Welcome to our online chat with Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway.

The chat took place on Wednesday, March 9, at 2:00 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Moderator: Welcome to the chat. Chancellor Hemenway is here and we’ll start soon. We have some questions ready but if you have more, feel free to post them.

Kyle, Lawrence: How has the topic of science education in KS affected the bioscience initiatives?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: Up to now, there has been very little effect. The problem will arise if and when the state is subjected to the same kind of publicity that occurred the last time the evolution debate reached a national audience.

David, Lenexa, KS: What is the University position on the recent allegation by four KU students who say they were deliberately assaulted by the MU police department? Will KU conduct their own investigation?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: I do not see any need for KU to investigate. The story speaks for itself. I presume the KU students who were victimized will have some response from MU. One hopes that something similar never happens at Allen.

CW, Lawrence: Colorado will be looking for a new leader experienced with managing athletics. Why not toss your hat into the ring?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: My hat is already in the KU ring and that is where it will stay.

Kyle, Lawrence: Chancellor Hemenway,

Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway types a response to questions posed by LJWorld.com readers on Wednesday.

What is your stance on allowing 3.2 beer to be sold in the Kansas Union?

Also, regarding your position on allowing alcohol on campus, where do you stand as far as beer sales at sporting events such as baseball, football, or even basketball games?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: I am unquestionably opposed to selling alcohol at sporting events. We are looking into the proposal for 3.2 beer in the union. I think it should be carefully considered, but I want to be very cautious about adding any alcohol event to a KU facility that has large numbers of underage visitors.

Scott: The Phi Kappa Theta fraternity was punished for violating several University policies on parties and underage drinking. What are your thoughts on the issue and the punishment? What can KU do to discourage underage drinking?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: KU has a very specific process that it follows when any student group violates alcohol policies. We are very serious about it. I fully support strong enforcement of these policies. I think you can discourage underage drinking by having a strong educational program designed to lead to intelligent, informed decisions about alcohol. Underage students will face the issue of whether they drink and how much they drink. My hope would be that their university helps them make rational decisions about such a serious matter.

DT, Hays: Doesn’t the five-year tuition plan give the Kansas Legislature an easy way to deny KU more money? (Especially considering that they need the money for K-12 now).

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: The legislature always has the option to deny funds to the university. They do not need a special reason. They control the budget. I must say, however, that most legislators I meet understand the needs of higher education and most of them would like to help. Their dilemma is that there are many more requests than there is money. What we must do is convince legislators that an investment in KU really pays off, in economic growth, for the whole state.

Derek, Lawrence: On a lighter note, who do you have in your Final Four?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: KU, North Carolina, Illinois, and Oklahoma State

Jerry–Dallas, TX: I am encouraged about the new leadership of the KU Alumni Association–will you be more involved in attending alumni events in the future?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: I think the new leadership is off to a very strong start. The board and Kevin Corbett have been considering a number of exciting ideas for the alumni association’s future. I usually attend 35-40 alumni events each year, and I expect that I will attend at least that many in the future. It is always fun to be around KU alumni. There are fewer complaints about parking among the alums.

Brad, Lawrence: I have noticed a lot of construction on campus over the past few years, and most of this has been funded through private donations. My question is: Why some of this private money (and money from KU Endowment) was/is not used for things that you lobby the State of Kansas to pay for such as funding programs/services and salary increases for faculty and staff?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: KU has always had a number of capital projects that get their start from private donations. This is true historically, and has been true the last few years. The reason that such donations do not go to programs or salary increases is that the donor specifies where the money is to go. That said, KUFirst, our capital campaign, actually doubled the number of funded positions such as distinguished professors. In fact, private funds do support programs and faculty salaries, but when they do so it is because that is where the donor wants the money to go.

Ryan, Lawrence: Do you see the school funding arguments in the Legislature hurting not only KU, but the other Regents Universities?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: I feel strongly about this issue. What helps education at one level helps education at all levels. I refuse to accept the argument that we must drive a wedge between k-l2 and higher ed. What we must do is see education funding in Kansas as a pre-school through graduate school funding problem.

Lawrence: How do you view the morale of the classified staff of KU? With increasing expenses everywhere and no pay raises, morale is getting very low. What can you say about raises except to write your legislator?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: The problem that the classified staff has had is that they are always the last group to be designated for salary increases in the legislative process. What classified staff have proposed, and I support, is legislation that would enable KU to have its own classified staff system, separate from the state system. We can guarantee all the rights and employment processes in the state system, and at the same time enable classified staff to have access to a KU system that puts them forward in the salary designation and provides them the possibility of other employment innovations. For example, in the state system one must use sick days or they are lost. Why not have a system where the university will pay you cash for any sick days that you do not use? The KU Hospital has such a system and it works well. these are the kind of new thoughts that I believe can come with KU classified staff in an alternative t the state civil service system.

Moderator: We have time for one more question.

Mbalz, Lawrence: Being a minority I was wondering what you would think of a policy of admitting minorities based strictly on ethnicity, while somewhat neglecting their academic records would be?

Chancellor Robert Hemenway: The supreme court and the U.S. constitution both speak clearly on this. All races must have equal protection under the law. In the Michigan case, which the supreme court recently ruled on, the court said that race could be taken into consideration in admission decisions, but that it could not be the only factor in the admissions decision. All universities are obligated to follow this guideline. The good news is that there is nothing in this guideline that impedes universities from conducting aggressive affirmative action programs that seek out and encourage students of color to enroll at KU or any other university. I strongly believe that KU must do more to encourage enrollment of students of color, and we should do more to create a hospitable environment for such students. KU’s diversity is one of its strongest competitive advantages, and my hope it will become even more diverse in the future.

Moderator: Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s chat, especially Chancellor Hemenway. We had some great questions this afternoon.