CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, January 13: 1993
3
Students echo survey's knock on KU facilities
Classrooms make teaching tough, they say
By Angela Sciara Kansan staff reporter
"It's like walking in a dungeon," he said.
Lee Johnson, Wichita freshman, thinks Malott Hall is old, dark and dirty.
Johnson's opinion mirrored the results of a survey of faculty members conducted by KU's facilities operations and the Teaching Commons, a faculty group that works to improve teaching at the University.
The survey reviewed nearly 200 classrooms in 25 buildings. An overall score for each building was deter- tingly combining individual room ratings.
Malott Hall received the lowest score and was criticized by the survey for its poor ventilation and deteriorating ceilings and floors.
KU students have their own opinions of campus buildings.
Chad Horner, Ottawa sophomore, had an atmospheric science class in Malott. "The ceilings had fallen down and the pipes rattled and made a lot of noise," Horner said.
Another building frequently mentioned was Wescoe Hall.
Cassidi Sporthase, Lincoln, Neb,
sophomore, said Blake Annex was
not pleasing to the eye.
"It's really gross-looking, and it's always dirty," Spohrase said.
Andy Nolan, Hutchinson sophomore, said poor ventilation and small discussion rooms made Wescoe Hall a health hazard.
"Wescco has to be the most disease-infested building on campus," Nolan said.
Bailey Hall also was criticized for its small classrooms, inadequate heating and cooling systems and electrical problems.
Annette Waller, Pittsburgh junior,
said she never felt comfortable in any
of the clubs.
Dana Palmer, Wichita senator, said mishaats at Bailey were common.
"You either freeze or sweat to death," Waller said.
During one class, her teacher plugged in a television and sparks shot out of the outlet, she said.
On another occasion, a teacher was giving a presentation to the class with the help of a chalkboard, when technical difficulties cut him short.
"The blackboard fell apart and collapsed to the floor." Palmer said.
Maintenance problems such as these are only part of the reason for a proposal to relocate the School of Education, said John Poggio, associate dean of education, psychology and research.
Poggio listed lack of proper facilities and office space for graduate assistants as reasons the department has been forced to move Pearson Hall to be their future home.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Inefficient heating and a lack of left-handed desks in some campus buildings were among the top complaints voiced by KI faculty members in a recent survey.
More may qualify for aid
Upper-middle-class families may benefit
By Dan England Kansan staff writer
More than 600 KU students who did not qualify for financial aid last year stay now be eligible because of changes made on the federal Higher Education Act, said Diane Del Buono, financial aid director.
The changes were made during the authorization of the act, which was originally passed in 1965 to give money to universities for financial
"The new system is more generous in how it treats family income." Del piao said, and now almost all families have a good chance to qualify.
She said KU had a large population of students from upper-middle-class families, which would be helped by the new legislation.
Through the new program, students will be able to borrow money themselves; the old act required parents to borrow for the students.
"This will help those independent students with parents who aren't going to help financially," Del Buono said.
Independent students who borrow through the new program must pay interest on the loans in school. Dependent students who are borrowing money do not have to pay interest on their loans until after graduation, she said.
Last year all students were required to pay off interest while attending school.
However, the law made it tougher
for those who are married with no children to qualify for a loan. It lowered the annual income amount those couples can earn and still be eligible for aid. Del Buono said.
And even though more students are able to get a loan, the amount of money available for those loans decreased this year. she said.
That means more people will be competing for the money available. Belouo said she would encourage students to apply, especially if they are in need of a large loan.
"We are going to be busier than ever before," she said, "and students may not get the money they need if they don't apply soon."
The deadline for application for priority consideration is March 1. Priority consideration is the best way to increase one's chances of getting a loan, Del Buono said.
New computer lab opens
Bv Will Lewis
Because of a newly opened computer lab in Ellsworth Hall, Daisy Hill residents are never far away from access to a computer.
"We've been wanting some remote labs out where the students live to reduce the travel," said Ken Stoner, director of student housing.
Kansan staff writer
Before the new lab opened yesterday, students had the option of walking to KU's computer center or using the computers at each hall's academic resource center.
The computers at the resource centers were often busy because the centers did not have enough terminals to accommodate everyone, said Todd Jensen, a senior resident
The new lab houses 3 Macintosh LC II units, seven Image Writer printers and two laser printers. The computers will be networked with other servers on campus, Jensen said.
"It's just another one of the benefits the housing system is trying to give to the students," he said and added that it would reduce the demand for computers at the computer center.
Sarah Bevermeyer, Hiawatha freshman, said, "It's going to be helpful for the residents on the hill so we don't have to go on campus to get our papers done."
Rachel G. Thompson / KANSAN
The lab is staffed by 11 student assistants, each an on-campus resident.
Students prepare for a new semester by gathering textbooks at the KU Bookstore in the Kansas Union. Many students waited until after classes began yesterday to begin buying books.
assistant at Ellsworth.
It is located in the space previously occupied by Ellsworth's cafeteria. The housing department closed the cafeteria because of plans to construct the Daisy Hill Dining Commons, which is scheduled to open next fall.
Jerry Niebaum, director of academic computing, said the equipment and software cost about $100.000. Funding was provided by the office of telecommunications, he said.
Stoner said $10,000 was spent on installing new walls, doors and electrical wiring to accommodate the new center.
Buying books
Law students, staff toast school's birthday
Law students and faculty celebrated that occasion yesterday in the first-floor lobby of Green Hall. About 100 students, faculty and staff members ate cake and made a toast to the school's first 100 years.
When the law department at the University of Kansas opened in October of 1878, it had only five students and no library. By 1893, the department had grown enough for the Board of Regents to make the department a full-fledged school.
By Todd Selfert
Kansan staff writer
“It’s like celebrating a birthday,” said Bob Jerry, dean of the School of Law. “We’re using the occasion to remember the tradition of our school, to remember where we’ve come
Jerry said the school planned several activities through Fall 1993, including several dinners featuring speakers.
Some of the activities include classroom visits later this spring by James Logan and Deanell Tacha, both judges of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Tacha, KU's vice chancellor for academic affairs from 1981 to 1985, and Logan, dean of law from 1962 to 1968, also will conduct colloquiums on various subjects.
Jeff Kennard, Lawrence second-year law student, said students
from. It shows that our school has prospered over the past 100 years."
"Students spend three years here," he said. "There have been thousands of others who have come through the program and survived it. I think it's good for our students now to know that they aren't the first ones and that they won't be the last."
Jerry said the school, by the fall of 1992, had grown to 546 students and its library held about 350,000 volumes.
Law students needed to understand the school's history, he said.
Kelly McCaffrey, Leawood first-year law student, said she thought the school's reputation because of its first century improved because of high standards set for students by the school's faculty.
"Hopefully, we can continue to build on that success for the next 100
years." Kennard said.