Wednesday
September 4,2002
Vol.113 Issue No.10
Today's weather
92°
Tonight: 68°
KANSAN
Tell us your news Call Jay Krall, Brooke Hesler or Kyle Ramsey at 864-4810
Kansas baseball prepares for fall p.1B
The pipes are calling...
Eric Jeppesen takes a break to play his bagpipe outside of Burt Hall. The lab safety specialist said he began the hobby three years ago and practices on a daily basis.
Bagpiper fills air with music
While most take seven years before going solo, musician does it in three
By Vonna Keomanyvong
Kansan staff writer
Students who walk near Burt Hall around noon should not be surprised to hear Eric Jeppensen blowing tunes on
his bagpipe.
Almost every day, the laboratory safety specialist spends his lunch breaks outside the building playing the instrument.
"I don't really think too much about other people around me because I'm just playing for the music," Jeppesen said. "I just love the way the music flows."
Leavenworth sophomore Shawn Alexander, who lives at the Jayhawker Towers across from Burt Hall, hears Jeppesen playing when he walks home.
"I just love the way the music flows."
Eric Jeppensen laboratory safety specialist
He said the music did not bother him
"The music is kind of pleasing to the ear." Alexander said. "I always wondered where the music came from because the bagpipe is kind of a unique
instrument."
Jeppesen said he wanted to learn how to play the bagpipes three years ago when he heard a student playing the instrument outside the Lied Center.
"Something about the sound called to me." Jeppesen said. "So I tracked her down and asked her if she taught lessons."
SEE JEPPESEN ON PAGE 6A
Student records open to government
By Kyle Ramsey
Kansan staff writer
As the country's move against terrorism continues abroad, government officials have approved measures since Sept. 11 against terror in the homeland.
Provost David Shulenburger sent an e-mail last week to all faculty that outlined the changes in University policy brought on by one of these measures, called the USA PATRIOT Act.
The act, signed into law Oct. 26, 2001 gives law enforcement agencies access to students' records and makes it illegal for
the University to alert students of the investigation. The provision is intended to allow the government better access to information during a terrorist investigation.
Richard C. Morrell, University registrar, said his office had not received information requests from any law enforcement agency under the provisions of the act.
"To my knowledge, it hasn't happened vet." he said.
Morrell said his colleagues from The University of Nebraska and The University of Missouri had been asked to release
student records by order of the act.
He said his office would verify the identity of anyone requesting student records. The agencies must also have a mandate from the attorney general asking for the records.
Before the USA PATRIOT Act, agencies were required to work within the provisions of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, or FERPA, which was adopted by the government in 1974. FERPA laws required schools to alert
"We're going to do everything we can do to keep this from becoming a witch hunt," he said.
students if they were being investigated
The USA PATRIOT Act allows educational institutions to release only directory information. Morrell said this included information found in the student directory, such as addresses, phone numbers and year in school. The last institution a student attended also qualifies as directory information. Students can request that the registrar's office keep this information classified.
The University requires a court order to release non-directory information.
SEE PATRIOT ON PAGE 6A
KU Info debate continues
By Caleb Nothwehr
Kansan staff writer
University of Kansas administrators and KU Info employees are saying budget cuts will bring changes to the question-answering phone line, which answers 160,000 calls per year. So far, the fate of KU info is unknown.
KU Info program director Susan Elkins said in an Aug. 19 meeting that Mary Lee Hummert, interim vice provost for student support, told her that funding for KU Info as it currently exists would be cut. Hummert declined to comment on this meeting, but said the fate of KU Info is now in the hands of a developing task force, which will examine student information service.
meetstuhd "I've been told the phone-service aspect will be turned into a Web portal system," Elkins said.
Provost David Shulenburger hinted at coming changes to KU Info at a University Council meeting Thursday, Aug. 29. Shulenburger said KU Info will be affected by budget cuts.
They're going to have to find a place to take that cut," Shulenburger said at the meeting.
Recent budget cuts have already affected KU Info's service, limiting the number of staff answering questions and the number of hours that employees work. Elkins said.
Hummert said Kathleen McCluskeyFaweett, senior vice provost, was in charge of developing a task force that would examine ways to expand the accessibility of information at the University.
Hummert said changes were likely to come to KU Info.
"Change is always difficult, but that doesn't mean things will be worse," she said.
Hummert cited an expanded KU Info Web page as well as a student walk-in component as possible changes.
While the future of KU Info remains uncertain, students are taking precautionary measures to keep the service in its current state through the newly formed Save KU Info organization. Chris Martin, KU Info employee, said the organization is gathering signatures for a petition, which lists students names who want KU Info to remain in its current form. Martin, Prairie Village senior, said Save KU Info had collected 800 signatures so far and more would come in.
Martin said the group had already received offers of donations from KU alumni and community members to help KU informing
Contact Nothwehr at cnthwehr@kansan.com. This story was edited by Melissa Shuman.
Football ticket money covers game costs, supports other sports
By Kelly McNearney
Kansan staff writer
If Wall Street investors could turn the kind of percentage profit that comes from hosting a Kansas football game, this country wouldn't be in a recession.
The amount of ticket revenue varies by game. Tickets from the game against Wyoming earned $339,000 while the Nebraska game brought in $1.1 million. But the Athletics Department paid an average of $40,000 per game last season. This figure includes $5,500 spent on
While a small portion of ticket money is used to pay for the various costs of putting on a college football game, such as security and cleanup, most of it is used to support other Kansas sports.
"All the money we spend on putting on football games comes from ticket sales," said Susan Wachter, University of Kansas Athletics Corporation chief financial officer.
clean-up of the stadium and press boxes after each game and $1,850 spent on concessions for officials and locker rooms.
This figure does not include $12,000 paid per game to the conference for officials or the $800,000 the University paid in guarantees to non-league teams.
The University paid UCLA $400,000 last year just for showing up at Memorial Stadium.
Wachter said KU sold $3.8 million in football tickets last season. She expected sales to increase this year because of the
"Football and men's basketball are the only sports that cover their own costs."
Susan Wachter
University of Kansas Athletics Corporation chief financial officer
increase in season ticket sales and the change from six to seven home games. Conference revenue and merchandise sales also contribute to the department's budget.
KU spent $1.2 million to host six food ball games last season, not including uniform, equipment and coaching costs. The remaining $2.6 million paid for departmental costs and other sports.
"Football and men's basketball are the only sports that cover their own costs," Wachter said.
Money earned from football ticket sales pays for all other programs such as soccer, tennis and volleyball.
Casey Scott, associate athletic director/operations at Kansas State University, estimated that Kansas State spent a similar amount for each game, not including the costs for officials and guarantees.
"We're spending about $43,000 per game depending on who the competition is and the crowd size," Scott said.
Contact McNearney at kmcnearney@ kansan.com. This story was edited by Amanda Sears.
How much money does it take for the university to host a football game?
■ Police/security ...$6,000
■ Fire/medical ...$2,100
■ Ticket-takers/users ...$7,000
■ Telecommunications ...$1,500
■ Athletic maintenance ...$4,000
■ Facilities/operations ...$4,000
■ Clean up ...$5,500
■ Concessions for locker rooms and
officials ...$1,850
■ Porta-potty and radio rental ...$3,500
■ Misc. ...$4,550
Total cost ...$40,000