CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, October 18, 1995
3A
KU grafitti: Faculty own fresh rides
KU administrators' cars look new and cost less
By Josh Yancey Kansan staff writer
Four words describe most of the cars belonging to KU's administrators: new, American and four-door. A glimpse at the parking lot behind Strong Hall confirms that.
Ed Meyen — a definite American-car man — uses a brand-new, University-owned Pontiac Bonneville for his job as executive vice chancellor.
On the weekends, however, he zooms through the countryside south of Lawrence in his 1990 Jeep Cherokee.
David Shulenburger's wife's Toyota prevents him from claiming to be a die-hard American-car owner, but the vice chancellor for academic affairs parks his own 1989 Dodge Dynasty on campus.
Shulenburger doesn't talk horsepower during the lunch hour or stain his garage with oil slicks, but he does some minor repairs. His mechanic, he said, does most of the work.
"It's a good utility vehicle, and you can clean it up nice enough to drive to church," he said. "I live out in the country, so it comes in handy."
Administrators get some of the best parking spots on campus. Their vehicles, tucked into a well-lit and covered nook behind Strong Hall, are protected from hail and snow in the winter and from dashboard-cracking heat in the summer. Among the lineup stands Chancellor Robert Hemenway's Oldsmobile 98, courtesy of the University's endowment association.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, follows the American trend. He drives an Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra with a touch of hail damage for character.
Richard Mann, University director of administration, didn't succumb to peer pressure. he prefers Japanese performance, and he shows it by tooling down Jayhawk Boulevard in a newer-model Acura Legend.
Victoria Ann Thomas, also part of the foreign-car minority, parks her red BMW in the general counsel's spot.
Andrew Debicki, vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, admitted he wasn't much of a car expert. He sometimes carpools with his wife.
He drives a 1994 Chrysler Concorde — another big American sedan — and doesn't spend much time working under the hood on Saturday afternoons.
"I certainly don't change my own oil," he said. "I'd have some big problems if I did."
Kansan staff report
Kansas football coach Glen Mason announced in a press release yesterday that outside linebacker Derek Fairchild had been suspended from Saturday's game against Oklahoma for a violation of team policy.
Doug Vance, sports information director, said he could not say what policy Fairchild had violated.
Fairchild, St. Louis senior, was arrested Sunday morning by KU police for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Fairchild has played in all six games this season as a reserve.
Fairchild could not be reached for comment. Mason said in the press release that he had no further comment regarding the suspension.
Fairchild is scheduled to appear at 7:45 a.m.
Nov. 1 in Douglas County District Court.
Steve Puppe/KANSAN
Under construction
Construction on phase two of the Lied Center continues. The new organ recital hall is expected to be completed in the spring of 1996.
Kansan retains Senate funding
Measure to force paper to remove disclaimer fails in board meeting
By Sarah Wlese
Kansan staff writer
The 25-cent disclaimer on the front page of the University Daily Kansan will stay, at least for now.
Last night, members of Student Senate's student media board made short work of a Senate petition which the finance committee discussed at length Oct. 4.
The petition opposed the Kansan's disclaimer, which states that the first paper is free and additional copies cost 25 cents. It also sought to revoke about $79,000 in Senate funding if the policy continued.
Tom Eblen, general manager and news adviser for the Kansan, said the disclaimer had been added to protect the paper in the case of large-scale paper theft or paper dumping.
Ami Hizer, holdover senator and author of the petition, said the policy clashed with the board's definition of student media, which says the paper must be distributed free to students.
"The only thing we're trying to do is establish a value," Eblen said. "It in no way suggests that students should have to pay for the paper."
She also said that the policy was vague and wondered if she could be fined for picking up seven copies of the paper for the Senate office.
"Who's to say I'm not going to get a bill for that?" Hizer said.
Eblen said the Kansan hadn't collected a cent and would enforce the policy only if paper dumping or theft occurred.
Sean Haley, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., junior and board member, said he agreed with the policy but disagreed with the way it was implemented.
"I felt it was unilaterally decided," he said. "Something that controversial should have been decided by more than just a few people."
Despite his concern, he voted against the petition.
Kevin McShane, Fairway senior and board member, said he agreed with Selman.
Brenda Selman, assistant registrar and nonvoting board member, said the policy should remain in place but that an explanation to readers would be helpful.
"I don't see any problem with the 25-cent fee as long as people realize what the Kansan is doing and why." McShane said.
"I think anytime you sit down and talk that reasonable people can usually come to a reasonable conclusion," he said.
Eblen said he wasn't surprised by the board's rejection of the petition.
Hizer said she thought the board decided too quickly.
"I don't see how the media board can make a decision in 10 minutes based on information they read in the Kansan," she said.
Hizer said she didn't think the issue was dead and planned to bring the petition up at a future finance or full Senate meeting.
Colleges use new tactics to lure students
By Craig Lang
Kansan staff writer
"I got a million things," said Packard, Wichita freshman. "It was kind of annoying."
In the 1970s, colleges and universities often rejected high school graduates because there were just too many who wanted to go to college. Then, there were approximately three million high school graduates from which colleges could choose.
Amber Packard remembers her high school years, when colleges filled her mailbox with letters and pamphlets, encouraging her to go to their schools.
That number has dipped to 2.5 million
Deborah Boulware, director of admissions, said fewer students to choose from meant colleges and universities must compete for students' attention.
"The decline in the population of high school graduates has affected all types of institutions," Boulware said.
Because of this decrease in high school graduates, colleges and universities have made more efforts to stimulate students' interest in their schools. For example, Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa, sent its information mailings in a plastic tube with a kaleidoscope during the 1991-92 school year. Susan Cameron, director of university relations for Buena Vista, said the college hoped to catch students' interest with the gimmick
Boulware said that because the competition among colleges and universities had been tough, the University of Kansas had become more pro-active in its efforts to recruit students, instead of just reacting to requests and inquiries by high school students.
Boulware said the office of admissions was trying to increase high school students' interest by communicating with them on a more personal level. Instead of sending the usual pamphlets with form letters that begin "Dear Student," the office has personalized these letters by including the students' names and sending information that specifically pertains to their interests and intended majors.
Boulware said the University of Kansas had thought about using gimmicks, such as the kaleidoscopes, but she said they decided that would not necessarily attract new students.
"You want to retain a certain amount of integrity and sophistication," she said.
Cameron said the kaleidoscopes were not as effective as the college had hoped they would be.
"We did get an increase in inquiries," she said. "But not the level we hoped."
Since Buena Vista has returned to the traditional approach of personalized letters and phone calls, the college has had record enrollment increases during the last two years, Cameron said.
Boulware said KU's University Relations had worked with focus groups to see what was most attractive to students and had used this information to create pamphlets and information books to send to high school students.
"You want something that attracts attention," she said. "It's important that the information stands out enough."
Boulware said the office of admissions also had created a new video for high school students and a home page on the World Wide Web.
In 1995, the University experienced an 8.5-percent increase in freshman enrollment. Booulware said the statistic showed that the University had done an effective job in recruiting new students by interacting with potential students on a more personal level.
"Students like to know a school is interested in them," she said.
Recruiting freshmen becomes more competitive
KU recently changed its method of recruiting students to a more personal process. In 1995, this method was successful. The number of incoming freshmen increased from last year.
Source: Office of Institutional Research and Planning Kelly Cannon/KPMG
---