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University Daily Kansan Tuesday, Sept. 28, 1960
Plea for Hospital Addition
EDITOR'S NOTE:This is the first in a series of editorials discussing the problems of space at Watkins hospital. For further information on the hospital's history and present conditions, see page three of today's Kansan.
When Watkins Memorial hospital was first erected in 1931-32, E. H. Lindley, then chancellor of KU, called it "one of the most adequate buildings of this sort in the United States."
That may have been true in the early '30's when KU's enrollment numbered between 3,500 and 4,000. But today, almost 35 years later in the University's 100th year, some of the facilities are grossly inadequate.
Chancellor Wescoe, in his convocation address last week, mentioned the many additions and improvements that have already taken place and that are planned for the future. Watkins hospital was not mentioned.
Various improvements have been made within the hospital since the 30's, however the floor space has not been altered by one inch. Partitions have been added in the basement to accommodate more departments of the hospital's staff. But, any building can only continue to be subdivided to a certain point and then its capacity reaches the bursting point.
THIS IS THE CASE now with Watkins. Dr. Raymond Schweger, new director of the hospital, predicts that within another 12 months the hospital will be bursting at the seams.
Watkins now has a staff of eight doctors. This number is small compared to the 14,000 students at the University. However, the number meets with the standards doctors usually consider adequate one doctor to every 1.000-2.000 residents.
But even at that, Watkins has more doctors than it has room. There are presently seven offices where doctors can receive patients. The only way Watkins handles this situation is by having the doctor on night call take the next day off to sleep. Part of the office of the director is also used as an examining room.
One wing of the third floor has been taken up with the offices and rooms of the mental health clinic. Thus, the number of beds available for in-patients has diminished since 1932.
WATKINS HAS MODERN equipment that would favorably compare with any small hospital in Kansas. The equipment is adequate for the type of work done there. As is true of any university hospital, the doctors here handle mainly young healthy adults between the ages of 16 and 25. All serious cases can be taken to the KU Medical Center in Kansas City. The bulk of the problem does not lie here. The problem rests in the amount of room available to handle out-patients.
The aim of the hospital is to keep as many students on their feet as possible. Last year 63,000 cases were handled as out-patients. There is simply not floor area or doctor's office space to accommodate them.
Why wait until the situation becomes critical? Keeping students healthy should be one of the first aims of a university. Planning for improvements should begin now.
Janet Hamilton
"How Are You Fellows Making Out?"
Photo by Bill Stephens
THE LONG WAIT-Students study while waiting to see doctors at Watkins Memorial hospital. This narrow hallway is the only space available for a waiting room.
Cheers!
Anyone for a good ole KU cheer, just full of team spirit and good will? OK, here we go—Kkkk Aaaa Nnnn Ssss Aaaaa Ssss and on and on ad nauseam.
It suddenly struck me, while cheerfully watching the football game Saturday, how stilted the football fans have become in backing up their favorite team. Everyone is in a rut!
Eons ago these little chants must have struck someone as tremendously clever. But, today all these organized team boosters smack of high school pep rally triteness, with the possible exception of "give 'em hell Big Blue," which would have never passed any middle western high school administration.
TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, push 'em back, push 'em way back, way back or hit 'em again harder, harder. Remind you of anything? K-A-N-S-A-S and so on; substitute the letters T-O-P-E-K-A or O-S-A-W-A-T-O-M-I-E and you have a little ditty that will set your reminiscer wild, if you're so inclined.
The time has come for bigger and better things! How can we possibly be expected to compete in the awesome world of professional football and major league baseball boosters if we aren't properly trained?
These experienced yellers don't need cheerleaders. They have imagination. They're not afraid to yell all sorts of original sayings to cheer their teams on to victory.
Perhaps there's still hope for our fans. I heard several band members yell-"Repel them, Repel them, make them relinquish the ball." Well anyway, it's a start.
Janet Hamilton
BOOK REVIEWS
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL; TWELFTH NIGHT; HENRY IV, PART TWO, all by William Shakespeare (Signet Classics, 50 cents each)—New volumes in the attractive Signet series. Each includes considerable data for the student of Shakespeare—introductions, discussions of Shakespeare's life and world, sources, dramatic criticism, commentaries and detailed footnotes.
THE UNIVERSAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MATHEMATICS, with foreword by James R. Newman (Mentor, $1.50)—A big, complete, compact, up-to-date book on mathematics that is written for the average student. It contains information on almost every field of mathematics, from Pythagoras to the computer. There are diagrams, graphs and charts.
THE GREAT WORLD AND TIMOTHY COLT, by Louis Auchincloss (Crest, 60 cents)—Another by the author of "The Rector of Justin," this one going back almost 10 years. The setting is New York high society; the hero is a society lawyer in a Manhattan law firm. Generally speaking, this is social comment in the fashion of Marquand.
CARAVAN TO XANADU, by Edison Marshall (Dell, 75 cents)—A novel about Marco Polo, by one of the most popular exemplars of the lusty, busty school of historical fiction. Sex is aplenty in this one—a slave girl, the ancient cities of Europe and Asia, beautiful courts, exotic adventure.
Daili' Hänsan
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