Friday inside
Stem cell research A researcher at the University of Kansas is doing work with donated umbilical cord stem cells. Her research could lead to a greater understanding of cancer cells. PAGE 3A
Students learn in Israel Students in KU Hillel recently returned from Israel, where they gained a new perspective on their heritage. Members grew closer to one another and their faith while traveling through the war-torn country. PAGE 3A
Drive for defense The Kansas men's basketball team steps up on defense to tackle the Big 12's leading scorer, senior guard Andre Emmett. The Jayhawks face the Red Raiders at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Allen Fieldhouse. PAGE 1B
Want your Wheaties?
A new NCAA rule keeps the basketball band from playing the Wheaties song when an opponent fouls out. Now the band wants the students to sing it. PAGE 1B
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KANSAN
IN ITS 100TH YEAR AS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Vol.114 Issue No.87
Weather goes downhill
Snow caused cancellation, calls to KU On Wheels for rides
Anne Woolwine, Chicago senior, leads a group of friends including David Carrillo, Kansas City senior, Mario Wickramaratte, Lenexa graduate student, and Ashley Kwalt, Dallas senior, down a hill near Memorial Stadium. Many different types of materials were used to slide down the hill, including lunch trays, plastic sacks, inner tubes and the conventional sled. Hundreds of students turned out at campus hills to take advantage of the prime sliding conditions. Below: Jonathan Power, Wichita senior, and James Flagie, Wichita junior, sail over a bump on the hill by the football stadium. Hundreds of students turned out on the hills of campus yesterday to take advantage of prime sliding conditions.
By Laura Pate
lpate@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Photos by Kit Leffler/Kansan
Phillip Sorenson spent most of yesterday morning in the hallway of Wescoe Hall. The Kansas City area sophomore rode in the passenger seat as one of his friends braved the slushy drive from West Lawrence to the University. Sorenson said they had a few close calls on the morning commute.
"It was hard to get traction up the hill, and turns were real slick," Sorenson said.
But after arriving on campus, Sorenson found a note from his teacher on the door to his first class. The note said that his teacher, who usually commutes from Kansas City, could not make the drive. So Sorenson waited in the hallway for his next class, which was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Then, at 1:30 p.m. the University canceled classes. David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor, made the decision to cancel classes because he wanted to get people to leave campus so Facilities Operations could clear the University grounds of snow, he said. Facilities Operations needed to begin cleaning so that the University could hold classes today, he said. Changes in the forecast prompted him to meet with University officials at noon yesterday to talk about canceling classes.
Watson and Anschutz Libraries closed their doors at 5 p.m. and the Student Recreation Fitness Center locked up at 3 p.m.yesterday.
The National Weather Service said the snow would stop at noon, but it later predicted continued snow until 4 p.m. The forecast said 5 inches of snow would blanket the ground by last night, with temperatures in the 20s.
Shulenburger planned to have classes today, but said he would re-evaluate the situation if Facilities Operations cannot adequately clear campus of snow. Classes would most likely be held if it stopped snowing by 4 p.m. yesterday, he said.
The University does not look for a set amount of snow as a guideline when calling off classes, Shulenburger said. The University usually only calls classes off for icy conditions rather than for snowy conditions. But enough snow had fallen to make it difficult for people to get out of parking lots and streets, he said.
KU On Wheels began making its final routes at 1:30 p.m. yesterday. But the
bus company announced on the KU Web site that it would leave nobody stranded. Students could call 842-0544 between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to ensure a ride home with KU On Wheels. All bus rides yesterday were free. Still, some students spoke about not riding the bus because of fear of getting in a wreck. Rick Shears, bus driver, said yesterday a car ran into a bus at 19th and Naismith streets.
Ben Snyder rode the bus from Hashinger Hall to Jayhawk Blvd. yesterday. If he could not find a bus because of the confusion, he would have to walk home, the Hutchinson sophomore said. "I'm probably just going to walk and
"I'm probably just going to walk and fall on my butt six times." Snider said.
PREVIOUS SNOW DAYS
Moving around Lawrence was difficult for students. Between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.yesterday,35 car accidents had occurred in Lawrence,said Mike Patrick of the Lawrence Police Department.All of these accidents were weather-related.Road conditions were
Snow and ice have caused class cancellations 10 times since 1978 at the University's Lawrence campus.
Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, 1978
Feb. 2, 1983
Feb. 12, 1985
Jan. 29, 1993 (morning)
Feb. 25, 1993
Jan. 27, 1997 (afternoon)
Feb. 9, 2001 (morning)
Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, 2002
View more snow photos online at kansan.com.
"We would tell anybody if you have no reason to be out you should stay at home," Patrick said.
poor, he said.
Edited by Nikki Nugent
Necesitamos profesores More majors, not enough Spanish teachers
By Jodie Kraft
jkraft@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A 'major' dilemma
The popularity of Spanish is growing rapidly at the University of Kansas, and professors in the department of Spanish and Portuguese are struggling to keep up.
The average of number of students majoring in Spanish per tenured or tenure-track faculty member has risen quickly over the last five years. The number of students majoring in Spanish has increased by 273 percent from 1996 to 2003, while the number of tenured and tenure-tracked faculty has decreased by 29 percent in the same time.
Right now, the department is in the process of hiring three new faculty members, but the new hires will just balance the faculty members who will retire, said Danny Anderson, chairman of the department. This, combined with an increase in Spanish majors, has caused growing class sizes, fewer sections and frustrated students and professors.
In 1996, the University had 93 Spanish majors. Today, there are 347. In that time, the ratio of students to faculty has increased from just more than six to one to nearly 32 students to each faculty member in the department.
Andrew Vaupel/Kansas
"We're clearly under stress right now," Anderson said. "The faculty are exhausted. They're doing extra work, trying to make certain that the quality doesn't go down."
Source: Department of Spanish Portuguese
As with any language, Spanish requires practice and participation in class, said Patricia Manning, assistant professor of Spanish. Manning said larger class sizes weren't a long term solution because they often inhibited interaction between the professor and students as well as between students. Nonetheless, the department is trying a larger, lecture class for the first time with its Textual
Analysis and Critical Reading class. The lecture for the class has 80 people and meets once a week. Twice a week the class meets in four discussion classes.
Anderson said the larger class was designed to accommodate more students and if it proved successful, the department would consider doing it again.
Enrollment frustrations
Manning has 23 students enrolled in Colloquium on Hispanic Studies, a class
Leah Sieve said she had to get closed-class openers for every Spanish class she's ever taken at the University. The Overland Park junior tested into midlevel Spanish classes, placing her with
that, according to enrollment restrictions, should have only 15 students. Seniors who will graduate this semester were allowed in Mannings class, but she said she had to turn away several juniors.
SEE PROFESORES ON PAGE 5A
Exchange can save students on books
By Andy Marso
amarso@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Platforms in action
Every Friday The University Daily Kansan will review one of the platform issues of past Student Senate
coalitions to update readers on how the programs have progressed. This is the second article in the series.
KUnited's "Have a say before you pay" initiative includes a small blue computer icon that could help save students hundreds of dollars at a cost to local bookstores.
The icon is part of KUnited's plan to expand the Student Book Exchange on the Senate Web site, raven.cc.ku.edu/cgiwrap/senate/senate.php. When students find their required textbooks on the Kansas Union Bookstore's site, www.kubookstore.com, the new icon will now pop up and inform them if the books are available on the book exchange. The icon is linked to the book exchange, making it easier for
SEE EXCHANGE ON PAGE SA
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