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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 3505
TOPEKA, KS 66401 3505
ansan
Warming trend starts weekend off with mostly sunny skies.
Thursday
February 12, 1997
Section:
A
Vol.108·No.99
Online today
Learn more about this great state of ours at the Information Network of Kansas' Web site.
Sports today
http://www.ink.org
Kansas guard Shandy Robbins' stints with modeling include an appearance in a Gospel music video on BET.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
SEE PAGE 1B
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Comedian Al Franken signs books before his speech. Franken spoke last night at the Lied Center about politics and his comedy career. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
"I got pretty much what I expected: political commentary with a little bit of a bite." -Laura Geryk, Lawrence graduate student
Wade Miller, Omaha sophomore, said "I like Rush Limbaugh, so those jokes kind of offended me. I think he was also trying to
(USPS 630-640)
Franken pokes fun at politics
mvilela@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Comedian Al Franken had not heard of Fred Phelps until last night.
Minutes before Franken's presentation last night at the Lied Center, Franken decided to go outside and talk to Phelps and his group, who were picketing the event and singing hymns.
"I just had an interesting discussion with the Phelps, a local gospel group, and it's pretty sad. I asked him: 'Do you really think that God hates fags?' and he said, 'Yes, it's one of His best qualities.'"
Franken entertained about 1,500 people making fun of politics, his sex life and his perpetual target, Rush Limbaugh.
"People ask me why I named my book 'Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot,' he said. "It's just because Rush is very fat, hugely fat, really enormously fat. He really has a big, fat ass."
"He (Brinson) read it about twenty times," Wright said. "I only knew some of his (Franken's) material. To read the book was kind of a requirement for dating him
Before the show, Franken had a book signing.
During his presentation, Franken delivered a comical lecture about his life and projects. His talk centered on the lighter side of politics.
(Brinson).
Nate Brinson, Edwardsville, IL, ill., sophomore, and Shawna Wright, Hutchinson sophomore, took books for, Franken to sign.
defend Clinton just a little too much."
Laura Geryk, Lawrence graduate student, said: "I got pretty much what I expected: political commentary with a little bit of a bite. I can't understand why anyone would take any offense. He was more accepting of people than I expected. He was very generous and modest."
Before the event, Franken spoke with media about his profession.
"I know that everyone thinks this is a great time for comedians, but I find it a very painful time. Partly because I like the president and believe in his policies, and partly because it's all just so ugly," Franken said.
He said that as a comedian, he had to joke about the Monica Lewinsky situation, but he was trying to escape easy oral sex jokes.
Franken also commented on Norm McDonald's dismissal from NBC, the TV network that will be airing Franken's new show.
"On the record, I just want to say it was a great decision." Franken said.
Franken's next book, tentatively titled "Al Franken Should Be Titled by Anonymous" will be written about a hypothetical Franken presidency, where he gets chronic fatigue two weeks after being elected.
"I should be writing my book instead of being here," Franken said. "But, you know, I'm getting paid, and it's easier to be here than to write a book."
Late-night munchies pack on pounds
High-calorie snacks lead to weight gain
Lisa Stevens John
yohn@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Whether it is a Big Mac attack, a drive to Joe's for doughnuts, or a pizza delivered to the dorm, it all adds up to one thing -- fat -- a campus physician said.
Randall Rock, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center and a former University of Kansas student, said the temptations to consume excess calories at fast food restaurants were greater than ever.
"In the combo meals for 39 cents more, you can biggie everything." Rock said. "And so you can have a 2,000 calorie bonus that you may treat as a late-night snack."
"For me, it was a Joe's run," Rock said. "At 10 or 11 at night, there would be a trip to Joe's for doughnuts."
Rock said some students experienced the "Freshman 15," a 15-pound weight gain put on by some first-year college students.
Lester Earl, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound sophomore basketball player from Baton Rouge, La., said his problem was just the opposite
Earl said his favorite snack was oatmeal pies, each box containing 12 cakes, and milk.
"I'm still trying to gain 15 pounds," Earl said. "It's hard for me to gain weight."
Meghan Toll, Lindsborg junior, said she weighed 100 pounds when she started college.
"I can go through two boxes of 12 oatmea pies in an hour." Earl said.
"And then I discovered beer and late-night takeouts," Toll said.
Toll said that within several months, she had put on 15 pounds.
"Eating the dorm food had a lot to do with it too," Toll said. "You can eat anything and everything you want. Also, Mom and Dad weren't around making sure I ate right."
Ann Chapman, dietitian at Student Health Services, said that late-night eating was a factor in weight gain. She said drinking alcohol added to the problem.
Twenty to 30 percent of total calories should come from fat. Chamman said.
man said, "And often, that means going out for high-fat meals."
She said a woman who consumed 2,300 calories a day could consume 50 to 78 calories in fat and still be within the recommended range.
"A man who can eat 3,000 calories can have up to 100 grams of fat and still be healthy." Chapman said.
University plans to buy Smith Hall from church
According to statistics, a Big Mac has 530 calories and 28 grams of fat. A small order of french fries has 210 calories and 10 grams of fat. One slice of Pizza Hut's medium-size supreme pan pizza has 311 calories and 15 grams of fat, and one cake doughnut has 210 calories and 12 grams of fat.
"Alcohol increases the appetite." Chan-
By Chris Horton
The University of Kansas is waiting for the Legislature's approval to purchase Smith Hall and ensure that it remains a part of the campus.
In a proposed deal, the University would pay $55,000 per year during a 20-year period, beginning in fiscal year 1998, to the Christian Church in Kansas (Disciples of Christ), which owns Smith Hall.
chorton@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Tom Hutton, director of University Relations, said the annual payments would come from the University's $289 million budget. He said it would not
The total cost of the building is $1.1 million.
Keeping the property under University control was of prime importance to the school, said Provost David Shulenburger.
The University previously had leased Smith Hall for $1 per year from the Kansas Bible Chair, an agency of the church.
"This is only a small percentage of the budget" he said.
The department of religious studies, which since its creation in 1977 has been located in Smith, would not change locations.
include a tuition increase.
Shulenburger said the Board of Regents already had approved the deal. He said the Legislature's approval, which would have to be given by April, would initiate the agreement.
In addition to the ADA upgrades, Smith Hall needed roof repairs and a new heating/cooling system, he said. The cost of repairs was about $300,000, he said.
The church wants to sell Smith
Hall to the University because the costs of maintenance and the changes necessary for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act had proved too big a burden. Hutton said.
"They were no longer willing to repair it, and they approached the University wanting to sell," Hutton said.
Hutton said that repairs and additions to Smith Hall would be financed by the University's repair and rehabilitation budget once the hall became part of campus.
The University of Kansas plans to purchase Smith Hall from the Christian Church in Kansas for $1.1 million. If approved by the Legislature, the University would pay the church $55,000 per year for 20 years. Photo by Corie Waters/KANSAN
Student, faculty group assesses large-scale problems, solutions
KU committee plans to unify all campuses, adapt resources
By Gerry Doyle gdoyle@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The University of Kansas is taking the initiative to bridge the gaps between its islands of academia.
The Act as one committee has been meeting every other week since early October. The committee, along with the other committees, will report its findings by April 1. A plan should be implemented by fall.
Act as One University is part of the Initiative 2011 program, started by Chancellor Robert Hemenway last semester. Initiative 2001 has three aspects: Act as One University, Serve Kansans and Build Premier Learning Communities.
INITIATIVE 2001
The Act as One University effort is aimed at easing communication between all KU campuses and providing a better opportunity for students to use University resources without limitations, Hemenway said.
The committee is composed of faculty admin-
What: Act as One University committee, part of Chancellor Robert Hemenway's Initiative 2001 program.
Who: Students, faculty and administrators from all four KU campuses.
Purpose: To help build unity and streamline education at the University.
irrators and students from different campuses, he said. The goal is to get input from as many different quarters as possible and find ways to unify the University, he said.
"We want to focus on the condition of KU and then come up with some first-rate ideas," Hemenway said. "I don't think it's ever good to just go on with business as usual. We should ask how can we make this better?"
The large scale of the University often results in aspects of education slipping through the cracks, said Daryle Busch, professor of chemistry and co-chairman of the Act as One committee.
Students pay different rates of tuition at different campuses, enroll with different processes and use different parking passes, Busch said. For instance, a parking pass for KU's Lawrence campus is not recognized at the University of Kansas Medical Center campus, he said.
The committee is aiming to eliminate these types of problems and inform students about resources they have in other areas of the University, he said.
"The underlying belief is that if we are able to be totally connected, we will probably be more productive." Busch said. "With four major campuses, folks tend to get isolated. It's marvelous that a University can have the courage to take a look at itself like this. Surely we can make it better."
The effort would be invaluable to help bring together the Regents Center and the Lawrence campus, said Robert Clark, dean of the Edwards campus, where the Regents Center is located, and member of the Act as One committee.
Examining the workings of the University can only bring about changes helpful to students and faculty, he said.
"By asking these questions and consulting a variety of different groups, we begin to hear answers we need to change." he said. "It's good to be introspective like this."
For students, bringing about more solidarity within the University would make learning easier, said Misti Spann, Lawrence junior and member of the Act as One committee. Opportunities – for jobs, scholarships and projects – could be made more widely known, Spann said. E-mail, which can have difficulties connecting between campuses, could be ungraded.
Even within the Lawrence campus, a more communicative and unified university would give students more options and streamline education. Spann said.
"We want to really change, really unite." she said. "We want people to open up a little bit more, learn how to complement each other. After all, we're paying for this."
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