Ethics joins academics as priority in KU classes
By MARY ANN HUDDLESTON
Several schools at the University of Kansas are following a national campus trend toward increased
According to a study done at the University of Virginia, business schools across the country are offering new courses dealing with ethical questions. The University of Watergate and liberal campus activities
The KU faculty members that were interviewed said that no new courses in ethics were being offered in their schools, but that more attention was being given to ethics in existing classes.
John Tolleson, associate dean of the School of Business, said that the frequency with which ethical questions have arisen in business has increased, as has the incidence in Watergate and other problems in society.
Clifford Ketel, professor of political science, said his department had not institutionalized the study of ethics, but more attention was being given to ethics in many classes.
In his own classes, he said, more comments were being made about ethics than two or three years ago. He said the discussion was
between third world nations and multinational corporations.
Martin Dickinson, dean of the School of Law, said considerable emphasis was put on ethical questions in law courses and recently those questions had grown more complex.
Some ethical problems in the legal profession that have existed for a long time must be just now being acknowledged.
Del Brinkman, deen of the School of Journalism,
said that short of a course on journalism ethics,
very few classes in the school did not touch on the
subject.
In the field of education, there is a national trend toward exploring with children what ethical questions are and how to deal with them, according to Dale Scannell, dean of the School of Education.
Howard Mossberg, dean of the School of Ethical, said that a pattern of increase in ethical
Mossberg said, however, that the pharmaceutical industry had been responding to ethical questions since 1828, when Sen. Estes Kefauver opened hearings on drug corporation practices.
concepts in pharmacy had been established for several years by student and consumer interest.
Some courses already cover the subject of ethics. The School of Business offers a course called Business and Social Problems, which Tolleson said emphasized corporate social responsibility. The School was founded in late 1965 in response to general questions of responsibility in business, he said.
Tolleson also said that a course called Business and Ethics was listed on the books, but that he doubted that it would be offered for lack of funds and teachers.
Professional ethics in pharmacy is treated in a four-hour pharmacy course called Introduction to Practice. Mossberg said that at least two hours in the summer spent discussing the code of professional ethics.
In the School of Law, a one-hour required course called Legal Profession, which deals with ethics, law and other aspects of law.
For example, he said, the controversial Chicago
Seven trial brought forth the complex question of the duty of the lawyer with respect to his client and his client.
Watergate and other scandals in business were mentioned by all the professors as contributing to Watergate.
Ketzal said that teachers in the department of political science were taken震, even shocked by the violence.
Ketzel attributed the emphasis on ethics to shenanigans in state and local government and a general perversion of the electoral process through money.
He said these topics were being discussed in accounting classes because accountants have a responsibility to make accurate reports of expenditures to stockholders.
For example, the discussion of ethics increased after General Electric was accused of price fixing in the 1950s, he said. The increase reflects outside pressures that were driving cost decreases, the focus move away from ethics.
Dickinson agreed with Toleffon, saying that the interest in ethics goes in cycles. People go for years without thinking of it, he said, then steps are taken to correct the problems.
Milo Stucky, professor of administration, foundations and higher education, said, "Watergate brings to mind the irresponsibility of public servants and people in high places and it is no doubt reflected in the attitudes of the two million teachers in the country."
The ethical considerations in each field differ widely.
Brinkman said he considered the relationship between the reporter and his news source and possible conflicts of interest as the primary ethical question in journalism.
In business, Tolleson said, the principal problem is a lack of awareness that an ethical issue is in front of people in wee see behaving in what we consider appropriate. We don't see themselves as unethical at all, he said.
Mossberg said in that pharmacy, the problem lies in the fact that consumers have no opportunity to obtain the conduct of pharmacists, and therefore, the service they are getting full value for the service they pay for.
In education. Stucky said, there is a growing confrontation between teachers and the public at large. The ethical question, he said, is what a teacher's responsibility is to the public.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Staff Photo by GEORGE MILLENER
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
September 8,1975
Vol. 86 No.10
A Kansas Army National Guard crane helicopter lowers the new KJHK-FM antenna to the top of the radio tower behind Marvin Hall, early Saturday morning. The helicopter first removed a microwave transmitter from the tower before installing the new antenna. See story on page eight.
Antenna airlift
Interim classes considered
An intersession program of classes is being considered by University of Kansas officials for the interim between this year's fall and spring semesters.
Ron Calgaard, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said yesterday that the program, which will be available to community residents, wouldn't offer a large amount of courses. But those courses would be identical to those held during normal semesters.
The classes, which will be taught for a three-week long period, would be worth one or two hours of credit. Most of the courses would deal with subjects that are popular during normal semesters, such as art and physical education courses.
Classes would be taught by professors on a voluntary basis, he said, and some courses may be offered in Kansas City, Kan, or Topeka.
Several off-campus field trips may also be offered, Calgard said. Enrollment for the
The program was discussed last year with the Council of Deans and will call for proposals from the faculty. Calgard presented the idea of the program to SenEx at a closed meeting on Aug. 28, but SenEx suggested the idea until their meeting Friday.
Gerhard Zuther, SenEx chairman, said, "It was my understanding that Vice Chancellor Calgaard wanted us to discuss it. He wanted he wanted the faculty to know about it."
interim teachers will occur sometime bet-
ween the Thanksgiving and Christmas
breaks.
"We're still in the maybe stage," he said, but we've about decided that we will go ahead and try to win.
SenEx also considered a report on personnel, policies and procedures for unclassified academic staff members. Last Tuesday he said he had been informed Tuesday that the university's president suggested that the report be forwarded to the University Senate Committee on
Joel Gold, faculty SenExmember, said he objected to a provision in the report allowing an increase of four per cent of faculty members tenured leave, because such a provision would cause budgetary complaints.
SenEx members decided also to refer a report on employment and enrollment-related professional activities to the Committee on Faculty Rights, Privileges and Responsibilities. The report specifies that all faculty must participate in faculty professional activities, the University shall support the activities by providing facilities and materials. The report also says the University shall ensure the dissemination of the results of professional activities toward the greatest benefit of the evaluation committee recommends it.
Faculty Rights, Privileges and Responsibilities, with a revised report following
SenEx members also discussed a letter from Joseph Fichler, dean of the School of Business at Cornell University.
Space, funds short here
The computation center project is on schedule, according to Del Shankel, executive vice chancellor. However, even if planning and construction continue on schedule, the center isn't to be completed until 1978.
Staff Writer
Rising enrollment and utility costs a cause crowded classrooms and fiscal worries at the University of Kansas, according to KU officials.
Bv GREG HACK
Calgaard said, "I'm afraid during this interim while we are waiting for new buildings that things are just going to get worse."
Enrollment increases, especially in the last two years, have caused the amount of classroom space for each student to increase. The newancellor for academic affairs, said Friday.
"Even with the addition of Wesco Hall, we are worse off than we were a few years ago," calgauga said. "When Wesco opened people abandoned many portable buildings or converted them to other uses, so we have less space per student."
Construction of the visual arts building is being delayed because its plans are being redrawn to cut construction costs. John Horner, one of the building's architects, said the plans should be ready by November.
Calgaard said it would be a few years before new constitution could help with the issue.
"When some of our new facilities are completed, such as the visual arts building and the computation center, we should be in need for classroom and office space"; he said.
Reverse discrimination conceded
The refusal of a white man's application to the athletic board of the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation last spring could be considered a case of reverse discrimination, according to Clyde Walker, director of athletics.
prompted by pressure from the Office of Affirmative Action.
"The Athletic Board felt it was a step forward by ensuring that minority members and women were on the board," he said.
Walker is being sued by Wendell Barker, a third year law student from Hutchinson, on charges that Barker was discriminated against on the basis of his race and sex. The Kroll,忠学生 body president; and the Student Senate are being charged in the same suit.
Almost all classrooms are scheduled for use except during 7:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. class periods, according to the office of admissions and records.
In the future, the provisions applying to student applicants also will apply to alumni
Official enrollment totals aren't taken until the 20th day of classes, but the office of admissions and records has predicted a total of 160 students over last fall, 900 more than expected.
When asked whether the amended bylaws eliminated white men from competition for the student positions, Walker said, "I don't think that's necessary. There's no
Cailgard said the University would need significant sums of money to provide services.
However, Walker emphasized that the athletic board's bylaws, which were amended in March to require one female and one minority group member on the board, were written "in the spirit of Affirmative Action."
"I think the best person should be an-
Walker said that the Athletic Board was acting in good faith to amending its budget, which included $249 million.
pointed, but this could certainly be considered a case of reverse discrimination. I don't have any doubts about that." Walker said. "I'm personally not for quotas."
Keith Nitcher, vice chancellor for business affairs, said Friday that he expects the state legislature to allow KU to spend tuition and fees collected because of the enrolment increase, helping the situation.
See REVERSE page nine
He said that if the board of Regents or the legislature kept KU from getting more money, the utilities would have to be paid because originally targeted for some other area.
Calgain said expected increases in utilities costs were also added to the University's budget.
her said KU had asked the Regents See SPACE page eight
"If we don't get supplemental funding by the end of the year we will be $600,000 in debt on our utilities budget," he said, "and that is a conservative estimate."
"We won't get as much money as if we had predicted the full enrollment increase last October." he said, "but we will probably get" to spend the excess fees.
Frances Horowitz, faculty SenEx member, said a move toward development of criteria for evaluations was occurring and that criteria should be developed through SenEx and faculty members. The department extremely vulnerable to the subjective weakness in assessments and this vulnerability is being felt more and more as time goes on, she said.
The letter, which Zuther said was addressed specifically to the Office of Affirmative Action, said standard criteria were needed in defining mark and its triggering of awards.
Arthur Breiphel, faculty SenEx member,
said, "i suspect we'll be going to something
much more formalized than in the past
year. I think we must."
Robert Casad, faculty SenEx member,
said he thought some specific criteria would
have to be developed at the departmental
center in response to university-wide policy
on merit evaluations.
Zuther will attend a special meeting this Friday on criteria for establishing merit.
SenEx members also discussed a letter from William Argersinger, vice chancellor of the university and graduate studies. The letter said the addition of phases and minutes to grades wasn't needed. If such changes are made, the department should be examined. Argersinger said.
Some departments already add pluses and minuses to grades for their own records, he said, but "I don't think you need them." The district is locked-out university-wide grading system."
SenEx also decided to ask Harry Buchholz, director of the physical plant, to appeal the decision to report on the destruction of fire hazards in Hock Audioortium.
Horowitz suggested that Zuther report to participants in the meeting that "the sense of SenEx is that any move to bring about more effective criteria of merit be offered" and that students will learn the faculty and that, where appropriate, student input be included."
Questions and answers
Chancellor Archie R. Dykes confers with Keith Lawton, assistant to the chancellor, at an information session for students and
faculty at the Kansas Union Flower. Fewer than 50 students and faculty members attended the two-hour session. See page on page