Second Section
Shooting victim begins recovery
By PAUL SCHRAG
Staff writer
When Amy Thompson first moved her toes, or mouthed the words "I love you" to her family, they considered it miraculous.
Doctors had thought that Thompson, a 24-year-old Kansas City, Mo., woman, probably not live more than 48 hours after she was shot in the back of the neck Oct. 31. At the time of the shooting, Thompson was pursuing a master's degree in education at the University of Kansas.
But Thompson, who was in a coma five weeks, survived and slowly is regaining limited physical abilities. She can move her heroes, feet and legs and can pull her elbows close to her sides but cannot raise her arms. She has regained about 25 percent of her hearing.
On the night of the shooting, she was shot in the back of the neck as she and some friends were leaving a Halloween party at a house in the 4900 block of Wyndotte Street in Kansas City. Mo.
A Kansas City, Mo., police official said that a suspect had been arrested and that the Jackson County pro- officer's office had charge of the case.
Since the shooting, Thompson has been in the intensive care unit of St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. He was hospitalized on Monday, Jan. 5, was she lifted out of bed.
Byron Thompson, her father, said that although she remained in bed,
her rehabilitation was progressing.
She communicates by using a letter board that her brothers and sisters made. A family member points to groups of letters, then to single letters while she nods at those she chooses, slowly forming words. Family members usually communicate with her in writing.
"Mentally, she's sharp as a tack," Byron Thompson said. "Her personality is unchanged.
"She is a person of faith, even though her faith has been tested. Her mom says Amy's smile supports the rest of us."
"When you pick up her arms for an embrace," he said, "she is moved by it. and she'll smile."
Byron Thompson said doctors could not predict how much physical ability his daughter would regain or how long her recovery would take.
Little incidents often are the most emotionally uplifting for the family.
"There's no real assurance of how she'll go," he said. "Is there anything to worry about?"
"It it seems more difficult now than initially," he said. "At first, the situation as new and we had all our friends and courage. But now it's a marathon run."
Byron Thompson said that more than 1,000 people, including many KU students and administrators, had called or written to his daughter, sending best wishes and prayers for her recovery.
The waiting game
Amy Rhoads/KANSAN
Students wait in line to pay fees and pick up financial aid checks in the Kansas Union Ballroom. Fee payment ended Tuesday afternoon.
School loses professor, gains dean
Mike Kautsch
By JOSEPH REBELLO Staff writer
Mike Kautsch, associate professor of journalism, accepted his selection Tuesday as the dean of the School of Journalism, saying that he was glad the search for a dean was over and that he would devote himself to promoting the school's high standards.
He was selected from 28 candidates who applied to fill the job vacated by Del Brinkman, who was appointedancellor for academic affairsin April.
Kautsch, who will take over for Lee Young, professor of journalism and the acting dean, on July 1, said one of the downsides of his new job would be that he would have to give up teaching for at least two years.
Kautsch said that between working with University officials on administrative and budgetary matters, planning possible curriculum changes and administering the William Allen White Foundation, he would have no time to teach.
"I watched Del Brinkman as dean for all the years I was here, and he was never able to do anything but the dean's job," Kautsch said. "He was a superb administrator, and if anyone could have organized the job to allow for teaching he would have done it."
Although Kautsch will teach Reporting II and Law of Communications this semester, he will stop teaching those courses and Public Affairs Reporting-beginning this summer, he said.
"For me, the first thing is to learn whether we face any threat to our financial resources and claims to resources to which we might be entitled," he said. "Next would be searches for new faculty members. I
would also like to have the details from each of the sequences about what they need to do to achieve their educational mission."
"To the extent that I can command the resources to reward teachers for good work, I would do that. That would please me enormously."
Kautsch said that he had applied for the dean's job because it would give him the chance to be involved in public service on a wide scale.
"I saw the deanship as an opportunity to educate the public about the First Amendment and what it means to produce responsible, effective journalism," he said. "I also wanted a deanship that would allow me to operate as an advocate on behalf of classroom teachers."
He said he would work to promote teaching excellence in the school.
Several University officials and faculty members said Kautsch was just the man to do that job.
"He's been successful at all stages of his career," Brinkman said. "He's been an excellent professional journeyman, he's he'd been an excellent teacher."
Michael Johnson, chairman of the department of English and a member of the dean search committee, said, "The bad news is we're taking an extremely good teacher out of the School of Journalism. The good news is that we're going to have somebody who knows the school well. With somebody like Mike, we won't need to have a lot of start-up time."
Kautsch has an enormous sense of responsibility to do well. Young said.
"I think he's a very intelligent and very humane person," he said. "I have just one concern about him. I think he'll work too hard. He's always done that."
Regents target KU as area of emphasis
By JOHN BUZBEE
The Board of Regents has targeted the University of Kansas' graduate and research programs as areas for emphasis during the next five years in its "mission statement."
"Research and graduate programs are what will distinguish KU for the future." Stanley Koplik, executive director of the Regents, said Monday of the statement approved at a Dec. 19 meeting. "The University must enhance its graduate research institutions."
The statement said undergraduate programs would not suffer because of the new emphasis. But, Koplik said, something must give.
"The University is going to have to make some decisions as to where it is going to excel," he said. He said the University might emphasize strong graduate programs over other weaker graduate and undergraduate programs.
The Regents plan to encourage universities to recruit for quality students rather than for quantity, Koplik said. He said new recruiting efforts would not affect current programs.
But Bruce Lindvall, director of admissions, said the state's open admissions policy made quality-based recruiting difficult.
ine only thing coming out of the Board of Regents is a bunch of people telling the universities, 'You're not doing a good job getting the National Merit students,' Lindvall said. "Is there anything you can do to discourage the student who isn't well prepared?
"I'm getting a mixed signal if that's what the Board of Regents is trying to do."
The Regents, which govern the six state universities and the Kansas Technical Institute in Salina, now recommend core classes for high school students planning on college.
"I don't think they're very effective until they become requirements instead of recommendations," Lindvall said.
A recruitment committee led by Lindvall is preparing recommendations about the open admissions policy. He said the report would be given this month to David Amber, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Lindvall would not comment on what recommendations the committee
Wes Williams, dean of educational services, said, "We were looking for more money to offer more classes to students."
At the meeting, the Regents also: Refused a request by the University to increase tuition for the spring and summer semesters.
Accepted a bid for bonds to finance the renovation of the Kansas Union. The University will pay more than $1 million in interest costs over 10 years for the $3.5 million in bonds.
James Long, director of the Kansas and Burge unions, said he was pleased with the cost, although it was not unpleasant. Construction should begin Feb. 11.
Allocated $75,000 to replace the roof on Tower A at Jayhawk Towers, 1603 W. 15th St. Work should begin this summer, said Doug Richmond, assistant manager at the Towers.
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