VOL.100,NO.117
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
TUESDAY WAK 12/7 1920
(USPS 650-640)
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Fee proposal aims to deter class shoppers
By Pam Solinner
Kansan staff writer
Enrollment — a word that leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many KU students. By the end of next year, it also could mean a dent in their pocketbooks.
Dave Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, is working on a proposal that could charge students about $30 to $40 for each excessive credit hour they drop.
hole they burped Shulenburger said excessive drops had put a burden on the University and had kept other students from taking courses.
Each academic year, 65,000 courses are dropped at KU, he said. That's three class drops for each undergraduate student.
At main enrollment last fall, he said 3,000 students could not enroll in a full class schedule of 15 credit hours.
Shulenburger said students who "shopped" for classes largely prevented those 3,000 students from obtaining full
'You get some shopping that goes on. That would be all right if it didn't keep students out of courses.'
- Dave Shulenburger
He said student "shoppers" enrolled in 20 hours, knowing they would drop down to 15 hours they preferred. The spaces in classes they vacate remain empty.
"You get some shopping that goes on." Shulenburger said. "That would be all right if it didn't keep students out of courses."
Although students could not get into classes at enrollment, Shulenburger said now there were significant spaces in the low-level courses in psychology, English and mathematics. All had filled up quickly and were dropped later in the semester.
Shulenburger said other schools, such as Wichita State University, deterred the problem by charging students for dropping classes.
for dropping classes.
Bill Wynne, registrar for Wichita State, said the university charged students a $10 processing fee for dropping classes.
He said Wichita State did not have an immediate problem with excessive drops because of its fee structure. Wichita State charges students for each credit hour up to 15 hours.
In Shulenburger's proposal, which is still in its infancy, the university would charge students for excessive drops. He said drops forced by the system, such as a drop to a lower-level course as requested by an instructor, would be excluded.
Each student also would have a set of "free" drops. After those drops, the limit proposed is three, students would be charged about $30 to $40 for each credit hour dropped. Dropping a standard three-hour class would cost about $90.
Shulenburger said he would begin collecting input on his proposal from KU administrators, faculty and students.
W. Wes Williams, dean of educational services, said a preliminary study of the problem would be conducted in Fall 1990. The report would include survey results from students who drop classes.
"I think we're forever trying to improve our enrollment process," Williams said. "I think the time is just over."
After tabulating the fall surveys, he said comments would be gathered from student groups and faculty.
would be gamed on it.
Shulenburger has identified two other methods of solving the problem. One would record drops completed after the first week of classes on a student's transcript. Another would cut the maximum hours in which a student could enroll from 20 to 17.
Shulenburger said he hoped to solve the problem within a year.
Police charge NY man with 87 murder counts in Sunday's club fire
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The man accused of setting fire to the Happy Land social club was arraigned yesterday on 87 counts of murder, and police said he told them "the devil got into me."
Authorities began shutting other illegal clubs in response to New York City's worst fire in 79 years.
The families of the 87 victims, most of whom were Honduran or Dominican immigrants, sought solace in their grief, and a government task force was set up to counsel them and help make funeral arrangements.
Julio Gonzalez, 36, was accused of setting the fire early Sunday with $1 worth of gasoline after arguing with a former girlfriend who worked at the illegal club. He is said to have threatened to "shut this place down."
"I got angry, the devil got into me, and I set the place on fire," Gonzalez told authorities, according to a police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
During a hearing at Bronx County Criminal Court, Gonzalez was charged with 87 counts of murder committed during the course of arson; 87 counts of murder by deprived indifference to human life; one count of attempted murder; and two counts of arson.
He was held under a suicide watch at the Rikers Island jail, authorities said. The case was turned over to a grand jury, and Gonzalez will not be asked to enter a plea unless an indictment is issued.
The deaths were believed to be the most ever charged to a single suspect in the continental United States.
"He is a double animal," said Rene J. Mena, 63, whose son, Rene JR., 30, died. "Here, they're going to have good food for him, a book, a movie. In Central America, we don't do it that way."
Portraits While-U-Wait
Keith Thorpe/KANSAN
Alan Smith (left), Valley Center junior, poses for a sketch for Earl Lee Scar- Ave. Scarborough, a "situation artist" for more than 25 years, was hired by borough of San Francisco at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, 1918 Stewart the artist to draw sketches of its members.
Anschutz Science Library is burning its workers up
By Eric Gorski
Kansan staff writer
Maintenance workers will attempt today to solve a climate-control problem in the Anschutz Science Library that has had students and library employees coping with steamy conditions for about a week.
Doug Riat, assistant director of facilities planning, said workers would make changes in the science library's computerized cooling system. The system has had trouble cooling the library during abrupt changes in the weather.
Marilyn Hu, science library circulation supervisor, said temperatures in the library ranged from 85 to 90 degrees. The problem surfaced about a week ago but is the latest in a series of similar climate-control difficulties at the science library since its opening in November.
Olga Bauman, student assistant at
the science library, said she had to sit down yesterday morning during a dizzy spell. The library's warm temperature caused her to overheat while stacking books.
"It's terrible," Bauman said. "I think slow, I'm tired, II'm sweating. I'm ready to take a shower after every hour I work in the library."
Ruth Miller, administrative secretary at Watson Library, said she had placed 21 calls to facilities planning since the problem first occurred. She called in the first complaint December 11.
Riat said it was difficult to solve the cooling problem immediately because of the building's short history. A few months of data about the building's cooling system would make repairs easier.
"It's possible that it's taken longer than it should have taken," Riat said.
"But we needed two to six months to look back at."
Riat said the science library used a free-cooling system, operated by a plate heat exchanger, during colder months. He said the building was cooled by air conditioning during warmer months.
It is the transition period that has been giving the system trouble, Riat said. Workers from JS Constructors will try to remedy the problem today.
Riat said workers from 3S activated the library's air conditioning yesterday as a temporary solution. The company, which installed the heating and cooling system, will pay for the repairs.
The free-cooling system was not installed until January because of design problems and because
See LIBRARY, p. 5
Panel OKs Regents budget
House committee wants less money than Senate, governor
Bv Rod Griffin
Kansan staff writer
TOPEKA — The House Appropriations Committee proved to be tighter fisted than its Senate counterpart yesterday when it adopted a bill that would expand the university of Kansas and the University of Kansas Medical Center.
The committee endorsed budgets for fiscal 1990 and 1991 that pared Senate budget recommendations.
For fiscal 1990, the Senate endorsed a $351,716 fee release. The House committee concurred with Gov. Mike Hayden's proposed budget and did not support the fee release.
State Rep. Rochelle Chronister, R-Neodesha, said it was too late to approve a fee release for this year.
Hayden optimistic in signing taxpayers' protection bill
The Senate recommended maintaining student salaries at their 1990 base levels. The budget endorsed in the House committee would eliminate $38,394 that would be used to fund General Fund for student salaries, in accordance with the governor's budget recommendations.
For fiscal 1991, the House committee cut more areas of the Senate's proposed budget, which was approved March 14.
"At this point in the school year, it's almost all over with." she said.
The House committee approved a 2 percent increase in other operating expenditures. The committee proposed a 3.5 percent increase.
The Associated Press
A salary and wage shrinkage adjustment passed by the House committee would add $124,655 to be divided among the seven Regents institutions. However, the House proposal would be $3.04 million less than the governor
TOPEKA — Gov. Mike Hayden signed into law yesterday a bill protecting property owners from automatic valuation increases in the future. He told reporters that he was optimistic that compromises could be reached on property tax issues in the few weeks remaining in this legislative session.
The bill, passed 71-48 by the House on March 19 and 40-49 by the Senate the next day, places a one-year moratorium on property reappraisal and prohibits appraisers from raising valuations unless the property is reinspected, thus ruling out automatic inflation adjustments from year to year.
Hayden called it "truly a taxayers" protection bill," because it lifts from taxpayers the burden of having to fight the reappraisal battle again this year. Taxpayers reacted against reappraisal in 1989 when the first statewide reappraisal in more than 20 years was completed.
"It would be foolhardy to place another round of valuation changes on taxpayers before the 1990 appeals are even settled." Hayden said at a combination bill ceremony and news conference.
He said figures from the Department of Revenue showed that about 100,000 appeals have been lodged so far on 1989 valuations.
recommended in his fiscal 1991 budget and $779,736 less than the Senate recommendation.
The House committee did agree with the Senate proposal to keep the graduate assistant fee waiver at 75 percent.
Like the Senate and governor, the House chose not to include funds for the third year of the Marvin of Excellence.
The Margin is the Board of Regents three-year plan to bring the total financing of its seven institutions to 95 percent of their peer schools and to bring faculty salaries to 100 percent of their peers.
The House committee was more generous with the Med Center, suggesting an increase of 70 fulltime staff positions for research activities in fiscal 1990. The decision mirrors the Senate recommendation.
"She said nurses at KU have to work too hard; they have to go into situations that they do not have the experience to handle on their own, and the salaries are not competitive," he said.
State Rep. George Teagarden, D-LaCyne, urged support for the Med Center. He told the committee about a nurse at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mt., who would not work at the Med Center.
live, the bank.
An additional $500,000 would be allocated for new high technology equipment in fiscal 1990 under the proposed House budget, also mirroring the Senate proposal.
Tandy, Day-Lewis take top Oscars; 'Daisy' gets prize for best picture
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — "Driving Miss Daisy," the heartwarming story of a crotchety Jewish widow and her friendship with a patient black chauffeur, won the Oscar as best picture Monday and captured the top award prize for Jessica Tandy. Its total of four awards made it the year's most-honored film.
Daniel Day-Lewis was named best actor for his role in "My Left Foot" as Christy Brown, who battled cerebral palsy to become an acclaimed artist. Brenda Fricker, who played his devoted mother, won the best supporting actress award.
Oliver Stone was honored at the 62nd annual Academy Awards as best director for "Born on the Fourth of July," the story of a Vietnam soldier's transformation from bitter paraplegic to anti-war activist. It was the second prize in three years for Stone, who also won for the 1986 Vietnam epic "Platoon."
"My deepest thanks for your acknowledgment that Vietnam has taught us, though some people say it is it," said Stone.
For the first time since 1981, the directing award did not go for the year's best picture. Bruce Bereasford, who directed "Miss Daisy," was not even nominated, an omission that was commented on frequently during the presentations.
"We're up here for one simple reason," said Richard Zanuck, who produced "Miss Dalsy" with his wife, Lili. "And that's the fact that Bruce Beresford is a brilliant director."
Denzel Washington, the runaway slave turned soldier in "Glory," won the best supporting actor award.
Best Picture "Driving Miss Daisy"
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis
"My Left Foot"
Best Actress
Jessica Tandy
"Driving Miss Daisy"
Supporting Actor
Denzel Washington
"Glory"
Supporting actress
Brenda Fricker
"My Left Foot"
Director
Oliver Stone
"Born on the Fourth
of July"
Song
"Under the Sea"
"The Little Mermaid"
Knopf-Rider/KANSAN Graphic
"My son said
he was going to make one of these out of clay for me, now I've got a model for him," an exultant Washington said as he held up his gold statue, the first award of the evening.
Tandy said, "I never expected in a million years that I would be in this position. It's a miracle!" Tandy, 80, is the oldest performer to win an Oscar. The slender, white-haired actress received a standing ovation from the crowd that packed the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center.