JUNCTION CITY — Former Junction City Blue Jay and Kansas State football standout Ty Zimmerman has signed as a free agent with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
Zimmerman, a safety, reported to the Saints on Sunday. He will undergo a physical Monday morning, and workouts are expected to begin Monday afternoon.
He will have company in New Orleans from K-State. Offensive Tackle Tavon Rooks was a sixth-round draft pick of the Saints. The New Orleans Advocate newspaper also reported that former K-State running back John Hubert is among other post-draft signings by the Saints.
“Bachelor’s Degree in Just One Year!” These billboards appear several places around Kansas.
These so-called “accelerated programs” are becoming common, providing “…a variety of methods to earn credit without setting foot into a classroom.” By describing a bachelor’s degree as a union card to get in the door, these operations pitch to adults with job and family commitments who “simply do not have the time and money to go back to school.”
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
How do they do this? “Accelerated classes,” credit transfer, life experience credits, professional certificate credits, work experience credits, military service, and test-outs allow you to “earn” a bachelor’s degree in just one year. Somehow, they can provide you with this supposed four-year program in just one year because you are just too busy in a full time job and raising a family. Amazing!
A key to awarding these “fast degrees” is “Prior Learning Assessments” or awarding credit for prior life experiences.
This gimmick is now coming to Kansas public higher education. The Kansas Board of Regents has distributed “Credit for Prior Learning: Best Practices for Kansas Public Institutions. A Guide to Prior Learning Assessment in Kansas” to the academic community for comment.
The innocent-looking Trojan horse in this proposal is the long list of current credits by examination that have some limited legitimacy because they are already used by regents universities: Advanced Placement (AP) exams, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES) Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs), etc.
However, a rigorous school such as K.U. may require a score of 5 for AP credit toward a college course while another regents school may also accept a 3 or 4. This proposed document goes far beyond “guidelines” to establish policy. Under the proposed system, all credit for prior learning must transfer across the Kansas system. Therefore the system drops to the lowest school’s criteria.
Limited credit for experiences in the military may be defensible, but only if limited to specific academic skills: an air force medic might have the knowledge provided by a human anatomy and physiology class—or perhaps not. But this proposal goes far beyond the currently recognized AP, CLEP and other established assessments to replace courses with tests. This document makes no distinction between an examination and an education. If this philosophy was applied to law and medical students, a student could sit for the bar exam without taking law school or for the medical boards without completing medical school. While this credit-for-experience plan does not yet destroy those programs, it clearly fails to understand that students learn to prepare a case or conduct surgery in their course work, not in preparing for a test. This “prior learning” plan threatens to gut all other fields of academics.
We already have a model for such a disaster in the Kansas dual credit or concurrent enrolment policy. Originally designed for the few exceptional Kansas junior or senior high school students—our few “Doogie Howsers”—it was changed so students who had finished their freshman year of high school could take courses for college credit. Designed for a few exceptional students recommended by their high school administrators and envisioned for students attending part time at a nearby college, it rapidly became a flood of mediocre students taking regular courses at high school for college credit. Turns out, everybody has a Doogie Howser. The result has been many students entering university with a year or more of weak “college credit” and graduating with lesser abilities: essentially a bachelors degree of three genuine years of college.
This new “Credit for Prior Learning” proposal now risks reducing the value of a Kansas bachelor’s degree to just one year. Once this barn door is opened, Kansas schools will race-to-the-bottom as they compete to offer the cheapest degrees in the continued pursuit of tuition. The document even promotes credit-for-prior-learning as “a recruitment tool”!
Dual credits taken in high school should be limited to three to six credit hours—total! Similar tight limits should be placed on “prior learning.”
Most citizens and employers recognize today’s for-profit and online operations that are diploma mills. But every Kansas citizen who has earned a valid bachelor’s degree should be concerned with this new proposal that will devalue the degree they legitimately earned.
In this graduation season, the Kansas student who has worked hard over four years to earn a bona fide bachelor’s degree should not be followed across the stage by a “student” who has barely accomplished one year of academic work. Everyone loses if this cheap degree plan passes.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas regulators have allowed U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins to continue tagging congressional and campaign materials with a CPA label although her state permit to work as a certified public accountant expired nearly two years ago.
The arrangement was approved by the Kansas Board of Accountancy in 2011 before Jenkins’ permit to practice as a CPA expired in 2012.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the executive director of the state Board of Accountancy declined the newspaper’s interview requests.
Jenkins’ congressional office said she doesn’t engage in CPA duties. Jenkins’ spokesman Tom Brandt says guidelines of the U.S. House regarding taxpayer-funded mailings enabled official stationary to include information about a member’s professional license. He says Jenkins’ professional experience as an accountant applies directly to her responsibilities in Congress.
To help Fort Hays State University students stay calm and focused during finals week, the Western Plains Animal Refuge will hold a “Pet and Play” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, on the Quad on the FHSU campus.
Pet and Play will offer FHSU students a chance to relax and play with the adoptable dogs and cats from the refuge. The public is invited, and freewill donations are encouraged.
The Western Plains Animal Refuge is a nonprofit, volunteer-run, no-kill shelter for domestic animals.
Frustrated with the restraints of gifted programs in Kansas schools, students of the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science at Fort Hays State University worked together to compile a database to support gifted educators and students.
“The website is basically a database for gifted facilitators and gifted students to access some resources we thought would help their education and academics,” said Tammy Nguyen, KAMS junior and Russell High School student.
Linda Smith, instructor of English, assisted the KAMS students in creating and developing the Kansas Gifted Education Database by orchestrating a feasibility study after the class obtained a Dane G. Hansen grant.
The feasibility study found that the resources and time of gifted facilitators, who travel from school to school to aid in gifted education, were highly limited. “The worst-case scenario I’ve seen is a gifted facilitator available to work with a gifted student for only 30 minutes once a week because either the travel time is prohibitive or the schools don’t have the staff,” said Smith.
The students’ personal experiences were consistent with their findings. “We weren’t being challenged. Gifted programs are supposed to help highly motivated students who need a challenge, and we found that a lot of us didn’t have a gifted program that worked,” said Nguyen.
The students divided into four groups — Web design, photo and video, outreach, and research — and set to work on completing the website. The website also includes video documentation of their personal experiences with high school education.
The students debuted the database at the KAMS Rural Gifted Forum in Oakley with the help of gifted facilitator Valarie Brown-Kuchar from the Northwest Kansas Educational Service Center.
“I wasn’t sure if the website was ready to be presented to so many important people,” said Nguyen, “but the fact that they all responded positively and are excited about what we’re doing is really amazing.”
The database is easy to navigate: after the user specifies his or her status as student, teacher or parent, the user can select any category of study, such as mathematics or English, and be taken to a series of websites with the appropriate learning activities or programs.
“One thing educators can do,” said Smith, “is go to this repository of the best resources, select what they need and then complement or augment what they can do with their gifted students.”
They also presented their work at the North-Central Kansas Educational Service Center in Phillipsburg and have been invited to present at the Kansas Gifted and Talented Consortium Summer Seminar in Hays in June.
The work of these KAMS students brings hope to gifted programs in the future. “A lot of us feel an emotional connection with the project,” said Kayce Feldkamp, KAMS junior and Nemaha Valley High School student. “We didn’t feel like we got the education we should have, which was upsetting.”
A front that dropped more than 2 inches of rain on counties east of Ellis County appeared to just skirt Hays on Sunday.
Rainfall reports from www.cocorahs.org.
The storm, which resulted in various National Weather Service tornado, thunderstorm and wind advisories for Ellis County, resulted in some precipitation for the parched area — but not much.
According to spotter reports from CoCoRaHS, the most rain fell west of Hays, with a report of 0.5 inches of rain.
Just east of Hays measured 0.35 inches, while a report south of Hays showed 0.4 inches in the rain gauge. There were various reports of hail, ranging from pea- to nickel-sized.
A KDOT traffic cam view from I-70 near Goodland at 6:29 a.m. Monday.
More precipitation could be on the way, however, as the NWS is forecasting a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m. Monday.
In far northwest Kansas, the overnight low fell below freezing, leading to some May snow near Goodland.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old Lawrence man is dead after two men exchange gunfire following a confrontation at a Mother’s Day cookout.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports police were called to an apartment complex around 6 p.m. Sunday in response to a shooting. When officers arrived the victim already had been transported by family members to a hospital, where he died.
Officers received descriptions of the suspect and his vehicle, and a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy took the man into custody shortly afterward.
A witness says about 35 people were at the cookout when a man carrying a shotgun got out of a vehicle and approached someone at the cookout. The witness says the man at the cookout pulled out a pistol and shot the man holding the shotgun, who returned fire.
Funeral planning and end-of-life issues are difficult subjects. But those who attended last week’s Extension program found that these topics could be interesting, thought-provoking and sometimes even a bit humorous. If you missed our presentation on end-of-life issues, the following summary provides useful information to think about now, so that you’ll be better prepared when the need arises in your family.
Linda Beech
Because death is something you may not want to think about, funeral or memorial service planning is something you might put off. The reality is that most people will be involved in making funeral arrangements at some point in their lives.
Americans spend billions of dollars every year to arrange more than 2 million funerals for loved ones. Funerals rank among the most expensive purchases many consumers will ever make. Yet, when a loved one dies, grieving family members are confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral – all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional stress.
Consumers who make funeral plans in advance can compare prices and services so that the funeral reflects a wise and well-informed purchasing decision, honors the deceased and is meaningful to survivors. Advance planning can also reduce the temptation some people have to “overspend” on a funeral or burial because they think of it as a reflection of their feelings for the deceased.
Pre-planning does not have to mean pre-paying, so even those who are uncomfortable about paying for services in advance can benefit from planning ahead before any dollars ever change hands. In either case, leaving preferences or instructions for family members can be helpful. Explain whether you would like to be buried or cremated, how and where you would like services to be conducted, your choice of cemetery including information about a burial plot, and the location of documents verifying prepayment of funeral expenses or funds set aside.
Funeral expenses generally fit into four categories. Being familiar with these types of typical expenses may make planning and comparison shopping easier.
• Professional services: These include the services of the funeral director and staff, including the use of facilities and equipment, and the casket and vault.
• Grave site or cremation: These include the cost of the grave and opening and closing the site. There are also costs associated with cremation and an urn, if desired.
• Monument or marker: These include costs for a monument or marker for the grave or a niche for an urn.
• Miscellaneous: Costs for items paid directly by the family or through the funeral director for flowers, limousines, death notices, burial clothing or transporting the body.
The Federal Trade Commission is charged with enforcing laws regarding funeral costs. The FTC offers these tips for shopping for funeral services.
1. Plan ahead. It allows you to comparison shop without time constraints, creates an opportunity for family discussion, and lifts some of the burden from your family. If you are planning your own service, and especially if you are paying in advance, you may want to review your arrangements every few years.
2. Ask for a written price list. By law, funeral homes must give you written price lists for products and services. Compare prices from at least two funeral homes.
3. Resist pressure to buy goods and services you don’t really need. Recognize and avoid potential emotional overspending in your desire to honor a loved one.
4. Recognize your rights. Funeral and burial laws vary from state to state. For information about the Kansas rules and laws and other helpful resources, go online to the Kansas State Board of Mortuary Arts at www.accesskansas.org/ksbma/.
For more information, talk to your local funeral director. You’ll find he can provide a wealth of helpful information and advice.
K-State Research and Extension also has two new publications on Decisions After a Death. Find them on our Ellis County Extension website at www.ellis.ksu.edu under “Home and Family: Aging.”
The Federal Trade Commission also offers many helpful resources. Search for “funerals” at the FTC website www.ftc.gov.
Linda Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
Many Hays residents still remember waking up to BoB Templeton’s “Hello, world!” as a morning radio disc jockey on KAYS-AM in the early 1960s.
The memory is one of several Bob Schmidt, chairman and retired president/CEO of Eagle Communications, recounted as he shared memories of his former colleague and friend.
BoB (yes two capital Bs) Templeton died at age 80 Thursday morning of heart failure at Hays Medical Center.
Schmidt laughed as recalled Templeton’s old “Hello, world!” catchphrase, broadcast from a 250-watt radio station in Hays, as a perfect example of his friend’s personality.
“He was a fun guy, very infectious personality, outgoing, just a fun person to know,” he said.
According to Templeton’s daughter, Laura Lechner, 56, Wichita, Schmidt was driving through Kearney, Neb., in 1963 when he heard Templeton’s “amazing” voice on the radio and offered him a job, which brought Templeton and his wife, Ruth, to Hays.
Lechner said Templeton left KAYS in 1967 to accept a job in Oshkosh, Wis., as general manager of a brand-new radio station.
But when Schmidt offered him the chance to come back to Hays as general manager of KAYS in 1973, Templeton and his family were happy to move back to Kansas.
Templeton’s youngest daughter, Kari Beetch, 51, Abilene, said the voice that first caught Schmidt’s attention is one of many qualities she will miss about her dad.
“He had an absolutely amazing voice — perfect. He was a great communicator,” she said.
Beetch said the man behind the the voice was “amazing” as well, adding he was a loving and supportive dad who, along with their mother, who died in 2012, taught his daughters to live as they did — “to do everything we did to the best of our ability and never do anything halfway.”
In fact, it was her father’s positive attitude that earned him the nickname, “Grandpa Terrific” to his seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Beetch said.
“If they or anyone asked him ‘How are you doing today?’ the answer was always, ‘Terrific!’ ” she said.
Lechner echoed her sister’s sentiments.
“He was very caring, loving and supportive,” she said. “His job kept him busy because he loved broadcasting. He worked with a lot of people and helped them go on to do great things.”
In the late 1980s, Templeton chose to take his communication skills in a new direction and accepted a job as director of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce in the late 1980s.
“Growing up, I always got the impression he was well-liked and had a lot of friends. He was — and I mean this in the best way — a big fish in a small pond, but to me he was just my dad. I loved him and respected him,” said Lechner, recalling the time she wrecked her car on Main Street as a teenager. “He was there before the police were because everyone knew him so someone saw me and called him.”
“BoB was a guy who liked to be in front and liked to be a leader,” said Eagle Communications President and CEO Gary Shorman.
Shorman said Templeton represented rural broadcasters on the National Association of Broadcasters Board of Directors and as President of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters during his time at KAYS.
Lechner fondly remembers “all the trips we got to take” across the country as her dad served in those roles.
“Broadcasting was a big part of his life,” she said.
Both sisters offered their gratitude to the people “who helped take care of him” for the last 10 years when Templeton’s health and mobility started to decline following back surgery.
“There are no words for the gratitude I feel for the people who dedicated their time and stepped in to help look after him,” Beetch said.
Beetch said there were too many friends to name but in particular they wanted to publicly thank Randy and Sari Reynolds, Curt Coup and the Rev. Jerry Jones.
UPDATE: Funeral services for BoB Templeton, 80, will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Brock’s Funeral Chapel of Hays is in charge of arrangements.
LANSING, Kan–A Kansas woman was injured in a Sunday crash in Leavenworth County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Ford Taurus driven by Margaret M. Driscoll, 85, Kansas City, was northbound on U.S. 73 two miles south of Lansing.
The vehicle entered the center median and struck a sign. The vehicle re-entered northbound traffic, went back into the median, crossed southbound traffic and struck another sign coming to rest in a creek on the west side of the highway.
Driscoll was transported to Providence Hospital.
The KHP reported she was wearing a seat belt.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A new bee colony is on exhibit at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum after the previous denizens of the sixth-floor display succumbed to cold weather and wind.
The university says it received the bees Friday. The bees are expected to be busy soon flying from the simulated tree hive across the Lawrence campus gathering food and pollinating flowers.
A university alumna donated funds to replace the colony in honor of Lawrence B. and Frances Moore, residents of Lawrence. The exhibit was enhanced with addition of a new camera that is linked to the Grit Magazine.
Officials say other enhancements to the exhibit are being planned.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old Lawrence man is dead after two men exchange gunfire following a confrontation at a Mother’s Day cookout.
LANSING, Kan–A Kansas woman was injured in a Sunday crash in Leavenworth County.
