CAMPUS / AREA
University Daily Kansan/Friday, August 30, 1991
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Planning grants help Kansas
By William Ramsey
By William Ramsey
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Several federal groups have offered planning grants to help Kansas upgrade its educational research and resources.
Earlier this month, the National Science Foundation gave a $100,000 grant to Kansas so that it can prepare to state for science research funding.
The U.S. Department of Energy last week announced its own $100,000 planning grant for the state that would support energy-related researchers gain funding.
"Basically it's to build an infrastructure to compete against the East and West Coast universities that have had a lock on a lot of research funding," said Clarkson Hines, representative for Sen. Bob Dole.
The National Science Foundation's seven-month grant comes from its Experimental Program to Stimulate Research. The program was initiated in 1980.
Ted Kuwana, Regents professor of chemistry, will serve as project director of the foundation's grant. Kuwana was a graduate and could not be reached for comment.
Several KU faculty members served on the committee that pushed
Bob Bearse, associate vice chancellor for research graduate studies and advising.
He said that Kansas was behind in research resources compared to other states.
The planning grant is intended to help the state prepare a proposition to the foundation for a possible $3-million science-related grant. Beares said.
"If we can do that, that means that federal tax dollars will be supporting more of the scientific activities on this island," she said. "The pressure off of state funds," he said.
A similar program been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to aid states in developing energy-related research.
The planning grant will be coordinated by James Legg, Kansas State University's physics department head
Injured jogger
Lawrence emergency medical technicians treat Scott Peterson, Topeka junior, for injuries he suffured after being hit by a car. Peterson was hit yesterday when he lost his footing while jogging. He was treated for minor injuries and released.
Women science teachers still see problems
They are treated differently by both peers and students
By Jennifer Bach
Kansan staff writer
Sally Frost-Mason remembers when there were almost no women faculty members in KU's natural science departments.
"When I was hired in 1980 there had 'b been a woman hired in biological sciences in 20 years," she said. "There were not more than a dozen women teaching science."
Mason, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that she felt the University was making progress, but that there was still a need for omen professors in natural science departments.
There are 209 faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences natural science department.
The number of women teaching natural science classes at the University has increased in the past four years, but there is a need for even more women naturalscience instructors at KU, Mason said.
Some professors attribute the shortage of women in the sciences to the fact that men have dominated research.
Valery Terwilliger, assistant professor of geography, agreed.
One of two women professors in the department, she compared a woman trying to become a science professor to a girl invading a boy's club.
"I think you find plenty of women trying to get their doctorate, but less actually get it," she said. "Once you get it, there's more resentment, and you have to be able to function in a male-dominated world." She said at it when personal popularity goes down. I don't mean to be gloomy about it, but it's been a factor.
As a woman professor teaching science, Ter-
linda was always thought that she had to work hard
to earn her students money.
"He would say, 'OK, how about a boy's night out?' But you won't come will you Valery? You can do your lab work, just don't get in the way of us socializing.' That's not what I mean. Those were things I had to come to terms with."
Tervilliger recalled a time the head of a laboratory she had been working at had treated her as an out-
She said a woman pursuing a career in natural sciences had to have an aggressive personality, or they were not.
Bruce Twarog, associate professor of physics and astronomy, said that a female professor would have to be very careful.
However, Terviller said her experience as a science instructor at KU had been fine.
Twarog, whose wife Barbara is also an associate professor of physics and astronomy at KU, said his wife had noticed a difference between students' attentiveness toward her and their attitudes toward her husband.
"Male students coming into a university don't expect to have a female instructor in the sciences," he said.
"Males seem less interested in getting help from her, and she will get lower ratings in class than I do,"
"I'm on a search committee, and in our other searches people have often taken the woman candidate, but for some reason or other they didn't take it," she said. "It's a little harder to attract women to Kansas than because we're not a big urban area where there would be an equal opportunity for their spouses."
Barbara Schowen, associate professor of chemistry; authored enough women who want a bachelor's professor.
Shewan said that earning a doctorate degree took many hours of research and may be difficult for some.
However, she said most men and women had difficulty finding an academic position in the natural sciences because of the lack of money for scientific research.
GLSOK sees improvement
She said that although the percentage of women in natural sciences was relatively low, she noticed that the percentages of women entering the field was rising.
Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas is hoping to build on its groundbreaking past year.
By Rochelle Olson
Kansan staff writer
"Last year was the beginning of what has needed to happen here for a long time," said Tom Emerson, graduate assistant for gay and lesbian concerns. "It was an acknowledgement that what we have been protesting about for years are legitimate concerns."
"Our upcoming class of graduate students is more than 50 percent (women)," she said. "That's a really good sign."
Emerson said one of GLSOK's accomplishments was the creation of his position. The graduate assistant for gay and lesbian concerns is a liaison between gay and lesbian students and the administration.
Another accomplishment was the creation of the gay and lesbian con- crest study committee and the formal- tion of a gay advocacy group and Staff Advocates, Emerson said.
Jamie Howard, co-director of GLSOK, continued the list.
A gay and lesbian support group began meeting again, and the "Gayhawks" took three place in the Heart of Kansas League in game in Kansas City, Mo. Howard said.
"it's going to be hard to beat last year," she said.
GLSOK plans to continue to push for campus awareness and sensitivity toward gay and lesbians.
Howard said she would like to see a specific office created on campus for her.
"I think the ombudsman's report is a great indication that we need an office to investigate."
The report stated that calls about gay and lesbian harassment outnumbered all other types of harassment calls to the ombudsman's office.
She said the addition of a social support group for women, ! Yikes Dykes! was one of the improvements.
"It is nice to be around only women."
Howard said. "It is a nice, safe envi-
She said she was looking to retain and recruit women because men traditionally outnumbered women in GLOSK.
Howard said she would like to provide services that would attract minorities to the organization.
Rob Taylor, co-director of GLSOK agreed.
"I am interested in making GLSOK more appealing to a wider range of users."
"It was really empowering," he said. "Everyone who went became heavily involved in the organization."
Mike Sullivan, member of GLOKS,
said they were trying to get more peo-
lmen in the group.
Taylor said that the group would like to send many people to the national leadership and information conference in Alexandria, Va. He attended the conference with several GLSOK members last year.
"We are reaching people," he said,
"we have a lot of interest already."
Sullivan said that 70 people had turned in interest survey forms that GLSOK provided.
He also said he would like to see GLSO interact with the Greek sys-tle.
A friend of Sullivan's recently went on a fraternity retreat with a pledge class and taught a class in sensitivity in dealing with gavs and lesbians.
"It is more meaningful coming from a straight peer," Sullivan said. "I hope that we can train their leadership and they will pass it on to their houses."
Regents seeking end to open admissions
Kansan staff writer
By Alexander Bloemhof
The Board of Regents is trying to get support from legislators for a set of qualified admission standards for instate high school graduates.
The Regents consider this their No. 1 legislative proposal," said Martine Hammond-Paludan, director of aca- affairs for the Board of Regents.
The proposal was discussed at an Aug. 22 meeting in Topeka of the Joint Committee on Governance, the Legislative Educational Planning Committee and representatives of the Education, Hammond-Paludan said.
According to the proposal, high school graduates under the age of 21 would have to graduate in the upper third of their class, have a composite ACT score of at least 23 or complete a recommended core curriculum with a grade average of at least 2. In order to be admitted to a Regents university,
The core curriculum would consist of four years of English, three years of mathematics, three years of social sciences, three years of natural or physical science and two years of foreign languages.
Frances Ingemann, presiding officer of the University Senate Executive Committee, said many legislators supported some sort of screening process for Kansas high school graduates.
"The State of Kansas feels that it
She said similar proposals had been under discussion for about five years.
does not have the resources to provide high-level education to everybody under the current way the universities operate. "Inemmann said.
Dave Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said that KU's administration always had the support of proposals for qualified admissions.
"If students come to KU better prepared by high school, they'll do better at KU." Shulenburger said. "Every student still has a chance to come to KU if they take the curriculum, and it'a reasonable curriculum."
Ultimately it is the Legislature's decision about a charged administration.
Richard Reinhardt, chairperson of the Legislative Educational Planning Committee, said the Regents' proposals for legislation were changed in order to pass the Legislature.
"I think if you walked up to the average taxpayer on the street, they'd say. 'Hey I pay taxes like anybody else. I want to be able to send my kids to school.' I think I find attitude among taxpayers has an influence on the legislators."
Reinhardt said legislators were most concerned about the foreign language component of the core curriculum, which was required for all bachelor's degrees.
"I'm somewhat optimistic that with some changes and adjustments and discussion of the foreign language component, it will pass," he said.