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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
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4,2001
ISSUE 9 VOLUME 112
Cheaters never win — unless professors don't tell
Course retake policy might allow cheaters to retake failed class
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
Tom Mulinazzi, professor of engineering, took a Polaroid of each of his 51 students in a class last semester so he could put names to faces more quickly. But familiarity with his students didn't prevent Mulinazzi from handing out 51 F's when they submitted their first papers.
Each student committed plagiarism.
He allowed the students to redo their papers, and many of them received As the second time.
"Not one cited references," Mulinazzi said.
Professors are authorized to deal with instances of academic misconduct as they see fit, according to the University Senate Rules and Regulations, and oftentimes faculty members do not report cheaters to their department chairs. Mulinazzi said.
But failure to report those instances may allow some who flunk as a result of cheating to erase that grade under the new course retake policy.
Under the policy, any student who fails a class because of academic misconduct is barred from retaking that class for a better grade.
Furthermore, professors who reach agreements with offending students without flunking them are not uncommon, said Tom Lorenz, associate chair of the English department.
"Any kind of plagiarism is a serious matter," Lorenz said, "But it often doesn't require the most serious procedures for addressing it."
Academic misconduct cases may go unreported for a few reasons, the first being that most cheaters are not caught.
Mulinazzi maintained a list of cheaters during his time as associate dean of engineering, and he said that the list was far from complete.
A second reason is that some faculty said they expected a hassle if they followed the formal academic misconduct reporting process as outlined in the University Senate Rules and Regulations.
The most common result of a formal report of academic misconduct is an F for the student, said Pam Houston, director of undergraduate services for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Lloyd Sponholtz, professor of history, said he had rarely encountered cheaters in his classes and rarely followed the formal channel for reporting these instances.
"It's easier to say, 'this is between you and me,' Sponholtz said, adding that faculty are also responsible for gathering evidence of cheating, which can be time consuming.
Now, Sponholtz said, he realized the importance of formal reporting because it would help identify students who exhibit a pattern of cheating.
Provost David Shulenburger said he encouraged consistent reporting of cheaters, otherwise the intent of the course retake policy may be undermined.
The current policy language does not mandate more strict reporting procedures, and Shulenburger said he doubted any additions were needed.
"We'll get a little experience with this," he said, "And then see if we need to make an adjustment."
Contact Smith at 864-4810
KU student dies in car accident
Friends recall resident of Sunflower House as humorous, fun-loving
By Laurie Harrison Kansan staff writer
Family and friends are mourning the death of Tracy Kohl, Paola senior, who died in a two-car accident Friday morning in Lenexa.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol report, Kohl was driving northbound about 4 a.m. on Interstate 435 near 95th Street when she turned in front of a semi-tractor trailer. Kohl's driver-side door was struck, and she died at the scene, the report said.
The driver of the tractor trailer was
not injured.
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Trevor Kohl. Tracy's brother, said Kohl
trevor Korn, ...
was boisterous, vocal
and the center of
attention.
"She was always laughing, always smiling," Trevor Kohl said. "She never met a stranger."
He said Kohl was fearless and full of life.
"It sounds so generic, but with Tracy, it was really true," her brother said.
Kohl: died in Lenexa on Friday morning
Tiffany Kohl, Tracy's sister, said Kohl was smart and persuasive.
"She could argue with anybody. She
would always win, too,” Tiffany Kohl said. "She made an impression on people."
Nancy Kohl, Tracy's mother, said Kohl was fun-loving and had an amazing sense of humor.
"It was like Tracy to take something so mundane and make it funny," Nancy Kohl said.
Kohl, who was a psychology major, loved telling other residents at Sunflower House, 1406 Tennessee St., about new coupons and was always looking for a good deal, said Andy Strattman. Sunflower house resident.
"She always had a way to figure out how to get more for your money," Strattman said.
Lisa Parr, Sunflower house resident,
had known Kohl since kindergarten.
She said Kohl was always joking and making others laugh. Parr's nickname for Kohl was Tré.
"In high school she called me cheese, and I called her Tré, and it kind of just stuck," Parr said.
Tosha Green, Lawrence junior and Sunflower house resident, said she was still in shock after Kohl's death.
"This person changed all of our lives so much." Green said. "She was incredible."
Kohl's funeral is at 2:30 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church in Paola. Friends can also attend a memorial at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Sunflower House, the cooperative where Kohl had lived since January.
Bid day sees 600 women enter sororities
Contact Harrison at 864-4810
Excitement fills the air as recruits discover chapter selections
By J. R. Mendoza Kansan staff writer
Amid screams and hollers, the sorority recruitment process officially ended yesterday afternoon when participants found out into which sorority they were accepted. Some women cried, but others remained subdued after finding out.
Women who participated in recruitment received envelopes that revealed which chapter house they were accepted into at the bid day ceremony in Budig Hall. The women opened the envelopes as a group after they participated in a ceremony that inducted them as Panhellenic Association members.
Devin Mobley, Andale freshman, was accepted into Gamma Phi Beta. She said the recruitment process was stressful
New sorority pledges gather outside Budig Hall to board buses and go to their new sorority houses. The bid-day ceremony was yesterday afternoon.
J. E.WILSON/KANSAN
"I was ready for it to be over," Mobley said.
Dana Brown, Wichita freshman, was accepted into Delta Delta Delta. She said although there was not a lot of time for homework during the recruitment process, it was worth it.
"I met tons of new people, and I grew really close to them." Brown said.
The process spanned the last two weekends, from Friday through Sunday each weekend.
Preference round day was Sunday, when women decided their top three choices of houses they would like to join.
Kelly Jo Karnes, assistant director for greek programs, said 825 women signed up for recruitment; 600 were placed. The remaining women either didn't show up or withdrew for other reasons, she said.
Last April, the recruitment process was changed to take place this fall on the first and second weekends of the school year. The change was made so the women could participate more in Hawk Week activities. Karnes said the change in the recruitment process did not have a negative impact.
Chelsea Carr, Minnetonka, Minn., junior and recruitment chairwoman for Alpha Chi Omega, said the sorority's
"Our numbers were right on target," Karnes said. "It all worked out in the end."
quota — the number of women it could add to the chapter — was 48. She said the Panhellenic Council decided how many women each chapter could add.
She said there might be a few extra spots in the sorority for those who decide to participate in open rush.
Carr said any woman who was released or withdrew from the process had the option of going through continuous open bidding or open rush later this year.
"It's much more informal," Carr said of the process.
Carr said the changes this semester in the recruitment process were stressful for active members.
"I'd prefer to go back to the schedule from last year," Carr said. "It's harder for chapters because there's more of a chance for the women to talk to other people. But for the women going through the process, it might have been easier."
Contact Mendoza at 864-4810
Actor infects Lawrence with in-home performances
One-man play tests student's limits thrills small audiences
By Courtney Craigmile Kansan staff writer
"I like the dynamic of the living room atmosphere." Hislope said, as he sat in an oversized arm
Matt Hislope, Clio, Mich. senior, has brought his oneman play into the living rooms of ordinary people in town.
Living rooms across Lawrence have been struck with The Fever.
chair, his purple bathrobe and black slippers contrasting with the pastel floral print of the chair.
"This is an experiment for me and the audience as well," he said.
Hislope is performing The Fever, a play written by Wallace Shawn intended to be performed in living rooms.
It's the first time Hislope has done one-man theater.
The setting is in the bathroom of a hotel in a Third-World country. Hislope's character is a middle-classed, middle-aged man who wakes up in the middle of the night overcome with guilt for the way he's lived his life. Hislope
described the man's late-night confession as a mix of fantasies, memories and reality.
"This nervous character isn't your average 50-year-old man," he said. "He comes from money. He has never wanted for anything."
Hislope was looking for something to do with his summer when he found the piece, so he began working on the first stage of his theater honors project.
He was familiar with other works of Shawn and chose this piece because of the challenges it presented.
"What's going to be hard is seeing if I can confine myself to a chair for an hour and a half,"
he said.
Hislope has been involved in acting since high school but said he preferred a more physical style of performing than the monologue style of The Fever. He created and was co-host of an event called The Evening of Force Feeding last year, which had participants sit on stage while being force-fed various food products. Hislope said he preferred shows more like that.
Another challenge was "taking the building away from the theater piece," he said. "There's no separation between me and the audience."
But, Hislope added, he would have no problems if
audience members decided to sit right next to him instead of across the room.
Hislope said he chose Shawn's play because "the piece was like an inferno: It twists and turns."
It also gave him the opportunity to do things on his own, with no direction or coaching.
"It's my senior year as a theater major, and I wanted to make a move toward doing my own independent projects," he said. "I've been trying to increasingly do things that are my own. I wanted to do one man projects."
SEE THEATER PAGE 3A
INSIDETODAY
WORLD NEWS ...5A
HOROSCOPES ...2B
WEATHER ...4B
CROSSWORD ...4B
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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.