Hawk running
Kansan
Weather
Today: Partly cloudy with a high of 48° and a low of 23° Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with a high of 54° and a low of 37°
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Friday. March 9, 2001
Sports: The Jayhawks will face the Wildcats tomorrow at the Big 12 tournament.
See page 10A
Inside: The Brazil- Portugal Student Organization will celebrate Carnaval.
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 103
See page 3A
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Airline strike a possibility, could affect spring break
By Sarah Warren
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas spring break this year will be Bryce Crady's last, so the Lawrence senior has planned to all out and will head to Acapulco, Mexico, with his buddies.
But disgruntled airline employees could cause some turbulence in Cradd's trip south of the border.
Possible strikes are brewing at four major airlines, which could put a damper on anyone — especially spring break travelers — in the coming weeks. Delta, Northwest, United and American airlines are each negotiating with upset employees in attempts to avoid strikes.
Northwest's mechanics are the group most likely to strike. According to the airline's Web site, the mechanics announced this weekend that they would strike Monday if contract negotiations had not been determined.
The mechanics will be legally able to walk off the job because the 30-day "cooling off" period will end on that day.
Cindy Kurczewski, a representative for Delta, said Delta had been in talks with its pilots union since last year and now the airline and the union await a decision from the National Mediation Board. If the board releases the two parties from negotiations, it could result in a strike.
If the negotiations are halted, then the board would offer binding arbitration and rejection of that offer could result in a 30-day cooling-off period, which is similar to the one about to expire with Northwest mechanics. Once the cooling-off period expires, the pilots would also be free to strike.
Kurczewski said that this would not affect the University's spring break because "nothing would happen within the next two weeks."
Meanwhile, according to a United Airlines press release, the Association of Flight Attendants chose last week to end talks with the airline about a proposed pay increase that would be additional to the current sum which was determined by a labor agreement that is in effect until March 1.2006
Crady said that he had considered himself lucky to be traveling with TWA until he heard that the airline had merged with American Airlines. American Airlines mechanics had been disrupting flights since their union, the Transport Workers Union, had been in talks with American since October.
"We're not down there yet, so something could still happen," Crady said. "I'll be pretty upset if we don't go because this is my last hurrah."
Retake policy approved
Only new grade will affect GPA
By Cassio Furtado
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
- Edited by Doug Pacey
University Council approved yesterday by a 26.9 vote a course retake policy that will not factor into a student's grade point average the original grade of a D or an F in a course and will average the grades of students who receive an A, B or C the first time.
The proposal, which had been previously approved by the University Senate Executive Committee, was approved after the council had decided to delay its decision during its Feb. 22 meeting.
The retake policy will also allow students to retake courses in which they received a D or an F without any approval from the University.
Students will only be required to register with the dean of the school where the course is offered in order to prevent students with academic misconduct from benefitting from the new policy, said J.D. Jonkins, Shawnee senior and council member.
Jenkins said he was happy that the council had approved the policy.
"It will be a very positive change and a great benefit for students," he said.
Shannon Doyle, Baltimore graduate student and council member, introduced an amendment to reduce the number of courses that a student can retake from five to three. The amendment failed by a 19:14 vote.
The policy was created in the fall of 1999. It was then introduced to the academic policies and procedures committee, to SenEx and to University Council.
The policy was then approved by all three bodies.
The University administration sent the policy back to University governance because it had problems with its implementation, said Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, associate provost.
At the council's last meeting, McCluskey-Fawcett suggested an amendment to the original proposal. The amended proposal will allow students only to retake a course
POLICY CHANGE
What happened: The University Council approved a revised course retake policy yesterday.
What it means: If approved by the University administration, students will be able to retake courses in which they received a D or F without the original grades being figured into their grade point averages.
What's next? The policy will be forwarded to the administration for consideration unless at least 50 professors sign a petition to have the University Senate consider it first at its Thursday, April 12 meeting.
Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, director of the freshman-sophomore advising center, defended the new policy at yesterday's meeting. Tuttle said the policy was good because the average student would benefit from it.
aken during the first 60 hours of their college careers to boost retention
"These issues need to be addressed by students, who should have responsibility, but also by the University," she said.
Tim Shaftel, professor of business, said
the proposal was not friendly to students or to the University.
"This is a poor way of approaching the retention issue," he said.
Shafft said he would contact professors in the School of Business and decide if he would take action against the policy.
"It depends on how strongly people feel about it," Shafte said.
But Shafel added that he had talked with his colleagues in the past and that more than 20 of them were against the new policy.
After members of the University Senate get official notice of yesterday's vote in the next 10 working days, they have another 10 working days to submit petitions for a review by the senate. If professors get 50 signatures, the proposed course retake policy will be discussed at the University Senate's Thursday, April 12 meeting; if they get 100, a mail ballot will be distributed to its members.
Otherwise, the policy will be forwarded to the University administration for final approval or rejection.
Opponents of the policy still have options to fight it.
Edited by Sydney Wallace
Kansan under fire
Black Student Union protests minority coverage in Kansan
Conflict brews on campus
By Lauren Brandenburg writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
"United, not divided," chants the Black Student Union as they march down Jayhawk Boulevard. Destination Maxwell, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, holds a "Keep it real," sign. BSU protested late yesterday afternoon about the Kansan's coverage of the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government. Photo by Selena Jabara/KANSAN
A about 100 students, most of whom were African-American, distributed fliers to students on campus late yesterday afternoon and marched through the University Daily Kansan newsroom to protest the Kansan's coverage of minorities.
Courtney Bates, Black Student Union president, said the African-American community was disappointed that the campus newspaper poorly covered the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government, which was at the University the weekend of Feb. 23-24. The students were also disappointed in the Kansan's response to their concerns. Bates said.
After the Kansan run an article Feb. 25,
titled "Fight fails to derail minority conference",
"organizers of the conference contacted Lori O'Toole, Kansan editor."
Four Kansan editors, a readers representative and the multicultural reporter met with about 30 students who represented the conference, BSU and the African-American community March 1, to discuss the Kansan's coverage of the conference.
The conference organizers requested that the Kansan run a front page apology or correction for its coverage. Kansan staff members discussed the request and decided the next day that no apology or correction was warranted because the article was factually
accurate, O'Toole said. She hand-delivered letters later that day to the BSU, the Multicultural Resource Center, and other multicultural organizations represented at the meeting. The letter suggested ways to
alleviate tension between the organizations and the Kansan but received no response.
"We're trying to be sensitive and trying to be responsive, but at the same time we can't do everything every student wants," "O'Toole said.
Mindie Miller, managing editor, said the Kansan covered the event the same way it would cover any other organization's event.
Yesterday, students in the peaceful protest distributed fliers saying that the Kansan "has consistently misrepresented the African-American community," with the most recent event being the conference coverage.
"It was not only because they didn't run the apology," said Natalie Lucas, co-chairwoman of the conference planning committee. "It was because they aren't making efforts to rectify the problem of the stereotypical portrayal of minorities in the UDK."
Lucas said it did not seem as if the Kansan was setting a standard of excellence in covering minority issues and programs. She said the way the Kansan covered minority programs and campus life reinforced negative stereotypes.
J. R. Roland, president of Black Men of Today, said the protest was not something the students had wanted to do but was a response to the Kansan not admitting its wrongs.
"Since they didn't do that, we wanted to let them know that just because we're few in number, we still have an effect," Roland said. "We can get things done on this campus."
He said the students would have been selfish if they had not protested to make the University a better place for the students
See STUDENTS on page 3A
Organization promotes diversity
Diversity Peer Education Team aims to promote discussion about stereotypes
By Danny Phillips
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff write
Diversity doesn't always translate into large numbers.
The Wichita senior leads an intimate group of 10 student volunteers whose goal is to promote discussion at the University of Kansas about diversity issues through activities and evaluations.
“It’s been pretty effective with small groups,” said Edwards, who doesn’t want to reach the point where DPET starts becoming impersonal.
The organization does actively recruit new members, however, and at least five interested students attended a DPET meeting Wednesday night to learn what the team was about.
But that's just fine with Diversity Peer Education Team president Vincent Edwards.
Edwards told the prospects that the only requirement to join DPET was passion about diversity issues. That, and an "intense" four-hour training session next week, which will
immerse the newcomers and refresh the current members.
One of the curious students, Rachael Flaster, who learned of the group from an information table it set up in the Kansas Union, said after the meeting that she would probably join DPET because it seemed very active in the community and University.
DPET operates by facilitating presentations for different groups on campus, primarily pre-orientation courses for freshman, but Edwards said the team is versatile enough to cater the presentations to different audiences, such as KU staff members.
"I just like the idea of a group that works to promote diversity," said Flaster. Overland Park sophomore.
One activity, called "Take a Step," involves everyone standing in a line while holding hands. Then, depending on what question the DPET facilitators ask, the participants take one step backward or forward depending
He said the DPET volunteers use activities, which focus on power, stereotypes and terminology, to promote discussion about diversity issues.
Some of the questions include: "Take one step forward if most (75 percent) of your high school graduation class went to college," and "take one step back if you were one of the few people of your race in your high school."
on if the question applies to them. The activity is designed to illustrate the varying backgrounds of the participants.
DPET member Shane McCall, Topeca sophomore, said sometimes the groups laugh, which is discouraged, and other times they don't say much at all. But the goal is to "get people to take away something from it and anlyt it."
When the activity is over, the participants are supposed to look at where the rest of the class is standing.
The organization was founded in 1996 by KU student Amv Turnbull.
"We try to eliminate the type of stuff or reduce it as much as possible," he said.
Edwards said she was reacting to hate crimes and discrimination she saw on campus.
— Edited by Sydney Wallace
Delta Force uni Minority retention recruitment top list
By Brooke Hesler
Keeping with its activist approach, Delta Force announced its platform this week and urged the administration to keep its promises about increasing minority recruitment and retention.
Kansan staff writer
"If we as students make this a priority, it can really help the situation," said Justin Mills, Delta Force student body presidential candidate.
Increased recycling on campus, better student seating in Allen Fieldhouse, more student input in the Parking Department and support for graduate teaching assistants in their negotiations with the University for higher pay are other issues the coalition is focusing on.
But Mills and Kyle Browning, student body vice presidential candidate, said increasing minority recruitment and retention was a huge priority. Browning said the coalition is still meeting to narrow the specifics about how to accomplish the goal.
While Mills and Browning said they considered minority recruitment and retention a long-term goal, the coalition will need help from students and faculty.
Still, he said he was aware that a tight budget affected hiring this year.
Mills said increasing the number of minority faculty was one way for the University to attract more minority students.
Mills said the coalition would also work to see recycling around campus increased. He said the office of recycling and resource conservation was understaffed and under budgeted right now. Both Browning and Mills said they would like to see more recycling bins around campus. Mills said allocating money to the department from the Student Senate Reserve Account was a possibility Delta Force was looking at.
"They're a huge entity that is held accountable to no one," Browning said. "They aren't responsive enough to students."
He said he would also like to see the Parking Department held more accountable to students.
Better student seating in Allen Fieldhouse is also something the coalition wants to address. Mills said he was satisfied with the number of student seats available, but he thought the location could be better. He said the group is pursuing the issue with the Athletic Department.
- Edited by Doug Pacey
Mills wants to make minority retention a priority
Browning says the Parking Department isn't "responsive enough to students"
中
---