University Daily Kansan / Friday, October 26, 1990
5
Hoch balcony judged unsafe twice in eight years
By Jennifer Schultz Kansan staff writer
The state fire marshal declared the second upper balcony of Hoch Auditorium unsafe for use — eight years ago.
Paul Markley, chief of the fire prevention division in Topeka, said inspectors declared the balcony fire in 1982 after an inspection of Hoech
The balcony was re-inspected by state fire officials Oct. 3.
The balcony again was declared unsafe, and the University decided to close the balcony until it was repaired sufficiently to meet fire
Markley said the balcony was declared unsafe for the same reasons eight years ago.
The upper balcony violates several fire-code standards, he said.
"There are not enough cross aisles," he said. "There are hundreds of up there, and there are between them, than 14 seats between cross aisles."
Also, the baleony steps are about 9 inches tall, at least an inch over firecode standards, he said.
"A person could trip and go rolling down the stairs," he said. "There is nothing there to catch you."
The exits on each side of the second upper balcony are only 24 inches wide, he said. They should be at least 36 inches wide.
The restricted space dangerously limits the number of people who can exit at the same time, he said.
"It will never completely meet code," he said. "But as long as there are no life hazards, it will be approved as safe."
The lower balcony and the floor of
the auditorium meet fire-code standards, and the building is considered structurally safe, he said.
Markley said that because of an office turnover, the fire marshal's office no longer had a record of the fire report.
Mike Richardson, facilities operations director, said that he heard earlier this semester from his staff that the balcony was unsafe and that he asked the fire marshal to inspect it.
Richardson said the upper balken was not closed because it was a fire hazard but because of the structural defects, which would jeopardize lives.
"It may not have been documented," he said. "It may have been by word of mouth."
Richardson said he was not aware of any other instances of fire-code violations on campus.
Lt. John Mullens, KU police spokesperson, said police did not have documentation of a fire report either.
"I was the coordinator of public safety at the time, and the information was not communicated to me." "Of course of us had a letter to that effect."
Mullens said that in the past the fire marshal wrote the major and minor violations of fire codes in a document that was communicated by word of mouth.
Now it is a building-by-building documented inspection, he said.
Tom Anderson, former facilities operations director, said fire reports
always were documented.
The balcony had been roped off as a no-seating area in the past, he said.
Allen Wiechert, facilities planning director, said facilities planning had received no documentation from the fire code violations eight years ago.
Phil Endacott, housekeeping associate director of facilities operations, said the balcony would remain closed until repairs are completed, which is available to repair and improve Hoch.
Sue Morell, SUA program manager, said Student Union Activities did not print tickets for the second upper balcony for comedian George Bacon and 28 because she was alerted to the show that the balcony was unsafe.
"You do virtually get freaked when you go up there," she said.
Leigh Reiphart, Rock Chalk Reyue
director, said the group always had used the second upper balcony for its selitout Saturday night performance but was informed this year that Rock Chalk Revue could not use the balcony.
Because Rock Chail had lost about 500 feet of seats for the Saturday night performance, ticket prices will be higher and an incentive will encourage students for the money lost, she said.
James Ralston, choral music and dance professor, said that students had been seated in the upper balcony for past performances of Christmas vespers service but that this year the balcony would be closed.
Jacqueline Davis, director of the Concert Fine Arts Series, said the series had used the balcony in 1984 for a concert but was not informed at the time that the balcony was unusable.
Federal aid could improve transportation for disabled
By Tracey Chalpin Kansas staff writer
Lawrence residents concerned about transportation for disabled and elderly people learned yesterday that local transportation shortages could be remedied by taking advantage of federal financing.
Sections eight and nine of the Urban Mass Transportation Act could help Lawrence obtain federal grant money for additional transportation, Chuck Donald, director of planning in the urban mass transit division of the Department of Transportation, said during a forum sponsored by the Older Women's League.
Section eight allocates money for transportation research, such as feasibility studies. The federal government invests in research costs to come from local
organizations.
Section nine provides block grants for constructing and operating mass transit systems. The percentage of financing required of local organizations depends upon the transit and transit operating factors.
Ray Petty, chairperson of the Douglas County Coordinating Committee, said that non-profit organizations represented on the committee had a broad reach through city and county channels if they were to receive federal financing.
The committee, which works to solve Lawrence transportation problems, has been active for about 10 months.
"The point about federal money is that we can get it if we can match it," he said.
But some, such as Shirley Bennett, co-owner of A-1 City Cab and Shuttle Corp., 735 E., 22nd St., disagreed
Bennett said she thought working through local government channels would increase city and county taxes.
Bennett also said that local agencies fought over routes and riders instead of working together to use about 40 vehicles that are already available to disabled people in Lawrence.
Petty said that Bennett had never been a member of the committee and that he did not understand her comments.
If local governments receive federal financing, non-profit organizations can work with for-profit organizations to supply transportation to everyone who needs it, he said.
Program measures learning at KU
Journalist talks about unification difficulties
Kansan staff writer
The unified Germany is only 3-weeks-old and needs more time to solve its problems, a German radio journalist said yesterday afternoon.
One of the few details left to be settled is a method for encouraging faculty members and students to participate. Shulenburger said. He said he hoped they would be concerned enough about the quality of the University to volunteer their time.
The journalist, Michael Groth, current affairs editor of the All-German Radio Network, spoke about problems confronting the unified Germany to about 40 people in the Kansas Union.
He said that although there was a genuine feeling of joy among Germans when the Berlin Wall fell last month, he also accused Oct. 3, when Germany united.
By Tatsuya Shimizu
Kansan staff writer
Many universities use standardized tests for student evaluations, but Shulenburger said the tests were not adequate to the evaluation methods KU will use.
Another problem is caused by Soviet troops in Germany, Groth said. About 380,000 Soviet military personnel are in eastern Germany now. They are scheduled to leave the country by 1994.
Students who participate will be evaluated on a theme written for one of their freshman English classes, a written self-evaluation, a paper they wrote in KU and a 45-minute interview with three faculty members.
Also, they are less useful for identifying areas in which curricula or school policy could be improved, he said.
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Property rights in eastern Germany create additional problems in the unified country, he said. Property that was confiscated by the Soviet Union has become Germany's state property.
"We have Communist teachers who all of a sudden turn democratic and teach students about freedom," he said.
"You really don't know those sorts of things until you sit down with someone one to one." Shutenburger said. "This is personal."
Departments might interview students, administer exams or interview employers of KU graduates. Each department was told to develop a program that would meet the needs of employees useful to the department, he said.
In addition to conducting the general knowledge assessment, the University is requiring all University departments to develop methods for evaluating the effectiveness of their degree programs. he said.
west Germans whose property was confiscated by East Germany might be able to recover their property, he said. And other properties that were owned by the state are being sold on the market.
BRINGING THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST TO STUDENTS OF KU!
Teachers who served under the former Communist system cannot adopt to democracy quickly, and there are not enough teachers who can teach democracy because the state's enemies are my preycrooked, Groth said.
One part of the plan, assessment of beginning English and math classes, was implemented in Fall 1889.
"There is an assessment movement nationwide. Shulenburger said, "Universities everywhere are being asked to think there was a call from taxpayers."
Soviet troops were occupation forces, Groth said, and Germans opposed them because the troops had manipulated them.
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Groth said he was afraid that violence against Soviet troops in eastern Germany would increase before they withdrew.
Administrators began a study of the number of students who enter beginning math and English classes. After completing the course, they successfully complete the classes.
"It was a rather modest celebration," Groth said.
Dave Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said he hoped the evaluation would help improve University programs.
He said that many Germans in the western part would buy those properties.
In the question-and-answer session, he discussed various problems that Germany must face.
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that no more than three
Groth said integrating two school systems was one of the more serious problems.
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Groth said that the news media did not play an important role in the efforts that lead to the indifference.
By Yvonne Guzman
General knowledge assessment is one aspect of an evaluation program requested by the Board of Regents in December 1987. General knowledge assessment courses are required courses in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
"They couldn't really understand or even follow the development," he said. "You could almost neglect them."
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Next semester, 100 fourth year students will be asked to participate in 45-minute interviews to determine the level of general knowledge available at all. Chancellor Gene A. Lepore will accept correspondence to the Board of Regents last week.
Kansan staff writer
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