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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact
Kursten Phelps or Leita
Schultes at (785) 864-4810
or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
MONDAY
OCTOBER1,2001
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 26 VOLUME 112
Study suggests LSAT could be biased against minorities
By Eve Lamborn
Kansan staff writer
Law student Damon Williams agrees with a recent study that says the Law School Admission Test is culturally biased against minority students.
the study, conducted by Testing for the Public, a nonprofit corporation that offers classes in overcoming testing bias for minority students, was published by the California Law Review. It concluded that when students' grade point averages and majors were equivalent, minority students, on average, scored lower than white students on the LSAT.
Williams, New Town, N.D., law student and president of the Native American Law Student Association, said there were disadvantages minorities had to address in higher education.
"It just comes with the game," he said.
Tjus comes with the gamer. A student David White, director of Testing for the Public, said African Americans scored an average of 9.2 points lower than Whites on the LSAT, Hispanic Americans scored 6.8 points lower, Native Americans scored 4 points lower and Asian Americans scored 2.5 points lower.
"People have to acknowledge that the gap exists," White said. "People act as if the test were an ironclad measure, but it's a measure dependent on context, which includes race."
White said the way the test was written contributed to this discrepancy. One section of the test contains questions that are not scored but might be included on future tests. Test makers use questions from the ungraded section that were answered by students who did well on the scored section. White said.
"If a group does well on the test, it'll stay doing well, and the new questions are chosen to replicate that," White said. "It's an inherent process in the creation of the test."
White said the threat of being stereotyped as not doing as well on the test causes some minority students to live up to the stereotype.
He said the American Bar Association required the LSAT as an admission criteria when determining whether to accredit a law school.
Steve McAllister, dean of the KU School of Law, said the test makers warned schools not to consider the LSAT as the only factor in law school admission. He said the KU school considered grade point average, letters of recommendation and a personal statement in addition to the LSAT score.
"Sometimes personal statements are very persuasive," he said.
Edward Haggerty, media relations specialist for the Law School Admission Council, the group that administers the LSAT, said test bias was an issue that the council worked hard to correct.
"We go to very great lengths to ensure that our test is not culturally biased in any way, shape or form," he said.
He said the process of testing questions before they appeared on the scored portion of the test allowed test makers to determine if certain groups performed better for no apparent reason. Those questions never make the actual test, he said.
"I think the test has greatly improved in this regard." Hagerty said.
He said the test did not create the discrepancy between minority students and white students, but it did bring it to light.
"Unfortunately, standardized tests are identifying a problem in our society," he said. "Minority students aren't being as well-prepared as other students."
Haggerty said the LSAT predicted how well students would do in their first year of law school.
"It's the best predictor available, but it's not a perfect predictor," he said. "It's better than grades or any other factor that you could think of."
CONSUMER REPORT
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE ROPER/KANSAN
Car problems can invite further hassles—and costs—if turned over to unscrupulous hand
taken for a ride
Inexperienced students offered more than they ask for by dealerships
By Luke Daley Kansan staff writer
Emily Stintzi is convinced she has been deceived by a car dealership
The Overland Park junior said she took her 1999 Honda Civic in for a standard oil change at Ancona Frank Honda, 127th St. and I-35 in Olathe, but left paying for more than just a standard oil change.
"I took it in for an oil change and they suckered me into doing all of this other stuff," Stintzi said. "The only reason I took it to the dealership was
because I trusted them."
She said that the dealership had a policy of checking out any car brought in for an oil change and that during the process the mechanics told her she needed her brakes fixed.
She said that the next day, the brakes on her car began to squeak—a problem that had never occurred before her trip to the dealership.
Stintzi said that she believed the dealership made a conscientious effort to take advantage of her.
"They probably looked at my age and my gender," Stintz1 said. "It ended up costing me $80 with the oil change, the tune-up, rotation and the brakes."
AUTO REPAIR COMPARISONS
She said that prior to that incident she had been satisfied with the dealership.
The dealership did not return phone calls.
DEALERSHIPS DIL CHANGE
Crown $23.95
Dale Marten's $25.95
Dale Willey Automotive $25.95
Jim Clark Motors $24.54
Laird Noller $22.95
MECHANICS
Doug's Automotive $23.95
Harris Auto Repair $29.00
Mechanic on Wheels $26.95
Mike's Auto Service $19.25
Wendland Performance Services $18.95
OTHERS
Jiffy Lube $31.98-$34.12
Wal-Mart $15.88-$18.74
KYLE RAMSEY/KANSAN
Matt Zaller, Tulsa, Okla., senior works as a hood technician at Jiffy- Lube. 2415 Iowa St.
He said car dealerships could easily take advantage of students in need of oil changes and other basic services.
SEE REPAIRS ON PAGE 3A
Center offers new workout option
By Eve Lamborn
Kansan staff writer
A new fitness center opened last week at the Burge Union to provide students with an alternative to working out at Robinson Center.
Mary Chappell, director of Recreation Services, said students could use the new fitness center on weekdays and Sunday mornings, times when Robinson is not open.
"We designed the Burge hours to complement the hours over here," Chappell said.
Robinson is closed to students on weekdays because of classes and it does not open until 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. The new center is open 12 hours every weekday and nine hours on Sundays.
"I think it would be beneficial to have a gym open at different hours because sometimes there's no way to get to Robinson at those hours, and then you're stuck." she said.
Kari Ronningen, Bismarck, N.D. sophomore, said she worked out at Robinson but would enjoy the new center's operation schedule.
Chappell said the equipment at the center, which included treadmills, elliptical trainers, recumbent and
MFGAN THIMMESCH/KANSAN
Danielle Geronymo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, senior, works her way to fitness at the Burge Union's new center. The center includes new state of the art equipment as well as four 27-inch televisions and a stereo system.
upright bikes, a rowing machine and a fitness equipment in there," she said. cable weight machine, was brand-new and state-of-the-art.
"We've got some really cutting edge
SEE CENTER ON PAGE 3A
FBI solicits universities for student records
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
"We wouldn't give information out just because someone is from the FBI," Herron said.
If an FBI agent ever pressed Marla Herron, assistant registrar for KU student records, for information about students, she would ask the G-man to prove it was necessary.
In fact, the FBI has requested student records at universities from coast to coast during its investigation of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, though administrators at the University of Kansas said they had received no such requests.
Jane Tuttle, administrative assistant for student life, handles most background check requests submitted to the dean of students. She said her office had not received any out-of-the-ordinary requests from the FBI.
Generally, student records information is restricted under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
This is not always true, however, said Rose Marino, associate general counsel for the University.
"FERPA says that academic records are private and can only be released with a student's written consent," Herron said.
"There are some exceptions, of course, that the act allows," Marino said, adding that a passage in the Student Records Policy mirrors the FERPA language.
The Student Records Policy states that the University may disclose student information without consent "to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals."
Richard Morrell, university registrar, said the FERPA restriction that limited "directory information," such as a student's phone number and address, only applied to students who had requested it.
Contact Lamborn at 864-4810
"If a student wants to have all their information withheld, there's a form they come and fill out at the registrar's office," be said.
He said if the FBI requested directory information on a student who had filled out a FERPA form, the registrar's office would handle the request on a case-by-case basis.
Morrell estimated that 5 to 10 percent of KU students had chosen to take advantage of the FERPA "directory information" restriction.
Linda Mullens, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, said her office recently received information from the Department of Education that alerted administrators to FERPA exceptions.
The Associated Press reported last week that the FBI requested a list of all foreign students attending Fresno State University in California.
"One of those includes heath or safety emergencies," Mullens said. "FERPA officers may turn over information under those exceptions to the FBI if requested."
Joe Poits, director of international student services, said, "I've heard reports of such investigations at other universities, and we certainly can't say that it won't happen here, too."
Potts added that he did not want to alarm any international students at KU.
Ibrahima Diack, a first-year international student from Senegal, said he was not worried about federal agencies requesting his student records.
“Even if they get my files, I don't see what they could do with them,” he said. “I'm here for studies, nothing more.”
The Associated Pruss contributed to this story
INSIDETODAY
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
WORLD NEWS ... 6A
HOROSCOPES ... 7A
WEATHER ... 8A
CROSSWORD ... 8A
Contact Smith at 864-4810
NEWS: An update on the KU student who needs a kidney transplant and howher fundraiser is going.
VOLLEYBALL: Results of the team's game against Missouri.
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The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
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