SPORTS: Kansas tight end Dwayne Chandler says he is surprised by his success and popularity. P
KANSAS STATE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.103.NO.4
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1993
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
New director wants stability for OAA
NEWS:864-4810
Maurice By Carlos Rejada
Bryan Kansen staff writer
Maurice By Carlos Telada
bring respect
Maurice Bryan, the new director of the Office of Affirmative Action, remembered when he was asked last week to lead a team to test a new facial recognition technology.
affirmative
action
"I said I plan to be a Jayhawk in whatever way I can," he said.
position that has been Bryan began his job Friday. Files and boxes still litter his desk. He said he had yet to unpack many of his boxes from his move to Lawrence.
Vacant for
years.
But Bryan also said he was ready to handle the responsibilities of an administrative office that has been marked by controversy.
The office, he said, was hurt by the 1981 resignation of former director James "Skip" Turner. Turner resigned after derogatory remarks that he made during an interview with two University Daily Kansan reporters were printed in the campus newspaper.
Recent attacks against multiculturalism and political correctness have taken their toll on affirmative action programs, he said. Bryan would like to change that.
"I certainly hope to stay long enough to bring some
but meyen, executive vice chancellor, said Bryan's experience with the Office of Affirmative Action at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., made him the best person for the job. Bryan worked for seven years there, the last three as director.
sense of stability and establish its relationship with the community, "he said.
"I'm not coming with a preconceived agenda," he said. "Where I have talent and skills is talking with people and identifying what their issues are."
Bryan said he wanted to broaden the scope of the office here, which investigates claims of discriminatory hiring practices and racial or sexual harassment on the job. He said he wanted to expand efforts to accommodate cultural diversity, to help with minority recruitment and retention and to educate students and faculty about sexual harassment.
What remains unclear is the office's involvement in KU's new consensual relationship policy. Bryan, who worked under a similar policy at Western Washington University, said he would play an advisory role in the enforcement of the new policy.
Bryan said he also wanted to change the public's perception of affirmative action.
"Affirmative action has not always been applied fairly," he said. "That's doesn't mean affirmative action is bad."
Too many people think affirmative action helps minorities at the expense of white workers, he said. Employers who deny jobs to white workers because they fear investigation by affirmative action groups creates such negative feelings.
Bryan attended Ottawa University in Ottawa between 1967 and 1971, when racial tensions were at an all-time high. He said the turnout shaped many of his later views.
"The whole '60s period — and what was happening then — influences how I think about these things today." Bran said.
He said he did not mind the views of those who disagree with him and with affirmative action but was worried about the tone of recent criticism.
"What's interesting now is that the so-called conservative voice has much more presence than it had in the '60s," Bryan said. "That's not negative if they can engage in dialogue, but people get entrenched in their position and dialogue ceases."
Robinson beefs up its exercise room
Maurice Bryan took over as head of the Office of Affirmative Action Friday. He was to KU from
Additions include treadmills, step machine $ ^{a c} $
Tricia Baltin, right, Memphis sophomore, and Hillary Mogue, left, Overland Park sophomore, use the treadmills in Robinson Gymnasium. The treadmills were a part of recent equipment acquisitions.
By Liz Klinger
kongen staffente
Kansan staff writer
If you ever wanted to run like Space Age cartoon character George Jetson and his dog Astro on a wild and crazy conveyor belt, your opportunity has arrived at the Robinson Fitness Center.
Three new commercial-grade,
Precon C964 treadmills are
among the $30,000 worth of new
equipment, repairs and improvements that the fitness center
received this summer.
The 220-volt treadmills replaced the center's lower-voltage treadmill, Allan Heinze, director of physical education and recreation facilities, said the new machines function on a 3 percent decline and incline. Another feature, a flex-bed, adjusts to the impact made by the user.
Because of last year's popularity of the center's ski climbers, two additional Universal footsteps were purchased. Heinze said the center bought Universal machines because they were better for the body as the
machines are designed to allow users to step in an anatomically correct manner, he said.
The older Universal equipment in the fitness area was upgraded with new padding and placards to use each piece of equipment.
The weight room area received two additional Nordic Track 900s, which provide a workout similar to cross-country skiing. The number and selection of dumbbells has been extended from one set of weights in increments of 5 to 85 pounds to two sets of weights in increments of 5 to 100 pounds. A decline bench for weight-lifters was also added. Black rubber tiling was installed in the weight-lifting area to protect the floor from dropped weights.
St. Louis sophomore Anna Hofftett said the new equipment in the gym was nicer than last year's aging weights.
"A lot of the dumbbell sets were missed." Hoffstetter said. "They were gross and old. The new weights are nicer."
Doug Hedrick,graduate teaching assistant in health physical
education and recreation, said the improvements had created a nicer atmosphere which would draw a larger number of visitors to the center.
Heinze said the changes in the center were made as a result of students' and physical conditioning instructors' suggestions.
He said the money to upgrade the 5200-square-foot area came from student funds the department receives and facility use
The center is for educational and recreational use.
Starting Oct. 4, Monday
through Thursday evening hours will be extended from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.
Heinze recommended that people work out around 9 p.m. to ensure a full workout.
"At 5:30 p.m. this place is really booming," he said.
KU police unit reorganizes
By Scott J. Anderson
Kansan staff writer
The KU police department has divided into three entities, but department officials said the University community will not notice the change.
"Our overall mission of trying to make this campus a safe environment in which education can occur has not changed," said Jim Denney, director of the KU police department. "This change should be transparent to the users of our services."
Another reason for the change is to combat budget cuts that have occurred in the past four years, Denney said. The KU police department has lost three dispatchers, two members of the clerical staff, one lieutenant and one detective because of the cuts, he said. The department also has reduced its marked patrol fleet by one car and cut back office hours.
The department has been divided into police operations, emergency communications and safety and security. The change is primarily a budgetary one, designed to define more clearly how money is spent and where needs are within the department. Denney said.
Major Ralph Oliver is in charge of police operations. He said the new organization allows him and his staff to concentrate on the daily street patrol and community needs.
"By putting the three on separate financial footing, we hope we can more easily absorb the cuts while not doing anything second rate," Denney said.
Liz Phillips, who is in charge of emergency communications, said designating dispatch as a separate entity from police operations was part of a national trend to make dispatch responsible to all the entities it serves.
what type of services they want ... We need community involvement to take the police department in the direction we want to go.
Denney said he expected to address many other areas of shared responsibility, as well as the specific duties of each department, as the new organizational structure evolved.
"We are reevaluating all of our services." Oliver said. "We are asking the community
"Whom we serve depends on what the situation is." she said.
John Mullens, in charge of safety and security, said he would share some responsibility for crime prevention and safety issues with Oliver.
A new structure
The KU police department has split its operations into three areas of service based on how it serves the University community:
Police operations-
Includes all commissioned police officers, including the bicycle patrol and detectives
Safety and security
Emergency
Corporate 911 emergency dispatch,
police records office, computer network
control and maintenance, and security
radio network
Emergencycommunications—
Comprises all campus security organiz-ations, fire and safety codes for campus buildings and emergency preparedness plans for the University
Spanish classes restructured to aid students Changes meant to help ease transition from high school By Kathleen Stolle
Kansas staff writer
Beginning this fall, s.
104 who had one-half
to one year of high
school Spanish were
placed in Spanish 105.
Those with two or
more years were
placed in Spanish 111.
Beginning this fall, students initially enrolled in Spanish 104 who had one half
TONGUE TWISTER: Students stumble through their first experience in a college foreign language class. Page 3.
Students who had never been exposed to the language remained in Spanish 104.
In the past, no distinction was made among students enrolled for the first level course, said Janice Wright, coordinator of first-var language classes.
But now, the Spanish department has opened eight sections of Spanish 105 and 15 sections of Spanish 111. The number of Spanish 104 sections was reduced from about 35 to 12 sections.
"They all get to start at the beginning and are placed with people on their level," she said. "Some kids are nervous, but we will prepare them to go on to the next level."
Research from last semester indicated that nearly a quarter of all Spanish 104 students had a half year to one year of high school Spanish and that 50 percent had taken at least two years.
The result of mixing the students with various skill levels was boredom and absenteeism for the experienced students. For the beginners, it meant heightened anxiety.
"They were having to compete with those who had more Spanish, and that created a difficult situation for everybody." Wright said.
Abbey Lerman, Buffalo Grove, III., freshman, is not so sure the change is for the better. Despite her two years of high school Spanish, Lerman said she was not ready for the accelerated Spanish 111 class.
"When I was in high school I thought when I got here I'd be able to all over again," she said.
Wright said that in special cases exceptions may be made.
Joe Van Zandt, director of the Advising Support Center, said that he was aware of the anxieties some students placed in the accelerated introductory classes were experiencing.
One such exception, Cara Crain, Tulsa, Okla, sophmore, said she was grateful that she was allowed into Spanish 104 although she had taken some Spanish before.
"It scares some of the students, but I don't suppose there's any need for them to be feeling nervous," he said. "I think in the long run Spanish has done a good thing."
Students can 'Meet-A-Professor' at home
Some of Lawrence's most interesting creations can be found being driven on city streets. Those cars are mobile artworks that often reflect the owners' personalities.
Like car, like driver
Page 9.
By Shan Schwartz
Kansan staff writer
That was only some of the advice Dalley offered as part of Meet-A-Professor night, a program facilitated by the Office of New Student Orientation to provide informal settings for students to meet faculty members.
"Don't do what other people want you to do, do what YOU want to do. Spend time with the people you care about. And be in touch with your sexuality." he said.
Milton Scott, assistant director of the department of student housing and head of the committee that planned Meet-a-Professor night, said that all residence and scholarship halls, Jayhawker Towers and 17 fraternity chapters participated in the annual program.
The main purpose for the special night, Scott said, was for new students to meet a faculty member in an informal setting and to see the professors as regular people.
Scott said 25 professors also were participating in a new Faculty Association Program, which is intended to extend contacts that were initiated on Meet-A-Professor night. Participants in the program are encouraged to have one activity each month, such as dinner, so students can interact again with the faculty.
"We're trying to get out of that' one night and you never see them again' thing," he said. "And we're trying to provide an opportunity for long-term interaction."
Faculty members who participated in Meet-A-Professor night said they believed the informal interaction with the students was valuable.
John Head, associate professor of law who spoke to residents of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity last night, said, "I think back 20 years ago when I started college I
was reluctant to walk cold into a professor's office and ask how to get through college.
"I think the residents get a lot out of it," McLean said. "She always has good stories and knows a lot about the University.
"If I show up in a prearranged way, maybe a student who would be reluctant to find help will be more comfortable approaching a faculty member."
"I think it especially helps the freshman because then they know at least one professor to go to if they need help with advising or anything else."
Janice McLean, Scammon junior and proctor of Miller Scholarship Hall, said she thought the residents gained from interaction with their adopted faculty members. McLean said Elizabeth Banks, associate professor of classics, already had been participating in hall activities for years.
Ted Johnson, professor of French and Italian and Phi Kappa Theta's adopted professor, said student-faculty dialogue was
Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare,
discusses relationships with Hashinger
and the Internet.
very important for both the students and teachers.
"Whatever can be done to encourage one-on-one communication, I think it's great," he said. "It's beautiful. It's a sacred thing."