends, colleagues and Lawrence itself. But with every door that you close, you never know what other door will open for you."
Ruel said she was unsure whether the position would be filled after she left.
Before taking the job as director of the University Scholarship Center, Ruel was assistant dean of educational services at the University from 1988 to 1992.
Ruel received her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Miami in 1974.
She was certified for corrective therapy in 1975, received her master's degree in higher education administration from Texas A&M University in 1985 and her doctorate in educational policy and leadership from the University of Kansas in 1996.
Before coming to KU in 1988, she had worked as the director of Orthopedic Care, Inc. from 1975 to 1978; was an admissions office assistance at Washington State University from 1978 to 1979; a student development officer II at Washington State University from 1979 to 1982; a student development officer II at Texas A&M University from 1982-1985 and an assistant university judicial officer at Northern Illinois University from 1985-1988.
Kassebaum Baker speaks candidly
By Emily C. Forsyth
eforsyth@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker emphasized the distinction between knowledge and wisdom last night when she spoke at Free State High School.
Kassebaum Baker spoke as part of the Hall Center for the Humanities' 50th anniversary lecture series. She addressed current political and educational topics and prescribed actions for the United States' future. Kassebaum Baker was not paid for her appearance.
Kassebaum Baker said that the increasing influence of technology, such as television and the Internet, posed a greater demand for understanding the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
She also said it was the responsibility of parents and teachers to demand more of students and to help them acquire wisdom from the abundance of knowledge available.
"Iis wisdom programmed on the screen?"
Kassebaum Baker asked. "I't really isn't."
She said the recent low ranking of U.S. high school students in math and science was not indicative of students' abilities.
"I do think it's reflective of our not demanding enough of our students, who I'm convinced can rise to excellence when it's demanded of them," she said. "But, if we expect less, we'll get less."
Kassebam Baker switched gears during her speech when she spoke about the
White House scandal. She said she was dismayed with the demeaning of the presidency and the public's handling of the scandal.
"President Clinton is someone who has a lot of knowledge but not much wisdom," Kassebaum Baker said. "He is not alone. We all seem to gravitate to the thrill of the moment." She said the White House scandal has had a negative effect on everyone.
"The media has succumbed to reporting the crisis of the presidency in 'Entertainment Tonight' style," she said. "Lawyers have succumbed to demeaning the professional ethics of our legal system by leaking confidential documents, and we are all tarnished in the process."
Roberta Johnson, director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, said Kassebaum Baker's message was well-received.
"She was asking us to continue to conduct our political lives in a personal way and not to allow the media to control our political actions," Johnson said.
Kassebaum Baker moved from discussing U.S. issues to talking about the political situation in Iraq and the Middle East.
She stressed the necessity of solving international political problems on a local level rather than a national one.
"We can't just rely on the Internet or television or the polls to determine what direction our nation should go," Kassebaum Baker said.
Ameshia Tubbs, Lawrence sophomore, said she was impressed that Kassebaum Baker
spoke so candidly about issues
"She was direct and honest, and I really appreciated that," Tubbs said. "You expect politicians to dance a little more than she did."
Kassebaum Baker graduated from the
University of Kansas in 1954 with a degree in political science. In 1978, she was elected to the U.S. Senate. She retired at the end of her third Senate term in 1996 as chairwoman of the Labor and Human Resources Committee.
Illustration by Matt Woodruff/KANSAN
Several courses left out of study
By Tamara Miller
Kansan staff writer
The list of classes containing homosexual or bisexual references could be longer than the one the University turned in to the Board of Regents.
A course does not have to be a sexuality course to contain references to sexual orientation, said Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare. Every class in the social welfare department could be submitted for the legislative request, he said.
The list, compiled by Provost David Shulenburger, included two ethics classes, Journalism 605 and a University of Kansas Medical Center course. The list was an answer to an anonymous research request by the Kansas Legislature.
Dailley teaches Social Work 303, Human Sexuality in Everyday Life, a course that contains some discussion of homosexuality. Dailley said the topic was an important issue in his class because it represented an important aspect in human sexuality.
"There's not a course that at some point in the semester doesn't mention the issue," he said.
"There is an enormous amount of emphasis on the impact of homophobia," Dailey said.
COURSE CONTENT UNDER REVIEW
Leslie Nelson, assistant professor of art history, said that sexuality was also an issue in her class, History of Art 577, Southern Barque Art. Although it is not obvious in the course description, understanding the artist's sexual orientation is an important part of art history classes.
For example, knowing an artist's sexual orientation may be important to understanding his work.
"It's going to be relevant in lots of courses," she said. "We try to approach it from every angle possible."
Robert Anderson, associate professor of French and Italian, said that both his Western Civilization class and his French literature class touched on the issue of homosexuality. Anderson said this was important because it exposed students to diversity.
"It's an issue that has been discussed since the 17th century," she said. "We think of these problems as new, and they aren't."
"Students are thoughtful, interested adults who are eager to learn and judge
things," he said.
The topic of sexual orientation is discussed in psychology classes as well, said Chris Crandall, associate professor of psychology. Crandall teaches Psychology 465, a class that studies prejudice and discrimination in society. Homophobia is a topic included in the curriculum of this course.
However, Crandall said that a discussion involving sexual orientation also could surface in Introduction to Psychology
Crandall said that although the Legislature could try to monitor courses with homosexual or bisexual content, it would be an impossible task. The Legislation has a right to ask for a list of these courses, but it has no right to dictate course curriculum, he said.
"You might want to talk about dating and how people date people who are similar to them," he said. "For example, you talk about homosexual dating."
"You will find that instructors will increase the content of homosexuality in the face of a perceived threat to academic freedom," Crandall said.
See page 5A
Look inside for additional information about the Regents' request for lists of courses with homosexual or biosexual content.
see page 5A
rwachter@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Police check into string of auto thefts
By Ronnie Wachter
A string of six auto burglaries on the same night has Lawrence police searching for suspects and has several Lawrence residents searching for their stolen property.
Five cars were broken into between 12:01 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sunday in a four-square-block area of southeast Lawrence, police said.
In all five cases, the passenger-side front windows of the cars were smashed. Four of the cars were Hondas manufactured between 1986 and 1990, and three of the cars belonged to KU students.
A sixth auto burglary happened in the 1100 block of Indiana Street during the same time period.
Three of the burglaries happened in the same parking lot, at 1704 W.24th St.
Officer Mike Monroe said that although there was no evidence linking any of the burglaries, police were investigating the possibility.
"It doesn't necessarily mean they're related because we have so many auto burglaries," he said. "But when you have that many in a certain area, generally that means one or more of them are connected."
Jeremiah Johnson, Lawrence resident,
said he lost about $1,450 in damaged and
stolen property when his car was burglarized.
"I'm completely aggravated," he said. "I'm supposed to be in Oklahoma right now, but I can't go because I have no window and it's freezing."
Monroe said police had no suspects, and each case still was being investigated.
"Usually when we solve one of these, that will lead to clues that will help solve another one," he said.
Monroe said that many auto burglaries could be prevented by not leaving valuables in cars, where they are easy for thieves to take.
"Usually, auto burglaries are crimes of opportunity," he said. "A lot of these involve stereos with removable faceplates and other things that the owner could take inside the house easily."
Darrin Peschka, Wilson sophomore, said she would learn from her mistake.
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"I was upset," Peschka said. "I felt angry at myself because it was carelessness on my part to just leave my things in there."
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