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Thursday, February 10, 1977
University Daily Kansan
Help offered to troubled women
By BETH GREENWALD
Staff Reporter
Women recently widowed or con-
compiling divorce of separated wife
are now required to waive
Women's Transitional Care Services was founded in August 1976 so that women in rural areas could receive care. The service is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a week, on-call counseling service, which operates out of headquarters, 1802 Massachusetts and the KU Inpatient Center, 843-4306
But transitional care is more than a phone service, according to Sandy Elegs, one of six coordinators of the service. In addition to the six coordinators, 17 trained volunteers offer emotional support and physical assistance to women who call.
AFTER A WOMAN has contacted the service, a counselor will arrange to meet the woman wherever she is comfortable. The counselor may then help the woman apply for welfare, get medical assistance or get in touch with the Legal Aid Society.
The counselor also will tell the woman how to acquire job skills and get a job if she is not interested.
More than half of the 50 women who have contacted the service since the phones started operating in November have been battered wives, Eizes said.
In the case of a battered wife, the service first finds out whether the woman is in immediate danger. If so, the police will be called. Eiges said that unfortunately the police don't like to become involved in domestic troubles.
If the woman decides to leave her husband, the next step is to find her a place to stay. Elders say some people in the past and their children for a week at a time.
Because only temporary housing is available, the main goal of transitional services now is to get a shelter house. The service has applied to local church groups
and private foundations for funds for the house, Eigres said.
Eighs said volunteer counsellors came from a "broad base of community women," and many were from other countries.
Eleges said the house would provide a live-in environment of peer support to be provided.
Counselors undergo a six-week training session, meeting twice a week. The 12 workshops, each dealing with a different topic like depression or alcoholism, are led by experts from Lawrence. The sessions also allow its volunteers with academies in Lawrence.
THE SERVICE help put women going through crisis in contact with each other
through support groups. Eiges said. Next week a group of divorced or separated women who are KU students will begin meeting.
Eiges said the women who called are of all ages, income levels and races. The women are generally from 18 to 55 years old, Eiges said, and many are in their 20s.
Transitional care is still in contact with many of the women who first called in November. Eisger said. She said the most important question was the women who ask for help in depression.
"We tell the woman that she has a right to make a decision and that her decisions are valuable," Eigens said. "We help her work out her feelings about her life."
THE IDEA FOR transitional care services began in August 1974, when a survey of Lawrence agencies, including the Douglas County Health Department, Ballard Center and Penn House, was conducted. Eilis said the agencies overwhelmingly responded that such a service was needed.
Eiges said she didn't know what percentage of the women who used the service were employed permanently. However, she said national statistics showed that in cities where shelter houses for women were available, 50 per cent of the women had the shelters left their husbands or lovers.
Easy switch to metrics foreseen
A conversion from the conventional English system of measure to the metric system will be gradual and fairly easy, according to Lelon Cappis, associate dean of
The change will be gradual because of the cost of moving to a new system, he said, but it will be easy because the metric system uses standard units and standard standards to divide the measures.
"Any student in engineering has already taken a course in metric units, and the math department has changed more and more to using metric units," he said.
Robert Moyer, associate professor of mathematics, said the University of Kansas Dept. of Mathematics.
MOYER SAID, however, that classes weren't the only way or the best way to learn the metric system. More effective ways to learn would be by association, such as seeing metric measures on road signs and box tons.
The three measures are the meter, which equals about 39 inches; the gram, which equals about 27 grams.
equals about 15 grains; and the liter, which equals about one liquid quart.
The divisions used on all three basic measures are milli- for 1/1000th, centi- for 1/100th, deci- for 1/10th, deca- for 10, hecto- for 100, and kilo- for 100.
Walter Smith, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, said it would be easy to learn the metric system because the divisions' names become prefixes to the basic measures, as in kilometer for 1,000 meters.
ALSO, HE SAID, the metric system makes calculations easier because it's a decimal system, with conversion based on 10. Thus, more difficult English system conversions such as 12 inches to one foot and so on to one gallon would be eliminated.
The prefixes are the same and you don't have to memorize different conversions—they're just names.
The metric system is already taught in public schools, Smith said, to get pupils
used to converting the English measures to the metric units.
Capps said some states required that new textbooks use the metric system. California's requirements are the most stringent, he said.
CAPPS SAID large companies such as IBM, John Deere and Minnesota Mining and already converted to the metric system, the company conversion he said, was that other countries used the metric system, so American companies that convert have an easier time using it.
Moyer said the metric system worked better on computers and hand calculators because it was based on decimals. He said it was convenient but more difficult and expensive to use the English system on these machines.
Smith said the metric system is a "really elegant measuring system because of the easy interrelatedness between the units." He explained that conversion to the metric system to be rapid.
Flu vaccinations limited
By NANCYTEETER
Flu vaccines are unavailable for most University of Kansas students, in spite of the government's lift Tuesday of a moratorium on flu vaccinations.
Staff Renorter
Joseph Califano Jr., secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, called off the moratorium so that people over 65 and the chronically ill could get shots to protect them from A-Victoria flu.
The A-Victoria vaccine is available only in combination with the swine flu vaccine. The government will maintain the vaccine containing only serum for swine flu.
The swine flu program was halted in December because of a possible relationship between the vaccine and Gullain-Barre Syndrome, which causes paralysis.
AN OUTBREAK of A-Victoria flu in a Miami nursing home prompted lifting of the government's ban on the combination vaccine.
Don Wilcox, Kansas state epidemiologist,
don yesterday that the state health department was recommending the combination A-Victoria and swine flu shot only for the elderly and chronically ill, but he later be available to the general public.
"We feel that since there was such a large vaccine program in October, November and
December the public has had more than
adequate time to be vaccinated, he said.
Each county can choose whether it will offer the vaccinations, Wilcox said, and so far only Sedgwick and Johnson counties created they might not resume the program.
"The IMPORTANT thing is the A-Victorian vaccine," he said. "Of the elderly and chronically ill, 1,250 per one million die from Gullain-Barre Syndrome."
About 120,000 doses of the vaccine are scattered throughout county health departments in the state, Wilcox said. 120,000 doses are available in Douglas County.
Redistribution of the vaccine is awaiting the arrival of new consent forms, which must be signed by a patient before the next given. The forms are expected next week.
If demand for the vaccine from that group, low, she said, it will then be offered to an adult.
KAY KENT, director of the Douglas County Health Department, said the department would offer the vaccinations to children in the next week after the consent forms arrived.
No flu vaccinations are available at Watkins Hospital and the hospital doesn't keep records of the flu. They will be induction A-Victoria and swine flu vaccine Martin Wollmann, hospital director, said.
-Plus Special Feature-
"AROUND THE BEATLES"
(BBC concert)
Fri., Feb. 11
Sat., Feb. 12
12:00 - $1
MIDNIGHT
WOODRUFF AUDITORIUM-KANSAS UNION
The K.U. Sailing Club is offering two cruises over spring break. One trip includes sailing from Miami to the Bakamas for $135.00, and the other is from San Diego to Catalina Island for $125.00. Besides six days aboard a chartered yacht, the trip offers the opportunity for scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing experience, and adventure. Prices include round trip transportation and all boat expenses.
Deposits will be accepted starting tonight. Come to our meeting and find out more.
Tonight 7:30 P.M.
Parlors A & B
Kansas Union
Sponsored by SUA
SUA presents DAILY RECITALS in the lobby of Strong Hall every
weekday at noon by students and faculty of the School of Fine Arts
Thursday, Feb. 10, at noon Jill Krebs, Flute and Classical Guitar
Friday, Feb. 11, at noon Catherine Cohoon, Clarinet Martin Morley, Plano Program of Debussy,Poulenc,and Schuber
Most items are 20% to 50% off
Most items are 20% to 50% off Jean tops 20% to 30% off Jeans from 12.90 to 23.00 Levi style jeans only 15.00 European cut - Five styles Values to 19.00
Lady Wrangler & COS COB Co-ordinating outfits 30% to 50% off Shirts - Button & Pullover Style $^{1}$ with purchase of 1 reg. price item.
LITWIN'S
331 Mass. Free parking in rear
Place a Kansan want ad Call 864-4358