Campus/Area
Section A · Page 3
Tuesday November 11,1997
KU Info calls on Hemenway for help
By Matthew Friedrichs
matff@ukans.edu
Kansan staff writer
Caller: How do you spell jeopardy?
Caller: You mean just like the show?
Chancellor Robert Hemenway:
J-E-O-P-A-R-D-Y.
Hemenway: Just like the show.
Trust me. I'm right.
Even without the theme music, Hemenw was able to respond to questions about spelling, academic offices and trivia directed to the University Information Center, better known as KU Info, from 11:40 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. yesterday.
Memenway, who said he was visiting KU Info to better learn how information was distributed on campus, started answering phones after about 5 minutes of training.
He fielded 38 calls ranging from questions about how to buy sports tickets to the DirectTV Great Eight to who wrote the song "Bad Boys."
His answers: Call the Athletic Department ticket office at 864-3141; words and music were written by Larry Dermer, Joe Galdo and Rafael Vigil in 1986 and performed by Miami Sound Machine. Hemenway didn't have to answer all of the questions on his own.
KU Info staffers Mark Chotimongkol, Dodge City law student, and Nate Copt, Lawrence senior, prompted Hemenway and directed him to resources such as phone books and newspaper clippings as he took calls.
Chotimongkol reminded Hemenway of the ticket office number, and Copt identified the authors of "Bad Boys" from the book "Who Wrote That Song."
"I feel like one of those football announcers that has a microphone in their ear telling them Smith made the tackle." Hemenway said.
After initial help, Hemenway was able to answer calls — including a question about Langston Hughes' birthplace, Joplin, Mo. — on his own.
Hemenway said answering phones wasn't a new task for him.
"When I was an undergraduate, I worked as a telephone solicitor," he said.
Susan Elkins, KU Info coordinator, said she invited Hemenway to answer the phones when he first
arrived at the University.
She said she thought Hemenway would benefit from the visit.
"We always see KU Info as the pulse of life at KU," Elkins said. "If you've sat here, I think you have a better idea of what's going on at the University."
Elkins said KU Info had a long tradition of providing information to students.
KU Info staffers began answering the phones in 1970 in an attempt to control wide-spread rumors during a time of campus unrest.
For 22 years, students could call with questions 24 hours a day. In 1992, faced with budget cuts, Elkins cut back on hours.
Students can now have questions answered from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., while school is in session by calling 864-3506.
As Hemenway left, Elkins invited him to return to help answer the phones. She said they could advertise that he would be taking calls.
Hemenway said he would consider the offer and that he was also considering a live call-in radio program or an internet chat room on the University's Web site.
Chancelor Hemenway laughs as he answers the phone at KU info. Hemenway was there for 2 hours yesterday to answer questions and to see how the service works. Photo by Lynn Kalender / KANSAN
Hemenway said it was important for the chancellor to respond to the University community. It was a point Hemenway emphasized to one of his callers
"There are no stupid questions," Hemenway said.
Maybe it should've been called Unawareness Week
By Tim Harrington
tharrington@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Student Senate Awareness Week got off to a slow start last night as two students showed up for a town hall meeting in the lobby of Ellsworth Hall.
place is in this University."
Senate Awareness Week is organized by the Student Senate Communication Board to give students a forum and give senators a chance to meet the students they represent.
"I just want to know as much as I can about Senate so I can make informed decisions," Sarah Yannacone, Sterling sophomore, said. "I want to know what my
The second town hall meeting will be at 8 p.m. tonight in the lobby of Naismith Hall, and the final meeting will be at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union, immediately before the next Senate meeting in the Big 12 room.
Dede Seibel, communications board member and Nunemaker senator, said that although few students attended, the ones that did had good questions and input about recycling and transportation issues.
"We really didn't think about the basketball game being at the same time," Seibel said of last night's
meeting. "We should have a much better turnout on Wednesday."
Last night's showing also may have been due to a lack of advertising.
Usually during Senate Awareness Week, there are tables in front of Wescoe Hall staffed by student senators. Senators answer questions and speak directly with students.
This year, there were no tables because of cold weather.
Matt Bachand, communications board chairman, said that Awareness Week was held earlier than usual this year because senators wanted to have more town hall meetings later in the year as well.
Seven student senators attended last night's meeting, which lasted about 10 minutes.
Members of the executive Senate staff such as Scott Sullivan, student body president, and Kelly Huffman, StudEx chair, did not attend and will not attend the rest of this week's meetings.
Sullivan said that although they wouldn't be at the meetings, the executive staff was available to meet with students that had issues they would like to discuss.
Sullivan said that the easiest way to get in touch with him and the executive staff was to call 864-3710 or visit the Student Senate office in the Kansas Union.
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