THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Vol. 86 No.4
The University of Kansas—Lawrence. Kansas
August 28,1975
StudEx censure measure to be presented to Senate
By JIM BATE
Staff Writer
A resolution to censure StudEx for acting "in excess of its proper authority" will be presented to the Student Senate at its next meeting.
Dave Flood, student senator and member of the Student Health Advisory Board, said yesterday that StudEx acted improperly July 27 when it reversed a Senate decision to abolish prescription coverage in student health insurance.
Ed Rolfs, student body president, said
"The Senate code says StudEx can act in lieu of the Senate," Flood said, "but I can't find anywhere it says they can reverse a Senate decision."
that although StudE's power to reverse Senate decisions was limited, it had acted.
"There's no question the action was legal." Rofs said.
Steve Segebrecht, chairman of the health advisory board, said that although he thought StudEx had the power to override the rules, he was not like the way StudX reached his decision.
"The whole point of the matter is that Dave (Flood) wants to point out the opposition to the shady and shady manner in which the rider was approved." Segebuck said.
The Senate originally rejected the drug rider by a voice vote April 30 because of its
Bus fares at the University of Kansas increased in price this semester, but riders are apparently ignoring them. Crowded conditions prevail on most routes.
Fares hiked but buses still stuffed
Staff Writer
By STEWART BRANN
But higher prices haven’t scared anyone away. Bus routes, particularly the ones that run between campus and the residence halls have become more accessible to capacity since classes began Monday.
Ogle said yesterday that 8,463 people rode the buses Monday, an increase of about 3,300 over the number of people who used this service the first day of classes last year.
Individual, one-way fares increased this semester to 20 cents, up from 15 cents last semester. Semester bus passes, which were $14 last year, are now $15.
According to Duane Gile, manager of the Lawrence Bus Company, the higher fares resulted from an increase in diesel fuel and increased costs for mechanical parts.
Ogle said the increase probably was due to the increase in enrollment.
Upset, 5,147 people rode the buses, up to 2,500 over the same day a year ago, October 26.
But he said he didn't think the bus company would be adding any more vehicles
"Our problem right now is just using what we have to keep up with the greater number of people."
John House, Student Senate treasurer,
said that so far about 2,500 fall semester bus
passes had been sold. That figure is up
from about 1,900 in the last year of
passes sold first, semester last year.
"Everything Duane's got, he's got running." House said.
Eleven buses are running during the daytime hours, House said, including the addition of the "Lunch Bunch Express", which runs between Robinson Gymnasium and the Kansas Union every quarter-hour between 13:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The area covered by the bus routes hasn't been expanded this year, he said, because it already encompasses much of the student residential area in Lawrence.
House said he thought higher enrollment and the financial burden of rising gasoline
high cost. StudEx reviewed the decision early in the summer and upheld it. The rider charges an additional $87.85 for single student policies, $55.32 for two-party policies and $68.44 for family policies. The University's health insurance program is free. A licensed lawyer Lawrence pharmacy has the forms to fill a policyholder's prescription.
prices accounted for the increase in bus riders.
Presently, the bus service is running 95 bus hours a day. House said the buses ran about 80 hours a day during the fall and spring months when the service was expanded last spring.
"if we can't handle all the people with what we've got we'll just have to get
Another bus would cost between $50,000-
$100,000. he said.
The sudden overload on the bus service isn't only putting pressure on the bus company but it is also causing hardships for some KU students.
On July 27 StudEx considered the rider for a second time and decided to restore it. Members said they had received apprehension, and forced opposition to the rider's abolishment.
Some residents of McCollum Hall said they hadridden the bus in the last three days and they had to cope with overcrowded conditions on several trips to and from campus. McCollum Hall is the first stop on the Daisy Hill bus route.
Patricia Barrand, Denton junior, said she waited about 15 minutes Wednesday morning for a bus that had enough room to take her to campus.
"I wasn't late for class, but when you have to wait until there's enough room, you don't know whether you're going to make it to class on time." she said.
Some buses have reportedly bypassed some bus stops because they had a capacity
Two McCollum Hall residents said the only hardship that the bus service had caused for them was that they had to pay to ride to camus.
Michele Hendricks, Lenexa sophomore,
said that the bus stopped where she was
waiting, but that there was no room to
board.
Angela Noto, New York City junior, said she transferred to the University from an eastern college where the bus service was free.
In addition to the individual fare or semester passes, $1.50 from each full-time student's fees is used to help cover costs of the bus service.
"It's ridiculous that we have to pay for the student when it should be a free service to the student."
House said it was the Senate's philosophy that students who use the service ought to be taught.
FLOOD SAID most of these letters had been the work of a local pharmacy that had been afraid of losing business and had urged people to write. Floody said he had received a letter from Outls that admitted that the man outside had been made under outside pressure.
Terry Swaner, a member of the Senate Culture Committee, and Bruce Woner, StudEx chairman, both said they thought abolishing the rider had been pushed through the Senate meeting in April without sufficient consideration.
Rofs said the pressure referred to in the letter was from policy holders, many of whom were opposed to ending prescription coverage.
But Flood said the decision to abolish the rider had been made only after much consideration. The Student Health Advisory Board, he said, had weekly meetings from October to March and had investigated the matter thoroughly.
Flood said Martin Wollmann, director of Watkins Memorial Hospital, and a representative from Blue Cross-Build Shield Gordon's guard's 48-minute presentation of its position.
"WONER WASN'T" even at the Senate meeting." Flood said.
Flood said he had considered filing an injunction with the student judiciary to stop the sale of insurance but had decided against it. The injunction would have been made, the judge could have presented a hardship to students who needed the insurance right away.
The drug rider itself itself wasn't really an earthshaking issue, Flood said. The real issue, he said, was the way StudEx made its decision.
Flood said only one or two members of the board were informed Studex was reconsidering the rider. Neither Wolmann nor Segebrecht were informed, he said.
"It makes the whole committee system look kind of worthless." Flood said.
Flood said that he didn't think committee should be upheld but that the state could have done so.
THE RIDER WILL remain for this year at least, Flood said, but it still should be abolished. Full prescription coverage is used by a minority of those purchasing insurance and even they are paying $26 to $100 of coverage.
Flood said he would also try to submit an amendment on Sept. 3 to make the Senate code more specific concerning StudEx's ability. "It's important that something be done."
"Many junior senators think much of the Senate administration is on a power trip," he said.
The policy payed 80 per cent of all bills
in the city for $100, including prescription
costs, he said.
"I don't think six or seven people should give the power to meet in the summer and rest for a while," she said.
Staff Photo by GEORGE MILLENER
A steady flow of season ticket buyers kept sales personnel busy yesterday, the second day since nearly all ticket sales at Allen Field House. Class tickets can be purchased in any store with a valid season ticket.
Season tickets
Ticket sales for football going well
The first two days of student football season ticket sales have been good, according to Doug Messer, assistant athletic director and business manager.
The senior class purchased tickets Tuesday and the juniors yesterday. Messer said sales totals wouldn't be known until the ticket sales were completed.
However, he said, he had been pleased with class sales during the first two days.
"I have a feeling that as far as the class sales are concerned, things are pretty good."
Messer said it was important for students to realize that although ticket sales by classes end Friday, it would still be possible for them to purchase tickets. Tickets will remain on sale until Friday, September 12, before the first football game, Messer said.
He said that beginning next Monday, season tickets would be sold at a booth in the lobby of the Kansas Union and at the ticket window in the lobby of Allen Field House.
"We are in the process of trying to reeducate our potential customers." Messer said, "just because a student didn't buy a book but wants it." The students then doesn't mean that he can get one."
Messer said he thought lowering the season ticket prices from $15 to $10 made buying a ticket more attractive to students this year.
Another incentive for students is a discount coupon booklet that is given to students who purchase tickets. Messler said he would know whether that was affecting ticket sales.
"That's like asking whether advertising is helping you," he said. "It's one of those intangible things that is impossible to determine."
Ticket sales by classes will continue through Friday in the lobby of Allen Field House. Sophomores can purchase tickets to the freshman and freshman can buy them tomorrow.
Costs reduce construction plans
By GREG HACK
Staff Writer
Inflation has forced the University of Kansas to reduce the size of some buildings under construction, Chancellor Archie R. Kinsler, president of the University of Kansas legislature yesterday.
Dykes gave the legislators a mixed report, telling them about great progress on some projects and delays and inflation concerns on others.
"We wanted to give the legislators a look at our construction and give them a chance to ask questions about other issues," he said. "We were having to do with the University's budget."
Dykes said the law school building was "moving along really well."
The building, scheduled for completion by fall 1977, will cost about $5 million and accommodate 560 students, about 130 more than Green Hall.
Unexpected costs last year made it necessary to eliminate plans for a sixth
story and led to speculation that the fifth story wouldn't be finished inside.
However, Dykes said bids received last week are still enough that the fifth story should be considered.
Dykes also told the legislators about the new computation center, a two-story building to be located east of Robinson Gymnasium.
"I was happy to inform them that the computation center is on schedule, and construction on it should begin in the summer of 1976," he said.
Dykes said KU was attempting to keep costs for the center at about $4 million.
Problems have come up concerning the proposed $5,750,000 visual arts center;
"We asked for a small redesign on the project to reduce its cost to within our budget," he said, "and it is taking much, much longer than we had anticipated."
Deadlines for completion of the plans
Freshman English misbeliefs concern profs
Staff Writer
By KEN STONE
Many English teachers at the University of Kansas have about the freshman English program.
Students frequently enter these courses with a wide variety of faulty notions, according to the teachers. Many believe freshman English was taught for some mysterious purpose, other than educating.
James Gowen, associate professor of English and director of freshman-sophomore English, said he had heard the rumor in the middle 1960s that KU, like some other colleges, used "+" freshman English classes to weed out the poor student and discourage his continued attendance at the University.
With KU's high standards and reputation for at-
tention, we must know that bank-out course wasn't
necessary, according to Gowen.
"It's a curious charge," Gown said. "When I came in 1964 it was a very large concern. We tried as best we could to scotch the rumor. It was simply untrue at the University of Kansas."
A rumor that is more difficult to set aside concerns KIT's grading standards.
Tina Blue, assistant instructor in English, emphasized that KU English teachers had a sound and reasonable basis for grading and despite what some grade, grading wasn't arbitrary or paralyx subjective.
For Stephen Goldman, assistant professor of English, a larger concern than the misconception about grading is the pre-conception students have of English, the math, and, specifically, of KU's English department.
"The trouble comes when you're trying to decide whether to assign a minus or a plus."
Charles Masinton, associate professor of English,
said all grading was subjective in a sense, but that "we do know what an A paper looks like and we do know what an F paper looks like.
Goldman said some Kansas high school English teachers had used the University as a means of scaring their students into improved writing, saying, for example, "This paper is good, but it would never pass at KU," or "If you're having trouble now, wait until you get to KU."
Criteria such as these, Gowen said, were set out before the teachers even came to class. All of the 91 assistant instructors at KU are required to attend intensive orientation sessions where they learn how to use special writing problems and what to deal with in their mandatory conference sessions with students.
Blue said most teachers used the same criteria for grading essays. The competence shown in grammar, the development of a thesis, and a reasoned conclusion are basic factors that teachers examine.
"Many high school students have had the KU English department held up to them as the booey man,"
Many of the courses stress competition and teamwork, so they are surprised that they have to do a fair amount of writing.
Linda Rhodes, an assistant instructor, said, "I think she did it better than I haven't done a lot of writing. It is a tough road for a while."
Goldman said. "Students are afraid as hell of us.
That's a horrible image to have to overcome."
Teachers may assign as many as a dozen themes one semester, Masstown work and paragraph exercises and vocabulary.
Stephen Evans, assistant instructor in English, said many students didn't realize that college level writing was more demanding than what they were used to writing in high school.
Student who were accustomed to getting As and Bs in high school didn't as a result have the same grades in college.
"This is where the shock comes in," Evans said. "They can write well enough for their high school teacher, but not for college. It's a different kind of writing than they used to."
"There is a huge writing component in college," thecolman said. "We have lots of schools, we've a very practical aim."
Goldman said the most important difference between high school and college English was that in college, the attitude taken by the teachers was that "there's no tomorrow."
That aim, to insure that every student acquires minimum writing competence, isn't always attained, he said. About five per cent of the freshman class flunk out of English every year.
Rhodes said, "Students come to class with the idea that the teacher wants one certain thing.
Another misconception of some students was that a teacher's job is to impose some kind of formula style rules on the students.
*"Students often harass teachers because they think teachers are looking for deep, dark messages. The teacher can be a victim."*
were set by the Kansas Board of Regents for July 1 and then Oct. 1.
Rhodes said she looked for the appropriate mention of personal experience in the writing of her students, rather than a mimicking of what her students thought were her own ideas.
"We are concerned about these delays, and the Regents in Topeka are concerned," Dykes said, "and the legislature is hoping to get this construction under way soon."
Mastison told, "The idea is to develop a style out of oneself and not have one imposed."
"College is just a lot of hard work," he said. "It's not high school for four more years."
Evans summarized the feelings of many of his fellow teachers.
John Horner, one of the building's architects, said Monday that the plans would probably be completed sometime in November.
Dykes said he informed the legislators that construction of KU's new $4.8 million campus would be complete in time for next fall.
"They think this is the right way to please the teacher," she said of the tendency of students to mimic. "But what will please the teacher is when they do their own thing."
nevans said, 'English 101 encourages an in-
dividual as long as it works well within the context of' his book.
"The legislators were interested in our museum," he said, "even though its content was so small."
Grants from the Kenneth A. and Helen F.
Spencer Foundation and the Kress Foundation of New York will finance the construction.
"We discussed matters concerning the Lawrence campus for about two and one-half hours in the morning," he said, "before going to the KU Medical Center."
Dykes said the state would provide the training and operating expenses when it was completed.
Dykes said the legislators observed the progress being made at the Med Center on a $50 million clinical facility and a $6 million basic science building.
He explained that bids for another phase of the construction weren't in, and that the University was concerned with whether they would be within the projects' budgets.
Del Shankel, executive vice chancellor,
also addressed the legislators while they
"The legislators were interested in our construction projects and the University in general," Shankel said, "so we invited them in for an informal session."
Shankel he talked about some of KU's general problems and opportunities, and about how the KU students had changed in the past few years.
"I think students have become more studious, more job and career oriented, more politically conservative and less politically active." he said.
Shankel said Mike Davis, University general counsel talked to the legislators on Thursday.
Although Davis wasn't available for comment, he said last week that the number of liability suits was increasing.