Rainy day.
Weather
Kansan
Today: Partly cloudy with a high of 42 and a low of 17.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy with a high of 35 and a low of 25.
Sunday: Scattered showers with a high of 45 and a low of 32.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Friday. January 26. 2001
Sports: Improved Wildcats come to Lawrence tomorrow. SEE PAGE 1B
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
SEE PAGE 3A
Inside: Electronic files for research are replacing books more often, and some faculty members are upset.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
GSP battery brings safety to forefront
By Cynthia Malakasis
Kansan Staff Writer
writer@kansan.com
A case of sexual battery that occurred in Gertrude Sellars Pearson-Corbin Hall on Wednesday calls attention to the issues of safety and enforcement of the rules set by the Department of Student Housing.
According to Sgt. Troy Mailen of the KU Public Safety Office, a young man presenting himself as a magazine solicitor was allowed entrance to a female resident's room at 2:30 p.m. After soliciting her for a sale, the man hugged her, kissed her lips, touched her breasts and then left the room.
Although the University has strict rules against soliciting, female residents at McCollum Hall were also harassed by solicitors last fall and were conned out of about $800.
Ken Stoner, director of student housing, said that soliciting was not allowed in student housing facilities.
"It's a standard policy," Stoner said.
The Department of Student Housing also sets strict guidelines concerning guests in residence and scholarship halls.
"Guests need to be escorted on a 24-hour basis in residence halls." Stoner said.
Amanda Ahlgren, Eden Prairie, Minn., freshman said that the rule of escorting guests
HALL SAFETY TIPS
- Keep doors locked at all times
- Escart guests at all times
- Record your activities to
Report unwelcome guests to the front desk or to the KU Safety Office.
Public Safety Office.
Source: Sgt. Troy Mailen, KU
Public Safety Office
on a 24-hour basis would be almost impossible to enforce.
"There are so many people coming in and out, that you can't really tell whether they are residents or not," she said. "There is a security check only from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Student IDs are run through a card machine and guests have to check in and leave their driver's license."
After Wednesday's incident, the KU Public Safety Office sent out an e-mail containing safety tips to all on-campus residents.
"People should keep their doors locked at all times." Mailen said. "They should notify student housing or the police in case of an unwelcome guest."
Brady Cabela, a resident of GSP-Corbin, said that Wednesday incident made her feel less safe than she did before.
"I guess I assumed they enforced the policy of escorting guests, especially male, at all times," said Cabela, Lincoln, Neb, freshman. "They need to crack down on security."
Edited by Sydney Wallace
De-icing chemical involved in wreck
The University is looking into how a chemical designed to prevent accidents on slick roads may have contributed to one Wednesday, said Assistant Provost Jim Long.
By Lauren Brandenburg
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Long said Facilities Operations used a spray chemical called magnesium chloride to pretreat the major campus roads because of the weather forecast. The chemical is used to prevent accidents by melting snow and ice before road conditions become dangerous. After applying the chemical, crews spread sand over the road.
Police had been called to a noninjury accident at the intersection, but the vehicle had already been cleared from the scene, Patrick said. Ten minutes later there was a two-car accident involving four University students at the same intersection. Both vehicles were towed from the scene, but neither driver had damage estimates yesterday.
The Lawrence Police Department said it "noticed a slick substance on the roadway" when it was called to investigate an accident Wednesday afternoon at 11th and Missouri streets. The police called the street department to investigate, Sgt. Mike Pattrick said. Pattrick said Facilities Operations had applied the chemical.
Ladan Behbahani, St. Louis junior, said she pulled out of a parking lot near Memorial Stadium to go home and turned left when her car began fisttalling. She said it was too late to stop and her Toyota 4runner ended up blocking 11th Street.
"I was going maybe 25 miles per hour uphill with my SUV."
"I was going maybe 25 miles per hour uphill with my SUV.I was so surprised that this happened when I was going uphill in my car."
Karl Gehring, Lenexa junior and fine arts student, reaches across a cluttered work space to wet his paint brush. Gehring was trying to illustrate the five senses in his painting. The painting studios were crowded this week with students working on projects for Professor Gerald Lubensky's Painting III and IV classes. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
Ladan Behbahani
St. Louis junior
Behbahani said. "I was so surprised that this happened when I was going uphill with my car."
Behbahani said she was frustrated that the University's pretreatment plan made the roads slick.
"I can appreciate the fact that they're trying to do preventative measures, but this is ridiculous," she said.
Her Toyota 4runner ended up in the path of a Honda Accord carrying three University graduate students.
Long said the University had used the chemical for the last three years. He said it was used by other state institutions. The University's snow and ice policy, based on the weather forecast from the National Weather Service, prompts Facilities Operations to prepare for ice or accumulation of snow. The chemical effectively lasts four to five days. Long said
Fishel,Lenexa graduate student, said she was irritated and thought the chemical seemed to be causing more problems than it was solving.
The other driver in the accident, Kelly Fishel, also called the situation "ridiculous."
He said the University would examine the past applications of the chemical in its investigation.
— Edited by Joshua Richards
Art for the senses
Program boosts minority retention
By Donny Phillips
writer @kanson.com
Kanson staff writer
The word is spreading about HAWK Link.
Not yet three years old, the minority retention program is steadily growing in popularity and structure.
Minority freshmen as a whole at the University of Kansas had a retention rate of 68 percent during the 1999-2000 school year. But 78 percent of minority freshmen in the HAWK Link program returned for their sophomore year, according to the Office of Multicultural Affairs. That's on par with the University's overall retention rate of 80 percent.
While figures for the 2000-2001 school year won't be available for a few more weeks, Robert Page, director of multicultural affairs, said he expected the numbers to keep moving up.
"We have big expectations for this next groom," he said.
HAWK Link works by plugging
HAWK LINK STATS
The Office of Multicultural Affairs is expected to announce minority freshmen retention rates in the next two weeks. In the 1999-2000 school year: ■ The minority freshmen retention rate
The rate for minority freshmen involved in the HAWK Link program was 78 percent.
was 68 percent.
minority students into services and activities already provided by the University, such as Hawk Week, financial aid day, diversity orientation and the step program, which provides mentors and tutors.
The overall freshmen retention rate was 80 percent
She said that in the program's infancy, it functioned primarily
One of the biggest improvements for HAWK Link this year is its more defined structure, said Season Titus, Newton senior, program co-coordinator.
through event postings in residence halls and other places on campus.
Now, Titus and her co-coordinator, Natalie Lucas, Kansas City, Kan., senior, have compiled a HAWK Link mailing list of almost 80 names, which allows them to inform program participants of upcoming events and services via e-mail.
The Office of Admissions has been an ally in this effort, Titus said, because it sent the office a list of incoming minority students.
"We're sending them information about the HAWK Link program to get them involved before they even get here so they know what we're about, why they should be involved and how we're going to help them," she said.
Titus and Lucas are surprised by how many students are coming to the office, either to inquire about the program or just to see a friendly face.
"I think that's one of the most important things," Lucas said. "A lot of times people don't feel like they need tutors or financial aid programs, they just want to know if they walk on campus they'll see someone they know."
Such is the case for Alisa Lewis, East St. Louis, IL., freshman, who didn't know many people when she arrived at the University, but was able to meet new friends through HAWK Link events.
"It makes the transition a little easier." Lewis said.
She has been involved in numerous programs and activities since coming to the University. Lewis said she finds the office a comforting place.
"That's the only getaway I have," Lewis said.
Titus and Lucas are planning a sophomore adjustment program in April and a HAWK Link graduation ceremony in May for those who are active in the program.
As for the future of the program, both Titus and Lucas are graduating in May and are looking for someone else to take over the reins.
Edited by Courtney Craigmile
Cost-cutting measures leave students cold
By Sarah Warren
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Sitting in class in Strong Hall, Marae Christofferson struggles to concentrate. She struggles not to sleep, and she struggles not to dwell on the frigid conditions.
"I leave my jacket on," the Overland Park sophomore said. "I don't have gloves and I wish I did."
Gloves in the classroom weren't exactly what the University had in mind when it turned down the heat in November, said Jim Long, assistant provost.
He said the University did not want to freeze out students but rather to cut the University's hefty utilities bill, which totaled $7.5 million in 2000 for basic services, such as natural gas, electricity, water and sewer and landfill refuge.
"We've had some people that have expressed concern about the temperature, especially in office spaces." Long said. "However, we've requested the support and assistance of everyone on campus, so that we can work together to conserve energy."
Provost David Shulenburger issued a memo to deans and department heads last fall asking that thermostats across campus be set to 60 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night. The provost's office made exceptions for research laboratories or computer labs that remained in use at night, Long said.
However, the University has now taken another step toward saving money.
The amount requested by the University was
"There's been a request to the state Board of Regents to provide a supplemental amount of money to pay for the cost of the utilities that the University purchases." Long said.
$900,000 to $1 million, Long said.
Meanwhile, Long said that the University was doing a six-month study of gas utilization on campus which is due in mid-February. The study will look at the bills from November and December to see how much the University has saved with energy conservation efforts.
Long also said that even though student housing had its own energy budget, it had also been included in the conservation efforts.
"We've asked for the residence halls to cooperate with us to set their thermostats lower." Long said.
Meanwhile, Christofferson, who also lives in student housing, will just have to wait for warmer weather.
"I don't think it's worth it unless they're saving lots of money," she said. "I fall asleep when it's cold, so it's not good for me."
Edited by Doug Pacey