Second Section
Grades improve at LHS extension
By Kim Lightle
Kansan staff writer
Skipping classes at Lawrence High School used to be the biggest challenge in Eric Gauna's life.
But since last September, all that has changed. Now the biggest challenge in his life is pleasing teachers like Trish Davies and Mary Phillips.
Changing from the high school to the Lawrence High School Extension Program was enough to keep Gauna, a junior, in school and change the D's and F's on his report card to A's and B's.
It is not the typical high school. There is no football team or glee club. Students must go about a mile to the high school for those activities.
Then again, most of the students are not average either. Most of them have more pressing things to think about than who is going to win the next football game.
Some of them have been through the courts for various offenses, some couldn't keep up with the course of their trial. The other, like Gauna, had truancy problems.
The program's director, Michelle Meyers, said there were as many reasons for attending the extension program as there were students.
Alexandra Mason, director of Spencer Research Library
A sense of friendship
The Lawrence Extension Program center is set far back in Holcom Sports Complex. A one-lane road leads to the parking lot in front of the school.
The program's secretary, Linda Snider, and the place was the best-secret place.
Inside, rust-colored partitions section off classrooms filled with the usual array of tables, chairs, desks and computers.
In the small office, eight teachers joke and commiserate about their day during planning periods.
Occasionally a student will wander through to asse for something or just to rest.
There are no misses, ma'ams,
misters or sirs here; it's first names
only. There is a sense of friendship
among both teachers and students.
"It's a more honest relationship," said Sue Mallory, who has been an art teacher at the program for eight years. "The students love to watch my mouth. I can vent."
The honesty exists between students and teachers because they know where they stand. While teachers care about the students, they are not there to play mother hen, said Davies, who teaches math.
Skipping is no longer a challenge for Gauna because he knows no one will stop him from leaving. The program's policy is to let students over 16 years old leave if they want.
Ultimately, the responsibility for failure or success lies on the student's shoulders. Students must want to come to school and do the work, says Gauna.
Gauna and a classmate, Julie Purcell, a junior, said that much of their motivation for being at school and doing the work came from the attention they get from their teachers.
A contract to learn
Each student's teachers make an individual contract or curriculum to fit the student's abilities. Each contract is for 70 days of work. A contract might cover several chapters in a math textbook or lessons to be completed on a computer. Fulfillment of the 70-day contract earns the teacher credit toward the units required for graduation. But being in class is not enough If students fail to do their work in class, they lose credit for the day.
A limit of 20 students per class and as well as individual programs allow teachers to give more help to struggling students by pressure off the student. Purcell said.
Being able to take time to work on problems and individual student-teacher relationships is the school's main advantage. Davies said.
Many students find the fast pace and anonymity that comes from being one of thousands of students at the high school frustrating.
At the 72-student extension, Gauna said, "The teachers don't just go home at 3 o'clock. They are here when you need them. That's what makes people want to come to school.
Personal attention
Although the students give the
Purcell said that the teachers do not make her feel as if she is taking something from them when she asks for help. The program focuses on individual attention instead of homework, making schoolwork easier to complete and allowing students to concentrate on part-time jobs. But the difficulty of the work equals that done at the high school.
See SCHOOL, p. 6B, col. 1
She loves books,convertibles
KU librarian honored for long service
Jeff Klein/KANSAN
By Katy Monk
Special to the Kansan
Ask her what she does as head of the Spencer Research Library, and she says, "Mostly I sit like a spider in my web."
Alexandra Mason looks the part.
Sensible haircut. Sensible shoes.
Tweed jacket over a high-necked blouse. Office lined with books, and paperwork piling up on the desk. Librarian
Ask her about her cat, Meggie, or her hobbies ("sometimes I make model airplanes") or her passion for convertibles (she recently had her 1976 MGB repainted bright red), she then went on to ask her about books, and it's hard to get her to stop talking.
Her eyes light up, her speech becomes punctuated with emphatic hand gestures, and her tone rises from low, philosophical whispers all the way up the scale and she gets involved. Because her whole body gets involved.
She whips off her glasses and thrusts her face to within an inch of a text to study how the writer decorated the manuscript.
"You get to know these people," she says, poring over a 12th-century Latin manuscript. "You know their handwriting."
Reading, she says, is about more than just the black marks on the page. It's about absorbing the universe of the writer: the paper or skin he wrote on, the ink he used, even his handwriting. For example, the library owns two manuscripts made distinctive by the shaky written of the person who annotated them.
"They call him 'the Tremulous Worcester Hand.' Mason says. "We don't know whether he was very old or had a nervous disorder of some kind or was freezing to death the whole time he was writting. It took to be a British Library and was looking at manuscripts, and by God, there he was, wobbling his way between the lines!"
Mason has been studying manuscripts and putting together collections of works at the University of Kansas for 30 years.
She scans catalogs every day in hopes of finding rare or antique books that would make good additions to the library. Occasionally she goes on buying trips to reestablish ties with book sellers so they will keep her in mind when a selection falls into their hands.
Some of the works in Spencer are 1,000 years old, written by hand in languages long dead. Many of the library's best collections, such as the 18th-century newspapers and the early Anglo-Saxon texts, were built by current staff members. Mason is quick to
give all the credit to her staff.
Reluctantly, she admits that she has had something to do with it. "It was recently drawn to my attention that the collection had more than doubled in the time we'd been here," she says. "And I decided that, by Jove, I must have been doing something." She laughs, as if appreciating a good joke on herself.
Bill Mitchell, associate special collections librarian, says books make Mason happy. "She must realize she's building something here — not for today or next week but for the real long run," says
Mitchell, who has worked with Mason since they both came to the library in 1957. "This place is . . . I think it is all of her life."
“It’s my impression that she is perhaps more recognized or what she does outside of Lawrence than in lawrence.” Mitchell says.
Mason quickly brushes aside efforts to discuss the honors bestowed on her, such as her induction into the KU Women's Hall of Fame or her election to the Grolier Club of New York, a small and select
See LIBRARIAN, p. 2B, col. 1
Insurance costs force some to gamble on health
By Ben Johnston
Special to the Kansan
Michael Foubert had a scare last March.
It cost him about $100.
Foubert, Lawrence graduate student, had a fever, so he went to Watkins Hospital. He was worried that he would have a long hospital stay. But he stayed only one night. It cost him about $100
Most KU students would have at least part of any medical bill paid for by their parents or their own insurance policy.
But Foubert is one of 35 million to 40 million Americans who do not have medical insurance. Each year many of these people become ill or
are injured and go deeply in debt after long hospital stays.
After spending only one day and $100 at Watkins Hospital, Foubert said he knew he was fortunate he had not been seriously ill or injured.
"The $100 is less than I would have paid if I had to pay the premiums for the insurance," Foubert said. "But if I had been really sick, and I had to pay larger bills, it would have really hurt me financially."
before he graduated and got a job.
Foubert said he had to choose between medical insurance and paying for rent and utilities because he couldn't afford both. So he reluctantly gambled that neither he nor his wife would become sick or be injured
"I know it's a gamble," Foubert said. "It's like shooting the dice. A lot of people would say I was foolish for not having medical insurance.
"If I did get seriously ill and had a large medical bill, I would treat it like any other bill. I would pay it off gradually. It doesn't make sense to save money just in case something happens. I see no sense in that when I need the money now."
Health officials at KU said they do not know exactly how many KU students lack health insurance.
Few have insurance
Jim Strobl, director of Watkins.
said hospital staff members took a survey about two years ago of students waiting for treatment. About 14 percent of the students said they did not have insurance, he said.
Another survey, which was mailed to every student living in a residence hall and to students in some classes, indicated that about 15 percent of KU students said they knew they did not have medical insurance.
Strobl said the hospital staff was waiting to do a new survey until a new computer system is installed later this year. The new system will determine how many patients lack insurance he said.
Strobl said he did not know whether
there were many students, treated at Watkins, who could not pay their medical bills. He said students rarely had high bills and most paid immediately.
Each semester, $56 is taken from each student's tuition to pay for checkups and all lab work done at Watkins Hospital, Strobl said. Students pay only for medication, overnight stays and sitches. Consequently, many students pay nothing for treatment, he said.
Strobl said patients with serious illnesses or injuries were treated at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where their costs were usually higher.
office at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, said he did not know how many noninsured students his hospital treated. But some students do have large bills that must be paid for over a set period of time. he said.
"If we do have someone who cannot pay their bill, we work with them," Finn said. "We will make payment arrangements over a period of time. We can't let someone pay for 10 years, but some students look at a low payment arrangement over six months to a year." Finn said.
Discount health policies
Jim Finn, director of the business
students can have health coverage See HEALTH. p.2B. col.1
New KU statue's identity prompts many questions
By Paula Messbarger
Special to the Kansar
"The surfing judge hanging ten for the law."
That is what Kelly Hamilton, Topeka sophomore, thinks the Tai Chi figure in front of Green Hall should be called.
The eight-foot bronze sculpture was created by Ju Ming, a Taiwan-born sculptor, and was given to the University of Kansas earlier this fall by former Chancellor W. Wescos and his wife, Barbara.
"I was there when it first went up and that's the first thing I thought of." she said.
There are several KU students who are finding it difficult trying to identify the shape of the figure.
"I walk by here every day and I'm still trying to figure it out," said Brian Peterson. Hours ago
by Brian Peterson, Hays junior.
Ken Kraushaar, Baldwin graduate
assistant in the KU轨迹
office, said, "It looks like a person
pointing. I just realized that about
five minutes ago and I've been
passing it two or three times a day
since it's beeen up."
Ted Barnickel, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore said, "It looks like a piece of rock to me."
"It looks like a guy stretching like he is ready to field a baseball," said John Pavelcik, Overland Park senior.
Because it sits in front of the law school, many students think the sculpture has something to do with the justice system.
Ryan McCammon, Overland Park sophomore, said, "I think it's some guy kneeling, getting ready to throw a disc."
Patrick Schlotterback, Mankato junior, said, "I thought it looked like the way the lawyers dressed in the old days, squatting down and pointing to the jury."
The Tai Chi sculpture outside Green Hall
"I thought it looked like a lawyer pointing to the opposing party," said Bev Platt, Lawrence senior.
Many students thought the sculpture was an athletic figure of some sort.
Steve Gilchrist, Hays senior said. "I think it looks like an umbrella."
Some students' responses did not fall into any specific category.
Wescoe said this week that they chose the sculpture because they liked it
"It doesn't pertain to the law. We just thought it was a nice modern art sculpture," he said.
Scott Gesner, first-year law student, said, "It has a nice sound to it when you bang on it, like a temple gong."
Ellen Unruh, Lawrence senior said, "It looks like the Grim Reaper on a skateboard."
For the artist, Ju Ming, the figure is his interpretation of the Tai Chi martial art figure. Doug Tilghman, acting director of the Spencer Museum of Art, said that
Tai Chi is a form of oriental meditation exercise.
Tilghman said that the Wescos chose to put the sculpture in front of KU's law school in memory of Mr. M. Benton, Mrs. Wescos' father
Med Center launches search for its new dean
Kansan staff writer
By Brenda Finnell
The University of Kansas School of dean is beginning a search for a new dean. Eugene Jacobson, who became the school's dean in 1985, resigned in December to become dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
"It has been a pleasure to work with the Medical Center faculty and with the many fine students at this institution," he said. "I will remember my days at the Medical Center with great pleasure."
Tomorrow is Jacobson's last day at the Med Center. In a statement announcing his resignation, Jacobson said he had enjoyed his job.
Jane Henney, head of the Med Center's Cancer Center and associate vice chancellor for administration at the Med Center, will serve as interim dean. She came to the Med Center in 1985 and is a former deputy director of the National Cancer Institute.
D. Kay Clawson, executive vice chancellor of the Med Center, said he hoped to name a search committee to find a replacement for Jacobson later this month. He expects a new
Clawson said he felt no pressure to find a replacement quickly because of his confidence in the interim dean. "I don't anticipate we'll have any difficulty in continuing to function," he said.
dean to be named by fall.
He said Med Center officials were currently examining the dean's job description. Advertisements for the will appear soon in trade papers.
Clawson said the search committee would look for a candidate for the dean's position who fit the job description and would stay in Kansas long enough to address issues that affected the Med Center.
Jacobson's resignation was a surprise, Clawson said. However, he said he was aware that Jacobson was interested in working for a university with a larger research program than KU's.
The budgetary problems facing KU are affecting the departure rate of University employees, Clawson said. They would have a higher salary at Colorado.
Money problems are something the Med Center will have to deal with, Clawson said.