SPORTS: Club sport members can be injured like varsity athletes, but don't have athletic trainers. Page 9.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.103.NO.22
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1993
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS:8644810
GTAs contend that they are employees
By Kathleen Stolle Kansan staff writer
Two graduate teaching assistants testified yesterday, the first day of hearings on the status of GTAs, that they considered themselves employees of the University of Kansas, independent of their roles as graduate students.
Under questioning by GTA representative Scott Stone of the Kansas Association of Public Employees, Dan Murtaugh and
David Reidy both said they decided to be GTAs for financial, not academic, reasons.
"Nobody would deny that you do receive some academic benefits," Reidy said. "But the motivation for the job is primarily economic."
The hearings focus on the issue of whether GTAs qualify as public employees, as defined by Kansas statutes. Public employees have the right to vote on unionizing. The GTAs, who are interested in forming a bargaining unit, say they are public employees. The University says that GTAs are students who benefit academically from the teaching experience.
Anthony Genova, head of the philosophy
department, testified that GTAs in his department had many of the responsibilities as faculty members. Preparing syllabuses and lectures, grading papers, and holding office hours were some of the responsibilities he cited. He also testified that GTAs were subject to the same standards of ethical conduct as faculty. Genova said he considered the GTAs junior colleagues.
Under questioning by hearing examiner Monty Bertelli of the Kansas Public Employees Relations Board, Genova said most graduate students became GTAs for the financial rather than the academic benefits. However, he said an assistantship could enhance a graduate's prospects
when looking for a job.
"It's not necessary, but I would say it's helpful for someone going into teaching to say, I've had some experience teaching," he said.
Stone introduced photocopies of GTA paychecks, applications and a GTA manual, tailored after the faculty handbook, as evidence of the University and GTAs employer-employee relationship.
"We have all the responsibility of employees, all the responsibilities of faculty, but none of the benefits," Murtaugh said.
Under questioning, all three witnesses cited compensation and health care as known concerns of GTAs.
KU scientists find mammoth crater
Nebraska crater may be largest in U.S.
By Shan Schwartz
Kansan staff writer
A team of three KU scientists received local and worldwide attention for their discovery of an impact crater in Nebraska, believed to be the largest in the United States and one of the most recent anywhere on Earth.
Wakefield Dort and Ed Zeller, professors emeritus of Geology, and Larry Martin, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Museum of Natural History, stumbled onto the crater three years ago while looking for fossils in central Nebraska.
Martin said the scientists were originally investigating the area near North Platte, Neb., looking for mammoth tusks.
"We started looking for elephants, then lagoons, and then we found a crater," he said.
To help them find remnants from the mammoths, Martin said, the scientists studied geological formations in the area to look for prehistoric lagoon formed at the end of the last ice age. The lagons, Martin said, were likely areas to find the mammoth fossils.
While searching for lagoons, Martin said, Dort pieced together several maps of the area. Dort discovered what appeared to be a crater from the altitude lines on a topographical map.
Zeller said he was surprised no one else had discovered the crater by looking at topographical maps.
The scientists studied the area to confirm the finding. After digging up glass and magnetic particles in the area around the crater, Martin said, they were convinced that it was formed by a large meteor that crashed
into the earth about 1,000 years ago.
The meteor's impact caused an explosion equivalent to the force of a hydrogen bomb, Zeller said, and probably displaced at least 50 or 100 million tons of material from the impact site. Particles blown from the explosion flew as far as five miles from the crater.
The original crater was probably several hundred feet deep, Zellers said, but over time it was filled in by erosion and ground settling.
"If you're there looking at it, it doesn't appear to be a crater unless you know it's there," he said.
Zeller said that animals and humans within 10 miles of the impact were probably killed. Within 20 miles of the impact, he said, "they probably experienced a major shake-up."
"This was probably the most spectacular astrophysical event ever witnessed by humans on earth," he said.
Zeller said that Pawnee Indians probably were living in the area at the time of the meteor's impact.
A large crater in Arizona, formed about 22,000 years ago, was previously believed to be the largest crater in the United States, but Zeller said it wasn't as big as the one discovered in Nebraska.
The Arizona crater, however, is more spectacular to view because it was formed in solid rock and retained its shape and size much more than the Nebraska crater, which formed in softer soil, Zeller said.
The discovery in Nebraska, Dort said, proved that the earth is not safe from another devastating meteor crash.
"As far as the general public is concerned, it demonstrates that a large impact occurred very recently," Dort said. "And another one could occur anywhere at any time."
The Custer County crater
Three KU scientists have discovered the most recent impact crater in the world and the largest in the United States. The depression is 70 feet deep.
1 mile
Doug Hesse/ KANSAN
Cedric Deniau, Coutevroult, France, graduate student, left, and Grace Yee, Hong Kong graduate student, meditate at the Campanile as part of a class taught by Woun Ur Young Ur, graduate teaching assistant and master of Tae Kwon Do. The class of about 40 exercised and mediated for an hour yesterday morning.
Sunrise meditation
KANSAN
Haskell students boycott
By Carlos Tejada Kansan staff writer
Students allege that businesses are racist
Students at Haskell Indian Nations University have boycotted two Lawrence businesses that they accuse of racism.
Regina Grass, Haskell sophomore and president of the Campus Activities Association, or CAA, said most of the student body had refused to do business with Gumby's Pizza, 1445 W. 23rd St., and Checkers Foods, 2300 Louisiana St., because of alleged discrimination against American Indians.
Owners of both businesses have denied the charges.
Grass said the boycott began Wednesday when Shirlene Willie, a former assistant manager at Gumby's and an American Indian, told Haskell students that employees of Gumby's performed mock war chants when they received a call from Haskell.
Kansan staff report
The charges were brought before a campus activities association meeting, Grass said. She said the students present discussed the matter before deciding on a boycott.
Willie could not be reached for comment.
The boycott was fueled by the belief that Gumby's deliberately delivered pizzas late to Haskell, Grass said.
Grass said the boycott had been successful.
"Usually the trash cans outside are full of Gumby's boxes," she said. "I've only seen one or two of their drivers this weekend."
Grass also said Checkers was added to the boycott because American Indian students who entered the store were followed and watched by Checkers employees, and automatically were suspected of being shoplifters at Checkers.
"The darker color you are, the worse treatment you get." Grass said.
Brian Sipp, part owner of Gumby's, said the charges of deliberate tardiness and racism were false.
"We do a lot of business down at Haskell, and there's no way we want to make anybody angry," he said.
Sipp said an employee once made a war cry after a call from Haskell in front of Willie. However, he said the employee was performing the Tomahawk Chop, which is used by fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, and did not mean to insult Haskell students.
Sipp said that he spoke to the employee about the matter and that the employee apologized. He declined to name the employee.
Sipp said he had hired American Indian drivers and would do so again in the future.
Jim Lewis, owner of Checkers, said the charges were "ridiculous" because of the work he had done for Haskell in the past. He said he had helped organize rallies for new Haskell students at the beginning of each year.
Lewis said that because he hired American Indians and that he himself was part American Indian, the allegations made no sense.
"If that was true, why would I hire Haskell students?" he said. "That's all wrong."
Grass said the students were justified in their actions.
Hannes Combesb, educational assistant to Haskell president Bob Martin, said Martin would refrain from commenting until he knew more about the matter.
A meeting between Haskell students and the management of Gumby's will be at 7 tonight at the Student Senate building at Haskell.
Tagged
Orlev Tavlor. professor of entomology.
Orley taylor, pr coordinated a butterfly tracking project in which monarchs were tagged as they came through Kansas on their way south. Page 3
Page 3.
Brand-name recognition increases Union yogurt sales
By David Stewart
Kansan staff writer
Tapping into a national trend of bringing brand-name fast foods to the convenience of college students on campus, the Kansas Union third-floor cafeteria in August added TCBY yogurt to its menu, said Jay Glatz, manager of food services.
It's a case of "All the pleasure, none of the hassle."
"I'm always trying to see a way to sell more," Glatz said. "Under this license agreement, we're giving students the so-called branded items."
Glatz said he would not characterize bringing TCBY to the Union as privatizing food service.
Instead of bringing in a TCBY outlet, KU food service signed a license agreement with the yogurt company that allowed the Union cafeteria to use the company name and product, a method Glatz called "branding."
By branding, KU food service conveniently provided students with a nationally recognized product rather than a generic brand, he said.
"We had yogurt and ice milk before, but with TCBY, we went from 15 servings a day to 80," Glatz said. "On average, we've experienced a six-fold increase in sales."
In addition to adding TCBY, Glatz said he has discussed with a Pizza Hut representative the possibility of providing pizza at the Union cafeteria by January of next year.
Mary Beth Whitted, national account manager for TCBY, Inc., in Dallas, explained the year-old trend of national chains like TCBY, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut operating on college campuses around the country.
"People don't want to eat mystery food from college cafeterias anymore," Whitted said. "They want to eat brands they know and trust."
Knowing the name TCBY was one reason Dan McNair, Deerfield, Ill., freshman,
decided to buy a cup of the non-fat Dutch chocolate yogurt.
"You know it's better quality food than the standard cafeteria," Keenan said.
Along with the quality, students said they did not want to travel away from campus just to eat at a fast food restaurant.
Students also said they appreciated the added variety that brand foods such as TCBY yogurt offered.
"If students just had a Union name, they'd take it as a generic brand and not buy it as much," McNair said. "With places like TCBY and Pizza Hut, they'd have more of an opportunity to get a little variety in the food."
After having worked at a TCBY store, Amy Keenan, Overland Park sophomore, said she was glad to see the addition at the Union cafeteria.
"If the University had more fast food outlets on campus, then maybe more people would stay here for lunch," McNair said.
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Valerie Bontrager / KANSA
Deborah Knudtson, assistant director of food services, serves TCBY frozen yogurt at the cafeteria in the Kansas Union.