MONDAY,APRIL 22,1996
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS 864-4810
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING 864-4358
SECTION A VOL.102 NO.138
(USPS 650-640)
TODAY KANSAN
SPORTS
Two Big Eight champions
The Kansas men's and women's tennis teams won the final conference titles. Page 1B
CAMPUS
Brown bag lunch drag
About 500 people gathered Friday to watch a drag show at the Kansas Union. Page 3A
NATION
Campus crime survey released
A survey shows an increase in drug arrests on college campuses. Page 5A
WORLD
Peace sought in Middle East
The Israeli Prime Minister criticized the growing number of would-be peacemakers. Page 7A.
WEATHER MOSTLY CLOUDY
High 58° Low 45°
Weather: Page 2A.
INDEX
Features ... 8A
Scoreboard...2B
Horoscopes ...6B
National News...5A
World News...7A
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents.
Screening for Success
Becky Todd knew she was clean, but she was a bit nervous last September when she went to a special bathroom at Lawrence Memorial Hospital to urinate in a little, paper cup. After all, there are so many rumors about people who fail drug tests because of the most peculiar reasons, such as eating poppy seed bagels or taking cough medicine.
But the urine test is often just the final exam facing students
It was early in the morning, and Todd, Fort Smith, Ark, senior, already had been to the bathroom once. That made what might seem easy, difficult. An hour and a half and many glasses of water later, Todd managed to complete her task. She left the hospital and hasn't thought about the test for months.
hunting for jobs.
The things college students have to do to get a job these days can be scary and a little embarrassing.
Companies are magnifying the importance of testing future employees
Illustration by Greg Hardin Photos by Pam Dishman
Terry Glenn, director for the University Placement Center, said reorganizing and downsizing has made companies hire more carefully.
Story by Susanna Lööf
But some applicants think that process is fun.
Gay Kemmis, Lawrence
"There's a pretty good supply of people coming out of college, so I think that many employers feel that they can be more selective," he said.
For students, that means the days of landing the dream job after just one successful interview are finished. Instead, a lengthy process including tests that evaluate personality, job skills and intelligence awaits students joining the rat race.
Companies want to attract employees who will be successful and will stay with the company, he said. And they are willing to use tests and other screening tools to find those employees.
senior, enjoyed the rigorous application process she went through to land a job with Ford Motor Credit Co.
"I loved it," she said. "Everything was right on schedule."
Kemnis said that she was impressed by how structured the process was.
The process began in early February, and by mid-March, Kemnis had taken one written test, been interviewed twice and role played for two hours. She passed it all and landed the job she wanted as a customer service representative at Ford Motor Credit Co.'s office in Minneapolis.
"I knew from one step to the next what was going to happen," she said. "They were very specific about what they wanted and what they were looking for."
Some may cry foul at the more intrusive tests, but companies' willingness to spend time and money finding the right employees has created a
new business opportunity. Personnel Decisions International is one of many companies taking advantage of this new niche. PDI develops tests for selecting or promoting employees—and keeping out the wrong ones.
Douglas Johnson, a consultant with the company's Dallas office, said tests were popular hiring tools 30 to 40 years ago but lost popularity with the passage of civil rights laws because many companies wrongly thought tests would make it easier for unsuccessful candidates to sue.
"It just costs too much to recruit, hire and train a person that will be of no use for the
But pre-employment tests have regained popularity in recent years. It is no longer possible to hire people, and then see whether they are fit for the job, Johnson said.
See Page 6A.
Actor Cruz talks about coming out to parents
My So-Called Life star offers advice to gay youth
By R. Adam Ward
Kansan staff writer
Wilson Cruz, an actor on the television show My So-Called Life, said being cast on the show had forced him to tell his parents about his sexuality.
Cruz played Rickie Vasquez, the first openly gay high school character on television in a regular role. His input helped to convince the producers
to move the character from the shadowy background of the show to a position where he could make a statement about gay youth.
The actor spoke to a crowd of about 200 people on Friday evening in the Big Eight Room at the Kansas Union.
He said his experience of telling his parents he was gay taught him some tough lessons. He said that when he told his
Wilson Cruz
mother, she had asked what she had done and now could he have done that to her.
"My father asked, 'What are you, a faggot or something?' Cruz said.
But her reaction was mild compared to his father's, he said. On Dec. 24 at a Christmas party his father took him into the bathroom.
Cruz said he answered that he was and his father told him to get out of the family house because he couldn't stand the sight of him. That forced Cruz to spend the winter on the streets of Los Angeles, sleeping in his car.
He said it wasn't something he was proud of doing, but his Latino pride kept him from admitting to his friends that he needed help. He said if he hadn't had $200 and the beginning of taping for My So-Called Life to look forward to, he might have sold drugs or become a prostitute to survive.
"I don't put myself above anybody that does these things because it is an act of desperation," Cruz said.
Because homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals don't usually have children, they take care of the ones around them, he said.
Cruz said gay leaders in Utah deming state legislators for banning all high school clubs in the state. He said they were doing it because a 17-year-old high school student in Utah wanted to start a gay club at her high school.
Kathy Leonard, Santa Rosa, Calif., senior, said she had been interested in hearing the actor speak because she liked the television show.
She was moved by his concern about nobody representing gay youth, she said.
should be con-
LesBIGay Awareness Week coverage
MARCH: Gay rights supporters walk through downtown.
Page3A
PAGE 4
DRAG: KU
students strut
their stuff.
Page3A
Greek groups stomp for charity and unity
By R. Adam Ward Kansan staff writer
Step show performers raise money,show pride
Members of fraternities and sororities as well as a group representing the Interfraternity Council and a group from the KU Panhellenic Association made up the nine groups that performed in the show. They combined dancing to recorded music with chanting and stomping without any musical accompaniment to show pride in their Greek organizations.
A singing, dancing, clapping, stomping and snapping step show called the Stomp for Unity raised $500 for the Ronald McDonald House.
The step show, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Kansas Union Ballroom, was sponsored by the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association and Black Panhellenic Council.
Chris Howard, vice president of the Black Panhellenic Council and St. Louis junior, said about 400 people attended the event.
This turnout allowed the organizers to meet their goal for the Ronald McDonald House, he said. But the event had another goal: to show
KU students what a step show is.
Step shows are a way for African Americans to express pride in themselves and their Greek organizations, he said. The tradition started in the 1930s when African-American Greek organizations began having step shows, which were based on a South African tribal tradition.
Dewanda Jones, St. Louis second-year medical student, said she thought it was important that her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, was part of the event. Instead of competing for money for themselves, they were able to compete to give money to people who are less fortunate.
Tony Booker, Louisville, Ky., senior, said he felt it was important for his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Fsi, to step at the show because it expressed unity among African-American fraternities and among Greek organizations in general.
John Tuttle, Quinter senior, said he had heard a lot about the benefits of the Ronald McDonald House.
"I've had friends that have gone to them, and said it was just amazing," he said.
The step show's attempt to educate students about step shows was successful, judging by Jessica Berry, Colorado Springs, Coio, senior.
"I wanted to come because I've never been to a step show before," she said.
Darcy Coles / KANSAN
4.
Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha perform their version of stomp at the "Jayhawk Stompdown." The show was a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald house. The show was sponsored by the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association and Black Panhellenic Council.
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