Thursday, February 12, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 7
GTAs work around age difference
Older,younger students provide varying challenges
By Susie Gura
sgura@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Many graduate teaching assistants feel challenged when they first approach a classroom setting.
GTAs have to find ways to deal with the subtle age differences in the classroom. Many times, GTAs are not much older than the students they teach. Often, the students are much older than their GTAs.
"It takes a conscious effort to feel like you are being taken seriously," said Kim Kuntz, sociology GTA.
Students tend to respect their elders, but sometimes, GTAs are not much older.
"It is difficult because students don't automatically respect you as much as a professor," said Matt Patterson, GTA in English.
Patterson said that teaching freshman who did not take classes seriously and who had no sense of direction was more of a challenge.
"Older students take the course more seriously and have more respect and appreciation for the class." Patterson said.
Older students may have more life experiences, but a teacher's knowledge of the material overshadows that difference, he said.
Kuntz said that she made an effort as a GTA to present herself as knowledgeable, not all-knowing.
"The hardest thing is teaching
"Teaching older students can be uncomfortable, but I enjoy it," Kuntz said. "Having older students in class is a good experience because you can learn so much from them."
someone mv own age." Kuntz said.
Susan Twombly, associate professor of teaching and leadership, said she had heard arguments in favor of GTAs teaching students because they were closer in age and were able to relate better.
Because GTAs perform as students and teachers, they often are able to identify with students and their classes.
The distinction is made between teacher and student because the student is there to learn the material, said Nathan Carlson, mathematics GTA.
"It is awkward in a sense because we are both students," he said.
'Surveillance society' ruins privacy
New technologies track private lives KU professor says
Aaron Knopf
aknopf@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Personal privacy is becoming a thing of the past in today's culture of surveillance, a University of Kansas professor said yesterday.
Bill Staples, associate professor of sociology, said technology had made it possible to track people's activities and habits in everyday life. Staples spoke as a part of the University Forum Lecture Series at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave. Between 40 and 50 people attended the lecture.
Staples described different methods of employing technology for surveillance. There are overt meth-
ods, such as drug tests, and subtle methods, such as using people's credit-card records to track their spending habits.
"Taken together, I think these constitute kind of the building blocks for what I call a surveillance society," Staples said. "We're increasingly stripped of personal privacy, individual trust and a viable public life."
One of the biggest changes leading to this surveillance society is the replacement of trust with suspicion. he said.
"What separates the college athlete from a convicted felon or a clerk at K-mart if they're all subjected to drug testing?" Staples said.
Staples also said surveillance methods such as drug testing presumed guilt rather than innocence.
"If you refuse to take the test the assumption is that you have something to hide." he said.
Staples said this culture of surveillance had extended into people's
"Perhaps we've escaped Orwell's totalitarian nightmare. Nevertheless, it may be in the end it's the Tiny Brothers that come to threaten personal privacy and undermine the heart and soul of democracy."
Bill Staples
Associate professor of sociology
personal relationships. He said that one of the best selling devices today was a piece of equipment that allowed people to record all of their phone calls on tape.
"We're intimately involved in this," he said. "We turn the tracking devices on ourselves."
Staples said that sometimes the ability to monitor people's behavior was a by-product of another technological innovation.
The convenience of credit cards or video-rental cards requires huge computer databases to store transaction records.
"It's a marketers dream because they can collect information specifically about all your choices and purchases." Staple said.
Staples said that he did not think there was a single governmental entity, such as George Orwell's Big Brother, that monitored everyone's routines and activities. It is disparate, non-connected entities that are performing these surveillance activities, he said.
"Perhaps we've escaped Orwell's totalitarian nightmare. Nevertheless, it may be in the end it's the Tiny Brothers that come to threaten personal privacy and undermine the heart and soul of democracy," he said.
Snowbarger gets an "F" in environment
By Graham Johnson
gjohnson@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
He got an F, said a group of local environmentalists.
U. S. Representative Vince Snowbarger received his first environmental report card yesterday.
"We're out here to get the word out," said
About six environmentalists gathered outside Snowbarger's Lawrence office, 647 Massachusetts St., to voice complaints about his environmental record.
Joe Harrington, professor of English. "Snowbarger's record on the environment is abysmal."
Snowbarger:Says he is a moderate environmentalist
The League of Conservation Voters, a national environmental
group and political action committee,
gave Snowbarger a 13 percent
failing rating on a 1997 National
Environmental Scorecard.
The League of Conservation Voters published a scorecard rating congressmen according to their votes on 15 different pieces of environmental legislation. According to the report, Snowbarger voted favorably on two of the 15 legislative items.
Breeze Luetke-Stahlman, Olathe sophomore and representative for the environmentalist group, said the report card got his attention.
Gary Haulmark, director of Snowbarger's 3rd district offices, responded to the report.
"The congressman would describe himself as a moderate environmentalist, who would agree with President Clinton that we don't need to pit the environment
"At KU if you get a 60 percent, you fail," Luetke-Stahlman said. "He's getting a 13 percent. That wouldn't fly at all in college. He's failing really bad."
"At KU, if you get a 60 percent,you fail. He's getting a 13 percent. That wouldn't fly at all in college. He's failing really bad."
Breeze Luetke-Stahlman
against humans in order to have a better environment," Haulmark said.
Olathe sophomore
Haulmark called the League of Conservation Voters a radical organization. He said the report card unfairly tried to portray Snowbarger's record as extreme.
"Last Gasp correlates Snowbarger's co-sponsorship of the "Dirty Air" legislation to $34,300 he has received from corporate political action committees," Luetke-Stahm said. "This certain PAC is made up of people in industry that feel that they are going to be hurt by the clean-air act acting into effect."
The group also cited a claim in a report by the Environmental Working Group called Last Gasp, which implies that Snowbarger was beholden to political action committees against new clean-air regulations.
Legislation would delay the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to update clean-air standards and reduce the emissions that contribute to unhealthy levels of smog and soot, Luektel-Stahman said.
Haulmark disagreed with the groups assertions but welcomed their participation in the process.
"The great thing about this country and the wonderful thing about the First Amendment is that folks have a right to protest, and we look forward to visiting with them like we would any constituents," Haulmark said.
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