Kansas City Star, February 28, 1998

 
Legislative request about college courses called 'stupid'
By JOHN PETTERSON - Topeka Correspondent
   TOPEKA -- Gov. Bill Graves on Friday labeled as "stupid" a legislative
request for a list of courses related to homosexuality and bisexuality being
offered at the state's six Board of Regents universities. 
   The request last week touched off alarms on the university campuses, where
faculty members warned of a possible attack on academic freedom. 
   "I think we would get ourselves into a whole hornets' nest if we started
passing judgment over at the state Capitol building over what the course
content at universities should or shouldn't be," the governor said at his
morning press conference. 
   A lot of questions get asked when the Legislature is in session, Graves
said. He predicted that nothing would come of the latest inquiry. 
   "This is a kind of stupid question," he said. "I feel bad for research that
they have to go chase this kind of junk down." 
   The request was made to the Legislative Research Department, which
forwarded it to the staff of the Kansas Board of Regents. The department would
not say which legislator or legislators had requested the information, citing
confidentiality. 
   Stephen Jordan, executive director of the Board of Regents, said Friday
afternoon that responses from the universities had been received and forwarded
to the research department in time to meet its Friday deadline. 
   Word of the request spread quickly through the university system. 
   "It's amazing how quickly it got the faculty excited," Jordan said. 
   Of the six universities, he said, only Fort Hays State University declined
to respond. 
   Jordan said two of the universities, the University of Kansas and Wichita
State University, said they offered classes that touched on the two topics. 
   Wichita State reported five courses in which the content included
alternative lifestyle information. 
   The Wichita State courses and the area of study where they are offered:
human variables, anthropology; health care for special populations, public
health; human sexuality, social work; sociology of sex roles, sociology; and
women's sexuality, women's studies. 
   KU said it offered media ethics in its journalism school and a class on
social and ethical problems of medicine in its medical school. 
   Three other schools, Kansas State University, Emporia State University and
Pittsburg State University, said their classes did not include material about
homosexuality or bisexuality. 
   Two legislative leaders made it clear Friday they were not enamored of the
request. 
   "It's probably a dumb request," said Senate Minority Leader Anthony
Hensley, a Topeka Democrat. 
   And Senate President Dick Bond, an Overland Park Republican, said it
indicated to him that there were some lawmakers who needed more to do. 
   "Legislators certainly ought to have the right to make inquiries, but this
is a witch hunt," he said.