4
Tuesday, August 31, 1993
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
At the end of the spring semester the decision was made to move the department of computer science into the department of electrical and computer engineering.
The Background
After many years of problems, including department politics and the installation of an outside chair, a decision was reached to eliminate the computer science department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Even the decision to merge the departments has met with disagreements. Most importantly, only seven of the original 11 faculty members are moving with the department to the school of engineering.
The Opinion
KU must keep promises to computer science
The decision to merge the departments of computer science (CS) and electrical and computer engineering (E&CE) is both regrettable and unfortunate.
Close attention now must be paid to the forthcoming University decisions to ensure a commitment to rebuild the computer science program at all levels including the continuation of a bachelor of arts degree.
There are still several questions that need to be answered about the merger process, including reasons for the merger; accommodating faculty members who have not moved to E&CE with the merger; and physically merging the resources of CS and E&CE.
One stated reason for the merger of computer science and computer engineering is their overlapping disciplines. One nation-wide survey, though, reports 100 computer science programs in liberal arts and science schools for every one merged program in engineering schools.
As Sally Frost-Mason, associate dean of liberal arts and sciences, admits, the consultation phase failed. The various committees handling the merger could not reach a consensus on how to rebuild the CS department.
Ultimately, the administration of the University decided to merge the two departments. Before embarking on future excursions of this kind, the University needs to re-evaluate the purposes of each committee and ensure that this situation does not happen again.
There have been serious problems in the past in relations between faculty members. Of the original 11 faculty members, seven were invited to E&CE.The four remaining faculty each have different reasons for not being invited or wanting to join the other seven. Currently they are in a state of limbo where Frost-Mason is responsible. The University and the CLAS need to focus and resolve this unhealthy situation.
A question has been raised about the teaching and researching ability of some of the seven instructors who have moved to E&CE. The chairman of E&CE, James Roberts, is confident that procedures are in place to ensure quality in the CS program.
One hope is the promise of the University to stabilize the program after many years of bickering, politics and shenanigans. Those involved with the program will benefit from finally staying on course in the new department.
TOM GRELINGER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
KC TRAUER, Editor
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Honors class battle of the brains merits an emcee, play-by-play
I remember now. I hate honors classes. Nice idea. Probably even a good one. Problem is the people. Isn't it always?
"Iswear, I have zero time. Last night I only got two hours of sleep. I had to read three books for Russian Literature, write two papers, and work for four hours."
This is the conversation at my side of the table. Support group for poor, overworked honors students. It's like Alcoholics Anonymous, only these students make heartbreaking, teareyed confessions about the 10 minutes they took this morning to eat or the fact that they didn't actually read the assignment, they just skimmed it. It enough to make a grown man cry. I listen until I can't stand it anymore, then I turn my attention to the other side of the table. Something much more interesting is going on over there.
STAFF COLUMNIST
"Where'd you have your tutorial?" Ah. Textbook beginning of an honors student-to-honors student conversation. Identifies the initiator as an honors student, challenges the other participants to be one, (not something important in an honors class, but great anyway), and even gives a topic of conversation. Not bad for five words.
"Up there. You?"
must now strain to laugh, (and laugh the loudest, so to be recognized as more intelligent and witty than the person adjacent). Almost all of them look naturally unnatural, trying too hard to beat that dang stuffed-shirt stigma. No one is really sure how long they have to keep this up, so they just keep going ...
Hmm. Dull response. Perhaps intended to convey aloofness and superiority without sounding disinterested. If so, interesting strategy. Unfortunately, we don't get to see the outcome. Someone on the other side of the room breaks in with a joke that strains not only to break the tension, (Tension) What tension? Doesn't he know we're not competing here? We're not tense. No sneeze Bob), but to be highly witty and only appreciable by those who are extremely intelligent all at once. The rest, of course.
Luckily, the professor comes in,
(and not a moment too soon – fake
laughter is strenuous stuff), to get
things started. This person is, of
course, wackyeccentricstrangelove,
and everyone will have to discuss
how "neat" he or she is at the
beginning of the next class. The
advantage? The laughter competition
is over. Disadvantage? The discussion
starts, and a new competition
begins.
This time, though, the goal is not to be the wittiest, but the one with the most insight. In a discussion of Whitman's poetry, then, it is quite a coup to come up with something like this: "I'll make bookends out of poems, I would use 'The Mending Wall' as one and 'Mowing Grass' as the other." The fact that this doesn't at all relate to the
poem being discussed is irrelevant.
Also to be ignored is the fact that the professor looks utterly pained by such comments. What is important is whether anyone else comes up with something better.
"I think the punctuation of this particular passage mandates that the message be one of regret, especially if one takes into consideration the use of the semicolon followed by the lack of a capital letter at the commencement of the following stanza."
He comes close, but it's not quite as illustrative of a creative abstract thinker as the book ends thing. Better luck next time. Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts for you.
Moving on to Langston Hughes, some babblebabs about how they can almost hear jazz playing as they read the poetry, and I lose interest. I was looking forward to a discussion of Whitman and Hughes, but these people spoiled it. Isn't it always the people? Lucky thing I'm not one of them.
Ryan McCee is a Wortand, Wyo., sophomore undecided on a major.
Being a homosexual on campus doesn't have to be lonely or scary
Remember when you first came to campus and experienced the simultaneous rush and fear of new people? How about elementary school? Did you dread lining up to be chosen for dodge ball, because you were always one of the last to be chosen and one of the first out? What about the first time you were at an event or place where you were in the minority (race, gender, whatever)? Have you experienced a class in which you felt totally out of place and unable to get into the subject like everyone else?
Imagine that when you experienced these things you could not articulate how you felt or find anyone else who, like you, was in a place where they felt very uncomfortable. Add to this a perception that everyone else was really having a good time and a fear that, because you were different, the others would hate you.
gays, lesbians and bisexuals. It can be lonely and frightening. It can be unbelievably unlike anything a straight person experiences.
This is close to what life can be for
Last Thursday, I attended the first meeting of the year for Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas. At the meeting, we did some diversity exercises. Such exercises can be very patronizing, but these were different. We stood up after statements such as "I self-identify as a person of color." "I
am in a relationship," and "I am a graduate student." While we stood, we had to make eye contact with the others who were standing, and if we were not standing, we applauded those who were.
It sounds kind of hokey and new age, and it is, but the interesting thing is the effect it had on us. Those who stood at first did so shyly, but eventually did so with pride. The applause, lukewarm at first, grew into cheers of encouragement and recognition. People who go through each day acutely aware of their differences from the audience of the world could see they had much more in common than just sexual orientation.
I was terrified the first time I ever attended a meeting like this. I waited months before I finally, one night, pretended to go to class but instead snuck off to a building on the far side of campus. I remember the next
group I went to with a friend. Everyone stared when we walked in. We ran out of the room as soon as the meeting was over. Both times, I was terrified. Years later, at my first such meeting at KU, I still felt nervous, unsure of myself and what I might find.
I am confident that many students who went to the meeting felt the way I had, but I think they felt differently when they left. Now they know that there are other bisexual and homosexual people here who go to classes, relate to ethnic groups and have learned and loved and even graduated.
I hope they have found true friends with whom to share their college years. I hope straight students, especially those who are lousy at dodge ball, can find such friends.
Patrick Dillay is a Lawrence graduate student majoring in higher education.
University of Mars
Not available in a 3 record collection-"J of M" comic strip is available to you now,onlyin bike sized tasty segments! Let's take a look at the first Segment and meet our heroes.
MONROE Rodriguez.
More than just a token minority, this leading man has an edge...
by Joel Franke
In the tradition of "Garfield the Cat &
Seinfeld's Kramer", he's got that
Classic: "Last name for a first
name "thing happening.