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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, February 16, 1993
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February Sisters celebrate 21 years
Program to honor anniversary, changes in women's movement
By Jess DeHaven Kansan staff writer
On Feb. 4, 1972, 20 women took over a campus building and demanded greater equality for their gender.
The February Sisters caused many people at the University to look at women and their concerns in a new light. Theirs was a significant contribution to the realm of women's activism at KU, which has evolved in its issues and methods during the past two decades.
A program at 7 tonight at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., will commemorate the 21st anniversary of the February Sisters. A panel of women from various organizations will discuss changes in the women's movement.
The February Sisters was formed in February 1972 after a group of women who had attended a lecture by feminist Robin Morgan met to express their concerns and dissatisfaction with the University.
They agreed that changes had to be made, and on that February night, 20 women and four children took over the East Asian studies building, 1332 Louisiana St., and barricaded themselves inside for 13 hours.
Sylvia Stone, receptionist in the women's studies program, has been active in women's issues in Lawrence for about 20 years. She said many people had misconceptions about the February Sisters.
not exactly your radical fringe," Stone said. "But in their time they were considered activists and probably would still be considered so today."
"They were secretaries, students and wives of faculty.
Many of their demands have been met during the past 20 years.
The University now has an affirmative action program and a women's studies program. Hilltop Child Development Center, which is financed partially by the University, opened in 1972. Improvements have been made in women's health care at Watkins Memorial Health Center, and more women hold positions of authority in the University system.
Stone said that during the years she had seen a shift in the focus of women's issues.
"It seems to me that back then people were more interested in equal pay for equal work and child and health care," Stone said. "I think we still want the same things, but the focus has changed to stopping hate crimes against women and maybe getting women in positions of power."
Margaret Hu, Manhattan senior and president of the KU chapter of the National Organization for Women, said that not only had the issues changed but also that the methods of protest had.
"I think that what the February Sisters did was appropriate for their time, but now the focus is more on change through the political system," Hu said.
She said she expected that people in the future might return to some of the methods used by groups such as the
Robin Morgan, whose speech 21 years ago spurred the formation of the February Sisters, returned to KU last year to commemorate the February Sisters' 20th anniversary.
"If things don't change, something like that could happen again." He said.
Student Union, said that although some changes had been made, women still had a long way to go.
Michaela Hayes, Dallas junior and member of Women's
"I think that unfortunately things haven't changed as much as we like to think," Hayes said. "We do have a women's studies program, better health care at Watkins and other resources, but there are still rapes, and we still don't have adequate child care." We're still fighting."
KANSAN file photo
Christina Leonard, founder of the February Sisters, talked about the development of a campus child-care center during a 1972 press conference at the Kansas Union.
Enrollment-time rescheduling moves out of registrar's office into rotunda
Kansan staff writer
Students who need to reschedule enrollment times this spring will be able to do so at a table in the rotunda of Strong Hall during main enrollment.
In the past, those who wanted to change their enrollment times to a later date had to wait in line at the registrar's office with other students who needed transcripts, change of address or verification of enrollment for their insurance.
Rich Morrell, University registrar,
said that moving the enrollment
rescheduling line to the rotunda
would expedite the change of enrollment times and also would shorten
the lines for people at the registrar's office.
"It's just one of those things we are trying to do to make things go faster," Morrell said. "It won't speed up anything except for the amount of time a student will have to stand in line. And if we accomplish that, then we've done something worthwhile."
His office yesterday announced the decision to move the change of enrollment location.
Morrell said about 2,000 students requested new enrollment times last semester because of scheduling conflicts with classes or work.
Enrollment times appear on the permit to enroll that students receive in the mail prior to enrollment. Previously, the registrar's office applied a sticker over the old time and stamped it with a new time to change it. Beginning this semester, times will be changed in a similar manner but at the
rotunda.
"The frustrating thing for the students was knowing that all we had to do was peel off a sticker and put it on their permit to诲," he said.
Enrollment changes will be made at the same table where students pick up their KUID stickers after enrolling. One registrar's office employee will be handing out stickers to students who present their class schedules, and another employee will be changing enrollment times.
Brenda Selman, assistant registrar for enrollment services, stressed that changes in enrollment times always were made for later dates.
"It's not like you can come up and get a new time that is sooner," she said. "But the sooner you come up and request a new time, the more choices there are available."
Faculty protest elimination of visual arts degree
By Dan England Kansan staff writer
The proposed elimination of the doctorate in visual arts education was the only degree contested of the three being reviewed at a public hearing last night.
The hearings, conducted by the Committee of Academic Procedures and Policies of University Council, gave those concerned a chance to speak out against the elimination of the three degrees, including the B.S. in toxicology and the B.A. in history and philosophy of science.
the visual arts education program, protested the elimination of the doctoral program, which has six students.
Pat Villeneuve, assistant professor of art, and George Jervick, head of
Jerkovich said he saw a lot of growth potential for the degree because of the recent hiring of some strong faculty in the program..
Villeneuve proposed a three-to-five year waiting period to the committee before deciding whether to eliminate the degree. Villeneuve said she knew of at least one student who was planning to start work on her doctorate at the University next fall.
"KU has the potential to lose a few good students if this program is eliminated," she said.
David Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said certain degrees — such as the doctorate in visual arts education — were recommended for elimination because the University did not have enough money to hire enough
instructors for the program.
"In three to five years the Ph.D. will likely be in the same situation as it is now," he said.
The room was silent when committee members asked whether anyone wished to speak on the proposed elimination of the B.S. in toxicology. The committee did not expect any protest because no students or faculty have been directly involved in the program for a few years.
"This was a program with no major," said Elias Michaels, head of the department. "It was never really operative."
Don Marquis, professor of philosophy, said that although it probably made sense for KU to eliminate the B.A. in history and philosophy of science, it saddened him that KU was losing the richness of diversity.
"What has happened tonight should trouble any thoughtful and reflective person," he said.
Liquor-store owner thwarts robbery, chases thief away
According to police, the 26-year-old entered Koleber Retail Liquor, 1805 W. Second St., at 10:15 p.m. He approached the cash register, pulled out a handgun and demanded Ernest Koleber, the store's owner and clerk on duty, give him the money.
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Koleber, who served as a Douglas County sheriff from 1961 to 1964, gave the man $325 and then knocked the gun out of the suspect's hand.
The suspect grabbed the gun off the floor and fled the building.
A Lawrence man was arrested Friday in connection with an aggravated robbery in a North Lawrence liquor store owned by a former sheriff.
Police found the suspect when they stopped a vehicle near Ninth and Illinois streets.
Koleber grabbed his own handgun from under the counter and followed the man into the parking lot. Koleber fired the gun twice, but he did not hit anyone, police said.
Environmental lecture to be given at Spencer
Steven Hamburg, director of the environmental studies program, will address environmental issues in a speech at 8 tonight in the Spencer Museum of Art auditorium.
Consensus or Confrontation, "is the sixth annual James E. Seaver Lecture on Continuing Issues in Western Civilization.
Hamburg will discuss the disagreement among people on how to approach environmental problems.
"People have different underlying assumptions regarding environmental issues," he said. "An environmentalist has a different viewpoint than an engineer."
The speech, "The Environment:
"We have to ask the question, 'Are we striving to survive as a species or trying to protect all species?'
Wescoe Hall structure sound, engineers say
Wescoe Hall does not have any structural problems, said soils and
structural engineers Friday after examining the building's first floor
But faculty who have offices in the southeast part of Wescoe complained of fire sprinkler bursting out of the ceilings and walls looking as if they were holding back a river's current — ready to burst.
Mike Richardson, director of facilities operations at the University of Kansas, said moisture had entered under the foundation of the southeast part of the building. Aslab of the foundation has created problems with the walls and ceilings, which are not supporting parts of the building.
Building occupants are not in danger, he said.
"Cosmetically, it's a terrible problem. " Richardson said. "As far as
safety with people in the building, no. it's not a problem."
"The only problem is just a matter of convenience and aesthetics," he said, referring to some offices having trouble with doors not fitting in their frames and warping walls and ceilings.
Jack Healey, graduate teaching assistant in English, said his office looked as if it had experienced an earthquake.
"It looks like a rippled sidewalk in San Francisco after an earthquake," he said, pointing to the ceiling.
Richardson said the slab would be tested during spring break. The slab may have to be removed to stabilize the area.
Briefs compiled by Kansan staff writers Will Lewis, Mark Kleier and Vicki Bode.