University Daily Kansan, March 6, 1984
Speech
Page 5
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number of civil rights cases the court had heard in the last 30 years.
O'Connor said her grandfather spent much of his life in Kansas but decided to move to Arizona after retiring. If he had stayed, she said, she might have grown up in the state.
"I might well have been born a Kansan," she said.
Most of O'Connor's speech was devoted to an explanation of the court's docklet and the different types of cases that appear on the docklet.
Of the 150 or so cases the court hears each term, O'Connor said, only about 25 are criminal cases. That number has remained constant since the 1960s, she said.
MUCH OF THE COURT'S civil docket is
"The criminal procedure docket seems to have a life of its own." she said.
rather routine, she said. Many involve disputes of general federal law, labor law and tax law.
Enroll
O'Connor said the main reason the court heard so many of these cases was that decisions by U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal often differed. Because more than one U.S. Circuit Court hears appeals, she said, decisions often do not agree on similar cases.
"As the saying goes — two lawyers, three opinions," she said.
THE NUMBER OF some kinds of cases have remained constant over the years, she said, but some new areas have developed because of changes in society. Civil rights cases are an example of this, she said, as are environmental protection cases and cases involving claims of cruel and unusual punishment resulting from the death penalty.
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predicted enrollment decline and that they had taken steps to maintain enrollment at the University.
"WHAT HAPPENED WAS that the University became more aggressive in making itself look more attractive to non-traditional students and making classes available off-campus." Thompson.
"They could see the writing on the wall back then — that there weren't going to be very many high school seniors because there weren't enough children born at the appropriate time.
"Recognizing that there would be fewer high school seniors in the pool of college-bound people, the University looked at other people who might want to go to school."
One such attempt to attract non-traditional students was the easy access program, Thompson said. The easy access program, started in fall 1983, was designed to make classes at the University more available to Lawrence residents. The program is now called community enrollment. In its first semester, the program attracted about 90 people.
"Through easy access, a townsperson just taking a course doesn't have to go through the whole enrollment procedure." Thompson said. "It's walk-in enrollment."
THE STREAMLINED ADMISSIONS procedure of community enrollment allows Lawrence residents who are not seeking degrees to enroll without presenting a transcript or taking an ACT test, and with a minimum amount of paperwork, Thompson said.
"If the University had continued its merry way of just going out and looking at new freshmen, our enrollment probably would have dropped." Thompson said.
KU also started off-campus programs at the Regents Center in Overland Park and at the Capitol Complex Center in Topeka to attract students.
Members of the fifth- and sixth-sixth choir from Broken Arrow Elementary School, 2704 Louisiana St. perform on the second
floor rotunda of the Capitol in Topeka. The group performed yesterday as a part of Music In Our Schools Week. Jim McCranan/KARGAN
Groups say high court ruling favored Christian symbolism
By United Press International
WASHINGTON — Religious and civil liberties groups said that a Supreme Court ruling that lets cities erect native scenes allowed government to favor one faith's symbols.
But officials of Pawtucket, R.I., where the case originated, are already planning to celebrate Christmas this year by erecting their controversial creche.
The Rev. Dean Kelley of the National Council of Churches said that the court had "regressed from important principles of religious liberty" by allowing the government to "sponsor religious symbols of one particular faith.
"The most sacred symbols of any faith should not be appropriated by the civil communities ... into being merely the emblems of a "secular folk festival" on the same level as Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Kley said.
Burt Neubear, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ruling "is part of an obvious movement by the court towards a more sympathetic view of government involvement in religion."
The court said yesterday in a 5-4 ruling that the Constitution did not require "complete separation of church and state" and did not prevent local governments from buying and erecting a creche depicting the birth of Christ.
Chief Justice Warren Burger, writing for the majority, said, "Display of the creche is no more an advancement or endorsement or religion than the exhibition of literally hundreds of religious paintings in governmentally supported museums."
The ruling, which drew sharp criticism from the four dissenters, allows Pawtucket to buy back a creche it sold two years ago and display it on public property during Christmas. Cities nationwide now may also erect the symbol.
BY ERIKA BLACKSHER
New Democratic group forms at KU
Staff Reporter
KU students last week formed a political organization to fill the void created last year when KU Young Democrats disbanded.
The organization. College Young Democrats, was organized to provide an outlet for political participation and expression, said Kirstin Buterbaugh, Shawnee freshman and president of the group.
"We need to get students involved in the political process — no matter which party preference," she said.
The group's central goals, she said, are to heighten political awareness and to increase public engagement.
students in the congressional race. The group hopes to stay active during non-election years by registering students to vote, bringing speakers to campus and campaigning during congressional races, Buterbaugh said.
"By being a registered voter and keeping informed we can't just be bystanders," she said.
san.
The group plans to help sponsor a voter registration drive on campus in March or April.
Apth.
Allan Cigler, adviser of both the defunct group and of the new group, said that KU Young Democrats disbanded because of students' lack of interest in the Democratic Party.
Party. "There has been a general decline of interest in politics and especially Democratic politics," he said.
nat decline is due partly to the lack of inspirational candidates who have run on the Democratic ticket, he said.
Democratic candidates but a change in the type of Democratic candidates running this year might get students reacting again, Gigler said.
John Feverly, vice president and treasurer of the group, said that the absence of a democratic group on campus had caused an imbalance of political ideas.
"we want to provide democratic options so we can have an equally represented school," he said.
Jeff Polack, president of KU College Republicans, said he welcomed the political counterpart and hoped to work closely with them.
then, "I think they'll be very helpful in getting speakers and possibly a forum of candidates on campus," he said.
Polack also stressed the importance of getting students involved in the political process despite party preference.
despite party parity. The Democratic group, which met for the first time on a week ago, is working on a constitution and securing funds
situation and securing funds.
Butburcha said KU Young Democrates received some financing from the local Democratic organization.
Democratic organization However, members of the new group said they were reluctant to be too closely linked with the local group.
"We want to maintain our autonomy. Buterburgh said.
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