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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, April 25, 1968
Draft nips at graduates
Teaching assistant shortage feared
By Sandy Zahradnik
Kansan Staff Reporter
With the draft nipping at the heels of KU graduate students, some of the departments which utilize these students as teaching assistants might be looking for help next year.
A teaching assistant conducts a laboratory section of a course under the supervision of the staff member who gives the lectures. The grade for the course, however, is given by the staff member, not by the teaching assistant. A grad student employed for services other than teaching or research is a graduate assistant.
According to Mrs. Edith Cordell, who works at the Lawrence Selective Service Board office, June graduates will not get deferments, first year grad students will be able to finish this year, and second year grad students will be allowed to finish their programs.
Mrs. Cordell also said that each local board has the choice of drafting or deferring full-time teaching assistants.
"They follow local board policy on this," she said, "but to tell
you the truth, even teaching deferments are becoming harder to get"
In view of this, many of the department heads at the University feel KU might face serious problems in the next few years.
Dr. L. C. Woodruff, chairman of the biology department, thinks the situation "could be calamitous."
"It's not too bad in our department this year," Woodruff said, "because we have a lot of married students with children working for us, and they automatically fall into another category."
Woodruff added, however, that many of the department's younger single men have been called to take their physicals.
When and if a shortage of teaching assistants hits, Woodruff said the biology department would probably start using some upperclass biology majors to fill the gap.
"We don't anticipate a serious problem for next year, but after that, who knows?" he said.
The wait-and-see, hope-and-pray attitude seems to run
through many departments at KU, but some are taking steps to combat the problem before it gets a foothold.
Dr. Jacob Kleinberg, chairman of the chemistry department, said his department will continue to write letters to draft boards, requesting that teaching assistants who are called in the middle of the term be given deferments.
"We've written several letters," he said, "but we don't know if they're successful yet."
Kleinberg isn't sure how the situation will affect his department, but said that two people hired for next year can't come because they've been reclassified. "I don't have any idea how many more we'll lose by fall," he added.
The Western Civilization program has overstaffed its teaching assistant program for next year in anticipation of losing a few this summer. James E. Seaver, program director, said.
"We just hope that it won't affect us too much," he said. "We already have our staff for next year, and we have a long alternate list, but it's hard to say at this time what will happen."
G. Baley Price, chairman of the mathematics department, thinks the situation looks bad.
"Prospects for next year are not good," he said. "By this time, I should have a staff list filled, and I don't."
Price added that he didn't know the extent of the math department's disability.
"We'll have to improvise, and maybe find a different way to teach mathematics," he said.
The chairman of the English department, George J. Worth, said he too is unsure of the situation.
but thinks the problem will affect his department less than some others "because so many of our teaching assistants are women."
If the draft does create a vacuum in the English department's teaching assistant staff, Worth said there are a number of qualified women in the community who could help teach the freshman classes.
"I'm concerned about the problem, but not extremely worried," Worth said. "I think we'll muddle through somehow—we always have."
Ladybug is
featured at the
Sportswear with a flair
Cervantes Day events set
The 44th annual celebration of Cervantes Day Saturday, will honor the famous figure of Spanish literature with a lecture on "the Structure of Quixote," a professional discussion of Spanish teaching methods, a luncheon and a fiesta including a variety program.
Cervantes Day attracts persons from all over Kansas and Missouri and educators and students from elementary to graduate levels. The registration for the event already includes 200 persons.
As part of Cervantes Day, "Subida Al Cielo," a Mexican film, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday in 303 Bailey Hall and again at 10 a.m. Saturday in Dyche Auditorium primarily for students. English subtitles will be added.
Cervantes Day itself will begin at 8:30 a.m. with registration in the main lobby of the Kansas Union. The Spanish and Portuguese department and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) Kansas Chapter will host an informal coffee hour in the Kansas Union Jayhawk Room at 9 a.m.
Enrique Moreno Baez, professor of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, will
Kansas Alternatives will meet Thursday
Kansans for Alternatives will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Kansas Union Big Eight Room to organize a trip to Nebraska to campaign for Senator Eugene McCarthy.
Interested persons are invited.
speak on "Etsructura del Quijote" ("Structure of Quixote") analizing the two-part structure and explaining the interwoven episodes throughout the novel, at 10 a.m. in the Kansas Union Forum Room.
Following the lecture, Mrs. Cora Adame, president of the Kansas chapter of AATSP and a Lawrence resident, will lead a discussion of Spanish teaching methods.
The Cervantes Day luncheon will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Kansas Union Big Eight Room. The price is $2 per person. Following the luncheon awards will be presented for graduate study in the Golden Age of Spanish Literature.
A variety program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Kansas Union Ballroom. This fiesta will include
sketches, dancing, singing, a short play and a poetry recitation.
A group of eight to 10 boys and girls from Lawrence's Pinckney School will act the part of conquistadores; Jill Whitley, a student at Lawrence High School, will recite Spanish and Spanish-American poetry; students from Mount St. Scholastica College, Atchison, will present a sketch; St. Mary's College, Leavenworth, students will perform a dance; Washburn University, Topeka, students will present a play, "A Trip in Third Class"; and three KU graduate students will sing Latin-American songs.
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Bands, beer part of Kennedy rally
(and they can spell 'n ever'thin!)
Call quick!
Two bands, free beer and a guest speaker will highlight the KU Committee for Kennedy sponsored rally from 8-12 p.m. Friday at the Lawrence National Guard Armory.
The Fire, formerly The Bluethings, and another band accompanying The Tips, a vocal group which has appeared with Spider and the Crabs, will play.
Kenneth B. Schoen, Nashville, Tenn., chairman of Project Equality, will speak at the rally. Project Equality is an organization of businessmen who promote the hiring of minority groups by working at the community level rather than going through government agencies.
Throughout Month of April
Bullfighter Month
Then you get 2 free! (No limit on cards)
MICKI's secretarial service is 4/U! VI 2-0111 — 901 Ky. St.
Buy a taco and get a card.
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Each card will be used
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in May!
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE HOSPITALITY TOUR
TO
KANSAS CITY TO SEE THE
SPURS PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TEAM Sunday, April 28
SIGN UP ON PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE OFFICE DOOR $1.00 DEPOSIT
QUESTIONS: CALL KATHY ALEXANDER
VI 3-5800