Volume 124 Issue 43
kansan.com
Monday, October 24, 2011
HOUSING HUBBUB
UNIVERSITY DENIES POLICY TALK
Timeline of events
Tuesday, Oct. 18
Wednesday, Oct. 19
Amy Long, associate director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, emails at least one national fraternity executive asking for information and writing that the University is considering changing policy to prohibit freshmen from living off campus.
Tammara Durham, vice provost for student affairs, sends out a correction to Long's email, writing that the University has no intention of changing its policy.
Friday, Oct. 21
Tim Caboni, vice chancellor for public affairs, emails Greek leaders and other individuals, reiterating that the University has no plans to change policy and acknowledges that some communications from staff members have been inaccurate. Caboni also writes that the University would not even have the capacity to house all freshmen on campus.
Freshmen residency rule under discussion, staff member said; University denies claim
JONATHAN SHORMAN
jshorman@kansan.com
The University is considering an on-campus living requirement for freshmen, according to an email sent by a University staff member to Greek organizations last week. However, University officials have denied the claims of the email.
On Tuesday, Amy Long an associate director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Council who works with the
nity, emailed at least one national national executive of a fraternity with a chapter at the University. The email, obtained by The Kansan, asked for information about freshmen living requirements at campuses where these fraternities had chapters.
Long
The email also said the University was considering changing its tradition of allowing freshmen to live off campus, which would include fraternity houses.
"Currently, as part of the University's strategic planning process, one item being considered is moving to a first year live on requirement for all students," Long wrote. "This would no longer allow new members to live in chapter property their freshman year."
On Wednesday, Tammara Durham, interim vice provost of student affairs, sent an email denying that the University was considering a change in policy.
"I want to correct an email sent by Amy Long requesting information regarding fraternity living. There is no intention of prohibiting freshmen students from living in fraternity houses," Durham wrote.
The University once again denied Long's claim on Friday in a statement from Timothy Caboni, vice chancellor for public affairs,
which was sent to Greek leaders and fraternity executives.
"We've received many questions about whether KU is planning to require all freshmen to live in on-campus housing. There have been communications from some university staff members that have not been accurate," Caboni wrote. "On behalf of the university administration, I want to assure you that such a requirement is not being planned."
Caboni also mentioned that the University doesn't have the capacity in on-campus housing to even implement such a requirement.
Caboni also apologized to the Greek community if its members felt "singled out" in discussions about student housing.
"The Greek community plays an important role at KU' Caboni wrote, "including in the first-year experience, and will continue to do so."
Edited by Josh Kantor
STATISTICS ABOUT ON-CAMPUS LIVING
Of 26,266 students on the Lawrence campus,4,693 live in University housing. That's down nine percent from 2000. Students living in off-campus housing of all kinds number 21,573.
Other major universities in the region differ in their policies on freshman housing:
Kansas State and the University of Texas at Austin do not require freshmen to live on campus.
The University of Missouri, the University of Nebraska, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Oklahoma do have policies requiring freshman to live on campus.
Sources: U.S. News and World Reports Best Colleges, Kansas State University Office of Admissions, University of Colorado Boulder Office of Admissions, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Admissions, University of Oklahoma Student Affairs.
CAMPUS
Censure publication policy lacks record accessibility
SARA SNEATH
ssneath@kansan.com
In the last 10 months, there have been four public censures of University of Kansas faculty. The first of the recent public notices occurred in December of 2010,
prior to which the University
had not censured a faculty
member since 1993.
David Guth,
an associ-
Guth
ate professor of journalism, was censured last December for engaging in unprofessional, threatening and abusive behav-
Lushington
other faculty member. Following Guth's censure, Dennis Sander, an associate professor of architecture, was censured in July on similar premises. Mahesh Viswanathan, a courtesy assistant professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences, was
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
ior toward an-
censured for plagiarism in October along with Gerald Lushington, a courtesy associate professor in the department of medicinal chemistry.
"The events that precipitated the censures are rare occurrences that simply happened to occur within a short time frame," said Mary Lee Hummert, University vice provost.
Hummert said the University's public censures have always been published in the University's newsletter. All four censures were an-
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
SEE CENSURE PAGE 3
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 4
Whether it's the threat of eviction from an apartment or securing a copyright for a work of art, the office of Legal Services for Students offers critical advice, representation and education for many legal challenges students may encounter while at the University.
"We try to do preventative education, and when something does occur, we are here to help students make good choices," said Jo Hardesty, a managing attorney and the office's director since 1987.
Office gives legal advice
MARSHALL SCHMIDT mschmidt@kansan.com
SERVICES
The office began in 1979 as a campaign promise by then student body president Steve Leben, who now serves as a judge on the state's
"I came and talked to one of the attorneys here, and he showed me how I can hold the landlord accountable for sub-standard conditions," Boone said. "He gave me an objective perspective about the legal context of what I was going
Punched through a student fee of less than $11 per person, the office does not charge additional fees for its services, which are provided by attorneys and law students under attorney supervision. The office assists many students in setting disputes with their landlords.
"A lot of people don't know what landlords are required to provide," Hardesty said. The office sees cases in which students are living with perpetual health and safety code violations, such as electrical problems and malfunctioning fire extinguishers, that go unattended by landlords. The office helps students report any violations to the city and represents them in court if needed. Oftentimes these issues
Alyssa Boone, a third-year law student from Wichita, works as an intern in the office and has first-hand experience with the advice that the office gives. Two years ago, an apartment leak caused property damage and she disputed the lease she had signed.
Court of Appeals.
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
create security deposit refund disputes between tenant and landlord, which the office also deals with.
Don't forget
恒
SUA is hosting Open Mic Night in the Hawk's Nest on level 1 of the Kansas Union from 7 to 9 p.m.
SEE LEGAL PAGE 3
Today's Weather
Forecasts done by
University students.
For a more detailed forecast
see page 2A.
HI: 81
LO: 59
A sunny start to the week