Wednesday, October 13, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Less stringent residency rules could be costly
By Nathan Willis
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
A proposal that could cost the University of Kansas millions of dollars has administrators watchful, but not too worried.
University Council plans to have Provost David Shulenburger address the possibility that the University could lose between $15 and $20 million annually because of looser requirements for in-state residency status at its Oct. 21 meeting.
Regent Bill Docking said it was not the Board of Regents, but the Council of Presidents — which is composed of Chancellor Robert Hemenway and the presidents of the five other Regents universities — who had appointed a task force to study establishing uniform residency standards for all the Regents institutions, including all of the community colleges and technical schools.
The problem for the University, Docking said, was that most of the community colleges and technical schools had much looser requirements for students to be considered in-state. Because out-of-state students pay about four times what in-state students do, the six Regents universities would lose money if residency requirements were relaxed. And the University of Kansas would be the hardest hit because more than 30 percent of the University's students are out-of-state.
Meanwhile, Shulenburger said he wasn't really concerned. The University collects about $80 million in tuition annually, with about $40 million from in-state students and $40 million from out-of-state students, Shulenburger said. Taking a $20 million chunk out of that is just too big to be realistically considered, he said.
The only other alternative the University would have would be to drastically increase tuition rates an unacceptable alternative, he said.
"The reason I don't think it's going to happen is we'd be closing programs and cutting things left and right," Shulenburger said. "That alternative is one that the Board of Regents would not let happen."
Jim Carothers, president of University Senate Executive Committee, said after finding out about the possibility of cuts through meetings with the provost, most of his fears were alleviated by a meeting with Docking and Board of Regents Executive Director Kin Wilcox during their campus tour last week.
Docking said because the University would stand to lose so much money, the Regents were not likely to adopt such loose residency standards.
"I think this is one of those issues where there isn't to be any quick fix." Docking said.
Still, Mary Hawkins, University Council president, said SenEx and University Council would keep a watchful eye on the issue. The task force hasn't issued its report yet, but both groups will be interested to see what it says, she said.
She said she didn't know when the report would be issued.
- Edited by Brad Hallier
GTA skips court; may be in India
The University of Kansas graduate teaching assistant charged with sexually battering a female student did not appear at his court date yesterday.
By Katie Hallor
writer @ kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Lavanya Malhotra, Shimla, India, graduate student, was scheduled for his first appearance yesterday at 3 p.m. in Division 4 court. He never showed.
Malhotra faced two misdemeanor charges: sexual battery and criminal restraint. Both offenses are punishable with up to one year in the Douglas County Jail.
Malhotra was accused of sexually battering the woman at his apartment in Jayhawk Tower Towers the afternoon of Aug. 23, the KU Public Safety Office said. After a month-long investigation, Malhotra was formally charged Sept. 27.
When charges were filed, Malhotra withdrew from the University. He was an architectural engineering major.
A resident of Jayhawker Towers contacted the district attorney's office Sept. 28 with a concern that Malhotra was planning to escape to India. In an interview that day, he said he was not planning to leave.
But yesterday, Malhotra's roommate said he was gone. Kapil Gupta, Alwar, India, graduate student, said Malhotra was no longer living with him.
"He is not in Lawrence." Gupta said. "I think he has gone back to India."
Gupta said he did not remember what day Malhotra left.
Judge Michael Malone issued a bench warrant for Malotra's arrest and set bond at $15,000. The $3,000 cash bond Malotra paid upon his initial arrest was forfeited because he failed to appear.
Christine Tonkovich, district attorney, said no action could be taken if Malhotra had left the country.
"Assuming we cannot locate him in the United States to serve that, then the warrant will remain outstanding unless or until he returns to the States," she said.
She said additional penalties could be issued for failure to appear for a felony but was unsure whether they applied to misdemeanors.
Edited by Julia Nicholson
Woman files complaint, says men are paid more
By Clay McCusick
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
By the end of next week, the Kansas Board of Regents will be required to answer allegations that it discriminated against staff member Christine Crenshaw because of her gender.
Regents accused of gender bias
Crenshaw filmed a June 30 complaint with the Kansas Human Rights Commission, charging that she was paid less than men in similar positions at the board's office, and that the board's refusal to discuss the issue with her was willful wage-based discrimination.
The board, which is studying pay equity in the six universities it directly governs, is required to respond by Oct. 22.
Crenshaw is associate director of fiscal affairs for the Regents. Her title was director of student financial aid until the summer reorganization of the board and its office.
She refused to comment on her charges, referring questions to Topea lawyer Kirk Lowry.
"She very much wants to work and cooperate and do her job," Lowry said. "She's trying to work through the system."
Kim Wilcox, executive director of the board of regents, would not comment on Crenshaw's allegations.
According to documents provided by Lowry, Crenshaw tried drawing attention to her salary situation four different times between June 1998 and March 1999.
Lowry said Crenshaw received no response to her questions.
"Now is the time, when there is no one with a vested interest in defending the current salary distribution, to build a defensible, equitable compensation structure," Crenshaw wrote June 26, 1998.
"Something must be done," she wrote in her fourth letter. "The degradation of salary equity; the lack of logic underlying most, if not all the salaries, is unacceptable."
WHAT CHRISTINE CRENSHAW ALLEGES IN HER COMPLAINT
She was discriminated against because of her gender by being paid less than men in similar positions.
She raised the issue of unequal pay and sex discrimination on four occasions from June 1998 to March 1999 and has not to receive any compensation.
She has more seniority than any director, including higher-paid men.
Wage discrimination has been a pattern and practice since she joined the repents staff in 1991.
Her work was always satisfactory or exemptary.
In May she was given a 3.5 percent raise, keeping her about $20,000 below similar directors with less seniority.
- She has suffered monetary loss and is entitled to compensation.
Crenshaw's salary was raised by 3.5 percent in May 1999, for a total of $75,576 for fiscal year 2000. In a list of salaries of the nine unclassified regents staff from that month, Crenshaw was fourth. The top three salaries went to men. The five staff members below Crenshaw on the pay scale were all women.
Lowry said his client felt she had exhausted the options available within the organization. Crenshaw hired Lowry toward the end of June when she filed her formal complaint.
After the Regents staff was reorganized July 1, Crenshaw was no longer a director, but an associate director. Lowry said that he thought it was because she had filed the complaint.
"The basic perception is that her title was decreased, and it was a title demotion," Lowry said.
decreased, and it was a title demotion. "Lowry said, Lowry said that Crenshaw was seeking recompense for the salary she had lost based on gender discrimination. But he said making money wasn't Crenshaw's central objective in filing the complaint. "How powerful is this?"
"Her primary goal is just to address the problem." Lowry said.
Lowry said that if the board failed to address the issue satisfactorily within six months, Crenshaw was entitled to sue.
Tom Hutton, University Relations director, said the University had no official comment on Crenshaw's charges.
Caller ID service not available to students on campus
Edited by Chris Hopkins
By Michael Terry
Kansan staff writer
Caller Identification service is not new to some students at the University of Kansas, but for the 3,659 students living in scholarship and residence halls at the University, having Caller ID is not an option.
the availability of Caller ID has become an issue.
Anna Hines, assistant director of Network and Telecommunications Services, said that at this time Caller ID services were not available for students living in University housing.
Todd Cohen, assistant director of University Relations, said that with the recent number of harassing and threatening phone calls being received by female students in on-campus housing.
Since Oct. 4, 27 female students have reported receiving harassing phone calls from unidentified individuals. During the course of some of the calls, the caller has threatened to beat and kill the victims if they hung up.
Caller ID services are available in certain departments around the University that have had a special digital line installed that allows for the service to be used, Cohen said. University Relations, the university Information Center and the front desk at Jayhawk Towers are among the places that have Caller ID services.
"Lucent Technologies, the University's vendor for phone services does not offer the Caller ID services to students living
in scholarship and residence halls at this time," Cohen said. "Most of the phone lines around the University, especially the ones in the scholarship halls are old analog lines, which at this time will not support the service."
Emily Faurot, Lawrence freshman and Oliver Hall resident, said she thought the University should make Caller ID services available.
"With the recent number of harassing phone calls going around the University, it has become a safety issue," Faurot said. "I think everyone should have the right to screen their calls, and Caller ID is a convenient way to do it."
Cohen said if the PBX vendor, Lucent Technologies would offer the Caller ID capability in the future, the University would consider purchasing the necessary software and hardware to provide this service to on-campus phone customers.
Cohen said the Networking and Telecommunications Services Department worked closely with Southwestern Bell and the KU Public Safety Office on reported cases of harassing phone calls.
Faurot said Caller ID provided a way to avoid picking up the phone if the caller's identity was not familiar.
"Caller ID is not really a way to prevent harassing calls because the callers can easily block their identity," Cohen said.
"Caller IDs might not prevent harassing calls, but it gives us the opportunity not to answer the phone if it reads anonymous or unknown." Faurot said
- Edited by Juan H. Heath
--school of nursing Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center
Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Association Breast Cancer Action And Holiday Inn Present the 7th Annual Event For
Stepping Out Against Breast Cancer A benefit dance to increase awareness
Featuring: "The Benders"
Tickets Available at
LMH Gift Shop 325 Maine
BorderLine 820 Massachusetts
Health Care Access 1920 Moodie Road
Dance the night away in support of breast cancer awareness. This year, more than 182,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 46,000 women will die. Ninety percent of these premature deaths could have been prevented through early detection. Yearly mammograms save lives. Not just once, but for a lifetime.
Saturday, October 23
8 P.M. to 1 A.M.
Holiday Inn
200 McDonald Drive, Lawrence
$15 per person
Proceeds from this event will go to providing mammograms for those women unable to afford medical insurance, and to education and support. For tickets or more information please call 840-3131.
--school of nursing Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center
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