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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Tuesday September 2,1997
kansan
Much
66601-3585
Section:
Much
past week or so with
more of this to come
A
Vol. 104 - No.8
Sports today
Check out this hot site of the day. A Kansan web editor's hot pick. Cool sites. Stuff in the UDKi.
Online today
WWW.KANSAN.COM
http://www.hotsite.com/trythis.html
Linebacker Patrick Brown was named Big 12 defensive player of the week for his two interceptions against Alabama-Birmingham.
SEE PAGE 1B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
Fill 'em up
Tony Fuemmeler, Glasgow, Mo., senior, left, and Matt Bachand, Yorktown, Va., senior, fill cups of microbrewed beer at the Action Alliance Home Brew Fest at Shirk's Barn north of Lawrence. More than 200 people sampled 30 homebrews and 11 microbreaks at the event Friday night. Photo by Dave Morantz/KANSAN
Brand new hall brand new problems
Students claim Budig Hall too big, busy
By Jennifer A. Yeoman Kansan staff writer
Budig Hall is large and impressive, but that just may be its problems.
Some students are finding that Budig's size makes it difficult to see and hear instructors. Other students complain of overcrowding due to the building's 2,000-student capacity.
"The professor is hard to see through all of those heads," said Diana Hess, Overland Park freshman, who has a class in the 1,000-seat auditorium. "The professor is down farther, which makes it hard for him to see when your hand is up."
However, James Vequist, director of Hoch Auditoria Complex, said that students should be able to see their instructors at all times. The only exception was when an instructor went into or below the balcony of the 1,000-seat auditorium, but students should be able to watch the instructor from a floor camera operated by an assistant.
Some students also said it was difficult to move through the crowded halls of Budig between classes.
"There's obviously a problem when classes are getting out," said Todd Shumaker, Altoona, Penn., junior. "There are people everywhere, and it's difficult to push your way through all of them."
Several students crowd into room 110 in Budig Hall. There have been several complaints about overcrowding in the new building. Photo by Pam Dishman/KANSAN
Veuquist agreed that some problems exist. However, he also insisted that they are easily fixed.
"Once students start learning that there are several exits the problems with traffic flow will decrease," he said.
Despite some problems, many students still think Hoch Auditoria's size makes it impressive.
Veuquit also said that some professors were passing out syllabi in front of doors, which slowed traffic considerably. To fix this problem, music stands were set up inside the rooms.
"When you first walk into Hoch you can't believe how beautiful it is," said Jason Benevides, Wichita senior. "The only way to describe the building is immense. It may have its problems, but I still think that it is an asset to our campus."
Technical problems annoy Hoch instructors
Construction delays prevented training
By Jennifer A. Yeoman Kansan staff writer
Each day in Budig Hall, instructors battle remote control mice, computer programs and video cameras. Sometimes, technology wins as a projection screen bulb burns out or a microphone dies.
With $1 million worth of technology and delays in its completion, some instructors expected Budig Hall to have problems upon opening.
"I'm amazed the place runs at all," said Tim Shaftel, professor of business, who teaches an accounting class in Budig. "With the building being completed late, they didn't have enough time to work on the equipment itself."
James Vesquit, director of Hoch Auditoria Complex, said he thought the problems would decrease as the semester progressed.
"There will be less problems as students and teachers become more comfortable with the building and the technology." Vequist said. "There's a difference between computer error and operator error."
In the meantime, Shaftef said worrying about the technology took
away from his concentration.
"For the first time in my career I was giving a lecture and I found myself giving the wrong example because my mind was concentrating on making everything work," he said.
There are 18 classes being held this semester in the complex, which includes a 1000-seat auditorium and two 500-seat auditoria. The halls contain computers built into podiums, video cameras, and video, film and satellite connections. Technicians in a central room oversee the equipment and monitor classroom activity.
Instructors were given a three-hour training session during the summer and had the opportunity to go practice individually in the building.
Shaftel said instructors originally were scheduled for week-long training sessions. But delays in the building's construction — which originally was to finish last February — meant that instructors had less time to learn to use the equipment.
"If we had stuck to the original schedule, we would have been more prepared," Shaftel said.
Not all instructors felt the training was deficient.
"I think that the training was adequate," said Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare. "They were really patient with us while we were learning."
Parking problems plague towers
Loss of garage space frustrates residents
By Tim Harrington Kansan staff writer
The official demise of the towers' two parking garages began with a 1995 inspection when it was decided that $25,000 in repairs were needed for the east garage to keep its first and third levels open. Both the second and third levels of the west garage were condemned.
Maybe nowhere on campus is parking more of a problem than at Jayhawker Towers.
floor construction, lack of maintenance and Kansas winters have combined to leave towers' residents frustrated and often illiterally parked.
Since then, the third level of the 28-year old east garage has been closed. This summer the west garage was torn down and replaced with a parking lot that has 23 fewer spaces than its predecessor.
The result of all this: less parking for the towers.
Bob Rombach, architect for design and construction management, said that the garages were designed to basic building standards.
advantage of the situation," said Jason Hasak, Leavenworth, sophomore and towers resident. "They oversold the parking permits, and there is nowhere for tower residents to park. You're forced to park wherever you can. It's ridiculous."
"It's horrible. I think they're taking
As for their performance so far, Rombach said they were fair to poor by parking garage standards.
The Kansas University Endowment Association purchased Jayhawker Towers in 1980 to ensure that the towers would remain student housing.
The towers and their garages were built with private funds in 1969 by a Wichita contractor.
Design and construction management director James Modig said that the garages were not built to University construction standards.
"Private developers usually build titings with a prescribed life," Modig said. "He's looking at the bottom line. We build things more for the long term."
Modig also said that routine, thorough maintenance—something that didn't
always happen under private ownership— was necessary for structures like the towers'garages.
"The key thing is maintenance," Modig said. "A regular wash-down to remove the salts, checking the joints and some caulking will do wonders. With a private developer, the best you're going to get is a sweep job with a broom, maybe a vacuum."
Modig said that removing the salts and caulking help to protect against weather, which is the worst enemy to any open structure.
Rombach agreed. "It was the weather that did it in." he said.
While the east garage is structurally unsound, it won't come crumbling down as long as nobody drives on it.
Barring any daredevil parkers, the garage will stay up until summer 1998, Modig said. Just what kind of parking will go up in the east garage's space is still debatable.
"That will be decided when we can bring in an architectural firm to see what our options are." Modig said.
Meanwhile, parking at the towers will continue to be scarc.
"There's definitely a need," Rombach said. "If you'll have to be done eventually. You can't escape it."
KU senior killed in car accident returning from holiday weekend
A 21-year-old KU student was killed in a three-car accident yesterday afternoon on her way home from the St. Louis area.
By Mary Corcoran Kansan staff writer
Julie Schaeffer, Chesterfield, Mo., senior, died when she lost control of her 1989 Ford. The vehicle crossed the median between westbound and eastbound Interstate 70 and was struck by on-coming traffic, Missouri Highway Patrol officials said. She was killed instantly.
Schoeffer: Car was hit on side and from behind.
Schaeffer was traveling westbound on I-70 through Warren County when she lost control of her vehicle, highway patrol officials said. At 2:10 p.m., the
car veered across the median and into the two eastbound lanes.
Schaeffer was taken directly to the Neiburg Funeral Home in Warren County, officials said. The driver of the van, Robert Autry, was taken to St. John Mercy Hospital by helicopter with serious injuries. His wife, Connie, a passenger in the van, was taken to the Doctor's Hospital in Wentzville, Mo., with serious injuries. Dawn Lova, the driver of the third car, was taken to the same hospital with minor injuries.
Schaeffer's car was hit on the side by a 1987 Chevy van. The van was then hit from behind by a 1983 Ford. All passengers of the three vehicles were wearing seat belts.
Schaefer was a senior in journalism and a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
"Julie was a friend to all of us," said Allison Arbuckle, Wichita senior and president of Kappa Kappa Gamma. "Each of us will hold special memories and will miss her dearly."