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The new standard allows local boards of education to decide whether or not evolution will be taught in the classrooms.
the debate between evolution and creation science." Dimmick said. "There hasn't been a meaningful scientific debate on this in 30 years. This is a thinly veiled attempt to promote a particular religious viewpoint."
Dimmick said the debate between evolution and creationism is one for the religion and theology classrooms, not the science classrooms.
John Bacon, State Board of Education member who represented Lawrence, voted in favor of the standard.
"The intention is to encourage scientific evidence to be looked at critically and for students to think creatively without being driven to think one way or another, without seeing all the evidence." Bacon said.
Dimmick said the decision was an embarrassment to the Kansas school system, and its results would be far-reaching. He said
However, Bacon said his decision was based on input from parents who were not as convinced of the evolution theory when compared to the creation theory.
"There are still plenty of people that aren't on that bandwagon just yet," Bacon said. "Especially in Kansas."
Kepler
Miner, a graduate
student in ecology
would create undue pressure on local boards and teachers to not teach evolution.
Bacon said children who want to express their views about the origin of the earth should not be censored.
It might level the playing field a little between the professor and the student." Bacon said. "The teacher may not be able to manipulate the student's thought process as
"People with strong religious views against evolution will be embodied and see this as a stimulus to get their local boards to take it out of the curriculum." Dimmick said.
and evolutionary biology, said she supported teaching evolution as a theory, not a fact. However, she said evolution was the best theory science offered on the origin of the earth, and the board was not qualified to decide whether or not it should be taught.
Edited by Brad Hallier
"For a group of people who have not studied evolution to tell me, as a possible teacher, I can't teach something I've studied is ludicrous," Miner said.
Bourgeois Pig reopens despite construction
Bv Derek Prater
reporter@kansan.com
Konson staff writer
The white shoe polish on one window declared: "WE ARE OPEN!" The one next to it read: "28 DAYS, 22 HOURS, 30 MINUTES."
The Bourgois Pig has reopened after construction caused structural damage. The Pig celebrated its reopening by offering catered food and drink specials on Friday night. Photo by Joseph Griffin/KANSAN
The latter is the duration that the Bourgois Pig, a downtown coffee bar, was closed due to structural concerns that were brought to the fore by a city utility project.
The Bourgeois Plg. 6 E. Ninth St, celebrated its grand re-opening Friday with catered food and drink specials after returning to operation the previous day. The bar was closed by the City of Lawrence July 12 after mortar from the building's brick walls crumbled during heavy vibrations from jackhammers working on the utility replacement project.
Russell Livingston, co-owner of the Bourgeois Pig, said that he knew there were structural concerns with the building that eventually needed to be addressed. However, he said that the building was always safe and that the city was at least partially responsible for the damage that led to the temporary closing.
Gunar Harmon, manager of the Bourgeois Pig, said that it would be difficult to estimate how much potential revenue was lost during the closing.
Livingston said that he was more concerned with his employees not being able to earn money and his loyal customers being mildly put out.
"July is generally a slow month," Harmon said. "If we had to be closed, this was the best
"It's hard to put a value to those things." Livingston said.
time of year."
"We took the lumps and moved on,"
He added that the Bourgeois Pig would not seek compensation from the city.
Livingston said "The primary focus was to get back open."
The damage to the Bourgeois Pig is the most tangible evidence of the inconvenience that the utility project brought to downtown businesses.
The construction that began with replacing a water line and adding sanitary and storm sewers last spring on Ninth Street around downtown had burrowed its way into the heart of the shopping district. Business owners have complained that customer traffic had slowed as a result of street closings and that business had suffered.
"It's been a difficult summer," said Marcia McFarlane, Downtown Lawrence Inc., administrator.
Not all of the news has been bad though. McFarlane said that some business owners had their best summers yet and that the city had been very communicative and up front about delays and problems.
Earlier this month, the city authorized more money to speed the completion of the project. The city added $22,682 to the contract with construction firm Wideman-Godfrey crews will work on Saturdays through Labor Day, with some work being performed at night.
City Manager Mike Wilden said that, for the most part, the construction downtown would be finished within the next two to three weeks.
Edited by Brad Hallier
Revised policy eases hearing of grievances at University
By Nathan Willis
reporter@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Filing a grievance against a person or organization at the University of Kansas will be easier and quicker this year for students, faculty and staff, but it will be harder to abuse the system.
Major changes in the grievance policy — which allows students, faculty and staff to challenge what they feel are unfair practices or policies by other students, faculty or staff in a court-like setting — will take effect Thursday as the University begins the new academic year. Administrators approved the changes this summer.
Students can use the grievance system for things such as actions to challenge grades. Faculty and staff can challenge actions by students, colleagues or bosses. The system works similarly to the courts, with lower-level bodies, usually one for each department, hearing complaints first. Either party can appeal verdicts, and cases can eventually be sent to the University's 50-member judicial board, which serves as a kind of supreme court.
Jeannette Johnson, assistant to the provost, said the changes had been a long time in coming. The current grievance system, established in 1981 and revised only slightly since then, contains several inconsistencies and redundancies, she said.
"Over the years, as people worked with the procedures, they found them problematic in ways we hadn't anticipated." Johnson said.
One of those problems was a bogged-down judicial process, said Richard Levy, a professor of law who has spent the last few years studying the system and making recommendations to the University. Under the old system, a complaint could be heard by several panels and administrators before working its way to the judicial board. Delays between hearings while administrators conducted reviews were sometimes extensive, he said, meaning that the judicial board didn't hear many cases until more than a year after they had first been filed.
"Just about everyone who had to manage cases ran into problems." Levy said. "There was basically no one who was pleased."
The changes will radically streamline the system, he said. Multiple hearings by entities below the judicial board and lengthy delays will no longer be problems. Instead, all appeals from the initial hearing will go directly to the judicial board. And the new rules will allow only 30 calendar days between the submission of a complaint and the initial hearing, further expediting the process. Lew said.
The streamlined procedures also will cut down on the potential for abuse of the system, Johnson said. In the past, some staff have filed complaints in more than one jurisdiction, allowing the person launching the complaint two chances of victory
See MEDIATION on page 2A
Watkins director aims to increase awareness of center's assets
By Amber Stever
reporter@kansas.com
Kanson staff writer
Watkins Memorial Health Center's new director wants to promote the center and its staff and get a better idea of what students need from them.
Carol Seager, a 25-year veteran of health care administration, started as the new director of Watkins July 19
"We need to do a better job of letting students know what's here," Seager said. "We need to let them know not only the type of services here but the credentials of the staff. We have regionally and nationally known staff here, and I'm not sure the students know that."
One of the ways Seager hopes to publicize Watkins is through its "Focus on Health" series that will begin in September and continue through the semester. Twice a month, Watkins will hold a lecture
"We will be looking to do a lot more outside of this building, integrating into the community more," Seager said. "Outreach is going to be a goal, and 'Focus on Health' will be a key."
on health care issues for students at the KU Visitors Center.
Seager said she also hoped to receive an extensive assessment of what students need from their student health center.
"Our goal is to help us meet your goals," Seager said. "We want to
hear from you; we want to know what we can provide."
Seager came to the University of Kansas from Clemson University.
David Ambler, vice-chancellor for student affairs, said Seager was chosen because of her enthusiasm and wealth of experience.
center," Ambler said.
Seager replaced James E. Strobl who retired last year after 16 years as Watkins' director.
"I think we were all impressed with her wanting to find new ways of delivering our services, being more creative in how we approach the uniqueness of a student health
Seager has been an administrator for two other universities and various hospitals.
She spent the past five years as director of health services at the Redfern Health Center in Clemson, S.C. Seager also worked at Mount Clemens General Hospital in Mount Clemens, Mich.; Memorial Hospital in Michigan City, Ind.; Memorial
Hospital in South Bend, Ind.; and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. She was there for 12 years, first as the university employment manager and then as director of student health services.
Seager's awards include being named the Young Women's Christian Association's "Woman of the Year" and receiving Notre Dame's presidential award and the American College Health Association's E. Dean Lovett Award.
Edited by Allan Davis