Academic counseling plays key role for student-athlete
By MARK ZELIGMAN
Kansan Staff Reporter
By MARK ZELIGMAN
Editor's note: The student-athelete: A nobler term used by universities to label the players on their sports teams. This week in a three-part series, the Kansan will study what it means to be a student-athelete at the University of Kansas. Today, the academic counseling system for athletes is examined.
The small office in 103 Allen Field House Annex seems out of place among the rest of the field house offices. Sure, pictures of famous KU athletes are displayed in the new enrollment schedules and departmental catalogs.
This office belongs to Bob Skahan, academic counselor. Although it is the coaches' job to make the KU athletes successful on the field, Skahan's job is to help the athletes be successful off the field.
More than 200 athletes use Skahan's office, which provides tutoring, counseling and advising services in addition to help on keeping athletes eligible in their sports.
Many athletes find the office's services invaluable. Tutoring is one service valued more than
Although many athletes use tutors, in some cases, it seems the tutors are being used in the wrong way. One alleged abuse is that some tutors, instead of the athletes, actually do the work.
A KU football player explains how he gets themes and book reviews written:
"Sikhan just tells the tutors to take care of the athletic department never really authorizes them, but we just go to the work and tell them we don't have time to do the work. They write it a couple of days before the competition."
A total of $7,184 was spent on salaries of tutors last
year, according to the University of Kansas Athene-
 Corporation audit for fiscal 1974. Shakan says 48 tutors work for him at $3 an hour for uni-
tute students and at $4 an hour for graduate students.
As far as he knows, he says, they work for him honestly.
"Every tutor I hire," he says, "one of the first things I tell them is they are there specifically to help and not to do the work. Never have I told a tutor to do a paper for a student athlete."
Most tutors deny doing the work for the athletes and say they haven't heard of anyone who does. They say their work consists of outlining, pointing important topics, correcting grammar and writing.
"I hear that tutors write themes for kids," Skahan said. "I go to the kid and he deserves it. I don't know if it works in any on-tutorial situation. I know that in the fall of 1973, a tutor tried to take a take-home exam for a kid, and I fired him."
Besides individual tutors, the athletic department also provides tutors in general areas, such as English or math, in the athletes' study hall which meets four nights a week.
Susan Miller, Lawrence senior, tutors English in the study halls.
"The players come down to study hall and expect us to do their themes," she says. "There's a fine line between giving them their ideas and actually doing it for them. You have to ask leading questions to get them started, like, 'Does this sound like the theme of this book?'
One former tutor, who asks to remain anonymous, is the only tutor the Kansan talked to who says she wrote themes for the athletes with Skahan's approval.
Long jumper Danny Seay has heard the rumors of abuse of tutoring. He says that little rules probably are being broken but that the majority of rumors aren't true.
"In track, I know they're not true because I know what kind of man Timmons is," he says. "He wouldn't put up with it. He's more concerned with life after college than track itself."
Another member of the track team says the rule breakdown doesn't happen on the track team, but is very likely to happen.
"Track doesn't have a big budget," he says.
"Football has a ton of money, so they can probably buy it."
Football noseguard Mike Lemon says, "There's nothing illegal between Skahan and his tutors. But as for what goes on between the tutor and the athlete, that's their business."
Too much dependence on tutors is another criticism, both from the players and Shaban.
Football center John Morgan rarely uses a tutor,
but when he did last semester in chemistry, he
frowned at him.
"I went to class every day at first and got 100 on the first test," Morgan says. "So I said, why go to class?" And I didn't. To the day before every test, I did not for five hours and got an A or B on every test.
"If I would have gone to class, I wouldn't have needed a tutor. A lot of guys depend too much on me to keep up with all of them."
Any athlete who participates in intercollegiate athletics is eligible for tutoring and academic support. If you need that he never has turned anybody down but that he tries to limit tutoring to scholarship athletes.
All the tutors are screened through Skanah's office, but Skanah says he is especially in charge of
The assistant coaches in the minor sports handle their own counseling and advising, Skahan says, when there is a special problem. The basketball team runs the game all program under the control of Duncan Reld, associate coach.
football and basketball. Because there are more of them, football players are the majority of Shakn's team.
The great number of athletes that Skatlan has to watch over has caused some athletes to think he must be shorthanded time with each one. Many also think he should attend the academic departments at the University.
Freshman running back Clay Bonny says, "Skahan helps a lot about setting up classes. It would have been tough coming in as a freshman without him."
Bonny admits, however, that improvements can be made.
"There are so many schools here, that he can't be an expert on all of them," Bonny says. "Consequently, he's an expert on none. He can do more to learn about them."
"He just sits there and waits for you to come for him to help. He didn't call us in for a conference to see how we were doing in our classes, as I think he should have done."
Skahan says, "I know as much as an adviser on campus about requisitions and graduation. There isn't anyone else on campus who counsels and advises 280 people.
"As freshmen, they become very attached and too dependent on this office. I don't think I need to babystit them. One of the things I try to do is help them do things on their own."
Defensive tackle Fedro Dillon says, "He's done what he can, because he's got the football team; swims and dives."
he thinks he's doing a good job, because that's a lot or people to keep up with."
Skahan says, "Any time you have so many players, there will be a number of things happen that you're not aware of. I'm sure I'll leave a few questions to the team in a certain school. Things like that get away from you."
"It's funny, if they get an F, they come running in here and ask to get them out of it. By then, I can't do that."
Skahan is also accused of discriminating about the amount of academic help an athlete receives.
Running back Clif Doran says, "The ones who start and get more help than those who don't. It's not a big difference. It's shown on and off the field."
Another football player says, "If Laverne (Smith) says, I want a tutor," he'll get a tutor in his apartment and right now. If Mr. Nobody walks in to Bob Skahan and says he wants a tutor, he gets the old round and Boby will tell him to go find one and maybe give him a name to look for."
Skahan says, "I don't treat anyone differently. They treat the office differently. I don't want to sit here and defend the office. The office speaks for itself."
A study done by the Kansan last year compared the graduation records of seniors on KU's football, basketball and track teams from 1964 to 1973. The study indicated that
— 35.5 per cent of the 270 senior athletes in that 10-year period graduated from college in four years. — 37.3 per cent of the 244 athletes in the first nine years of the study didn't graduate in four years but earned because they五年或 less. (1975 seniors were excluded because they hadn't had a full fifth year to graduated.)
See ACADEMIC page 3
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
Vol. 85-No.88 Tuesday, February 11, 1975
The University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
By Staff Photographer GEORGE MILLENER III
Ford visit preparations
A technician from WIBW-TV adjusts a television camera outside the state capital building in Tokopedia Monday in preparation for President Gerald Ford's visit today. The state capital building is expected to be closed later this week.
both outside and inside the capital building, as well as at Topeka's Ramada Inn, where Ford will hold a 7:00 p.m. news conference.
Candidates rally before polls open
By DON SMITH Kansan Staff Reporter
The names of four teams of University of Kansas students will be on the ballot, as compared with two teams in 1974 and one in 1973.
Students voting in the elections Wednesday and Thursday will choose from the largest field of candidates for student body president in three years.
The increased number of filings for the student body leadership appears to be part of a trend. In 1969, the Student Senate evolved from the All Student Council, and two persons ran for president, followed by three in 1970, seven in 1971 and five in 1972.
However, the increase in filings hasn't produced any real conflicts between the candidates or their platforms. In contrast, preceding the close race for the office last year, was a charge that Richard Paxon, the Republican candidate, had threatened to oust Rich Lauter, a senator, because he supported Beiser's opponent, Ed Rolfs.
"We want the big impact to come in the next couple of days, right at election time," he said.
In addition, there have been no candidate debates or other visible campaign activity.
Gregory, Wichita senior, and Tasheff, Wichita sophomore, have spoken at every fraternity, sorority, residence hall and scholarship hall, McLaughlin said. He said they would make return visits to some of the living organizations.
On campus, polls will be open from 8 a.m.
p. m. bpm. both in Summer Hall (adm) and
in the Student Union.
★ ★
Pollis will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. both days at Alma Kappa Lambda, Alpha Delta Pi, Signa Kappa, Kappa Alpha Theta, and the lobbies of McCollium, Gertrude S. Pearson-Corbin and Lewis residences halls.
McLaughlin said he didn't believe the pastor's words. Spoiler: the past president also had seen
Rick McLaughlin, Dallas senior, arm manager of the Lewis Gregory-Tedashef campaign, said Monday his team had started its last push.
Poll will be open Thursday only from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pearson Scholarship Hall, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Naismith and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
There will be contested elections in every department and school except the Graduate School, School of Fine Arts, School of Law and the senior class.
Polls will be open Wednesday only from 11
a. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Watkins Scholarship Hall, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oliver Hall and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Naismith Hall.
Election results will be posted in the Union Thursday night as they are available.
Barbara O'Brien, Bonner Spring junior,
is managing her own campaign. She said
she will be a leader for Norton,
Norton junior, would campaign at sorority,
fraternity and residence balls today and
"We feel that by managing our own campaign and putting up our own posters, we will meet more people and generate more enthusiasm." O'Brien said.
"Our major expenditures have been in visual promotion such as the Kansan ads, our position papers, professional printing and mailing postages." He wrote with perspicacity. "Mr. Lequainn said,
estimated at $400 to $800. The spending of each presidential candidate is limited to $25,000.
See CANDIDATES p. 5
She said that the team had spent about $100 and that they won't spend any more. "We spending only on campaign money, five flyers and a personal money so we are trying to spend as little as possible and still get good coverage."
Willner records to be destroyed
Transcripts and tape recorded interviews made during the Willer investigation will be destroyed when the work of the investigating committee is completed, Del Shankel, executive vice chancellor, said Monday.
The decision to destroy the tapes ended a two-week delay in the investigation of charges against sexual discrimination in the University of Alabama and political science. The charges were made last semester by Ann R. Willner, professor of criminal justice at Queen's College in New York.
"As soon as the whole matter is resolved, the tapes and transcripts will be destined."
All interviewing by the committee was halted when questions to the anonymity of the committee were raised.
Shankel said interviewer would be identified by a code letter system and not by name in the transcripts. However, one master copy of the coding system will be
Sen. James B. Pearson and former
Lord Landon were to have met
Ford at Forbes.
President Gerald R. Ford was scheduled to arrive at 11:20 this morning at Airbies Air Force Base in Topeka for a nine-hour stay that includes an address to the legislature, a meeting with 10 Midwest governors and a news conference.
A working lunch is planned for 12:30 p.m. on Cedar Creek, the governor's mansion, where he meets with residents.
At noon, Ford will address a joint session of the legislature. This is close to the closing time.
kept by him and will be destroyed with the tapes and transcripts, he said.
Ford comes to Topeka
After the lunch, Ford will work with his aides in preparing for a *p.* t.m. news conference in the ballroom of the Ramada inn conference will be televised statewide.
Ford is tentatively scheduled to leave at 8 p.m. from Forbes.
At 11:45, Ford will arrive at 9th and Jackson and be met by Gov. Robert F. Bennett and legislative leaders. The public is invited, and Ford may shake hands.
Until the time of their destruction, the tapes and transcripts will be kept in a University vault. Hovi Heki, the acting office, will have access to the vault.
The chairman of the investigating committee, Jadwiga Mauer, declined to comment on the decision reached Monday at a meeting of Shankel, Hamer and her.
"It is the committee's wish and Vicki Hamer's, I think, not to release anything more until the final report is made." The team has hoped that speeded things up by working on weekends.
"I hope they will be adequate," she said.
"If not, that will just have to be too bad."
Hamer said she would prepare a revised set of procedures for the committee's involvement.
"I hope they will be adequate," she said. "If not, that will just have to be too bad." Hamer said that she would maintain the tapes until the investigation was completed, but he said the training program finished until she talked with the Academic Affairs Affirmative Action advisory unit and with Ambrose Saricks, vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Follow-Through statement to be this morning
A statement about the filing of criminal charges in connection with the Woodlawn Elementary School Follow Through Program has been delayed until late this morning, David Berkowitz, Douglas County attorney, said Monday.
Berkowitz has his office laid 'hid not yet
people would be charged by how many
people would be charged
The investigation was begun last summer by the state attorney general's office after an audit of the program by the University of Georgia. The program will travel regulations and University policy.
Follow Through was financed by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and administered by the KU department of human development. The Woodlawn program was discontinued last spring.
Decision is expected on garage construction
By JANET MAJURE Kansan Staff Reporter
A decision on whether an injunction should be granted to stop construction of a city maintenance garage at Second and Indiana will be made after submission of facts and case briefs to Douglas County District Court Judge James W. Paddock.
Paddock asked at a preliminary hearing Monday that Milton Allen, city attorney, and Ed Collister, attorney for the neighborhood associations that filed suit, present their facts to him by Friday and their briefs by Feb. 28.
See Hearing page 7