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Opinion
University Daily Kansan, March 23, 1983
Advice without consent
At a meeting Monday night or the Student Senate Finance and Auditing Committee, David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, told committee members that what they or the Senate or even the student body said in a referendum about an academic services fee would only be "advice."
"If you add a student referendum as an additional voice or substitution for your advice, that, too, is advice to the chancellor," Ambler said.
Normally, this kind of attitude wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Normally, it's the job of the administration to make University policy, including fiscal policy.
But the academic services fee is not a normal circumstance.
The fee would assess each student
$15 to help pay for library acquisitions, instructional equipment and academic computing. It was proposed by students for basic services students receive — and have a right to expect — because the Kansas Legislature failed in its obligation to provide money for those services.
We are not suggesting that students should oppose the fee. On the contrary, it seems the most sensible route for students to take in their own best interests, but the presumptuousness that a fee may be forced on us "for our own good" is, in this case, patently unfair.
The administration certainly has the power to implement the fee; that does not mean it has the right.
We would hope that at a university that would make a difference.
KU's next basketball coach must learn to watch his step
He's done it again.
Monte Johnson, KU athletic director, barely had time to wipe Dan Farnbrough's blood from his mouth.
Owens was fired Monday as head basketball coach after 19 years at KU; Fambrough had worked at the University for more than 30 years.
Johnson will make the obligatory remarks that he had evaluated the program carefully and had come to a decision, that he's sorry to end the program with the University, that it was time for a change.
Quick, get a recorder. Chances are we'll continue to hear those words until
TRACEE HAMILTON
Johnson has cleared Parrott Athletic Center of everyone he has ever skidred or not approved.
everyone he has ever disliked or not approved of. Johnson took over as athletic director on a Monday in early December. He said he was evaluating the football program and that no decision had been made concerning Fambrough's future. Four days later, he had evaluated an entire program and decided Fam's fate. He is a fast worker, this one.
And the same death knell was played out again this spring. Johnson evaded questions about Owens' future, saying he'd evaluate (his pet word) the program and make a decision. He asked Owens to do an evaluation (see!) of the program in writing. That was the first clue; Johnson had asked Fambrough to do the same thing before the ax fell.
Oh, this is a Wichita alma's dream, folks. The Wichita almases have long felt that Owens should be fired, and they've made no bones about it. Johnson, a KU alum, lived in Wichita then.
And these same simple-minded, shortsighted alums now feel that KU can lure a really big name coach. These folks think the sky's the limit — they want Dean Smith. No, seriously, Dean Smith, North Carolina's ace in the hole for so many seasons.
A lot of you probably don't care that Owens was canned. A lot of you probably feel he deserved it. I love to hear students say they hate Ted Owens. Have you ever met him? Ever seen him. Seen him anywhere but Allen Field House. Of course not. They just hate him. Makes sense.
The Jayhawks had a less than sparkling season this year — that's certainly no secret. They ended the season on a high note, and they had some impressive games. They also had some embarrassing games. They played like a bunch of fishmachin, because basically that's what they are.
So Owens and his assistants went out and recruited, and boy did they pick up some players. Jim Pelton, Curtis Aiken. And then there's Greg Dreiling, patiently waiting for a chance to play again. Kansas will be an awesome team next year.
Dreiling transferred here with the idea that Owens would be his coach. Aiken orally commanded to do the idea that Owens would be Pellon's KU with the idea that Owens would be his coach.
When Fambrough was fired, Johnson thought that coaches would be tripping over their spikes to get to Kansas. He was wrong. Quite simply, the committee had a bell of a time finding someone. Mike Gottfried, the new coach, may be an up and coming leader, but Kansas had a rotten recruiting year. Granted, that's normal with a new coach, but it still hurts the program.
Finding a basketball coach may be a little easier — there's so much talent here it's unbelievable. But any coach that comes to Kansas had better have a thick skin, eyes in the back of his head, and some other career to fall back on.
The University Daily
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Proposed academic fee needed
By LOREN BUSBY
Guest Columnist
Students at the University of Kansas are at a campus regarding fees for next year and the years to come. State appropriations are being cut back, students are having to pay a 20 percent increase in tuition next year, and now students are graduating. Students need to provide more money for academic services.
Last year appropriations from the state had one of the smallest increases in the University's history. This was coupled with the long history of inadequate funding for higher education from the KU administrators were having to make tough decisions in allocating the available money
Shortly after the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1, state officials realized that the tax revenues would be much lower than anticipated. To deal with the problem, the governor made recisions in the budgets of most state agencies. A total of $14.2 million was cut from the Board of Regents budget with KU receiving about a $2.3 million reduction.
In the budget process for academic year 1983-84, the governor recommended making $14.2 million reductions permanent.
Regardless of how it is viewed, higher education is getting the short end of the stick. What is not commonly known is that the 20 percent increase in tuition next year
According to State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence, the amount of money at Regents schools will not increase as much as the amount of money brought in by the tuition increase. Winter said "... the Regents system will take in more than 13.8 million additional dollars from 1983 to 1984. In stark contrast to that increase, however, the increase in all money (State General Fund and tuition/revenue money) in the Regents systems is less than $11 million."
This can be perceived in two ways. One view is that $2 million of the tuition increase is not coming back to the universities; rather it is being appropriated to other state agencies. The second view is that the state contribution to education is being cut back by an additional $500,000 in addition to KU and the other institutions does not look very bright. A further note is that the Kansas House of
As more people affiliated with KU know, our university is woefully underfunded in many areas, and it appears that this year's appropriations will do nothing to solve that problem. Of course, in order to all should be the quality of our libraries, instructional equipment and academic computing.
Representatives passed a budget proposal this past Friday that was well under the governor's approval.
There are many risks in proposing a fee such as this. First, fees have a long history of becoming permanent once implemented. This proposal includes a provision which would require the fee to be automatically discontinued after three years. The administration has indicated its support for this provision, but it is still subject to the Board of Regents approval.
The biggest risk, though, is what the reaction of the Kansas Legislature will be. It is possible the Legislature could include the fee when figuring the University's budget or, even worse, it could take the equivalent amount of money out of the KU budget and reallocate it elsewhere.
All students should rightfully expect that these services be adequately funded through tuition and state appropriations. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These three areas are severely underfunded now, and immediate steps need to taken to rectify the problems.
After conferring with students and administrators, I have introduced to Student Senate a proposal to charge students $15-a-semester academic services fee. This fee would generate about $75,000 in revenue a year which would be allocated for library acquisitions, instructional equipment purchases and assistance for academic computing. The office of academic affairs would appropriate this fee as deemed necessary with the provision that a breakdown of how the fee was allocated would be given to Student Senate.
Like every other student, I am very much opposed to any increase in fees. However, I recognize that fee increases are inevitable. I also realize that by proposing this fee I will not win something on campus, but it is something that I believe most students will see as absolutely necessary.
Of course, the opposite could also happen. Members of the Legislature could be favorably impressed by the students' actions and take into consideration the students' concern. Obviously
we are dealing with many unknowns, and we will be taking a risk whatever decision is made.
Most of us are aware of our university's outstanding reputation throughout the nation and even throughout the world. We would be cutting our own throats by not approving this fee simply for the sake of being as belligerent as the Legislature. Even though money can be restored with relative ease, to regain a high quality education currently have, would like a number of years.
So the decision is up to all of us as students. We can act in spite of the risks and implement the academic services fee, and send the clear message that we are deeply concerned about the quality of our education at KU and that we are willing to do something about it. Or we can stick our collective heads in the sand and be as stubborn and ignorant as the Legislature.
There is also the distinct possibility that the proposal will be placed before the entire student body on a referendum ballot. Thus, the final decision would rest with the student body and not with the Student Senate. This would be the first step because it would such a referendum has taken place. Already many student senators have pledged their support to such a referendum should it pass the Senate.
The chairman of the Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee, State Sen. Paul Hess, R-Wichita, has indicated that he would be favorably impressed if the students of KU imposed a fee upon themselves — realizing the possible risks — to make up for the shortfalls in state money. Hess indicated he would take that into account when considering future budget reallocation, but not but one legislator, but this could be a good indication of what the reaction of others might be.
We have before us two options. We can refuse to pay the extra fee on the basis that we should only have the quality of education that the state provides. We can pay for videos for a mediocre education, then so be it.
Or we can take the other path. Essentially we can take matters into our own hands and make the statement that we care a great deal about the future of our children, so that what we will institute a special fee upon ourselves.
Loren Busby, Hutchinson junior, is a student senator and chairman of the Student Senate Finance and Auditing Committee.
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The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 words. They should include the writer's name, address and phone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, the letter should include his class and home town or faculty or staff position. The Kansan reserves the right to edit or reject letters.
Bob
All good news not good idea
United Press International
By ARNOLD SAWISLAK
WASHINGTON — The Washington Answer Man is with us today and he appears to have a bundle of newspapers and broadcasting scripts under his arm.
Question: What is on your mind today, sir?
Answer Man: Good news. As you must be aware, the president has asked you media folks to devote a week to writing and broadcasting the memoir "The Invention of Survival," learning, awful tidings that you've been trumpeting.
Question: Yes, we all read about the president's proposal. But some us aren't sure why it should be passed.
Answer Man: Precisely why I am here today, my boy. I have been sent to explain to you what breaches and syrupy voices, just how to find out the good news the president was talking about.
Question: Well, that's fine. Go right ahead.
Question: Well, that's fine. Go right ahead.
Answer Man: OK. Now here is a newspaper from early in March. Notice the headline: "Killer storms ravage California coast." Now, that is just the kind of bad news the president sees no reason to emphasize.
If you just look here on the second page, you will see that at the very same time the East Coast was having gorgeous, almost summer-like weather. Why wasn't that the headline? After all, the people in California knew they were having laxy weather and the people in the East didn't need to know it. So why not play up the nice weather in the East and maybe make the folks out West realize that at least someone was getting sunshine?
Question: Fascinating logic, sir. What other examples of good news can you give us?
Question: But sir, that 14 percent represents 11 million people. That's a lot of folks with no pensions.
Answer Man: They know it and your president knows it, young man. And you people have been ignoring the fact that they are getting help. You report new claims for unemployment compensation as if they were bad news. If you think about it, it means all those folks, who would have been employed by the company 10 years ago, will be getting help from their government shortly. Why don't you report that?
Answer Man: The unemployment story is the classic example. Here is a paper and a TV script making a big thing of the fact that 10.4 percent of the work force is unemployed. For heavens sake, how can you jump on a statistic like that when it is obvious that it means 89.6 percent have work?
Question: Well, maybe we are accentuating the negative a bit. What do you suggest in the future?
Answer Man: Start looking at the bright side of things for a change. If a plane crashes, write something about all the airliners that took off and landed without mishap that day. If a government official gets caught taking bribes, report how our system for detecting corruption has worked again. There's good news everywhere, boy.
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Question: But sir, I don't know of any place where the media go to such lengths to report only good things about the government or the economy or the society around it.
Answer Man: That's where you're wrong, sonny. Take a look at Pravda.