THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • 3A
Speaker to address affirmative action
By Kate Nelson
knelson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
An affirmative action advocate from Michigan will speak about racial diversity tomorrow.
Shanta Driver, a Detroit lawyer, supports affirmative action, which allows educators and employers to consider race in their hiring or recruiting. She's helping to defend her alma matter, the University of Michigan, as part of a student movement involved in two current lawsuits that claim the University's consideration of race in their admissions process results in reverse discrimination.
She will talk about her experiences with the appeals and how these Supreme Court appeals could affect the University of Kansas at 3:30 p.m. at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
Danielle Dempsey-Swopes, interim director of the Equal Opportunity Office, said that, although the University had made a lot of gains in increasing diversity in the faculty and student body, there was always more that could be done.
"Shanta will give us a clear understanding of the benefits of diversity and how valuable it is," Dempsey-Swopes said.
Although affirmative action is allowed by The 1978 Bakke v. University of California Board of Regents Supreme Court decision, the University of Kansas does not and never has used race as a determining factor for accepting
students, said Lisa Beck, associate director of admissions. Instead, it has two staff members whose recruitment efforts are designated for students of color.
"We feel that diversity is important at KU, but the primary goal is to look at the strength of academics," Beck said. "We don't want to make a decision based on race just to get our numbers up. We want students to be prepared to be at KU no matter what their ethnicity."
The Equal Opportunity Office currently devotes much of its efforts to creating recruitment plans that attract people of color to faculty positions, she said. A Supreme Court decision in support of making admissions race-neutral could discontinue or decrease this practice.
While Supreme Court approval of the University of Michigan's appeal won't affect KU admissions, it could affect KU hiring practices, said Dempsey-Swones.
Driver's talk is sponsored by the Equal Opportunity Office, the Dean of Students and the Office of the Provost.
Driver is a knowledgeable, eloquent speaker who has dedicated her life to researching the benefits of diversity. Dempsey-Swopes said.
"She's completely absorbed in this case," Dempsey-Swopes said. "Students should come learn how diversity can enrich their lives."
— Edited by Amanda Seare
Schools to compete for faculty
By Molly Gise
mgise@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
University of Kansas deans are turning in an important homework assignment tomorrow.
Provost David Shulenburger set a Nov.1 deadline for proposals from each school that outline how they would use a 15 percent increase in faculty to move closer to KU's goal of becoming a top-25 public university.
"I want us to develop areas that will be visible nationally," Shulenburger said.
The proposals will help the administration decide where to allocate money to recruit new tenure-track faculty, Shulen-
Although the proposals are designed around a hypothetical 15 percent increase in faculty, the University expects to add about 100 new faculty members over the next five years, a roughly 10 percent increase in the number of faculty currently on the Lawrence campus, Shulenburger said.
After Shulenburger receives the proposals, he will pass them along to a team of senior administrators for their evaluation.
burger said.
This team will rate the proposals and make recommendations around Thanksgiving about where to allocate $1.5 million from next year's tuition.
Shulenburger said he wanted to make a decision by Dec.1, so that the
chosen schools and departments could begin the recruitment process.
Not all decisions for the longterm hiring plan will be made this semester, Shulenburger said. The administration will likely go through a similar process next year to decide where to bring in more faculty, he said.
Because there is not enough money to give to all the schools, deans are using these proposals to compete for money.
"The end result ought to be an overall enhancement of the University," Shulenburger said. "I think each of the deans is aware that there is not enough money to fund all of the proposals."
The University's plan for allocating money for new faculty
focuses too much on ranking, rather than need, said Mike Appleby, an off-campus student senator.
sense.
"Assess the number of students that programs actually affect and go from there," Appleby said.
He disagreed with making the schools compete against each other with the proposals to decide how to spend tuition money for faculty.
"By pitting departments against each other, ultimately the decision that will be reached will not benefit the students, but rather the University," Appleby said. "Frankly, I'd rather not pay for it."
- Edited by Nicole Roche
Free buses unlikely for state Election day
Bv Caleb Nothwehr
cnothwehr@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
While students can ride KU buses for free on Student Senate election days, they will most likely have to flash a bus pass or shell out $1 on Election day next Tuesday.
Student Senate rejected a recommendation last night that would make KU buses free for state Election day.
Had it passed, the resolution would have gone to the KU on Wheels transportation committee. The committee will make its decision on the matter during its Monday meeting without Senate backing.
future." Obley said.
"It's ridiculous to fund free buses for student senate election but not for state elections that will determine our funding
meeting with Adam Obley, supporter of the resolution and holdover senior senator, said Senate made a mistake in rejecting the resolution.
Members of the transportation committee who were present at last night's meeting opposed the resolution because KU on Wheels was already in debt.
"We have the money to do it, but it's going to put us further in the hole," said Eric Braun, transportation committee member.
Making the buses free for one day would cost KU on Wheels between $500 and $600, said Mike Appleby, transportation coordinator.
Appleby said buses were free on Student Senate election days because they always had been in the past.
had been in the past.
"It's odd, but that's the way it has always been," Appleby said.
Critics of the resolution said the number of people who would take advantage of the free buses weren't worth the costs it would incur.
"I don't think one vote is worth $850," said Michael Roessler, graduate senator and St. Louis graduate student.
What it means:
Student Senate will not recommend that the KU bus admission fee be waived next Tuesday for Election day.
After the initial resolution failed, Obley attempted to create a piece of legislation that would pay for free bus rides with $1000 from the Senate unallocated account.
Some senators were opposed to that idea because Senate had already approved $15,454 in allocations to five student groups earlier in the evening. Obley's attempt failed.
The five groups receiving money were the following: Academy of Students of Pharmacy, $1,170; KU-UNICEF, $431; KU Choral, $1,145; KU NAACP, $1,708; and Black Student Union, $7,000.
Edited by Nicole Roché