Video portion of meetings to continue
Lighting, picture quality poses problem
By JIM CZUPOR
Kansan Staff Writer
A local two-way television series between the University Theatre and the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City has disappeared from the airways after only two weeks of programming. Sources have attributed the end of a series to a lack of audience.
The program, entitled "University Senate Meeting," ceased as a result of the Senate's failure to draw a quorum at their last three meetings. Latest reports indicate the program may be reinstated in late April for the next Senate meeting.
The idea for the program began after the February 26 Senate meeting lacked a quorum. The program resulted in an effort to connect University Senate members with the members of the Medical Center via the University's microwave system. It was hoped more members would attend, but the move failed and the program was discontinued.
Alex Lazzario, director of independent studies for the University Extension and of the bureau of visual instruction and instructional TV, described the microwave system as a two-way hook-up between the University and the medical center used mainly as an instructional aid. Cables from Bailey Hall, Malott Hall and Murphy Hall extend to a transmitter station at KU which then relays a signal to Kansas City. Students there are able to view classes and participate by asking questions as though they were actually in the Lawrence classroom.
KU beer sales high
More than 8,000 gallons of beer are sold to University of Kansas students each week. This does not include beer sold in dancing places or pizza parlors.
10 KANSAN Mar. 16
1970
Raymond Nichols, secretary of the University Senate, said, "We televised the Senate meetings to the Med Center to enable them to attend the meeting without having to travel back and forth. I was satisfied with the participation of the Med Center members; at least they voted."
Transmission of the March 5 meeting presented several problems which Lazzarino attempted to solve at the last meeting. However the Senate's last meeting lasted only an hour and some of Lazzarino's plans were never used.
The first transmission presented problems of picture quality, lighting and the need to develop a method for relaying proposals to the Med Center.
Proposals were relayed by typing all motions from the floor and showing them to the KU audience by an overhead projector. A copy of the proposal was then made which the camera focused on for the Med Center members.
"In Kansas City, they were viewing the meeting on 21 inch monitors, so the picture was much more compressed and clearer than here. At KU, we were viewing the members in Kansas City with a video projector," said Lazzarino.
"The video projector has the effect of taking an electronic image and projecting it to a 10 or 12 foot screen. So the projector disseminated the signal resulting in some loss of picture definition. The more you enlarge any photograph, the more definition you lose.
"If the Senate meeting becomes a regular-event, several monitors could be placed throughout the theater." Lazzarino said, "the smaller monitors would offer as clear a picture as you home TV."
At the first broadcast meeting, the video projector and screen were set up on the theater's stage and a camera was focused on the presiding officer. Whenever anyone in Kansas City had a question, the presiding officer turned his back on the camera and the audience to watch the screen. The people in Kansas City con-
sequentially got a rear view of the officer's head.
For the second broadcast, Lazzarino provided the presiding officer with a small nine-inch monitor to watch, preventing him from turning his back.
Another problem that plagued Lazzarino was lighting.
"All we had were ordinary houselights," he said, "and since they were overhead they cast a shadow on the speaker's face, so we used spotlight."
"In order to improve the picture on the screen, we had to dim the houselights as you would a movie theater. Then it became much more difficult for the speaker to see the audience because of the darkness and the spotlight glaring in his face."
For the last meeting, Lazzarino remedied the glaring spotlight by using two floodlights on opposite sides of the speaker's stand. The houselights were then brightened. There remained the problem of the speaker not being able to see, however.
Lazzarino admitted that if he were to react positively to the criticisms made of the transmissions he should provide additional monitors.
"We could provide monitors every 25 or 30 feet in the auditorium but that would be a problem simply because the equipment isn't available and would have to be purchased. We don't have the money this year
KU ranks 6th
The University of Kansas ranks sixth in the nation among the institutions that graduate 20 or more Woodrow Wilson designates in the past two years, according to the annual report of the Woodrow Wilson national Fellowship Foundation.
The University's 35 Woodrow Wilson Designates ranks behind Cornell, Michigan, Toronto, Princeton and Harvard. Only 25 institutions in the United States and Canada had 20 or more designates.
to acquire additional monitors," he said.
Lazzarino also said if the addition were possible then problems with the video projector and the lights could be eliminated. He also suggested the possibility of using an extra camera to survey the audience.
The cost of the special transmission, Lazzarino said, was only nominal.
The lighting problem did not exist in Kansas City. The camera there was focused on the entire audience while they viewed proceedings with monitors.
"The costs were not above what we normally have. The cameraman and technicians are regular employees of the University and any additional expense involved was only due to moving the necessary equipment from Kansas City. The equipment belonged to the med center," he said.