WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1995
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
NEWS 864-4810
SECTION A VOL.102, NO.43
ADVERTISING 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
TODAY
KANSAN
SPORTS
Kicking game boosts 'Hawks
Kansas punter Darrin Simmons' average is second in the nation. Page 1B
CAMPUS
Computers and the community
KU researchers create Internet program to aid social welfare organizations. Page 5A
Volunteers, come on down
NATION
The NAACP has searched for a replacement leader for a year but has not found a suitable one. Page 6A
WORLD
More bombs in France
An explosion shredded a subway car in Paris, injuring 29 people. Page 9A
WEATHER
PLEASANT
Weather: Page 2A
INDEX
Campus . . . . 3A
Opinion. . . . 4A
Nation. . . . 6A
World. . . . 9A
Features . . . 12A
Sports. . . . 1B
Scoreboard. . . 2B
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is free. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents.
Western Civilization seats slashed
Students to scramble for 500 fewer spaces in class next semester
By Novelda Sommers
Kansan staff writer
The twice-a-year scrap for seats in Western Civilization classes is more competitive than it was a year ago.
The number of classroom seats available for Spring 1996 is 500 fewer than Spring 1995.
James Carothers, associate dean of liberal arts and sciences.
Students who major in liberal arts and sciences, journalism and social welfare have to pass Western Civilization I and II to graduate. Students from other University schools also may take the classes.
said cuts were made because of enrollment declines during the past two years. He said that 15 percent fewer graduate teaching assistants were allocated to the program for the school year.
Welfare declined by 15 students.
But the total Lawrence campus enrollment in the past two years has decreased by 1,223 students.
Antha Cotten-Spreckelmeyer, assistant director of the Western Civilization program, said students should be able to get into one of the sections if they enroll on time.
"We are encouraging students to enroll in Western Civilization during main enrollment and not wait until add/drop to see if they can get a better time," she said.
Seniors who are unable to enroll in the course should go to the Western Civilization office in
Wescoe Hall.
"We try to help them find an opening, but sometimes that is just not possible," she said.
"Seniors have good enrollment times, too, so they should be able to get in," he said.
John Burgess, Leawood senior, said he needed to take Western Civilization II to graduate in May. But he said he wasn't worried because seniors usually could petition to get into classes that they needed to graduate.
Burgess had to petition to get into Western Civilization I this semester and said that if he had to, he would petition again to
Alice Lieberman, associate professor of social welfare, said fewer seats in Western Civilization was a concern because social welfare students had a narrow window of time to complete the program's two semesters. Seniors in social welfare may enroll only in social welfare courses.
enroll in the second half of the sequence.
"I'm used to Kansas red tape by now," he said.
"We don't even recommend our students take Western Civilization until their junior year," she said. "We tell them they can try, but they probably won't get in."
Parm Dishman / KANSAN
Fine fall day
Mollie Grendel, Kansas City, Kan., senior, enjoys the first signs of autumn as she studies in front of Marvin Hall.
Class studies KU's minority recruitment
Students say prospective students need to be told about campus resources
By Hannah Naughton
Kansan staff writer
Chancellor Robert Hemenway wants to recruit minority students to the University of Kansas, and 22 seniors are taking on the challenge.
These seniors are enrolled in Journalism 620, Business Communication Projects, and their client this semester is the office of admissions. For their class, they are investigating the recruitment process and are developing ideas to improve the system. Part of their focus is on minority students. They will propose their final projects Nov. 30.
"The chancellor has made it quite clear that admissions is a high priority to him," said Allison Rose Lopez, New Iberia, La, senior. "Our greatest advantage as students is that we have already been through admissions and recruitment. Our experience brings about good ideas and gives our project more direction."
So far the group has surveyed KU students, organized focus groups in which students discussed why they came to the University and collected data and research from the admissions office.
"One thing we have found that is important is involving minority students at KU in the recruitment process," Lopez said.
She said it also was important to recruit parents to the University and make the students and families aware of services that can help a student achieve success at the University, such as the student assistance center, the office of minority affairs and the multicultural resource center.
"I'm excited about the projects," said Deborah Boulwale, director of admissions. "It gives the opportunity for students who have gone through the actual recruitment process to brainstorm ideas and evaluate us and give us ideas on how we might be more effective."
Boulware said one of the reasons behind the push to recruit more minority students was that they were under-represented at the University in relation to their population in the state.
"Equal representation at the University will provide everyone equal opportunity to obtain an education, helping the entire
KU vs. Kansas
KU Admissions is pushing for higher minority enrollment to correspond to minority populations in the state of Kansas.
(Source: KU Board of Regents and Kansas statistical abstracts
Kelly Cannon/KANMAN
state," Boulware said. "It enhances the whole school to have a diversity of ideas and backgrounds. Anytime you can bring a variety of backgrounds together, it better prepares people for what to expect in the real world."
Lopez said that working for admissions was a challenge because many of the ideas the class members had developed already were being implemented by the office of admissions.
"They do so many things right." she said.
"They do so many things right," she said. David Guth, assistant professor of journalism, has taught the class for the last five years, he said. This topic was chosen this year because of the attention focused on enrollment in the past year.
In the past, his classes have worked on projects for Kansas Relays, the Citizen's Medical Center of Colby, and the Special Olympics for Missouri and Kansas.
"Who better knows the environment of the University than the students?" Guth said.
"All of the clients come into this thinking they are doing us a favor. Then they find out that we have done them a favor," Guth said.
SAFETY ON CAMPUS
Campus late-nighters lack University escorts
universities
Other By Phillip Brownlee universities Kansan staff writer
provide escorts after
universities
KU's
Walking alone at night can be dangerous. But with only a few exceptions, KU students don't have a choice.
department of student
Unlike many other colleges, the University of Kansas has no campus-wide service to escort students to cars or residence halls.
dark for students,but
housing has no plan for such a program.
At present, the only escort options for students are an informal program run by the scholarship halls and a buddy system organized by one wing of Gertrude Sellars Pearson-Corbin Hall.
"Something should have been organized a long time ago," said Lindsey Gossett, Libertyville, Ill., junior.
Other universities, such as Kansas State University, have organized programs that serve the entire campus, including male and female students, faculty and staff.
Kansas State's program, called Wildcat Walk, has three male and female pairs on call from 6 p.m. until 6
" Something should have been organized a long time ago."
Lindsey Gossett
Liberty, Ill., junior
a. m. When students want an escort, they call the university police using a special phone box installed in academic buildings. The police then contact one of the escort pairs.
Lin Bliss, coordinator of the Wildcat Walk, said the service began last February and had more than 300 calls last semester. So far this fall, about 200 people already have used the service, he said.
The Kansas State program, which uses 110 volunteer escorts, is available seven days a week and is run by the school's association of residence halls. Each of the escort pairs carries a radio, pager and flashlight and wears special arm bands.
Ken Stoner, director of student housing at KU, said discussions about a KU escort program have come and gone over the years. At present, there were no proposals, he said.
In the meantime, students are often left with the option of either walking alone or not going at night.
Gina Ruiz, Kansas City, Kan., senior, said that because she felt unsafe at night on campus, she tried to go to the library during the day.
"I try not to put myself in that situation," she said.
x
But they go to paraperson in the stadium, she said. But other students, such as Lindsay Gossett, don't have any choice. Gossett has a class until 9 p.m. and then must walk back to her car along dark sidewalks.
4
Both Ruiz and Gossett said that an escort program was overdue and would be well-used.