Tuesday, September 30. 1997
The University Daily Kansan
Section A- Page 3
Changes will try to make students happy 'On Campus'
I knew something had to change when my mother complained.
"This 'On Campus' thing isn't fair," she said. "Campus groups rely on the 'Kansan' to get information out. It's not right that you make groups pay for 'On Campus' now."
I already had received
Spencer Duncan
editor @ kansan.com
Of course, this was not a new complaint.
My own mother was hassling me about something that didn't affect her.
numerous messages complaining about the "On Campus" change. Groups had threatened to boycott the "Kansan" and send out petitions asking us to remove "On Campus" from Classifieds.
Student Senate passed a resolution urging the "Kansan" to make "On Campus" free again.
And then my mother called.
Who could have guessed that moving something that seemed so small would create such a fuss when it was altered?
Someone should have told me it was such a big deal.
Moving "On Campus" to the Classified section may not have been the best idea, but there were good reasons behind it.
It took up space that should be reserved for more substantial news. Because of "On Campus" listings, news had to be cut.
Once in a while we had to cut some announcements. If there wasn't enough space for all of them, some had to go.
But this upset people. Even though we had made
it clear that announcements were not guaranteed to run, groups didn't care.
We would cut some announcements, and the next day we would receive a complaint about the absence of an announcement.
Some groups even wrongly accused the "Kansan" of purposely cutting their announcement.
To stop the problem, it seemed reasonable to place "On Campus" in Classifieds.
Groups could pay a small fee to run their announcement. It would not take up news space, and the announcements were guaranteed to run
First, "On Campus" will be posted on the "Kansan" Web site (http://www.kansan.com), starting mid-October.
But it hasn't worked, so the "On Campus" policy is changing.
Second, "On Campus" will be free one day a week. Every Monday, on page 2A, the "Kansan" will post "On Campus" listings for the entire week.
All announcements must be turned in by 5 p.m. Thursday the preceding week, or they will not get published. Anyone wanting an announcement printed must come to the newsroom, 111 StaufferFlint Hall, and fill out a form.
This will begin in two weeks, which means Oct. 9 is the first submission deadline
Last, "On Campus" will still be sold in Classifieds.
Anyone wanting an announcement posted in the "Kansan" Tuesday through Friday, must pay for it through Classifieds, 119 Stauffer-Flint.
After discussing this with campus leaders, students and "Kansan" staff members, the consensus was that this compromise will benefit everyone.
Hopefully it will stave off those nasty e-mails and make my mom happpy.
Absent ads aggravating
No free 'On Campus' makes publicity tough
By Deanna Engel
Special to the Kansas
Many religious organizations have been searching for different ways to publicize their activities since the "University Daily Kansan" changed its campus calendar policy.
Until this semester, the "Kansan" ran a section called "On Campus" on page 2A. Religious groups and other organizations could run announcements about upcoming events for free. The section ran on a space-available basis.
"On Campus" was moved to the classified section of the paper this semester. Religious organizations now must place an advertisement to announce events.
Tom Eblen, general manager of the "Kansan," said that "On Campus" was moved to the classified section this semester for a number of reasons, including a new design that did not leave room for announcements. Money was a minor factor in the decision.
But money could be an issue for some religious groups that operate on a limited budget. For an organization that wanted to run a four-line advertisement one day a week throughout the fall semester, the cost would be $83.20.
Thad Holcombe, campus minister for Ecumenical Campus Ministries, used "On Campus" about once a week to promote events such as the University Forum. He also used the section at other times to promote special events such as the Volunteer Fair.
At the beginning of the semester, Holcombe tried advertising in the classifieds but stopped because of his dissatisfaction with the changes in the "On Campus" policy.
"We got much more response from 'On Campus'
than from an advertisement." Holcombe said. "On Campus' needs to be very visible, in a place where people can turn to quickly to get information. To relegate it to the back pages shows that it is a low priority.
"It raises the question: What is the mission of the paper? The University paper needs to serve the University, and one of the important aspects of the University of Kansas is its lectures, presentations and events."
Since discontinuing use of the classifieds, the ECM has attempted to mail and call people to advertise its events, but that has been difficult.
"We've been stumped to some extent because just now are the addresses coming out," Holcombe said.
University Christian Fellowship, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church, used "On Campus" to announce events. The group was dissatisfied with the calendar in previous semesters because it seemed to be hit-and miss, said Rick Clock, Southern Baptist campus minister.
He said the organization chose to advertise in the classifieds this year because it was a reliable way to let students know when events would take place.
"Like anybody else I would like to have a free ad, but it really doesn't work that way." Clock said.
One group that has not advertised in the classifieds is United Methodist Campus Ministry.
The campus ministry has tried to let people know about its meetings through a newsletter and posters placed in scholarship halls. The group also relies on word-of-mouth.
Seth Heide, Downs senior and student associate for the ministry, said that although the group had not had a chance to discuss the issue, it probably would not advertise meetings in the classifieds because it would have to pay.
The "Kansan" will now place free ads on its Web site (http://www.kansan.com), and will run free ads every Monday on page 2A. If a group wants an ad to run Tuesday through Friday, it must purchase a classified ad.
School's program geared to recruit minority students
Engineering for diversity
By Ryan Koerner
rkoerner@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Florence Boldridge, director of diversity programming for the School of Engineering, is the only professional of her kind at the University of Kansas.
Of the nine professional schools, only the School of Engineering has a staff position devoted solely to minority affairs.
Other professional schools—business, education, and social welfare, for example—have programs that incorporate minority students and auxiliary groups for minority students. None have a staff position like Boldridge's.
"My position and the programs I oversee have been around, in some form, for 26 years," said Boldridge, who has been at the University 15 of those 26 years. "The major point of the modern program is to actively recruit and retain minority students and then to graduate them."
The diversity in engineering program began developing after the engineering department noticed the low retention rate of African-American students. Boldridge said.
"Just as quickly as the African-American students were coming in, they were leaving," said Boldridge. "This seemed to stem from them not being as prepared on the high school level as other students."
name changes since it began and has expanded to include all minority groups.
Boldridge said when members of the department noticed this trend, they created the Student Council for Recruiting, Motivating and Educating Black Engineers. The council has been through three
In 1995 the name officially changed to the School of Engineering Diversity Program. In its present form, the program has three parts: minority programming, the society of women engineers and summer outreach programs for high school students.
Gloria Flores, associate director of the Office of Minority Affairs, said her office stayed informed of what the professional schools were doing to work with minority students.
"We must be aware for ourselves because these are the contacts we have," Flores said. "I feel the Office of Minority Affairs has a good rapport with the engineering diversity office and from my impression they have done an outstanding job recruiting students."
Flores said that while such a program was beneficial, there was always more that could be done. Other professional schools would benefit from similar programs, but they must be coupled with strong retention programs.
"Programs like this could always help our efforts to recruit, especially in areas where there is not a high number of minority representation." Flores said.
The School of Fine Arts does most of its minority recruitment and retention through the Office of Minority Affairs, said Peter Thompson, dean of fine arts.
"We have some scholarships specifically for minority students," Thompson said. "And there is a committee structure that decides the use of that money. We also do some minority recruitment targeting in terms of specific high schools."
Competition with private schools has been the biggest challenge for the fine arts school in recruiting minority students, Thompson said.
Diverse approaches
To aid with minority recruiting, the School of Business had a had
Professional schools and their approach to diversity issues:
Staff/Faculty whose sole purpose is diversity affairs Engineering
Standing committee dedicated to diversity affairs
Education
Mentoring program for minority students
No program exclusive to school
Journalism
Fine Arts
Pharmacy
Architecture and Urban Design
Social Welfare Business
mentoring/scholarship program since 1992. The program is not directed by a school administrator, as the engineering program is, but rather by associate professor Renate Mai-Dalton.
"My program is intended to help freshmen and sophomores from what we call under-represented groups," Mai-Dalton said. "The reason we are doing it is that students are not admitted to the business school before junior year."
Students who participate in the Multicultural Business Scholars program, which was founded by Mai-Dalton, sign a contract with her and agree to complete a series of obligations.
"I meet with all of the students personally — the freshman I see at least once every other week," Mai-Dalton said. "We have had eight graduates from this program, and they are all doing very well. They are all either in graduate school or in very large firms."
Bicycle safety rides on plan
marrington@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
By Tim Harrington
Lawrence residents serve on the committee, which reports to the City Commission about bicycle safety.
Members of KU Environs met with the bicycle advisory committee this morning to make Lawrence more bicycle-friendly.
Caldwell hopes to get the rest of the committee's support in order to get bike lanes in Lawrence.
Matt Caldwell, Overland Park senior and committee member, said that Lawrence was ignoring bicyclists.
Kip Curtis, New York graduate student and KU Environs member, planned to give a proposal using bicycle-related traffic accident statistics from the Kansas Department of Transportation to prove
"The city needs to stop denying its need make a commitment to the bicyclists in the community," said Caldwell, who is also a member of KU Environs. "They've done everything but commit time and money."
the need for bicycle lanes and a greater awareness of cyclists' rights.
Curtis also planned to discuss a survey that had been distributed around Lawrence. The survey was used to collect information about the habits of Lawrence cyclists, such as which routes are traveled and how often they're used.
Curtis helped institute a bike lane plan in Mizzoula, Mont., where he used to attend school, but he foresees more resistance in Lawrence.
In Mizzoula, the city council was more civic-minded and not so development-oriented as the Lawrence City Commission is, Curtis said.
It wouldn't be the first time the city has tried to make Lawrence a bicycle-friendly town.
"Our plan is to have some type of proposal voted on by the city commission for the next funding cycle in the spring," he said.
Fred Sherman, city planner, said that in 1976, the city moved on a proposal called the Pedal Plan.
The plan only helped get signs designating bike routes posted throughout the city and make
maps of those routes. Very few, if any, actual bike lanes were built.
Sherman said that to his knowledge there was never any official adoption of the plan by the city, which means that there was no legislation forcing the city to comply with its guidelines.
Sherman said that there were basically four classes of cyclists in Lawrence.
There are children, who are unable to navigate the high level of traffic on the streets; college students on mountain bikes who ride for limited transportational use, usually three or four miles a day; weekend recreational cyclists, typically parents and their kids; and hard-core cyclists who ride in excess of 100 miles per week on heavily used roads.
"The real heart of the issue is that not all bicyclists are created equal," Sherman said.
He said that the renewed interest in the issue had been driven by college students.
"What we have here is a very vocal segment of the biking community, which is the college kids on mountain bikes," he said.