To the editor:

Dolph Simons’ editorials about the possible St. Luke’s and KUMC/KU Hospital merger are hopefully causing people to contact their state representatives. It would appear that Gov. Sebelius and Chancellor Hemenway have endorsed the arrangement in a less than forthright way.

I know from almost four decades of university employment that most universities are almost always interested in getting federal money. The typical logic is we should get a part of the federal pie since some state or university is going to get it anyway. Another more noble reason is we have what it takes to be the designated entity.

But, is this proposed merger the best deal for Kansans and will it really allow its promoters to get the National Cancer Institute designation? I agree with Simons who suggests KUMC/KU Hospital should go it alone, but only if they have what it takes without St. Luke’s. However, I do not agree with the merger at all. Why support an arrangement where Kansas resources are placed under the authority or bound to other equal or lesser authorities from out of state (indirectly, the state of Missouri and directly, St. Luke’s)?

Let’s have our state representatives look at this so that a decision is not made from such a narrow point of view. Only they can give us the added balance needed for this decision, which will then represent most Kansans.

Carl Burkhead,

Lawrence