CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, April 6, 1994
5
Student's proposal could add sign language to curriculum
By Susan White Kansan staff writer
Kim Kasick hopes that her thesis will encourage the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to make sign language classes count as foreign language classes.
"I started researching the subject for myself," said Kasick, Lawrence senior. "Now I hope my paper will convince the college to allow students to take a proficiency exam in American sign language to use toward abachelor of arts degree."
Sally Roberts, project coordinator for the department of special education, said Kasick would turn in her paper to a department committee. The committee will use the information from the paper to submit a proposal to the college.
"Our concern is that we need to send a really solid document so that the school will understand why the issue should be considered," Roberts said.
Kasick said that if the proposal passed, students would need a fourth-semester-level proficiency in American sign language to fulfill the foreign language requirements. They need to
be able to communicate in an expressive manner and to have some knowledge of the sign language community, she said.
"Not a lot of students will have the grounds to pass the test right away," Kasick said. "They will have to take more classes that are not available at KU right now."
However, she said, both Johnson County Community College and Lawrence Parks and Recreation offer some sign language classes.
Kasick said that the exam would test students only on American, not English, sign language. American sign language has a more conceptual meaning for each sign than English, she said.
"One American sign could stand for a whole sentence," she said.
Kasick said the college now had a sign language interpretation training program that offered sign language classes to everyone inside and outside the program — but only during the summer.
Kasick said that she had contacted several colleges across the United States to get information for her research.
"I talked to all the campuses for the University of California, the University of Texas and the University of New Mexico to see what they did to get their sign language programs into the college curriculum," she said. "I have gotten all the proposals that groups from each school submitted to their universities."
Michael Shuttic, assistant director for the Student Assistance Center, said students with learning disabilities were the main group that had expressed an interest to him about allowing sign language to fulfill the foreign language requirement.
"They got together last year and took their case to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, but they were turned down," he said. "They have a difficult time in regular foreign language classes and feel it would be easier for them to learn sign language."
Kasick said that approval of the proficiency exam would be just the first step in developing the sign language program.
"If the idea passes, then we can try to get m ore classes at the University," she said.
'Ball game' for faculty salaries still on
By Stephen Martino Kansan staff writer
The Kansas Legislature's apparent lack of support for the Partnership for Excellence has disappointed University of Kansas faculty and administrators, but, as the Board of Regents executive director said, "The ball game ain't over vet."
"The Partnership for Excellence is dead," Chancellor Gene Budig said. "Nevertheless, the University must address the faculty compensation issue in the immediate future or face serious faculty turnover."
The Partnership for Excellence was a Regents proposal to increase faculty salaries. It called for increasing state support for higher education in addition to raising tuition at all Regents universities. The salary increases would have been implemented over a three-year period and would have increased salaries to 100 percent of the average of each school's peer institutions.
The rejection of the partnership plan would have a detrimental effect on the faculty, said T.P. Srinivasan, professor of mathematics and head of the University Senate Executive Committee.
"Because hopes were so high, and because we need this plan, I think this could be a serious erosion of faculty morale," he said. "However, I am hopeful that faculty salary increases would still get funded."
The Regents budget is being negotiated today in a joint House/Senate conference. The two chambers voted on different budgets and must work on a single piece of legislation on which both can agree. The Senate version allowed about $10 million to be
allocated for faculty salaries.
Lindy Eakin, associate executive vice chancellor, said that the Senate version would mean about a 7 percent salary increase. He said that the House had voted for only a 3 percent increase.
The three-year approach probably hurt the partnership more than anything else, said Stephen Jordan, Regents executive director.
"I don't think the Legislature thought we thought through the tuition levels at each school carefully enough," he said.
The partnership called for varying tuition increases, from 5 to 9 percent for in-state students and 13 percent for out-of-state.
"While the issue of the partnership is dead, people realize that faculty salary increases is still an important issue," Jordan said.
KU Men's Soccer club
presents Soccer kickoff'94
April 10 5-close Domestic Pitchers $3 USA -vs- Bolivia USA -vs- S. Korea On the BIG screen TV!
Before the party come see KU Men's soccer club play Baker University at Robinson East! Game starts at 2:30
Raffle for 2 world cup tickets! 18 & older admitted $3 cover to benefit KU Men's soccer club
5th Annual
HALO Presents
Hispanics of Today Conference
"Leaders of Today Working for a Better Tomorrow: Juntos Podemos!"
University of Kansas
April 8-10,1994
Featured Keynote Speakers Include:
Raul Yzaguirre
President, National Council of La Raza
Dr. Samuel Betances Professor of Sociology, Northeastern Illinois University Father Valladolid Wolf
■Esther Valladolid Wolf
■Executive Director, Richard Cabot Clinic
Workshops Include
AIDS in the Latino Community Leadership and Governance: Will Hispanics Lead and Govern in the 90's or Will They Follow and Be Governed
- Developing the Hispanic Student on Campus
- Has la Raza Moved to Levittown? Choosing Between Leadership and Management
Financing Your Education
Attitude and Preparation Skills Required to Enter the Workforce The Schoolhouse or the Jailhouse: Education and the Status of Latinos in the New Millennium
Application and Admission to College
Social Events
Fri. April 8th Mexican Dance featuring La Manana Band 8:00pm-12midnight
Sat. April 9th Latin Dance featuring Caribe 9:00pm-1:30am Tickets available at SUA Dances held at Kansas Union Ballroom
Formore information Office of Minority Affairs (913) 864-4351 and ask for
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