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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday September 4,1987 Vol.98,No.11
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
(USPS 650-640)
Workers prepare 'Greatest Show'
By JENNIFER ROWLAND Staff writer
James Larson/KANSAN
The crackle of a popcorn popper and the rattles of chains hitting the cement echoed in the Kansas Expcentre yesterday as workers set up the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Topeka.
Outside, the sun blazed and a chorus of little girls could be heard yelling "Go Clowns" as they cheered for their favorite team of circus clowns in a softball game against local radio personalities.
See Labor Day Weekend events,
pgs. 8 and 9.
This was the day before the circus opened for eight shows during Topeka's Labor Day weekend, today through Monday. About 8,500 maroon and green chairs in the ExpoCentre's performance area remained empty during the afternoon as white trucks displaying the circus logo were driven into the arena.
"It's blowing my mind. We've been so busy for the past five days," said Debi Drummet, Expocentre box office manager. She said tickets had been on sale since late July, and that opening night was almost sold out.
romight is WIBW-TV family night, and tickets are $8, $7 and $5.
Tickets are $9.50, $8.50 and $6.50 for the 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. performances Sunday and Monday.
Billed as "The Greatest Show on Earth," the feature attraction is a group of Shanghai acrobats from the People's Republic of China.
Tomorrow's performances are at 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The tigers, horses, elephants, camels and various other animals began arriving late in the afternoon and trainers were spreading hay and setting up wire cages for their animals.
One of the show's tiger trainers was shoveling sawdust into the cages. The two male Bengal tigers he owned had just ridden 12 hours on a train from their last show in Omaha, Neb.
Another horse-and-zebra trainer and his wife and daughter had traveled the country, performing their two-ring act.
Cindy Holman, Topea resident, was one of about 50 spectators for the afternoon softball game. Many were sitting on blankets and soaking up the sun. Holman had brought her three young daughters for the event.
"The kids are an excuse for the adults to come," she said with a laugh.
The clowns, some dressed in fluorescent pink suspenders, red striped pants and oversized shoes with pea-green shoelaces, were winning the opening event.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus pulled into Topeka yesterday. Doug Boyd, above, is a regular clown with the circus. Below, circus elephants parade down Sixth Street on their way through downtown Topeka. The circus will be at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka tonight through Monday.
Tickets for the performances can be purchased at the Expocentre box office.
Graduates of KU high school reunite
By VIRGINIA McGRATH
Staff writer
For almost 40 years, some Lawrence students attended high school at college.
The University High School, which operated from 1911 until 1950, was across from the Kansas Union in what is now the University Relations building on Louisiana Street between Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall and the Hilltop Child Development Center.
On Saturday, about 100 former students will meet at the Adams Alumni Center for their second reunion. A reception will begin at 2 p.m.
The school was run by the School of Education. KU students majoring in education taught at the high school instead of student teaching in public high schools, as they do now. In addition, KU faculty from the education department helped teach the classes.
and a buffet will be served at 5:30 p.m.
The largest class had 12 students, said Harry Hunn, a Lawrence resident and a former student. "We felt like we got a lot more out of school than other high school students," Hunn said. "It was very competitive, partly because some of the students were children of faculty."
Many students who attended the school were children of University faculty. Students from farms and the city of Lawrence also attended, but classes were small, allowing more individual attention than was offered in public schools.
Alita York Cooper, associate professor of human development and family life, attended the school from 1943 until 1947. She also enjoyed attending a small school. "We had the opportunity to participate in more extra-curricular activities. And we were close because you knew almost everybody," she said.
The students were able to see what a college was like by attending high school on a college campus. Many of their classes were in University buildings. "We were able to use the Fraser Hall theatre for our school plays; we had gym class in the old Robinson gymnasium and language classes in Strong." Cooper said.
They also had more freedom than the average high school student. "We could come and go as we pleased, just like a regular University student," Hunn said. "We didn't need to have a note from our parents to
See REUNION, p. 6, col. 1
KU will reenter Kaw canoe race
Bv IAVAN OWENS
Staff writer
University of Kansas students will be back in the canoe again this year as both KU and Kansas State University residence hall officials revive the Kaw River Canoe Race.
The Sept. 12 race starts in Manhattan. The race is a tradition that began in the '60s, but KU students not participated the last two years.
Last year, KU was not able to race because of scheduling conflicts.
Scheduling was just one of the problems the race has had in recent years, told Todd Stritze, president of K-State Association of Residence Halls. KU and K-State students' parachute has declined in the last few years.
In 1984, the race was called off because of the lack of participation. Stritze said he hoped this race will change that trend.
"This year, it has come together faster than what it has years before. We're trying to build it up again," Stritzke said.
Sonya Clark, Ellsworth Hall director and adviser for the KU chapter of the Association of University Residence Halls, said a group from KU went to Manhattan on Wednesday to complete plans for the race. She said she was pleased with the way K-State had planned the race.
"Everything looks like it's in pretty good shape," she said.
As a result of KU and K-State's agreement to revive the event, Clark said K-State would sponsor the race from Manhattan to St. Marys this
year. KU would reciprocate with a race from St. Marys to Lawrence next year.
Clark said that the teams were limited to students who live in the residence halls. She said the number of KU teams would be limited by the number of canoes AURH could find and afford.
Posters and bulletins have been put up in the residence halls to inform the students about the race.
The race will begin at 8 a.m. Sept.
12 and end about 4:30 p.m., with
check points along the route down
Kansas River. Three people, at least
one male and one female, will have to
be in the canoe at all times.
In the past, the canoe race had been a two-day event. Racers began in Manhattan with an overnight stop in St. Marys. Participants would finish the race in Lawrence the next day.
Pyramid Pizza, 507 W. 14th St., will throw a pizza party at the finish line for both the KU and K-State teams who finish before the other teams from their schools. Those teams will also receive plaques.
Stritzek said the duration of the two-day event had been the primary cause for the lack of participation in the past. In addition, the overnight stay in St. Marys had been a liability problem for K-State.
A traveling trophy will go to the school that wins the event, Stritzke said. The first 10 teams will score point for their school. The scores will be averaged, and the school with the most points will win the event.
Crowding forces assignment cuts
Staff writer
By MICHAEL MERSCHEL
Overcrowded classrooms and changes in the purpose of some courses have forced some KU professors to cut back on assigning term papers and projects.
But before students start celebrating, they should know many professors aren't hesitant to make such requests that have nearly doubled in size.
Pete Rowland, associate professor of political science, said his judicial process class had increased from about 50 students in past years to the same semester, forcing him to drop the only term paper required for his course.
He said he was reluctant to drop the paper because it gave many students their first chance to do in-depth, original research and it showed him what they understood about what he was teaching.
Rowland said the extra students meant he didn't have the time necessary for helping students with their papers or grading them properly.
"Students who took this class three years ago got a better education than students taking it today," he said. "The people who appropriate money for the University should think about that."
The lack of a term paper hurts the quality of his class, he said.
Rowland said he thought other professors also hoped that the class overcrowding would be temporary.
"If we didn't think that it was, we'd probably be looking at other universi-
But overcrowding isn't the only reason professors aren't assigning
Two years ago, Steven Hamburg, assistant professor of environmental studies, required term papers in his
principles of environmental studies class, until the class was designated as fulfilling a principal course distr ibution in environmental science College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Hamburg said the class had grown by about 50 percent since then, and he no longer required term papers.
But many professors said they weren't bothered when their classes were larger than they prefer, or even too much problems at a large university.
"In an absolutely ideal world, I'd prefer to have to have many fewer students," said Gln Marotz, professor of geography. "But that luxury is not available."
Marotez's environmental conservation class was redesignated this year from a freshman-sophomore level to an principalclass for juniors and seniors.
The size of the class increased from 60 students last year to 95 students this year. Marotz cut back on the number of assignments for the class and simplified the two projects he requires for the class.
Marcot said he worried about how difficult it would be to grade assignments with more students, but he learned that he earned what he wanted to teach them
Robert Oppenheimer, associate chairman of the history department, said the increase of his economic history of Latin America class from 25 students to about 45 had no effect on assignments he gave his students.
Oppenheimer said he still taught the class as he always had and gave the same number of term paper assignments.
Indecision jeopardizes KU's memorial Prairie Acre, experts say
Rv RFN IOHNSTON
Staff writer
In 1932, a group of KU alumni were concerned that a plot of native prairie, the only authentic prairie left on campus, would be replaced by a University building. So they acted.
A committee was formed that got the University to put a stone wall, made of limestone from an area near Potter's Lake, around the land, and a plaque was erected to commemorate its new preserved status.
And the Prairie Acre, directly south of Blake Hall, became a reminder of what Mount Oread looked like when Charles Robinson and his party were the first to see it while traveling along the Oregon trail to the California gold rush in 1848. Robinson later became the first governor of Kansas.
Since 1932 the Prairie Acre has been a distinctive feature of the campus. Its tall stalks of grass, brightly colored flowers, and tangles of what most people would call weeds have contrasted sharply with the stately trees and carefully groomed lawns that mark most of the campus.
Today, however, some KU prairie experts say the landmark has been deteriorating for years, and its survival is uncertain unless changes are made in the way the University manages the area.
Ken Armitage, professor of systematics and ecology, said he had seen a sharp decline in the number of prairie plants in the Prairie Acre over the last five years because trees around its perimeter have grown too large and bushes have sprouted up in
the grass.
Both produce shade that reduces the growth of the grasses in the area, he said.
"Essentially the University must decide if they want trees or a prairie acre." Armitage said. "If they want a prairie acre they must take the trees out. It should be done one way or the other.
"If the University does not adopt a plan the prairie will die out," Armitage said. "It could be maintained as a nice symbol, but to do so they have to remove all those trees."
Kelly Kindscher, Lawrence graduate student and author of "Edible Plants of the Prairie," which was published by the University Press of Kansas last May, said the Prairie Acre had brushed about 15 to 20
percent over the last 12 years and had lost many species of plants. The area now has about 30 species while larger prairies near Lawrence have 150 to 200 species, he said.
"Structurally, it still looks like a real prairie," Kindsch said, "and if they got the trees out of there it would look a lot better. The trees could be replanted. The biggest problem is that most of the things that have been lost are the most attractive wild flowers."
through the cracks, so to speak."
Kindscher said the University was not aware of the best way to manage the area.
the areas.
"The acre has not been managed properly to maintain diversity." Kindscher said. "It is just something that has not fallen under anyone's jurisdiction. I think it has just faller
Mike Richardson, associate director of facilities operations, said his department mows the grass once a year to lessen the fire hazard, but otherwise does not normally disturb the area. The Prarie Acre was mowed in late August, he said.
"We have taken trees out three or four years ago," Wade said. "There are often a lot of trees, and we watch
"We try to maintain what is there," Richardson said. "I am not aware that we have had any complaints."
Greg Wade, landscape architect for architectural services, said his department would make recommendations to facilities operations on what maintenance to perform on Prairie Acre.
to see that itdoesn't look to brushy.
"Our main goal is to maintain what is there," he said. "If we see something we bring it to the attention of facilities operations."
Right now the Prairie Acre looks brown, but that is normal after being cut this time of year, Armitage said.
"At the end of the growing season all prairies tend to mature and get dry at the end of the summer." Armitage said.
Kindscher said the best time for the Kindra Acre to be mowed is midsummer because most prairie plants grow best in the spring and mature
Kundscher also said the Prairie Acre could be restored if both the University and volunteers acted.