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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
TALK TO US: Contact
Kursten Phelps or Leita
Schultes at (785) 864-4810
or editor@kansan.com
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 7,2001
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 12 VOLUME 112
Encroachment down the hill keeps debate going
By Jeremy Clarkson Kansan staff writer
The construction of two new scholarship halls would require the demolition of historic homes and could further squeeze already limited parking for existing halls, Oread Neighborhood Association members told University of Kansas officials last night.
"We believe our neighborhood needs to be preserved and protected," said Candre Davis, association member.
The University's plan calls for building new halls in the 1300 block of Ohio Street, on the site of three vacant houses. The proposed site lies east of campus and at the western edge of the Oread neighborhood, where many students rent houses. The University owns the proposed site.
Ken Stoner, director of student housing, said at last night's meeting at Smith Hall that no cost estimates or timeline had been established for the project.
Members of the neighborhood association said they were concerned about the possible demolition of the houses.
Davis has lived in the Oread neighborhood for three years and said she wanted the history of the area to be respected. She said that some of the houses along the block were owned by famous KU professors.
Stoner said he agreed the houses had history but said the neighborhood was a student neighborhood. He said building the scholarship halls would add to the scholarship community.
The homes are not registered as historical landmarks, he added.
Concerns about the historic value of the neighborhood remain at issue, as do parking concerns.
"The houses are old, and they have a history." Stoner said.
Janet Gerstner, neighborhood association member, said parking was tight for scholarship hall residents and adding more halls would only increase the problem.
Gerstner said 264 parking spaces serve more than 500 scholarship hall residents this year. She said adding two more scholarship halls would further limit parking.
"We could build a parking garage using the lot behind the Wheel," Gerstner said.
The idea of a parking garage appealed to some students who attended the forum.
"It would be a good idea to put in a parking garage." Wallen said.
Miriam Wallen, Lindsborg sophomore, said she favored building the new halls and alleviating the parking crunch.
Wallen said she attended the discussion because she was a resident of Miller Scholarship Hall, and she wanted to find out more about the University's plans.
Not all students who attended last night's discussion were in favor of building the new scholarship halls.
Aaron Paden, Lawrence senior, said he didn't want to see new scholarship halls built. He said the halls would blemish the area between the University and the Oread neighborhood.
Paden said that although the houses that would be demolished were in bad condition, he didn't want them torn down.
"If they were renovated, they would have a good value to the community." Paden said.
The next meeting about the University's plan will be on Thursday, Sept. 20, when the city's Historic Resources Commission will review the plan.
Contact Clarkson at 864-4810
Honors students advised better
Retention rates higher than general students' report shows
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
Students in small honors-based programs that emphasize advising for underclassmen have a higher retention rate than students in the standard curriculum, according to a University of Kansas report.
The report, issued by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP), began in the fall of 1998 and followed full-time freshmen for two years.
Freshmen in programs with only a few hundred students — such as the Honors Program and the Mount Oread Scholars Program — have about a 16 percent higher retention
rate than all other full-time freshmen.
But Kathryn Tuttle, director of the Freshman/Sophomore Advising Center, said a simple comparison of retention rates between students in small honors-based programs to other underclassmen would be distorted.
"You commonly see high retention rates among students with higher ACT/SAT scores." Tuttle said.
Honors students commonly have an ACT score of 30 or above. The average ACT score for KU freshmen is 24.1.
Personalized advising for students is a goal many schools and advising programs aspire toward, Tuttle said. But the Honors Program and the Mount Oread Scholars Program come closest to meeting that ideal.
The adviser-to-student ratio at the Freshman/Sophomore Advising Center is about 300-to-1, Tuttlesaid. In the Honors Program the ratio is 65-to-1, estimated Sue Lorenz, assistant director,.
"For students, I think it's important for them to seek out good and appropriate advising," Lorenz said. "But I feel a lot of times they want to avoid that."
In the Honors Program, the 300 to 400 students enrolled each semester must have an honors adviser, said director Barabra Schowen.
"Each honors freshman is encouraged — arm-twisted — to enroll in the freshmen seminar," Schowen said.
The professors who teach the freshman seminars serve as advisers for the duration of students' collegiate careers. The average seminar size is 14 students.
The retention rate for the 177 Mount Oread Scholars who entered in 1998 was 87 percent during two years, just 0.6 percent lower than that of the Honors Program.
SEE HONORS PAGE 5A
OIRP Report
Mt. Oread Scholars Program students, class of 1998: 177 students entered with 87 percent retention by spring 2000 (154).
Other first-time freshman, class of 1998: 3,118 students entered with 71.5 percent retention by spring 2000 (2,229)
Honors Program students, class of 1998: 354 students entered with 87.6 percent retention by spring 2000 (322).
Mount Oread Scholars and Honors Program students, class of 1998: 53 students entered with 96.2 percent retention by Spring 2000 (51).
KU home to branch of Japanese college
Burge Union to contain North American headquarters
By J. R. Mendoza
Kansan staff writer
A Japanese study abroad program opened its North American headquarters at the Burge Union yesterday — choosing the University of Kansas instead of the University of California, Berkeley.
The offices for TSS University Network were officially dedicated on the third-floor of the Burge Union with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"This is really a historic occasion," said Diana Carlin, dean of graduate school and international programs, who spoke at the ceremony. "The reason is this is the first time we have had a partnership of this type. This is the first time an international university has physically located here. This will mutually benefit KU and TSS."
"We knew it would be competitive," Carlin said. "But we knew we could compete, and we were right."
TSS University Network's international college, based in Tokyo, and the Applied English Center started a partnership in 1999. The network coordinates programs for women's junior colleges in Japan, and then sends students to attend the center. They participate in a seven-to eight-month study abroad program in North America as part of their educational training.
SEE JAPAN PAGE 5A
JAMIEROPER/KANSAN
Japan's Consul General Toshiyuki Fujiwara, left, and the president of TSS International College, Junichi Yoneyama, join Chancellor Robert Hemenway in dedicating a new Japanese study abroad program. Yoneyama said it would be a key part of students' education to have this global experience.
Speaker compares United States, Great Britain
By Courtney Craigmile Kansan staff writer
Great Britain today looks a lot like the United States did between 1781 and 1787, or so the chairman and founder of Market and Opinion Research International would have KU students believe.
Robert Worcester, a 1955 KU graduate, spoke yesterday to about 140 people at the Spencer Museum of Art. He gave his predictions on future relations between the United States and Great Britain and stressed how unified Europe was becoming.
Worcester, who is also a political commentator on British radio and television, focused on the similarities between the United States' transition to become a country and Great Britain as it struggles
Worcester said the European Union was going to continue regardless of whether Great Britain became a member. But he strongly advised Great Britain to join and adopt the single currency, the Euro, that other members of the European Union were using.
to decide whether to join the European Union.
"It won't be called the United States of Europe," he said. "But there will be a United States of Europe in my lifetime if you consider it to be a federal union."
Pat Lytle, Highlands Ranch, Colo., junior, said he was surprised Worcester was so opinionated.
He attended the speech as part his organizational behavior class.
He said Europe was becoming more unified — like the United States — every day.
Jeff Anderson, Arlington Heights, Ill., senior, also agreed with Worcester concerning the unification of Europe and said he appreciated hearing another opinion.
"You got the whole British point-of-view," Anderson said.
"I thought it was interesting how Europe is changing to be more unified," Lytle said.
Worcester earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Kansas. He now lives in Great Britain with his wife.
He is the first international executive in residence for the University. His visit was arranged through the School of Business' Center for International Business.
Lytle said he agreed with most of what Worcester said.
Contact Craigmile at 864-4810
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
INSIDETODAY
Robert Worcester, chairman and founder of Market Opinion Research International, speaks about trends in opinion polls. The BBC political commentator and KU graduate addressed a crowd of about 140 yesterday at the Spencer Museum of Art.
COMING IN MONDAY'S KANSAN
WORLD NEWS ...7A
HILLTOPICS ...8A
WEATHER ...6B
CROSSWORD ...6B
OPINION: The editorial board approves Student Senate's newspaper readership program.
SPORTS: Read about the Jayhawks' battle against UCLA.
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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