wednesday,december 10,2003
the university daily kansan 3A
Enrollment 'blackout'ends online
By Maggie Newcomer
mnewcomer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
There have been fewer requests to add or drop classes this semester because of a longer enrollment period, according to enrollment services.
There will be no "blackout" during winter break this year, which means students will be free to toy with their class schedule until Jan. 22, the day before spring classes begin.
This is different from years
past, said Alex Gard, enrollment assistant.
He said the enrollment center usually closed before winter break and opened again when the spring semester started. They call this the "blackout" period. Gard said online enrollment was probably the reason for the new freedom.
There have still been a few disappointed students, though, who didn't get the classes they needed.
Sarah Otte, Lincoln, Neb., junior, was locked out of a required course she needed next spring.
Otte said she had to shuffle her schedule to make up for losing a class, but as long as she took it next year it wouldn't affect her graduation.
Otte is an education major and will have to take the class next fall instead.
When students who were locked out of classes talked to their professors and requested permission to add the class, most of them were admitted, Gard said.
"Just because a class is full, it doesn't necessarily count you out," Gard said.
Many schools and departments, such as Spanish and journalism, have waiting lists for students trying to get into popular classes. If a student drops the class, people on the waiting list will be notified and will be able to enroll.
As a last resort, the Spanish department suggested that students attend the classes they need in hopes that someone would drop or the instructor would let them into the class.
- Edited by Scott Christie
Students, bars prepare for Stop Day
By Joe Hartigan jhartigan@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
It's almost here. And it's been a long, long semester.
Friday is the day that University of Kansas students have been looking forward to since the first day of classes on Aug. 22 — Stop Day.
Ashley Marcum, Wichita senior, doesn't know what she'll be doing tomorrow night, but she knows it will be a good time.
"People kind of go nuts," she said, "I'm extremely excited because it means the semester is almost over."
Marcum said Lawrence got a bit crazier on stop nights than on normal nights.
"People know they're going to get all stressed out for finals, and they just want to have one more good time," she said.
The bars in Lawrence are getting ready for the night as well. Troy Pomeroy, bartender at the Jazzzaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St., said he expected a big crowd.
"Anytime college kids don't have to work the next day, it's always a big night," he said.
Pomeroy said some of the busiest nights at the Jazzhaus were the days before holidays because students were getting ready to go home and wanted to hang out with their friends one last time.
Ben Troja, manager at Johnny's Tavern, 401 N. Second St., agreed with Pomeroy. He said even though Johnny's was having its
"People kind of go nuts."
Ashley Marcum Wichita senior
usual Thursday drink special, he expected a bigger crowd than normal.
"Common sense says we're going to pick up a little bit on Stop Day," he said.
Hawk Night is a student organization funded partly by Student Senate, Coca-Cola and the city of Lawrence, O'Toole said. It sponsors alcohol-free parties at the University about once a month.
Hawk Nights will offer students an alternative to all the late-night Stop Day debauchery. It will host Holiday Hootenanny at 8 p.m. to midnight tomorrow. It will take place in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Amanda O'Toole, Wichita junior and Hawk Nights committee member, said she wanted a bigger turnout than last year's 300 people. She said more people might show up because of the bad weather.
bread-house-making contest, professional massages, EA Sports video games and a DJ. Fifty dollars will be awarded to the winner of the contest.
"Hopefully with EA Sports being there we'll appeal to a lot more people," O'Toole said.
The event will feature a ginger-
Committee to join athletic reform talks
By Robert Perkins
rperkins@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
— Edited by Ehren Meditz
The Senate Executive Committee of University Council and Tom Mulinazzi, chairman of the Athletic Board, agreed yesterday to send representatives to a meeting of the Big 12 Conference universities, which is sponsored by the University of Missouri.
At the preliminary meeting the representatives will discuss the role of athletics in an academic environment. If the attendees decide there is a need for athletic reform, they will schedule a convention to discuss a resolution to that end.
The University of Missouri wants to talk about athletic reform, and the University of Kansas is willing to listen.
The Big 10 and PAC 10 conferences have already passed similar resolutions, and the SEC is considering one.
Gordon Christensen, chairman of the Faculty Council at the University of Missouri, sent Mulinazzi a copy of a tentative resolution that Missouri had approved.
Mulinazzi said while he has seen other proposals before, this is the first one he'd be willing to consider.
The proposal targets commercialization of intercollegiate athletics, while emphasizing that student athletes are students first.
Mulinazi said he worried about universities getting so much money
from intercollegiate athletics, while some student athletes who were on scholarships could barely afford tuition and other living costs.
As a result, scholarships are only awarded on a year-by-year basis. This means students who can't perform or can't juggle school with sports can get their scholarships taken away.
Right now about 520 students attend the University of Kansas on an athletic scholarship, Mulinazi said.
The University of Missouri's proposal suggests extending athletics scholarships beyond one-year contracts, which Mulinazzi said he supported.
Members of SenEx shared Mulinazzi's concern for the students' situation.
He said many of those students were from out of state, and it was harder to adequately support them as tuition continued to rise.
"We wouldn't have an athletics department if it weren't for the students," Susan Twombly, a SenEx member, said.
Twomby volunteered to go to the initial athletic reform meeting, and she is so far the only definite University of Kansas representative.
The meeting will be Jan. 14, tentatively scheduled at the Clarion Hotel near Kansas City International airport.
City commission approves drinking establishment at La Tasca site
Edited by JJ Hensley
By Amanda Kim Stairrett
astairrett@kansan.com
kansan staff writer
Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall, 943 Massachusetts St., received a new drinking-establishment license at last night's Lawrence City Commission meeting. The site is the former location of La Tasca, a music club that recently closed.
In other commission news:
- City commissioners, discussed a tract of land located north of Harvard Road and east of George Williams Way. The area is zoned as an agriculture district. Landplan Engineering wants the city to rezone the land. The area is surrounded by agricultural districts and single-family residences.
After about a 45-minute debate between commissioners, a representative from Landplan Engineering said his company would be willing to postpone its plans until the city resolved its issues.
The City of Lawrence received a letter from the Kansas Water Office concerning possible reduction in the city's water contract rights from Clinton Reservoir. The city is contracted to take almost five billion gallons per year from Clinton Lake.
David Corliss, assistant city
manager, said Lawrence had not drawn its limit yet.
The commission is taking steps to reduce paper by administering a Web-based system. Each week, an extensive packet of materials, including maps, letters and other documents, is provided to each commissioner and the media. By putting the information online, paper will be reduced.
Each commissioner will get a
laptop to access the information during the meeting. Ron Hall, information systems director, said the system would be ready for a trial run on Jan. 13, 2004.
Sue Hack, city commissioner, expressed concern that the computer screens would get in the way, cutting down interaction with the public.
- There are vacancies on 12 city boards and commissions.
Some of those include the Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Lawrence Arts Commission, and Recycling and Resource Conservation Advisory Board.
Citizens interested in serving on a board or commission can send a letter of interest to the mayor's office, P.O. Box 708, Lawrence, KS, 66044.
- Edited by Neeley Spellmeier