Wescoe bunker
SINCE 1889
Carpeted look out of style; bare floors in at Wescoe Hall See page 3
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, AUG. 27, 1985, VOL. 96, NO. 3 (USPS 650-640)
Bear and Sea Otter sunny day
Sunny Details page 3
News of gift, protesters marks convocation
John Lechliter/KANSAN
Halls give $3 million for center
Above, Chancellor Gene A. Budig delivers the 120th convocation address in Hoch Auditonum. As Budig spoke yesterday morning, demonstrators outside Hoch protested the KU Endowment Association's investments in companies that do business in South Africa. At night, Tim Mirkin, Kansas City, Mo., junior calls out the number of a rock before dropping it on a mock coffin. Mirkin and others counted out 600 rocks in memory of blacks killed during racial unrest in South Africa.
By Jill Waldman Of the Kansan staff
- Chancellor Gene A. Budig brightened yesterday morning's 120th opening convocation with the announcement that the University of Kansas recently had received the grant for the humanities in KU's history.
In 1983, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded KU a $1 million grant for library acquisitions and program support in the humanities. Accompanying the grant, how much did KU raise $1 million in matching funds?
Budig said that the University already had received gifts of nearly $2 million and that the Hall family gift not only met the entire goal but exceeded it "by an enormous margin."
In a traditional opening address to about 2,000 students and faculty at Hoch Auditorium, Budig said that the Hall Family Foundations had given the University an additional $2 million grant of KU's Challenge Grant campaign.
The gift will finance four professorships in the humanities and will provide two endowments, Budig said. One will support programs developed by the Center for Humanistic Studies to enhance programs in the humanities, and the other will be used to promote excellence of teaching in the humanities.
Budig said that in an effort to link the Hall family to the humanities at KU, the Center for Humanistic Studies would be renamed the Joyce and Elizabeth Hall Center for Humanistic Studies.
He said that KU had made a special effort to strengthen the position of the humanities because they are the foundation of a university education.
"They (the humanities) are basic, the foundation upon which our understanding of all other human
knowledge ought to be built," Budig said.
The money — more than $5 million — that KU raised through the Hail family gift and other contributions will qualify the University for the full grant of $1 million in federal funds, Budig said.
"This significant commitment to excellence stands as a beacon — a beacon of encouragement for all of us, whether in the humanities, the sciences, the social sciences or the professional schools," he said.
Also during the convocation cere-
See SPEECH, p. 5, col. 1
KU group vows fight to endure
By Jennifer Benjamin Of the Kansan staff
Laird Okie, committee member and 1983 KU graduate, said the group decided to demonstrate at conference signified the beginning of the year.
The KU Committee on South Africa demonstrated outside Hoch Auditorium during convocation to show those at the University of Kansas that the battle for divestment will be a lively one this year, a member of the group said yesterday.
"Divestment is going to be a very visible, integral theme of the academic year. 'Oke said.' This is the reason he did not want that to remind the chancellor of that."
The demonstration was conducted to remember blacks who have been murdered.
Another demonstrator, Marta Brow, Lawrence senior, said more than 600 blacks had been killed in South Africa and many more had been arrested in the past year.
"That's intolerable," she said.
"Even children are being arrested."
The demonstration started at 9 a.m. at the Kansas Union as about 15 people marched with signs and chanted "Divest now," "KU out of
Greek pledge system to change
See PROTEST, p. 5, col. 6
Of the Kansan staff
Ry Rannie Snyder
rush is anytime other than during formal rush
KU sororites in January will initiate a new rush system that is designed to get more women into the Greek system, Missy McKee, president of the Panhellenic Association, said yesterday.
The quota is the number of new pledges a sorority can take during formal and open rush periods. Formal rush is in January, and open
The system, called quota-total, should make the number of women in each sorority equal within a couple of years, said Pam Swedlund, Panhelenic delegate from the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
Under the old system, each house set its own quota, and bigger sororities usually grew, and smaller houses had trouble keeping up. Swedland said.
Under the quota-total system, the total number of women who accept invitations to visit sororities' will be divided by 14, the number of residential Panhellenic sororites at all institutions will be the quota for each sorority.
The rush chairmen from the 14 sororities will decide whether the quota will be taken from the number who accept first invitations — which will create a large quota — or from
Swedland said, "The quota will be more of a ceiling than a referendum."
the number who accept second invitations — which will produce a smaller quota. McKeen said.
In other words, sororities cannot take more pledges than the quota. But it is not impossible.
The total under the new system will be the combined number of all sorority members and pledges in all the houses divided by 14.
If the quota is 40, for example, a big sorority that would normally pledge 50 must reduce its usual number by 10, but a smaller sorority could increase its usual number to 40, McKee said.
The total, like the quota, will be standard for all KU Panhellenic sororities. Unlike the quota, the total will remain the same for several years, McKee said.
"The idea is to build up smaller houses," Swedlund said, "so eventually each house has about the same total number of pledges and initiated members."
In another change, sororites dropped the universitywide gradepoint average requirement of 2.3 for rush participants.
Swedish said that each house now would set its own GPA requirement, but that students with lower than a 2.0 were usually advised not to complete rush.
Suzy Mast/KANSAM
Homework already
Army Follett, St. Francis freshman, reads an English book on the front porch of Douthart Hall. Although Monday was only the first day of classes, Follett said she had already been assigned a few pages to read.
New local firm pairs students, aid sources
By Karen Blakeman
Tom Taylor, president of Academic Aid Resource Group, 3301 Clinton Parkway Court, said yesterday that the company guaranteed matching a student with five sources of financial aid for a $47 service fee.
Students searching for methods of financing their college educations other than those suggested by high school and college counselors may get aid from a new Lawrence company.
Of the Kansan staff
If the company's computer turns up less than five sources, the student refunded the fee and is still properly charged on what matches were obtained.
The company is designed to help students locate sources of private scholarships, grants, fellowships, loans and awards that they might qualify to receive.
Taylor said that about $135 million in student financial aid went unused every year. Many times, he said, high school and college financial aid counselors don't realize some of the private sources of assistance that are available.
Academic Aid Resource Group operates through its parent company, Academic Guidance Systems Inc., a New Jersey computer research company that maintains a constantly updated data file of sources of financial aid available throughout the United States. Taylor said the file contained more than $3 billion in aid sources annually.
Taylor's company collects student applications and matches student characteristics with requirements for the various financial awards listed in the parent company computer. The student receives a computer printout of the awards for
which he qualifies and the address of where to apply.
"The student will still go through the financial aid office to apply for such things as the Pell Grant and GSL (Guaranteed Student Loans)," he said. "Most of our listings are from the private sector — businesses and other organizations."
He said that his company did not intend to compete with the KU office of financial aid and that he viewed his company's services as complementary to those offered through the office.
Jerry Rogers, director of financial aid, said that companies such as Academic Aid Resource Group were "legitimate in the sense that they do what they say they will do."
But, Rogers said, "The chances that any one person could make any money are slim.
"These companies guarantee that five sources of financial aid for which the student might qualify will be provided. They don't promise the student will get the financial aid.
"Most of these will be scholarships, and there may only be one scholarship available nationally. If you're a student, you are not going to get the scholarships."
Rogers said that those students who had the academic records to compete for scholarships might find computer match services helpful.
Cara Burres, Fayette, Mo., junior,
is attending KU on a music scholarship.
She is also using loans and work
study grants, which she obtains
the assistance of the financial
aid office, to finance her education.
Burres said that although the services available through Academic Aid Resource Group looked attractive, she would be unwilling to pay the $47 fee.
Of the Kansan staff
By Jill Waldman
Beer ban reaches Stouffer residents
Changes in Kansas drinking laws have dried up some forms of entertainment for many KU students. But those most severely affected by the new laws may be the residents of Stouffer Place apartments.
These students, along with those in other University housing, can no longer have alcoholic beverages in their apartments or rooms.
Previously, they could not have wine and hard liquor in their apartments or rooms. Now, because of a new policy put in effect last month, 3.2 percent beer also is prohibited.
About 60 percent of the people in University housing — residence halls, Jayhawker Towers, Sunflower Apartments and Stouffer Place — are affected by the ban on beer because they are beer consumers. To be released this summer by a KU task force on drinking.
However, most Stouffer Place residents are already over the legal drinking age of 21 for wine and hard liquor.
Married students and their families live in Stouffer Place. They were made aware of the new alcohol regulations yesterday through pamphlets distributed by the manager of Stouffer Place.
When the decision was made by the KU task force in July to prohibit the consumption of all alcohol in University residence halls in accordance with state law, the program also extended to Stouffer Place.
Geoff Bohling, 22, Lawrence senior, a Stouffer Place resident, said. "I realize they're just trying to be consistent applying the rules, but this is my apartment, not a dorm room. I consider it my home. There are established families here, not just students trying to adjust to a freedom they've never had before."
"This will be a significant change for the residents of Stoffer Place, but it is also a significant change for the law," Long said. "In the bigger picture it impacts on the state of Kansas as well."
Jim Long, chairman of the Alcohol Task Force and director of KU unions, said that the change in Kansas law had forced the University to make consistent changes in relation to that law.
Fred McElhene, director of the office of residential programs, said that he was not sure what effect the new rule would have on Stouffer residents.
"The living situation there is unique compared to those over which you have greater control. This is not the case in Stouffer. You have no staff supervising to make sure the rule is enforced." MeElhiene said.
He said that the rule would be enforceable only if "something happened related to alcohol or beer" that caused the office of residential programs to take some kind of action.
He said that the consideration of the age of Stouffer residents was not important when considering the law.
"We're not just going to knock on doors and invade people's privacy by saying, 'Do you have alcohol?' " McElennie said.
4
"It doesn't matter if you're 84 years old and live in Stouffor," McEllenie said. "Age is not a pivotal factor. Law is a pivotal factor."
Long said that David Amber,
vice chancellor for student affairs,
had chosen a variety of people to serve on the task force, representing different parts of campus that would be affected by drinking law changes.
The task force's mission was to assess the effect these changes would have on campus by addressing issues related to the campus and the new laws. One of the affected areas was the residence halls, and subsequently alcohol was banned throughout the KU housing system.
After the decision was approved by Ambler and Chancellor Gene A. Budig, the various groups involved, including all University residence halls, were asked to execute the procedure.
Although some Stouffier residents are opposed to the new policy, Marilyn McGinnis, Lawrence graduate student, said that she would comply with the regulation for her daughter's sake.
"I have an 11-year-old daughter," she said. "I'll follow the regulation because I want her to respect rules."