TUESDAY,DEC.4,2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
Tuition: Students understand hike, but aren't ready to pay
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when compared with its five peer institutions, as well as the Big 12 schools and the other 33 public universities in the American Association of Universities.
With the state fiscally strapped, administrators recognize the gap cannot be bridged by state funding alone.
Shulenburger argues that the University has a $50 million spending gap — the needed amount — in comparison with its peer schools.
Shulenburger also told the audience that tuition increases had not benefited the University in the past.
Out-of-state undergraduate tuition
"If our tuition receipts were up in previous years, the state would simply lower its general fund contribution to the University." Shulenburger said. "That has changed."
Student response to the tuition increase proposals has been mixed.
Kevin Yoder, Hutchinson third-year law student, asked the provost how any tuition increase would affect the Legislature's
commitment to finance the University.
versity.
"If increasing tuition here would mean the Legislature would continue to back away from higher education, it would be a silly thing to do," Shulen-burger said before reminding the audience members that they
The Legislature changed the University's funding strategy during the last legislative session. Under the new tuition retention and block grant policies, the University will retain excess tuition dollars, and that excess will not be offset by a reduction in the legislature's funding.
were registered voters in Kansas.
Yoder said the presentation was informative and accurate.
"We do have really low tuition compared to other institutions across the country, but I think that is a strength we should try to preserve," Yoder said.
year law student and law school student senator, said he was concerned about the spending priorities the provost mentioned.
Jason Elliott/KANSAM
LeCount said his constituency would not benefit from the proposed increased spending on graduate teaching assistant salaries and building upkeep
expenditures.
Mike LeCount, Hays second-
However, he said that undergraduates would benefit from spending generated from the tuition hikes.
Shulenburger described the mood as contemplative among the audiences at the five presentations he had made so far.
"I think folks understand the position the University is in." Shulenburger said. "But they don't all jump to their feet and say, 'I want to pay.'"
Contact Smith at 864-4910
Societies: Give members choices
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The new members of Phi Kappa Phi stand to hear their new privileges and responsibilities of being inducted into the society. Phi Kappa Phi induces the top 5 percent of undergraduate students and the top 10 percent of graduate students into the organization.
the organization can stay alive. It's not an outrageous amount."
Elizabeth Beavers, Ames, Iowa, sophomore, is a member of Lambda Sigma, an honor society for sophomores. She said the group's $45 fee was worth paying because the group offered community service opportunities and the chance to meet new people.
needed for Gail Rooney, director of University Career and Employment Services, said employers recognized legitimate, selective honor societies when students put them on résumés. She said being a member of such University-sponsored groups had its advantages, especially if students assumed leadership or elected positions in the group.
Not all students think joining an honorary society is worth the fee. Abby Huckvale, Winfield sophomore, said she read the invitations she received, but they usually ended up in the recycling box.
David Holder, Broomfield.
"They usually want time or money, and I don't have either of those," she said.
Colo., junior, also said he had received invitations but would never consider joining.
"I never thought it would actually help me out with a
resume or anything," he said.
"I don't think they really mean anything to anyone."
Contact Lamborn at 864-4819
By J. R. Mendoza Kansas staff writer
KU alumna celebrates women's achievements
A University of Kansas alumna told more than 200 people last night in the Kansas Union that women have made advances in society but still face obstacles.
cles.
Sara Paretsky, native Kansan and best-selling author of VI. Warshawski detective novels, was the inaugural guest speaker for the Emily Taylor and Marilyn Stokstad Women's Leadership Lecture yesterday. The Division of Student Affairs sponsored the event. Taylor was the dean of women at KU from 1956 to 1974. Stokstad is a Judith Harris Murphy distinguished professor of art history.
Paretsky addressed women's issues dating back to the 19th Century. In her freshman year at KU in 1964, she said she was expected to earn her MRS degree, a play on a stereotype that women were only supposed to get married.
"At the University, women were expected to marry someone with better earning power, to be better wives and mothers," she said.
mothers, she said. Paretsky also spoke out against unequal salaries between men and women, domestic violence and sexual
abuse against women and opponents of feminism.
She also blasted movies such as There'S Something About Mary for degrading women.
"In a perverse way, as women become stronger, the images of degradation become stronger." Paretsky said.
become strong in her
She praised Emily Taylor and Stokstad for their contributions to the University and women's issues. Paretsky recalled a dinner Taylor and Stokstad held when she was at KU.
"They asked me what I planned to do with my college education," Paretsky said. "No adult had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I went numb. I didn't have an answer. It was an exhilarating and frightening night."
Brittany Ronsse, Marquette junior and proctor for Sellards Scholarship Hall, presented Paretsky with a plaque. Paretsky lived in Sellards while at KU.
"She's a role model of an excellent feminist and a person who went after her dreams and achieved them," Ronsse said.
Taylor and Stokstad were honored for their contributions.
Contact Mendoza at 864-4810
Professor to study Tibetan DNA samples to find origin of people
By Erin Day and Kelley Weiss Special to the Kansan
The unique history of Tibetans and the mysteries of their genetic lineage inspired a University of Kansas professor to travel to Nepal and India looking for answers.
Felix Moos, professor of anthropology, is incorporating DNA sampling to uncover the origins of the 2,500-year-old Tibetan population. He said the most effective way to determine genetic origins of a population was through DNA sampling.
Working as an anthropologist, Moos said applying his knowledge to real-life problems was crucial to fulfilling his duty.
"I don't feel comfortable being an anthropologist confined only
In the spring of 2000, Moos traveled to Nepal and India to obtain genetic information about Tibetans. During a one-month period, Moos sampled Tibetan men and women of all ages. Through DNA testing, Moos is attempting to determine the precise origin of the Tibetan people.
to the classroom," he said. "I have to apply my knowledge to Third World countries to feel like a true anthropologist."
"The DNA collection was a small part," Moos said. "We wanted to work with the Tibetans to help them maintain minimal
Moos and his colleagues obtained DNA from the Tibetan subjects through general health examinations, which for many were their first exams ever.
health standards and value education. "
Previous techniques used for determining genetic lineage include analyzing similarities in cultural and linguistic traits between many populations. Contemporary anthropologists debate the regional ancestry of Tibetans. Modern Tibetans exhibit traits that lead anthropologists to ask if two subsultures of different biological origins exist.
Migration patterns from the northeast of China and southeast of India contribute to the diversity in Tibetan lineage, according to the Web site of Stanford University Professor Jonathan G. Ma about Tibetan history.
Michael Crawford, professor of anthropology, is also testing
and analyzing the genetic makeup of the Tibetan DNA. Crawford has worked on similar DNA-related projects that determined the origins of the Aleuts of the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska and the Basques of the Pyrennes mountains in Spain and France.
When assessing DNA, Crawford examines fragments of the strand and compares the fragments to those of other populations.
By matching fragments to those found in other strands, Crawford can determine whether the strands are related and come from similar origins.
"By examining DNA, we can construct our history," Crawford said. "It's important for populations to know who we are and where we come from."
where we collected the DNA through a simple procedure using an instrument similar to a toothbrush. He then suspended the DNA samples in vials, but encountered difficulty preserving the samples because of limited access to necessary refrigeration. He came back with only 80 usable samples.
He will return to Nepal this spring to continue his research.
Tibet's 42-year struggle for freedom from communist China inspired the activist movement for a Free Tibet that is recognized internationally and includes a local organization at KU.
Ryan Pratt, chapter president and Topeka freshman, said he
didn't feel ancestral lineage was relevant to the peace movement or how the Tibetans identified themselves.
themselves as "They don't see themselves as an organized state, rather as a spiritual culture," Pratt said.
Moos and Crawford will continue to analyze the DNA samples of the Tibetans, hoping to extract a definitive conclusion in regards to their origins. In his pursuit for applying anthropology, Moos, upon his return to the region of Tibet, will educate the residents about basic health issues and help assimilate them into modern medicine.
Contact Day and Weiss at 864-4810.