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CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, January 31, 1996
3A
Chancellor brings books to life for blind
Hemenway promotes braille literacy at a school for the blind
By Heather Kirkwood Kansan staff writer
Chancellor Robert Hemenway taught Robert Frost, Langston Hughes and Dr. Seuss yesterday morning, but not to the early birds in his 7:30 a.m. Introduction to Fiction class.
Instead, Hemenway spent about a hour reading to students at the Kansas State School for the Blind in Kansas City, Kan., as part of the school's Celebration of Braille Literacy Month.
Hemenway sat in a rocking chair and roared like the Cyclops from the tale of Ulysses as 19 elementary school children sat at his feet. Later, he read poetry selections to a group of high school students and answered questions about his job, the studying habits of KU students and the chances Jacque Vaughn had of making it to the NB
The audience may not have been Hemenway's usual crowd of students, but Hemenway said he enjoyed encouraging the kids.
"I think you should never be too busy to take time for kids who want to learn," he said. "These kids clearly want to learn."
But children who are blind or visually impaired often do not learn to read. In 1994 only 9.45 percent of legally blind elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students in the United States were braille readers.
That number has declined from 52.6 percent in 1963, according to statistics kept by the American Printing House for the Blind.
In addition, 56.8 percent of legally blind students were classified as non-readers in 1994, compared to 0.012 percent in 1963.
The Kansas School for the Blind brings in readers, like Hemenway, to motivate its students to learn braille.
Cindy Hallenbeck, president of the Douglas County chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, said the dramatic drop in braille literacy had occurred primarily because the majority of blind students now attended regular schools where the resource teachers often didn't know braille.
Hemenway held the children's interest by acting out the characters from Dr. Seuss's The Cat and The Hat and by asking the children what would happen next in the story. The children enthusiastically finished his sentences and provided the next line when given the chance.
For the high-school students, Hemenway read poems such as Mending Wall by Robert Frost and Life is Fine by Langston Hughes.
Duyahn Walker, an 18-year-old braille reader from Kansas City, Kan., was impressed by the Cancellor's reading.
Hemenway said he also enjoyed reading.
"I usually don't like to read, but after hearing people read, it's easier to get into it," he said. "I think it's interesting."
"I would hate for anyone to be denied the experience of reading and what can come from it," he said. "If my being here encourages a kid who is visually impaired to go the extra mile to learn to read, then it was well worth my time."
Brian Flink / KANSAN
Chancellor Robert Hemenway tells the story of Ulysses and the Cyclops to elementary-school students at the Kansas State School for the Blind.
GTAs lack formal grievance process
Union has to follow University procedure
By Jason Strait
Kansan staff writer
KU graduate teaching assistants must follow normal University grievance procedures until a contract between the union and the University can be made.
In a meeting last month between GTA representatives and Karen Dutcher, general council for the University, GTAs were denied a request for an interim grievance procedure.
Within the University, students,
faculty and employees have various grievance procedures available to them, depending on their department and their grievance.
The GTA union has no such procedure that applies to them specifically because the University and the GTA union have not negotiated a contract.
ple procedures presented by Dutcher that would apply to certain GTA grievances until the union was ready to discuss a memorandum of grievances.
Members of the GTA union
Young said too many of the procedures were established for grade complaints or what to do if an employee were fired.
He said that the established procedures were important but that there were no procedures dealing with a wide variety of potential grievances a GTA might encounter.
"We want to see some uniformity," Young said. "This whole grievance procedure is like a wild goose chase to find the right one."
Dutcher said the request for an
with grievances must use existing procedures until an agreement is made.
Karen Dutcher general counsel for the University
"It's frustrating to find a grievance procedure that works," Young said. "This needs to be something that's not complicated. You have this hodgepodge of grievances, but no one's going to use them."
The union requested the interim grievance procedure because existing procedures in the University are too numerous and do not apply to their specific needs, said Dave Young, head of grievances for the union.
The union was instead given sam-
interim agreement was not granted because the union indicated it was not ready to discuss terms for a contract and would thus not be granted a grievance procedure on an interim basis.
"It's not normal to say, 'We're not ready to talk about what we want, but give it to us anyway."
Dutcher said.
Dutcher said the GTAs would have to use the conventional procedures until they were ready to negotiate, which would then give them a forum to negotiate for a specific memorandum of grievances that would apply to the union's specific needs.
Karen Hellekson, president of the GTA union, said it would take time to collect information on which procedures would work for GTAs. Once that is accomplished, they would write a pamphlet so people would know where to go and what procedure to use.
Students gamble for green cards
By Susanna Löof
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Beginning in February, millions of people around the world will cross their fingers as they enter a lottery.
But unlike most lottery participants, they are not hoping for money. If they win, they will have to pay $200 to get the prize, a green card.
But the fee does not deter the participants. To them, the prize is worth much more than $200. To them, a green card, or a permanent residence visa, is a ticket to become a legal resident of the United States.
The lottery is popular among international KU students, said Gerald Harris, director of International Student Services.
Hundreds of students enter the lottery annually. And some of them are lucky.
Akea Teame, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, senior, won the lottery in 1990. He said he was glad that he had won because he might not have been able to come to the United States and study without the visa.
Kodjo Apedjinou, Lome, Togo, freshman, was not as lucky. He entered last year's lottery in Togo, but he didn't win. Instead, he had to work to get a student visa, he said.
But he will enter the lottery again because he still wants a green card, even though he plans to go back to Togo after he graduates.
"It's not to live or work here," he said. "I want a green card to facilitate my education."
Apedjinou said a green card would make it easier for him to get scholarships and to enter medical school. It also would allow him to work off campus.
Dudu Cohavi, Rehovot, Israel, graduate teaching assistant, wants a green card for similar reasons. He participated in the lottery in 1994, and he tried again last year but missed the deadline.
The dates for the lottery deadlines vary slightly from year to year. This year, the U.S. State Department is running the lottery from Feb. 12 to March 12.
The time for the lottery is set so that the department has enough time to register the entries, run a computer program that selects 55,000 winners and notify them by July, said Nyda Budig, press officer at the department.
Last year, a total of 6.7 million people sent entries to the lottery. But 2.2 million of those were disqualified, either because the entries did not arrive during the right time or because they were made incorrectly.
The lottery is free, but several companies advertising in newspa-
How to get your green card
To get information about how to participate in the green card lottery:
Send a stamped, self- addressed envelope to:
Visa Lottery
National Visa Center
32 Rochester Ave.
Portsmouth NH 03801-2909
Or,
Pick up instructions at International Student Services, 2 Strong Hall. A copying fee will be charged for the instructions, which will
be available next week.
pers and on the Internet charge $50 or more to make entries.
The following countries are excluded from the lottery: China (Mainland and Taiwan), India, Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland), Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia and the Dominican Republic and their dependent territories.
The companies claim that they increase the chances to win, but that is not possible, according to a press release from the State Department.
The lottery is free and happens once a year. Winners receive a U.S. green card.
Harris agreed.
"They are all a rip-off," Harris said about companies charging to make entries. "They are not a service. They are out for the bucks."
One of the advertising companies was contacted but did not return calls.
Entries are easy to make for anybody who follows the directions, Harris said.
To get visas, winners in the lottery must have the equivalency of a high school diploma or two years of certain work experience.
But winners don't automatically receive visas. They must complete paperwork, attend an interview and pay the fee to get their green cards, Budigsaid.
Citizens of certain countries such as China, Vietnam, Jamaica and South Korea, cannot participate because the immigration from those countries has been high for the past five years. That is because the purpose of the lottery is to diversify the U.S. immigration, Budig said.
Men's sauna completely out of steam
KU staff questions finance opportunities
Kansan staff report
The Robinson Center men's sauna has been broken since the middle of last semester.
And Bob Lockwood, Robinson facilities director, said that it wouldn't be fixed any time soon.
The sauna, which is more than 20 years old, is simply worn out, he said.
"We've replaced everything we can replace on it." Lockwood said.
When the heaters stopped working and had to be replaced, Lockwood had experts look at the sauna. They found that the entire sauna, including the walls, needed to be replaced.
Lockwood said that he had written more than 30 companies to find the best replacement and that he hoped
to be able to present a price list to the Robinson administrative council in a couple of weeks.
When the sauna will be replaced depends on how much it will cost and how long it will take for the administrators to find financing for it, Lockwood said. The cost for the sauna is not included in the center's budget, which could make it hard to finance.
"We originally paid $2,200 for it,
but that was 20-some years ago," he
said. "But now, it probably costs at least two or three times as much."
Several students, faculty and staff have told Lockwood they are eager to see the sauna working again.
Lockwood said he was hopeful
"It is definitely a high priority," he said.
Frances Wales, Robinson safety security officer, said the women's sauna was working fine.
Too Low to Quote (the record companies don't approve)
Quotable but Low Prices
Amps 12.97
Billgoal 10.80
Hallcut Trio 9.99
Earsy, E.11.88
Dan Williams 12.97
Presidents of the United States of America 12.97
Self 10.88
Repkians 10.88
Southern Culture on the Skids 9.98
Victoria Williams 9.88
Squirrel Mut Zippers 10.88
Rocket from the Cragt 10.88
G-Love and Special Sauce 10.88
Lee M.Ceer 11.88
"Boys for Pele"
Alice in Chains, Candlebox. Edwyn Collins, Everclear, Green Day, Eric Matthews, Menswear Joan Osborne, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Urge Overkill, Victor Mike Watt, Enya, P.M. Dawn Frank Black Ainee Mann, Mary Me Jane, Geraldine Fibbers Beatles, Pretenders, Van Morrison, C.I.V.
24th & Iowa•PO Box 2•Lawrence, KS 66046