Med Center program hopes to unite doctors, towns
By BARBARA ROSEWICZ
Rural communities in Kansas are feeling the pinch of the shortage of doctors.
As specialization and big city training increases, more hospital residents and medical school graduates are attracted to medical practice in urban areas. Fewer residents and graduates, even those from smaller communities, set up practices in rural areas.
Steps now are being taken to attract new doctors to small towns. The Kansas Health Days program sponsored by the KU Medical Center, is designed to introduce residents and all medical health care students to Kansas communities seeking medical service.
ON TOMORROW and Friday, in both Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., and on Sept. 16 in Wichita, representatives from various Kansas communities will meet with prospective physicians, nurses and allied health professionals. The team will use them to set up in one of their communities.
David Waxman, chairman of the Kansas Health Days committee, said yesterday in the past most medical students to specialize, which meant practices in urban areas with large facilities.
Waxman said now many have decided to become family practitioners, which are needed in rural areas.
A NEW DOCTOR'S decision to settle in either a rural or urban region was a personal one, he said.
involving individual background, spouse's feelings and the features of a particular community.
He said that more students now were considering living in rural communities.
Even though doctors are needed everywhere, he said, many choose rural areas or small towns because the quality of life is better and less complicated than in the big cities.
"Money is not a problem." Waxman said.
EVEN IN SMALL communities, he said, doctors can have all the patients they want.
George Burket Jr., a Med Center Family Practices staff member, said there might be bigger monetary opportunities in the city, but it was also more expensive to live there.
He said that most communities had hospitals nearby, and many were built during the 1950s period.
He said he thought other features of small-town life besides money attracted doctors.
With modern hospitals in the area, he said, the next problem is to train doctors to be generalist.
BURKET SAID that the recent trend had been toward the general family practice, but most doctors have been reluctant.
He said that communities had to have social, recreational and cultural opportunities, to attract youth.
"My fear now is that communities aren't ready for them," he said.
Burket he hoped the University and state legislature would help the Med Center study the problem and stimulate communities to help themselves.
He said that some work already had been accomplished by the current Med Center residency program, which put doctors in rural communities for at least three months.
DAVID ROSS, a Med Center resident doctor, said he would never have become interested in family practice if he hadn't seen what small-town practice was like.
"The picture is not as dismal as it's made to appear," he said.
See MED CENTER page 8
Chip campaigns using dad's style
By SHERI BALDWIN Assistant Campus Editor
A smiling Chipper Carter, of Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, waved and handshucked his way through an overflow crowd into the Kansas Union day, where he briefly spoke and answered questions about the man he calls "Dad."
The younger Carter stressed the problems of unemployment, defense spending, small business problems, welfare and the farmer.
Statements drawing the most enthusiasm from the crowd of more than 800 were for an increase in student loans and direct educational grants of federal funds for colleges and universities, and for a blanket total amnesty for Vietnam draft evaders.
Carter said the pardon basically would mean, "we're not saying you did right or wrong, but let's put the lid on what's behind us and move on to better things."
CARTER SAID he had just spent the weekend with actor Robert Redford, who discussed environmental issues with Jimmy Carter. That comment received as much audience response as any in his speech.
Asked how it felt to campaign on the campus where Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, Republican vice president candidate, attended classes, Carter said, "It feels good."
"I'm not a public speaker," Carter told the audience, admitting he was nervous. This is the state list I was campaigned in, and this week I'm going to wear it year. This is the biggest crowd I've had."
Both "Jimmy" and "Chip" share the name James Earl Carter, which they rarely
Later, on the way to Lawrence Municipal Airport, Carter confided, "Wow, I've never spoken to a crowd like that. I was standing there with my knees knocking."
A LOW-KEY 28-year-old who speaks with the same soft Georgia draw as his father, George, did in 1973, questions had passed. A political science student at Georgia State University he acted as much the politician as his father, George, drew down, while never allowing it to show.
THE KU PEARANCE wasn't 'Carter's only Kansas audience. He began, the traditional Labor Day weekend kickoff of his father's midwestern campaign in Wichita Monday. He has since stopped in Topeka and Kansas City, Kan. and has been on a step by step way by a complete crew from CBS's "60 Minutes" program.
THE PURPOSE for Carter's trip to the traditional Republican heartland of Kansas definitely wasn't a token gesture to reward Carter workers, he said.
"To start with, it made me real nervous," he said, referring to photographers who positioned their cameras less than a foot from his face.
"We're here to win an election and to get Democrats elected all across the state," he said. "I think we can carry Kansas. Of course, I'm not going to be able being from here, but I think we can do it."
"Our concept is to try to hit as many places as we can, talk to as many people as
we can and try to carry all 50 states. We're not going to concede any of them.
"It's fun, it's invigorating." Carter said of campaigning. "Everytime you shake somebody's hand and they say, 'I'm for you, I'm going to work for you,' that makes you feel like going and shaking another 200 hands."
CARTER'S WIFE, Caron, has helped him run the family farm, but now both campaign separately to cover more ground. He spent time in Campbell and unstate New York this week.
He last saw her Monday and will see her again in two weeks. Pregnant and due in March, Caron gets weekends off from campaigning. Chip resigned his city-council seat in Plains, Ga., to help in campaign efforts.
Carter said he and his brothers tried to
be the children of President Gerald Ford.
"WE'RE GOING to try to live like everybody else and stay out of the limelight as much as possible," he said. "The way to do that is to not talk about ourselves. And we've all taken it upon ourselves not to talk about our personal lives."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
On the prospect that Independent candidate Eugene McCarthy might attract liberal voters and siphon enough support from Carter to throw some close states into the fray, Mr. Obama said, "I've heard it discussed in the media, but I haven't heard it discussed at home.
Carter declined to comment on his mother's statement last week that her three sons tried marjuanja when they were younger but don't smoke it now.
“WE’RE RUNNING in the Ford-Dole ticket and I think we'll ten to pretty much ignore the rest of them,” he said, “we think that everybody has a right to run.”
KANSAN
The University of Kansas—Lawrence. Kansas
See CARTER'S page 10
Vol.87 No.12
Wednesday, September 8. 1976
A Carter on Campus
didate Jimmy Carter, spoke to a crowd of more than 800 people in the Big Eight room at the Kansas Union. The talk was recorded by his wife, Linda, who is survived by her children and grandchildren.
After greeting students at the voter registration booth in front of Wescue Hall, Chip Carter, son of Democrat presidential can-
Safety tours of KU Greek houses under way
By JERRY SEIB
Inspectors from the Lawrence Fire Department and the state fire marshal's office yesterday began an inspection tour of Kansas with visits to two sororites.
"This gives us plenty of time to go over it (the house) and find out what's wrong," he said yesterday. "Then we can sit down, with the housemother preferable to discuss it."
Gilliam said he couldn't discuss the outcome of yesterday's inspections, nor was he planning to do that.
Roy Gilliam, Lawrence fire inspector,
and Clark Brubaker, state fire inspector,
began the random inspections by touring
the Pinnacle Phi Bai houses on West
Gampus Road.
GILLIAM SAID the inspectors would be making unannounced visits to two KU Greek houses each day until all were inspected.
The inspections were part of a statewide program begin yesterday by Floyd Dibble, state fire marshal. The effort is an outgrowth of a fire that killed five students Aug. 29 at the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Baker University, Baldwin City.
sections were being conducted. He said more details on the inspection program would be released after a meeting Friday between John Kasberger, Lawrence fire chief, and representatives of the state fire marshal's office.
LARRY STEMMERMAN, chief inspector for the Lawrence Fire Department, said inspection of KU$'s 22 fraternity and 15 residence took between six weeks and two months.
The Lawrence Fire Department has conducted biannual inspections of all Greek houses for the last three years, Stemmerman said. The only difference now, he said, is that a representative of the state fire office will accompany the local inspector.
THE VICTIMS of the Baker fraternity in Burlington, the floor of the house which had no fire risks.
Stemmerman said he expected inspectors to pay close attention to the placement of
"I'd imagine they're just sending their man along to make sure they're getting there."
Stermemman said, and the offending houses have been told to comply with state standards. He said inspectors' warnings sometimes weren't needed by KU houses.
Past local inspections have revealed some violations of state fire codes,
"We were getting to the point where we would have to resort to legal action," Stemmerman said. "Maybe we won't have to now."
Lawrence fire inspectors also make yearly tours of some apartment complexes, although no apartment buildings will be inspected under the state program, he said.
LOCAL INSPECTORS have concentrated their apartment inspection efforts on the larger, newer complexes, Stummerman said.
Russell Collins, chief deputy state fire marshal, said inspections also were begun yesterday in Topeka and Emporia. He said other checks would be made in communities with public and private colleges, including junior colleges.
Collins said that main items to be checked included exits and early warning systems.
Pat Schaefer, IFC president, said yesterday that about $1,000 had been raised for the Baker chapter, whose house burned when he killed five members of the fraternity.
KU Greeks donate funds
"Originally it was a quarter drive, but it kind of mushroomed," Schaefer said.
They had hoped for a quarter from every KU Greek, but the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and the Panbellene Association (APA) had decided to have Kappa Samaia chanter at Baker University.
1,100 fraternity men and 800 sorority women.
The IFC and Panhellenic represent about
Schafer said the money would be given to the members to take care of immediate expenses.
"A lot of those guys lost almost everything they had," he said.
Maribeth Olson, Panhellenic campus
affairs chairman, said the houses were
called Monday, and by Wednesday the
checks all had been mailed.
Every KU fraternity and sorority donated to the fund drive, according to Schaefer.
Grade inflation examined again at University
By JERRY SEIB Staff Writer
An updated study of average ages in the university of Kansas is to be completed in August.
The study will be similar to one compiled last spring but will include grades from the 1976 spring semester, Ralph Christoffersen, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs, said yesterday. Last spring's study included grades through the fall of 1975.
The studies are part of an effort by the Office of Academic Affairs to determine the effectiveness of these studies.
Last year's study indicated that grade inflation wasn't a serious problem at KU and that grades had actually declined in recent years. Grades inched upward from 1971 to a peak average grade of 2.920 in 1973, then declined to an average of 2.908 in 1975.
THE GRADES are based on a four-point scale, in which an A is four points and an F
Christopher森 said the new study would allow schools and departments to comprehe the spring grades with those of the past five years, not together the declining trend was continuing.
No Universitywide policy changes have been made as a result of last year's study, Christofferson said. Some schools and departments have considered making an deadline for dropping classes, he said, although no changes yet have been made.
THE OFFICE OF Academic Affairs has made the data available only to schools and departments, he said, and has allowed them to keep track of their own conclusions from the information
When the first grade sudy was released last year, Christoffersen said he was pleased with the results. The study, he said, showed that KU apparently was fighting the trend toward inflated grades better than most schools.
A nationwide survey of colleges and universities recently received by Christenferdson indicated that other schools had lower grade averages during the same period.
The national study of 156 colleges and universities, conducted by Michigan State University, indicated that grades dropped in the school years ending in 1974 and 1975.
THE STUDY doesn't give actual grade averages of the school surveyed but by looking at the grades for the class.
"At the time we reported it (the original KU study), we thought we were counter to the trend." Christoffersen said. "Now we know that others were doing the same things."
Migrant Labor
Staff photo by JAY KOELZER
Harvesting watermelons and other crops at a rate of two dollars an hour is what draws migrant workers from Texas for seasonal
labor. Riverview Farms outside DeSoto employs 21 migrants to handle harvesting and other duties during the summer months.
Migrant workers in Kaw Valley adjust lives to transient existence
By CHRIS COTTRELL
Staff Writer
Imagine that it's late April. The year doesn't matter—every April it's the same.
You leave your home and embark upon. journey of more than 1,000 miles, knowing that you won't return for more than half a year.
For migrant farm workers in the Kaw valley, this scent doesn't have to be in uniform. They don't have to wear a cap.
"It's getting to be a tradition," says Ray Avery, one of 21igrant workers employs in San Francisco.
ALVAREZ, HIS WIFE and children, as well as other migrant workers for River-view Farms, travel to Kansas from their southern Texas homes each April. They don't return until December. This is the fourth year we've made the trip.
Those employed by Riverview Farms, however, aren't the only migrant workers in the eastern Kansas area. Other migrants, including many unidentified throughout the area. The majority of
Their work for Riverview Farms includes planting and harvesting sweet corn, potatoes, greens and lettuce. They're paid $2 an hour.
MIGRANTS LIVING near Dio Sote are Mexican-Americans, most of whom speak Spanish.
migrant workers in Kansas are in the western part of the state, but their actual location is somewhere else.
the houses in which they are owned by Fred Moore, owner of Piviangrum Forms.
The workers eat, sleep and live in one or two rooms. But they had no complaints
"We've got better homes in Texas," Alvarez said. "But we've got plenty of room for them."
The Garca family usually comes to Kамansa for a couple weeks in late April. The Garca family is visiting in May.
One worker, Alfredo Garca, still makes the trip to Minnesota every year with his wife.
"WE USED TO travel to Minnesota, then travel to Ohio, then to west Texas and then go back home." Alvarez said. "But we were better off just coming to one place."
Most of the group used to work in other places throughout the country. In the past four years, however, almost all of them have been coming only to Kansas.
months. Then they return to Kansas in early July and stay until December.
"We've been working in Minnesota for a
while," said the manager. "And we get pretty
good money up there."
GARCA SAID his family has been traveling as long as he could remember.
"My father has been traveling all his life," he said, "and I've been traveling with her since."
Both Alvarez and Garca said they thought the people in Kansas were among the friend's.
"You find people a little more friendly here than down in Texas," Alvarez said. "People have been nice to me. I try to get along with everybody. If you give a little bit of your heart, you can be friends with everybody."
Garce's wife, Rosalinda, also said she
knew Kansas best because the people
treated her well.
ALVAREZ SAID that he wouldn't mind settling down in one place, but that he had no immediate plans to do so. He said he was "very anxious" and able to make it if he stoned in one place.
"Once December comes, everybody is See MISSJACK page 18