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VOLUME 121 ISSUE 107
ECONOMY
Mixed job market for engineer graduates
sfoster@kansan.com
BY SAMANTHA FOSTER
Carla Hines is evidence that the job market for engineering graduates isn't as good as it used to be. "It works. Health." Hines said.
Hines, a 2007 graduate from Shawnee, said she worked as a mechanical engineer at a power engineering company in Stilwell for more than two years before being laid off in October. She hasn't found a new job yet, which was why she returned to campus earlier this month for the Engineering Career Fair.
"It was kind of a shock," she said about losing her job.
Although engineers are in demand, the engineering job market is down about 20 percent from where it was two years ago, Stuart Bell, dean of the School of Engineering, said. Bell said a majority of the school's graduates received two or three job offers, but with the current state of the job market, students were receiving fewer offers. Bell estimated that the decrease in job opportunities meant that about 10 percent fewer placements were occurring.
"It's not a bad market; it's just not as healthy as it is been in the last five years." Bell said. "Our best students are going to get jobs."
SEE JOBS ON PAGE 3A
ENGINEERING
POST-GRADUATE
SURVEY:
2005: Out of 255 people, 94 percent of graduates were employed or in grad school.
Note: In both years, about 75 percent of graduates took the survey.
SMOOTH TALKERS
2009: Out of 271 people, 80 percent of graduates were employed or in grad school.
Patrick Kennedy, a sophomore from Leawood, Dylan Quijuelo, a senior from Wichita, and Chris Stone, a senior from Derby will compete in the National Debate Tournament at the University of California-Berkeley March 19-22. Kansas has made 43 consecutive appearances at the tournament and won the championship in 2008.
Howard Ting / Kansan
Debaters seek KU's sixth title
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
When Dylan Quigley was a freshman in high school, he joined the debate team to prepare for a career in politics. His career choice has since changed, but Quigley is still debating.
"I loved the intellectual combat aspect of it," Quigley, a senior from Wichita, said. "It's one of the more exciting things you can do as a nerd, and it's a whole lot of fun."
Quigley will participate in the ultimate intellectual battle at the National Debate Tournament March 19-22. Chris Stone, a senior from Derby; Patrick Kennedy, a sophomore from Leawood; and Sean Kennedy, a junior from Leawood, also qualified for the
tournament, which will be held at the University of California- Berkeley.
Kansas has competed in the tournament 43 straight times, reaching the final four 14 times and winning five championships. Kansas debaters Brett Bricker and Nate Johnson won the tournament last year.
To prepare for the debating season, debaters spend up to 40 hours per week researching and practicing a topic, coach Scott Harris said. Nine assistant coaches, who are full-time graduate students in communications, help the team research.
"The common estimate is that the amount of work a debater does in the year is equivalent to the amount of work a master's student will do on their thesis." Stone, who will be making his
fourth appearance at the tournament, said.
Patrick Kennedy tries to plan all of his classes on Tuesday and Thursday to make time for tour-
still has trouble balancing schoolwork during the debate season.
"When we go to tournaments it's really bad because it's like four days long, not
possibilities.
including travel." Patrick Kennedy said.
"I made the decision when I got here at some point that this is what I wanted."
"I have friends from every state, and I see them a couple times a month in a different hotel, a different school, or a different city
The time commitment makes it difficult to form lasting relationships with people outside of debate, Quigley said. But it also opens up new friendship
DYLAN QUIGLEY Wichita senior
around the nation," Quigley said.
Involvement in debate takes its toll on the typical college experience, but Quigley said he didn't regret missing out on a crazy spring
break in Cancun or Florida to prepare for competitions.
"I made the decision when I got here at some point that this is what I wanted, and this is something I wanted to be good at." Quigley said.
Harris said that debaters needed this sort of passion because they didn't receive much in financial gain or public praise.
"Debate is something where we don't have massive crowds greet us when we come back," Harris said.
Kansas debate isn't about money or glory for Quigley. He said debating was special to him because of the team's history at Kansas, something he realized while attending an alumni reunion.
"I walked into our squad room where we have banners for all our final fours and championships that KU has gotten, and to be part of that and maybe hang my own banner is something pretty significant," Quigley said.
— Edited by Sarah Bluvas
POLITICS
Accomplished politician visits Dole
Calif. state assembly speaker brought balance to parties
BY ROSHNI OOMMEN roommen@kansan.com
As he spoke in the Dole Institute of Politics with more than 100 listeners before him, Willie Brown did what he said he was born to do.
Brown, former mayor of San Francisco, spoke Tuesday night.
"We're talking about a man of determination, persuasion,a real feeling for public office."
politics in the United States. Aside from his accomplishments as mayor, Brown is best known for his successful 15-year term as Speaker of the California State Assembly.
office, someone who wants to make a difference in the lives of others.
about his life, his career in politics and his thoughts on the future of
BARBARA BALLARD Associate director of Dole
ers" Barbara Ballard, associate director of the Dole Institute of Politics, said as she introduced Brown.
We're talking about a man of determination, persuasion, a real feeling for public
Brown spoke with Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute. Throughout
the evening, Brown discussed the obstacles and achievements in his
political career with the audience.
In 1964, Brown was elected to the California State Assembly. He was one of four African-American members of the 80-person assembly. In 1980, Brown, a democrat, unexpectedly won the Speaker's office with the support of what he called a coalition of Republicans and Democrats. Brown said that at that time, there had been a strong division between the two parties, but his group's goal was to bring the two together.
"You've got to be prepared to
Willie Brown speaks at Dole Institute of Politics Tuesday evening. The Former Speaker of the California state assembly was a pioneer in crossing the divide of political party lines.
SEE BROWN ON PAGE 3A
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
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