NEWS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2005
4A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ADMINISTRATION
Cut subscriptions hurt researchers
LAWRENCE — As state money for higher education gets harder to come by, the University of Kansas is saving money wherever it can.
That includes cutting back on its subscriptions to scholarly journals, some of which carry annual price tags in the thousands. But some faculty members say the strategy hurts their ability to do research.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ability to do research. "No one can do without them," economics professor Mohamed El-Hodiri said. "They're forcing us to pick and choose. How do I know that the one I choose is the one I'm going to need tomorrow?"
And if professors can't keep up on the latest research, El-Hodiri said, their students' education will suffer.
"If you don't know what's happening in the research, you cannot teach, or you're going to teach stale stuff," he said.
stale stuff, the answer. But university officials said the cost of subscriptions — which range from a few hundred dollars to $20,000 or so a year — makes some cuts necessary.
makes some take risks "Some publishers, they've gone crazy," El-Hodiri said.
The University, which recently started a three-year review of its periodicals subscriptions, would need $1.1 million beyond its current budget to maintain its current level. The school has come up with $600,000 of that total, but must cut out $500,000 in subscriptions.
"That's essentially been the trend: Spend more, get less," said Bill Myers, director of library development at the university
velopment at the institution.
But with many institutions publishing research on the Internet, paper subscriptions might become unnecessary. Kansas already does that, using its KU Scholarworks site to make research — finished and unfinished — available.
Shulenburger saled Interlibrary loan programs with other universities also help, Myers said.
"Who cares about the price of scholarly journals if the material is available?" Provest David Shulenburger said.
"I think institutions like ours have gotten more versatile in trying to cope with the increasing costs of serials," he said. "The objective is to try to advance knowledge as quickly as possible."
Don Ring races to the next target while competing in Cowboy Mounted Shooting yesterday during the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. Participants tried to shoot all the balloon targets in order and in the fastest time.
STATE
Study shows money not always answer
TOPEKA — This audit is sure to please no one involved in the education debate.
tradicted some cherished political ideas.
For legislators who think too little money gets into the classroom, some of the high-flying districts are spending more on administration and less on classroom instruction than the state averages.
A study by analysts at Standard & Poor's has identified a set of Sweet 16 school districts that are making effective use of their resources to get stellar student achievement. Further review is expected to identify what those districts are doing right and how the state's 284 other districts can do better.
Ride 'em, cowboy
date averages.
The Standard & Poor's audit also shows that more overall spending on public education won't guarantee that districts exceed expectations. "The answers you get generally depend on the questions you ask," said Mark Tallman, lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards.
STATE
Police officer gambles with department cash
The 14-year veteran was
TOPEKA — A former Topeka police officer has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for stealing thousands of dollars intended for undercover drug buys and using the money to fund his gambling habit.
Thomas Pfortmiller, 41, also was ordered Friday to pay restitution.
placed on leave and later resigned in 2004 after the department asked the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to look into cases he had handled.
cases he had handed
Originally charged with 100
felonies and misdemeanors.
Pfortmiller pleaded no contest
to 50 in July.
The prosecution said he took more than $20,000 from the department, claiming it would be used to buy drugs, and filed police reports claiming that drug buys had occurred.
false arrest warrants — and helped foster a contempt for the law, the judge who sentenced Pfortmiller said.
That led to the issuance of
"Major cases have been dismissed, and most shocking, citizens of our community have been set up, accused and warrants issued for their arrest for crimes they did not commit," Shawnee County District Judge Eric Rosen said.
district attorney, sought a stiffer sentence based on what he said was a breach of duty.
The normal sentence for Pfortmiller would have been probation. But Steve Karrer, a Shawnee County assistant
Defense attorney Jerry Berger argued against prison time, noting Pfortmiller is a member of Gamblers Anonymous and started a group to aid spouses of addicts. Pfortmiller apologized at sentencing.
appropriate.
"I committed the crimes. I committed them on my own. You will never see me in front of this court again," he said.
"I'm so sorry for being here."
The Associated Press
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