wednesday, may 5,2004
the university daily kansar
news
3A
Brent Carter/Kansar
Custodial specialist wins award
Georgia Hunter has been a classified employee at the University of Kansas for 19 years. Recently, Hunter received the Classified Employee of the Year Award for her work on campus.
By Steve Vockrodt
svockrodt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Georgia Hunter won't let a surgically removed tooth stop her from coming to work.
One day removed from a painful oral operation, Hunter was back to work yesterday keeping Stauffer Flint Hall clean, putting her job ahead of a badly swollen jaw.
Dedication such as this helps explain why Hunter won the classified employee of the year award last Wednesday.
"I've heard our bathrooms are better than anywhere on campus because of her," said Mark Gottschall, manager of the Stauffer-Flint computer lab and library. Gottschall nominated Hunter for
last 16 years.
Hunter has actually been at the University of Kansas for 19 years. Winning the award was a crowning achievement for her.
the award. "She has spoiled us with her custodial service for the last 18 years."
"It was one of my prouder days," Hunter said. "The only thing that bothered me that day was the wind."
Finding any employee of the University as dedicated as Hunter — classified or not — would be a challenge. Her typical day starts at 3 a.m. When she gets to campus at 4:30 a.m., her first task is cleaning up 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall, a lecture room. From there, she makes her way down the hallway until about 7 a.m.
She then has the arduous task
of unlocking every entrance and classroom door in Wescott Hall
"She does the whole damn building every day." Gottschall said. "We tried to get her help, and they wouldn't send her help."
The rest of her workday is spent cleaning the rest of Stauffer Flint Hall, which she usually finishes by 1:30 p.m.
She then goes home, takes care of her dog and tends to her garden before the 6 o'clock news. In bed by 7:00 p.m., Hunter needs a good night's rest before getting ready for another day.
"I try to get to bed early, like 7 or 7:30, then I feel like I've had two nights of sleep," Hunter said
in her sixth year working at Stauffer-Flint Hall — she's worked at Bailey and Learned
Halls previously — she is ready to stay where she is.
"I like this building," Hunter said. "I like the people in this building."
And the people in the building like her.
"She's always just so pleasant," said Diane Lazzarino, journalism instructor. "She just gets her work done quietly and always has a smile on her face."
smile on her face:
Hunter said the best part of her job was cleaning something then going back to see the finished product and seeing how nice it looked. Hunter does some requests for students:
does some of it." Just pick up those Kansan papers and push in their chairs," Hunter said.
Edited by Henry C. Jackson
Sweet emotion
David Broza, a Jewish singer from Tel-Aviv, Israel, performed last night at the Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Broza has been performing for 25 years and is one of the biggest selling artists in Israel. KU Hillel, a Jewish student organization, brought him to the University with the help of its sponsors Student Senate, SUA and Coca Cola.
LOCAL
New fire station will improve response time
Commissioners approved plans last night to build Fire Station No.5 at 19th and Iowa streets near Stewart Avenue.
A fifth fire station will help the city and the county keep up with population growth and cut
emergency response time, said Mark Bradford, deputy fire chief for the department. The station will serve as Lawrence's main fire station and is scheduled to open by early 2006.
In February, KU Endowment agreed to lease the land to the Lawrence Douglas-County Fire and Medical Department for 25 years at $1 a year.
Fire Station No. 5 is the second
part of a three-part 1996 public safety plan, Part one of the plan, completed in the spring of 2002, was to relocate Station No.2 from 19th Street and Haskell Avenue to 21st and Harper streets.
21st and upper floor Part three of the plan is to move Station No. 4 from 2819 Stonebarn Terrace to 21st Street and Wakarusa Drive.
Laura Pate
Research gains fixed leader
James Roberts makes plans for future research in his new role
By Steve Vockrodt svockrodt@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
James Roberts' interim role as vice provost for research and president of the Kansas Center for Research was extended to a permanent position yesterday.
permanent position. Roberts was offered the position Monday night and accepted the position yesterday. The decision is effective immediately.
"I'm delighted. I'm really, really pleased," Roberts said. "We have a tremendous opportunity to move KU forward."
The center is designed to promote research at the University of Kansas. It helps researchers with proposals, funding, necessary contacts and other research needs.
needs:
Provost David Shulenburger said research would thrive under Roberts.
Roberts:
"During his time at KU, the University has led the nation in obtaining Fulbright grants for faculty, NEH Fellowships, and a doubling of external research funding," Shulenburger said in a University news release. "I'm delighted that Jim will be the next vice provost for research and serve as chief operating officer of KUCR."
"The big difference is as an interim, there are certain things you can't do." Roberts said. "You're restricted in what you can do."
Though Roberts has had the position on an interim basis for eight months, becoming the permanent president changes the nature of his job.
Roberts said such restrictions limited long-term decision making.
With those obstacles out of the way, Roberts has big plans for research at the University.
research at the university Roberts said his next major goals were to increase available research space and incorporate the Kansas Economic Growth Act.
The act is a $500 million state allocation for the development of biosciences technology. Universities will receive part of those funds for research in the bioscience field and the rest will be used in other bioscience endeavors.
Roberts became interim president on Sept. 1, 2003. He succeeded Robert Barnhill, who took a position of the National Science Foundation/Council of Graduate Schools dean-in-residence in Washington. Since then, the University of Kansas set a
Robertsaid he was hopeful KU research would continue its growth,but said the reason for the increase was a University-wide effort.
record for $258 million in research funding for the fiscal year of 2003.The fiscal year 2002 drew in $243 million.
"It ultimately comes down to the quality of the faculty, students and other researchers," Roberts said. "I think it's possible for us to move into the top 25 of research institutions."
Roberts came to the University in 1990 as a professor and served as chairman of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
He became associate vice chancellor for research and public service in 1998.
KU federal research funding grew 74 percent from 1997 to 2001, larger than the national university average of 34.1 per cent.
Roberts said the offer to resume his duty as vice provost for research was an honor.
"I'm very pleased," Roberts said. "I'm a KU alum and a Kansas, so I'd like to see KU and Kansas do well."
-Edited by Abby Mills
STUDENTS PROTECT
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THE KU CAMPUS GROUP WAS THE FIRST STUDENTS PROTECT ORGANIZATION IN THE COUNTRY.
children know the truth, love is not an emotion, love is behavior.
-ANDREW VACHSS
Pick up a free book Visit our booth at Wescoe Beach on Wednesday, May 5
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