Tomorrow's weather
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Still warm tomorrow with cloudy skies.
Wednesday
December 2, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No. 71
Online today
It's time for holiday shopping and travel plans. For many, money is tight. This site is a great resource to help you can pinch every penny. http://www.stretcher.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Sports today
The No.7 Kansas men lost 63-45 to No.8 Kentucky last night in the Great Eight at the United Center in Chicago.
SEE PAGE 1B
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TESTING STEREOTYPES
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Two women switch lives to examine barriers separating students
Rana Cline knocked twice on the door of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house.
An Alpha Chi with chin-length blond hair and a friendly smile greeted her.
"Hello," said Rana, a 24-year old Scandia senior. "I'm the project."
(USPS 650-640)
She entered a hallway brightly lit by a chandelier. The light from the ceiling bounced off the waxed and buffed wood floor.
Rana had entered an unfamiliar world.
In fact, she was stepping into a social experiment. For 24 hours, the daughter of a small-town mechanic from western Kansas would live the life of a sorority girl and try to disprove her negative opinions about sororites.
Related Research
"On this campus, there are some strong
stereotypes about sororities and sorority women," said Monica Biernat, professor of psychology at the University of Kansas. Biernat has researched stereotypes concerning Greek organizations, and her findings were published in 1996 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Biernat asked sorority and fraternity members to rate themselves, their sorority or fraternity, and sororities or frater-
other." Nelson said.
nities in general. She also asked students in general to rate attributes that were stereotypic of sororites and fraternites.
Story and photos by Augustus Anthony Piazza
The results showed that greeks selectively self-stereotyped. They embraced positive stereotypes of themselves but rejected the negative ones.
Sorority members of one house would rate themselves as not clichish but rated other sororities as being clienih.
But, Biernan said, there has been research into improving relations between two divided groups.
Most of the research had focused on race relations, but Biernat said it could be used to examine the division between
At the University, there is a division between sorority women and nonsorority women on an individual level, said Bill Nelson, associate director of student organizations and leadership.
sorority women and non sorority women.
Attitudes could be improved if someone outside a group were to interact with that are Bianquedat.
"Clearly there are individual students who feel like they want to be separated f r o m e a c h
group's members, Biernat said.
Stereotypes
The other half of the social experiment, Michelle Cadwalader, Overland Park senior and member of Alpha Chi Omega, is aware of the stereotypes that greek women face.
"Sorority girls are thought to be a bunch of easy girls who don't have a brain in their head and run around partying and being stupid," Michelle said. "I'm sure there are girls inside the Greek system who fit the stereotype, but I'm sure there are girls outside the Greek system that also fit the stereotype.
Rana's image of sorority women fit the ditzy girl stereotype.
"The sorority girl image is a stupid girl who parties all the time and always has a nice car." Rana said.
sorority girl that parties all the time."
Those stereotypes appear to be rooted in more than who gets to 'wear a pearl-encrusted pin and who doesn't. Rana said a woman didn't always have to be in a sorority to be classified as a "sorority girl."
Hypothesis
"If anyone hangs out with me for 15 minutes, they would learn that I'm not some r i c h bitch
By spending a day in Michelle's shoes, Rana ideally would learn more about the greek community and disprove stereotypes she had about sorority women.
See WOMEN on page 6A
Michelle Cadwalader, Overland Park senior, and Rana Cline, Scandia senior, each traded homes, jobs and cars as part of a social experiment. The women are shown in front of the houses in which they lived for a day. The experiment ideally would teach Rana about the greek community and disprove her stereotypes about sorority women. Michelle would have the opportunity to disprove the stereotypes about sorority women and learn more about living outside her house. Photo illustration
Student hit Sunday by pickup recovering
By Keith Burner
Kansan staff writer
The 19-year-old KU student who was struck by a pickup near campus Sunday is recovering at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Dorothy Sarah Kay, Lawrence freshman, was upgraded from critical to fair condition late Monday night or early yesterday morning, said Bob Hallinan, Med Center media coordinator.
Kay was hit at 2:21 a.m. at crossing Kentucky Street at 11th Street. The truck that struck Kay was driven by a 22-year-old Wichita man, who police said failed a field sobriety test.
Police have not arrested the driver or the 42-year-old Bonner Springs man who police suspect of hitting three KU students Nov. 21 on Massachusetts Street.
Police said the driver in the Massachusetts Street accident also failed a field sobriety test.
and the OFP for the Mackenzie streets Street accident also failed a field sobriety test. Police said they were following standard procedure in not arresting the men.
"Any time an injury appears to be life-threatening, charges are not filed by the police," said Lawrence Police Sgt, George Wheeler. "Officers complete the investigations and reports and then send those to the district attorney's office, who decides what, if any, charges would be filed."
He said that was done primarily to wait to see if victims' conditions stabilized.
"If we prematurely charge someone with a lesser charge, it would be difficult to go back and file a different charge should the victim die." Wheeler said.
Wheeler said that if a suspect is convicted of a lesser charge, statutes make it nearly impossible to convict that person for a more serious charge.
"But if the victim dies, the driver could be convicted of anything from murder on down," he said.
Vehicular homicide and manslaughter are possible charges Wheeler said could be filed should any of the victims die.
If the victims do not die, lesser charges could still be filed. police said.
"The severity of those charges depend upon the severity of the injuries." Wheeler said.
Two of the three students injured in the Massachusetts Street accident have been released from area hospitals. The third has steadily improved from critical to fair condition and is expected to be released from the Med Center soon.
Stop Day provides students extra hours
Bv Carolvn Mollett
Kansan staff writer
Next Wednesday will be a day of relaxation or cramming for KU students as they prepare for the semester's conclusion and final exams.
In addition to the day off, the Senate Regulations state that no exams may be scheduled during the final week of classes at the University unless the course also will feature a comprehensive final exam to be given during exam week.
Stop Day is off limits for scheduling any University business for students including classes, exams and student organization meetings, according to the University Senate Regulations.
Final exams will begin at the University on Thursday, Dec. 10 and will last through Thursday, Dec. 17.
Universities across the country have different policies regarding final exams and the study time prior to the exams.
The University of Nebraska in Lincoln has a "dead week" before final exams begin, said Bob Reid, associate director of registration and records at the university. Reid said students continued to attend classes during the week but that no papers
could be due and no exams could be given unless they had been announced at the beginning of the semester. Nebraska does not have any study days like Stop Day aside from the weekend before exam week.
Carol Holstead, associate professor of journalism and a member of the KU calendar committee, said she did not foresee any changes in the calendar.
DeMario Ford, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, said he probably would go out Tuesday night then go to Kansas City for lunch on Wednesday. He said he would not study even though he had three final exams and needed to study for them.
"I would imagine Stop Day would never be eliminated." Holst said.
"The concept of dead week is supposed to provide some of that study time." Reid said.
JJulie Cook, Eudora junior, said she loved the idea of Stop Day because she didn't have to be in class. She said she would have to work all day Wednesday rather than being able to relax before exams. And she won't have any time to study Tuesday evening because she planned to go out, she said.
"I'll be doing my studying at the bar," Cook said.
Finals breaks
The University of Kansas has Stop Day, a day off for students between normal classes and final exams. Here is a comparison of the University
Baylor University has a start day after regular classes are finished. The day only has final exams scheduled in the evening, rather than all day.
Iowa State University has "dead week" during the week prior to final exams. Classes are held, but no student activities or exams can be scheduled during that week.
The University of Colorado has two "dead days" between classes and final exams for studying.
Kansas State University has an exam preparation week during which classes are held. It is suggested that faculty not give exams during that
The University of Missouh has a Stop Day like the University of Kansas. The Stop Day is on a Saturday because the University of Missouri gives final exams six days a week.
The University of Nebraska has a "dead week" during which speeches, projects and exams cannot be given.
The University of Oklahoma does not have any special preparation for final exams.
Oklahoma State University has a "dead week" during which it suggested that professors not give exams.
The University of Texas does not have any special preparation for final exams.
Texas A&M University has two "reading days" during which classes and exams cannot be held.
Texas Tech has one "dead day" before final exams. Texas Tech also gives
final exams six days a week.
Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
By Sarah Hale
Hashinger Hall residents found themselves with an extra inconvenience when they returned from Thanksgiving Break.
Hashinger master key loss causes lock changes
Before dragging their luggage up to their rooms, students had to stop by the front desk and exchange their room keys.
Kansan staff writer
Phil Garito, assistant director at the Department of Student Housing and in charge of maintenance, said the Tuesday before break, front desk employees noticed there was a missing master key.
The missing key had not been located and no formal incidents had been reported.
Garito said no student complaints
"It took them a long time to go through all the rooms," Garito said. "But it's better to be safe. We wouldn't want any items to be stolen."
Garito said the lost key did not open any outdoor doors but that it could access a room inside.
In an effort to avoid any incidents, Hashinger maintenance changed all of the hall's locks Friday and part of Saturday after the holiday.
had been reported about the change. He said the incident was handled with the standard safety procedure.
Benjamin Juhnke, Wichita freshman and Hashinger resident, said the change was handled well and signs were posted informing students.
"Signs were up everywhere so people weren't that confused." Juhnkke said. "The only complaint I've heard is that some of the new keys have been sticking in the locks. Every time I pull my key out, I'm afraid it's going to break in the lock."
Garito said that changing resident kevs did not happen that often.
In April 1997, a master key was reported missing from Corbin Hall; however, nothing was missing from the room that the key unlocked.
During Winter Break 1996-97, a McCollum Hall resident and employee was arrested for stealing master keys from the front desk. He caused more than $11,000 in damage.