4A • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 2001
TALKTOUS
Kursten Phelps editor 864-4854 or editor@kansan.com
Leita Schultes Christina Neff managing editors 864-4854 or editor@kansan.com
Erin Adamson Brendan Woodbury opinion editors 864-4810 or opinion@kansan.com
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PERSPECTIVE
How will KU spend tuition money?
If the University of Kansas wants to pitch the idea of increased tuition to students, it must tell students what they will be getting for their money.
The University has proposed three scenarios that will bring in an extra $50 million, $40 million or $25 million a year, depending on the scenario and assuming enrollment remains at current levels. Provost David Shulenburger said that the University came up with these numbers by comparing its budget with those of KU's five peer institutions: Oregon, Iowa, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Oklahoma and Colorado. The average budget of these five institutions is 100 percent, and an extra $50 million a year would get us to that level, Shulenburger said.
Commentary
That's fine for administrators, researchers, University Relations and Office of Admissions people who spend their days advertising for the University. That's outstanding information for the thousands of prospective students who every year spend their senior year of high school researching and comparing the budgets of KU and its five peer institutions.
But Shulenburger's numbers are of little to no comfort to the students who will actually be paying for school.
John Audlehelm
Columnist
opinionakansan.com
We're buying a new car. We walk into the dealership. Instead of seeing cars, we see price tags hanging from the ceiling above the spots where the cars should be. The price tags have various numbers on them: $25,000, $40,000 and $50,000.
Shulenburger has provided precious little detail as to what the extra money will buy. The University has a list of things it would like to spend money on: faculty salary increases, technology, student aid, building renovations and repairs, online enrollment and a new recreation center, to name a few. But the only items that have specific dollar amounts attached are student aid (20 percent of new money generated) and technology (an $8 fee per credit hour).
We've been trying to get online enrollment and a new recreation center for years — we should at least have an idea what they will cost. Shulenburger said that Scenario I, which would raise $50 million annually, is the only one that would pay for increased faculty salaries. Scenario II would raise $40 million. Does the University plan to spend $10 million on faculty salary increases?
The University knows how much money the scenarios would raise. It knows how much the stuff it wants will cost. If it has attached specific dollar amounts to student aid and technology, why can't it attach specific dollar amounts to the other new projects the extra money would pay for?
Shulenburger said that he couldn't because the University's method of distributing money is to collect it every year, and then go around to different departments and ask them what they need. That is how the new money would be distributed as well.
So we will probably be getting wheels and windshield wipers with our new car. But we must first give the car salesman all our money up front, and then he will ship it off to the manufacturer, who will then
build the car, piece by piece, with the money he receives. Let's hope he buys wheels before he runs out of money. Let's hope it never rains ever again.
Referring to the scenarios, Shulen-burger said, "Those are not numbers pulled out of the air." No, they're just pulled out of five schools that KU students couldn't care less about.
KU students don't care what the computers are like in Oregon. We don't care how much Iowa spends on student aid and faculty salaries. We care about what will affect us at KU, here and now. We care about what we will receive, and how much it will cost. The University hasn't told us either. If the University administrators don't know how much new projects would cost, they should figure it out. If the budget process stands in the way of that, they should change the budget process.
Students have to know what their money buys. If we don't, the University's proposed tuition increases won't drive off the lot.
Audleheim is a Des Moines, Iowa, senior in journalism.
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PERSPECTIVE
Sufficient lighting at GSP should be put in place
Universities have traditionally been a mecca for would-be rapists. Where else can one find such a collection young, beautiful and defenseless women? A study appearing in the Chronicle of Higher Education confirms the danger to women on college campuses.
However, there is one glaring oversight. Any late arrival coming home to Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin Hall knows there is a parking shortage. Residents know they have to park in the north end of the stadium parking lot or on nearby streets if they are unable to find a spot. These women also know they face a dark, dangerous walk up 11th Street to reach their residence hall.
In response, many universities have installed better lighting and emergency telephones. The University of Kansas has followed suit by adding significant lighting to most of the campus walkways and installing 22 emergency phones on campus. The University has made substantial progress toward keeping our campus safe.
As a resident of that neighborhood, I usually see about five cars parked in the stadium lot, meaning that every night at least this many women are forced to walk the perilous path. The walk begins north on Mississippi Street with a right up the hill on 11th Street past Indiana Street to the top where the hall sits. On this walk of three blocks, walkers encounter two streetlights—at the two intersections. They also encounter a tight corridor with several alleys. Rebels in the Revolutionary War were successful at sneak-attacking the British with less cover than this!
David Mitchell
Guest columnist
opinionkansan.com
Commentary
The present arrangement is a sexual assault waiting to happen. In the last three years, the University has had 16 violent offenses — including rape and assault — occur on its property outside residence halls. From these statistics and the aforementioned study, there is obviously an inherent risk of sexual assault on campus property. Drawing from the statistics, this means that there will probably be five acts of violence this year, but the question is where. The situation at 11th Street creates the perfect opportunity for such an event to occur. This is not a question of if, but when.
people affected are University of Kansas students. Who's responsible for solving the problem? We have seen issues like this in the past. Every spring, the city and the University pass the buck to the other on filling potholes on streets near the edges of campus. As far as lighting 11th Street, it would not be surprising if neither takes the lead and covers the expense associated with improving public safety in the area. This would be a mistake.
I'm not saying that anyone planned to create such a situation. No one is to blame. However, the situation demands a solution. This part of 11th Street is city property, but most of the
It is clear that the University and the city need to jointly address this problem immediately. Whether the two entities need to split the cost or allow the other to place lighting or phones on its property, there is no reason the safety of those who are forced to walk this portion of 11th Street should not be secured right away. This is an excellent issue for the Community Affairs Director of Student Senate to spearhead. Unfortunately, rapes and other sexual crimes do occur on college campuses. However, there is no reason we should force the females of GSP-Corbin to be sitting ducks for such an offense. This issue will be an excellent test: The need for a solution is an absolute no-brainer — now we'll see how long it takes our respective governments to fix it.
Mitchell is a graduate student from Haven
FREE for ALL 864-0500
Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they want. Not all of them will be published. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed.
I don't know about the rest of the student body, but I was glad that Al Bohl announced that Mangino was the new head coach at the Wake Forest game. Otherwise, the Kansan sports staff would have had nothing to write about for Wednesday's paper.
Hi, I'd just like to say that I'm a computer goddess.
1.
I just wanted to say that there are a lot of cowboys that go to KU. They're much better than the stuck up frat boys.
Have you ever noticed that if you put a bunch of sorority girls together, it sounds like turkeys?
the small children on the playground are watching you.
I think Will Smith just might be the next Billy Dee Williams.
I tried to call this number last night, but I woke up some lady, and she got pissed at me.
I saw this awesome band, Filibuster, at Coco Loco, and I just wanted to know when they were playing again. You guys rock.
The funniest thing just happened to me. I had to pick weed out of my teeth.
I just wanted to clarify something: Diamonds do not last forever. Graphite is the most stable form of carbon, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Do you mean to tell me that out of the 25,000 students at KU, there isn't a single nice guy? All I want is a nice guy.
What happened to the big whistle? I miss it. Come back!
Yeah, who else thinks that Wal-Mart has to many handicapped parking spaces?
Roger, Roger. We have clearance. Clarence. What's our vector, Victor?
Hey Angie, my roommate, I'm sorry,
threw up on you. Please don't hate me.
A polar bear fell on me
The quote in the Free for All about the person dying and owing people money was really funny... last year on Saturday Night Live when Jack Handey said it.
Yeah, if they keep raising tuition like that,
I'm going to have to pack my bags and go to K-State.
Every time there is a fire alarm in McColum, there is some crazy guy in a robe smoking a corn cob pipe. What's up with that?
To the刀 i just drove from the gas station to the bank. You are so freakin' hot!
I'm a guy and all I want is to fall in love. Is that so wrong?
Oh my god. Aaron Miles and Jeff Hawkins were just in my dorm room!
I just got kicked out of Applebee's for underage drinking. Now the cops are after me. What a great night.
I'm a girl. I kissed my roommate this weekend, and we have lots of bathroom parties.
图
I need help. I have problems taking things from Mrs.F.'s.
We're getting a cat tomorrow and we're naming it Seagrams.
Hello? Hello?! Who's there, damnit!
My friend's going on a date tonight, and I gave him a condom with a hole in it.
Drugs are fun. Mmmmm.
I had a dog, and his name was Bingo.
Does anybody else wonder what crazy things go on in the Center for Experimental Biology?
Santa, baby, put Kirk Hinrich under the tree for me.
Hey boys and girls, it's Barny, reminding you to be good boys and girls.
Which brings me to my next question?
Why do guys have nipples?
I may be easy, but I'm not sleazy.
Have you ever been to the Campanile on a Friday night? Don't.
四
Terry Allen lost because he was too skinny.