THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013
SCIENCE
PAGE 9A
ASSOCIATED PRESS
$100
vide
I KAITIYN KLEIN
In this Dec. 1, 2009, file photo provided by Aurora Expeditions, an inflatable boat carries tourists past an iceberg along the Antarctic Peninsula. The U.S. government shutdown is threatening a long-awaited deal to create the world's largest marine sanctuary in Antarctica. Americans are among the biggest supporters of the proposal, but they might not make it to the negotiating table. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry joined his counterparts from other nations in calling for the sanctuary to proceed.
But the U.S. had apparently already suspended travel plans for its delegation. If they don't make it, the proposal probably will be put on hold until next year at least.
kklein@kansan.com
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Government reopens, Antarctic research yet to thaw
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Though Congress approved a deal to end the government shutdown last night, the effects of the shutdown are still being felt by researchers at the University and across the country who should be preparing for a trip to Antarctica.
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The U.S. Antarctic Program, funded by the National Science Foundation, moved to "caretaker status" earlier this month as a result of the government shutdown.
Caretaker status means that the staff on the program was reduced to a minimum, only focusing on maintaining safety and government property. According to a statement posted online by officials at the USAP, "all field and research
activities not essential to human safety and preservation of property will be suspended"
Kevin Boatright, director of communications for the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, said that these research projects are affected, and some projects might not happen at all.
This research is especially vulnerable because research in Antarctica can only be done during the summer season between October and January.
"Time is precious," Boatright said. "You don't just get on a plane from Lawrence to Antarctica - it takes time to get there and get equipment there."
Though Boatright said the researchers are hopeful that now that the government is up and
running and it will allow their projects to resume, it will still take time for the NSF to prioritize projects and get things moving again.
David Braaten, the deputy director of the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, said he is uncertain of what is next for the project he is working with, which measures ice sheets and how the change in ice sheets will affect sea level.
He said that it's no longer possible for his team to complete all of their research in Antarctica and that he hopes to complete at least a portion of what was originally planned.
"If we got 70 to 80 percent that would be really, really good," Braaten said. "When the government opens back up, and
things start to move again, it might still be another week or so before we find out who's going to get to go."
Because of the uncertainty of the timeline, Braaten and his team haven't made decisions on where they will curtail their research or how they will proceed.
"Not having as many days makes it more risky for everything," Braaten said.
Another unpredictable factor prevents them from making those decisions early - the weather.
The project was already underway and equipment was in the process of being sent, to the site, but the researchers were set to arrive in mid-November.
Braaten and his colleagues weren't expecting it to affect their
research, but without an approved budget, the NSF was forced to halt funding.
"It's such a colossal waste of money," Braaten said. "You're committing to lots of resources and lots of people and all that gets wasted."
The government shutdown came at the worst time for Antarctic research, Braaten said.
"If this becomes a common thing is this country, it'll destroy Antarctic research." Bratten said. "So that's a little scary."
— Edited by Sarah Kramer
TERMS TO KNOW
NSF • National Science Foundation, funded by the federal government
USAP • United States Antarctic Program, funded by NSF
CReSIS * Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, established by NSF. The University of Kansas serves as lead research department for CReSIS, a center that aims to develop technology to predict and respond to changing sea levels based on ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
CAMPUS
— source: cresis.ku.edu
Student Senate passes accessibility resolution
ROBERT PYATT
rryatt@kansan.com
The Student Senate passed a resolution late last Wednesday to urge the University in creating a new handicapped-accessible entrance to the front of Strong Hall, which will replace the current entrance at the back of the building.
The resolution, which was passed unanimously with more than 50 senate sponsors, marks a key victory for student accessibility for Strong Hall, as well as across campus.
Strong Hall has been criticized by some for not having a more convenient location for its handicapped-accessible entryway. Now with the combined efforts of Student Senate and the University's AbleHawks and Allies coalition, students and faculty who have disabilities will be able to enter one of the University's most iconic buildings through the front.
The issue of Strong Hall's accessibility has been an issue that the senate has been wanting to address for quite some time, but the architectural integrity of the historic building has caused problems in the past.
"Currently, there is only an accessible entrance in the back of the building, so it is technically compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the University has stated that it has a strong commitment to diversity and what wants to go above and beyond what the law requires, yet that is not reflected in Strong Hall", said Drew Harger, a junior from McPherson, who co-authored the resolution.
"There are very strict guidelines for what you can or cannot do to historical buildings. Our architecture firm has worked with the National Register of Historic Places before and they have concluded that the proposed entrance will not tamper with the existing architecture of the building," said Erin Howard, a junior from Liberty, Mo and coauthor of the resolution. "There are five historical buildings on campus and all of them have been fitted with accessible entrances, so Strong Hall is behind all of those."
"We're very happy to support this resolution," said Mary Rasnak, director of the Academic Achievement and Access Center. "This is going to be a wonderful step for accessibility on campus."
The resolution passed by the Senate reflects a long-time trend of students and faculty who have expressed frustration with the current entrance.
Although the present entrance meets Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, it really is separate and unequal. As a wheelchair user, it just doesn't seem right to me to have to enter through the back of the building," said Dot Nary, a research associate with the Research and Training Center on Independent Living. "It seems to send a message to all campus members that wheelchair users as a class of people are not as equal as others."
The renovated entrance is planned to replace an existing window next to the current Strong Hall entrance,
which will prevent any major permanent changes to the current architecture of one of KU's oldest buildings on campus.
After performing an extensive survey of students on campus, the senate found that one of the largest concerns was in the area of accessibility.
"When we were seeing if this was actually an issue people were worried about, we gave a survey to the full student senate, and the results were incredible. They showed that many people consider accessibility as a major issue," Howard said.
"I think this is our duty to do this while we have the ability to do it," said Harger. "This will have a lasting impact on not only current students, but on generations of students. Every time a prospective student
Work is planned to begin in June 2014, the same time as the newest additions to the Jayhawk Boulevard reconstruction project.
The resolution is currently in circulation to gain signatures and letters of support from various areas of the university, including the office of the Chancellor, Provost, as well as the Student Achievement and Access Center, among others.
looks at Strong Hall and doesn't know how they can even get into the building, that's one less student, one less faculty member, one less staff member that will go to KU"
"KU has been successful at obtaining much funding for disability-related research. That is another reason why it should set an excellent example in equality for and inclusion of campus members with disabilities," said Nary, "Constructing the new entrance will exemplify its commitment to these important values."
— Edited by Sarah Kramer
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS UNIVERSITY THEAFTRE PRESTENS
FOR INFORMATION ON WHAT RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE BEING AFFECTED AT KU
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