CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, April 12, 1993
3
Doug Hesse / KANSAN
Across to bear
Kane Kunard, Topeka junior, hoisted a cross in front of Wescoe Hall and carried it along Jayhawk Boulevard as a demonstration for the Easter holiday. Kunard said he toted the cross Friday to represent Jesus Christ's pain and struggle.
Professors want change
Couple advocates turning plains into park, pastures for buffalo
By James J. Reece Kansan staffunite
Kansan staff writer
A Rutgers University couple that has dedicated the last eight years to studying the Great Plains has been compared with Hitler and Stalin. But more often, they have been accused of being advocates for the depopulation of the Great Plains
"That's probably the biggest misconception," said Frank Popper, who with his wife, Deborah, will speak at 7 tonight in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. He is a professor of urban studies, and she is a visiting scholar of geography, both at Rutgers.
"I think that you could say that we are advocates of new ways of doing things," he said.
Those new ways include allowing the Great Plains to revert back to natural animal and plant life, reverting farmlands to buffalo commons — community grazing lands — for buffalo ranching instead of cattle and creating a national park in the naturally depopulated region. They said the theory, called the Buffalo Commons theory, advocated the most feasible use for the region because of dwindling population, declining career opportunities and the possibility that farming the region was a historic mistake.
The Popppers see the Great Plains as the region that spans from the Rocky Mountains to the 98th Meridian, which shores Kansas vertically east of Hutchinson. The region extends north and south to Mexico and contains parts of 10 states.
"We will be talking about the history of the plains' pressures on rural plains people and why we believe the pressures will lead large parts of the plains into the Buffalo Commons' direction," said Frank Popper.
Since the Poppers wrote a 1987 article in Planning, a Chicago-based magazine, they have been defending their theory, often to harsh audiences and critics.
One was a Wyoming state legislator who last year compared them with Hitler and Stalin.
But Frank Popper said sentiments have changed since then, but he was not sure of the reason.
Ray Pieroott, assistant professor of systematics and ecology and environmental studies, said part of the resentment could be from people who think the Poppers are attacking farmers.
"It's more a series of observations that the areas of the Great Plains where never meant to be farmed." Periotti said. "The Popppers are talking about people naturally leaving on their own."
He said the attacks were unmerited.
Jennifer Reardon, Lenexa senior and program director of Environs, said the Poppers had a good argument.
"People have a strong attachment to their land and the land of their ancestors," Pierotti said. "And I think the thought of that land being abandoned is not very good and they deny it. They are getting angry at the messengers."
"The thrust of their argument is that the land of this region, Kansas in particular, was never intended for agricultural purposes," Reardon said. She said declining underground water levels were primary evidence that farming would soon not be viable in the Great Plains.
Steven Hamburg, director of environmental studies, said the Poppers' theory pointed out that excessive costs involved in maintaining roads, hospitals and schools in their towns were used for depreciation of the soil, made their theory more attractive.
Allergies stuffy problem at KU
"It's really an evolution of the land use," Hamburg said. "It's about what is best for the future. I think they are trying to make society ask those questions."
Tonight's speech is free. Sponsors are Environs and the department of environmental studies.
Bv Vicki Bode
Kansan staff writer
Contrary to what some people think, hay fever is not an allergic reaction to hay nor does the condition cause a fever.
Hay fever is a seasonal allergy to a nonspecific item, such as a type of grass, said Charles Yockey, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center. Allergies are common among KU students. Yockey said 10 to 25 percent of KU students had allergies.
Allergy awareness
Spring allergy sufferers usually begin to have symptoms between March 25 and April 5, Yockey said.
Both over-the-counter and prescriptions drugs are available for people with allergies. The main difference
"This year the season is late because of the cold weather we have had and the lack of sunshine," he said. "People start experiencing allergies as soon as the lawn mowers start up."
Watkins saw an increase of patients with allergy symptoms last Thursday, he said. Allergy symptoms include sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and clear secretions, he said. The difference between an allergy and an infection such as the common cold is that an infection includes a fever and green or yellow secretions.
"Over-the-counter nose sprays are very addictive," he said. "It is horrible to try to wean someone from them."
between prescription and nonprescription drugs are the side effects that are present with nonprescription drugs. The most common side effect is drowsiness, but some drugs are addictive.
If the directions on the nose spray are followed, the spray is not dangerous, he said. Prescription nose sprays are not addictive.
"Prescription sprays are totally safe," Yockey said. "But they take four or five days to take effect."
About 300 students regularly receive shots for their allergies, he said. Allergy shots take a long time to become effective.
"Shots started today won't help someone until next spring," he said "Shots are a two-year commitment."
Watkins' staff administers shots for free to students, but Watkins does not test students for allergies.
Defeated qualified admissions bill could be reintroduced next session
Kansan staff writer
By Ben Grove
The bill that would have required incoming university students to meet certain entrance qualifications is dead for now — but not forgotten.
This was the first session in 10 years that a qualified admissions bill passed either the
In March, the bill passed the Senate but was stopped in the House by a 61-61 vote. The Senate then quickly amended the qualified admissions bill into another education bill, where it
also later failed to pass the House
there are Regens institutions are not going to vote for it, it's going to be very difficult to push it through," she said.
Qualified admissions supporter State Sen Sandy Prenger, R-Lawrence, said that the legislation was likely to be reintroduced next session but that its future was shaky.
Throughout heated debate this legislative session, qualified admissions opponents argued that all taxpayers should be allowed to attend. This was a challenge of equity and that the requirements were exclusive.
"If members who are from districts where
Supporters argued the universities could no longer afford to provide remedial education to students who were not prepared for college curriculum. They said that qualified admissions was necessary to make the state's universities more competitive.
state rep Betty Jo Charlton, D-Lawrence, who did not support the admissions bills, said a number of arguments against qualified admissions kept it from passing.
Charlton said high school students would not listen to the message qualified admissions supporters said it sent about being better prepared for college. She said legislators should focus on improving K-12 education and not qualified admissions.
New lawmakers, who this year made up a large portion of all legislators in the Statehouse, primarily were responsible for the legislation going so far this session, she said.
State Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, voted in favor of qualified admissions. Ballard, who serves on the House Education Committee, said K-12 education reform now in the works would better prepare students for higher education.
The qualified admissions plan would have required students to have one of the following: a 2.0 grade point average, a cumulative ACT score of 23 or ranking in the top third of their graduating class.
State Rep. Forrest Swall, D-Lawrence, also voted against the omitted admissions bill.
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