8A
Wednesday, September 27, 1995
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Man on a mission
How I spent summer break
Student chases baseball dream across nation
The great American pastime Tim Hruban, Mt. Prospect, Ill., senior, went on a baseball adventure this summer that covered more than 12 states and 3,000 miles.
By Josh Yancey
Kansan staff writer
A University of Kansas student who wanted to take advantage of his summer vacation decided to go to a baseball game — in almost every major-league city east of the Mississippi River.
Kelly Cannon/KANSAN
Tim Hruban, Mount Prospect, Ill., senior, left Chicago on June 11 with friends Phil Naughton, Scott McClung and Tom Johnson. The premise was ambitious: four guys, an RV, nine games and almost 3,000 miles, and it went off without a hitch — almost.
Almost, because their van broke down. And they were nearly arrested. And the shower didn't work. And they are now in small-claims court because of it.
But, they'll never say it wasn't worth it.
The trip went like this:
Chicago, June 12. Leave for night game in Detroit. Drive all day.
Detroit, June 12. Tigers 6, Yankees 1.
"The stadium was great," Hruban said. "The city was not so great."
Four hours of sleep at a rest area had to do. The group headed south.
Cleveland, June 13. Indians 11,
Orioles 0.
"Jacobs Field was nice," Hruban said. "One of the best stadiums. Cleveland was like Detroit, though."
The group left in the middle of the night for Canada, but halfway to Toronto the RV broke down. The company they had rented it from refused to pay for the repairs, and Hruban and his friends hadn't slept for a day and a half. They had to rent a minivan to continue through the states.
"For about 10 minutes, we were considering going home,"
McClung said. "We got over that really quickly — there's no way we were going to pass up the chance to do this."
Boston, June 16. Red Sox 3,
Brewers 4.
"Boston was the greatest city and the best stadium we saw," he said. "Fenway was unbelievable. The worst was that the police made me dump my beer."
They drove five hours down the Atlantic coast.
■ New York, June 17. Mets 3,
Astros 5.
"We miscalculated the distance from Boston to New York and were late for the Mets," Hruban said. "We snuck into Shea Stadium during the fifth inning and saw about an hour of the game. It was still worth it."
After risking the traffic of Manhattan and a late-night outing in Greenwich Village, they spent the night on a friend's rooftop in Queens.
Philadelphia, June 18. Phillies
5. Marlins3.
"Philly was a short stay," Hruban said. "We saw the game and left. We were behind on time, and we didn't know anyone there."
Atlantic City, June 19.
"The beach was filthy," Hruban said. "Atlantic City was pretty disgusting. I won $60, so it was OK."
Baltimore, June 20. Orioles 8,
Yankees 7.
Camiden Yards, the Orioles' home, is considered by many as one of baseball's finest parks.
"That was nice," Hruban said. "It had a real baseball feel to it: It was one of the best."
"People were already talking about Ripken," McClung said.
Pittsburgh, June 21. Pirates 4,
Marlins 7
"Yawn — Pittsburgh was Pittsburgh," Hruban said. "I caught a foul ball, though."
By that time, Hruban had spent more than $700.
Toronto, June 22. Blue Jays 0,
Brewers 9.
And finally:
"We had to pick up the RV and return the minivan," Hruban said. "The RV wasn't ready, so we went to a game."
The RV owner was still refusing to pay for the repairs. Hruban decided to go to court, and they are now in the process of deciding who will pay.
Back to Chicago
"We got into town at 4 a.m."
Hruban said. "I had to work at 10,
and I had to go to a wedding later
that night. I was utterly exhausted."
"What can I say, though? That it wasn't worth it? You'd better believe it was worth it."
Honors program may expand
By Novelda Sommers
Kansan staff writer
Committee to suggest changes for system
Students with high ACT scores may have better opportunities at the University of Kansas.
David Shulenburger, vice chancellor for academic affairs, has appointed a 19-member task force to review the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences honors program. The task force is composed of students, faculty and administrators.
In a memo that was mailed Monday, Shulenburger asked the task force to suggest new opportunities for students who have high ACT scores but do not necessarily qualify for the honors program.
"There are a group of students who are at the top of their high
school classes with ACT scores of 27 and higher, and the institution should be finding a better way to integrate them," he said.
Usually, an ACT score of 31 or higher is required for admission to the honors program, although students with lower ACT scores and high grades and good recommendations also can be admitted. About 1,000 students are in the program.
"Some of the things we do for honors students are things we would like to offer more high ability students," said James Carothers, associate dean of arts and sciences and acting director of the honors program.
Carothers said more of KU's brightest students should have access to smaller classes taught by senior faculty members.
He said the task force would look at other ways the program could be improved. The task force has not
held meetings yet, but Carothers said he hoped to decide on meeting times this week.
Shulenburger said he also wanted the task force to find ways to recruit more National Merit scholars and other high performance students and to look at ways to increase faculty participation in the program.
"We will try to decide what shape and direction the program will take over the next 10 years," Carothers said.
Carothers has been acting director of the honors program since J. Michael Young, director of the honors program since 1990 died in June 1995.
The task force will develop a new job description for the director's position and recommend a search committee to find a permanent director.
Shulenburger said he hoped the task force would have recommendations by the end of the semester.
KU special education is No.1, again
By Aaron Hull
Kansan staff write
Ho-Hum. The University of Kansas' Special Education Department is ranked No. 1 — again.
KU's Special Education Graduate Department has been rated the top program in the nation by U. S. News and World Report's 1995 guide to America's Best Graduate Schools. The ranking represents the 17th year the program has been cited as the nation's best in at least one poll.
KU's Graduate School of Education, in which the Special Education Department is a program, was ranked 17th nationally among schools of education. Both surveys were based on five factors: student selectivity, faculty resources, research activity, reputation and overall rank.
"Everyone of our faculty is well-known nationally," she said. "When you look at the leading names in the field, many teach
"When you look at the leading names in the field, many teach here."
Nancy Peterson, chairwoman of the department of special education, attributed the ranking to the department's tradition in research.
Nancy Peterson special education department
here."
She also said that KU's professors were proficient at getting grants from both in-school and off-campus sources.
In addition to research, Peterson said that the department has continued to stay in touch with the field outside academia and remain accountable in the classrooms at KU.
The department is also planning a series of one-credit hour courses on inclusion issues for educators and parents using state-of-the-art
interactive television technology to provide statewide access. Peterson credited the technology improvements to Jerry Chaffin, professor of special education, and said that he'd soon be recognized for his efforts.
Several faculty members, including Peterson and Rich Simpson, professor of special education, also have developed special education programs for public schools around the state.
Mary Morningstar, Baldwin City graduate student, praised the department. She said she felt that the school afforded her many opportunities that she wouldn't have received at other graduate schools.
"I've had unbelievable opportunities to work as a professional already," she said.
Despite the department's reputation as the leading program in the nation, Morningstar said she felt that the doctoral candidates there didn't feel the pressure to compete internally.
"It's a very supportive environment," she said. "It's cooperative, not competitive, among the doctoral candidates."
What's New This Month in THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES?
Writing Workshop
A Research Paper Writing Workshop presented by the Libraries and the Writing Center will be held Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. in Conference Rooms A & B, 5th Floor, Watson Library. The workshop is sponsored by the Student Assistance Center. No pre-registration required For more information, call 864-4232.
Panel Discussion
The University Libraries and the School of Law will co-sponsor a panel discussion, "Affirmative Action — Is It A Thing of the Past?" on Thursday. Oct. 5, 2:00-3:30 p.m. in the Frontier Room of the Burge Union. The panel will include:
Edmund D. Cooke Jr. (Partner, Winston & Strawn, Washington D.C.)
Steve McAllister (School of Law)
Rose Marino (Associate University Counsel)
Joyce Pearson (Elecronic Services/Reference Librarian, Law Library)
Burdett A. Loomis (Political Science Dept.)
moderator will be Maurice Bryan (Assistant Executive Vice-Chancellor Director, KU Affirmative Action Office).
New Publications
If you have not picked up a copy of The Libraries at the University of Kansas: A Reference Guide 1995-96, stop by any of the libraries and do so today. This eight-page guide provides an introduction to the services and collections of the University Libraries.
Currently On Exhibit:
In Watson (Jim Ranz Exhibits & Reading Area):
“The Center for Research Libraries: Extending our Library's Resources” (Through Sept. 30th)
“The United Nations at 50 Years” (Opening Oct. 1)
In The Kansas Collection*: “Sumner High School, KCK, 1905-1978”
In The Department of Special Collections*: “Images of Moby-Dick”
In The University Archives*: “One Thousand Games of Football”
*Located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of Kenneth Spencer Research Library.
The University of Kansas Libraries Publications Office * 350 Watson Library * To Comment, Call 864-3378
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