06
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PROVOST SEARCH
Second candidate shares his views
The editorial board plans to interview each candidate for provost, Jason Shaad, opinion editor, Nate Karlin, managing editor and Patrick Ross, associate opinion editor, conducted a phone interview with provost candidate Jack Burns at the University of Colorado-Boulder on several issues. The following are the questions and his selected answers.
Burns
Q: What about the University appeals most to you?
A: There's a history of some strong and stable leadership at the University with Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Provost David Shulenburger, and traditionally the deans have been in place a good deal of time. The leadership has also been very visionary. Two other things attracted me to the University that may be more relevant to you: One was looking at the student satisfaction surveys that show a high level of satisfaction of students in their education at KU. That's consistent with the morale of the students that I met with during my visit. That's
coupled with the rate of the level of alumni giving, because when alumni are happy with the education they received, they tend to donate more back to the University. KU has one of the highest alumni giving rates of public universities in its peer group of institutions. The student satisfaction and the alumni satisfaction says a lot to me.
Q: How would you approach the University's four-year graduation rate?
PAGE 5A
A: One area that I've put a lot of work into is thematic learning communities. I talked to some folks at the University about that last week. KU has begun experimenting with them now and has had some good success. I think there are some 400 students this year, freshmen, who are in the thematic learning communities. The national statistics on these are extremely encouraging. There is a dramatic improvement in the retention rate between freshman and sophomore years, something like 20 percent higher between students in learning communities and those who are not. It also carries over into graduation. There is a significantly higher graduation rate of those who participate in learning communities. That's an area that in general adds to the educational opportunities for students. I would like to work on expanding it at KU. It really is an opportunity for students to learn outside of the classroom and to work in teams, which is very similar to what you're going to find when you work in any discipline.
Q: What is your stance concerning alcohol on campus?
A: In Colorado this is the kind of thing that is driven home to me in several different ways. Personally, I worry about the alcohol issue. My wife and I have twins, both of whom are 21, and are going to the University of Colorado. We've had a lot of discussions with them about alcohol and the ways in which it's used and abused on campuses. Last year, we had two deaths at Colorado universities due to alcohol over-consumption and alcohol poisoning. That really drives home an issue of great concern to any of us who are faculty, administrators or parents. I'm not very comfortable with alcohol in areas where underage students may be, whether it's a bowling alley or another place on campus. I would just prefer to see the campus, as it has, continue to work toward alcohol-free zones.
A: Let me just mention that here at the University of Colorado, our student evaluations are made public. In general, I'm comfortable with that. Some caveats need to go along with that. First of all we have to realize that the evaluations are pretty blunt instruments. They don't really capture all the student's learning. So one of the things we've done here, and one of the things that I would encourage if I were to be provost at KU, is a collaboration between students, faculty and administrators to improve, using the best social science data available, the evaluation forms and to improve the questions. Secondly, there are other ways of evaluating classes. One thing that we started doing here are student evaluations of the syllabus because that's another evaluation of what the class is about and how it's been successful. Thirdly, we do a lot of peer review of teaching. There are other faculty from either the same department or other departments who come in and evaluate faculty. We use that as a tool to improve teaching and for tenure promotions. But some aspect of that also feeds in to students knowledge of a class. In general, I like an open process, but we need to make improvements to that process.
Q: How do you feel about making end-of-term teacher evaluations available to the public?
Q: What do you want to do to fulfill Chancellor Robert Hemenway's vision of KU as a top 25 university?
A. 1 think what the chancellor is really getting to is enhancement in the excellence and quality of the University as a whole. That includes student learning, where what we need to do is to continue to refine our measures of success in student learning. We were talking earlier about graduation rates as one measure, but there are a number of others. There are satisfaction surveys, the success students have in getting jobs, getting into graduate schools and scores on LSATs and MCATs and GREs, all of which go into some combination of measures of success in student learning. Also, success, excellence and quality in faculty scholarship in the disciplines that KU is already strong in—humanities, social sciences, the sciences, engineering, business, law—that's very important and there are some measures that can be used there. Finally, in terms of thinking about a top 25, measuring excellence in terms of service to the state and the nation. That can include how KU students are contributing to the work force, new companies that spin out of the University of Kansas and contributions to the state economy. All of those are ingredients for excellence and success, and you couple that with new initiatives like the cancer center and the expansion of the Hall Center, and all these things are going in the right direction.
A: My attitude has always been safety first. If you have freezing rain or snow, you really have to look at students, staff and faculty, and how safe or dangerous it is to come onto campus. That should be the main criteria.
Valentines Day Great American capitalism meets Great American mushy sentimentalism.
Q: What is your snow day policy?
Kelli Sparks/KANSAN
Real friendship means more than casual contact
COMMENTARY
I don't have a wish list for Valentine's Day this year. I realized that I don't need Russell Stover chocolates or a new dress that hugs in all the right places to wear to dinner. The holiday that reminds some of the love they don't have, others of the love they share, reminds me of the love of my friends.
Today, the ribbon will be cut on the room named after Nicole Bingham at the new Ronald McDonald House. It would have been her ultimate dream to be forever immortalized into an organization she loved so much, which was made possible through the donations of Alpha Delta Pi.
Last semester, we struggled together, cried together and let it all hang out in a way that would have made Nicole proud. When we found out that Nicole had died in the Boardwalk Apartment fire, we rallied together. I became closer to friends than I thought possible and realized that to find the true meaning of sisterhood, I had to look no farther than my friends. Through the depths of tragedy, we were able to find light in those closest to us. All we can do now is pay tribute in a way that we think she would have wanted. October was an intense month full of tears and eventually laughter. It was a terrible event, but Nicole would have wanted her passing to make us open our eyes and realize how much we mean to one another.
LINDSEY GOLD
opinion@kansan.com
The most important lesson I learned through the boxes of Kleenex is that nothing replaces the love of a friend. People often get so wrapped up in their own lives and the duties that surround it that spending time with friends gets shoved in the "to do" pile. I am definitely guilty of that. I have a hard time juggling two jobs, school and trying to find time to sleep at night. Sometimes, the only time during the day I see my room-mates is when I get into bed.
This needs to change. Friends are more than people to bar hop down Massachusetts Street and eat lunch with. Fair-weather friends wouldn't hold your hair back while you embrace the porcelain god or bail you out of jail. True friends are the ones who would visit you in the hospital and fly across the nation to attend your wedding.
cupcakes). Four years in college will go by faster than you realize; spend your time with the people who matter most.
So let the change begin today and always let your friends know how much you care. Drop them little notes during their stressful weeks at school or work. Write a funny saying on their Facebook wall. Bake them cupcakes on their birthday (I recommend Funfetti
It's about more than dinners, "Sex and the City" episodes and working on a car together. Try to make sure that your time spent with them is more than "How are you?" when you pass them in a hallway of Budig Hall. If you usually go to Target by yourself, make a few phone calls and see if anyone else wants to tag along. Your normal conditioner shopping trip could turn into more laughter than you thought possible in the aisles of a store. Invest what would normally be beer money in a good camera. Buy your friends picture frames and go picture crazy one night. Give them each a funny photo that will make them smile for years to come. The more pictures I take of my friends, the more I realize that those images are worth more than I could ever say.
Above all, remember that those who truly care about you will be beside you when the world seems to crumble at your feet. Don't wait until it's too late to visit a friend's new apartment or give them a hug. This Valentine's Day don't just spend it with a significant other, make a point to tell your friends that you care and support them.
♦ Gold is a senior in journalism and political science.
Free All for Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slander and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
Hey, there was a little problem I had at the game yesterday. People, during time outs, you don't sit down. You sit down at half time. OK? Especially when we're up by 18 at the first half, there's no reason to be
I just wanted to say Micah Downs, thanks for hitting on me on Myspace so I can say peace out KU,
we don't miss you
sitting down.
Welcome to Thunderdome.
It's not hot lunch at the Jackpot unless I get square pizza with square pepperonis
Hi, I would just like to say that I walked down to the Naismith lobby this morning and "Blue's Clues" was on the TV, and it pretty much made my day. Not gonna lie.
Do you hear the wind, Free-For-All? Do you hear
the wind? It's freezing.
When you awoke this morning it was only because Jack Bauer spared your life.
Get a bigger penis so you don't have to compensate with getting a bigger
car.
Is it snowing out? Is it raining? Is it wet on the ground? If not, why are you wearing your Uggs with your pants rolled up?
"Cupid/draw back your bow/and let your arrow go/straight to my lover's heart/for me." This is to Sasha Kaun, I know you probably have a girl-
But will you be my Valentine?
▼ COMMENTARY
Dating culture causes conflict
RYAN SCARROW opinion@kansan.com
Because it is Valentine's Day, somebody needs to stick up for all of us singles out there who will be visiting a video store, watching the Olympics, ordering out or otherwise doing anything but celebrating with a committed significant other. Sure, we could wallow in self-pity or stuff ourselves with chocolate (or another just as intoxicating substance), but I think we should do something better. Thank goodness that we don't have committed significant others.
I'm sure there is lots of joy and happiness to be found in relationships. My best friends are married to each other now after several years together, while other friends have been in relationships for some time. So I say this with some trepidation, but I think the current system of dating is really not the best for producing meaningful relationships for our age group.
Dating as our society has under stood it since our parents started getting frisky (by the way, eew) is that when two people think they like each other, they start dating. After a short (sometimes very short) period, those two people then become exclusive or 'steady,' and if they last long enough, they start to take on the characteristics of married couples.
That is, after all, the goal of dating: To prepare a young person for marriage, or, at the very least, a committed partnership with another person, through practicing what it takes to sustain a lifelong relationship with a loved one.
However, dating has another purpose: Helping us figure out what we want in a mate. After all, why spend your entire life with a blonde when, deep down, you always preferred brunettes (or better yet, redheads)? And forget physical features. Wait until the brass tacks of keeping a checkbook, farting in front of the parents, or getting shelved on a more-than-regular basis come up. Through dating, we are supposed to keep a mental tally of what qualities we find attractive, and to oh-so-gently keep an eye out for somebody who might seem more qualified.
Thus, our dating system has at its core two systemic, mutually-exclusive objectives: To commit yourself to somebody, and yet to think of all the reasons why you wouldn't want to commit to that somebody. I haven't even gone into the notion of 'hooking up.'
What, then, is the alternative to dating? Well, unfortunately, mail order isn't the be-all, end-all some might have anticipated. I would say that we drop the exclusivity from dating, but that seems to lead to the aforementioned 'hooking up.' Perhaps all that we can do is realize the futility of the situation that society has thrust us into, take all relationship advice with a grain of salt, and not worry so much about being single. As if you wanted to share your chocolate in the first place.
Scarrow is a Humboldt senior in history.
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