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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Thursday, April 5, 2001
Sports: Wichita State shut out the Kansas baseball team 6-0 last night at Hoglund Ballpark.
SEE PAGE 8A
Inside: Shirt display recalls acts of violence against females.
SEE PAGE 3A
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
(USPS 650-640) • VOL.111 NO.116
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Misguidance from advisers can generate complications
By Michelle Ward writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Chaur Jacobson's family had already bought the decorations for the party and invited aunts and a grandmother from Texas. Jacobson and her husband even planned a trip for after her graduation this spring from the University of Kansas.
With everything set for May, Jacobson went for a final graduation check last month and was shocked. After years of assurance from advisers in the department of English and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, she found out she was 10 hours shy of graduating. Upon hearing the news, Jacobson said she broke down sobbing in the office.
"It irritated the hell out of me," said Jacobson, a Lenexa senior. "It was really embarrassing to have to call my grandma back."
Students defer to academic advisers who guide them throughout college. The professors who advise students are usually confident with courses within their own school, but not those outside of it, said Teresa Robertson, assistant professor of philosophy.
Because of this, they advise students to double check with each college when trying to make one class count for two requirements or substituting one class for another. Before students pick a specific major, they can receive individual advising through the freshman-sophomore advising center, as well.
Jacobson said she was sure she had taken all the necessary steps to avoid confusion.
"I really, truly, honestly believed I was graduating this May," Jacobson said. "I was super cautious because I really did want to graduate in the spring. I just thank God the decoration didn't say 2001 on them."
Robertson advises more than 30 students each semester, and said she felt confident guiding students through the nuts and bolts of the curriculum of her department.
"I don't want some poor soul to not graduate because I misinterpreted a rule," she said.
Sarah Miley, Olathe senior, tried to get ahead by visiting a journalism adviser before entering the school. Her adviser told her to finish her three by threes, a journalism undergraduate requirement in which students must complete courses in three areas outside their major. Miley completed these courses and entered the school thinking she needed only 18 hours to graduate, which is what she understood from the adviser.
Upon revisiting the subject, she learned she needed the original 18, plus an additional 38 hours she was not aware of before entering the school.
"I never cry. I don't cry at commercials, movies or even when somebody dies," Miley said. "I started bawling when I heard. I just walked across the street and told the English department I wanted to join their school. They showed me where to sign."
When students run into problems with advisers, they do have a course of action if they were misinformed. Amy Whittredge, an academic adviser for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said students could petition courses they thought would substitute for others. If the adviser acknowledged he told the students it would be acceptable, it will help the students' cases.
But if students could have easily determined otherwise through the student handbook or course guide, their cases will be hurt. Whittredge said. It is all decided on a case-by-case basis.
As a freshman, Miley came in as a political science major who wanted to attend law school. For her first advising appointment, she ended up with an anthropology professor, and both were perplexed by the pairing. Although she initially declared a major, she still struggled to find an adviser who could help. She said this should be something made mandatory for all students.
see ADVISING on page 5A
"Even if you come in undecided, you need to be assigned an adviser who cares." Miley said. "The University needs to stop worrying about contracts with Coke and Nike and start worrying about us. Without us, they don't need to
Students cite voter apathy
Mudslinging lowers turnout
By Sarah Warren writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Dale Ziegler is similar to more than 80 percent of the students on campus — he won't vote in next week's Student Senate elections.
The Lenexa junior hasn't voted the past two years and he's not about to start now. It's not that he doesn't care about Student Senate — he said he was sure Senate did important things for the University of Kansas. It's not that he finds candidates impulsional — he's had several good friends run for various offices. It's not that he's short on time and can't stand in line. He's just completely turned off by the stu-
He's just completely turned off by the si dent elections.
"It's just a big mudslinging competition," Ziegler said. "It doesn't really seem like a competition to see who will do the best job. It's about who's done the less amount of bad things in the past. It just seems stupid —
sometimes you just want to go up to candidates and say "Grow up."
Whether it's mudsliding or other components of the electoral process, students at the University and other Big 12 Conference schools share Ziegler's apathy when it comes to voting in student elections. At KU, the University of Missouri and Kansas State, less than 20 percent of the student body voted in the schools' most recent student government elections.
Dustin Johnson, KU elections commissioner, said KU, which had the lowest percentage of the three schools, had even fewer students vote in the 2000 election than previous years.
"Traditionally at KU, we have 17 to 18 percent voter turnout." Johnson said. "Last year, numbers were down a little bit, and about 15 percent of the students voted."
Ziegler speculated that last year's election numbers had dropped because of a last-minute scandal involving the theft of University Daily Kansans from the loading dock at the Laurence Journal-World by candidates in the United Students party. Instead of raising the numbers because of increased coverage in the Kansan, he said the numbers could have dwindled because voters joined
his distaste for "dirty" tricks.
"In high school there is less mudslinging," Ziegler said. "The scandal didn't even matter because that party won."
However, Nick Chate, chairman of the board of election commissioners at Missouri, said his university's 18 percent turnout in its fall election was due more in part to a "don't-care factor" among students.
"Honestly, I think a lot of people don't care." Choate said. "They see the signs and posters around campus, but then when it comes to getting in line to vote they don't care."
Travis Lenkner, Student Senate chairman at K-State, said this "don't-care factor" wasn't just limited to Big 12 schools, but it was more of a national phenomenon.
"I think the 'don't'care factor" is nationally a trend," he said. "If you called other schools of our size you'd get the same numbers."
But Lenkner said the recent voter turnout of 19.5 percent in the K-State student senate elections wasn't a bad percentage when put into context.
"I think we get a pretty good turnout," Lenkner said. "If we asked people to register to vote, we'd have a 60 to 80 percent of registered voters come out."
Lenker said K-State held its student elec.
Voting percentages
University of Kansas 15 percent
Kansas State University 19.5 percent
University of Nebraska 14.03 percent
University of Missouri 18 percent
Texas A&M 23 percent
Source: Numbers were reported by each university's
Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
tions during a period of three days, which helped give the university a higher turnout than at KU and Missouri. KU runs its elections for a period of two days, while Missouri just changed its election policy from one-day to two-day elections.
Student Senate elections at KU will be Wednesday, April 11, and Thursday, April 12. Lenner said it would be important for the three schools to increase turnout.
"Student Senate doesn't have direct power, but it can be a big lobbying machine for student concerns," Lenkner said.
Edited by Jason McKee
Story by Lauren Brandenburg = Illustration by Kyle Ramsey
Laughable crooks lack common sense
W with all the crimes people commit every day, each person has some room for error.
For example, Sgt. Mike Pattrick of the Lawrence Police Department said one time some suspects had to walk home barefoot after they wore shoes stolen in a burglary to an interview at the police department about the burglary.
From the Lawrence Police Department:
Too hurried to remember the plan
A man went to rob a convenience store, and was hoping his mask would maintain his anonymity. In his excitement, however, he forgot to put on the mask before the robbery. He went through the entire robbery with his face completely visible.
When he left the bank, he realized his mistake and pulled the mask over his face as he left. Searching for a man wearing a mask made the police's search easier, and he was caught.
Did you get my name?
A student who wanted a bottle of rum went to a local liquor store, grabbed a 1.75-liter bottle of rum and began waving a baseball bat around and said he would take the bottle of rum.
But when the student said he was going to take the liquor, the clerk asked to see his ID on the premise he was underage. He gave her the ID and the store on foot.
When police went to investigate the robbery, the clerk had the student's name. Police later found him walking down Second Street with the bottle of liquor and placed him under arrest.
A little too cold for comfort
On the flip-side of the issue, a citizen sometimes gets
See CRACKED-UP on page 5A
City Commission
VOICE wants student seat
By Ern Adamson
writer@kansas.com
Kansas staff writer
By Erin Adamson
The VOICE coalition is asking for increased student voice in Lawrence city government.
TheVOICE platform states the coalition will fight for better representation in city government and will possibly
Bankston said VOICE was calling for a non-voting student commissioner who would sit with the City Commission and participate in discussions. She said it was important for the city to realize that
the City Commission. Jessica Bankston, VOICE candidate for student body president, said students had met with opposition from the city
pursue creating a student position on the City Commission.
when they tried to participate in city government, but city officials say students have the same opportunity as other community members to be involved.
Make Yours Heard
"I don't think what they are calling for is necessarily the most productive thing to do."
Kyle Browning Delta Force candidate for student body president
students were concerned about all the issues in the community.
Mike Wildgen, Lawrence city manager, said it was possible the new Commission would approve the VOICE proposition, but the students would have to bring their proposal before the City Commission. Wildgen said two years ago Student Senate proposed a similar seat for students on the Commission. The Commission denied the request, but commissioners urged students to get involved.
About 30 boards and committees on which the public serves study city issues and provide information and recomme-
dations to city staff and commissioners. Hunter Harris,VOICE student body vice-presidential candidate,said student seniors thought the city didn't want students to be appointed to boards or committees.
Kyle Browning, Delta Force candidate for student body president, disagreed.
"My impression is that they want students on them." Browning said.
Browning also thought there were other ways to increase student input.
"I don't think what they are calling for is necessarily the most productive thing to do." Browning said. "I think the community affairs director needs to have a bigger job. That person should be going to all the meetings."
Bankston agreed that the community affairs director's position needed to be reevaluated, but said they wanted more than a student listening in the audience.
"I think there's a difference in someone who sits out in the gallery and one who sits with the Commission," Bankston said.
Disappearance renews caution among students
Kansan staff writer
By Lauren Brandenburg
As a female student on campus, Amber Burton had always been concerned for her safety. She said the recent disappearance of Cayce Thomasson, Prairie Village senior, had heightened her level of concern.
"I don't ever walk alone on campus at night or I try to avoid it as much as possible," said Burton, Frankfort senior.
Katie Perkins, St. Louis, Mo., senior,
is also concerned.
"After all of this, this kind of really creeped me out," Perkins said. "It hit too close to home."
As an architecture student who works late at night in the studio at Marvin Hall, Perkins said she asked her boyfriend to walk her home when it was late.
Perkins said she lived off-campus and used to walk anywhere, but that's not the case anymore.
"We're more cautious, probably overly cautious, but we want to be safe," she said.
Sgt. Mike Patrick of the Lawrence Police Department said students had no cause to be concerned based on the disappearance.
He said police would continue to try to determine
homasson; Found
tuesday after missi-
sing since March 21
Thomasson's whereabouts while she was gone. He said he did not know when he would have more information about the disappearance.
Sgt. Troy Malen of the KU Public Safety Office said even if there was not a new cause for concern, Thomasson's disappearance had heightened awareness on campus.
"Whenever you have something like this or the rape at the Campanile (Aug. 10, 2000), it stirs up emotions and it's an opportunity to go over safety precautions." Mailen said.
Mailen suggested students walking at night should walk with a friend, in groups or use SafeRide. The SafeRide service runs seven days a week from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., and students can call 864-SAFE for a free ride home.
When walking on campus, Mailen said, students should choose well-lit thoroughfares and call police if anything seemed suspicious.
Mailen recommended while inside their residences, students should keep their doors locked at all times.
Patrick also encouraged students who jogged late at night to tell someone when they left, what route they would take and when they expected to return.
— Edited by Joshua Richards
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