Tuesday inside 'Can'struction controversy Members of a 'can'struc tion team who wrote derogatory phrases on cans for donation to local food pantries have confessed and have been punished, Phi Delta Theta announced. PAGE 3A Environmental movement The environmental studies department is planning a move to Snow Hall during winter break.The move will give the department more space and facilitate a graduate degree in the program. PAGE 3A Piercing problems Of the 51 percent of college students with body piercings, nearly 20 percent have reported medical complications. PAGE5A Tasting the tournament After its victory over Michigan, the Kansas soccer team is in good position to qualify for the NCAA tournament. PAGE 12A Golf places fifth Andrew Price led the Kansas men's golf team to a fifthplace finish at the Nelson Invitational Price in Stanford, Calif. PAGE 12A Weather Today AAAAAHHH 65 43 mostly sunny Two-day forecast Tomorrow Thursday 74 49 6248 sunny sunny —weather.com Talk to us Tell us your news. Contact Michelle Burhenn-Rombeck, Lindsay Hanson or Leah Shaffer at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com index News briefs 2A Opinion 4A Sports 12A Sports briefs 8A Crossword 10A Comics 10A KANSAN Vol.114 Issue No.48 Tuesday, October 28, 2003 The Student Newspaper of the University of Kansas Engineering school receives donation By Joe Hartigan jhartigan@kansan.com Kansan staff writer A $6.5 million donation was made to the School of Engineering yesterday. The donation was made by Charles E. Spahr, a 1934 civil engineering graduate of the University of Kansas, and his wife Mary Jane, who attended the University in 1938. "Gifts like this are absolutely critical to our existence and ability to function the way we do," said Stuart Bell, dean of engineering. Bell said there were no plans for the money as of yet. He said the money could be used to attract students to the engineering program by creating scholarships, to "The best part is that the gift is very flexible, particularly in these times when state support is kind of dwindling." Stuart Bell dean of engineering attract professors to the University by creating salaries and to purchase essential equipment for students and faculty. "We're not talking about spending $6.5 million right away," he said. "The best part is that the gift is very flexible, particularly in these times when state equipment for students." The money will establish an unrestricted fund that can be used at the discretion of the dean of engineering for unanticipated needs or opportunities. Bell said. support is kind of dwindling." Bell said. He said the money would be invested by the Endowment Association so it would be available for years to come. Bell said an undisclosed amount of the donation would be made in cash, and the rest would be willed to the University as an estate gift. Another important part of the donation is that it will help the University's engineering program remain competitive. Bell said. tions for the Kansas University Endowment Association, said the donation brought KU First closer to achieving its goal of $500 million in donations this year. The Spahrs have donated more than $11.5 million to the University since 1954, according to a press release from University Relations. v. Bensha John Scarfe, director of communica- "One of the more notable things is the generosity of the Spahrs throughout the years." Scarfe said. Ben praised the Spahrs for their gifts. "If you go back and look at what they've done for the University, it's incredible," he said. "Their hearts are in the right place." Who is that masked man? Bell praised the Spahrs for their gifts. -Edited by JJ Hensley Brent Stevens, Wichita senior, kissed his girlfriend, Ashley Veatch, Wichita junior, while trying on costumes yesterday at Fun and Games, 816 Massachusetts St. They were unwilling to reveal their costume ideas. "I enjoy Halloween more now than when I was a kid,'cause my mom doesn't dress me up like Raggedy Andy anymore," Stevens said. dements is $1,14,40. The study also indicated that tuition at private schools had increased 42 percent during the last decade. College expenses continue to increase The 2003-2004 average for a private four-year university including all costs is By Kevin Kampwirth kkampwirth@kansan.com Kansan staff writer Imagine having to pay nearly four times as much as it costs now to send a child to college in 20 years. "Public higher educational institutes rely on state support for much of their funding." Ehrenberg said. "State cutbacks have really affected public universities." The College Board reported that for the 2003-2004 academic year, the average tuition and fees cost for in-state students is $4,694, up 14.1 percent from last year. The average for out-of-state students is $11,740. If this image is sobering, it should be. SEE COSTS ON PAGE 5A The College Board, the organization which owns the SAT, released its annual Trends in College Pricing report last week. The board's findings indicated that the average cost of tuition and mandatory fees at state-supported four-year universities rose 47 percent during the last decade. Ron Ehrenberg, director of the Cornell University Higher Education Research Institute, said tuition and costs had increased for a variety of reasons. Online enrollment revamped for round 2 By Maggie Newcomer mnewcomer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer For the second time the University of Kansas is asking students to get online instead in an attempt to replace the snaking line in Strong Hall with a maze of Web sites and links. Student Senate lobbied for online enrollment for more than three years before its implementation last spring. The first attempt was "near perfect," enrollment services reported. Enrollment for the spring semester begins on Friday. The enrollment Web sites have a new look this semester, but their function remains essentially the same. In the online timetable, students can still view course sections for all four of the University's campuses, but the search function has been refined. Students can search for specific courses instead of an entire school's course list. Allison Lopez, assistant to the vice provost for information services, said students can access all the enrollment information they need in the KYou portal at www.students.ku.edu. Lopez said after a student logged on, there were several different folders they could choose from. All enrollment links are in the academics folder. Students can see their appointment time, any holds and the timetable, among other features. Holds still must be paid in the required office, not online. Students will be blocked from enrolling until their holds have been cleared in the system. Freshmen will have an advising hold, meaning they cannot enroll until they have met with their academic advisor. Lopez stressed that all the information is accessible from This is the first time Melvin will tackle the system on her own, but she said she was confident that she could figure it out. one place. She advised students to check out the Web site well before their enrollment appointment to avoid any last minute delays. Katy Melvin, Overland Park freshman, said she wasn't worried about enrollment because she had been through it during freshman orientation. Most of the computer-related problems that cropped up last semester were of human error or course that were assigned more than one line number, enrollment services reported. Cindy Derritt, interim University registrar, assured students in a mass email that the circumstances of those mishaps have been remedied. Because of those mishaps, a few students were forced to go to Strong Hall last semester to enroll the old-fashioned way. But just in case there is a problem, enrollment headquarters at 151 Strong Hall will remain open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 13 - Edited by Doyle Murphy 4 1