University Daily Kansan / Monday, Aug. 28, 1989
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KU health fee rises to $69.50
By Bryan Swan Kansan staff writer
Perhaps the rising cost of health care should be added to death and taxes as another of life's certainties.
The student health fee, included in tuition, increased from $68 to $69.50 this semester. The health fee is also the largest privilege fee students pay, said James E. Strobl, director of student health services. He said the increase was one of several measures implemented at Watkins Memorial Health Center to cover rising costs.
The increase was caused by estimated Watkins losses for this fiscal year.
"Our budget projection for fiscal year 1990 indicated we would take a loss of $321,000," said Ray Walters, associate director of student health services. "On March 22, 1989, we
presented this information to the Student Seenate Finance Committee and requested a $7 increase in the student health fee."
Walters said all the fiscal information was not available at the time and the finance committee was reluctant to grant the full increase.
Strobil said students would continue to receive quality health care at affordable prices without a sacrifice of key personnel.
"We have one of the most highly trained staffs right now, in terms of numbers, that I've ever seen." Strobi said.
The increased student health fee will raise most of the money Watkins needs this year, Strobl said. The remainder would come from service charges and new user fees.
"We will take in about $4 million in revenue this year; $3 million is from the student health fee and $1 million
is from charges for lab tests, the pharmacy, X-rays and things like that." Strobi said. "We are trying to be the best custodians of student money that we can."
Anide from increasing the student health fee, Strobl said user fees are the fairest way to raise revenue.
Another change is the introduction of new business hours. Formerly, a student could receive care 24 hours a day. Starting this semester, the urgent care clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.
"We're trying to switch more to charge, and let those being tagged know."
The new hours are in response to being unable to get the full $7 student health fee increase, Walters said.
"We had to make adjustments," he said. "The cost of malpractice insurance doubled from $4,900 in February
to $10,150. There was also increased personnel costs."
Strobil said that reduced hours at night also allowed for better care during the day when students need it the most.
The new hours also involve closing during Christmas and Spring Breaks.
Strobil said students and staff are both forced to sacrifice in the face of the crisis.
"We see 250 to 400 patients Strobi said. "It will be a natural advantage to have additional staff here to assist the doctors. The new hours give us five to six more nurses."
"We're trying to become more efficient too. Some of it (cost cutting) was covered by no full salary increases. Instead of 8 percent we went with 4 percent. We cut our expenses and watch our daily expenditures very closely."
Budget decisions at Watkins are made by using input from Student Senate's student health advisory board, Watkins staff members and University administration.
Crossing gates installed at site of fatal accident
By Stacy Smith
Kansan staff writer
More than two years after a railroad crossing accident left four KU students dead, an electric warning system has been installed at the site north of Lawrence.
The project was completed this summer after much concern was expressed by railroad officials and by the victims' families.
How the accident occurred
Tom Hall, public projects engineer for Union Pacific Railroad, said that two additional systems would be installed at Lawrence area crossings as well by the end of the year, at a cost of $100,000 to $110,000 each.
One of the planned sites is the Riverfront Park crossing where a Haskell Indian Junior College student injured in an accident last spring.
"If everything goes according to plan, that's fine. If the latter part of next month," Hall sat.
Source: Kansan reports
KANSAN Graphic
He said the other warning system would be installed at a crossing on Township Road 417, one mile east of the Lawrence city limits.
Ninety percent of the cost of the crossing gates for the three locations will be financed by the federal government, 5 percent by Union Pacific and 5 percent by Douglas County, Hall said.
Jared Grantham, father of one of the KU students who was killed, said that he thought two years was too long to wait for action to be taken...
your priorities," Grantham said. "If the gates had been there on March 27, 1987, that accident would not have happened."
At the time of the accident, only a crossbuck sign designated the railroad crossing.
The students were traveling to a Chi Omega sorority party at Laptad Barn, west of the tracks.
Those killed in the crash were Jennifer Jones, St. Louis freshman; Elizabeth Dunlap, Salina junior; Daniel McDevitt, Salina sophomore; and Joel Granttham, Overland Park sophomore.
nating engineer, said that a two-year waiting period to have electric warning systems installed was not long compared to nation-wide figures. Only 200 Kansas crossings, ranked in order of priority, can be updated each year, Cathcart said.
Strong post office closes on Friday New facilities move to Union
By Dave Wakefield
Kansan staff writer
Students looking for the campus post office can skip a trip to Strong Hall and head for the Kansas Union.
A new post office in the union, scheduled to open today, will replace the KU Substation located in Strong Hall, which closed Friday at 1 p.m.
The new center, which will be located on the fourth floor between the information/candy counter and Maupintour Travel Service, will offer most services provided by the Strong Hall post office and will be open longer hours. Jim Long, director of the Kansas and Burge Unions, said that the center would be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
All stamp denominations, express mail services and most package services will be available at the center, Long said. Stamps, but no services, will continue to be available at the Burge Union's information counter, he said.
Post office boxes will no longer be available on campus, and students must mail multiple overseas parcels at any Lawrence post office, said Bill Reynolds. Lawrence postmaster.
The drop boxes in Strong Hall will remain, and there will be an express mailbox added, with pick-up times about the same as before, he said. Mall is now picked up at 4:30 p.m. in Strong Hall.
The Strong Hall Substation, which was open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., was closed because of budget pressures and to bring mail service at KU in line with other universities, Reynolds said.
"By contracting with the Union to operate a postal center, we will save about $1,000 a month," he said. Contract centers are now standard practice by the U.S. Postal Service at most colleges and universities, he said.
"D
By contracting with the Union to operate a postal center, we will save about $1,000 a month."
Bill Reynolds
Lawrence postmaster
Under the contract arrangement, the U.S. Postal Service pays the University to operate a postal center on campus, Reynolds said. The Union will staff the center, and the post office will train the employees, he said.
"There is usually a difference in pay scale so the University can run the station cheaper than the Postal Service could," he said.
Long said he doubted that the new center would break even under the arrangement and added that other revenue producing areas within the Union would cover any operating losses incurred.
Reynolds said the new post office should benefit students. Although it is hard to measure, more people seem to use the Union than Strong Hall, he said.
Helen Harrell, manager of the information center, said, "The biggest complaint I got on a daily basis was that there was no post office in the Union, so this has got to make somebody happy," she said. "We're here for the convenience of the students, so I'm really glad to see the post office come in here."
Mail delivery to all campus buildings will change because of the new arrangement, Reynolds said. Mail will be delivered about two hours earlier to campus buildings but about two hours later to residence halls, he said.
"The students are usually at class during the day, so by delivering to the dorms later, we are able to deliver to campus offices earlier," he said.