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The University Daily
Wednesday, October 29, 1980 Vol. 91, No.48 USPS 650-640
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
DAVE KRAUS/Kansan staff
Donna Parson, professor of speech and director of KU Forensics, answers a question. Parson, who started scoring presidential debates in keeps score on last night's televised presidential debate as President Carter 1960, scored the debate for the Associated Press.
KU judge gives Reagan 26-23 edge
By RAY FORMANEK
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
The League of Women Voters' debate last night between President Carter and Ronald Reagan did little to help provide clear-cut choices for voters, according to a KU professor.
Donn Parson, professor of speech and drama and KU director of forensics, was one of seven university debate coaches asked by the Associated Press to judge last night's debate.
Although Parson scored the debate evenly in four of six categories used by the American Forensic Association to score student debates, Parson's comments on the arguments and in setting across his message.
The participants were awarded one to five points in each of six categories for a possible second place.
- ANALYSIS - does the speaker identify clear and relevant issues in the questions being addressed
- REASONING—does the speaker offer sound premises for his lines of argument? Does the process of argument seem reasonable and logical?
*EVIDENCE—how effective is the speaker in supporting his assertions with valid factual evidence?*
- ORGANIZATION—are the speaker's arguments presented in a clear and well-organized way.
- REFUTATION—how well does the speaker handle the arguments of his opponent?
- PRESENTATION—how persuasive is the speaker in communicating the message?
Parson rated Carter and Reagan evenly in the Reagan decisively higher in the regulation category.
"Carter's big mistake was dredging up Reagan's old positions on Medicare and Social Security," Parson said. "Reagan refuted Carter's arguments by calling Carter's remarks a 'misstatement' and explained what his position on the issue really is."
He also said Reagan did a better job communicating with the guidance.
"Reagan did a better job presenting his ideals," Parson said. "At several moments during the debate he almost looked as if he was having fun."
Parson said Carter clearly was not comfortable during the debate.
He scored the debate 26-23 in favor of Reagan.
In his citation for the debate for the AP, Parson criticized Carter for not insisting that his quotes were accurate.
"At no time does Carter go back and argue that his initial statement of Reagan's position was true."
Parson also criticized Carter for not responding when Reagan summarized several economic issues with the "Misery Index," a 1976 campaign creation of Carter's.
Carter used the index, which is the rate of inflation added to the unemployment rate, to attack former President Gerald R. Ford's economic policies during the 1976 campaign.
Reagan quoted Carter as saying in 1767 that no man had a right to be re-elected if the missey index is 12.5 percent, Ford's missey index. Reagan argued that a 20 percent missey index should provide a clear conclusion. Carter never said or even claimed he was misquoted, Parson said.
Although there were no major bloopers, such as Ford's claim during one of the 1976 Carter-Dorel debates that Poland was a free country, Ford made questionable statements, Parson said.
"Carter's worst moment of the debate was
Candidates clash over foreign policy
By United Press International
CLEVELAND-Ronald Reagan defended himself last night against President Carter's charges that he would overreach to world crises as president in the only direct confrontation between the two candidates during the presidential campaign.
Carter has accused Reagan of leaning toward military overreaction to international problems. Reagan denied he would be militarily irresponsible in the White House.
"I have seen four wars in my lifetime . . . I don't ever want to see another generation of Americans bleed their lives away . . . ," Reagan said.
A large part of the 90-minute debate concentrated on military and foreign policy issues, with Carter stressing his experience as president. He also said that he would be a militarily aggressive president.
"Our first priority must be world peace," Reagan said.
However, America could not shirk its responsibility as leader of the free world, and would have to be more self-reliant.
"America has never gotten into a war because we were too strong." he said.
CARTER, TROUGH, said Reagan frequently
takes the lead in world war touble spots,
while he, as president, had not.
Carter said he had used his presidential powers to preserve world peace, citing the Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel as a major accomplishment.
"I've had to make thousands of decisions since I've been president," he said. "I've learned in the process . . . I think I'm a much wiser man than I was (four years ago)."
Asked about charges that he had responded belatedly to world crises and had permitted U.S. defenses to weaken, Carter said that in seven of the years he was president, there had been decreases in defense spending.
He, on the other hand, had increased defense spending he said.
Reagan, when asked how he could pledge to increase military spending while promising substantial tax cuts, said, "Over a five-year projection, this plan can permit the extra spending for needed refurbishing of our defense posture."
HIS PLAN WOULD permit a balanced budget in 2005, and still allow for tax cuts, because of the budget deficit.
Reagan questioned Carter's figures about defense spending cuts during Republican administrations, saying the drops occurred when the Vietnam war was winding down.
Carter, on the other hand, had cut Gerald Ford's five-year defense spending projection by 38 percent, cancelled the B-1 bomber and delayed development of the cruise missile, he said.
Carter retorted:
"Now, its planning a military force to be delivered in various parts of the world that makes me question what kind of one who is the leader," he said, referring to the Rapid Deployment Force created by Carter.
"Gov. Reagan has habitually advocated the injection of military forces . . . Strength is imperative to peace, but the two must go hand-in-hand."
Aksed under what circumstances he would use military force, Carter noted in his State of the Union address he had said that any threat to him would be considered a threat to U.S. interests.
The debate did not dwell solely on military and foreign affairs.
CARTER'S ANSWERS to economic questions generally followed the same line he has harmed.
He acknowledged that inflation and unemployment were too high, but said both were low.
Carter said that inflation, for example, had averaged about 7 percent during the past three years.
Reagan said rising inflation rates could be controlled by limiting government spending, increasing productivity and "no longer grinding out printing press money."
Government spending could be curbed, he said, not by eliminating vital programs, but by increasing it.
Carter attacked Reagan's tax cut proposal, recalling that GOP vice president nominee George Bush had once called it "voodoo economics."
Carter offered no new economic programs, but said he would push for enactment next year of previously announced plans to offer tax credits for investments in new industrial plants and equipment and new employment programs to give jobs to 600,000 young people.
Reagan countered with his program to reduce government spending and cut waste.
"I did it in California," he said, referring to his two terms as governor.
Reagan said his programs in California had caused inflation to fall below the national average by returning money to the people and reducing state spending.
Title IX investigation extended to include more questioning
By ARNE GREEN Staff Reporter
A flood of calls from people who want to meet with investigators has lengthened the Title IX investigation at the University of Kansas to the point where no one knows exactly when it will be over, Patricia Boyd, head of the investigative team, said yesterday.
The Department of Education's investigation into alleged sex discrimination in athletics at KU is now in its third week and may continue into a fourth. Bvadd said.
The on-site inquiry, which began Oct. 14, originally was scheduled to last about 10 days, according to Vickie Thomas, University general counsel.
BOYD SAID that a number of people had called, asking to talk with the investigators.
"Apparently, posters were placed at locations on campus, telling interested people to contact us."
Thomas said the posters were up by her office at the request of the Department of
The investigative team, from the Department of Education's Kansas City, Md., office, has interviewing administrators, coaches, graduate assistant coaches and athletes from each sport said. But two discrimination in athletics is not the only type of case the team handles.
Although it has slowed the investigation, the investigators are trying to meet with anybody who is involved.
"We investigate race, sex and handicap discrimination, whether it's athletic standards under Title IX or race under Title VII," she said. "Also do accessibility reviews for handicapped."
Boyd said that the team usually did on-site investigations.
The investigators are under court order to complete the whole case in a certain amount of time.
"On reviews we have 150 days from the date the on-site investigation began," she said. "Our findings go to the regional attorneys and then to headquarters."
Boyd said that the investigators should finish meeting with the coaches and players from each sport this week. Individual coaches chose certain athletes from each sport, she said.
KU is one of eight universities chosen for the first round of investigations by the Department of Education. Another 72 face investigations later. All the schools have had complaints filed against them at one time for alleged sex discrimination in athletics.
THOMAS HAS SAID that he expected a ruling in the Department of Education sometime in mid-June.
KU will be found either in compliance or not in compliance with TITLE 1X, the federal law that prohibits discrimination.
"We have had a lot of cooperation from the administration and staff," she said.
If it is found not in compliance, the University will have to make the student's findings or risk loss $7 million in federal aid.
It will be dry and mild Friday through Sunday. Lows will be in the 30s and 40s, and highs will be in the 60s and low 70s.
Skies will be mostly clear tonight and tomorrow. The low tonight will be in the upper 20s and the high tomorrow in the lower 50s. Winds will be light and variable.
11 will be partly cloudy and warmer today, with a high in the upper 40s, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.
KU benefactor still active in the arts
By CINDI CURRIE Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
The white-jacketed elevator operator started me.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
Can I help you? Are asked.
The only way to see Helen Foresman Spencer
would be to smile and say she was expecting
me—even though she wasn't.
Most KU students don't think about the woman behind the Kenneth Aldred Spencer Research Library or the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art.
BUT I HAD HEARD of Spencer, the biggest benefactor in KU's history, and wondered what she was like. What kind of person gave away millions of dollars and spent every last cent from her husband's foundation for the benefit of others?
Kansas City residents don't know that 11 pieces of the prestigious Chinese furniture collection at the Nelson Art Gallery were gifts from Helen Spencer.
"I'm sorry," Ann Reilly, Spencer's secretary, had said earlier, "but she doesn't grant interviews. She said it was sweet of you to ask for them, but it would be for you she'd have to do it for everyone else."
Finding the answer wasn't easy.
The elevator door opened. Two starkly white, paneled doors faced me. Two cupid statues
We walked into the dining room and, as I talked with her he wrapped up and her ear around someone behind me.
"Once you've met her, though, you'll feel as if you've known her 100 years."
"Could I speak with Mrs. Spencer please?" I asked, knowing the answer. "No, (not unexpected) he said, (what now)? Then could I just read it, not present a little bit? I read we so much about it."
Her housekeeper answered the door.
I turned around and the dining room doors closed softly.
No luck. No chance to talk to Spencer. But now, I did have an unlisted phone number.
"You're just a dear to want to do this, but you understand, don't you?" she said. "I get almost 22 requests a week. I just can't talk to everybody.
"I'd love to see the story when you're done. Just call me and we'll have lunch."
She still wouldn't let me quote her, but maybe I was persuasive enough, I could comment. I was not.
We decided to tour the Nelson Gallery the day before because I had never seen what she had contained.
So a week later, we started in the Art Reference library she had built in 1962, in the decorative part with her tables, her portrait, two 18th century, George II, corner cupboards and a wood mantel she purchased and put in storage until she could use them.
But downstairs was the important part.
Who else would spend rollers to put a hole in the ground so big you need roller skates to get it up?
The librarian looked nervous. People were hustling to say hello to Spencer, to shake her hand and then mine, to help her in any way they could.
The director emeritus of the gallery, Lawrence Sickman, left a meeting to show us the highlights of the museum that needed hours to be seen correctly.
WE WHIZZED BY rooms filled with Renaissance portraits. She guided me back and forth across the hallway, dodging families, stooping, starting again, looking, exclaiming.
I could barely keep up with this woman who could have been my grandmother.
We slipped around a couple of solemn gallery windows, which were the first to be painted some repainting of course, to brighten it.
We also saw the French furniture.
Spencer had contributed her Louis XV writing desk and a commode from the 1750s to
"The Chinese furniture is not the cheap mandarin stuff." Sickman said. "This was in Europe."
Upstairs the Chinese room collection was stored in a simple room with only two colors.
"When we need a new piece of French furniture." Sickman said. "we just call Helen."
Her philosophy was to do what she did in her own area, to enrich the lives of others.
Spencer has contributed carpets, ceramics, a painting and 11 pieces of furniture from the Ming dynasty period to the Nelson Gallery collection.
And so it went. We visited every room that somebody she had donated to. That was all bad.
"These cabinets stored sable coats in the winter," Sickman said. "They're made of camphor wood; they're better than moth-bills."
SPENCER JOKED that she could put me in one of these cabinets and they would never know what would have happened to me back in Lawrence.
So she contributed Impressionist paintings to the Nelson Gallery, built a theater for the performing arts and provided educational buildings for camuoses and companies.
everything she said revealed a little more about the woman who had contributed so much to her success.
Helen Foresman Spencer
For KU, she had a residence in Mission Hills built for the director of the College of Health Sciences in Kansas City, Kan., and a memorial chapel on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus. She also sponsored a lecture distinguished professorship in Lawrence.
She enjoys her life, is energetic, has fun with what she does and relishes her independence.
She has no chauffer, and as we got into her black Lincoln Versailles to leave the museum, she didn't put on her seatbelt. She likes to live dangerously.
As we drove she pointed out her theater, the Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Missouri, Kansas City like the theater in Missouri, like the theater in the troupe only needed a home.
See SPENCER page 5