Monday, October 9. 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Queers and Allies struggling to fill some officer positions
New group members can be apprehensive about participation
By Leita Schultes
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Queers and Allies has some fresh faces this semester and its members are facing new challenges.
Still, Andy Anderson, the organization's new director, said despite regular meeting attendance of about 30 people, officer positions had been difficult to fill.
"I think people don't realize that in order for this resource to be available for them, they have to be active participants in the organization." Anderson, Stillwater, Okla., junior, said.
The group is also waiting for a new resource coordinator to be selected for the homosexual community. Matthew Skinta, facilitator of the Queers and Allies support group, said there had been some concern among students that a new job description would not include advocacy of the homosexual community.
In the past, the position involved educational efforts, informational meetings and speaking engagements, said Skinta, Andover senior. Students feared changes would lead to a less active coordinator who served only as
a resource when students needed help.
"My biggest concern was the advocacy line," Skinta said. "Which I've been told has been added back."
Despite organizational changes, the group has managed to serve the homosexual community with events and support.
"It's kind of to showcase the open
One upcoming event is Coming Out Day on Wednesday. Skinta said there would be information tables, face painting and free coffee between noon and 1 p.m. in the Kansas Union.
businesses in La w r en c e , " Skinta said. "Sort of a different slant from past years' events."
people to publicly state their sexual orientation, was usually recognized with smaller, evening celebrations. This year's event, he said, would show that Lawrence welcomes the homosexual community.
The group also celebrates Gay Pride Week in April, complete with a parade on Massachusetts Street and the Brown Bag Drag Show, which Anderson said usually had a very positive response.
The group meets at 7:30 p.m. the first, third and fifth Thursday of each month in the Kansas Union. The
QUEERS AND ALLIES
General meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Thursday of
Each month in the offices are
Support group meetings are at 7:30
support group meetings at 4 p.m.
p.m. each Wednesday. Students who
are interested can call KU Info for
the location of the meeting.
Queers and Allies support group meets at 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday, Skinta said. Students who are interested can call KU Info for the location of the meeting.
Some general meetings are just for fun, Anderson said, such as the queer trivia event planned for Thursday, Oct. 19. Others are more informative, such as last month's presentation on safe sex. But they all provided a way for members of the homosexual community to socialize and learn about campus events, she said.
"It is supportive to be around people who don't have any judgmental issues about you and your sexuality," Anderson said.
Skinta said the homosexual community had a good relationship with the student body last year, but the relationship could change quickly and was influenced by campus media.
"While I've been here there's certainly been some pretty bad points," he said. "It seems like it's too early this year to tell."
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
By Jason Krall
writer@kanson.com
Kanson staff writer
Textbooks remain elusive for some students, stores
Even as midterms begin, some students still are having trouble hunting down textbooks for classes at the University of Kansas.
books for classes at the University of Kansas.
Luke Pech, Overland Park sophomore, said he had been waiting for a copy of the textbook for his Fundamentals of Physical Anthropology class to come in to the Kansas and Burge Union bookstores all semester. He finally tracked down a copy at University Book Shop, 1116 W. 23rd Street, on Wednesday, just in time for his Friday test in the class.
Graduate teaching assistants have complained about problems finding the book as well, he said, but clerks at the union books stores told him to keep checking in every few days.
"They kept saying, 'Check in some time next week, and it should be here,' and it never came in." Pech said.
The University Senate Executive Committee
Keith Kielman, textbook manager at Jayhawk Bookstore, 1420 Crescent Road, said that his bookstore requested textbook orders from faculty in April for the fall semester and October for the spring semester, but many don't turn in orders until just before the semester begins.
The University Senate executive committee — a group of faculty and student senators that review matters that come before the University Senate — has recognized the problem. It will discuss ways to ensure that textbook orders come in on time with managers of the Kansas and Burge Union Bookstores at a meeting next week, said Lisa Wolf-Wendell, associate professor of teaching and leadership and member of the committee.
"The vast majority don't turn that information in until a couple of weeks before the semester starts," Kielman said. "A lot of professors don't understand that when information is turned in that late, it's very difficult for us to go hunt those books down."
Kielman said several students still were coming into the store periodically to see if their textbooks had arrived, but the store was already starting to send back books that were over-ordered to make room for next semester's stock.
The bookstore studied trends from previous semesters to determine how many books to order for a given course, Kielman said. If students seem not to buy books for a certain course or for courses taught by a certain faculty member, the store orders less. In general, the store orders one third as many books as there are students enrolled in a class, he said.
"You're working with guesses," he said. "It depends on the history of the class and the instructors."
Peter Doddema, textbook manager at University Book Shop, also reported problems with late orders.
"We do have a real problem with professors putting in book orders a week before class," Doddema said. "This semester we had about 500 textbook orders in the last two weeks before class."
Wolf Wendell said that while some faculty did turn orders in late, others turned them in months ahead of time. And when faculty want to restructure a course for the coming semester, it's often difficult to get orders in early.
"If you want to make substantive changes to a course, the time to do that is the down time in the middle of the semester," she said. "If you don't get to it until Thanksgiving time, that's going to be too late for the bookstores."
Jayhawker Towers suffer through cold without any heat
- Edited by Clay McCuistion
By Jason Krall writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Students in Jayhawker Towers endured a weekend of temperatures dipping into the 20s, while students in KU residence halls had heat.
The decision came after weather forecasts predicted a cold spell.
The Department of Student Housing decided early last week to shut down the air conditioning in the residence halls and the towers. Only residence halls, however, had their heating systems switched on.
Omega Tadesse, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, junior and president of the Jayhawk Tower Tenants Association, said that when temperatures fluctuated from high to low, it was easier to keep warm without heat than it was to keep cool without air conditioning.
Phil Garito, associate director of student housing, said the air-conditioning units that deliver 40-degree water to cool the residence halls on Daisy Hill, as well as Oliver Hall, GSP-Corbin Hall and the towers, were shut down on Wednesday. That gave the network of pipes that deliver both hot and cold water to those buildings a couple of days to adjust before the system was filled with hot water from the heating system on Friday.
"You can't be dropping 100-degree water into a system that's used to 40-degree water." Garito said. "You'll have problems with breaking pipes."
Though they won't be able
to switch back to air-conditioning, Garito said the department could shut down the heat again this week because temperatures were expected to return to the 70s and 80s.
"In fall and spring, it gets kind of touchy. Sometimes we just have to deal with that few days where it's a little warm in there," he said. Scott Lowe, Virginia Beach, Va., graduate student and resident's assistant in McCollum Hall, said the temperature in McCollum was pleasant this weekend.
"I haven't heard any complaints one way or the other," said Lowe, who also is an online production assistant for the Kansan.
Case Collard, proctor for Pearson Scholarship Hall. said it was cold there this weekend, but with a forecast for warmer temperatures later this week Pearson residents weren't ready to ask for heat quite yet.
Stouffer Place is not connected to the central heating and air-conditioning system, and residents there can turn their heating on any time of year, Garito said. Scholarship hall residents decided for themselves when to have their heat turned on for the winter, he said.
"My room's pretty cold right now. It isn't that big a deal," said Collard, a Leavenworth sophomore. "Once we turn it on, we can't turn it off, and if it's going to heat up again, it would be roasting in here."
Edited by Clay McCuistion
Traveling trumpets
to promote school spirit, members of the KU Bar Band perform outside the Crossing on Friday night. The band traveled around Lawrence to several different
bars trying to excite students and Kansas fans for Saturday's game against Kansas State. For more on the game, see page 1B. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
Woman unsure of alleged attacker's identity
Continued from page 1B
arrested in connection with the attack. But when she saw him moving his belongings out of Hashinger, she began to doubt that he was her attacker.
"It was him and me on the stairwell. He looked up, then looked away really fast," she said. "He just didn't look like the picture I had in my memory."
Hoskinson told officers that on the morning of the attack, he had been sleeping in his room, tired from a day of riding slides and diving into the pool at the Lawrence Aquatic Center.
"I was in my room sleeping," Hoskinson said. "I was dead tired that night because it was Hawk Night."
Hoskinson said he told officers he knew nothing about the attack or the victim except for the color of her hair, which Hoskinson claimed he was told by an officer.
"I couldn't tell them this lady looked like," Hoskinson said. "And I have no recollection of being on the sixth floor."
Hoskinson said the questions the police asked and the way they treated him made him uneasy.
"A couple of officers made me feel uncomfortable," he said. "I felt like they were trying to make me do something or admit to something."
Lt. Schuyler Bailey said he didn't know what could have made Hoskinson feel uncomfortable. Investigators were just trying to figure out what happened, he said.
"We were conducting a criminal investigation," he said. "We just wanted the truth."
Hoskinson agreed to take a lie-detector test and said he scored a .13 when he needed a .26 to pass. He said wasn't
worried because the test would not be admissible in court.
"I took the test and failed it," Hoskinson said. "Then again, what does a lie-detect test prove?"
Bailey defended the professionalism of the officers. But Hoskinson maintains his innocence and said he wasn't sure the investigators were trained to do their work.
"I know my innocence," Hoskinson said. "I didn't commit sexual battery, and they were trying to convince me that I did."
Edited by Clay McCuistion
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