CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, January 23, 1996
3A
National Merit scholars flock to KU
University ranked 10th nationally with57 freshmen
By Jason Strait
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas is ranked nationally in the top 10 in yet another area. This time it's National Merit scholars.
A report released by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. showed the University to be ranked 10th among public universities in recruitment of new Merit scholars for the 1995 school year with 57.
The University attracted 76 percent of the National Merit scholars attending Board of Regents universities. Kansas State University drew 14 scholars, and Wichita State University has four.
Marti Ruel, director of the University scholarship center, said the national ranking was great but didn't tell the full story
of the University's recruiting success.
"In actuality, we are retaining more of the in-state National Merit scholars than most states," she said. "We have one of the highest per-capita ratios in the country in retaining the scholar students."
National Merit scholars represent the top 1 percent of graduating high school seniors. A majority of those go to in-state schools. Ruel said.
By comparison, Texas A&M University, No. 2 overall and first among public universities, has about four as many scholars as the University of Kansas, but has a state population that is more than seven times that of Kansas. Ruel said the ratio of retention is a good indicator that the University is outdoing most universities on a state per-capita basis.
Of the University's Merit scholars, 41 students, or 72 percent, are from Kansas. Each student received a $1,300 National Merit Scholarship funded by the Kansas University Endowment Association.
"We're extremely pleased by the results," Ruel said. "Tuition has climbed dramatically at many private and public colleges and universities in recent years. Many of our scholar students this year have cited KU's academic reputation and affordable tuition as the primary reasons
they chose to come here."
Kansas Board of Regents schools do not receive any state funding to recruit the Merit scholars, another factor indicating the University's achievement, Ruel said.
Top 10 public universities with National Merit scholars
"Schools like Oldahoma receive a huge portion of their scholarship funds from the state and are able to recruit nationally," she said.Tesia Hostetler, Topeka freshman, is one of the 41 Kansas Merit scholars that chose the University over more expensive out-of-state schools. Hostetler said she chose the University of Kansas over Georgetown University or George Washington University. But financial concerns were not the only factors that drew her to the University.
The cost made KU a really attractive school to go to, Hostelter said. "Plus the honors program and the scholarship halls attracted me as well. I'm very happy here."
1. University of Texas-Austin, 221
2. Texas A&M University, 194
3. University of Oklahoma, 178
4. University of Florida, 129
5. Georgia Institute of Technology,
113
7. Florida State University, 88
8. University of Kentucky, 77
6. Ohio State University, 91
7. Florida State University, 88
8. University of Kentucky, 77
9. University of Missouri, 61
9. University of Missouri, 6
10+ University of Arizona, 5Z
10-t. University of Arizona, 57
10-t. University of Kansas, 57
Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges is No. 1 overall with 368 MEM scholarships.
I think I made the right decision."
I think I made the right decision.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway said his goal was to attract a freshman class with 100 Merit scholars by the year 2000.
Pets try anything to avoid deep freeze
By Heather Kirkwood Kansan staff writer
A fur coat may not be enough to keep a four-legged friend warm this winter, so as the mercury falls below freezing, net owners are being careful.
Renee Harris, shelter manager for the Lawrence Humane Society, said dogs should not be left outside if the temperature falls below the teens.
If dogs have to be outside, owners can take steps to winterize the doghouse.
"If they can raise it off the ground that is best," Harris said.
She suggested using boards to create a small space under the doghouse that can be filled with hay or straw. Inside the house, owners should use straw, not blankets, for bedding.
"When the blankets freeze it actually draws the heat off the animal." Harris said. "When they thaw out they are wet which makes them even colder."
During the day, many dogs can be seen on campus tied up while their owners are in class. The Lawrence Humane Society suggests that dogs should not be left outside when temperatures fall into the teens.
But keeping a dog tied on campus while in class is a bad idea, no matter what the weather is like outside, Harris said.
"When you leave an animal tied you don't have any idea what people are feeding it, what they may be doing to it ... whether they are tormenting it or frightening it, besides the fact they are not able to have any shelter," she said.
lot of cats that have gotten caught in fan belts. If you saw just one, you wouldn't let your cat out," Harris said. "It will cut tails off, legs and ears. Not many will survive things like that."
Cats should not be left outside at all when the weather is cold, Harris said, because they tend to head for the warmest place available, such as a car engine.
"This time of year we're pulling out a
Harris suggested tapping the hood of your car on a cold morning before starting the engine to scare away any animals that might have sought shelter there during the night.
Brian Hensyel, Sigma Nu fraternity president and Topeka senior, said his house is looking out for its three canine members so they don't find themselves stranded in the snow.
Inmate escapes from custody, remains at large
By Amy McVey
Kansan staff writer
An inmate who escaped from the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center on Sunday night is still at large.
At 9:26 p.m. Russel Dean Baston overpowered a corrections officer during evening medication rounds. Baston then hit a locked perimeter door, breaking the lock and forcing the door open, law enforcement officials said.
"We have not located him, but we have had numerous leads and are following up on them diligently," said Judy Osburn, operations coordinator for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
The corrections officer, whom Baston overpowered, was sent to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. The officer was examined and released with no major injuries early yesterday morning, Osburn said.
Baston was awaiting trial for the alleged kidnapping, robbery and battery of a Lawrence man in April 1995.
It is unknown if Baston is armed, Osburn said.
"He's obviously in a mindset of not wanting to return to custody," he said.
The sheriff's office, Lawrence Police Department, Eudora Police Department and other cooperating agencies are attempting to locate and apprehend Baston.
Baston is described as a 6-foot-2, 225-pound Caucasian male with brown hair and brown eyes. He has many tattoos on both arms and his back, authorities said.
Osburn said that anyone with information on the whereabouts of Baston should call the sheriff's office at 841-0007 or Crime Stoppers at 843-8477.
Bewildered woman found in Stauffer-Flint
Kansan staff report
According to reports, the woman, who told police she was from Manhattan, was found in the first-floor stair-well trying to buckle her soiled nants.
KU police responded to a call about a disoriented 30-year-old woman at 5:19 p.m. Saturday in Stauffer-Flint Hall.
When the officer asked whether she was hurt, she became belligerent. She started screaming and flashing her breasts.
An ambulance was called for the woman. When the paramedics arrived, the woman repeatedly poked at a paramedic's arm and grabbed another paramedic, calling him a "pretty boy."
The woman was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where she became hysterical, showing her breasts and yelling sexual comments.
She was treated for four broken ribs and taken to the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, KU police reported.
Internet classes available at Computer Center
By Nicole Kennedy
Kansan staff writer
The Computer Center has been fielding more and more calls from people with questions about how to use the new technology, said Jerre Catlin, supervisor of training at the Computer Center.
Internet and e-mail use at the University of Kansas has increased dramatically during the last year, so the Computer Center is offering free Internet classes this semester to help educate the flood of new users.
"What we're trying to do desperately is to cut down on the number of phone calls by encouraging people to attend these classes,"
Catlin said.
Since last year, the Computer Center has opened about 9,000 new e-mail accounts, bringing their total number of e-mail accounts to around 12,000. The Computer Center also linked about 4,000 home computers to their server last year.
Step II classes explain how to use Internet services such as e-mail accounts, Usenet news and the World Wide Web.
There are three levels of Internet classes. Step I classes explain how to connect computers to the Internet through the University's Ethernet or through dial-in connections using modems.
Step III classes explain how to create personal home pages for the Internet and how to set up Web servers on personal computers. There are separate classes for Macintosh, Windows and Windows 95 users.
Though some of the classes began on Jan. 9, Catlin said participation has been lower than she expected in the more advanced classes.
"We're seeing a pretty good turnout, particularly for the connection classes," Catlin said. "We know that in part, we haven't been able to reach many students."
Kathleen Grubnich, Chicago senior, has just begun to use the Internet and didn't realize that the Computer Center offered free Internet classes.
"I'm just now getting my first e-mail
account," Grubnich said. "There's a class I'm taking, and I have to send my teacher an email to prove I got an account."
Neil Overmon, academic computing consultant, answers questions at the Computer Center's consulting desk and on the phone.
Overmorn said though the number of calls to the center had not decreased since the classes began, the callers tended to have more Internet knowledge.
"Not everything works perfectly, and there's still a little bit of a black art out there, so we're trying to add a little light to that," Overmoran said.
Complete Internet class schedules are available at the Computer Center.
Today; Dial-in with Windows, 1 to 4 p.m. in the Computer Center auditorium
Computer Center Internet Classes
- Tomorrow: Internet Multiuser, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the PC Lab; Dial-in with Mac, 1 to 4 p.m. in the auditorium
Thursday; HTML Advanced. 9 a.m. to noon in the Mac Lab;
Direct Connect with Windows, 1 to 4 p.m. in the auditorium;
Direct Connect with Mac, 6 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium.
■ Friday: Internet Mac, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Mac Lab
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