CAMPUS/AREA
University Daily Kansan/Wednesday, September 25, 1991
3
Fulcher's showing surprises forum audience
Debate addresses lingering issues: racism, presidency, Senate actions
By Blaine Kimrey Kansan staff writer
Student boy president Darren Fulcher made a surprise appearance at a debate last night about whether he should remain in office.
The forum, organized by the Audie
Dence Debate Forum, the on-campus
debate team, was an open debate
at the Frontier Room in the Burge
Union.
All heads turned as Fulcher rose out of the audience in response to a stuart plea that Fulcher reveal any facts she has learned about the February battery incident.
The student, Randy Reitz, Salina junior, said, "To my knowledge, Darren Fulcher has done nothing but learn and hide behind the issue of racism.
Fulcher was charged with battering his ex-girlfriend, a KU student, in a domestic dispute, according to Lawrence police and court reports.
Fulcher said: "I've never hid behind the raist issue. I never avoided the issue."
April Best, Oklahoma City freshman, speaking in favor of retaining Darren Fulcher, says that his battery incident in February is his personal business.
Fulcher said he would talk to any student about the issue in his office, although he thought the only relevant was his performance as president.
James Daniels, president of the National Black Law Students Association, started the debate with a seven-eighty vote in favor of Fulcher retaining the presidency.
Daniels said the student body presidents of Wichita State University and Emporia State University still supported Fulcher.
"The people who are calling for Darden's resignation say he has lost credibility," said Daniels, a second-year law student. "I feel he has not."
Daniels said Student Senate had carried out a clandestine vote to remove Fulcher at night "behind the students' backs."
"If you want to indict anyone, indict them. Then tell them." said. "They blatantly broke the rule."
Daniels said no provisions for presidential removal existed in the Senate rules and regulations. Therefore, the president removed Fulcher from office, he said.
Matthew All, secretary of Students for Justice, spoke in favor of Fulcher's stepping down. The organization is lobbying for a student body recall election about whether Fulcher should remain president
All, Augusta junior, said that despite Fulcher's considerable leadership skills, he no longer had the political resource of credibility and, therefore, could not effectively lead the student body.
Julie Jacobson KANSAN
He said that although supporters claimed that the battery was a private issue because Fulcher wasn't in office, he said that he was a senator at the time of the incident.
All said claims of racism in Senate were unfounded.
the arguments of Fulcher supports and non-supporters last night was that the student body should be able to vote whether Fulcher Fulcher should remain in office.
"If the student and Senate are so racist, why did they elect Darren Fulcher in the first place?" he said. when they (Fulcher supporters) use racism as a service to themselves but also to the people who face racism every day."
Although the KU Judicial Board is reviewing two appeals to the Sept. 12 Senate motion to remove Fulcher
A common theme running through
from office, Eric Strauss, chairperson of the board, said a recall election could take place before the review is completed.
Elliott Bailey, Kansas City, Kan. sophomore who attended the forum, said students should have a chance to vote.
After the forum, Brent Brossmann, a coach for the KU debate team and moderator for the forum, asked the Fulcher whether Fulcher should stay in office.
Brossmann said 86 voted in favor of Fulcher remaining in office and 68
voted against him retaining the presidency.
After the votes were tallied, All said, "If you subtracted everyone that Darren Fulcher brought in with him, it would be about even."
Nearly 21,000 drops were filed in Fall'90
Classes' awkward times cited as top reason
Dropit.
By Jennifer Bach Kansan staff writer
For years, these two words have been a popular solution for students to escape the clutches of a class that they are enrolled in but no longer want.
Pam Houston, director of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences undergraduate center, said students have used these words, they have abused them.
Last fall, 20,727 undergraduates dropped courses for various reasons, according to data collected from a survey from the office of academic affairs. The questionnaire asked students why they were dropping classes
The most popular reason, given by 19.3 percent of those surveyed, was that the class met at an inconvenient time.
About 18.4 percent of the students said they dropped because their course schedules were too hard. Another 16.6 percent said the course was more difficult than what they expected, and 11.9 dropped because they were in danger of failing the course.
The period to drop without penalty varies for each of the professional schools. For departments in the colleges, there is a penalty until the last day of classes.
A penalty can result in a W, for withdrawal, or an F on a student's transcript. Students may have to petition for withdrawal after a certain period of time.
Houston said that the long drop peri- od prevented other students from at- tanding.
Students often drop a class after the add period has ended, leaving empty spaces in the class, she said. In most of those spaces could have been filled.
"If no students needed to add a course, then from a selfish standpoint, the long drop period could be seen as a result of inequality, it may or may not be beneficial."
Houston said that if students knew they would not be allowed to drop a course repeatedly, they might work harder in the class to begin with.
"Without a long drop period we may end up with more students graduating in the spring."
David Schulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said no concrete solutions had been devised yet.
"I've been here for 17 years and this has been something of concern for that period," he said. "The enrollment is growing, but the funding is not."
"That's three drops per student per week," he said. "I'd like to do something else with the problem, but I don't want to create a worse problem while we're at it."
Schulenburger said he had received feedback from students to increase class availability.Every year about 60,000 students drop courses, he said.
Houston said she thought that it was a problem that students, faculty and administrators agreed had to be solved.
Rene Ramu, Andover freshman,
said the long drop period allowed her
"It's nice to shop around," she said.
"If there'a a short drop period you're pretty much stuck."
U.S. Senate OKs bill for KU research
By Alexander Bloemhof
Kansan staff writer
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would allow $1 million to KU+ Energy Research Devices.
Sen. Bob Dole introduced the amendments to the bill, which contains a total of $9.1 million in financing for eight large Kansas wildlife, education and research projects.
The $1.64 million is intended for the oil recovery program at KU. The program researches technicolor fluorescence.
The State of Kansas Geological Survey and the Tertiary Oil Recovery Project work together on the program under the auspices of the Energy Department, with Paul Willhite, co-director of the recovery project.
Don Green, co-director of the Energy Research Development Center, sought support from
Congress for a proposal outlining the functions of a reformed center earlier this year.
"By and large, they were supportive of the idea," green said. "The group that really picked it up was the team."
Dole's bill, approved Thursday, supports only the oil recovery part of the proposal, but it's the first significant support for the proposal, Green said.
"This clearly would give it a big boost," he said, referring to the research center.
The center's other goals are providing background information for public policy-making and training.
Willhite said that last year, the center was restructured into an umbrella organization under which the Tertiary Oil Recovery Project, the Geological Survey and the department of geology could conduct interdisciplinary research while maintaining their own identities.
"We are merging the skills of the three programs to develop integrated research that can provide meaningful help to the oil industry in Kansas," he said.
Willhite said that the other areas needed to be expanded but lacked money and would not be financed by Dole's bill. But Willhite said he was glad the bill had passed through Senate.
*For the University, it provides research support, several new positions, new research equipment and facilities. And there will be support for graduate students," he said.
However, the bill will have to pass several other legislative hurdles before the money becomes available, Willhite said.
The bill is part of the 1992 Fiscal Year Interior Appropriations Bill, which now goes to a joint House and Senate conference.
Ballet Folklorico captures Mexican history in dance
Troupe will bring exoue dance to KU in October
By Kerrie Gottschalk
Kansan staff writer
From the Aztec and Mayan civilizations to the influences of the Spanish, French, Dutch and Africans, the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico captures Mexico's rich history and traditions in dance and music.
The Ballet Folklorico de Mexico is the creation of Amalia Hernandez, who dreamed of forming a dance that would symbolize the essence of Mexico.
In 1952, Hernandez left her position as dance teacher and choreographer
at the Mexico Institute of Fine Arts and founded the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. At that time, she had eight dancers in her company.
Within two years, the company gained enough respect for the Department of Tourism to make the troupe an official cultural ambassador of Mexico.
For the last 37 years, the ballet has represented Mexico with its exotic, colorful costumes.
The traveling company is touring in the United States this year for the first time in more than a decade. KU students will have a rare opportunity to see the ballet perform on campus Oct. 15.
The company has performed in 48 different countries and has enter-
The troupe, which performs a variety of ancient and modern Mexican
dances, has been praised for the colorful costumes sometimes flamenco costumes they wear in costumes they wear.
Dancers twirl in layered skirts, prince in animal costumes, and stomp in serapes and sombreros.
Critics consider the Ballet Folkorli-co a leader in ethnic dance. They also agree that the ballet was the first of its kind to international fame to Mexican dance.
They continue their tradition today with two companies, each having about 150 members. One company performs a regularly performed performance in Mexico City.
Hernandez continues to lead the group and holds fast to her original dream of representing the folklore and tradition that helped create Mexico.