¢ InsideHigherEd.com, a Web site that writes about issues affecting colleges and universities, takes a look at the idea being floated around the state that would make admissions standards higher at Kansas University than they would be at other universities in the state._”It’s probably easier for a Kansan to get into the University of Kansas than it would be for a resident of another state to get into a flagship institution. If you’re comparing flagships to flagships, the University of Kansas admission standards are probably more lenient, less strict, less stringent,” said Chris Rasmussen, director of policy research for the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, a research-sharing commission for Midwestern states. Kansas’ retention and graduation rates, among the lowest in the region, may reflect the relatively low admissions standards at universities statewide, Rasmussen said. But they also represent a chosen philosophy that privileges access: “One way to increase retention is to increase admissions standards. Another would be to beef up the kinds of support services you’re providing. Another would be to work with high schools,” said Rasmussen._¢ A book by KU professor Jennifer Weber gets a mention in an article in The American Spectator comparing President Bush – and the situation he faces with the war in Iraq – to President Lincoln and the war he faced._The new book Copperheads by University of Kansas history professor Jennifer Weber is a wonderful case in point. The book brims with the details of the virulent anti-war opposition to Lincoln from Northern critics. They were dubbed “Copperheads” because, like the copperhead snake, they were said to strike without warning. The war to save the Union and eventually the struggle to emancipate the slaves were dubbed “wicked,” and Lincoln was bitterly castigated as a purveyor of “fanaticism and hypocrisy.” Moral relativism? There were Northerners aplenty who fervently believed the Union side of the conflict represented nothing more than “barbarism and sin.”_¢ David Dillon, chairman and CEO of grocery giant Kroger Co., mentions his love for KU basketball in an Associated Press about the company and his leadership.¢ The Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival has started a 19-city tour of the country searching for bands to play in its Revival Tent. Read what the Des Moines Register wrote about the upcoming competition there.